*Disclaimers*All Slayers Characters are property of Kanzaka Hajime and Rui Araizumi, and T.V. TOkyo

Chapter 12:

Xelas, Dalfin and Garv sat at a table in a coffee shop. Dalfin was still crying, her blue eyes filled with tears. Xelas ate another bite of her pie and looked every where but Dalfin. Garv was looking straight at Xelas, sending unspoken signals of help.

To Garv it was an awkward situation. A girl sitting across from him is crying like there is no tomorrow, and another that sat across from him was staring off into space. Some people may mistake this as that he cheated on two girls and now they want to have a talk with him, kind of situation.

"Um, Dalfin…" He decided to break the silence, it was unbearable to him. "Can you calm down and tell us what is going on?"

Dalfin reached for a napkin and wiped her tears off. "In our last life… I, I liked Graushelaa a lot." Dalfin started squeezing her hands. "I….wanted to, I don’t know. Make him like me too I guess. He was always so dead serious, I thought that maybe, just maybe I can bring some fun into his life. I attempted to do so for…. I don’t know how long.. Then, then that war, I guess I should call, came. I didn’t know what to do, Graushelaa told me that if we kill Lina Inverse, we’d win this war, and that he’d owe it to who ever killed her. I thought that if I did, he’d pay more attention to me… I now regret never paying attention at those meetings, I could have done something more ‘intelligent’." Dalfin sighed and played with her spoon. "I didn’t know what Lina Inverse meant to Xelloss, I just…. Wanted to get Graushelaa to like me, I know I keep on repeating it but it’s true. Anyway, that one day I attempted to kill Lina Inverse, Xelloss stopped me. He told me that he would not allow me to kill Lina Inverse, that if any one was to kill her, it would be him.

I really didn’t get it even then, so I just tried to…. well, blast him off. It failed though, he pretended to have received damage and unable to move. As soon as I left that ground, he teleported to Lina Inverse, and… saved her from me. I told that to Graushelaa in utter rage, and Graushelaa went to find you, Xelas." Dalfin stopped there for a second as she wiped off her tears again.

"He found you quickly, you two got in a huge quarrel. He wasn’t too happy with you from before since you were friends with one of the enemies, but he completely lost it. In the process of trying to get you to tell him where Xelloss was….he killed you. Shortly after that, we found the body of Xelloss dead as well…"

Xelas listened to Dalfin’s story in utter shock. Killed? She was killed by someone who claimed to be her brother? Xelas couldn’t believe it, it was impossible. Yet, somewhere she knew it was true. She was killed by someone she trusted in her last life. But even though she knew it, her mind refused to accept the fact.

Why was she killed? On accident? Graushelaa was mad with her and lost his temper, and blasted her with something fatal? Or did he have every intention on killing her from the beginning? And, and Xelloss and Lina. If it weren’t for them would she had not been killed like that? Would she have lived? If it weren’t for them…

The last thought surprised Xelas. She was blaming Xelloss and Lina for her death in her past life?! No!! It was impossible, she couldn’t be. She cared for Xelloss like any other sister would. She had fought to protect him pretty much all her life. How can she possibly blame the one thing she trusted with her life, for causing her life to be taken. It was impossible!!

Lina slowly opened her eyes. The first thing they saw was darkness, darkness surrounding her…Where is she? She thought to herself. She couldn’t make out one solid object, if there were any objects like that. She felt strange, as if she were floating in thin air.

She tried to demand where she was, when she noticed that her voice was lost. She tried to shift her position into an upright one but it wasn’t working, she didn’t have the strength. What is going on?!

"Are you awake?" A child’s voice asked. Lina moved her head slightly to the right, and saw the face of the child that had presumably bought her to where she was now.

She tried to ask who he was but it was no use, she couldn’t move a single muscle. She felt completely useless.

"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up." The child said smiling even more, but the smile showed no life in it, it was hollow and cold. "You probably don’t remember me so I’ll introduce myself. My name is Phiblizo, some call me the Hell Master."

Lina’s mind suddenly turned clearly as she heard that. Phiblizo… the one that took away Gaury and Valtierra’s memory, the one who nearly killed Xelloss. Anger started to build up inside her. She tried to call upon magic, but it was no use, she couldn’t do anything.

"I have something to show you." He than stuck a crystal orb in front of her. "Look at it, just look at it." He said in a soothing voice, his hand swaying above the ball. "Look deep into it, deep, deep down, into the past….."

Despite her will Lina’s eyes focused on the orb. The harder she looked, figures were formed….. a lady, with ocean blue hair and eyes was standing in front of a girl who had blood coming out everywhere. She seemed to be breathing rapidly. Lina couldn’t get a good view from the way she was positioned though, her back was facing Lina.

The lady lifted her hand, probably to make the final blow. Lina closed her eyes shut, the picture was scaring her.

After awhile she slowly opened them, and saw someone standing in front of the girl. It was a man, he had his purple-black hair cut at his shoulders, and he wore a cape like cloak, Lina could see him holding a staff in his one hand. He slowly turned around and Lina gasped. Xelloss!

She could tell that it was him, she would never mistake the face, then, then who was the girl he protected?

The girl slowly lifted her gaze so that her eyes looked into him. She moved the hair strands that covered her face out of the way as she did so… She was Lina. Down to every last detail of the face, even the little moles on her forehead.

What is this?! Lina tried to demand but she couldn’t move her mouth to form the words.

Suddenly, the scene changed. She, Lina in the orb, was with Xelloss in what seemed like a wood cabin. In the middle of the room there was a wood table with wood chairs on each side. Xelloss was sitting on one of them and had his right shoulder cut off and instead of blood, darkness enfolded it. ‘Lina’ just sat there looking at him.

As though he noticed the look on her face, Xelloss smiled at her, probably trying to reassure her. ‘Lina’ seemed to try and smile but couldn’t, instead she started crying. Xelloss stood up and went around to her, hugging her and patting her head at the same time.

He then slowly kissed her tears away. Smiling at her all the time. He then started to talk, his face changed from looking reassuring, to sadness. She, Lina in the ball stood up violently and seemed to start to yell at him. Xelloss just looked at her until she was worn out, and then made her look into him.

‘Lina…’ Lina heard his deep voice. ‘It’s the only favor I ask of you… please Lina, you have to.’ He looked as if though he was pleading.

‘Xelloss!!! You know very well that I can’t. I can’t hurt you, it’s impossible…. I can’t do it.’ She started to cry again.

‘Lina please!!!!!’ Xelloss begged as he looked into her. ‘Please, Lina, just this.’ Lina just shook her head though. ‘Lina…please. It hurts me like crazy to think that I’d live knowing that I can’t have you, you know that very well.’

‘Than how about how I feel!!!!’ The girl demanded. ‘I, you know just as well that, that I won’t be able to live with that!!!!!!’

‘Lina, my strong Lina.’ Xelloss whispered. ‘My Lina.’ He repeated. The girl started crying even more. ‘Please my Lina, please.’

The girl closed her eyes as the tears came flowing… her mouth slowly open. Her voice a whisper, but strong ‘A part of the king of nightmares. When the burden of the world is undone, freezing blade of darkness. My powers, unite with my body, to walk the road of destruction as one. To even destroy the souls of gods!!! Laguna Blade!!!!’

The images ended there.

"You killed him." Lina heard Phiblizo’s voice. "You killed Xelloss." Lina tried to cover her ears but it was useless, she still couldn’t move a muscle. NO!! It’s impossible!!!! She couldn’t have!!! There’s no way she could’ve!!!!

"You killed him." Phiblizo’s voice rang in her head. Her mind was screaming like crazy. No! No! No!! She couldn’t have, that was impossible. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gaury stood outside the kitchen as he heard Xelloss and Zelgadiss talk. What did they mean when they said Lina killed Xelloss? Xelloss was still alive, in fact he was sitting right in front of Zelgadiss. Last time? What was last time? Gaury didn’t understand a thing of what was going on.

Were they in trouble? Announcements? Of what? What concerned the countries so much that they’d have an announcement over it?

So many questions swarmed Gaury’s head until he thought it would burst. He tried to go in and find out what was going on but it wasn’t working. He couldn’t get himself to go in and talk to them. It was a weird situation.

Valtierra looked out the window. He had this weird feeling in him. Some people would call it instincts, but he could tell that something bad was going to happen. But what? Images kept on sliding into his head, and all of them were mixed up. Some seemed to be from when he was a kid, there was Garv, and two other kids and a girl. The two kids looked like Gaury and Xelloss, and the girl looked strangely familiar, but Valtierra had no clue what those meant. Other images were of Lina Inverse standing in front of him, looking straight into him, her eyes, showing empathy, and rage. Some were of Filia crying and calling out the name ‘Valgarv’.

He had no clue what any of those images meant. What were they and why did they keep on slipping into his mind. What was the instinct he felt? He couldn’t figure it out.

Amelia listened quietly as Glacier explained to her what was going on. Amelia tried not to cry, but it was no use, tears started to fall.

"…Do I have to fight with Luna-san?" Amelia asked leaning against Glacier’s shoulder. "She’s my best friend’s sister though…" Amelia cried.

"I understand Amelia, I really and truly understand." Glacier stroked Amelia’s hair and allowed her sister to cry. "Tonight is the only night I am going to allow you to cry… Cry for now Amelia, you will not have another chance of doing so."

Amelia started to cry out loud, clinging to her sister. She had gained a friend only to lose her. That truth cut into Amelia’s heart like a knife. Amelia couldn’t do what she vowed. She wanted to stay in Japan with all her friends, she couldn’t. Perhaps if she had been stronger, perhaps if she had been able to make all the wrongs right sooner, she wouldn’t have had to experience the pain she felt. But she felt it, and it was unbearable.

Naga just quietly stroked Amelia’s hair. Amelia was too young for this sort of thing. For any sort of war. Amelia was a healer, who seemed to cause more pain then she healed, but she always attempted to heal it, everything except herself.

Luna stood on top of the building as she gazed down onto the city of Tokyo. Luna was wearing a traditional dress, normally white, in the color of red.

The city was as busy as ever and Luna felt her eyes start to water. So many things occured in that city. Sorrow, happiness, so many different things, on an everyday basis.

Luna knew exactly what her role in life, this one and any other one, was. To watch over her sister. Her sister may change, in name and appearance, the one she had now was the closest to her original sister, or what was considered the original. All of her sisters had exceptional magic ability. Even after the Cefied Knight was no longer needed, for most believed the mazoku had died out, the Cefied had made sure it’s powers were past down.

Her original sister, the original Lina Inverse, had given birth to a forbidden child. A child that had the blood of mazoku. It was the choice Lina Inverse had made and Luna had not argued with that, despite the fact she wanted to. Of course, since the mazoku race was suppose to have died out, other than for a few Lesser Demons who can’t do anything on their own, the child was an outcast everywhere it went. Sadness can turn into hatred. Luna had learned that the hardest way. Being the Cefied Knight, she could not allow herself to forgive Lina, her original sister of bearing the child of a mazoku, which resulted in Lina hating ‘her’.

Even though Luna had been reincarnated, those memories will not vanish. Lina had hated Luna for not forgiving, no accepting, her, and Lina’s child had wished to demolish all that had hurt him. Both full of hatred, Luna had no choice but to kill them both.

Every time she reincarnated, Luna vowed never to let that happen again, to keep Lina as far away from mazoku as possible. It didn’t work though.

Lina had met the mazoku, Lina had fallen in love with him, and now, Lina had to face the worst again. Luna had never believed in destiny, only chances and luck. Luna herself was the cause to Lina meeting Xelloss, she could never forgive herself for that.

Perhaps she thought it was okay now, that the two were now allowed to be together under the name of the Lord of all, the Lord of Nightmares. But she was wrong, and in the end, it will result into what it did before. Death to one or both of them.