Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Kenkanoshiri ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Kenkanoshiri

Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers or any of the Slayers characters. They are owned by those who own them. I do, however, own the original characters (if any), and the fic all of this is in. That is all.

Chapter Three

Lina pulled Gourry through the crowd that lined the square of Atlas City, her eyes darting towards the many shops that the two flew past while also trying to keep an eye on the many people that surrounded them. It was hard enough trying to find a magic shop in the City, keeping Gourry with her was another problem. He'd try to break away from her every time they went by a restaurant, but the sorceress kept him with her, even it hurt the swordsman more then it hurt her. And it took a lot for something to hurt her.

"Do you even know where you are going, Lina?" Gourry asked her as he allowed the sorceress to lead her to wherever they needed to go. He tired not to squirm so that she wouldn't use some kind of spell on him, but that was hard to do. He didn't even want to be here at this point even if he knew who and what wanted to meet the girl.

"No, I don't. If you had been paying closer attention then I wouldn't be having this problem right now," Lina snapped at him before she dropped her grasp on the other's hand. Both slowed to a stop as the sorceress placed her hands upon her hips, her eyes moving along the people that walked by. She was becoming more impatient by the moment, and Gourry saw that as he started to back up in case she let her temper get the best of her once again.

"Um, Lina? Are you sure that we can even trust this guy? I mean, he didn't seem like he was all trust-worthy or anything like that."

"I wouldn't know, Gourry, since I haven't met this guy yet. I'll be the one to judge that when and if we ever find this person, okay?" Lina snapped, turning around to face him as she waved a finger in his face. "Right now, I've got to figure out which Magic Shop this person would be at. There are at least a dozen different shops that sell those kinds of things, and I'd like to know which one."

Gourry got a wondering look on his face as he looked over the heads of people, his eyes roaming the different shops that were on either side of the square. Each had signs hanging at the tops of the doors, indicating which shop was which, and he saw more of the Magic Shop signs then he did any other. He bit his lower lip at this, his mind trying to remember what had been said earlier that day between him and the stranger that appeared to him. Perhaps, he thought, it was just the food that he had eaten earlier, and he hadn't really met anyone or talked to anyone. Perhaps it was just a illusion that had been played out by the soup that he had.

"Gourry, did you even hear what I asked you?" Lina's angry voice demanded, cutting into his thoughts. The swordsman blinked his eyes before looking down at the figure of the girl.

"Um, no I didn't. I was too busy looking for....." Gourry's voice trailed off as a cold wind brushed past him, causing him to shiver. Lina was about to say something to him about not finishing a sentence when a eerie voice interrupted.

"I suppose you are looking for me," A male's voice floated through the air, reaching both of their ears. Lina spun around to see if anyone was behind her, yet only the town's folk were there as each walked past the duo without much word towards them. Her eyes narrowed, her lips going into a thin line as she scrunched her nose up. There was a silence between the two as the sorceress tried to figure out where the voice had come from, and if it had been directed towards her. It was only when Gourry tapped her on the shoulder and she moved her head around to face him did she see a lone figure standing a few feet away from them. He stood with his back towards the west side of the shops, his aging face solely upon the girl as his hand laid upon a wooden staff. His hood sat upon his head, allowing everyone to see his face as his cloak gently moved with the wind.

"Are you the one that wanted to see me?" Lina demanded, taking a step forwards. The figure nodded slowly, a thin smile coming upon his lips.

"Yes, that is me. I have been waiting for you to come for some time now," He said in a voice that Lina felt like she had known him entire life. The stranger had a calm touch to him even though he seemed more powerful then she was at the moment. "It is time for you to come, and meet up with the other."

"Wait a minute. Hold up. I'm not going anywhere without getting some answers first."

"I'm afraid that I can't do such a thing. The wind has ways of telling people things, and I am afraid that some of the things that has been said already have reached the ears of those people that I fear."

"Well, then. Let them know a little bit more," The sorceress smirked, her eyes shining. "First off, I'd like to know your name. Gourry here didn't tell me much. At least, the things that he'd remember anyways. Secondly, I'd like to know as to why you are looking for me. Thirdly....."

"All I can say is my name, Kiyoshi. Everything else must be told in a secret place far away from here. You, Lina, must come with me alone," Kiyoshi said, lowering his gaze to the ground. "This is a important thing you and the Other will have to do together or else everything will repeat itself."

"I'm not going anywhere without Gourry. We beat Shabranigdo together, and I'll be damned if we aren't going to do this together," Lina countered, giving the stranger a glare. He moved his eyes back up to her, a frown coming upon his lips as he walked up to her with a sense of easiness. The sorceress swore she thought that his feet weren't even on the ground as he stopped in front of her, his eyes staring into her's intently.

"I do not care what you two have been through before this day. It does not matter. Nothing does. Your life to this moment does not exist anymore. You are not among the living anymore. What fights you had before mean nothing, and the people you have met are no longer part of your life."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOTHING!?!?!" Lina screamed out, her eyes blazing with anger. Most of the people that were walking around the three stopped, and stared at the one that screamed. Kiyoshi looked around nervously, wincing to the fact that his presence wanted to remain a secret and nothing more. He was glad that these people started to continue on with their day even if it contained whispers and jeers.

"This is exactly why I want to tell you things in a place where no one can hear us. Your temper is not one that you can easily control, and people will want to know what we are talking about."

"I'm not worried about my temper now nor am I worried about what other people can hear. Right now, you do NOT tell me that the fight with Shabranigdo means nothing because it DOES. Me, Gourry, and Zelgadis nearly got killed when we went up against the Dark Lord. It took all of my magic to defeat him, and that is with the Sword of Light adding to it," Lina snapped, pointing to herself then to Gourry. She noticed Kiyoshi's eyes widened when she mentioned the Sword of Light, and she smirked at that, and waved a finger at him. "And the only person that owns the Sword of Light is Gourry."

"Is this true? Do you really wield the legendary blade?" Kiyoshi asked, turning body towards the other, who seemed embarrassed by this fact.

"Yea, well, it's been a family heirloom for generations. It's not something I'm about to give up either," Gourry said, laughing nervously as he stole a glance to the girl. Lina sighed hopelessly as she shrugged.

"So, does that change anything? Can Gourry still come?" She pleaded, half hoping that the stranger would say yes, and half hoping that he would still be stubborn and not allow the swordsman to come. In a way, she did want him to come along just so she could put a few things onto him if something big came up. She also didn't want to admit that she was a little bit scared about what was going on even if she didn't fully understand what was going on. It was probably some small little thing that needed to be taken care of, like another group of bandits that was terrorizing a group of people, or it was something bigger then that, like Rezo and Shabranigdo. Either way, she didn't want to do this alone, even if it was with Gourry.

On the other hand, there would probably be things that Gourry wouldn't understand or wouldn't be able to do. He was more naive and stupid then anyone that she knew. Besides, this Kiyoshi didn't seem the kind of person that would allow any outsider to learn any kind of information that wasn't directed in his or her way. Maybe she didn't have to worry about him coming. Maybe......

"Even with this new information, I still can't allow him to come. This is...." The stranger stopped talking as Lina grabbed him by the front of his cloak, and pulled him closer to her.

"I may not like having Gourry with me all the time, but this is something that he needs to know. Trust me, he won't even remember half of it later. So what's the point in not having him come along? He could be of some use to you in whatever cause he has," Lina growled at him. Did I just say that? Am I really saying that Gourry has some use somewhere? She thought to herself, her words moving through her mind like a whirlwind.

"I know that he might be a great swordsman, but this is something that magic will need, not swords. So if you don't mind letting me go, we can continue on."

"I hate to say it, but magic has it's limits. And wouldn't you rather be prepared in case something, whatever you need me for, happens when, and if, magic fails?" She shrugged as she let Kiyoshi go. "Besides, Gourry has proven himself once or twice since I've known him which is a short time if that much. And I don't think he'll give me the Sword of Light any time soon."

"Fine. Have it your way. Things would be a little bit better if he didn't come along, but I see there is no use swaying your mind," He said, placing his other hand onto the wooden staff he held, and gently tapped it onto the ground. A light, gray fog fell upon the square, surrounding the three as it shielded them from the rest of the town's folk.

"What kind of spell are you trying to put on us?" Lina demanded, as she got into a fighting stance. She knew that wouldn't do her any good anyways if the stranger could use and control magic at his will. As she moved her eyes over to Gourry, she noticed that the swordsman seemed calm about this even though he too had gotten into a defensive stance as well. There was no indication that he felt bad about almost being left out of whatever Kiyoshi didn't want him to be a part of. Does he know more about this guy then what he is saying? Is he under some sort of spell that is compelling him to lead me to Kiyoshi? Or is simply being the same old Gourry that I know?

"I'm not putting you under any spell. This is just a simple teleportation spell. Unfortunately, it creates a mist around me, and who ever steps into it," He replied as the mist thickened. Lina could barely hear the gasps and cries from outside of the mist as she and Gourry stared at the stranger, wondering where in the hell he was going to take them. "Don't bother moving or walking outside of the fog. If you do then that will damage more then it will heal."

"Exactly where are you taking us?"

"That is a secret," Kiyoshi replied, giving her a wink as the mist engulfed them. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the mist faded away, and the figures of Kiyoshi, Lina, and Gourry were gone in that mist, leaving the people of Atlas City to wonder where they had gone off to and why they were there in the first place.

****

The trip to Atlas City seemed like it had taken forever, but in reality it had only been a few short minutes. Time had dragged on in the mist that Zelgadis and Chika had used to get to the City causing the Chimaera to become more nervous then he had been before. He didn't like any part of this at all as it still didn't seem right to him. Chika had come out of nowhere, claiming that himself and Lina were connected somehow, and it wasn't by the fight with Shabranigdo. No, she claimed it was something else. Something else that he didn't know of. And it wasn't right. How could he know of Lina Inverse before Rezo? Before Shabranigdo? Before any of this happened? It wasn't believable. Not at all. He was going to find out what was going on, and before they met up with the others.

"Can you tell me what is really going on here?" Zelgadis asked as he stood next to Chika who was perfectly still. He found it odd that getting to the City required no walking from either of them. After he had ran into the mist, he had found Chika was standing in the middle of it, her back towards him. He'd start to ask her as to how they were going to get to the City, and every time she would tap her staff onto the ground to silence him. Zel guessed it was her way of saying "Don't bother asking" to people, and a way of reminding him how much he hated noises coming from staffs. It wasn't like he didn't like the pieces of wood that most wizards and elders carried around; it was just that he'd know when Rezo would be around just by the slight jingling of the rings on his staff. That sound haunted his dreams almost every night, and the nightmares of what the Priest did to him only became worse with time.

Without word, Chika taped her staff onto the ground, and kept her gaze forwards. It was times like this that the Chimaera wanted to just scream, and let out his rage on the closest person that was there. And Chika was the closet person around him.

"Damn you. Do you know how much that irrigates me when you tap that thing onto the ground? I had enough of it when Rezo was around. Do you think that I need more torture?"

"A little bit of suffering is good for the soul," Chika replied without any emotions in her voice nor did she give any indication that her gaze would be altered.

"I don't care about what is good for me. I just want to know if we are actually going anywhere and if I need to know anything before I meet your master."

"I'll let you be the judge of that," She said, her staff raising off the ground for another tap. This time, Zelgadis reached out and grabbed it before the tip of it even hit the ground. Chika took the time to turn her head towards him, her lips in a frown. "Let go of that, NOW!"

"Stop doing that. It's getting on my nerves, and I hate it when you do it. Right now, I am not in the best of moods, and I'm getting tired of being ignored. So if you want to make things worse by continuing to tap that thing, go right ahead. Don't cry to me if I happen to make a rash decision to end your life."

"You wouldn't dare," She growled, pulling the staff out of the other's reach. "I have to do this in order to keep your questions out of my head. It takes a lot of energy to transport more then myself from different places."

"I don't even know if we are even at Atlas City. We haven't even moved an inch."

"You can see for yourself," She said, tapping her staff onto the ground once again despite the growing anger that was coming from Zel. With the sound of wood hitting the Earth below, the fog slowly began to ease up from around the two. Zelgadis kept his gaze upon the other, his body seething with anger and impatience that steadily became more apparent. He was ready to fight her in any which way he could when he noticed the fog had lifted up fully, and reveled their new surroundings. Instead of being in the open country side or a forest, they now stood in the middle of a back alley of a place the Chimaera probably had never been before in his life. A tall stone wall sat on the left side of them as brick and stone buildings were on the right side. Garbage littered the alley that was around them as well as the small streets that lined the sides of the buildings. There were several hunched over people sitting next to the wall, their closed eyes not even noticing that two strangers had mysteriously entered their domain.

Zelgadis turned his body forwards, his right hand moving to his face as it took the cloth from his nose and mouth, and moved it down below his chin. His eyes moved along the edges of the shapes that lined the alley, which was practically dark despite the fact that there was still several hours left of what little daylight that was left. There was no indication that this was the place that they were supposed to be at, but he couldn't take any chances any more. He had taken so many in the past that got him caught up in things that he didn't want to be a part of, and this was one of those things.

"Where are we? This place stinks," Zel complained, moving his eyes towards Chika who had walked to his side. She gave him a sideward glance before turning her half hidden face back forwards.

"You have courage to take off the cloth that has hidden your face, but this is not the time to complement you on your courage. This is Atlas City, the place that I am supposed to take you to," She replied curtly.

"This is Atlas City?!? How can that be? The City is more cheerful then this. More beautiful."

"It's one of the many back alleys that few ever decide to walk upon. Like a rose, everything has it's thorns, and this place is the City's thorns. Dark and more complex then anyone should know, the alleys have a way of trapping people who want to get back out after stumbling onto the steam. It's not just a desire to go back home, but a desire to find the person that is hidden deep inside of you. It is only when you find that lost soul inside of you will you find the way back to the petals of that rose."

"Very poetic, but why are we here? You have not said any word to me about my role in this crap. I have no desire to be a part of this nor do I have a desire to go home. My family had rejected me after what Rezo turned me into, and I will never be able to go back there. I have no home."

"Don't be so critical about what you look like. We all have our faults, but that is what makes people different. If we were all the same then life would be boring. Just remember that people may laugh at you because you are different, but you can laugh right back at them because they are all the same," She said, a part of her lips moving into a smile as she started to walk forwards. Her lips moved back into a thin line as she continued on without a look behind her to see if the Chimaera was following her or not. "Come on. It is time that we met up with my master. It is time to explain what you have to do."

He remained quiet after what Chika had said as he followed her, his shoulders slumped. Whatever he had to do, he wanted to know what that role was before he decided to walk away from this. And he wouldn't look back.

****

The creature had remained in the shadows for the most part as it sat on the very outskirts of Atlas City, it's crimson eyes staring at the tall gates that allowed people to come and go as they please. There was a taste of disgust in this thing's mouth when it looked at the City gleaming in the disappearing sunlight. It hated anything that looked pretty or had a aroma about it that gave off any kind of warmth. Love and being beautiful were qualities that this creature despised with a passion; hatred and darkness were among the things that made it grow into the thing that it now was. A creature like itself now dwelled on such things to sustain it's being. It's life. It's soul. That is, if one had a soul.

This thing watched the gates for a moment more before slithering out into the open. Even though there was a little bit of sunlight left, there was no point in waiting any longer. It knew that things were going on in the City, and it planned to do something about it. Something that would alter the course of those that were planning things to dispose of any last bit of evil in the world. But, the creature knew as well as any living being, that good could not survive without evil. Light without Dark. Day without Night. There were always two side to everything, and everything had it's sides. There were no questions about it. Things needed a alternate to it; even magic was that way. White Magic was there to heal while Black Magic was there to destroy. Always the opposite, always there, always knowing.

That's the way life went, the creature supposed as it sat just before the gates of the City. Evil would always be there to take the Good out while the Good tried to get rid of the Evil. It would never happen, the creature thought many times in the course of the last couple of hours. Things always had a flip side to them, and that was never going to change. Not at all.

"It isssss time," The creature hissed out to those that wanted to hear it's snake like tongue. The first phase of it's plan was already over, and now it was time to go onto the second. It was time to become like the rest of those that walked among the Earth on two legs. Time to become a imposter that it didn't want to be. Time to be more like those that it hated, and closer to those that he needed to destroy.

It was time to put the rest of the plan into motion.

****

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Gourry asked as he and Lina stood still, their bodies half turned forwards, and half turned so that they could still look at the stranger without turning their head much. Kiyoshi stood behind them, his face serious with concentration. It had been a few moments since the fog had come around the three, and those few moments seemed like forever. Time was seemingly dragging on like it had been slowed down enough to a point where anyone would have screamed bloody murder.

Both Lina and Gourry were surprised to the fact that they didn't have to move at all. Gourry had been too scared to ask as to why they couldn't move or walk outside the fog, and Lina was waiting for the right moment to ask. It wasn't that either wanted to know; it was just the fact that they didn't know Kiyoshi at all. Whatever magic he knew probably was a lot stronger then what they believed to be strong. Besides, it wasn't polite to ask someone something about the magic they were using as long as it was for the right cause. Yet, in this case, it was different because neither knew what was going on.

"I told you, it is a secret. You'll know when we get there," The stranger said, tapping his staff onto the ground. Lina raised an eyebrow at that, a small look of anger coming across her face.

"You are becoming annoying with this whole thing. I know that you want to keep something like this a secret, but you are going to have to tell us it sooner or later. So why not now?" Lina demanded. It was at that moment that the fog surrounding the trio started to lift around them, and silence came between them. Lina and Gourry watched as the mist faded away into nothingness, and their surroundings came into place. Instead of being in the bustling square, the three now were standing in the middle of an dark alley where few rays of light were able to get through the bleakness of it. Garbage and other debris lined the back of the buildings and on the side of the wall that separated them from the living world.

"Where are we?" Gourry asked, taking several steps forwards. "Are we still in Atlas City?"

"Yes, we are," A voice answered the question. Gourry and Lina turned around, expecting to see a beggar behind them, but instead saw two figures walking towards them. One seemingly looked like a young woman with a cloak around most of her body and the hood came down over the top of her face so much so that it was hard to tell who the person was. And the other one was.....Zelgadis?

"Zelgadis!" Lina cried out, her eyes going wide as soon as the two stopped walked, and stood near Kiyoshi. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably for the same reason you are here. I didn't exactly get all the information that I wanted," The Chimaera replied dully, a sullen look coming upon his face as he stared at his two former companions.

"Don't bother asking if we know anything. We didn't exactly get a lot either," Lina turned her gaze upon the other stranger with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "And who are you?"

"This is Chika, my apprentice," Kiyoshi answered for the girl, who bowed ever so slightly. "I sent her to get the Other. I didn't expect her to arrive so soon. Now I can tell the three of you everything myself."

"Three? I thought there was only supposed to be two?" Chika inquired, her head turning towards Gourry. The sorceress wondered how this person could see with the hood covering her eyes, but she then reminded herself that people had ways to see or at least tried to see as she found out with Rezo. "Who's this guy and why is he here?"

"No need to be so rude," Gourry pouted, his eyes narrowing at her. "I'm Gourry."

"Whatever," Chika replied, turning her head back towards her master. "Are you sure you want to tell them? Things have been going smoothly for the last few years, and there is really no need to bring out old memories."

"They don't remember anyways, and I understand your concern. However, things have changed since then so we must bring them back into this," Kiyoshi said easily.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zel demanded, his eyes moving over to Kiyoshi. "Bring us back into what?"

"This is not the place in which I want to tell you as it served as a meeting place for everyone. It is time to step into the realm in which you came from," With a wave of his hand, the first stranger chanted something under his breath as everyone else fell silent, not for the first time and probably not for the last. In front of him a portal appeared in a flash of bright light that consumed the entire area. Lina, Gourry, and Zel had to cover their eyes in order to keep themselves from going blind from the light. In a few seconds, the light subsided, and when they lowered their arms, they found that Kiyoshi and Chika had disappeared with the portal still open.

"Should we go in?" Gourry asked, leaning forwards to gaze into the now yellow portal. Lina looked at the portal for a moment before laughing.

"As much as I'd like to stay here, I have to know what is going on. I don't understand what either of them mean by what they are saying, and I'll be damned if I am not going to pass this up!" She said, moving her body forwards, and stepping straight in front of the portal itself. The sorceress took in a deep breath, and placed a hand through just to make sure that nothing bad was going to happen. She held her position for several moments before her eyes went wide, and was pulled entirely into the portal.

"LINA!" Gourry and Zelgadis cried at the same time, both running up to the portal quickly. Each looked at each for a moment before nodding to the other, their faces set with determination. With precious time being wasted, the swordsman and the Chimaera turned their attention to the portal, and jumped in at the same time, not knowing where they would end up.

With the last two inside, the portal closed up just as quickly as it had opened, leaving no trace that it had been there at all.

To Be Continued.....