Chapter V

Author's notes: I am so sorry this took so long. I really am. I've just been having a very bad Slayers writing block. Hopefully, this'll mark another string of chapters. Hopefully. Well, I wont keep you waiting any longer.

After the group had split off (Not without forcing Lina to meet them for dinner), Lina led Zelgadis to her old home. It was rather large, to Zel's surprise, and had an elegant, almost classy look to it. It was a bit farther away from the rest of the town than normal, and even had a small spring next to it. Lina didn't even pause to look at it, instead walking straight to the door and pushing it open without any trouble. Zel followed after, she soon began to lead him through the maze that seemed to be her home.

The entire time he was following her, Zelgadis noted things about the house that were different. The hallways looked normal to the passing eye- white walls, blue carpet, simple wooden doors, ect.- but if he paused to really look, he noticed things about it. Like trick doors that, as Lina informed him, led straight back to the entrance, hallways that were laced with a magical essence strong enough to make him a bit uneasy, and at one point he could have sworn he saw a figure floating around (Lina wouldn't comment on that one).

Eventually she led him to a large room that held the staircase (Or one of many staircases, for all he knew). Instead of going up, however, Lina walked right passed it and into another room. This one was familiar to him.

It was a large kitchen. Tiled floors, white walls, wooden cabinets, and a counter in the middle. He smirked at Lina and her predictability. She wandered over and plopped down on a stool that Zel would have sworn wasn't there a moment ago.

"Are you hungry?" she questioned, resting her chin in her hand. He shook his head and glanced around the room. Lina blinked. "If you're tired, then you can rest now. Luna wont get off from work for a least a few hours."

Zel shrugged. "I'm fine. Are you alright?"

It was true, Lina knew, that through out the entire time she had been leading him around her uneasiness grew. She had originally intended on grabbing a snack, but as she entered the kitchen, her appetite fell away. Her muscles felt stiff and cramped in the old house, and the familiar scent of lilacs and musk, which filled the house, triggered memories she would have rather kept locked away. But she had no reason to worry him.

"I'm fine." She forced a smile, mimicking his response. "Just a little… tired." She could see by the flicker in his eyes that he caught her lie, but he said nothing, and instead reached across the table and grasped her hand gently in his own, taking a seat on a stool as well.

They sat like that for several hours, until Lina led them to a living room and sat down to rest.

"Lina! Front and center!"

Lina jumped out of her sleep with a jolt. Her sudden movement caused Zel to snap awake as well. The call was repeated, and Lina felt a groan rise up. She was so comfortable. What did Luna want, anyway? Zel gently ran a hand through her hair and smiled as she sat up, yawning. Luna had less patience than Lina did, but Lina wasn't in any hurry. She would take her time (for more reasons than she cared to count.).

It took them several minutes to make their way to where Luna was waiting, and it took them even longer because Lina had been dragging her feet the entire time. Finally, they reached a large door made of oak wood with designs and carvings in the framework. The intricate patterns were more than just decoration, however; Zelgadis could recognize a few as magic symbols, and suspected the ones he didn't recognize were of similar origin. The door, however, had no doorknob. If Lina hadn't led him there, he would have thought it just a piece of design that blended with the walls around them.

Lina paused outside the door, tugging on her shirt, running a hand through her hair, and straightening her back. Then, she reached out a gloved hand and placed it on the door. Zel gave a start when it began to glow softly, though he should have expected something like that. Lina's eyes fluttered closed, and she murmured a few words softly. The door swung open, and Lina took a deep breath before stepping inside.

Inside was a room that, by all law of physics and such, shouldn't have been able to fit in the space Zelgadis had viewed before entering the home. The ceiling itself was at least double the height of the house. From what he could see, it was some sort of library; it resembled the main library in Seilloon, but was much large in size. The woman from before, Luna, sat in a large armchair, one long, slender leg crossed over the other. Her gaze was indifferent, watching them as they entered.

Lina seemed to be visibly worried, probably expecting a Fireball or something to be thrown at her. Luna, however, stared at them intently. Zel took a moment to allow his eyes to wander.

It was indeed a library. The wall to the far left was nothing more than a large glass window, and the room was actually fairly welcoming. There were a few plants growing from pots, scattered here and there; most were by the window. The two shelves each stood along a wall and reached up to the ceiling in height. In the middle of the room, where Luna was sitting, there were a few plush, comfortable looking chairs and a rug on the floor. The window allowed bright sunlight into the room, and outside he could see the most beautiful sky he'd ever seen. The room was positively cheery.

Luna cleared her throat, and Lina approached, tugging Zel by the arm as she did so. She stopped a few feet away from the purple-haired waitress, and stood there, nervously tugging at her pant leg.

Luna eyed her sister before speaking, "You have a lot of nerve coming back here, Lina, after all this time. You're lucky I didn't throw you out the minute you got here." Lina opened her mouth to speak, but Luna held up a hand to silence her. "I don't want to hear an excuse. I want to know: What are you doing here? And with an outsider, no less."

Luna gave her a point look that clearly stated, 'Tell me what I want to know. Now.' Lina swallowed and, looking as though she were walking into her death, explained the story: the amulet, it's connection to Xellas, everything. Luna listened quietly, her gaze never once straying from Lina. After the younger woman was finished, she drummed her fingers along the arm of the chair.

After a moment, she spoke again. "I see. So you're here for research, and nothing more?"

Lina nodded. Luna sent a glance at Zel, before nodding as well. "Alright. You have the run of the library for as long as you need it," She stood and walked passed them, pausing to eye Zelgadis once more, before leaving the room. As soon as she was gone, Lina relaxed and fell in the chair her sister had left empty, slumping her shoulders.

"I thought she was going to kill me." she muttered, running a hand through her hair. Zel eyed her carefully, before turning his attention to the books.

"Where do we start?"

Author's Notes: Yes! I'm updating all my current Slayers stories! Yay! I know most of my old reviewer have probably ditched this story by now, but I still feel obligated to respond.

Sammy: Sammy Onee-chan! I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in forever. Forgive me? Please:3

Shadow Knight2: Eh… I updated Project Zero! Umm… yeah, so you can go read that and be happy…? As for the 'definitely' issue: my spell checker screws up with that word. It always screws it up. Sorry.

Lina Gabriev: Thanks for the review. I hope you're still reading.

Ishy-chan: Ah, yes, yes, everything I write is too short. I'll work on that, okay?

Mysticalflame: Thanks!