Fire and Stone

Lina stared out of the window at the various magical duels going on in the town square. In any other town that would have been unusual, but Lina was back home, in Zefilia. Zefilia held some of the world's greatest sorceresses and sorcerers and had the most famous wine in this world!

Opening the letter from Gourry, Lina smiled; she missed her close friend and protector. Gourry had written that the twins, Saralin and Mara, were fine and could walk on their own now! *Had it really been almost two years since she had gone to visit Gourry and Sylphiel?!*

Reaching over to another letter, the famous dragon-spooker sighed. Breaking the Saillune Royal Seal, Lina read Amelia's monthly update on everyone that were part of the original Slayers that resided in the City of Justice. Since her father's retirement (Phil was now going to just be a justice fighter instead of a royally nuts justice fighter), Amelia and her long-lost-but-now-returned- sister Gracia were running the kingdom. It seemed Gracia; who to Lina's surprise was Naga, her old pest, was ready for the next shipment of wine. It also seemed that Filia's Tea Shoppe was doing great and Xelloss was still around, occasionally helping with Val. That surprised Lina and she grinned slightly. * I guess he's more in love with her than I thought!*

Walking through the town the famous Lina Inverse was treated like a normal person, after all Zefilia was home to the Knight of Ceipheed as well as a vast number of other amazing magic workers.

Looking for her sister wasn't hard, Lina found her serving at the local inn.

"What do you need Lina? It's getting busy!"

Lina flinched a bit, even after all these years she was still terrified of her older sister!

"Nee-chan, send a case of Zefilia's best to the Saillune Palace and another to Zangulus and Martina's at Zoana's New Palace."

Luna's expression softened a bit as she replied, "Sure little sis, and he'll come back you know..."

But Lina had already left.

Zelgadiss sat in an inn a day's travel from Zefilia. Along his search for his cure he had stopped by Zoana, Saillune and Sairaag. In the four years since The Slayers had gone their separate ways it seemed that Martina and Zangulus had a great family and had rebuilt the kingdom of Zoana. Amelia had found her older sister and Xelloss had sort of settled down with Filia and Val. During Zel's stay in the rebuilt Sairaag, he met Gourry and found out that the blonde mercenary was happily married to Sylphiel and had two wonderful kids. Mara had loved playing with Zel's wire hair, so he had pulled some to make a small ring for the child. Saralin had her father's easygoing nature and was as sweet as honey. Gourry had let it slip that Lina was back in her hometown and asked him to give her a message that could only be opened by Lina.

Walking up to his room, Zel collapsed onto his bed. *I wander if she's changed... I can't!*

Turning to look at the moonlight through his window, Zel let his doubts take over. *She'll hate me... but the message... I could always give it to someone going to Zefilia...*

Standing suddenly Zel said to the dark, empty room, "NO, I WILL go deliver this message!"

Paying his tab, Zel threw RayWing and disappeared into the night.

Staring at the dawn sun, Lina sheathed her old sword and slipped on her old traveling clothes.

"RayWing!"

Zel walked into Zefilia and ducked to avoid being fried by a fireball the size of a house! Eyes widened, Zel stared at the mass of spells flying and being deflected.

A tall woman with long dark-purple hair cleared a way through the confusion by simply tossing people aside. She stopped at Zel and glowered a bit. The woman tugged off his mask and asked, "So, Zelgadiss, what do you want?"

Zel looked at Luna Inverse in awe and said in a voice edged with doubt, "I came to deliver a message to Lina... it's from Gourry!"

The Knight of Ceipheed shook her head, "I don't know where she is... she left a little before dawn.

Zel turned away and said in disappointment, "Oh... that's okay!"

~ A Week Later ~

Zel sat on a rock where he had last seen Lina... that day four years ago when they had all gone their separate ways.

"I should have stayed!"

Holding a stone in his hand, Zel crushed it until it looked exactly like a heart. Staring at it in surprise, Zel berated himself.

"I'm so stupid!"

The stone in his hand glowed red, then burst into flames as Lina Inverse, the very woman he had been searching for walked to stand beside him.

"Zelgadiss Graywords, you certainly aren't stupid, but sometimes you can be really naive!" After saying this, Lina sat beside him and sobbed. Pulling the crying girl... no... woman to him, Zel tried very hard to soothe her aches.

He felt tears slip from his own eyes as he apologized, "Lina... I thought you and Gourry... and I thought if I found a cure, I might have had a chance, but I didn't find it. A cure doesn't exist!"

Lina pulled Zel's face down and kissed him sweetly on the lips, "Zel... Gourry's like the older brother I never had and I love YOU the way you are!"

Zel sat there... shocked, "You like me?"

Lina laughed and pulled the now cool stone from the chimera's fingers, "I LOVE you Zel, i always have!"

Zel grinned and handed her the message Gourry had given him. Lina opened it and grinned, leaning onto Zel's shoulder she tipped the paper for him to see what was written on it.

It said, 'Lina... remember to invite us to the wedding!'

Zel smiled and took the stone from Lina. Engraved on it, in red, were the initials L I and Z G.

Laughing again Zel hugged Lina to him and thought out loud, "It has to be big..."

Lina looked up at him, puzzled, "What?"

"The wedding, of course!"