Chapter 13

Morning Dawns

The City Wakes

Time to Say Goodbye

Lina was the one who had to drag the unwilling Mazoku out of bed.

Xellos had awoken to a gentle shake, with the impression of having had a horrid dream, and upon rolling over, noticed that he was still fully clothed. Lina Inverse was standing there looking at him, and he came crashing back into the realization that it hadn’t been a dream. Lalli truly had thrown herself off of the balcony last night, and he was far more alone now than he could ever have imagined himself being before. He immediately closed in on himself and turned over with every intention of trying to hide. He didn’t even feel like using his magic to leave. He was depressed, and not even getting to enjoy it. With a half-hearted ‘mmmf’, he pulled the covers over his head.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re getting out of bed, Xellos, if I have to fry you in the process. If you don’t see this through, how will you ever move on?” Lina said, pulling the covers right back away from him.

“I don’t want to move on. There’s no point in it anymore,” Xellos muttered into his pillow, refusing to roll over.

There was a sudden weight beside him as Lina sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, Xellos, I know how you feel. When Hellmaster Phibrizo took Gourry away from me… it was all I could do to get up the next morning. And when I did, I cried.”

“You could get him back. Lalli’s… gone. Forever…” Xellos choked into the pillow.

Lina took the pillow away with a yank. “I didn’t know that I could. I’m not saying that you can’t mourn her, Xellos. But would she have wanted you to waste the rest of eternity like this? Hiding from the rest of the world? You and I both know all too well that Beastmaster won’t let you do that. You owe it to Lalli to keep on going.”

He rolled over and looked at her bleakly.

She grabbed his arm, giving him a no-nonsense tug. “Now come on. You don’t do this for you. You do this for her.”

“For her.” His voice was empty. “How can I ever do anything more for her? She’s…gone. Not just dead. If she were dead, I’d have a chance of finding her. But… I can’t find her spirit. It’s like she never existed.”

Lina sighed, letting go of Xellos’ arm. “Look, Xellos… I know what it’s like to lose someone close to you. When I was eight, I was best friends with a girl who lived nearby. We used to play like ordinary kids, even though we were both in the same beginners’ Black magic classes. One day, after class, she was sitting on the wood that had been placed over the old well that the city had condemned, and when the wood broke… she fell in.”

Lina shivered, suddenly seeing her childhood friend vanish into a cloud of wood dust and down into the black hole of the well underneath all over again.

“I was right there. I watched her fall, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. At eight, we hadn’t learned much of anything beyond the fireball spell. They told me that she had died instantly.”

Xellos looked away. Lalli hadn’t died instantly… she’d been there for the fight with Aurin…lingering in pain…

“You know Xellos, for days, I’d look for her in all of our secret hiding places. I somehow thought that she’d be there waiting for me, laughing at the wonderful trick she had played. It wasn’t until I went to her funeral that it hit me. She was really gone. And I swore that I’d learn enough magic to keep that from ever happening again.”

But it had happened again, and they both knew it. Lalli had cast a spell to prevent the others from being able to help her, and no amount of magic in Lina’s hands could stop it.

Lina sighed and stood, walking towards the door. “I don’t know why I told you that. No… I guess that I told you that to make a point. You have to say goodbye sometimes, whether you want to or not.” She rested her hand on the doorknob. “And I can’t force you to go, Xellos. I just hope that you don’t end up making a mistake.”

She closed the door behind her, closing her eyes and wincing. The look in his eyes… would he ever be the same?

“Well?” Zelgadis asked, having been waiting outside the room for her.

She shook her head in reply and stepped away from the door. “I’ve done what I can. Either he comes out, or he doesn’t. I can’t make him do anything.” Why did I have to draw the short straw?

The chimera nodded and looked across the hall to see Amelia sighing sadly, standing by Gourry. Amelia looked reasonably distressed, but Gourry, as usual, looked pleasantly clueless.

Lina sighed deeply. “Well… let’s just go on to breakfast. Given enough time, anyone can bounce back from anything. Let’s just hope that he bounces back sooner than later.”

The little group nodded both to her and to themselves and all turned to wander quietly towards the breakfast hall.

“Um… Miss Lina…? We didn’t really get to know Miss Lalli… but I do think that she loved Mister Xellos…” Amelia said quietly, looking at the carpet as they walked.

Lina sighed. “Yeah… and I’m pretty sure that he loves her. We’ll just have to wait and see how much.”

Dispirited, the little group arrived at the breakfast hall. Aurin was already in his seat, a silent and almost sullen figure at the head of the table. He looked up when they walked in, and motioned them to sit. Filia, seated beside him, offered the faintest of smiles where Aurin couldn’t see. She, at least, was glad to see them.

One by one, they took their seats at the table, as silent servants began bringing out plates of food for the new arrivals.

Time passed slowly, as it is always given to do in as uncomfortable a situation as this. No-one spoke. Concerned, Lina and the others glanced frequently around as they ate. This was hardly the way they would have liked to depart Kuroryu… and halfway through the meal, Lina put down her glass and sighed. Xellos hadn’t shown up, and she was afraid that it would do nothing to help ease the rift. She opened her mouth to ask a question, but paused when she felt something just outside the room.

A door opened, and everyone turned to see Xellos standing there, staff in hand. Lina let out a sigh of relief, and watched the Trickster Priest quietly approach the table and take an empty chair. He waved off a servant who tried to offer him food, however. He was simply there to be there, Lina knew. After all, Xellos only ate to seem as human as the person he was sitting next to. Unless it was Zelgadis. Then he simply ate.

“She will be buried as my sister, Xellos. I have forgiven her that much.” Aurin’s voice was even as he set his glass of water aside, his food now left forgotten on the plate as his attentions turned to the Mazoku.

Xellos simply nodded, either unwilling to reply, or not having anything to offer. Lina couldn’t decide which.

“Your presence within Kuroryu will be tolerated until the evening. After which, I will expect you to leave and never return again. Is that clear, Xellos?” the Crown Prince of Kuroryu said.

“It’s completely understandable,” Xellos finally replied. He reached out and took up a cup of hot tea and began to sip it… a habit he had picked up from Filia, no doubt. It enabled him to look uninterested.

Lina watched the two carefully. Aurin was bound to try something, she realized. But would Xellos take the bait? She seriously doubted that Xellos would take Aurin up on anything at all. Even a sincere apology. Not that Aurin would apologize to Xellos…

“I do not care whether or not you understand, Mazoku. I would not allow your presence at all except that I know now what you meant to her, as much as it galls me,” Aurin snapped.

Filia lifted her hand to rest it on Aurin’s arm, but he shook her away as he scowled at Xellos.

“I would not remain within your city if there were anything else to keep me,” Xellos replied calmly, hands folded over the staff in his lap.

Lina watched Aurin’s eyes darken, and decided that she ought to get worried. Beside her, she could feel Gourry and Zelgadis both tensing for what could end up as a fight at the breakfast table.

“Then perhaps you will leave immediately after the service. Or sooner. Perhaps even right now.” Aurin baited Xellos, openly looking for the fight now.

The Mazoku somehow couldn’t rise to the occasion. “I refuse to fight over the memory of Lalli.”

Aurin started to stand, intent upon stalking over and wringing some emotion into that damned Mazoku.

You’d better do something.

“Aurin!” A voice called out from the side archway. “That is enough.”

Aurin stopped beside his chair as everyone else turned to look and see who had called out the Crown Prince of Kuroryu so boldly, and several emotions flickered through the room. Disbelief, amazement, fear, concern… all rippled through Lina faster than she could identify and name them all.

The woman in the archway stood quietly, arms folded, her golden eyes resting steadily on Aurin. Long black hair cascaded freely down her back, and the aura of power was evident to even Gourry. Lina considered this carefully. This could be very bad… for this was not L-Sama, or Beastmaster… and this unannounced person felt just as powerful as Xellos. Only Lina knew that the Trickster Priest had no fight in him just yet.

The visitor had a deep purple shirt much like Lina's own shirt, caught by a black belt that held a rather impressive looking sword. Under the belt was a skirt... no, deep purple pants with a black overskirt that was open in the front and long in the back. It gave the impression of a cape, without having the weight on her shoulders. Lina wanted one.

Then the realization hit Lina with the same force as a Dragon Slave at point-blank range.

That was Lalli.

Lina dropped her fork.

The woman, Lalli, stepped into the room and both Aurin and Xellos rose, staring. Aurin’s eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. “Lalli…? What have you done?”

Xellos simply opened his eyes and stared. He knew what had happened, could tell without even looking at her, but how? Her Dragon blood…

“I have been… taken into the service of the Beastmaster Zelas Mellatium, Aurin. You know that I’ve always been drawn to the darker things of life. So, here I am,” Lalli replied.

Xellos finally walked up to her and looked at her quietly. Ever so slowly, a smile touched his lips. He reached up and touched her cheek thoughtfully, not saying a word, just looking into her eyes.

Aurin struggled with himself for a moment. He didn’t like it, didn’t want it, but he didn’t truly have a choice, did he? It was already done. With a sigh, he nodded his head, conceding to the truth. “Yes, Lalli. No matter what I did to protect you… you were always drawn to the darker side of everything.”

Lina shook her head, casting a glance around her companions. Amelia was trying not to cry. No doubt the princess of Sailune would shortly be bubbling about love triumphing over all. And Lina would have to restrain herself from beating the girl.

Zelgadis was, well, Zelgadis. Through the years, Lina had learned to read the stony chimera, but this time she wasn’t sure at all what was going through his head. He was just there, watching quietly. She’d have to bother him about it later. Come to think of it, she had a lot to pester him about, too.

Gourry had no idea what was going on. That was painfully clear. In fact, it was made all the clearer when Gourry leaned forward around Zelgadis, looked to Lina and asked: “Who’s that?”

Lina facefaulted, Zelgadis put his head on the table, and Amelia burst into tears.

“That’s Lalli, you idiot!” Lina snapped. “Oh for crying out loud, aren’t you paying attention? Stop being such a jellyfish!”

As Lina reached over him to swat Gourry, Zelgadis managed only to sigh in disbelief. The swordsman never changed.

“It’s so wonderful, Mister Gourry!” Amelia sniffled. “They’re finally together!”

Lina rolled her eyes. Here it came, the big long dramatic moment of Amelia bubbling over with love and justice. One of these days, I just know I’m going to end up gagging Amelia.

But Amelia didn’t continue because Gourry chose that moment to get it. “Oh! I see! They got married last night!”

Lina fell out of her chair.

Zelgadis didn’t even bother to lift his head, he felt Lina’s spell charge-up and kept his head down. It was safer, and he wasn’t involved that way.

“That’s it, I’ve had it. Fireball!”

The singed Gourry was just what was needed to break the tension, and everyone except Aurin, Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis burst into peals of laughter.

“I have one requirement if you intend to pursue this, Lalli,” Aurin began, his voice low, golden eyes dark and narrowed.

Everyone stopped laughing, looking up to Aurin. Lina sighed softly. Oh boy… here we go…I knew he wasn’t going to let go that easily.

“The two of you will absolutely have to get married. And only then will you win, Little Sister,” he said offering a rare and genuine smile at Lalli.

Lina crumpled onto the floor again. This was just too much. Way, way too much. She should never have gotten out of bed this morning.

Lalli and Xellos stared at Aurin. Then, in a burst of magic she had not shown before, she took to the air, darted across the room and hugged Aurin happily. “Thank you, Aurin… it means so much to me…”

Xellos stood there, with a bemused smile on his face. So that’s why his Mistress had pushed him away. His magic couldn’t overcome the barriers of Lalli’s Dragon blood… but Beastmaster’s as well as the Lord of Nightmare’s… the thought gave him a momentary concern. The two of them working together again? Oh my. That could bring more trouble than he wished to deal with at the moment. Well… at any given moment, honestly. And it also explained why he hadn’t been able to find Lalli’s spirit. She’d never truly died. Again, the Beastmaster had done well in taking care of Lalli.

Filia cleared her throat, and everyone turned to look at her. “I think, that given what has happened, another party is in order!”

Lina sighed as she stood, putting her hand on her forehead. Filia just couldn’t come to terms with reality, could she? And Lina didn’t really want to wear another dress…

An excellent idea, Filia ul Copt. May we attend as well?

Lina spun to see the Lord of Nightmares and Beastmaster Zelas Mellatium standing there in the doorway. Oh great…here comes another dress.