Warnings: Dark, implied angst. Use your judgement...we do get a WAFFYish ending.
Disclaimers: Not mine, no money.
Author's Notes: It was pointed out to me earlier that Zel has on occasion used Black Magic Spells, but I'm afraid this idea didn't care about verisimilitude and wrote itself anyway....^_~ Sirius is a bit OOC, and I plopped him in there with no explanation, but, well...it's a snippet... So, open season on making of this whatever you will. ^_^
Dragon Slave
"Lina!"
"Linaaaa!!"
"She lives - only unconscious."
"What can we do? If only I still had Hikari no Ken!"
"We'll have to do without."
"Zel?"
"Nnnnghh...Gourry... Gourry, what is he...?"
"Darkness beyond twilight..."
"Eh? Wha-?"
"Isn't that Lina's line?"
"Crimson beyond blood that flows..."
"Uh, Zel? I don't think you should..."
"Buried in the flow of time..."
"Cast that..."
"In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness..."
"Particular..."
"All the fools who stand in our way shall be destroyed..."
"Spell..."
"By the power you and I possess..."
"Uh oh."
"DRAGON SLAVE!!!"
"Oh gods!"
"Yatta! He did it!"
"No...he's falling! Gourry...!"
"OOF! itai! Got you! Are you okay, Zel? Zel?"
"Zel! Nngh... Zel, you baka! You scared me half to d-..."
"Li...na..."
"I'm right here, Zel; don't DO stuff like that, okay? That's MY spell, y'know!"
"Lina..."
"Yeah, Zel?"
"Lina...please... Kill me..."
"WHAT??"
"Kill...me... Hayaku..."
"No. No...I can't... How could I, Zel, I...!"
"You must... You're the only one who...can..."
"Why!?"
"Shabranigdo...a piece...inside me... Hayaku!"
"IIEEEEE!! I can't! I can't! Not you! Please, there must be another way!"
"Ragna Blade... in mouth...to brain... Lina, you must!"
"Zel!!"
"I...can't...stop...it...!"
"ZEEEEEEEEL!!!!"
"Child of stone, there is another way."
"Sirius!?!!!"
"My sword! But, wait... I don't want to..."
"Oh. No. No..."
"Kisama!"
"You know you cannot harm me as you are now, Gourry Gabriev. Lina Inverse. The Mazoku within him must be held and distracted by Goru Nova. With it he must be bound to Telperion; the Great Tree, for nine days. After that time, he will be free."
"Teme!! With my sword through his gut?? You're crazy!"
"He lives. If you wish him to continue doing so, you must do as I say."
"Zel. Onegai. Ganbatte. For my sake, and Gourry's, you have to live..."
"Zel...gomen..."
"Nine days. Remember. And if, despite all, his eyes turn crimson, you must kill him as he asked before, Lina Inverse. I will return, in any case, for Goru Nova. Fare well."
"Oh my! How fetching! All tied up, too!"
"Xellos! Kisama! If you touch him I'll kill you where you stand!"
"My my! No need for violence, I'm sure. What in the world is he doing up there like that?"
"As if you don't already know. You probably knew what would happen if Zel ever cast Dragon Slave, too."
"Hmm. Well, I thought there was probably a good reason why he only dabbled with a couple of Black Magic spells..."
"... You think he knew, too?"
"Well..."
"Xellos. Go away."
"Ga...u...rry."
"Eh?"
"Gou...rry."
"Ne, Zel? That you?"
"Onegai."
"Zel, don't talk; save your strength..."
"Onegai. Let...me...die."
"... I...can't. Gomen. Gomen nasai."
"Gourry! Wake up! It's been nine days! We have to get him down."
"Hai!"
"Wait."
"Sirius! Damn you; we've been camping here for nine days, sleeping by the light of that sword stuck through him. He's been too weak to speak for four days. It's TIME! We're getting him DOWN!!"
"You will wait. ... Child of stone. Open your eyes."
"Oh my! What a lovely shade of-"
"Xellos!"
"FIREBALL!!"
"Whoops! Why, Lina-san, your temper has not improved..."
"I release thee, Child of stone."
"Zel! Here, give him to me. Zel!"
"Here's water, Gourry, careful... I'll heal his...well I'll be..."
"Lina? What?"
"There's no wound. Where Goru Nova...there isn't a mark on him!"
"There are many ways to be pierced by this blade. And many ways to heal. I would erase that spell from thy memory, Child of stone, were I you. Sayonara."
"... You."
"Hm? Zelgadis-san! I'm so happy to see you're feeling better!"
"I know why the Mazoku want to destroy the world. And why they want to do it themselves."
"Now, now, Zelgadis-san, we can't have that."
"You can't harm me at this time. Back off or I'll tell Lina about the First Magic."
"You wouldn't!"
"..."
"I take it back. What do you want?"
"Lina can stop you. While she lives, you Mazoku can't do what you want."
"Hmm. You might be right about that. This world is a hazardous place, though..."
"Hey!"
"What's the hurry? What difference does a human lifetime make to what you want?"
"True. I suppose. So?"
"So. For her lifetime, show patience."
"And after?"
"We'll see, won't we."
"Ahhh... Very well. I can't make any promises about anything less ambitious, you know."
"Fine."
"Hmm. Agreed then. But when the time comes..."
"..."
"Excuse me, Zel, but WHAT THE HELLS WAS ALL THAT ABOUT???!"
"Heh. Cheer up, Lina; you've just saved the world again."
"Yeah, but I never get any credit for it! Everybody just screams and runs away and calls me The Enemy of All That Lives..."
"But... Ne, Zel...what happens once Lina...I mean...well..."
"Gourry. I suspect between you and Lina, you two can come up with a way to...ah...perpetuate Lina's, ahem, power beyond her lifetime."
"Say that again, Zel...!"
"Maa, maa, Lina! I think I could out-eat both of you right now. Two silver lindens says I can, ne?"
"TWO silver...? You're on! Ikuzeeee!!"
§ end §
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