Seduce my mind and you can have my body, find my soul and I'm yours forever. -Anonymous

This chapter contains information about Naga and Amelia that I, like many Slayers fans I've talked to, thought was an unlikely rumor. However, Japanese fans like QP/Diana often have access to information the rest of us don't. The information here comes from one of the Slayers creators and was posted on the Slayers Universe message board by QP. You might want to read it before digging into this chapter. ~qos

        Lina pulled back to launch a fireball at Gourry and Naga, then remembered the price of using an attack spell in Tudrac and settled for a really good snarl. "Nagaaaaaa! Get off of him now!"
        Naga started to cackle, then had the same moment of hesitation that Lina did and coughed instead. She did not, however, let go of Gourry’s arm. He was much too cute to be wasted on a mean girl like Lina Inverse. All he had to do was spend a single day basking in the beauty of Naga the Serpent, and Little Miss Washboard Chest would be forgotten. How could any man prefer Lina’s boyish looks to her own, voluptuous, womanly figure and impeccable style?
        Gourry disagreed and was trying very hard to pry Naga off of him. What he wouldn’t give for one of Lina’s fire spells right then! Lina could roast this horrible woman right off of him! So maybe he’d get a little singed, but it was a small price to pay for—where was her other hand? "OW! Lina, she pinched me!" He struggled even harder but the harder he tried to get away from her, the more tightly Naga clung to him. "I said let me—uh, Lina? Wh-what are you going to do? You can’t cast spells in here, remember? *gulp*"
        Lina glowered at the pair and licked her lips. She rolled up her sleeves and took a step forward. Naga took a step backward, pulling Gourry with her. Lina took another step forward and put her hand on her sword hilt. Naga and Gourry took another step back. Lina sneered and gave them an evil chuckle. Naga and Gourry gulped and backed up a couple more steps.
        "Um, Lina? M-maybe you should just—WILL YOU LET GO OF ME?!" Gourry tried to swing Naga in Lina’s direction, but she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck.
        Lina drew her sword.
        Gourry began to sweat. "Lina. Lina, calm down."
        "Yes, Lina," Naga agreed in a shaky voice and nodded vigorously, "listen to him. Put away the sword and just—"
        Lina’s evil grin broadened as she brought up the sword and…
        SNICK-SNICK-SWOOSHITY-SWOOSH-SNICK!
        As Lina stepped back to admire her handiwork, Gourry’s knees gave out, and he dropped to the ground. Naga let out a tiny squeak and let go of him on impact. There was a moment of pregnant silence, in which the three players stared at each other, then Naga’s bikini and cloak fell to the floor in neatly cut pieces.
        Lina raised her hand to her mouth, threw back her head and cackled.
        Naga curled up in a ball to cover herself. "Lina! How could you?!"
        Gourry fainted.
        And that’s when Princess Amelia ran into the library to show Lina the really cool, possibly very helpful magical text she’d found in the White Magic Library down the hall. At the sound of her arrival, Naga leaned her head back to see who it was, then spun around on her butt in absolute disbelief when she saw Amelia. For a few moments, they could only stare at each other in surprise, then Amelia seemed to realize Naga was naked. Her gaze went from her sister to the bits of clothes behind her, to the far-too-smug Lina Inverse beyond them. She clenched her fists and growled: "Miss Lina!"
        Lina looked innocent. "She was hanging on Gourry and wouldn’t—"
        "Those were my mother’s!" Naga shrieked, seeming to notice her tattered garments for the first time. "Lina, you horrible girl! Those belonged to my mother! How will I repair them?" Ignoring her nakedness, Naga gathered up the tatters, then clutched them to her chest and wept.
        "Those were your mother’s?" Lina asked skeptically. "You mean your mother’s fashion sense was as obnoxious as yours?"
        Amelia bit back a sob and turned her head to keep Lina from seeing it. Those awful clothes couldn’t have been her mother’s, could they? Her mother had always had such nice things, beautiful things. Not tiny leather bikinis with skull jewelry. "Were--were they really…" she hesitated. Should she tell Lina and Gourry (who was passed out for some reason) the truth about herself and Naga? What if Naga wanted her true identity to remain a secret? Amelia decided it would be best to talk about it with her sister in private before blurting out the truth. "Your mother really wore that?"
        Naga rocked back and forth on her knees and shook her head. "She kept them hidden. I f-found them in her closet after…*sniffle*…after she died."
        So, she didn’t want Lina to know. Amelia took a deep breath to master her emotions. Very well. They could discuss it later when they were alone. Until then, Amelia resolved to pretend she and Naga were strangers.
        Lina watched her old friend weep like a little girl and felt sort of bad for what she’d said about Naga’s mother, now that she knew the woman was dead. She’d had no idea. Naga never talked about her past (of course, Lina never asked, either). Lina took off her cloak and draped it across Naga’s shoulders, gently arranging it to cover her friend’s front side. "Naga…I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your mother. I’m sure we can find someone who can fix your clothes for you."
        Lina’s gentle tone surprised Amelia, but the kind way in which she arranged her cloak on Naga’s body was even more astonishing. She’d never thought Lina capable of gentleness (or of being nice). Amelia knelt down beside her sister and carefully took the remains of their mother’s secret life from her arms.
        "I’ll bet Jessica or Urlich will know of someone who can fix these," she told Naga with a gentle smile. Her mother’s clothes. These had belonged to her mother. Amelia kept repeating those words in her mind as she fingered the leather and Naga turned a hesitant smile on her.
        "Do you think so?" Naga asked in the meekest voice she’d ever used. What was Amelia thinking? Was she angry? Was Daddy angry? Had they disowned her? It was plain that Amelia didn’t want to acknowledge her in front of Lina and Gourry, or she would’ve said something as soon as she realized… But, no. Amelia was probably ashamed of her, running away from her duties just because their mother’s murder had been too much to bear. How could she stay in that castle, learning nothing but wimpy White Magic after that? If she’d been able to cast Shamanist attack spells back then… It wouldn’t have made a difference. By the time any of them had heard her screams, it had been too late. Naga squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force the memory of what she’d seen from her mind. Blood everywhere. On the walls, the floor, the ceiling…and her mother, barely recognizable. Oh no, can’t faint now. Can’t…
        Naga fainted.

        When Naga came to, she was lying on a divan in a dimly lit room full of clutter. There were stacks of books on every surface but the one on which she lay, as well as staffs in all shapes and sizes stacked in a corner behind the door, which was shut. A gigantic wooden desk dominated the center of the room. It was covered with books, scrolls and stacks of paper and parchment. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling, but it’s candles were burned down to nubs, so the light wasn’t coming from them. Naga looked around for the source of the soft golden glow and discovered she had a babysitter.
        "How do you feel?" Jessica asked quietly as she got up from her chair on the other side of the door from the staffs and sat on the edge of Naga’s couch. As she moved, the werelights over her head moved with her. Ah, so that’s where the light was coming from.
        Naga gave her a faint smile and shrugged. "I don’t know what came over me," she lied and tried to sit up. She was still naked, covered only by a soft blanket. Lina’s cloak was nowhere to be seen. Neither was its owner or anyone else Naga recognized. "Where am I?" She asked suspiciously. "Who are you?"
        Jessica smiled. "I’m Jessica, a friend of Zhara’s and Urlich’s. I came here with Lina and her friends. You’re still in Tudrac."
        "Where’s Lina?"
        "Looking for clues to Zelgadis’ cure," Jessica told her. "That’s why we came here. She sat with you for a while but then Zelgadis tried to leave the store, so she had to go stop him."
        "Zelgadis? Who’s that?" Someone who needed curing of something, from what Jessica just said, but of what? And why did Lina care? There must be a big reward! That was it! This Zelgadis was offering Lina a huge reward for finding his cure, and he was trying to run away without paying her! Of course Lina would have to chase after him under those circumstances. Oh ho! So Lina was once again involved in a major business deal, was she? Well, now that her greatest and most powerful rival Naga the Serpent knew about it, there was only one thing to do: Force her to cut her in on it!
        Naga threw off the blanket and tried to get up, but Jessica stopped her. "Lina warned me you’d try to go after her, thinking she was onto some kind of major business deal," Jessica smirked. "I assure you, she’s not. Zelgadis is her friend—and not a very wealthy one, at that. You’ll get more money from your business deal with Ullan and Zellan than she’ll ever see from her association with Zelgadis Greywers."
        Naga was still suspicious. She sat up and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. "What kind of cure does Zelgadis need?"
        Jessica sighed. "That’s a long story."
        "Where are my clothes?"
        "Urlich took them to Sylph for repair," the kitsune explained. "She’s good at fixing things. They’re right over there." She pointed to a large chair next to the desk.
        Naga got up and went over to the chair to get dressed. "What about Princess Amelia and that handsome swordsman?"
        "You mean Gourry Gabriev?" Jessica asked with some amusement. "Hands off that one, and not just because it got you into trouble last time. He and Lina are a serious couple. Look elsewhere if you want to live long and prosper."
        Naga swung her cloak across her shoulders then ran her hands over her bikini in an attempt to find the seams where Sylph must have repaired the damage Lina had done.
        Jessica noticed what she was doing and giggled. "No seams. Sylph used magic. She does good work, doesn’t she?"
        Naga nodded, happy tears stinging her eyes. It was just like new! Mommy’s costume.
        "Ullan and Zellan have been hovering around here since you passed out. Want me to have them take you back to the house?" As she spoke, Jessica got up and went to open the door. Just as she’d said, Ullan and Zellan were hanging around in the hallway, pacing like worried hens. When the door opened, and they saw Naga all dressed and ready to go, their faces lit up with relief.
        Naga gave the boys a wicked grin and wiggled her eyebrows at them suggestively. "Worried about me?"
        They blanched and stammered nervously for a few seconds, then Zellan managed: "Of course we were, Mum told us to look after you. How do you feel?"
        By way of reply, Naga cackled very, very quietly.

        Meanwhile, Zelgadis was leading his friends on a merry chase through the pan-dimensional maze of Tudrac Magic Emporium and trying frantically to convince Melfinius to let him out of the shop.
        "No way," the old Elf snorted. "Zhara would have my ass on a platter if I let you go off without your companions! They’re part of the deal! Stay with them, or don’t find the cure!"
        Zelgadis screeched to a halt in a room full of funky monkey statues and spun on Melfinius, who jumped back and put his staff defensively between himself and the angry chimera. "You’re making that up," Zelgadis accused.
        Melfinius shook his head. "No, I am not making that up. That comes directly from the Lord of Nightmares, herself. You can only find your cure with help from those who ate dinner with you and her in Marrigan last week."
        "She told me I was the only one who could find and use my cure!" Zelgadis countered. "So you’re lying!"
        "I most certainly am not!" Melfinius huffed indignantly. "And I resent your accusation!"
        Zelgadis sneered. "What are you gonna do about it, old man? Throw me out of the store?"
        Melfinius didn’t fall for it. "Nice try." He brought his staff up and chanted a spell. When he finished, he lowered the staff and gave Zelgadis a smug look. "The spell I just cast will keep you in this room until your companions get here. You will then tell them what you and I discussed in the scroll room."
        "Lara didn’t have dinner with us in Marrigan last week," Zelgadis argued. He could feel the spell and decided it would cost him too much energy to challenge it.
        Melfinius grinned. "Not technically, unless you count the fact that Xellos impersonated her to trick you. Seen in that light, she was there in the person of Xellos, which means you must also share your information with him."
        "And you must let him into your shop," Zelgadis replied with a smirk. "Do you really want him to have access to your goodies? What if he uses something he got here against Zhara and Urlich? Gosh, Mel, you might lose your lease."
        He hadn’t thought of it that way but Melfinius made what he thought was a pretty good recovery. "Xellos can’t enter Tudrac because of a spell Zhara put on my store to keep him out of it. My point was, you must include Lara Sorez—"
        "Why? What does she have to do with me and my problems?" Zelgadis demanded. "What does she have to do with any of this? I could understand Lita being involved, since she supposedly painted the fresco with the clues in it, but what’s Lara’s part? Is it because she made Lita? Or because of the monster following her when she’s Lita? And who’s the monster?"
        Melfinius made a disgusted noise. "I have no idea. L-Sama never mentioned a monster, or Lara or Lita Sorez by name."
        "So Lara doesn’t have to be in on any information I get," Zelgadis interrupted. He crossed his arms and hmphed at Melfinius. "Lara wasn’t at that dinner, so she doesn’t have to be here."
        "But you don’t want to let her out of your sight, do you?" Melfinius shot back with a wink. "Melfinius sees all! And you, my boy, are very interested in that woman. I wonder why?"
        Zelgadis bit his lip and looked away. "You know what Xellos did to me, using her form. You just said so."
        "I know he tricked you," Melfinius began, then his eyes went wide, and he chuckled. "So that’s how it was. He seduced you, did he? Tsk! Poor Xellos. Well, it’s nothing he didn’t deserve!"
        "POOR XELLOS?!" Zelgadis raged in disbelief. "Excuse me?!"
        The Elf giggled. "He’s not that kind of a man, you know. And you’re not exactly a beauty queen."
        "Oh, and I suppose you are?!"
        Melfinius grinned. "Xellos didn’t seduce me."
        "I don’t believe this…" Zelgadis muttered. "I’m the victim, and he feels sorry for Xellos!"
        Lina and Gourry appeared around a corner and dashed down the hall toward Zelgadis’ prison. Lina sensed the spell and stopped just behind Melfinius, holding out her arms to keep Gourry from passing her. "There’s a spell keeping Zel in that room," she explained before Gourry could ask the obvious question. "So, Zel, trying to leave us behind again? I told you it’s no use."
        Zelgadis glared.
        Urlich appeared on the other side of Melfinius from Lina, then Amelia and Lara came around the same corner Lina and Gourry had moments before. As soon as she caught her breath, Amelia pointed an accusing finger at Zelgadis and asked in a wounded voice: "Why do you always do this, Zelgadis? We’re your friends!"
        "Friends," thought Zelgadis glumly. He wasn’t even the same person, how could they still be his friends? Their main concern recently had been to shut him down every time he got Mazoku hunger pangs. They gave him a harder time than they ever gave Xellos, and he was much weaker than the Trickster Priest and could do them less harm! "Huh. Some friends."
        Amelia’s lip began to tremble, and tears to well up in her eyes. "How can you say that after all we’ve been through together?!"
        Oops. He hadn’t meant to say that aloud.
        "How many times has Miss Lina saved your life?" Amelia went on angrily. "Or Mr. Gourry? And—and…how can you treat us like enemies?!"
        Zelgadis drank in her hurt and anger while trying not to look like he was doing it. Lina was furious with him, and so was Gourry. Lara, on the other hand seemed amused. She stood between Amelia and Lina and watched him with a little smile curling one side of her mouth. "You think I’m funny?" He challenged.
        She shrugged. "I just find it interesting that you reject help when it’s obvious you need it. Zelgadis, you’re throwing away valuable resources, which is foolish under any circumstances. Furthermore, you propose to leave Tudrac before finding the magical clue we thought was here."
        Zelgadis smirked but said nothing.
        "Wait," Lina held up her hand to keep Lara from talking again. "You mean you’ve found the clue that’s here?"
        "Well," Melfinius asked Zelgadis meaningfully, "aren’t you going to tell your allies what I told you?"
        "Why don’t you tell them?" Zel shot back. "I figure you took me aside and told me what you did in private because the information is for me alone."
        The Elf shrugged. "I was ordered to tell you what I did. I wasn’t told not to tell anyone else, so if you want me to tell them, then I will."
        "Tell us what?" Lina demanded, turning Melfinius to face her with a hand on his shoulder.
        Zelgadis stepped up to get between them, but the barrier Melfinius had created stopped him with tiny but painful shock. "Let down the barrier, Elf," he demanded. "I won’t run."
        "Sure you won’t," said several voices, including Melfinius’. "I can’t force you to share your information with them, or even to follow the Lord of Nightmares’ order that they be included in your quest to insure its success." He waved his staff, and the spell disappeared. "I can only tell you what she told me."
        "So why do you even care that I want to handle this alone?" Zelgadis asked, putting himself right in Melfinius’ face. The Elf didn’t flinch. "Why hold me here until they could catch up to me? What’s it to you if I succeed or not?"
        Melfinius shrugged. "Absolutely nothing. Go. But if you don’t let them," he pointed to the others, "and Jessica, wherever she is, and Zhara, Sylph, Ullan, Zellan—and yes, even Xellos--help you, you’re doomed to fail."
        "Xellos?!" Lina, Amelia and Gourry gasped at once. "Why him?" Lina asked.
        "Because he was at the dinner you had with the Lord of Nightmares last week," Melfinius explained impatiently. "She told me that those who were part of that dinner are essential if Zelgadis is to succeed."
        "But," Lina scratched her head, "Zelas Metallium was there, too. Are you saying Beast Master has to help Zelgadis?"
        "Yeah, right!" Gourry snorted.
        That pricked Urlich’s interest. "Mel, are you sure she meant that they have to actually travel with Zelgadis? What were her exact words?"
        Everyone looked to Melfinius with great interest, especially Zelgadis, who was desperate for a loophole that would let him escape his companions. The Elf tugged his beard thoughtfully, then sighed. "She said, and I quote: ‘Everyone who ate dinner with me in Marrigan before Zelgadis left for Seyruun is part of the cure. He will not succeed without them.’ End quote. How do you interpret that, Mr. Metallium?"
        Urlich thought about it. "I think your interpretation was too narrow," he began slowly. "I don’t think it means they must be with him, physically, for him to succeed, I just think it means they’ll contribute to his cure somehow." He looked to Lina and asked: "How do you read it, Lina?"
        "Why are you asking her?!" Zelgadis gaped. "This is all about me!"
        Lina and Urlich frowned at him, then Urlich asked Lina his question again, much to Zelgadis’ consternation.
        "You’re just doing that to piss me off, aren’t you?" Zelgadis grumbled.
        "No," Urlich corrected smoothly, "I’m asking Lina because she’s not as close to this as you are. Her opinion would be more objective."
        Lina nodded. "But I’m curious to know what Zel makes of it, too. I think Url’s right. We’re involved somehow, but I think you’ll find the parts of the spell faster if you work with us, instead of against us," she told Zelgadis. Her eyes met his, and he found he couldn’t hold her gaze.
        "Too many cooks spoil the soup," he mumbled.
        "Many points of view are beneficial in making a decision," Amelia retorted stubbornly. "I agree with Miss Lina and Mr. Urlich."
        "If my opinion counts," Lara interjected, "so do I. Gourry?"
        He nodded. "Me, too."
        "You agreeing with Lina?" Zelgadis teased him. "Oh what a surprise."
        "You don’t?" Gourry shot back.
        Zelgadis sighed. "I don’t know. I have a lot to think about."
        "So tell us everything, and we’ll help you think about it!" Lina exclaimed cheerfully. "Just like always!"
        Zelgadis groaned. "I’m doomed…"

        Later, at Zhara’s house, Gourry laid Firedrake and Icedrake on the table in the parlor, and everybody gathered around to look at them, including Naga, Ullan, Zellan and Sylph.
        "I’m not a two sword guy," Gourry told Zhara sheepishly. "I don’t know what I’d two with two swords."
        He touched each one, running his fingers over the drakes on their scabbards. Beautiful craftsmanship, he thought with a sigh, and such high-quality materials, too, right down to the smallest element.
        "You don’t have to use them both at once," Zhara reassured him. "I designed them for different types of attacks, anyway. As their names indicate, Firedrake uses fire spells, Icedrake uses ice spells."
        "So whose sword was Icedrake?" Lina asked curiously. "Gourry said it’s Firedrake’s mate."
        Zhara nodded. "Just as Icedrake is Firedrake’s mate, so Eileah Miranna was Dolgen Feitt’s only love, though I don’t think they ever actually consummated the relationship. They served opposing masters, so it’s a wonder they ever had feelings for each other, other than those reserved for enemies." A sad smile crossed Zhara’s face as a faraway look hazed her eyes. "I made a sword for each of them under separate circumstances, Firedrake being the first, then Icedrake about five years later. Dolgen and Eileah met almost a decade after Icedrake’s forging. The blades didn’t become mates until after their owner’s deaths, when Dolgen’s and Eileah’s spirits began to inhabit the swords. That’s when I discovered the secret of their love, which they’d hidden from everyone all those years."
        She reached out to caress the two swords, remembering the warriors whose spirits made them what they were now. The drakes had been mighty weapons in the hands of Dolgen and Eileah, serving different and sometimes opposite purposes, but they became even more powerful when imbued with the spirits of their owners. Zhara had tried to keep them in her own armory, thinking they’d be safer there, but the swords had minds of their own and soon found their way out of her house and into other hands. Each warrior chosen by the drakes put a little of him or herself into them, their wills incorporating into the spirits of Dolgen and Eileah. However, the blades always moved on before the new owner died, ensuring that only the original spirits controlled them. This was the first time they’d chosen the same owner, which Zhara found rather interesting.
        "They both seem to have chosen you, Gourry," she told him, looking up into his big, blue eyes. "Use them with care and respect—though I don’t need to tell the former Swordsman of Light that, do I?"
        He shook his head with a smile. "No. I’m just not sure what to do about two swords, that’s all. But I guess if they have different properties, I’ll just pick whichever one solves the current problem."
        "Sounds like a plan to me," Zhara smiled. "I see Melfinius gave you Icedrake’s manual, but where’s the one I gave you for Firedrake?"
        Gourry pointed to Urlich, who pulled it from his coat. "I gave it to Url for safekeeping when we went through the cavern."
        Urlich set the book down next to the Icedrake user’s manual. He envied Gourry’s luck, to be sure. Despite his friendships with Dolgen Feitt and Eileah Miranna, neither sword had ever chosen him. He was starting to take it a little personally.
        "You said Dolgen and Eileah served different masters?" Amelia asked. She longed to touch the swords but didn’t dare. If they chose their owners, what would they do if someone they hadn’t chosen decided to fondle them?
        Zhara nodded. "Dolgen Feitt was a Priest of Seified, as well as a Knight. Although I made Dolgen, Seified still chose him, which I found rather flattering considering my father’s loyalty to Shabranigdo."
        "Must’ve done it because of your mother," Lina suggested.
        "I guess so," Zhara shrugged, "though he never said so. Anyway, Dolgen was a chimera who served Seified."
        That word "chimera" caught Zelgadis’ attention. He’d been lost in his own thoughts, staring as if hypnotized at the two swords until then. "Dolgen Feitt was a chimera? What kind?"
        "Human, wolf and bat," Zhara replied. "But don’t imagine the werewolves you might have encountered in your experience. Dolgen Feitt was much more intelligent than the average beast-man. I added bat into the mix to give him wings, something I’ve always longed to have."
        "You don’t have wings?" Gourry asked, puzzled. "But Urlich—"
        "Got the wings in the family," Zhara finished for him with an impatient wave of her hand. "I really don’t want to talk about it."
        "Why not modify yourself?" Zelgadis asked. "You’re so good at making other creatures, why not make yourself a chimera with wings?"
        "Because it doesn’t work," Zhara growled. "I said I don’t want to talk about it." She glared around the table until she was sure nobody else would pursue the subject, then continued. "Right. Dolgen was a chimera who served Seified. Eileah Miranna was a Mazoku who started out in Hellmaster’s service, but jumped ship when Beastmaster made her a better offer. I think she might also have served Chaos Dragon briefly, somewhere in there, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. And now that Gaav’s dead, it’s unlikely I ever will."
        Lina frowned puzzlement. "So, this Eileah Miranna betrayed Hellmaster? And maybe Gaav, too? So which one killed her?"
        Zhara’s jaw tightened. "My father did, for reasons I have yet to discover. At the time of her death, they were serving the same master."
        "Maybe she was still working for Phibrizio," Lina suggested thoughtfully, "and Zelas found out about it and ordered Xellos to kill her."
        Zhara shrugged. "I thought of that. The strongest evidence to support that theory is the fact that it was Zelas, not Hellmaster, who ordered Eileah killed. No one betrayed Hellmaster and lived to tell about it. So I think your theory is most likely accurate."
        "How could a servant of Seified fall in love with a servant of the Monster Race?" Amelia wondered aloud. "I’d think they’d try to kill each other!"
        "They did," Urlich said grimly, "often. My sister regretted ever making Icedrake as soon as the two swords were pitted against each other."
        "Their power is equal," Zhara added, "but opposite. In the hands of expert swords slingers like Dolgen and Eileah, the battles between these two swords of mine were epic. I’m shocked they didn’t cancel out each other’s existence, in the way that ice spells and fire spells cancel one another out."
        "But," Amelia persisted, "how did they fall in love?"
        Zhara shook her head. "I don’t know. As I said, it was their secret, and they kept it well. Only their swords gave it away after their deaths, since neither would be parted from the other. They have always gone to people who have sworn to stay together. If one user broke off the relationship, the swords left both of them." She grinned at Gourry. "This is the first time they’ve chosen the same user. I don’t know if you should be flattered or scared shitless."
        Gourry swallowed hard. "That’s not very reassuring."
        Everybody chuckled at that, though they shared his sentiment.
        "Maybe Icedrake wants to be with Lina," Naga suggested mockingly, "since she and Gourry are a serious item!"
        "I wonder…" Sylph muttered under her breath, surprising Naga by taking her suggestion seriously. "Have you tried holding Icedrake?" She asked Lina, who blushed.
        "Well, I—um," Lina stammered, then cleared her throat. "No. But I already have a sword."
        Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia gaped at her in shock. "You don’t want a magic sword?!" Gourry asked in disbelief. "After all those years you spent trying to get me to give you the Sword of Light?!"
        Lina shrugged. "Well, it sort of picked you, didn’t it? What would I want with a Mazoku sword, anyway?"
        "Same thing you wanted with those Mazoku amulets?" Zelgadis offered, pointing to the four charms at Lina’s wrists, throat and waist, which she forced Xellos to sell her once upon a time.
        Lina blushed again. "Gourry said he felt Icedrake calling him," she argued feebly. "I don’t feel it calling me at all."
        Gourry picked up Icedrake and held it out to her to see what sort of message the sword would give him for doing that. Nothing. Come to think of it, it had been Firedrake that had lead him to Icedrake. "Icedrake didn’t call me," he told Lina, "Firedrake led me to it, then wouldn’t let me leave Tudrac without it. Dolgen just wanted to be with Eileah, I guess." He pushed Icedrake against Lina’s hands, and added with a shy smile: "We’ve sworn to stay together, haven’t we? So maybe Icedrake is for you." Since you’re my mate, he added silently. At least, that’s how he wanted it to be, though he hadn’t actually proposed or anything to Lina. Frankly, he didn’t have the nerve.
        Lina gulped and hesitantly wrapped her fingers around Icedrake’s hilt. Had they sworn to stay together? Gourry had sworn to protect her for the rest of his life, but had she made a similar commitment to him? Did sleeping with him constitute such an agreement? Well, she had told him she loved him and didn’t want him to leave her, both of which were true. She just hadn’t made any promises to him. Not aloud and to his face, anyway.
        "It’s vibrating," she observed awkwardly, surprised that the sword hadn’t rejected her as soon as she’d touched it. "What does that mean?" She asked Zhara in a little bit of a panic. Then she felt the presence, and that answered all of her questions. It was female and wanted to know who the hell she thought she was, presuming to own the mighty Icedrake. "I—I’m Lina Inverse," she told the sword, though she hadn’t actually heard words. "I’m Gourry’s, um…he’s Firedrake’s new owner, and I’m his…."
        It took the others a moment to realize she wasn’t talking to any of them. When she hesitated over quantifying her relationship with Gourry, every eye but Lina’s turned to him. He looked to Lina expectantly, but her eyes remained stubbornly on Icedrake’s sheath as the blush on her face got redder and redder.
        "He’s my…" Lina swallowed and hesitated again. Finally, the sword got fed up with her uncertainty and sent mocking feelings her way that hinted at rejection. "I love him, ok?! There! Is that what you wanted to her, you nosy sword?! I don’t need an old relic like you prying into my personal business! Gourry can keep—" Lina choked on her words as Icedrake sent a barrage of outraged feelings into her mind. Love was the most important thing in the world, it said. If even a Mazoku can feel it, then it must be powerful and nothing to be ashamed of! "Yeah, well if it’s nothing to be ashamed of," Lina accused, "then how come you and Dolgen Feitt couldn’t come out of the closet?!"
        Silence.
        "Well?" Lina demanded, shaking the sword as if it were a person. "Answer me! You were afraid your people would make fun of you, weren’t you? A monster in love with a Knight/Priest of Seified! The enemy! No, just a monster falling in love would be enough to give them fits. I can just hear Hellmaster laughing his ass off now!"
        ::Stop it!:: Icedrake screamed back, and this time Lina heard words. ::You can’t possibly understand what I feel!::
        Lina gaped at the sword in shock, unable to reply. She looked around to see if anybody else had heard the voice, but from the looks on their faces they hadn’t. "It—she’s talking to me!" Lina gasped. "In actual words! Does Firedrake talk to you?" She asked Gourry in wonder.
        He shook his head. "Not in words."
        ::Don’t ignore me!:: Icedrake scolded her. ::Dolgen’s been trying to talk to him ever since the battle with Xellos in the dimensional pocket! His will simply isn’t as strong as mine::
        "Whose will?" Lina asked. "Gourry’s or Dolgen’s?"
        ::Dolgen’s, of course!::
        "So how did you get through to me?"
        ::You made me angry. You’d be amazed what a motivator rage can be::
        No, actually Lina had a pretty good handle on how good a motivator rage could be. She suspected she had more in common with Eileah Miranna than she had at first imagined possible, even if Eileah was Mazoku. "She says she was able to make me hear her words because I made her mad, Gourry. Maybe you should try pissing Dolgen off."
        Gourry frowned. "I’m not like that, Lina, and you know it."
        ::Neither was Dolgen:: Icedrake sighed. ::So. Your name is Lina Inverse, is it? I think I’ve heard that name. Are you the one who destroyed a piece of Shabranigdo?::
        "Yes," Lina replied without her usual dose of pride. Lina could feel hurting behind the monster’s voice, the pain of never being able to admit to or consummate her feelings for a servant of her enemy. Talk about star-crossed lovers, Lina thought sadly. She couldn’t imagine what her life would be like if she and Gourry could only be together as enemies in battle. Had Dolgen and Eileah come to a point where they just challenged each other so they could be together in some way? How tragic, to only be able to fight the one you loved. Then she had a horrible thought: Had Eileah been ordered by Zelas to kill Dolgen Feitt and been sentenced to death for refusing to obey orders?
        ::I served Shabranigdo, you know:: Icedrake reminded her. ::I was Mazoku::
        "Why did Zelas want you killed?" Lina asked. "Did she order you to kill Dolgen Feitt, and you couldn’t do it? Did she kill you for disobeying that order?"
        ::Don’t be stupid:: Icedrake shot back in disgust. ::I was Hellmaster’s spy, and Beastmaster discovered it. Humans are so melodramatic. If I had been ordered to kill Dolgen, I would have obeyed orders, like a good monster::
        Somehow, Lina didn’t find her tone convincing. "Good monsters don’t fall in love."
        Icedrake had nothing to say to that.
        "So does this mean you’ve chosen me?" Lina asked when it became apparent that the sword wasn’t going to reply to her last statement. "Or do you just like talking to me?"
        ::Stupid mortal:: Icedrake muttered in disgust. ::Of course I’ve chosen you. It should be perfectly obvious by now. Lords of Darkness, you’re not daft, are you? I hate stupid people::
        Lina chose not to make the usual Gourry joke.
        ::And Dolgen chose the same dolt you did:: Icedrake spat.
        "Gourry is a brilliant swordsman!" Lina piped up in her lover’s defense. It was about the only time she figured she could use the word "brilliant" to describe him and felt really funky.
        Gourry puffed up with pride, then realized why Lina must have made that comment. "You tell Icedrake that I’m not stupid and I’m sick and tired of people making fun of me for being a little slow sometimes!"
        ::He admits it?! Oh we are in for trouble, I can see that right now. What was Dolgen thinking? He’s usually so astute!::
        "Well if he’s usually so astute," Lina shot back, "then he knew what he was doing when he chose Gourry. You just don’t know him well enough to understand! He used to be the Swordsman of Light, you know."
        ::You don’t say:: She didn’t sound impressed. ::Was he any good at it?::
        "The best!" Lina told her, and it was the truth. Gourry was the best swordsman she’d ever met. Better even than Zelgadis or Urlich. In fact, in a duel between Gourry and Urlich, she’d put her money on Gourry without a second thought. True, she hadn’t seen Url in action enough to really know if Gourry could beat him, but she’d seen Gourry and was pretty sure he’d win. Ok, she just wanted to see someone, anyone, kick Urlich’s ass in a swordfight. All of a sudden she remembered the condition Urlich had been in after fighting Zelgadis and bit her tongue. Then she remembered what Zhara had said about Zelgadis’ only being able to beat Urlich because Urlich had orders not to kill him. Well, a really good swordsman could still win a duel, even if he wasn’t allowed to take his opponent’s life.
        ::We’ll see::
        Damn right you’ll see! Lina tossed Icedrake onto the table with an angry huff. "If you want me to be your user," she growled at the sword, "then lay off of Gourry!"
        Nothing.
        "I think you have to be touching it to hear it," Gourry offered, wondering what in the world Icedrake had been saying about him to make Lina so mad.
        Lina touched the scabbard. "Well? Do we have a deal?"
        ::I don’t need you::
        "Fine, I’ll send you back to Tudrac and let you rot on the shelf."
        ::Gourry will keep me::
        "Not if you keep picking on him," Lina fired back. "Well? What’s it gonna be?"
        Icedrake thought about it, then sighed resignation. ::Very well. As long as he doesn’t show himself to be a moron, I won’t speak against him. How’s that?::
        "It’ll do." Lina picked up the sword and tucked it into her belt, next to her old, non-magical sword.
        ::You won’t need this old thing anymore:: Icedrake told her disdainfully.
        "We’ve been together too long," Lina retorted, "and been through too much. Deal with it."
        ::Ah. Sentiment. How human::
        "Was that supposed to be an insult?"
        Icedrake snickered.
        Gourry clapped an arm across Lina’s shoulders and gave her a hug. "Looks like you finally got a magic sword!"
        "A magic sword with an attitude problem," Lina grumbled under her breath, then added with a snotty smirk: "How Mazoku."
        ::Laugh it up, mortal::