The Koi on Her Breast
Sylphiel was wandering about the public marketplace. Somewhere ahead
of her were the rest of the gang: Lina and Gourry eagerly looking
about for a food stand to indulge their appetites, followed by
Zelgadis and Amelia. She scanned the various wares that the merchants
had for sale, looking for something special to give to her Gourry-sama
as a gift. *Everything looks the same...* she sighed inwardly as she
wandered about the stands.
A sign caught her eye. 'Koi Fishing Rod. Hook Your True Love. 10 gold
pieces.'
She picked it up. "Koi fishing rod?" The rod was very simple; fishing
line tied at one end of a bamboo stick. "What is this?"
"Madam." The owner of the stand, a wizened priest with purple hair and
a ruby staff, came up to Sylphiel. "That is a rod to use on your true
love."
He reached over and picked up the end of the fishing line. "You see,
there is a suction cup on the end. All you have to do is hit the
breast of the one you love with the suction cup."
He smiled at her and covered his heart with his hands. "Neat, huh?
Once you've hooked a person, the koi then develops..."
Sylphiel was not one to be easily fooled. In her experience with
magic, she had came across many a merchant peddling wares that they
falsely claimed to be magical. Strange things like this were more
often than not fakes...
Focusing her powers, Sylphiel cast a magic detection spell on the
rod. The suction cup glowed faintly in response. *I can detect some
powerful magic on that suction cup, but I'm not exactly sure what it
is...*
*Well, why not... It's just 10 gold pieces,* she thought on a
whim. "I'll take it." She handed the gold to the priest, who gave her
the rod in return.
"Thank you. Please come again!" The priest bowed to Sylphiel as she
walked away. She felt just a little bit foolish as she hurried to
catch up with Gourry, only to realize that they had gotten lost in the
large crowd of people.
The priest smiled with his eyes closed, then waved his hand. He and
his stand disappeared into thin air. Around the empty space where the
stand was, the people walked by without seeming to notice.
---
Sylphiel walked down the street by herself, the koi fishing rod held
in her hands. She was inwardly debating whether or not she should use
the rod on Gourry. After leaving the merchant, it had struck her that
it wouldn't be quite right to use a magical device to gain Gourry's
love. And didn't that priest look somewhat familiar?
But then again, he hadn't even noticed her love for him yet, despite
all the subtle hints that she had been giving off. "Oh, what ever
should I do when I see him..."
"See who, Sylphiel?" asked Gourry as he came up behind Sylphiel,
slightly startling her.
"Um, hello, Gourry-sama," answered Sylphiel somewhat awkwardly.
Gourry looked at the strange rod with a suction cup on the end of it
in Sylphiel's hands. "What's that?"
"It's ...a fishing rod, Gourry-sama!" Sylphiel desperately tried to
come up with a plausible explanation as she stared down at her
hands. She couldn't tell him the real purpose of the rod, after
all. "I was...well, I thought I'd try something new and go fishing,"
she finished.
"Oh! But what's the suction cup on the end for?"
"Umm..." Sylphiel uttered. "...I didn't want to hurt the fish with a
sharp hook, so I thought I'd try using a suction cup."
"I see. Have you ever fished before?" asked Gourry with his
ever-friendly expression.
"No, this is my first time."
"Hey, can I come too? I can even give you some pointers on how to
fish."
"Ahh, certainly, Gourry-sama. Anything for you!" answered Sylphiel,
feeling very silly just about now. She was glad that Gourry had
accepted her explanation of the suction cup.
---
Gourry and Sylphiel were sitting on the bank of a nearby lake.
Gourry's sheathed sword was on the ground to his left.
Gourry was currently demonstrating to Sylphiel how to cast the
rod. "Well, I've never used a rod with a suction cup before..." he
explained. "But I think if you swing the rod back like this," he
paused as he did so, "and then cast it into the water hard..." his
eyes locked onto the underwater form of a fish swimming in the shallow
water. Bracing himself, he cast the line into the water. As a tribute
to his dexterity, the suction cup anchored firmly on the carp. He drew
the line back out of the water, the carp landing on the ground to his
right.
Sylphiel looked on in marvel at Gourry's feat. She had not thought it
would be possible to fish with a suction cup. Her brief reverie was
interrupted by Gourry's voice, "Hey, quit it!"
Gourry was currently wrestling with the flipping carp, which had
nestled itself in his lap and did not seem to want to leave. Finally,
he managed to get a firm grip of it and stuffed it into a nearby
basket. He handed the fishing rod over to Sylphiel. "Here, now you try
it."
"Um... okay," answered Sylphiel as she awkwardly took the proferred
rod from Gourry. She swung the rod back over her shoulder in
preparation to cast the line into the water. As she swung the rod
forward however, she felt the suction cup pull on something behind
her. "Huh?"
"Ouch!" exclaimed a feminine voice from behind the two.
Sylphiel and Gourry looked behind them and saw Lina, with a somewhat
annoyed expression on her face. The suction cup had latched onto her
left breast.
"Aa, I'm sorry, Lina-san!" said Sylphiel flustered. *Oh no, the
suction cup hit Lina-san's breast! Does that mean...*
"Sylphiel? Gourry?" Lina removed the suction cup from her breast with
an audible pop and inspected it. Turning back to them, she continued,
"Just what the heck are you two doing?!"
"Hi Lina!" answered Gourry in his usual cheerful voice. "I was just
teaching Sylphiel how to fish. Hey, it's a good thing your chest is so
flat or the suction cup would have been even more stuck, huh?"
Lina stalked up to Gourry and smacked him on the head, eliciting an
exclamation of pain. "Not funny! ANYway, I was coming to tell you that
we're leaving for Warren Town tomorrow. We've been hired to take care
of some problems they've been having with dragons attacking the town."
Gourry got back up, rubbing his sore head. "Another adventure, huh?
That's great Lina!"
"...Strange fishing rod," continued Lina, passing the suction cup back
to Sylphiel. "So, I'll see you back at the inn later." Lina turned
around and left the lake.
*Lina-san didn't seem to act any differently...* thought Sylphiel
relieved as she watched Lina leave. *Maybe that rod was a fake after
all. It's all right, I suppose. There is a way to Gourry-sama's heart,
and I don't need some magical item to get there... I just have to be
patient.*
Sylphiel continued fishing with Gourry, all the while enjoying his
company.
---
Back at the inn, Lina was inside her room. *I wonder what the deal
with that fishing rod was...* she mused. She had been unconsciously
scratching her left breast, where the suction cup had hit. Looking
around to make sure that the curtains were drawn, she took off her
shoulder guards and lifted up her shirt to reveal a red, circular mark
on her breast.
*It itches, too. Sylphiel should be more careful with that...*
---
Later that night, the Slayers minus Lina were sitting at a booth in a
corner of the inn's dining room devouring food off their plates.
Gourry was sitting on the outer seat with Sylphiel next to him,
followed by Zelgadis and Amelia. He paused in eating as he noticed
Lina coming down the stairs and waved to her.
Lina had a very strange look on her face. Stunned, thunderstruck
even. She was staring at Gourry and Sylphiel sitting together at the
table. She hurriedly made her way to the table. 'Levitation!' she
cast, flying up into the air and landing to sit in the booth between
Gourry and Sylphiel.
"Hey, Lina." Zelgadis looked at her curiously. "Aren't you crowding
people that way?"
Lina shrugged back at him, and proceeded to devour the piles of food
on the table. Zelgadis gave up and went back to his food, not wanting
to bother with trying to talk to Lina while she was eating.
After wolfing down five plates of food, Lina noticed the questioning
looks from Sylphiel, who was a bit disappointed at Lina cutting in
between her and Gourry.
She suddenly stood up. "Can I talk to you alone for a moment,
Sylphiel?"
"Umm, sure..." answered Sylphiel as Lina half lead, half dragged her
outside the inn into the cool night air.
"So...?" asked Sylphiel tentatively.
Lina turned away from Sylphiel and looked down at the ground,
twiddling her fingers somewhat nervously. "Sylphiel... do you love
Gourry?"
The question caught Sylphiel off guard. "Why are you..."
"I'm dead serious," Lina interrupted.
They stood still for a moment. Sylphiel blushed profusely, then
answered. "Yes."
"Oh dear," Lina said, sounding dejected... even hurt. She crouched
down, then looked at Sylphiel over her shoulder. "But... well... can
we still be friends?"
"Huh? Certainly, Lina-san. I do consider you as a friend," answered
Sylphiel, confused at what was going on.
"All right!" exclaimed Lina, as her face lit up and she abruptly gave
Sylphiel a hug. "Well, let's get back to the dining room before our
dinner gets cold," said Lina happily as she dragged a confused
Sylphiel by the hand behind her.
---
The Slayers had finished with dinner and went up to their rooms. Since
the inn only had two rooms vacant, it was decided that Gourry and
Zelgadis would take one room while Lina, Amelia and Sylphiel would
take the other. They each entered their respective rooms.
Amelia looked between the two beds in the room. "What shall we do
about sleeping arrangements?" she asked.
"You can have that bed Amelia," answered Lina. "Sylphiel and I will
take the other."
"Lina-san, you don't have to trouble yourself on my account," said
Sylphiel apprehensively. "I'll sleep on the floor."
"I don't mind at all, Sylphiel," returned Lina as she put her arm
around Sylphiel. "Besides, you'd be sore the next morning if you slept
on the floor."
"Well, if you're sure you don't mind..." said Sylphiel.
The three girls proceeded to get ready for bed. Something seemed
strange to Amelia as she would usually be the one to share a bed with
Lina, but she did not think very much of it.
---
Sylphiel lay awake in bed reflecting on the day's events. During the
course of the night, Lina had wrapped her arms around Sylphiel and was
snuggled comfortably to her bosom. Her own arm had ended up draped
around Lina's petite form. The moonlight showing in from the window
cast its gentle illumination on Lina's face, revealing her contented
expression at being held by Sylphiel.
Then all of a sudden, it hit her. *That fishing rod...! Could this be
why Lina-san has been acting so... affectionate towards me?*
Sylphiel's mind flashed back to earlier when she was 'fishing' with
Gourry.
// "Sylphiel? Gourry?" Lina removed the suction cup from her breast
// with an audible pop and inspected it. Turning back to them, she
// continued, "Just what the heck are you two doing?!"
Sylphiel then remembered what she had read in the instruction booklet
for the fishing rod. *If that's what happened, there should be a
koi-shaped mark on Lina-san's breast... I have to find out.*
Looking around carefully to make sure both Amelia and Lina were still
asleep, Sylphiel slowly slipped the strap of Lina's nightgown off her
shoulder.
"Halt, evildoer!"
Startled, Sylphiel looked up in the direction where the voice came
from.
"In the name of Justice, I will punish you!" continued Amelia in her
sleep.
Sylphiel breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing she had not been
caught red handed. Turning back to Lina, Sylphiel could see a small
fish-shaped mark on her breast in the pale moonlight, indicating that
she was under the influence of the Koi Fishing Rod. *Oh Ceipheed...
what have I done now?*
Sylphiel's train of thought was somewhat disrupted as Lina snuggled
closer against her. She hurried to put Lina's nightgown back on before
anyone was the wiser. The affection that Lina was showing was starting
to make her apprehensive.
Sylphiel disentangled herself from Lina's arms, being careful not to
wake her, and then took her pillow with her and lay down on the floor
beside the bed. She laid awake for two hours thinking about how to
undo the love spell before sleep finally overtook her.
---
*...Sylphiel...huh?* Lina's eyes opened to confirm that there was no
one in the bed with her. Looking around, she saw Amelia sleeping
soundly in the adjacent bed. *Where did Sylphiel go...oh there she
is!* Her eyes rested on Sylphiel's sleeping form on the floor.
*She must have fallen off the bed during the night. We can't have
that...* "Levitation," whispered Lina as she cast her spell, gently
levitating Sylphiel and her pillow back onto the bed. She wrapped the
bed covers around Sylphiel and went back to sleep.
---
Sylphiel woke up to the feel of a warm and soft body snuggled against
her. *Wait a minute, this doesn't feel quite right...*
Sylphiel's eyes snapped open and surveyed the situation around her. It
was early morning; the sky outside was getting brighter but the sun
had not come up yet. She and her pillow were lying back in the bed,
with Lina cuddled up to her. *I thought I went to sleep on the floor
last night...*
As she started to get up from the bed, she was interrupted by a voice
as the pair of arms around her seemed reluctant to relinquish their
hold. "Don't get up yet, Sylphiel," cooed Lina. "It's still about an
hour early."
"Umm, ok..." answered Sylphiel awkwardly as Lina snuggled closer
around her. *What am I going to do...* Sylphiel tried to convince
herself that there was nothing out of the ordinary with them snuggling
like this. After all, they were both girls, right?
---
After their usual large breakfast (with Lina and Gourry consuming the
lion's share of the food as usual, except that Lina slapped Gourry
away when he tried to grab something off of Sylphiel's plate), the
Slayers gang set out for Warren Town to take care of their dragon
problems.
Lina and Sylphiel walked at the front of the group. Lina was her usual
cheerful self, although she seemed happier than usual for some
reason. Sylphiel was glad that their capes were large enough, as it
hid the fact that Lina was holding her hand from the others behind
them.
Sylphiel was awkwardly holding the instruction booklet for the koi
fishing rod with her free hand, trying to read it while hiding it from
the others. So far, she was not having any success finding answers
within. *There must be some way to break the spell... but how?*
---
The group arrived at Warren Town and were meeting with the village
elder. The outskirts of the town were in disarray; buildings were
missing rooves and had large sections torn off by some strong
force. Some walls were patched with planks as a makeshift repair.
"The dragons suddenly appeared about half a month ago," the elder was
saying. "So far they have always left after rampaging around the town
for a bit, but the attacks have been increasing."
The elder looked pleadingly at Lina and her group. "We are a peaceful
town, and have no means of defending ourselves against these
attacks. Would you be able to help us?" He produced a small bag of
gold from his robes.
"That's not very much pay..." said Lina as she eyed the small bag of
gold critically. "But we'll do it. Please leave it to us!"
"Right! In the name of justice, we will vanquish these evil dragons to
the netherworld!" piped in Amelia.
---
Lina and Sylphiel walked in front of the group, with Gourry, Zelgadis
and Amelia following just behind them. Lina was explaining her
plan. "From what the village elder told us, the dragons are probably
based in the surrounding mountains. But, it is strange for them to be
acting like this. There may be a mastermind behind these attacks."
"And you must think that there will probably be treasure if we find
the mastermind eh, to be taking this big job for so little pay," added
in Gourry.
"Eheheh..." laughed Lina, having been guessed correctly. "Anyway,
everyone be careful. The dragons could be powerful."
"By the way Lina-san, about this morning..." started Sylphiel
hesitantly.
"What is it?" answered Lina.
"Well... ah... that is..." stuttered Sylphiel. She was suddenly
interrupted by a loud roar as a black dragon descended upon them.
"Everyone, watch out!" shouted Zelgadis as the entire group scrambled
out of the way. The dragon's claws raked the ground where they had
just been standing a moment ago. It flew back into the sky, preparing
for another pass.
Gourry drew his Sword of Light, as everyone else got into a
spellcasting stance.
"Here it comes again!" Lina alerted. "Everyone, get ready to attack!"
As the dragon flew down for another pass, everyone cast their
respective attacks.
"Blam Blazer!" cast Lina.
"Fireball!" cast Zelgadis.
"Burst Rondo!" cast Amelia.
"Light Come Forth!" shouted Gourry, firing off a blast from his Sword
of Light.
"Flare Arrow!" cast Sylphiel, firing off a carrot-sized gout of flame.
The dragon abruptly changed its flight path at the last moment,
avoiding all the attacks except for the Flare Arrow, which bounced
harmlessly off its hide. It returned fire with a Laser Breath blast,
blowing the group apart. In the sky, another black dragon appeared and
rapidly approached the group.
"This isn't working!" shouted Lina as she helped Sylphiel back up.
"We're too easy to hit like this. Everyone, split up! Sylphiel and I
will go this way. Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia, you three go that way!"
"All right!" answered Zelgadis, as he, Gourry and Amelia scattered to
the east, avoiding another blast from the dragon while Gourry wondered
why Lina did not tell him to go with her.
---
Lina and Sylphiel ran through the trees, trying to evade being spotted
by the one dragon that was following them.
"So what do we do, Lina-san?" asked Sylphiel?
"I just need enough time to get a clear shot," answered Lina. "All
right, here's the plan. I'll need you to fly me up there with Ray
Wing, and try to protect us from the dragon's laser breath with a
defensive barrier. I'll cast Dragon Slave."
"Yes!" said Sylphiel.
The two girls stopped running, and Lina climbed onto Sylphiel's back,
wrapping her arms around her. "Let's go!"
"Ray Wing!" cast Lina and Sylphiel as a shield of air enveloped them
and they rocketed off into the sky.
"All right, keep us flying. I'm going to attack now," said Lina.
Making sure that her legs were securely wrapped around Sylphiel's
waist, she started her incantation.
Darkness beyond twilight,
crimson beyond blood that flows.
Buried in the flow of time...
The dragon fired two blasts at them. The first one narrowly missed
them, but the second one struck their air shield, buffeting them.
Sylphiel struggled to maintain flight control, wincing a bit as Lina
reflexively tightened her legs around the shrine maiden's waist.
In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!
Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed
Another blast struck their shield, almost blowing them out of the sky.
By the power you and I possess!
DRAGON SLAVE!
Sylphiel dispelled the defensive shield just in time as Lina's spell
completed. The large energy blast flew at the rapidly approaching
dragon and struck true, annihilating it completely.
"We did it!" chirped Lina happily as she unwrapped her legs from
Sylphiel and started her own Ray Wing spell. "Now, let's go back and
see how the others are doing."
Sylphiel looked at Lina's happy expression. Somehow, she felt warm
inside.
---
"Blam Blazer!"
The remaining black dragon banked sharply to the left, Zelgadis' spell
just grazing its hide.
"Elmekia Lance!"
Amelia had anticipated the dragon's evasive manuever and fired off a
lance of energy, striking it in its midsection. It roared in pain,
retaliating with a laser attack that Gourry barely managed to parry
with his sword of light.
"Does anyone have any ideas?" shouted Gourry.
"On the next pass!" replied Zelgadis. "I'll cast Ra Tilt to left of
the dragon. Amelia, you cast to the right. Gourry, get ready to defend
again."
"Ok!" acknowledged Amelia and Gourry.
Zelgadis and Amelia readied themselves as the dragon turned around to
make another pass at them.
Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed
By the power you and I possess!
"Ra Tilt!" they chorused, firing off their spirit energies to either
side of the dragon. Seeing the attacks coming, the dragon swerved to
its left, evading Zelgadis' blast, but getting hit by Amelia's.
DRAGON SLAVE!
Lina, who was standing on top of a tree with Sylphiel, finished her
incantation and blasted the dragon. Between Amelia and Lina's attacks,
the dragon was destroyed.
"Lina!" said Gourry.
Lina and Sylphiel levitated down from their perch on the tree. "Is
everyone all right?" asked Sylphiel.
"Yeah, we're fine," answered Zelgadis. "I take it you destroyed the
other dragon?"
"Yes, Sylphiel and I managed to take it out," answered Lina as she
smiled and patted Sylphiel on the shoulder. "Let's continue going up
the mountain. We should be able to find something soon."
"Okay!" answered everyone as they resumed their trek up the
mountainside.
---
The Slayers stood before a large cavernous entrance near the top of
the mountain.
"This looks like it could be their headquarters," Lina was
saying. "Let's go inside. Everyone, be on your guard!"
"Wow, this is big enough for a dragon to go through," commented Amelia
as they stepped inside the cavern. The walls of the cavern were
barren, save for magical torches placed at regular intervals providing
interior lighting. Seeing only a single path ahead, the group
proceeded on.
They were barely halfway down the hallway before they noticed a large
shadow coming around the corner.
"This could be trouble. Everyone, hide!" commanded Zelgadis. Lina
grabbed Sylphiel and levitated up to the right corner of the passage
way. Zelgadis and Amelia quickly grabbed Gourry and levitated up to
the left corner.
The shadow resolved itself into the form of a large dragon. The dragon
continued down the hallway, not noticing the group hidden in the
ceiling. It reached the cavern exit and flew out.
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief upon seeing the dragon
depart. They descended back down to the cavern floor and continued
their trek onwards, with Lina and Sylphiel in front.
After continuing down several corridors and having to hide from a few
more dragons, the group found themselves before an archway leadind
into a large room. At the far end of the room, a large towering man
with black hair and tanned skin sat upon a makeshift throne, being
attended by several black dragons.
"It looks like we've found our mastermind," commented Zelgadis dryly.
"What shall we do?" whispered Amelia.
Gourry started to say something, but was interrupted as one of the
dragons suddenly turned around and sent a blast of fire in their
direction. At the last moment, Sylphiel and Amelia managed to put up a
defensive barrier, absorbing the blast.
"Ahh, I see we have some... uninvited guests," said the large
man. "Welcome to my headquarters. My name is Marcus Martinez, the
ruler of these mountains and the surrounding areas."
"So, I presume you are behind the dragon attacks on Warren Town?"
asked Lina, undeterred by the towering man.
"Why yes, now that you mention it. We are driving everyone out of the
surrounding area so that we can expand my kingdom," replied
Marcus. "And as for you, I presume you are the reason why two of my
scouts have not returned?"
"Yes," replied Amelia. "We are here to stop your evil scheme and
defend Warren Town! Surrender now, or face the wrath of justice!"
"I see," said Marcus. "Then we must kill you. ATTACK!"
The dragons immediately sprang into action, charging towards the
slayers.
"Two dragons were one thing, but five!? Everyone, retreat!" shouted
Lina, as she grabbed Sylphiel's hand and ran.
---
Lina, Amelia and Sylphiel stopped running, out of breath. "Ok... I
think we lost them... for now..." panted Lina.
"But where are Gourry-san and Zelgadis-san?" asked Amelia.
"Oh no. I think we lost them a couple corridors back," sighed
Lina. "We'll have to regroup, and think of a way to take out
Marcus. If we can defeat him, the dragons should become disorganized."
"Alright," replied Sylphiel. "What do we do now?"
Lina was about to reply when they were startled by a loud roar. "Oh
no, they've found us! Sylphiel, Amelia, stay close."
"Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds! I call upon you!" Lina's demon
blood talismans started glowing as she continued her incantation,
"Grant me all the power that you possess! BEPHIS BRING!" Lina shoved
her hand toward the ground, displacing the earth beneath her and
digging a large pit. The girls half levitated, half fell down the pit
along with the sliding earth.
---
Lina felt two soft and squishy mounds underneath her head. Regaining
her senses, Lina realized that her headrest was moving up and down
with each breath that Sylphiel took.
"Ouch," offered Amelia. "Is everyone all right?"
"I'm fine... could you please get off me, Amelia?" said Lina's muffled
voice from underneath Amelia's chest. "Lighting!" Lina cast a light
spell, illuminating the area around them.
The girls were sprawled in an unceremonious pile in a cavernous
area. In the ceiling, a large hole led back up to where Lina had cast
her tunneling spell. Lina's head was resting on Sylphiel's bosom,
while Amelia was on top of Lina smothering her with her ample
chest. Nearby, a small underground river silently flowed along.
"Ahh, sorry about that," said Amelia as she extricated herself from
the pile, blushing slightly at her compromising position.
Lina reluctantly got off of her makeshift pillow on Sylphiel's bosom,
then helped Sylphiel back up.
"Where are we?" asked Sylphiel.
"It looks like we're in an underground river. There's probably several
of these running underneath the mountain," answered Lina. "Let's try
to find a way out of here and regroup with Gourry and Zel. If we
follow the river downstream, we should reach the exit."
---
Gourry and Zelgadis ran frantically along the corridor, dodging and
blocking fire blasts from the two black dragons on their tail.
"I can't keep this up much longer," warned Gourry.
"Damn! We've lost Lina and the others," exclaimed Zelgadis. He turned
his head around as he noticed another incoming fire blast. "MOS
VARIM!" he cast, shooting a ball of light out from his hand which
extinguished the attack.
"LIGHT COME FORTH!" shouted Gourry as he fired an energy blast from
his Sword of Light, hitting one of the dragons in the face and
momentarily stunning it.
---
Lina, Sylphiel and Amelia were stopped at a dead end, where the
underground passage became too narrow to pass, and the river continued
flowing underwater.
"What do we do, Lina-san?" asked Amelia.
"We should be able to continue by going underwater," surmised Lina. "A
Raywing Bubble might not have enough air to last the three of us
though... Sylphiel, Amelia, can you cast Aqua Breathe?"
"Yes," answered Sylphiel and Amelia.
"All right then, let's go! Aqua Breathe!" cast Lina, diving into the
water with Sylphiel and Amelia following suit.
After taking a few moments to get used to breathing underwater, the
three girls swam into the underground passage with the ball of light
in Lina's hand illuminating their way.
Lina looked towards Sylphiel who was shivering a bit from the cold
water. "Sylphiel, are you cold?" she asked.
"A little bit," answered Sylphiel.
"I can fix that," said Lina. "FLARE ARROW!" she cast into the tunnel
around them. The heat from her magic warmed the water around them to a
lukewarm temperature. "Is that better?"
"Yes... thank you, Lina-san," smiled Sylphiel.
"Don't mention it."
The girls continued through the river.
---
"DUG HAUT!" cast Zelgadis, causing several pillars of earth to rise up
from the tunnel floor, blocking the two persuing dragons' path.
The dragons retaliated with a powerful dual blast of flame that easily
punched through the shield of earth, forcing Zelgadis and Gourry to
duck as the blast shot over their heads and impacted forcefully
against the cavern wall.
As Zelgadis and Gourry were picking themselves off the floor, a
rumbling noise started.
"Huh?" wondered Gourry as a spout of water squirted in his face from a
small hole in the wall where the blast hit.
Moments later, the wall collapsed as a torrent of water gushed out
along with Lina, Sylphiel and Amelia as they were forcibly ejected out
of the underground river screaming. Amelia's head bonked against
Zelgadis', while Sylphiel landed in Gourry's arms and Lina managed to
cast Levitation at the last moment to land on her feet.
"Ouch..." cried Amelia as Zelgadis straightened his hair.
"Are you all right?" asked Gourry as he put Sylphiel back down.
Lina looked towards Gourry and Sylphiel with a pang of jealousy as she
coughed up some water and deactivated her Aqua Breathe spell.
"Look out!" shouted Zelgadis as the dragons fired another blast of
flame at them.
"BALUS WALL!" countered Sylphiel, blocking the blast.
"Everyone, follow me!" said Lina. Everyone resumed running away,
following Lina.
"Sylphiel, do you still remember how to cast Dragon Slave?" asked
Lina.
"Yes," answered Sylphiel.
"All right then. Gourry, Zel, Amelia, you three run ahead and try to
deflect their attacks," said Lina. "Sylphiel, you and I will cast a
double Dragon Slave. We'll settle this in one shot!"
"OK!" answered everyone as Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia ran ahead of
Lina.
Lina and Sylphiel started chanting while continuing to run.
Darkness beyond twilight,
crimson beyond blood that flows.
Buried in the flow of time...
In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!
Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed
By the power you and I possess!
DRAGON SLAVE!
They turned around and unleashed their deadly attack on the persuing
dragons, their spells amplifying each other. The dragons roared in
anguish as they were scattered to oblivion by the attack, which
continued to disintegrate the rest of the mountain.
In his throne room, Marcus screamed, "Waaahh, all I wanted to do was
rule the world!" as he was disintegrated along with the mountain.
"We did it!" cheered Lina.
"Umm, Lina-san..." started Amelia.
"What?"
"The mountain's about to cave in," finished Zelgadis.
"Oops. I guess we overdid it. Eheheh..." laughed Lina weakly.
---
Outside, the blast from Lina and Sylphiel's Dragon Slave punched out
the side of the mountain and disappeared into the sky. Immediately,
the mountain started rumbling and collapsing in a cloud of dust.
Sylphiel flew out of the mountain just behind Lina, who was holding
her hand. Behind them, Amelia with Zelgadis carrying Gourry followed.
"Whew," breathed Amelia in a sigh of relief as she landed a ways away
from the collapsing mountain.
"That was close," added Gourry as Zelgadis put him back on the ground
and landed himself.
"Well, at least we defeated the dragons," grinned Lina. "They
shouldn't be bothering Warren Town anymore. Let's go back and get our
reward... and change into some dry clothes."
---
"Well done," said the village Elder. He looked quizically at The
Slayers, who were looking somewhat worse for wear, their clothing
clearly being soaked. "Here is your payment, as promised." He handed a
bag of gold over to Lina.
Lina accepted the bag of gold, but sighed inwardly. *I was hoping to
get some of Marcus' treasure... Oh well, nothing I can do about that;
it's probably all buried deep under that mountain now.*
"Well everyone, let's go to an inn and get some rest," said Lina.
---
"What? You only have three rooms left?" lamented Lina. "Oh well. We'll
take them." Lina handed some gold coins to the innkeeper in exchange
for three keys.
---
Sylphiel was sitting in the room that she shared with Lina, examining
the Koi Fishing Rod. The instruction booklet lay at her feet.
Lina came in the room. "Hey Sylphiel, the inn has a great private hot
spring out back," she said, smiling. "Won't you come with me?"
"Umm, ok," said Sylphiel, putting down the rod. She had begun to get
accustomed to the loving attention that Lina was showing her---she was
even starting to like it on an unconscious level, but the fact that
Lina was under a love spell weighed heavily on her mind.
Lina and Sylphiel left the room to go change into their swimsuits.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded on the door. "Hey, Lina!" said
Gourry.
Not getting a response, Gourry opened the door and looked around.
"Lina?"
Gourry's eyes fell upon the Koi Fishing Rod propped up against the
wall, and the opened instruction booklet under it. "What's this?" he
wondered. Curiosity getting the better of him, he went inside to take
a closer look.
He picked up the instruction booklet and glanced through it briefly.
"Koi Fishing Rod? 'The one that gets hooked will love the fisherman?'"
Gourry read. "What? This is...!"
Gourry thought back to what had happened over the last few days.
// Lina: "Can I talk to you alone for a moment, Sylphiel?"
// Lina slapping Gourry away when he tried to grab something off of
// Sylphiel's plate.
// Lina running off with Sylphiel instead of him when they split up
// while fighting the black dragons.
// The Slayers flying out of the dragons' mountain while it was
// collapsing. "Hey, wait for me!" he had cried as Lina flew off with
// Sylphiel, without him.
// The suction cup from the Koi Fishing Rod sticking on Lina's breast
// when Sylphiel swung it back.
In a rare moment of inspiration, the facts all fell together for
Gourry. "Lina and Sylphiel are...! The rod...!" He took the rod and
booklet and ran out of the room to look for Lina. *Lina, please come
back to me,* he thought quietly.
---
"Sylphiel, you're so beautiful," said Lina as she reached up to caress
Sylphiel on the cheek.
The two girls were sitting in the corner of a relatively secluded hot
spring at the back of the inn. Sylphiel's cheeks were blushing
furiously, although one could not be exactly sure whether that was
from the heat or from Lina's advances.
"I wish we could stay like this forever," continued Lina as she
snuggled up to Sylphiel, who instinctively put her arm around
Lina.
*What am I doing?* Sylphiel thought. *Lina-san is under a love spell;
I shouldn't be taking advantage of it to gain her affection---gain her
affection? What am I thinking?!*
They stayed in each others' embrace for a few moments, Lina enjoying
Sylphiel's warmth, while Sylphiel debated with herself in her mind
about the situation with Lina.
"You feel tense," Lina's voice broke the silence. "Here, let me
massage you..."
"Umm, ok..." Sylphiel replied, not trusting herself to say much else
at the moment. Lina got up from Sylphiel's embrace to sit on the side
of the pool. She massaged Sylphiel's shoulders with a gentle but firm
grip.
Sylphiel closed her eyes and relaxed somewhat as Lina's hands worked
wonders on her shoulders. The voice at the back of her mind continued
trying to tell her that she had to stop this before it got too far,
but she was enjoying Lina's company too much to listen to it.
---
Sylphiel opened her eyes as she realized that Lina had not been
massaging her shoulders for a few moments. As she came back to
reality, she found Lina's face barely an inch before hers. She closed
her eyes and waited for it to be over.
Lina kissed Sylphiel lightly on the lips, bringing her hand up to
caress Sylphiel's cheek.
To her own surprise, Sylphiel found herself returning Lina's kiss with
equal fervor, as she put her arms around Lina, pulling the smaller
girl closer to her.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two girls broke off for air.
"You have nice breasts, so much bigger than mine..." said Lina, as her
hands moved down to caress Sylphiel's breasts.
Lina's delicate touch sent shivers up Sylphiel's spine, but she
suddenly remembered the situation that she was in and opened her
eyes. "Lina-san..." she weakly protested.
Illustrated by d-land
"What is it?" asked Lina.
"Well, that is..." Sylphiel faltered, not entirely sure what to say at
this point. Steeling up her courage, she continued, "This isn't
right. We shouldn't be doing this."
"Why not??" Lina suddenly seemed close to tears.
"Lina-san, I've enjoyed every moment we've been together, but... we're
both girls, and what about Gourry-sama... And on top of that, there's
something that I have to tell you," continued Sylphiel, thinking of
how to explain the situation to Lina.
A man's shout interrupted her thoughts as it repeated itself for the
second time.
"WAIT!! Lina, you're under a love spell! When Sylphiel hit you with
the suction cup!" shouted Gourry, running up to them. "It put a love
spell on you!" he continued, waving the instruction booklet at them.
"What's this," wondered Lina. She grabbed the instruction booklet from
Gourry and read, "'The person you fish will receive the seeds of
love.'"
Lina's face was completely blank. She pulled down her tank top so that
the top part of her left breast was revealed. She pointed to the
mark. "A koi. I see."
Sylphiel sighed in relief. Now that Lina knew about the love spell,
she would stop chasing her and perhaps things would go back to
normal. She raised her arm to brush some sweat off her forehead.
*Huh?* Something tagged Sylphiel on her arm, inches from her
breast. It was the suction cup from the Koi Fishing Rod, being held by
Lina. "Lina-san?!"
"Sylphiel, I love you!" declared Lina as she prepared to make another
attempt at snagging Sylphiel.
"Lina, what are you doing!?" exclaimed Gourry, trying to grab the rod
away from her.
"Butt out, jellyfish brains! DIEM WING!" Lina cast a strong gust of
wind, blowing Gourry into another pool with a loud splash. She turned
back towards Sylphiel, who had taken advantage of the momentary
distraction to try to fly away.
"RAY WING!" cast Lina, giving chase after Sylphiel. "Sylphiel, come
back and let me catch you!"
"Lina-san, please return to your senses!" shouted Sylphiel as she
swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding Lina's suction cup again.
"What's the matter, Sylphiel?! Don't you want to be together with me
forever?" Lina's voice had a menacing edge to it this time. She
pitched the suction cup at Sylphiel again, ignoring Gourry's voice in
the background imploring her to stop.
Sylphiel's eyes widened as the suction cup headed straight towards
her, guided by Lina's magic this time. She would not be able to evade
it. Summoning up her will, she cast, "FLARE ARROW!" A small gout of
flame lanced out from her hand, striking the suction cup, which
rebounded and stuck on Lina's left breast. She had a stunned look on
her face as it connected.
"Now's my chance! RAY WING!" Sylphiel rocketed towards Lina and
snatched the fishing rod out of her hands. As the suction cup left
Lina's breast, it pulled the koi off of her breast. Sylphiel reached
for Lina's koi, but it dissolved into nothingness in my fingers. *This
means... the love spell is broken!*
"Huh?" Lina regained her senses and immediately wondered what she was
doing in the air, forgetting to maintain her Ray Wing
spell. "Aaahhhh!!!" she screamed as she fell out of the air, landing
in one of the pools with a loud splash.
"Oh my, Lina-san!" exclaimed Sylphiel. She quickly levitated back down
to the pools where Lina picked herself out of the pool, coughing and
sputtering. "Are you all right?"
"I'm all right..." answered Lina. Suddenly, her memories of the past
hour, especially of her attempt to seduce Sylphiel came back to her
and her eyes widened. "Oh Sylphiel, what have I done!"
"Sylphiel, I'm so sorry!" Lina jumped out of the pool and ran off.
"Lina-san..." said Sylphiel helplessly as she watched Lina run
off. She brought her hand up and gingerly touched her lips,
remembering the kiss that she had shared with Lina.
---
Back in her room, Lina had changed back into her sorceress' outfit and
was pondering the situation. Her thoughts were in turmoil. She thought
back to what had happened over the last two days, with her making
constant advances on Sylphiel. *How could I have done that... even
under the influence of a spell.*
Lina looked up as she heard the door open and Sylphiel stepped in. *Oh
yeah, I'm sharing the room with her...*
"Lina-san..." started Sylphiel.
"Sylphiel..." said Lina, looking down in embarassment. She looked up
at Sylphiel as she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Lina-san, it was all my fault. I'm the one who got you with the
fishing rod," offered Sylphiel.
"Oh Sylphiel, you must have been disgusted at being chased after by
another girl!" cried Lina.
"Lina-san... would you think less of me if I... I admitted I liked
it?" Lina's eyes widened, slightly in shock but mostly in surprise.
"Sylphiel..." said Lina, looking somewhat less guilty now. "Do you
really mean it?"
"Hai," nodded Sylphiel nervously.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I kind of liked it, too..."
"Lina-san..." said Sylphiel, surprised. Their faces were inches away
from each other. Lina could feel the warmth radiating from Sylphiel on
her face. Lina tentatively reached up to caress Sylphiel's cheek. They
stared into each others' eyes for a few moments, until Lina took the
initiative.
Illustrated by Moonglider
Lina leaned forward the rest of the way, brushing her lips against
Sylphiel's. Sylphiel responded in kind, deepening the kiss as the
girls embraced each other.
After what seemed like an eternity, they separated from each other.
"So... what happens now?" asked Sylphiel.
"Who knows. We'll just take things as they come," replied Lina,
feeling more like her normal upbeat self again. "By the way, where did
you get that fishing rod?"
"A man with purple hair and a ruby staff gave it to me," answered
Sylphiel. "He was a bit strange; he usually had his eyes closed."
"Purple hair... ruby staff... eyes closed..." choked Lina.
"XELLOSS!!!"
Somewhere, Xelloss sneezed and then smiled.
The End
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