Chapter Two

Milgazia and Filia strolled through the hills near the borders of Dils and Ralteague, taking a rather lengthy route to the port cities of the Alliance of Coastal Nations, which would take them outside Demon's Isle, where Filia lived.

Milgazia looked over to his younger companion. "If you don't mind my asking, Filia-san...why don't you just stay in the valley? I know what you told the Council of Elders, but I sense that there is a different reason why you chose not to stay amongst other Ryuzoku. There are plenty of Dragons like Val, so he would know his kind, and, even if he should remember the past, he would know not all the Gold Dragons are hostile to the Ancient Dragons."

Filia shook her head, her eyes far away. "No...Though many have asked that of me, I...do not wish to stay with other dragons, Milgazia-san." She sighed and readjusted the bag where she kept Val's egg. "Isolation and being aloof gave us dragons...my kin and I...a very inflated ego. Saichuurouh-sama was ready to sacrifice another world as long as ours was spared Dark Star's coming. It was only by cooperating with the others...Lina...and Xelloss, the combination of our magics...that we were able to prevent that from happening." The young Dragon looked up at the taller Elder. "I want to learn more about the mortals who we think so little of, Milgazia-san. And more importantly, I want Val to learn. I don't want him to be making the same mistakes that we did. Perhaps if he lived amongst them...he will learn how to value them. I want to find a home, preferably near some humans. They have certain qualities I want him to be exposed to, so that hopefully, he'll be a little more aware of the other races, instead of seeing them as unworthy, like my clan did."

Milgazia nodded gravely. "You have a very valid point, Filia-san. Perhaps if we were to mingle more with the humans and the other mortals, we would have much to gain. They too have as much right to live as we...indeed, even more so, because they have so little time in which to live." Milgazia smiled to himself, remembering someone who had very briefly touched his life and impressed him with an intense desire to live, to survive. He was starkly reminded of his own survival, and how willingly he had been able to volunteer his own life in order for her to live. He wondered how she was, and where she might have been. Indeed, Filia had been the first to be able to bring him any news of her.

Milgazia nodded. "Stay here," he ordered then teleported into the area of the sound of a young girl screaming for help. He stopped just a short distance from the fracas, and saw a black-haired girl in brown surrounded by bandits. She was taking small, frightened steps backward. Milgazia assessed the situation—one girl against eight big, smelly humans. He strode forward confidently, noting that none of the humans noticed his approach. So, he coughed politely. "Excuse me."

A bald human who was half again Milgazia's height made a rude noise. "An uppity rich pretty boy! At least this one was scared of us." He jerked his thumb at the quavering young girl. "And he's got no weapons too! You must really be stupid to go wandering around outside your castle without a sword, Lord Dumb-ass. Let's teach him a lesson, boys." The man cracked his knuckles and advanced on Milgazia laughing in sadistic delight. "After we've broken your jaw, we'll take those big red jewels on your cloak and belt. How'd you like that?"

The eight jumped at him, drawing an assortment of swords and other bladed weapons. Milgazia raised a single finger and negligently traced a circle in the air. He sighed, accepted the inevitable, then murmured "Dil Brando."

The ground right in front of him blew sky high, taking the eight men with it. Milgazia sidestepped the small crater he had made and walked toward the black-haired girl who stood gaping at him. He blinked and looked closely at her. "I seem to recognize you, human girl. Are you not one of Lina Inverse's companions?"

That question was answered in the form of a rolling screaming ball of arms, legs and bodies. Filia and Amelia jumped aside and Milgazia took one step backward as the ball hurtled past them and bounced into the crater made by Milgazia's Dil Brando. The tangle of humanity catapulted out of the pit and slammed into a large, sturdy tree, which miraculously did not topple.

The dust cleared, revealing Amelia's companions plastered against the tree's bark. Milgazia squinted, trying to make sense of the mess. The wielder of the Sword of Light, Gourry, was kissing oak. The chimera, Zelgadiss, had helped him make a very good impression, while Lina was sandwiched between him and Xelloss.

"Lina-san!" Amelia cried, running toward them. Gourry groaned in pain, and twitched once. Zelgadiss creaked backward, slowly falling off him, taking Lina and Xelloss along for the ride. In an amazing display of agility, Xelloss twisted around with Lina in his arms and crashed with her into the dirt. Zelgadiss glanced off the Mazoku's back and lay dazed nearby.

Lina was too busy blushing to reply. "It's a good thing that I was able to keep Zelgadiss-kun from crushing your delicate little form into the ground. He is so heavy, ne?" he frowned at Lina's lack of response. "I think a reward is appropriate, ne, Lina-chan?" his smile was sensuous as he bent down even more to kiss the dazed sorceress.

Lina blinked up at the Dragon Elder as he knelt down beside her. "Mil...gazia? What are you doing here?" she sat up, and reeled, her eyes glazing over. Milgazia caught her before she fell backward, holding her as Lina shook away the spots dancing in front of her eyes. She groaned. "I feel like Neechan bashed me with her tray." She straightened in consternation, remembering someone.

"Good." Lina was at Xelloss' throat so fast that it seemed she'd teleported there. "YOU STUPID JERK!" Lina proceeded to turn Xelloss into a Mazoku maracas. "Of all the stupid lame-brained pranks you had to pull, why did you have to pull one NOW?! If it weren't for Milgazia Amelia could have been hurt!"

Zelgadiss chose that moment to recover and actually tore Xelloss from Lina's grasp, then started to stomp him into the ground. "You-you-you!!!!!!" too enraged to say anything more, Zelgadiss performed a one-boot Mexican hat dance on Xelloss' head, which resulted in more dust clouds that conveniently obscured the sight of unrestrained violence of the type not suitable for young audiences.

Lina turned to Milgazia just as Sylphiel came running down the hill they'd just cut a track through. "Gourry-sama!" the shrine maiden cried, running past Filia and yanking Gourry out of the Gourry-shaped hole in the oak. Catching the swirly-eyed swordsman in her lap, she immediately began to heal him.

"Watching your friend flatten Xelloss into the ground right now, but before that, I was helping out your friend, the princess Amelia." Milgazia replied absently, blinking once in astonishment. Mazoku don't have bones to be broken, I think...He stopped his reflection to look down at Lina. "Are you all right?"

Lina waved that away. "Xelloss actually kept me from getting crushed. What are you doing here?" Lina asked, pointing at Filia. "You're supposed to be taking care of Val! Hasn't he hatched yet?" Lina demanded. "Can I see him? I want to see him."

"Oh? Where do you plan to stay?" Lina cocked her head inquiringly, as Zelgadiss came over. The Chimera dusted his hands off with a slightly satisfied smirk on his lips. Behind him, Xelloss was a purple and black splat on the ground, remaining that way for a few seconds before he pulled himself together (literally) and dusted himself off, unhurt, unharmed and as cheerful as ever.

Milgazia sighed. "Actually, we did. Filia did not wish to stay, so she is now returning to the place where she plans to settle. I am here to accompany her on that journey. It is my wish, and the Council's, that Filia and Val be safely settled in a place where Val can grow up without any worries."

Filia screeched to a halt, blue in the face. "Aaah!!!!!! Elder-sama! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just let me get at that namagomi Mazoku so that I can cleanse the filth of his touch from you!!" A reddish aura appeared around Filia and she set off after Xelloss again, almost running Zelgadiss over.

"Oooh, look! You almost nailed Amelia! She could have been very badly hurt!" Xelloss teased, leaping over Gourry and Sylphiel as the two ducked out of the way. Filia howled in frustration and hopped over them as well. Sylphiel covered Gourry's eyes as she did.

"Oh, can't those two just give it a rest?!" Lina groused, stomping out from behind Milgazia's protective position in front of her. She waited for Xelloss to flit past her, then took one step forward into Filia's way. "That's enough out of the both of you!" she yelled into the Dragon maiden's face. "For crying out loud, we're all together for less than ten minutes and ALREADY the two of you are fighting!"

"It's not as if Xelloss were some plague, though he might act like it sometimes!" Lina snapped. Xelloss twitched. "Elder Milgazia can take care of himself, Filia, not that he needs protecting from Xelloss, but rather from you. I saw you almost brain him twice already. They say third time's a charm—care to test that out?" she turned to Milgazia abruptly. "Milgazia-san, you didn't catch a cold just from Xelloss' touching you, did you?"

Raising his eyebrows, Milgazia shook his head. Lina turned back to Filia and shook her finger in the Dragon maiden's face. "Since he didn't catch any disease from Xelloss' clapping him on the shoulder, I don't think he'll die right now either. Now stop it, or I'll stick both of you together in the same rooms every single inn and force both of you to share the same bedroll every night throughout the entire trip!"

Milgazia held up a hand in front of her. "Peace, Filia-san. You have an egg with you." He said, grasping at the first idea that he had to try calm her down. Inwardly, he wondered if what he had just said made any sense and would work on the hot-headed dragon maiden.

Lina sighed in relief as things quieted down. "Thanks, Milgazia-san...that helped." She looked up and saw the small bandit gang trying to tiptoe away, hoping that they were forgotten and forgiven in the light of being ignored.

A mist sprang up from the line she had drawn on the ground and engulfed the eight, sealing them into a solid block of ice. Lina walked up to them and patted it. "How rude you bandits are, trying to escape when I'm collecting your bounty! It's jail for you, `coz rude boys never get on a girl's good side, right everyone?"

Milgazia smiled as four constables worked at chipping the bandits out of their icy prison. "That was a nicely controlled spell, Lina. Also, the ice lasted much longer than I would have believed it could have. Well cast." He smiled in admiration.

Lina ducked her head, unused to compliments that came out of the blue. "Ah...thanks, Milgazia-san. C'mon guys. Let's get to the inn and you—" she nodded at Filia "tell us where you're going so we can plot out our travelling route."

"Hold it! We'll talk about that after dinner!" Lina held up her hand. "We've got to get our priorities in order, after all! The Silver Springs Resort has one of the best menu services in town, as well as some really nice hot springs! We can talk it over when we're in some really hot water, relaxing." She stretched. "Aaah...nothing like a good meal and a hot bath to end the day!"

After registering for rooms and inquiring about a separate space for the pools, the troupe separated to settle for the night. Milgazia removed a small hidebound book from the depths of his cloak and sat at the little desk, reaching for the quill that was provided with the desk. He began to write the day's date when he heard a knock on the door. Filia poked her head in, apologizing in case she had disturbed him, but Milgazia put the journal away and told her that she was no bother at all.

"Oh, this isn't mine. I asked the hotel for one, and they have swimsuits for guests who are just passing by and don't have proper attire to make use of the springs. You can ask also." Filia said, gesturing to the suit. "They had one in my favorite color." She grinned.

"I was told that guests could avail of swimsuits provided by the hotel. Where might I obtain one?" Milgazia gazed idly at the attendant, a young boy of perhaps fifteen years of age. He wore a blue and gray uniform and a cap that said "Silver Springs Resort Maintenance Crew." A shiny pin saying "Steven" was clipped to the front of his uniform.

"Go back to the lobby. There's a sign there that points to it. Its got another big sign over the door, and you really can't miss the displays. Will there be anything else, sir?" the youth looked at the taller Ryuzoku, pushing up his cap over his bangs in a mild salute.

The boy blinked owlishly at his back, then looked down at the thing he'd been given. At first, he mistook it for a red marble, but noticed that it was not smooth, but faceted, each minute facet catching in the light. His eyes opened wide when he realized he was holding a flawless, perfectly cut ruby in his hand. This was way too much! "Sir! Wait a moment!" But the stranger was gone.

Fara looked over her shoulder and laughed. "No! I just worry that with the way she's acting, Medeline's gonna give the place a rep..." the girl trailed off, dropping a handful of little beanbag dolls to the floor, her eyes wide.

Yeah, I hear you." Jessica shook her head, light brown hair waving over her eyes. Annoyed, she pushed the stray lock away. "I gotta get a haircut..." she looked up as the little bell that announced the entry of a customer, launching into her greeting before getting a good look. "Welcome to Silver Springs Resort's Souvenir Shoppe! I'm Jessica, how may I he....eh..."

Jessica blinked again and remembered that she wasn't supposed to be gaping at him like that—bad form and everything, and the customer might get freaked—so she focused on a lower part of his face—his nose—and continued as though nothing had happened. "...help you?" Oooh, he's dreamy! Why didn't I see him come in today? I know he's got to be a new customer...I wonder if he's royalty? We get them sometimes...

Milgazia blinked at them slowly, then his brow furrowed. Gah, he looks intimidating when he frowns! Jessica thought. "Oooh, wait! You must have all your clothes tailor-made, so you wouldn't know. That's okay! We get a lot of people like that. Let me just have a good look at you..." Jessica stepped out from behind the counter. Fara winked at her friend and trotted over to Milgazia as well, a stylus and pad in hand.

The two young women started to circle their victim...er, customer, looking him up and down. Extensively. They took notes, patting at him or moving his cloak aside as one girl used a cord to measure his waist and hips, all the while making commentary too soft for even Milgazia to hear. Occasionally, they would grin, either to themselves, or to each other, then giggle. Milgazia idly wondered if this was how bugs felt when he and Memphy observed them. This is getting unnerving...

Just as Milgazia opened his mouth to speak, the first girl jumped to her feet, waving the other girl's notepad in the air. "Done! I think we have one that is exactly your size, Milgazia-sama! I'll bring it right out!" she scampered toward a curtain-covered doorway when she stopped abruptly, her hand on the curtain. "Any color will be all right with you...sir?"

"I am travelling with some companions, yes." Milgazia eyed a small wooden doll that was standing in a barrel. Wondering what it was for, he picked it up by the barrel and ended up pulling the barrel off the base. A stick attached to the middle by a spring stood up as the barrel was pulled free. Milgazia raised an eyebrow and hoped that he didn't break the ridiculous toy...whatever. He put the barrel back and saw with some relief that the horizontal stick bent back down like it was supposed to.

Milgazia returned to his room a little while later, turning a little black triangle of fabric over in his gloved hands. He had seen a few of the hotel's male customers on the way back, so he knew how to wear it. It barely covered what it was supposed to, though that was true of most of the males there. "I suppose it is logical...there is no need to have a suit that will take a long time to dry." He shrugged, unclasping his cloak and slipping off his robes and boots. "More efficient that way. I wonder what the attendants found so amusing though." Milgazia pulled off his pants and turned the suit in his hands until he figured out which side was supposed to go in front. He pulled it on, noting that it fit him, snugly, though not uncomfortably. "I could almost believe that those girls had fangs..." he picked up the towel he had been given and put the pair of sandals that was placed next to the bed on his feet and went out, closing the door behind him. He had gone a few steps when he heard a woman call out behind him.

"I will be sure to." Milgazia turned away again, murmuring to himself about how friendly the staff was. As he made his way to the pools, he added clumsy to the list of attributes. He had run into a double-handful of female maids and waitresses in half as many minutes, a few clinging to him for a moment after crashing into him. They would apologize fervently afterward, of course, introducing themselves and swearing to come to his personal aid to make up for their clumsiness. When he entered the swimming area, the number immediately quadrupled, as other customers suddenly seemed to be in his way despite all the space there was to walk in. The women customers would introduce themselves and then ask if he was alone.

The Ryuzoku turned, to see Gourry standing in chest-deep water, waving at him. Gratefully, Milgazia made his way over to the swordsman, when another young woman suddenly burst out of the decorative bushes and ran toward him. Milgazia stepped back to let her pass, and she ran into the pool, squealing as she fell in, splashing water everywhere. The spray hadn't even settled when she popped back up, scratching behind her head and laughing nervously. "I'm soooooo soooooooooorrrrrrryyyyyy sir!" she jumped back out of the pool and ran to him, a towel in her hands. "Did I get you wet, sir? Here, let me, sir, I'm so sorry, let me make it up to you..." she started to pat at the bemused Dragon Elder with the towel.

Sylphiel blushed and looked down. Lina pulled her eyes up to look at Milgazia's face instead. There had been little hint of his physique, what with his loose robes and billowing cloak covering him, but his broad shoulders should have given it away. Still, it was a bit of a surprise to see that he had a powerfully muscled torso and trim waist. Well, it wouldn't make sense if he looked majestic in his dragon-form and then pathetic in his human one...but L-sama...Lina thought. Suddenly she remembered his comment and looked at him. "What do you mean by that, Milgazia-san?"

"Well, let's relax and plan out our journey, shall we?" Lina looked up at Xelloss, who was eating nearby. "Could you please hand me the map, Xelloss?" she pointed to where it lay next to a half-eaten chocolate cake.

The Mazoku, dressed in dark purple swimming trunks, left his fork in his mouth, smiled around it, and handed her the map. Then he took the fork out of his mouth and licked a smear of icing from his lip. "This is very good cake, Lina-chan. Try some?" he poked at his slice with this fork, tearing off a bit and offering it to Lina.

Lina leaned on the edge of the pool and spread out the map. "Okay, we're here." She pointed to a small dot on the map. "The island of Darata's here." She pointed to a small island some distance south of Demon's Isle. "What was the route you have already plotted out, Milgazia-san?"

Milgazia had lowered himself into the pool and waded over. With his finger, he traced out the path, which bypassed most of the larger cities and avoided the greater obstacles, like rivers. "We took this route because it avoided catching the attentions of higher-level Mazoku who might be in the larger human settlements," he explained. His eyes flicked over to Xelloss, who was making delighted sounds over the cake's rich flavor. "That point is moot now, however."

Lina chuckled. "Yeah. Well, since we just became a larger party, it would be better if we took this path, stopping at towns and the like every now and then to replenish our supplies." She drew out the new route with her fingernail, which did not avoid the slightly smaller towns, but did not go through all of them. "We can also make use of the larger highways and roads, so that should help cut our travel time a bit. Will this do?"

"You're getting tougher, Filia." Lina grinned. "But then, if you think you can survive taking care of a kid, then you can survive anything." She turned to look at Milgazia. "So, Milgazia...you found out what happened about the Ancient Dragons."

Milgazia shook his head sadly. "No. The Ancient Dragons who fought alongside of us numbered less than a handful of individuals and only because they had been trapped in the Demon's Barrier as we had been. They died in that final onslaught, like much of my clan."

Lina bowed her head. "I see." I was hoping that Val was wrong in thinking that he was the last Ancient Dragon, as Filia was wrong in thinking she was the last Gold. Her eyes crept over to where Val's egg sat, safely far from the water but close enough to avail of it's warmth. Filia is the last of her clan, because there's Milgazia's clan and the other Clans, but Val's the last of his race...She looked up again when Milgazia continued to talk.

"I remember the Ancient Dragons as being a very closely knit group, their families often living close together, instead of being spread out over the world. The ones who were with us were scouts and messengers reporting in on the status of the other clans. They were very courageous, and very honorable. They were also young...as most of us were young then."

"Aw, Milgazia, you don't look that old, whatever your age is." Gourry piped in cheerfully, splashing his face with some water and hauling himself out of the spring. "I mean, look at Xelloss. He's over three thousand years old and he don't look a day over twenty!" he flipped his braided hair over his shoulder and made for the buffet table.

Everyone blinked. Xelloss yanked his face out of the stone and looked up at Lina, eyes open in surprise. "Lina...?" he murmured. His eyes filled with tears. "You were...worried about me? I'm really touched! Oh Lina-chan!"

Xelloss tipped over sideways, falling back into the spring. Milgazia began to laugh, and Zelgadiss came up, caught between coughing and chortling. After a few moments, Xelloss burst back out of the water, tears streaming down his face. "LINA-CHAN! YOU MEAN YOU WEREN'T WORRIED ABOUT MY FEELINGS AT ALL?!"

"I'm so glad that you're all enjoying the spring, ladies and gentlemen!" The companions turned to see a slightly pudgy man with gray hair approach them. "I hope that everything is to your liking. I try so hard to please my customers. My name is Math, and I'm the proprietor of this humble resort." He bowed, sweeping his arms out to either side of him. He wore a bathrobe and a pair of sandals, both of which were adorned with a crest that was also the resort's logo. "And don't worry about the mess. That can be cleaned up easily!" he snapped his fingers and two young men with brooms and washcloths appeared out of the woodwork. They swept up the shattered cake and its plate then jumped back into the bushes, leaving the flagstones without any hint of chocolate.

"Oh, that wouldn't be fair to the other guests. I'm afraid if you want some, you'll have to go out and socialize a little." Math said apologetically, bowing. "But as soon as there is a cake finished, I'll be sure to have it sent over here."

Lina rolled up imaginary sleeves. "I'll be damned if I let some crazy priest who doesn't know how to cook beat me to one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever tasted! He'd better leave me some! C'mon guys!" she ran after Xelloss, fist in the air.

Amelia struck a pose, leaping out of the pool and showering both Milgazia and Filia with water. "It would be unjust to let beautifully prepared cakes be uneaten!" she cried. "Let them fulfill the purpose for which they were baked in the name of Love and Justice!" with that, she scampered after the others.

Filia sighed, climbed out of the pool and flipped her wet hair over her shoulder. "I suppose I could ask Sylphiel-san to teach me to cook it, but I have to taste it to know it was mixed right..." she turned to look at Zelgadiss. "Could you please look after Val's egg for me, Zelgadiss-san?"

Xelloss had managed to wheedle a slice from the waitress at the buffet table. Lina and Gourry argued on who would get the next slice so Amelia and Filia got their slices first. Sylphiel got a slice for herself and Gourry, so the fight that was supposed to have been did not happen.

Lina grinned. "Thanks Sylphiel! He's outta my hair! Now for that lovely..." she turned back to the buffet and gaped. The waitress put away the platter that had held the cake and placed some fruit salad in its place. "Oh no! It's all GONE!" she wailed, big fat HUGE tears welling at the corners of her eyes. She rushed to the table, looking back and forth frantically, hoping that there was a slice left for her, a crumb perhaps, even a little smear of icing...

Milgazia shrugged. "The waitress gave them to me. I am not all that hungry, so this would just go to waste. Would you like to share it with me?" The others had gotten their own respective meals and now occupied a table, eating.

Xelloss looked up upon hearing Lina's enthusiastic cry. He and the others watched as she followed the Ryuzoku to the only free table a few meters away. Xelloss' eyes narrowed as Milgazia pulled out the chair for Lina and placed the cake in front of her.

The Dragon Elder raised his eyebrows questioningly. "You are a human maiden in full bloom, are you not? I do not see why you should not be considered a lady." he lowered himself into his own chair directly across from her.

Xelloss clacked his teeth on his fork and finished chewing before he spoke.. "Oh yes...she is being very ladylike. She has always been a lady. I'm surprised that you haven't noticed that." he looked sideways at Milgazia from their table as he drank. "Unlike some other people I could mention..." he didn't look at Filia but everyone there knew who it was directed at.

Filia snorted in derision. "Hmph! What would you know about being a gentleman and being ladylike? Filth like you wouldn't travel in the proper circles of society to recognize the manners of a lady even if it hit you in the head!"

Xelloss grinned. "I guess you really must know what you're talking about, Filia-chan. I mean, with your attitude, I'd say you were barred at the gates of polite society when they saw you coming a mile away!" He laughed.

"Thanks"! Lina said, carving off a mouthful and guiding it to her mouth eagerly. Her eyes popped open, and she closed them again, sighing happily. It was worth it, being almost sinfully rich in flavor. She could taste little bits of solid chocolate in the icing layer between cakes, which was almost black in color but not bitter, and the cake itself was moist, almost creamily melting in her mouth. "Ooooh, yum...it's great! It's absolutely delicious! Isn't that right, Milgazia?"

The Ryuzoku nodded in agreement, his mouth full. He waved to a waiter and mimed drinking, then pointed at himself and Lina. Milgazia turned back to Lina and smiled. "I must agree...It is very flavorful indeed. I am afraid I'm not used to such rich foods though...you may have the rest, if you like."

Milgazia nodded gravely. "That is quite true." He sipped more of the fruit punch he had been given, then drained the glass. The moment he set it down, a waitress appeared out of nowhere and refilled it, pausing to smile winsomely at him before she sashayed off.

Milgazia nodded, swallowing more of his punch. "She wished to learn about taking care of baby Ryuzoku. While it has been a while since we've had any hatchings, the youngest Ryuzoku we have are about her age, and their parents remember taking care of infants. She seems to have amassed enough information on the subject to be confident enough to take Val and live outside of the Valley."

Lina smiled. "Glad to see she's taking things responsibly for a change! I hope she decides to go back...Val needs to grow up with some of the other Ryuzoku too, so he can learn about being one." she took another bite out of her cake. "So...if you don't mind me asking, that is...how did the other Ryuzoku take learning about what happened to the Ancient Dragons?"

"Each of the Shinzoku were assigned to a particular part of the world to watch over, to guard against Shaburanigdo's resurrection. Neither could risk leaving his or her sphere of influence...for the Mazoku might have over-run it if they did."

"No. Each of the Kings support each other in a way...and the plan of the Mazoku was masterful indeed." Milgazia's hands curled around his glass as he gazed into the liquid inside and beyond. "They sealed us away in this area and attacked the Seiryu-oh with all their might and Gaav while we were confused and in disarray. It was in the heart of this chaos that Gaav faced Seiryu-oh-sama and Xelloss was sent after us. In a way, were were already injured, weakened, on the astral level when Xelloss appeared. It was why...he took us down so easily."

Lina gazed at him, thinking to herself. He was alive when the Kouma War happened...how old was he then, I wonder...she watched him drain the glass he held. I wonder if I could get him to tell me...it would be very interesting to know what really happened in the War...all we have are legends, fragmented records...

Milgazia set his glass down and again a busty young waitress sashayed over. She leaned over while she poured, filling it. She overbalanced and ended up pressing against him, just as Lina was wondering what to say in order to banish the sudden pall that darkened the day.

She hid her smile with a mouthful of cake, knowing that this girl was being very blatant. It seemed that Milgazia had no idea what the waitress was doing, and Lina wondered how long it would be before she got frustrated. There was nothing worse than trying to catch the attention of a totally clueless man. Out of the corner of her eye, Lina caught a glimpse of Amelia's and Filia's scandalized expressions. Sylphiel simply looked embarrassed.

Milgazia sneezed, the hair tickling his nose as Medeline leaned forward some more, making him jerk away. Lina took pity on him at that point and stood, having finished her cake, snacks and drink. As she rose, Lina quickly grabbed Milgazia's hand, tugging the Ryuzoku to his feet and away from the waitress. "C'mon, let's go for a swim. I'm parched."

"Yeah, I guess so. Hey guys!" Lina waved to the others. "Let's get back to our spot! It's getting too crowded around here for my taste." She glanced back at the over-endowed waitress, who glared at her and flounced off in a huff. That looked pretty bad. Good thing I rescued Milgazia from her. I don't think that he knew what she was talking about...Lina decided, just as the Sylphiel, Gourry, Amelia, Filia and Xelloss fell into step around her and Milgazia.

"Lina-san...shouldn't we be getting some rest?" Filia asked her as they entered the secluded area that they had reserved. Zelgadiss was languidly relaxing against the side of the pool, letting all his muscles go limp.

"Thanks, Lina-san! Why don't you join me? The water's even more wonderful now!" Filia dove into the spring and surfaced next to Amelia. Sylphiel slipped in and swam to a nearby boulder. Gourry sat at the edge and splashed with his feet.

Lina grinned suddenly. "That's a great idea!" She let go of Milgazia's hand darted away from the edge of the pool, snickering evilly. Milgazia looked after her curiously and lowered himself sagely into the pool, Xelloss swimming slowly past.

Filia screeched as Lina's landing resulted in a giant geyser of hot water, soaking the former Miko. Amelia was carried off by a wave, and another miniature tsunami soaked Xelloss, Gourry and Milgazia in the far end of the spring.

Sylphiel and Zelgadiss reemerged from under the waves where they had escaped from Lina's majestic cannonball. The chimera looked at Sylphiel. "Should we get her for this?" he jerked his thumb at the gloating Lina.

Filia bobbed out of the water, flipping her long mane of blond hair over her face. "This calls for revenge!" she grinned at Amelia. The Saillune princess nodded vehemently in agreement. Soaked to the bone, they both climbed out of the pool.

Milgazia wiped his face with his hand and looked over to Xelloss, who was sputtering and floundering. Gourry was hitting the side of his head, trying to get some water out of his ear. The Dragon Elder heard a wet-sounding splat next to him and looked up to see both Filia and Amelia posing next to him, with identical expressions of righteous indignation. He sweatdropped. "Filia? Amelia? What are you...?"

Milgazia prudently stepped out of disaster's way, while Xelloss vanished. Sylphiel resurfaced beside Gourry. "Let's move over here, Gourry-sama...it's safer." The shrine maiden pulled him from the spring's edge and over to some tables.

Milgazia looked up from where he had been examining Val's egg. "Amazingly enough, he stayed dry. Which is more than I can say for the lot of us." He announced, handing the egg back to Filia. He flipped his wet bangs out of his eyes and gave Lina a relatively wry smile.

Lina chuckled and clapped the Dragon Lord on the shoulder lightly. "Hey, we did loosen up, and that's what we were here for. A little play never hurt a body." Then she looked up at him and at her friends. "Do you think Milgazia will need an escort back to his room? He might get mugged on the way."

"Just take our word for it, Milgazia-san." Gourry shook his head as they all headed back to the hotel proper. They made it a point to keep Milgazia in the middle of the group. Xelloss simply disappeared, as was his wont. Between the lot of them they escorted Milgazia to his room, much to the disappointment of various women who had hoped to bump into the Dragon Elder one more time.

Obediently, Milgazia did as he was told. "I appreciate their concern...but I wish I knew what they were all so concerned about." He turned away and blinked. On his bed lay, stretched out sensually, was the waitress from before. He couldn't remember her name, so only blinked. "Good...evening."

"I have already accepted your apology." Milgazia replied stiffly, taking her hands and turning her around by the shoulders. He gently but firmly pushed her toward the door. "Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to take my rest. Good night." He unlocked the door, guided her out and shut the door again, slipping the bolt back into place with a loud clink.

Filia sighed, tucking Val's egg snugly against her chest. She reached over and blew out the candle on the bedside table. She kissed the egg gently, murmuring a lullaby in Ryuzoku before drifting off herself, gazing out the window panes.