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The Koi on Her Breast by Philip Mak 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, 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! Another blast struck their shield, almost blowing them out of the sky.
By the power you and I possess! 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 "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, 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. "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. 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 --- Author's Notes: Whew! Finally done! Was the kiss scene at the end written believably? Did I rush it?
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