Hawk jumps into his chair, fingers flying over his
keyboards. "Everyone please observe the 'fasten seatbelt' and 'no
smoking' signs have been turned on. Sit back, and enjoy your flight."
All the chairs are occupied, Seraya, Lina, Zelgadis, Phibrizio, Eris,
Garv and Xelloss being sent into the Matrix once more.
In a deserted hotel room, a black phone begins to ring. In
a slow circle, containers of equipment begin to fill the room. When
the circle is completed, the Dragon Slayer crew is standing around the
phone, dressed all in black besides Eris in white and Xelloss wearing
a deep purple tie. He steps forward and answers the phone. "We're in."
The crew breaks up, Phibrizio staying with the phone while
the others head downstairs and outside into the alley behind the
building. Parked there is a large black car, the same that brought
Lina to meet Xelloss. Zelgadis and Seraya go down the stairs to the
alleyway first, Lina coming out slowly behind them. She looks around
in wonder at the world, so real and yet so false. It seems unnaturally
bright to the redhead, squinting without the security of sunglasses
like the others.
Eris and Garv stay near the doorway and Xelloss exits last,
looking at them both. "We'll be back in an hour." As Zelgadis passes a
trashcan to get into their car's driver seat, he drops a phone inside.
It rings once then clicks when it's answered.
---
The large car quietly makes its way downtown, Lina seated
behind Zelgadis as she keeps looking out her window. Seraya watches
the redhead out of the corner of her eye, beside her in the back seat.
Xelloss turns from the passenger seat beside Zel and says quietly to
Lina, "Unbelievable, isn't it?"
She looks up and nods a little, then glances back out the
window. Something catches her eye. "God," she whispers.
Ser asks, "What?" Lina points out at a store front they're
passing.
"I used to eat there." She looks back at the blond, who's
smiling sadly. "Really good buffet." Lina sighs quietly, gaze
switching between the floor and out the window. "I have these memories
from my life. None of them happened. What does that mean?" She looks
again to Seraya for an answer.
"That the Matrix cannot tell you who you are."
"But an Oracle can?"
"That's different." The answer doesn't satisfy Lina, who
slides her eyes up to Xelloss. He remains silent, turning his head to
watching where they're going again. She turns back to Seraya,
thoughtful.
"Did you go to her?" The smaller girl is watching out her
own window.
"Yes."
"What did she tell you?" Seraya hesitates a moment before
looking back at Lina and giving another light smile.
"She told me..." Her answer trails off, staring into Lina's
eyes behind the safety of her sunglasses.
"What?" Instead of continuing, Ser looks back out her
window, the redhead watching in confusion.
"We're here," Xelloss notes as the Continental rolls to a
stop. "Lina, come with me."
---
The building they walk into is rundown, graffiti all over
the dirty walls, lights flickering overhead as they get ready to blow
out. Xelloss and Lina pass a blind man sitting in front of the
elevator, whom Xel nods to and seems to nod back. Lina looks at the
man before they enter the elevator, doors sliding closed after Xel
rings for the floor they need.
Lina stands against the wall and looks up at Xelloss, who
stays before the closed doors. "So, is this the same Oracle that made
the, uh... prophecy?" He turns his head.
"Yes. She's very old. She's been with us since the
beginning," and looks back at the elevator doors.
"The beginning?"
"Of the Resistance."
"And she knows what? Everything?" Xelloss smiles slightly
to himself.
"She would say she knows enough."
"And she's never wrong." He sighs.
"Try not to think of it in terms of right and wrong. She is
a guide, Lina." He looks at Lina one last time. "She can help you to
find the path."
She considers this then asks, "She helped you?"
"Yes."
"What did she tell you?" That faint smile returns to his
face before he looks back at the doors, which have opened.
"That I would find the One." Lina watches him go for a
moment then follows down the hallway. After walking a little ways
further, Xelloss stops at one of the doors and looks to her. "I told
you I could only show you the door. You have to walk through it." She
looks at the door handle, unsure what to expect on the other side and
reaches for it. Just as she's about to open it, it swings inward, a
black-haired young woman looking out.
"Hello Lina, you're right on time," she smiles and steps
aside, letting them in. It appears to be a standard apartment. Xelloss
removes his sunglasses, purple eyes remaining on Lina. "Make yourself
at home, Xelloss," the woman says before he takes a seat at the door,
then starts to lead Lina further into the apartment, "Lina, come with
me."
She's lead to the apartment's living room. "These are the
other Potentials. You can wait here," the woman tells Lina before
going into the next room. All around are children, draped in robes and
either having shaved heads or long thick hair. Lina smiles to herself,
looking at two girls who have three wooden blocks hovering in the air
over their palms. Behind them, she notices the movie on the TV has a
scene of rabbits, including one white one.
Continuing to look around, she sees a long blue-haired girl
sitting cross-legged on the floor. In front of her are several
tablespoons bent into knots. As Lina watches, she picks up the last of
the spoons then concentrates on it. To the redhead's surprise, the
spoon bends, reflecting her expression back up at her.
The spoon snaps back into place when the girl looks up,
then offers it to Lina. She crosses the room and sits down, taking the
spoon. "Do not try and bend the spoon," the girl says sagely, and Lina
looks up at her as she continues, "That's impossible. Instead, only
try to realize the truth."
"What truth?"
"There is no spoon," she replies with eyes widened.
"There is no spoon?"
"Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends, it is
only yourself." Lina considers this then holds the end of the spoon,
staring at it. Nothing happens at first, and she slowly tilts her
head, willing it to move. It starts to follow her command, bending and
twisting revealing the younger girl's face. She looks over Lina's
shoulder just as the assistant touches it.
"The Oracle will see you now." Lina nods and looks back at
the unbent spoon one more time, then puts it down as she looks at the
girl who has a pleased smile on her face.
---
Lina ducks underneath beads hanging from the top of the
doorway and glances around. It's the apartment's kitchen and she sees
a woman with long dark blue hair sitting in front of the oven. "I know
you're Lina. Be right with you."
"You're the Oracle?"
"Bingo," the woman says as she rises a hand, then turns to
smile at Lina. She's much younger in appearance than expected. "Not
quite what you were expecting, right?" When Lina doesn't answer, she
continues, "Call me Sylphiel," then looks back to the oven to pick up
a couple oven mitts. "Almost done," she says to herself, putting on
the mitts as she takes a deep breath and smiles again at Lina. "Smell
good, don't they?" The redhead can't help but smile back.
"Yeah."
"I'd ask you sit down, but you're not going to anyway,"
Sylphiel says as she pulls the hot tray of cookies from the oven and
goes over to the counter to set them down. "And don't worry about the
vase."
"What vase," Lina asks, starting to turn to look for one
when her elbow bumps it off the stand next to the door. Before she can
react, it shatters on the floor.
"That vase," Sylphiel answers as she tugs the mitts off,
putting them aside.
"I'm sorry," Lina says, getting a faint feeling of doom.
First thing she does when meeting the Oracle is break something.
"I said don't worry about it," Sylphiel smiles, putting on
an apron and tying it behind her back. "I'll get one of my kids to fix
it. Amelia," she calls out the doorway, and the black-haired assistant
looks in.
"Yes?"
"Take that to Merin for me, would you," she asks while
nodding at the broken pieces. Amelia starts to quickly sweep it up
into a dustpan. Lina watches for a moment then looks back towards
Sylphiel. "The kid's a real angel when she isn't preoccupied with
turning dinnerware into string."
"How did you know," Lina puzzles out loud.
"Ohh, what's really going to bake your noodle later on is,
would you still have broken it if I hadn't said anything?" Sylphiel
giggles quietly to herself as she takes the frosting and starts to
spell out letters on each of the cookies. P. "You're cuter than I
thought," she says with a small grin. H. "I can see why she likes
you." I.
"Who," Lina asks, confused. B.
"Not too bright, though." R. "You know why Xelloss brought
you to see me." Lina nods. I. "So, what do you think?" Z. "Do you
think you're the One?" I.
"Honestly, I don't know," Lina answers. O. Sylphiel lifts
the frosting and points to over Lina's head at a wooden plaque.
"You know what that means?" She starts frosting the second
cookie. G. Lina blinks and turns to look up at the plaque hanging over
the doorway. Temet nosce. "It's Latin." O. "Means, 'know thyself'." U.
"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." Lina turns back to looking
at Sylphiel. R. "Being the One is just like being in love." R. "No one
can tell you if you're in love, you just know it, through and
through." Y.
She puts down the frosting and wipes her hands on her
apron. "Well, I better have a look at you." She goes over to Lina and
holds her head. "Open your mouth, say aaah." Lina does, and then
Sylphiel pulls down her cheeks a little to look into her eyes. Next,
ears and her posture, then Sylphiel examines her palms. "Okay... I'm
supposed to say 'hmm, that's interesting, but', then you say..."
"... 'But, what?'"
"But you already know what I'm going to tell you." Lina
looks into the Oracle's eyes for a moment.
"I'm not the One." Sylphiel smiles comfortingly.
"Sorry, kid." She lets go of Lina and goes back to her
cookies, picking up the frosting once more. "You got the gift, but it
looks like you're waiting for something." She starts a third cookie.
G. Lina glances down at her palms then back to Sylphiel as she rubs
them together.
"What?" A.
"Your next life, maybe." R. "Who knows?" V. "That's the
way these things go." Sylphiel begins the fourth cookie. E. Lina looks
down at her palms again then chuckles softly and relaxes her arms.
"What's funny," Sylphiel asks, looking up from her frosting.
"Xelloss. He uh... he almost had me convinced."
"I know," Sylphiel sighs and continues. R. "Poor Xelloss."
I. "Without him, we're lost." S. Lina frowns slightly.
"What do you mean, 'without him?'" Sylphiel pauses once
more, looking up at Lina.
"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Lina nods. "Xelloss
believes in you, Lina." Sylphiel starts frosting the fifth cookie. Z.
"And no one, not you, not even me can convince him otherwise." E. "He
believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save
yours." L.
"What," Lina asks in disbelief.
"You're going to have to make a choice." G. "In the one
hand, you'll have Xelloss' life." A. "And in the other hand, you'll
have your own." D. "One of you is going to die." I. "Which one... will
be up to you." S. Lina shakes her head slowly. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I
really am." Sylphiel starts frosting the last cookie. V. "You have a
good soul," A, "and I hate giving good people bad news." L. She smiles
a little to Lina.
"Don't worry about it." G. "As soon as you step outside
that door, you'll start feeling better." A. "You'll remember that you
don't believe in any of this fate stuff." R. "You're in control of
your own life, remember?" V. "Here." She takes the cookie she just
finished frosting and walks over to Lina, offering it to her. "Take a
cookie." She smiles when Lina takes it. "I promise, by the time you're
done eating it, you'll feel right as rain."
---
Lina looks at the cookie as she walks back to the doorway
where Xelloss is waiting. He smiles to himself and stands, meeting
Lina's eye. "What was said, was for you, and you alone." He puts on
his sunglasses then leaves the apartment. Lina takes a bite of her
cookie.
Back to The Slayers Matrix Index - Back to Slayers Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction