Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Finally! ❯ Martina and Company Make an Appearance ( Chapter 10 )

Everyone suddenly stiffened except Filia and the children. Even Xellos had suddenly tensed up with the shout. Lina's eyes were narrowed in disbelief. "It can't be. That voice…"

They all turned around just in time to see Martina begin cackling, Zangulus by her side with a crooked grin on his face. Lina sighed heavily. Just what they needed! Who invited them?

Everyone was silent in shock (except for Filia and the children because they really didn't know these people), but the silence was quickly broken when Lina said, "What on earth are you doing here, Martina? We didn't invite you!"

Martina huffed in insult. "Well, how rude. Not only insulting me like this, but also throwing a reunion without even inviting me. How cruel can you be, Lina Inverse!"

"Much worse than I am now."

But Lina's comment went unnoticed. The focus of everyone's attention was suddenly on the floor. When Lina turned to see what everyone else was interested in, she saw both Havran and Val playing with four other children…who looked a bit too familiar.

Martina's comment erased further doubt. "Look, dear! There are two other children here for the kids to play with!"

Amelia blinked and looked up to Martina. "Your children? That's who these other kids are?"

Marina laughed while Zangulus just bowed his head a large sweat drop forming. "Of course they are! Let me introduce them!" She pointed to two girls who were identical with green hair and dark eyes. "This is Zoey and Gusty, my twins!" She then mentioned to the only …ahem… human boy of the group of children (who looked exactly like Zangulus) and said, "This is my son, Zan, and the youngest girl over there," she motioned to a dark-green haired girl with bright blue eyes, "is Marty."

Lina's eyes were hooded as she gazed at Martina and Zangulus. "In five years you two had four children?"

"You two were definitely busy, I see."

Martina gasped and took a step back as she realized who had spoken. Zangulus and the children looked at her strangely. "What is it, Martina?"

Her eyes watered as Xellos stepped forth with an amused smile. She let out a little moan of horror and then turned accusing eyes toward Lina. "I can't believe you, Lina! You didn't invite me to this reunion, but you invited…that…that…MONSTER!"

Zangulus blinked in confusion, but the rest of the group just sighed. Filia lifted up and perplexed eyebrow. Lina shook off Martina's comment and said, "Whatever, Martina. Just tell me how you found out we were even having a reunion."

Martina sniffled pitifully and Zangulus rolled his eyes. He turned to Lina. "We came here for a vacation, and just as we were leaving we noticed the chef, cooks and the waiters and all the other people who work here, preparing a feast. Martina got excited and wanted to see who it was all for…"

"You can imagine my surprise when I saw it was Lina Inverse's party," she said cutting him off. "When I asked him what kind of party it was, the host said that it was a reunion. You can just imagine my horror."

"I'm not going to imagine anything, Martina," Lina said with a groan.

"Miss Lina, I hate to interrupt, but who are these people?"

Lina turned to Filia with a confused look. It was Zelgadis who spoke next. "That's right. Filia never met Martina and I don't think Zangulus was ever properly introduced to Xellos."

Lina blinked in realization and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess then I better introduce them. Zangulus, this is Xellos, a high-class monster. Xellos probably already knows who you are so I'm not going to bother with that. Martina, this is Filia, an ex-priestess of the Fire-Dragon King. Filia, this is Martina, princess…or should I say Queen of Xoana. Zangulus was once a guy who was out to get Gourry, but he ended up becoming the King of Xoana." Zangulus nodded to her and Xellos and then turned to Gourry. They needed to catch up on the times.

Filia nodded. "I see." She smiled. "Well, then, how do you do? I was just wondering Miss Martina?"

Martina smiled at the blonde woman before her. "Yes?"

"Why do you dislike Xellos so much? That wasn't a very nice way to say 'monster'. Only I can say 'monster' to him with that much disgust."

Martina blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, only you can?"

Amelia and Lina noticed right away where this was going.

"Hey! Before you answer that question, Filia, how about Amelia explain to you what happened before we met you and before we defeated Phibrizzo?"

Amelia grinned. "Yeah. You see, Miss Martina was out to get Lina for destroying Xoana, though it really was no one else's fault but Miss Martina's that Lina had to use the Dragon Slave. Anyway, after a while Miss Martina fell in love with Gourry, but when she realized what an airhead he was, she gave up on him. After that she fell in love with Xellos…" Filia's eyes widened. "But she got over it when she found out he was a monster. She didn't take it well and she's hated him ever since."

"Oh, I see."

Martina sniffled and turned an accusing finger on Xellos. "You…you broke my heart! You filthy monster! I'll never forgive you."

Xellos shrugged uncaring.

Martina sniffled some more and then turned to her side when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She turned to see the blonde woman gazing at her straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry Miss Martina that you felt so terrible when you found out the truth about Xellos, but…" Filia's eyes narrowed. "No one but me can call Xellos a filthy monster. Got it?"

The Queen of Xoana only blinked in confusion.

"Mommy, clobber!"

Everyone's attention suddenly turned to the almost three year old Havran. The little boy sprouted his wings as Val toppled on the floor laughing. He flew into the air and into Filia's arms. "Mommy going to clobber the weepy lady?"

Filia strained a smile as her eye ticked. She turned to Xellos with narrowed eyes. "This is all your fault."

Xellos only grinned evilly at her.

Martina blinked in confusion. "Mommy?" She looked toward Filia. "You're this child's mother? But he has wings and a tail?"

"Yes…well…I am a Golden Dragon…"

"You're a DRAGON?!"

Lina shook her head while Amelia and Zelgadis sighed. Gourry was still talking to Zangulus about sword skills or…whatever.

Filia smiled. "Yes, I'm a dragon and this is my son, Havran. Please excuse him. He gets most of his quirks from his father."

Amelia smiled at Martina. "Don't you remember Mr. Milugasia, Miss Martina? The Golden Dragon who transformed into a human when we were looking for the Claire Bible?"

"Yes… You mean she's like him!"

Lina nodded and Zelgadis rolled his eyes.

"I see." Martina then looked at the little boy with eyes narrowed. "It's strange, but he seems familiar…" Suddenly Havran smiled, his eyes closing and his head tilting to the side, his straight dark purple hair moving along with him. Martina's eyes widened as she abruptly stared at the child and then to Xellos…and back again.

"Wait a minute…" Martina looked between the two again, but this time Xellos mimicked his son's exact expression. She gave a shriek and stepped back.

"It can't be! How could a priestess ever marry and have kids with a Mazoku! How could she?!" Martina turned on Filia in surprise and terror. When her eyes landed on Havran she shrieked again.

"That monster's child played with my children!"

By now, Filia was starting to get really ticked off, if the vein in her forehead wasn't enough of a sign.

"Mommy going to clobber weepy lady now?"

Val burst into more laughter (that is all this child seems to do, huh? ^_^) on the floor and Xellos picked him up with a roll of his eyes. Filia just stared at the child in her arms for a beat.

"Well, Filia dear?"

The blonde dragon turned to her husband and gave him a hooded look. He only opened one eye and gave her a smirk as Martina continued to howl in the background. Filia smiled and turned back to the Queen of Xoana. "For once I'm going to do as my husband says. Miss Martina…"

"OH MY GOD!"

Everyone started in surprise at Martina's outburst that complete cut off an already frustrated Filia. But they also knew exactly why she had shouted. She had finally spotted it.

"Lina! You finally did it! You and Gourry finally got married! I knew you would eventually tell Gourry how you feel. You care for him that much that you would have sacrificed the world for him! You aren't as stupid as I thought you were!"

"What?!"

Martina pounced on the ring on Lina's hand to get a better view of it. Her eyes widened in amazement. "That…is…" she looked up at Lina and then to Gourry who was still beside Zangulus. Zangulus suddenly looking a bit worried. "An awfully big diamond."

She lifted up her own wedding band, her eyes slowly watering. Zangulus paled and waved. "Sorry, everyone, but we have to be going now. Zoey, Gusty, Zan, Marty! File out!" The kids rushed to the door, doing exactly as their father said. Martina only continued to sniffle and look at Zangulus as if he had killed one of their children.

Havran pouted. "Mommy, no clobber?"

"Boring!" howled Val from Xellos' arms.

"But Zangulus, what about our spar?" Gourry shouted over the children as Zangulus and Martina left.

"Some other time, Gourry!"

Gourry sighed as the door closed. "I guess that's what being married does to a swordsman."

Lina's eyes narrowed at Gourry, but Amelia saved him.

She smiled up at Gourry. "Don't you mean that's what happens to a swordsman who's married to Miss Martina?"

Gourry blinked in confusion for a minute and then smiled. "Yeah. That's what I meant."

Lina lifted an eyebrow, but before she could make a comment there was a knock on the door. She sighed. "I sure hope they're not back."

But when she opened the door, there stood several men in white waiter outfits with huge trays in their hands. One of them, the most well dressed, she recognized as the host of the resort. "Uh…Miss Inverse? We saw some people leaving. Are there more in your party?'

Her eyes grew starry as the smell of the food wafted into the room. "No! They are definitely not with us! Don't worry about it! Just bring the food in! It sure took you guys long enough to bring it up."

"Sorry, Miss Inverse, but it was an entire feast for fifty you ordered." And with that the waiters ushered into the room and set the trays upon trays of food before the group. It didn't take long before they were all digging in.

Midway through the meal, Lina caught herself looking at her friends. She was staring almost still in shock at seeing Xellos and Filia treat each other like husband and wife. She was even feeding him and they were sharing teacups! Yet they looked so happy, even though they still argued like they had before. She looked toward Amelia and Zelgadis and wondered how those two would do. They don't have his chimera problem as a barrier anymore, but Zel was awfully stubborn. Who knows what excuses he would find? Lina smiled. But at least she knew for certain that Amelia would never give up. She loved Zelgadis too much and she wasn't ashamed of her love for him.

Lina's eyes became wide in realization. She may have married Gourry, but she had never consciously ever told him how she felt about him. She didn't have as much courage that Filia and Amelia seemed to have. Especially since it was probably more difficult to tell Xellos how Filia felt than it would be to tell Gourry, and it was more likely that Zelgadis would turn Amelia down than Gourry doing it to Lina. After all, he had already told her that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her, hadn't he? She looked at the ring and thought about the marriage certificates. Now it was just official.

She looked at Gourry and her heart did a painful flip. She'd never met a guy like him…and she doubted she ever would again. Her eyes closed slightly. She really did love him. She opened her eyes again and gazed at him. Later that night she would tell him. She would tell him how she felt about him.

Gourry felt Lina's eyes on him and he turned to her. He blinked in surprise when he saw her start and then blush to her roots. Then he grinned. He had never really told Lina how he felt about her. Just hinted at it a couple of times. Maybe, especially after seeing Zangulus and Martina, maybe it was time to tell Lina how he really felt about her.

The dinner was interrupted with a loud crash of the door bursting open. Filia was on Xellos' lap being fed sushi, Val and Havran had been battling over a banana, Lina and Gourry had both just grabbed onto a pineapple juice soaked turkey, and Amelia had been just about to feed Zelgadis some shabu-shabu, when someone suddenly burst through the door screaming…