Chapter Two

Kira Inverse!
The Two Paths Cross
Leaving Chaos in Their Wake




        Amelia couldn’t believe it. He said he’d try. He said he’d try!!! Delighted and embarrassed at the same time, she danced her way through the town, flowers in hand. She needed to get them back to the hotel room so she didn’t have to carry them around all day.
        She cheerfully bounced into the room that she was now sharing with Lina, and came to a red-faced halt as Lina turned and lifted an eyebrow at the bouquet of flowers in Amelia’s hands.
        “So, Amelia… where’d you get those flowers?” Lina’s tone of voice indicated that she had a fairly good idea, but wanted Amelia to confirm it for her.
        “Well, um… you see…” Amelia stammered, staring at the flowers that she held in her hand. “It was… I mean, they were… Mister Zelgadis gave them to me…”
        “Atta boy, Zel!” Lina hollered, falling backwards onto her bed. “It’s about time he learned that he’s loved.”
        Amelia stood in the door, her blush vibrant. “But… Miss Lina… how do you know?”
        Lina sat up, looking at Amelia. “Amelia… it shows. It’s the way you look at him, the way you always go to help him. Yeah, we all help each other out… but you go so far out of your way sometimes…” She paused. “And he does too. We can all see it, Amelia.”
        Amelia stepped into the room and set her flowers down on her bed, looking to Lina. “Oh… you mean, like you and Mister Gourry?”
        Lina immediately turned beet red. “Well… er…” She started to laugh nervously. “You’re just joking, right Amelia? Of course you’re joking!”
        “But I’m not, Miss Lina! It was so obvious that you liked him when Hellmaster Phibrizo kidnapped him…” Amelia’s voice fell to a whisper. “I’d… I’d never heard you cry before. Not like that.”
        Lina froze, remembering the pain and heartache she had felt when she had awoken and known that he wasn’t going to be there in the morning. How the tears had started, unbidden. “I… I didn’t know you heard me…”
        “Mister Zelgadis and I both did. It… he was really upset…” Amelia’s voice trailed off.
        Lina looked at her, aware that they had never really talked about that particular event. It had been too close for comfort… and entirely too painful. “You mean…” Lina sighed. And I’d tried so hard to be okay for the rest of them… so they wouldn’t know… and they knew. They knew… and they didn’t say anything…They supported my decision to not cast the Giga Slave, falling one by one to Hellmaster… even… Martina… She looked down. They hadn’t said anything, hadn’t even let so much as a quip slip out. In all those times that she had teased them… and they’d teased back… Once upon a time, I’d have freaked if anyone knew me that well…
        “It’s no use to dwell on it, Miss Lina. What you need is some sunshine! Let’s go out and enjoy the day!!” Amelia said, standing up from her bed, leaving the flowers behind.
        Lina looked at Amelia, unwilling to mention that the day was almost half over, but dragged herself out of her slump and managed a smile as she looked at the flowers. “Well… at least you got flowers. I didn’t even get the Sword of Light!”
        Amelia froze, blushing again, and watched Lina exit the room. Shaking herself, she ran to follow the whirlwind of emotions named Lina Inverse.
        Lina knew that if she didn’t find Kira’s house in due time, the mysterious relative might indeed come seek her out. And if Kira was anything like Lina… well, Lina didn’t want to be on the looked-for end.
        Lina had managed to elude Amelia and began walking down an obviously residential street, when she came to a halt in front of a rather non-descript house. It felt familiar… like she herself lived there… She turned down the walk, approaching the house carefully, and pausing at the door to feel for wards.
        The ward was entirely too familiar.
        She reached up and knocked on the door.
        After a few moments, the door opened, an all-too-familiar voice touching her ears. “Come in, Lina Inverse.”
        She peered into the room, stepping in slowly and seeing a figure standing in the shadows. As the door shut behind Lina, the other stepped into the room and Lina froze.

        She might have been looking in a mirror, save for the clothing.
        Kira Inverse stood before Lina Inverse, and, aside from the fact that Kira was dressed entirely in black and gold, she could have been Lina’s twin. “Well! That answers that, now doesn’t it?”
        “How…” Lina tried to get her thoughts in some semblance of order. “I can’t…” Finally, one coherent thought rose to the surface, the one big question that Lina had where it concerned her mysterious relative. “What did you do that was so awful to get yourself written out of the Family History book?”
        Kira laughed softly, shaking her head. “I should have known that would be the first thing you asked me. Come, it’s lunchtime, and I had just prepared something to eat.” The elder Inverse turned away, towards the kitchen.
        Does she know how much I eat? Lina wondered to herself, following. But when she got into the kitchen, she found that she needn’t have worried… there was more than enough food on the table. She looked at Kira and re-evaluated the woman again.
        Kira noticed the look, and laughed. “Honestly, Lina. You don’t have to be so wary of me. Look in a mirror, child. We’re the same, you and I.”
        Lina took a seat, reaching out to take a plate. It wouldn’t do to have poor manners, not right now. But as she watched, Kira dug into lunch with the same sort of gusto that Lina was well known for. Startled into silence, Kira looked over, a chicken leg in her hand. “What, Lina? I don’t expect you to eat any differently than you normally do. Eat, child, it’s going to get cold.”
        Lina set her plate aside, and for a time, the only sounds in the kitchen were from the two who were busy stuffing themselves.
        At length, Kira leaned back and grinned at Lina. “You’re definitely one of the family. I don’t know why we didn’t meet before.”
        Lina wiped her hands off on the napkin and looked to Kira. “That’s something that bothers me. You’re written out of the Inverse Family Book. I’m not even sure how we’re related. There’s one or two references to Kira Inverse, but all the pages that should have your information are sealed by some kind of spell.”
        Kira nodded as she picked up her glass. “Yup. L-Sama did that. She had her own reasons.”
        “She always does,” Lina replied with a sigh. “But what now? You don’t look like…”
        “Like I’m old enough to be your great-great grandmother?”
        Lina stared. “There’s no way!”
        Kira laughed. “I wasn’t much older than you when I was approached by an agent of L-Sama. I had the power to change forms after that… and the side effect was that this would be my base form. Yes, I age, but not physically. It’s the same for you, you know. And no, you can’t grow any larger. It doesn’t work that way.”
        Lina blushed, wondering if she was that see-through.
        Kira shook her head. “I felt the same way, Lina. I’m not precisely built myself… but it’s been a long time since that’s bothered me. Anyone makes a comment, just fireball them. After a while, they get the idea.”
        Lina smirked. “Not Gourry Gabriev. He’s as dumb as a brick.”
        “Really? How interesting. The Gabriev family name is one that I haven’t heard in a very long time. How much elf still runs in their blood, I wonder?”
        Lina stood up, staring at Kira. “ELF?!?!”
        Kira blinked, then smiled at Lina. “Elf. You didn’t know? No… you don’t remember! But who took your memories? It must have been Rouddy. I ought to beat him for that. Well, you can remember it now, if you choose to.”
        “If I…” Lina’s voice trailed off as suddenly, the memories of Joylock and Rouddy came flooding back to her. She sat, considering. “Oh…”
        Kira chuckled softly. “Lina, girl, you have a lot to learn…”
        The younger Inverse looked to the older. “That reminds me. I have a few questions…”
        Kira nodded. “I imagine you do. But let’s go into the other room and let Anya tend to the dishes.”
        Lina caught a shadowy figure by the door, and nodded. She wasn’t certain what type of creature that was, and she wasn’t about to ask.
        As the two left the room, they began to talk, Lina starting with question after question. It never even crossed Lina’s mind that the others might have been worrying about her. She hadn’t told them, after all.
        The travelers stood in the hotel, each looking at the other.
        “And you’re sure that you don’t know where she went, Amelia?” Gourry asked the nervous girl.
        Amelia shook her head slowly. “Not a clue, Mister Gourry. She teased me a little, then went out the door… and vanished in the streets.”
        Zelgadis folded his arms and looked at Gourry. “This isn’t the first time that Lina’s done this. She’ll be back.”
        Amelia looked at Zelgadis with a strange expression for a moment. “She says that about you too, Zelgadis…”
        Gourry lifted an eyebrow, sighing. “I hope so…”
        It may have been lost on Gourry that Amelia had not said the ‘Mister’ in front of his name, but Zelgadis noticed right away, and a slight blush tinged his cheeks. “Besides, you know that Lina never misses dinner if she can help it.”
        But she had missed dinner. At least, she’d missed dinner with them. They had searched the town, to no avail, and were sitting at a table in the hotel’s lobby when the door opened, and a very tired Lina walked in.
        She’d been too tired to do anything but go straight to bed, fielding questions and concerned comments, walking towards the room that she shared with Amelia. Her companions looked at each other, deeply worried, and when Gourry had tried to catch her at the door, she’d looked at him quietly and shaken her head, closing the door behind her.
        Amelia had burst into the room, fully prepared to argue violently with Lina, but had stopped when she saw Lina sitting on the bed, back to the door. Lina’s shoulders were shaking, and for a moment, Amelia thought that she ought to leave, but marshaled her thoughts and tiptoed over to Lina.
        “Miss Lina…?”
        Lina lowered her head slightly, voice struggling to clear itself without her having to do it. “Yes?”
        “Um… I just wanted to let you know that you weren’t alone… just like you told me. We’re your friends…”
        Lina whispered as she lay down, still turned away. “I know, Amelia. I… I met someone today that I wish I’d known a long time ago.” She sighed softly. “Amelia, don’t ever close out your whole family. It isn’t worth it…”
        Amelia stood in silence, stunned, watching as Lina went to sleep. What happened, Miss Lina…? Why won’t you tell us?

        She was standing alone in the unholy grave of Shabranigdo, the place where she had first cast the Giga Slave, not knowing its terrible power and potential destructive force. A chill settled in her stomach, fear gripping her heart, and she shook her head. “No… not again…Not this…”
        She stumbled over rocks and boulders, searching for something that she didn’t know. She was indeed alone, she couldn’t find the others, and they didn’t answer her calls.
        At length, she sat on a boulder and looked out at the desolation, wondering why she was there. What purpose could returning here serve? What was she looking for, if not her friends?
        Something glimmered magically, a sense catching her eye and mind, and she slipped off the boulder, moving in search of it.
        There it was, the Philosopher’s Stone. But hadn’t it been destroyed when Rezo used it? But this was good! Her dream was telling her that she could go get the stone! It existed! She could give it to Zelgadis for his cure…
        Ah… Lina Inverse. How amusing that it is you who comes here. You will be an excellent choice indeed.
        “Who’s there?” Lina snapped, spinning around to find no-one behind her.
        I am. The End-All, the Be-All. I am what you will become.
        “I’m tired of riddles! Show yourself!” Lina snarled, grip tightening on the Philosopher’s Stone.
        If you wish…
        As she watched, a dark and shapeless form rose out of the ground, vaguely familiar. With a sharp breath, Lina realized that she was looking at a part of Shabranigdo that had escaped. “How…! I destroyed you!”
        No, Lina Inverse. You destroyed but a small part of me. And now… now I take you into my service.
        “Like Hell, you will!” Gripping the Philosopher’s Stone, she began to cast.
        Yes… come closer…
        “Lord of the Darkness and the Four Worlds, I call upon you, grant me all the power that you possess!” The Philosopher’s Stone and the talismans answered her call, as the Lord of Nightmares’ power was beginning to weave about her.
        Can you fight me, Lina Inverse? Let us see…
        “Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night! Lord of Darkness, shining like gold upon the Sea of Chaos, I call upon thee, swear myself to thee! Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess! GIGA SLAVE!!” she cast without hesitation.
        The power built, feeding upon itself, but then, she felt it. The magic twisted, the Sea of Chaos crashing over her. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, and she couldn’t think. She was changing, she could feel it… a twisting in her soul, a terrible darkness swallowing her. She saw them come running up, her friends. Her magic snaked out and caught them all up in a brilliant flare. She was becoming a Mazoku! She-

 
        Lina shot straight up in bed, a terrified holler escaping her. A face hovered over her own and before she even tried to recognize it, still caught in the fragments of her nightmare, she inhaled and screamed again. It was long, it was loud, and when she ran out of air, she inhaled and screamed yet again.
        Amelia sat up in her own bed beside Lina’s, looking wildly around to see what was wrong. At the same time, the door to Lina’s hotel room burst open, Gourry and Zelgadis both darting in with blades drawn.
        Xellos was standing beside the bed, scratching his head in confusion. Elena was standing in the shadows, and Lina was sitting in the dead center of her bed, as stiff as a board, screaming her lungs out.