Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Kenkanoshiri ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

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 Four

The light surround them entirely, shadowing any surroundings that might be there from their sight. It had taken them several minutes in order for the burning sensation to stop from within their eyes, then it took a little while longer for their vision to get used to the brightness of wherever they where at the moment. Once Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis had jumped into the portal that Kiyoshi had created, the doorway leading out into the dark alley had closed behind them, locking them inside with no way out. None knew where they were, and none knew how to get out of it either. They didn't even know if Chika and Kiyoshi were even in the portal themselves or had placed the trio in there for purposes unknown. It was after a few more moments of silence did Gourry speak up.

"Where are we?" Gourry asked as he stepped forwards, unsheathing his sword as he did.

"I don't know. There's nothing we can go on as to where the thing took us," Lina replied, trying her best to surpass the fear that was in her voice. She didn't want the other two to know how much all of this affected her when, in reality, it scared her more then what she was leading on. Her heart was pounding in her ears like there was no tomorrow, and she just wanted to get out of there. And fast. The fear of being trapped in a place that she didn't know anything about, or even knew how to get out of, flowed through her like a river.

There was no telling what might happen while they were in there, or what would come after them. They didn't even know if they had been abandoned by the two that claimed to know Zelgadis and Lina. They didn't know more then what they were told, and that made all there uneasy. They knew next to nothing, and that was what made this situation more unbearable then what it seemed. If they had known more then perhaps the uneasy feeling that began to form in the pits of their stomachs would go away, and all three would be fine.

"If they are telling us the truth, then where are they? What do they really want with us?" Zelgadis questioned as he too unsheathed his sword, and got into a defensive stance. Just as he uttered those words, the light flashed brightly around them, giving them no chance to cover their eyes before the light dimmed. It took them several moments for their eyesight to return to normal so that they could return gasp in what they saw. The trio now stood in the middle of a vast room, stone walls on either side of them and one wall behind them. Large, stained windows rose up from the two walls on their right and left, each window nearly meeting the ceiling above. The marble floor beneath them gleamed with the light of torches and candles that were burning in different places of the room. In front of them stood Kiyoshi and Chika as a marble staircase behind them sat, paitently waiting for someone to climb them.

"I am glad that you have decided to come after all. I was afraid that you would back out of this," Kiyoshi said, smiling a half smile.

"You kinda didn't leave us much choice. It was either to walk away without knowing what the hell you were talking about or go on after you," Lina retorted, placing her hands on her hips. "Now will you tell us what is going on here? I am getting tired of waiting for answers."

"Follow us. We will explain everything now," Chika replied, turning around, gliding herself towards the stairs. Kiyoshi did the same then as Zel and Gourry looked at each other, and sheathing their swords before following the two. Lina stayed back, her eyes watching them ascend the stairs before she shrugged, and went after them. This was now or never, and she wasn't about to delay any longer.

****

Chika and Kiyoshi lead them on a series of hallways once the group and climbed the towering stairs. Lina brought up the back of the group, her shoulders slumped, and her stride not as quick as she normally had it. It felt like there was something upon her shoulders that was weighing her down, and she wanted to get rid of it. Perhaps it was just the tiredness the sorceress was feeling as they went along, passing many doorways and other passages. She, after all, had destroyed the Dark Lord Shabranigdo earlier, and she was becoming more weary with every step of the way. Defeating something like the Dark Lord took a lot out of a person since something like that was inhuman. Something that controlled all the fear and whatnot of a person.

But the tiredness was something she could live with for the moment as the group came to a halt in front of a large doorway that lead into some other room. Lina's shoulders became rigged as she raised them up straight, her eyes going along the massive slabs of marble. There were detailed designs on each of the doors, all made of gold and silver, that swirled around in unknown patterns. Kiyoshi and Chika turned around to face the heroes, their faces emotionless and serious.

"This leads into a room where few have ventured into," Chika stated, motioning a hand towards the doors. Lina rolled her eyes at this as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I don't care who or what hasn't been in there. I just want to get some answers so that I can go back to my normal life. I have better things to do, okay?" The sorceress snapped, giving the strangers a glare.

"Patience, young one. We will explain everything once we are inside," Kiyoshi said simply, waving one hand. Once he did so, the doors began to open with ease, the creaking sound echoing throughout the entire hallway. It only took several moments for the doors to open, and allow light to enter the totally dark room. Kiyoshi and Chika turned around again, both motioning for the trio to follow them inside the unlit room.

"What is this place anyways?" Zelgadis commented as the group of five ventured into the room. His answer came as his body came to a halt, and his gaze came upon a statue that sat in what seemed like the middle of the room. The statue was tall, probably about eight feet in height, and was that of a warrior that was perhaps exiled to a far away place. The warrior was clad in a suit of bronze armor, with a cape flowing behind him. A sword was in his left hand as it laid perfectly still in front of him while the other hand jutted out somewhat from his side, his palm open and what appeared to be a glass ball. The warrior's face was semi-serious as a half smile played on his lips, and his eyes were somewhat slanted. His long hair rested on his shoulders, and half way down his back. This statue rested on a small piece of stone that raised the statue off of the ground. On the front of the stone, there was a inscription in a language that neither Lina, Zel, nor Gourry could read.

"Hey, that kind of reminds me of Gourry," Lina commented, moving up towards the statue, and giving it a small knock before she shrugged. "Maybe it's a statue of one of his ancestors."

"No, it's not. This statue is of a warrior that perhaps perished long ago during a battle that once rocked this planet," Kiyoshi said without emotions. "And it is not the battle in which you are thinking of."

"Huh?" Lina turned around to face the stranger. "What do you mean?"

"There was another battle that took place many years after Shabranigdo was split up into seven different pieces. A battle which many warriors, like this one, perished because the power of the monster was too great, even for magic.

"I know you remember the legend of Shabranigdo so I am not going to waste time explaining it all. This is another legend, but it is not as well known as that of the Dark Lord. In fact, it is barely known even among those descendents of the warriors and wizards that went up against this creature. You see, back then, there was once a bigger power then that of Shabranigdo. In fact, this thing was more powerful then that of anything that had to do with him. This creature had the power to control and the power to destroy the entire universe, but it never chose to do the latter. That is, until it came across a person that had the power to destroy it's being as a whole. And person was know as Seiko ," When Kiyoshi spoke that name, he looked straight at Lina. The girl stared at him, an eyebrow raised before her eyes went wide as she made the connection.

"ME? I was that powerful being?" She gasped out, her face going pale.

"Somewhat. You see, there were two powerful magic casters in those days. Jin Takugatsu, who knew the magic arts of Black and White magic, and Hikosu Hitimari, who knew some Shaminstic magic and was considered a formable swordsman. Even then, Jin and Hikosu could cast spells along the lines of the Dragon Slave and the Ra Tilt, but their magic wasn't perfect. In fact, it was far from it. Despite the fact that they both could cast some of the most powerful spells known to any race, neither could control any spell well. All except for one: Fusion.

"This spell was hard to teach, and it was very rare for someone to actually know it. Very few have mastered it or have come close to even being able to mutter the first few lines. Many have died trying to use it, and several have never been able to reclaim what freedom they had before."

"Why was it rare to learn? And what do you mean by that few have come close?" Gourry asked, confused as ever.

"It was rare because it was hard to master and control. Like all magic, one must be able to harness the power of the spell that they are casting. Most spells, like the Dragon Slave, may be able to be taught to someone, but the learner must also learn how to control that certain spell before he or she can use it," Chika responded, taking over from where her master left off. "And few were able to mutter the first lines because no one is, or was, able to read the language that it is written in. Those that could read the ancient writings left few clues as how to decipher the actual text, and those that can speak and read it naturally have passed on to other Astral Planes."

"So the spell is on this statue?" Zelgadis wondered as he stepped towards the statue, and kneeled down by the stone, his eyes going over the inscription. "It seems like I have heard this language before, but not recently. I think I heard Rezo using this kind of tongue once or twice when I was a boy. It was a long time ago, and I can't remember what was what."

"Exactly. Those that remember hearing it in their lives don't know if it was the actual language or not. There have been so many variations of it that it is hard to know if you are hearing or reading the actual language. But the Fusion spell has always remained the same, no matter how messed up it has become, and few have managed to learn the first line of it before they trail off. And because the old language was so distorted over the years, it is impossible to know what words are on the plaque."

"Yea, but who was this person? And where do we come into this legend?" Lina demanded as she pointed towards the statue.

"Ah yes. The statue. The Fusion. Jin and Hikosu. The incantation on the bottom of the statue," Kiyoshi sighed. "Think about it for a moment; all of you. What does it all have to do with this statue?"

There was a moment of silence that went around the small band of warriors, three of them thinking the best way they knew how to. Then something clicked in their minds in a way that the two strangers hoped it would as the trio looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Seiko!" Gourry gasped out. "He's the fused form of Jin and Hikosu!"

"Gourry, you surprise even me sometimes," Lina commented, sending a smirk towards Chika. "He may be dumb, but he can come up with ideas and things when he wants to. Aren't you glad that he came along?"

"I was hoping that one of you two would see the connection, but I guess Gourry's answer will do," Chika grumbled, looking away from the sorceress.

"Very good. Yes, it is the fused form of Jin and Hikosu, creating the ultimate warrior, Seiko. The combined forces of these two created a warrior of unsurpassed power that rivaled only the creature that I have spoken of before. And I know what you are wondering," Kiyoshi raised his free hand to silence any questions or comments that would probably come from the trio. "How did these two learn a spell that was very hard to learn since they could barely control the current spells that they knew? Simple. It was in their blood to do so. Even though they didn't know how to control their spells, the Fusion was more simpler to them because they already had the inscription translated for them.

"You see, many generations ago, it wasn't uncommon for all master sorcerers and sorceresses' to know several other languages besides their native tongue. Like I mention before, there were few that know the language that is inscribed on the stone, and even fewer knew the real Fusion spell. And I wouldn't be surprised if you happened to know a certain pair that knows the language."

"YOU know the language?!?!" Zel snapped as the rose from his kneeling position, and turned upon his heels to face the older stranger. "How is it possible? I thought you said that all those that could understand the language were dead."

"No, I said all that could speak and read it naturally were dead. In that I meant all those that were native to that were gone," The other shook his head, a disgusted look coming upon his face. "You don't listen well to my words, boy. You need to close your ears, and open your heart rather then doing the opposite. Only then can you hear all that those speak."

"So, you can read that inscription, can't you?" Lina asked slowly, taking a step forwards. Now she was becoming really scared at this point. Not even going up against Shabranigdo was this frightening, and then she was fighting not only for her life, but for Gourry's, Zelgadis's, and everyone else that thrived on the planet. Now she didn't know what Chika and Kiyoshi wanted with her or Zelgadis, and the idea of this unknown legend unfolding right in front of them was swirling in her mind. She hoped what both of them were hinting towards wasn't what she was fearing inside of her. Hoped that nothing with the legend connected her with it or anyone else that was in the room.

"Yes, we can. Every word of the inscription is imbedded in our minds so we have no need in gazing upon those words. You, however, need to learn them anyways for nether I nor Chika can chant this for you."

"So, whatever happened to Seiko and the creature? What was the legend's end?" Zel asked, breaking the conversation away from the inscription and back onto what was never told yet.

"Oh, that," Chika muttered, waving a hand towards the Chimaera. "Well, when the creature challenged Seiko, there was a great battle, like the one you three fought with Shabranigdo only ten times more powerful and deadly then that. And unlike the battle with the Dark Lord, it didn't take thousands of years for the outcome to arrive. No, it only took one short year for one last spell for Seiko and the creature to chant before the battlefield went up in smoke.

"When the dust settled, there was nothing there execpt for a big hole. No bodies, no blood; not even a trace of clothing could be found. We figured that the power between the two was so great that the spells casted between the two canceled each other out, and therefore canceled their bodies out as well. Where they went, I don't know."

"So where do we come in?" Lina asked, narrowing her eyes at Chika. "If you two brought us here just to tell us about some age-old legend, then I just wasted almost a night's worth of sleep for this."

"You didn't waste any of your time. I can see that you are not getting the point of us telling you the legend. Maybe if we put it more bluntly, then you would get the picture," Kiyoshi growled under his breath. "Jin and Hikosu used the Fusion spell to create Seiko. Seiko and the creature battled, and seemingly went up in smoke. We did not know where they went until Shabranigdo was reborn, and defeated by you three. The creature and Shabranigdo have something in common: Both were resurrected by the same group of people, therefore Jin and Hikosu must still be alive."

"Why is that?" Gourry asked innocently.

"The way we figure is that somehow when Seiko and the creature vanished, a part of the darkness possessed by the creature went into the warrior, and made a bond between them. This in turn, if those two were still alive, the creature was still alive."

"Are you saying that me and Zelgadis are Jin and Hikosu?" The sorceress demanded, her eyes narrowing at both of them even more.

"Perhaps you are because the damn creature has been reborn from the Dark Lord's shadow."

"Then how come we don't remember anything?"

"We don't know. The battle ended in such a manner that not even the most powerful and knowledgeable wizard could tell you anything about it. We are just guessing on this one," Chika snapped at her. "The final clash between two powers might have destroyed your memory, and managed to keep your body in tact. Or, you could have been reborn after the generations, at least your soul......"

".....and when the time when the creature was about to be reborn, our bodies and souls were reborn at the same time so that we could defeat this thing again," Zelgadis finished off, his eyes wandering over all those that were there.

"Yes, that is a possibility to this."

"Does this mean that my life was just the same as Hikosu's?"

"History sometimes repeats itself, but no. Hikosu was born as a Chimaera and vanished as a Human," Chika nodded towards the statue then turned her full attention towards Zel. "And the only way you can become Human again is if we can find the cure."

"Where's is it and what is it? Tell me!" Zelgadis demanded, his whole face becoming serious.

"There is several ways to get back to your original self, but I'm not certain on one," Kiyoshi looked thoughtfully about this as he tapped a finger on his chin. "I've heard about the Claire Bible, but I don't know if it still exists or not, and I don't want to send you on a fruitless journey. There is, however, another way I know personally of, and it won't be easy to get to. It's a long journey that might take all three of you to get."

"Just tell me, damn it!" He roared, his eyes flaming up with anger. Gourry and Lina backed up when they saw the crazed look in the Chimaera's eyes, making a mental note to each other to stay away for the time being. However, the two strangers stayed where they were, not amused at what they saw before them. "I've been wanting out of this body for a long time, and I do not want to stay in it any longer."

"This way isn't forever. It's only temporary, keeping you in Human form for a short while. And you need to use it sparingly since there is only a little bit of it left."

"What?!" Zelgadis burst out, unsheathing his sword once again. He pointed the blade directly towards Kiyoshi, who just stared at the other with a blank expression before letting out a chuckle. This just angered Zel even more, his face and body showing it. "What's so funny?"

"You are one of the few that have mastered some of the most powerful Shaminstic magic in the world, and you are threatening me with a sword?" The master continued to chuckle at this. "You'd need me to get to where you want to be."

"Your point being? I could probably kill you with this."

"You kill him now, and you'll never get the chance to be Human again," Lina said in a low voice, walking next to her companion, and placing a hand onto his shoulder. "Many people who have been turned into other creatures by evil beings, like Rezo had become, would give anything to be back in their original form, even if it were for a short time." She shook her head on this. "I wouldn't do this if I were you. Don't give up the chance that you may never have again."

"Listen to her. She knows what she is talking about," Kiyoshi said, narrowing his eyes at Zel. The Chimaera grumbled, sheathing his sword, but not without glares towards Kiyoshi and Chika. "That's better. Now, are you ready for your first task?"

"Yea, sure. Where do we go to get the stuff?"

To Be Continued....