Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers For the Future: The Prophecy of Inverse ❯ Shock! Onyx is Our Hiero! ( Chapter 15 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "The Slayers."

Chapter 15

Shock! Onyx is Our Hiero!

~ Prism Mountain Range ~

Lina and Zelgadis walked side by side up the mountain path, up to their ankles in snow. Val and Filia were huddled together as they walked, their dragon blood not taking the cold weather well.

The group had bought coats for everyone except Zelgadis. The cold never bothered him. All of them were trying to be snug in the parkas they'd bought, but the biting cold and constant harsh winds blowing at them wasn't making them feel any better. Everyone's noses and hair were covered frost and ice, blowing stiffly against the ferocious, howling winds that whipped past them.

Xellos, as always, was the only one unaffected by the weather. He had actually stuck with them the entire trip, never once straying from their sides. He said he was interested in what Onyx would do against Luna or if the young cloaked human would beat them to her. Lina found it very odd that he'd stayed with them for three days straight since Onyx disappeared in the cemetery. That and he was on a rampage of teasing poor Zelgadis about losing to the little upstart.

Lina snuggled a bit closer to her husband, his warmth helping her forget the cold a little more. He put his arm around her, to make sure she got plenty of it. The group had been going up. He had a scar on the back of his neck from where the Sword of Light had scraped him. It was a half an inch from where Zel's jugular was, so Onyx had been very serious about the fight. The fact that he'd let Zelgadis live and given him Luna's location puzzled her deeply. It could be a trap, but he'd spared Zelgadis when he could have easily cut his jugular or sliced his head off in an instant.

Onyx was a strange young man, powerful and containing insane ambitions, but strange. Normally villains took advantage of such circumstances and took them with a vengeance. Onyx only attacked Xellos with or without provocation, never anyone else. He never really fought any of them except Zelgadis because it was forced.

The mysterious young man seemed to take beatings along the same lines as Xellos, but the blood flowed when he was hurt. It had been all over Zelgadis and the expanse he and Onyx had rolled. Zelgadis even said he heard bones cracking, but a mere minute later he was challenging him to duel.

'As creepy the Mazuko are, he seems a whole lot creepier than Xellos ever could be. He tells us what he's up to and gets pissed cause we're trying to stop him. What did he expect? Major weird, but if he was right about Luna hiding out here….I don't know what to think then.' She thought as they entered a tunnel. It was like a hallway of glass, some reflective while others were walls of crystal fragments, shimming like large diamonds in all of their eyes.

The hallway was uneventful, but it was long one, winding, twisting turns every which way going higher and higher through the lacier it had been carved inside of. It was terribly slippery too, causing al of them to have occasional meetings with their rears ends and faces to the flawless ice floor. "Maybe Luna did this. It's a bit too clean cut to be a natural passageway." Val commented through chattering teeth and fangs. "I wouldn't put it past her. Luna was always the favorite, prim and proper and powerful. Do no wrong Inverse, which is what she was to everyone. This'd be just her style." Lina replied, suppressing her own shivers as the trudged onward.

Suddenly, Zelgadis stopped and Val and Filia rammed into his and Lina's backs. "Watch it!" Zelgadis and Val grumbled at each other, making Xellos and the others roll their eyes in irritation. Xellos had opened them when she looked back at Val, to offer her a cute wink.

"What is it, Zel?" Lina asked. Zelgadis looked away from a still angered Val, then aimed his eyes to the area they'd come from. "I heard footsteps….and there's a faint scent of blood. It's hard to describe it further….but, this scent seems to crop up in my senses whenever Onyx is around. Its blood mixed with something I can't identify." Zelgadis said quietly, leaning his head to the side a bit as his tone softened," The footsteps stopped. I think he's aware I know he's nearby."

"Then why are you whispering? If he knows you know, what's the point in him not knowing anymore of what we know, you know? Hmm?" Xellos chirped, his eyes closed pleasantly again.

"Shut up, fruitcake." Val hissed, ramming his fist into the Mazuko's head. Xellos just bounced back up from the ice floor with a smile, wagging his finger. "Such a temper, Val-chan." Xellos chided playfully.

"Shut up, all of you. So what if he's here, it's not like its unexpected. He admitted knowing where Luna was and that he was after her too. We can't help it, let's just get there first and work it out later. I'm getting really impatient now! Don't make me drown us here and now with fireballs all over this frozen food stand!" Lina said, her face crimson with rage and her teeth grit.

Zelgadis just let his eyes bulge a bit and Xellos backed up a bit, sweating slightly across his nervous brow. Val looked happy about it, yanking his mother in the direction they'd been heading in. The others shrugged and followed his lead. Lina kept her eyes on Zelgadis, not him particularly, but his ears. They'd twitch every so often and it made her listen as hard as she could. For a second, she heard the footsteps Zel had spoken of, slow and deliberate.

~ Mystic Crater ~

Zelgadis had never seen anything so odd in his entire life. Fighting Shabranigdo was pretty amazing as was fighting the Great Beast Zanaffar and Dark Star. He'd seen the weirdest towns and people in his travels, but never had he seen such a fluke of nature as was contained in the Mystic Crater within the Prism Mountains.

The group was currently standing by the base of the mountains, on healthy and warm grass. The entire crater was like a plentiful valley of untouched nature, flowers, streams, trees and lakes. However, there were no animals though, not even a bird or fish, just plants and waters with the morning sun shining down on it all brightly.

"Do you think Luna made this? I have my doubts about her being this powerful as to separate the cold climate this area in one location." Zelgadis asked quietly. Lina shook her head. "Not in a million years. My sister never does anything unless she wants to, but no one except L-sama herself could create a place like this. And Zel, that crystal place over there doesn't look her style anyway." Lina told him, pointing off to her right.

He followed her finger to see the largest amount of blue crystal he'd ever seen. It looked like a jumble of crystal spikes jutting out at angles, some aimed to the sky and others aimed at the mountainsides. It was like a giant crown of ice, shimmering and perfect in the middle of all that grassy splendor. "She might be there," Lina added," I don't see any huts or tents or anything around here to indicate otherwise. This crater isn't that big, we can see pretty much everything from where we are standing."

Val nodded and started for it, yanking his mother along behind him. "It's a good place to start. How many places can you hide in such a wide open area anyway?"

"Well, as our rough dragon boy has pointed out, it is a place to start. If she isn't there, whoever is in there might be able to direct us to her….if they value their lives." Lina giggled and followed after them with Zelgadis in tow.

Zelgadis started to look backwards every so often, the footsteps he'd heard earlier now the crunching of grass, the pace even and confident. He stopped a moment to glance back for a little longer, the crunches continuing for a minute or so before stopping. Zelgadis smelled the blood again, the horrible rot overwhelming the person's true scent, but it was the same. It was Onyx for sure.

"Onyx, I know you're there. An illusion spell is clever, but I can smell and hear you. Come out and fight." Zelgadis challenged. He got no real response, only a more footsteps, faster ones. Before Zelgadis could react, the invisible force ran past him, only the sharp wind hitting the chimera as the footsteps passed him by.

"I have business to attend to, chimera. Don't wait up for me." He heard faintly as the breeze hit him. Zelgadis turned around quickly and followed what was just a streak of nothingness ripping through the grass. It was a little faster than he was, gaining on the other party members better than he was. They shot past Lina and the others, ignoring their startled shouts and expressions as he tried to keep up with the invisible adversary. The scent of blood was getting fainter and soon Zelgadis couldn't see where the invisible runner was.

When he finally stopped, he was at the base of the incredibly large crystal fortress. It was a lot bigger than it had been when they got into the crater area and saw it. It was as tall as Amelia castle, maybe even more so. As he studied it, he found there was an opening a few feet away from him, large crystal spikes lining the ceiling to make half triangles, some pretty half hazard. It wasn't perfect, it looked rather broken on the inside.

He heard the clicking sound, like someone walking on glass, the same deliberate and slow steps of Onyx from the ice tunnels. Zelgadis was about to go in after him when he recalled that he'd sped off ahead of the group. They were still a ways behind him. He sighed heavily and moved to prop his back against the crystal fortress, his patience trickling away a little at time each time Lina and Filia stopped in their running to catch their breath.

~

The group worked their way cautiously through the messy insides of the giant crystal fortress. Many of the different sized and shaped crystals were littered everywhere, the passageway they were in seeming to lead downward. The passage, as best as Zelgadis could figure, had not always been so terrible and disorderly.

Though the broken crystals were not recently ruined, they had been ruined, probably by Luna when she came to this place. He knew she was a knight of Cephied and all, but he doubted even she knew of this place. Onyx had and he'd been in contact with her before he destroyed the Daggers Guild, so he might have told her to come here.

'Doesn't make sense, unless she didn't recall him. He covers most of his face and he might have changed the way he sounds and dresses since she killed his family. This could have all been a great set-up from the very beginning so Onyx could kill her without having to look very hard for her. Makes sense….subtly, but what does he need Shabranigdo for? Surely not just to kill her….that's madness.' He thought, frowning openly.

"Zelgadis, this is no time to mope. Its starting to get cold again, I know, but no need to pout over it." Lina chided, bopping him on the head, then swearing when she found she'd bruised her hand. He shook his head and sighed with a wane smile.

"Lina….I was just thinking about Onyx. He's probably closer to where Luna is than we are. I just don't understand why he needs to resurrect Shabranigdo over her. If at all." He replied.

She shrugged. "Neither do I. All I know is that we have to stop them both, no matter what. Try to put or your best smug and cool look, Zel-sama, Luna hates it when people look superior and brave in front of her." Lina giggled, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

He smiled at her. "Only if you do the same, Lina-chan." He smirked, training his eyes slowly back in front of him. "You bet your cute butt I will." She crooned, spanking him lightly and playfully on the rear before giving him a grin and a victory sign.

~

Luna was sitting casually at the bottom of the crystal fortress she'd been led to well over years ago. The great chamber as big as a royal ballroom was her home, had been for a long time. The ceiling was very high up, light only glittering faintly through the crystals above her, the floor just smooth crystal-like cobblestone, one dark corner littered with her bedroll and belongings.

She occasionally left it to get supplies from the Daggers. The only reason she went there was because of their priest Onyx, the only intelligent man there. As secretive and crafty as he was, he was always willing to supply her with food and water, food being the only thing this hidden paradise didn't provide, unless grass was tasty to you.

She'd met them in fleeing from Zelfielia when her fellow comrades and superiors refused to protect her from Lina and her rabid crew set out for revenge.

Onyx told her about this place and said only he knew about it. She'd taken the offer as well as him offering whatever supplies she required since the place only supplied water. He'd been rather giddy the last time he'd given her supplies, like he was anxious about something.

She'd always been confident in her ability to control Lina with the fear she instilled in her, but she never thought that a child's death could wipe those fears away so quickly. Luna was more powerful than her sister, physically, but in magic they were equal, as Cephied and Shabranigdo were when they fought, light vs. darkness.

Still, little Lina had more spells and used her powers more often than Luna did. Luna was a waitress and she'd loved that job, being a knight of Cephied last all the time. She was dedicated, but she really had better things to do than save the world or go off and spread the word of Cephied. That was why she ditched her job of saving the world for Golden Dragon priestess Filia and dumped it on Lina.

Lina had done just fine as Luna been informed constantly by her superiors. They even showed her few projections of the battles for her so in case Lina screwed up, Luna could step in and take the credit from her. That event never seemed to occur and it had Luna a bit miffed. Watching her hang on the chimera Zelgadis on numerous occasions and flirting with him, Lina in a dress at one point, made Luna ill to be related to Lina. She never saw the big picture, going after freaks and idiots all her life.

Lina never rubbed elbows with high society or acted as perfect and ladylike as she did. It was no wonder she got pregnant by that freak of nature that Rezo's perverted loins helped create, and such a freakish child. As angelic as he appeared, his eyes were sickening, his blindness a terrible weakness to pass down into the Inverse family. She was glad when she turned him into a stain of ash, but perhaps she should have done it privately. Then his parents would not be hunting her down now.

"They'll never find me here. Not in a million years." She spouted, smiling wickedly, brushing her bangs a bit.

"Funny how time flies, huh sister dear?" said a very smug and familiar female voice.

Luna looked up slowly, her hidden eyes under the dark purple bangs swishing a bit as she looked at her little red-headed sister, looking as smug as she'd sounded. The freak chimera was sharing her expression, grinning at her all smug and feral. The young man with the blue-green hair beside him looked even more vicious and proud that they'd snuck up on her, holding his sword firmly before him.

Filia was beside Lina, her mace in hand and cross look on her face. There was a young man alongside her that Luna couldn't quite place, but he looked like a royal knight, his long silver sword pointed at her. The one she had least expected to be around was Xellos, her close friend Xellas' priest and general. He looked as pleasant as ever, his eyes firmly shut and staff in hand. His ruby bracelet that was normally on his right wrist was not present.

"How ever did you find me, Lina dear? Magic? Sleep with Xellos?" she asked haughtily. Lina just crossed her arms over her chest and sniffed at her sister. "A little blackbird told us. That's all you need to know before you die, honey. You don't scare me anymore." Lina said proudly, taking a diligent step forward. Luna got up, dusted her waitress uniform off and took the challenge.

Luna took a step forward. "Do I care? Let's get this over with, sister dear, before I waste anymore vacation time to deal with all of you little problems. All over one weak and ratty whelp, Lina? You've gone soft." She snickered.

Lina positively fumed over the comment, whipped her hands at her sides to prepare for battle. "My son was my angel. He was everything to me and Zelgadis and you took him away from us! That can never be forgiven! Cram the psychology crap up your tight ass and fight!" Lina growled, sending a fireball at her sister.

Luna merely lifted her hand up and created a wind shield, the fireball fizzling out on impact. She smiled smugly at an irate Lina. "Fireball? The best you can do is some cut-rate candle lighting spell? Lina, Lina, Lina, motherhood really did make you soft….very weak too. The whole lot of you. It took you almost a century to find me and for what….to throw a measly fire at me? Pathetic." Luna laughed, bringing her hand up to her chest to laugh even harder.

"I don't know, looked like she was aiming for your pretty little face, Luna-chan." Said a velvety and seductive voice. Luna turned a bit towards the voice, but saw nothing, at least for a few minutes. Then empty space spoke again. "Flow Break!"

Onyx's slender form was there before her. She'd seen him without his robes a few times, catching him in a state of trying to undress so he'd be more eager to give her the supplies she needed quickly. He was always an odd one, the body a woman would die to hold, but he was a priest. No women were able to sleep with men of the cloth for any reason, unless the priest was a pervert. Onyx was eccentric and sneaky, but a gentleman.

"Onyx-kun. This is unexpected. What are you doing here? Not that I mind." She smiled.

"Ick, this is degrading. She's got the hots for him. She's practically leaking out hormones." Xellos gagged and sputtered, choking himself in disgust. Luna just stared at Onyx.

Onyx offered a smile and wagged his finger at Luna in his lazy sitting position, the small golden songbird on his shoulder tittering a bit. "I am merely here to observe for the time being, Luna-chan. I'm not going to help you, old girl, I helped you enough. The little blackbird has spoken." He grinned, Luna's smile fading.

"Blackbird? You told them where I was? Why? You helped me find this place and gave me food!" Luna growled, putting her hands on her hips. Onyx merely shrugged and sat back on the crystal he was upon. "It is not for me to say. I just like screwing with people. Have fun playing with the heroes. Hope they rip you a new one." Onyx crowed, chuckling at his words as if he'd made a joke. Luna just looked mortified by his explanation, but didn't take revenge on him. She whirled on Lina's group. "You made him betray me. He was all I had left to support me. Ok, little sister, time to take off the kid gloves," Luna stated, taking out her sword," Let's dance."

~

Xellos leaned against the wall nearest to him as the others rushed at Luna Inverse. Onyx was there and he was what Xellos wanted. He'd made Xellos look bad and had taken all the fun out of screwing with Lina's crew by screwing and leading the whole lot of them on.

He didn't see the talisman on Onyx's neck, but then again Luna would have recognized it and tried to destroy it, so it had to be back under his dark shirt. He looked about as cocky as Xellos was prone to looking when he skipped out of a battle with Lina's opponents.

This battle he found to be quite pathetic. Zelgadis and Lina's magical powers combined could easily destroy Luna, but the entire group was using their weapons. Zelgadis had cast his Astral Vine spell on his sword, but he normally did that for more strength in his thrusts and swipes. Justin was faring rather well, even though he looked so scrawny. He was deflecting Luna's attacks with ease and grace, but the problem was that he would shut up about justice.

"I shall arrest you, for I am a Champion of Justice like my grandmother and grandfather before me. Take that villain. Evil never succeeds against the light of good!" Justin spouted proudly, going for another hit. His relation to the clumsy and late Queen Amelia of Saillune told on him when he tripped over a broken crystal and went crashing into Luna's chest. He got a hard kick to the groin and bloody gash across his chest that sent him reeling backwards. "I suppose intelligence always skips every Saillune every single generation. Pity really." He commented wistfully, smirking at Filia as she went to tend to Justin's wound.

'Degrading for such a powerful group. Xellas was thinking of putting them under her reign as she has with me. They'd make good Mazuko soldiers for me to instruct. But Onyx, oh, he'd challenge my authority and hers. He is a wild card," Xellos thought, looking back over to where Onyx had been sitting," And his stupid bird….wait, he had a cardinal the first time we met him. Then a raven when the cardinal disappeared, then another cardinal, and now he has a golden songbird. Why all the….animals? Hmm, I have a theory.'

Xellos teleported behind the bird, searching for Onyx when he reappeared. Onyx was standing a ways behind Luna, taking his talisman out from his shirt. 'Taunting someone who trusted her life to you. How terribly Mazuko, maybe he has amnesia or something and forgot he was one. Odd little sot. Hmm, he doesn't even notice me. Normally he'd say something….if the bird was on his shoulder. Interesting. The theory holds strong.' He mused, following the stiff gaze of the bird right to Luna.

The bird seemed to be following her motions around, as if its life depended on it. 'Or if Onyx's did. I wonder what would happen if I helped the birdie with his nervous twitch.' Xellos thought, raising his staff over the bird's body.

~

Lina was losing interest in Luna's swordplay. She wanted to get to Onyx first. He was taking out his talisman, letting it swing in front of him. 'What's he up to? He's not going to summon Shabranigdo now is he?' she thought, not really focused on the battle at hand.

Onyx seemed to straighten up suddenly and pointed at her. "Look out!"

It came too late, Luna's blade slashing across Lina's back. Onyx took a step forward and held up his talisman at Luna before she could get a second strike in. Luna froze.

"The Golden Demon's talisman….the tool of resurrecting the Ruby-Eyed Lord! Onyx, what are you doing with that?" Luna demanded, her attentions straying fully from Lina. Zelgadis came up beside her and whispered a Recovery spell upon her as Luna approached the man in black.

"My own reasons. They're pretty close to why I'm here and why I told on you. I'm going to kill you. It's a shame it took me almost a century to collect all of these pieces correctly. I would have killed you earlier then. It was wonderful luck you happened upon the late Daggers and myself, or I'd never be able to keep tabs on your location. You're real gullible, you know that, Luna-chan? You walked into this set-up for five years, too stupid and cowardly to see the truth and to fight your sister. A coward and a loser, Hah!" Onyx laughed, wagging the talisman at her.

"Why you!" she grumbled, raising her sword, but he shook his head. "I'll summon Shabranigdo right here and now if you try anything. I was really waiting for a better time, but if you force my hand, I'm not responsible for all the little pieces you get digested into when I feed you to him. The one who hold the talisman controls the fate of the Ruby-Eyed Lord. It may be temporary, but it will be enough to achieve my destiny. Now, why don't you lie down like a good little bitch and let me turn you into Luna tar-tar?" Onyx said a little too cheerfully.

Onyx let the talisman fall back to his chest after that, still grinning wildly as he pulled out the dark sword he carried in his right hand the Sword of Light still on his right hip. He aimed it right at Luna, taunting her with it to fight him. "I will never surrender my life to a traitor like you." Luna spat.

Onyx smirked. "Fine then, go down the hard way."

"Or not." Xellos chirped, ramming the pointy end of his craggy staff through the songbird's back. It let out a small shrieking chirp before it went limp. Lina watched Xellos with a puzzled glance. "Why'd you do something worthless like that, you fruitcake?" Lina asked, then started at a very anguished scream that filled the chamber. It was coming out of Onyx who was clutching the wall for support, holding his dark sword out rather lopsided at Luna. He was mumbling curses and groans as his free hand felt the wall and the sword was being moved around in half-hazard directions.

Lina didn't quite get it, so with a heavy sigh, Xellos picked up a small crystal stone and threw it hard a foot away from Onyx. The young man slashed at the noise, as if to kill and wound up tripping over his own feet in the process. Xellos teleported behind him and gave him a good whack on the head. Onyx didn't seem to fight back and lost his grip on his sword. He was feeling around for it now, looking rather vulnerable.

Realization dawned on Lina, Zelgadis speaking out her thoughts before she could. "He's blind….Onyx is blind."

Xellos found the assumption amusing and quickly bopped Onyx on the head again, a lot harder this time and it send Onyx onto the floor face first. "Actually he's 100% blind, and not just any blind man, I'm guessing. Let's take off this mask and see who our dizzy mystery guest is. Hold your applause, please." With that, he grabbed at Onyx's hood tight and yanked it off, the force taking Onyx with him, the bandana that covered Onyx's hair souring Xellos drama.

With a curt shrug, he yanked that off too, sapphire hair spilling out of it, the spiky bangs around his head held up by a familiar onyx circlet. One bang was longer than the others and it covered his right eye, the other eye open lazily from the blows to the head. It was a sapphire Mazuko eye.

~

"Hiero….?" Everyone, but Xellos, gasped. The young man was still shaking off the hits Xellos gave him. When the hits began to fade out of his skull, he was realizing his hood was gone as was what kept his hair up. He touched the long bang over his right eye a moment and frowned.

"Damn." Was all he said before going back to his search for his sword. Luna promptly stepped on his hand when his blindly searching fingers were a few inches away from it. He stared at her legs, which was all he could do really being on the floor.

"I killed you! How the hell does someone resurrect ash stains?" Luna said smugly. "You missed, amateur. I teleported away, traitor." he said simply, a slight smile crossing his lips and he grabbed her ankle with his free hand and tipped her onto her back. He found his sword at last and got up, but failed to turn around even though Luna was up before him.

'Traitor? Explain yourself, Death Child?" Luna said coldly. "You were sent by Xellas Metallium to kill me because I insulted and escaped her. I believe the phrase is,' If I can't have him, no one will.' Mother kept me from you because she feared your reaction, but Xellas told you about me. You betrayed Cephied by taking revenge on your own blood for a Mazuko. So, I reiterate….traitor, traitor, outcast, outcast!" Hiero let out, still smiling, but not facing her.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you, blind one. You may be a descendent of Rezo, but you're not as good as he was fighting blind. I'd start running away if I were you." Luna said sweetly, malice in her voice.

"If you were me, I'd kill myself. But that's no longer an option for me. Time for you to take my place in hell, Auntie Luna. Before I use my ace and summon Shabby." Hiero said, his voice softening as he lifted his sword up slightly.

Luna attacked, the group watching on stuck in shock that Hiero was still alive. Lina was about to cry out to warn him of the attack, but Zelgadis clamped her mouth shut.

Clang!

Lina looked up at her son and sister in amazement, the blind youth had blocked the attack and had finally turned about. His sword went right through Luna's thigh before he leapt backwards, keeping his sword up in front of him.

"How?" Lina said through Zel's hand. "I taught Hiero how to use his other senses to be able to use his sword and staff better in battle. Just be quiet and he'll be fine….and don't say it any louder or Xellos might start singing to screw him up." Zel whispered right into her ear.

Lina's face faulted when Xellos started to sing very off-key. He was Mazuko after all, nothing escaped him if he was close enough. The singing soon went to a stifled choking, making Lina look over to where the Mazuko priest was being strangled by both Filia and Val. Val was standing on Xellos head and holding his mouth shut while Filia was sitting on him and had the Mazuko is a choke hold.

'Let's hope they don't take too long to duke it out….or I'll lose my baby all over again.' She thought banefully.

~

Onyx blocked another hit, then another, but a few were getting past him and slashing up his sides and arms. Bleeding all over his clothes, he went on fighting, pausing for a few seconds to await each attack.

It was hard, even with proper training, to fight without the use of his eyes. He'd always found it difficult and used magic more often than swords. Right now he'd have to wait, he just had to get Luna's sword away from her. That would force her to cast a spell, one he hoped had a lot of rage behind it. 'Then let's see how smart you look when I counter you. Heh….ow….darn, my clothes are ruined. I'll never get the smell of blood out.' He thought, taking a hit in the shoulder.

Hiero aimed forward, the pain of Luna's blade still embedded in the bones of his shoulder and caught her in the shoulder, or so he hoped. He'd never fought Luna directly, so knowing what he was hitting was only based from the memory of what she looked like and how tall she was. When he heard her scream in his ear and try backing up, he knew he'd hit something. He held tightly onto his blade and reached out swiftly for the hilt of her, following the bloody blade from his shoulder to the hilt. Luna was not holding it.

With a grumble, he yanked the sword out of his shoulder blade, the hard way, by pulling it upwards and out of the top of his shoulder. His right arm was really useless right now, but it would pass. He didn't need both hands for a spell.

"Argh, you little bastard! Why won't you just die!" Luna screamed, being about ten feet away from him. "Stop this Luna! Just accept your fate as his murderer! You deserve this for all the pain you've caused!" Lina screamed. From what Hiero could tell, his mother was to his left, near where the entrance was.

"You all over there?" Hiero asked loudly.

"Yes. Even the fruitcake." It was Val's voice. Hiero smiled wider and kept himself aimed at where Luna had last spoken. "Like you cared, hiding from them all this time….and me, you little namagomi bastard child." Luna said icily, still in the same spot.

"Oooo, that hurt. I think I might cry, Cephied outcast. Hit me with your best shot, you floozy," Hiero teased, his shoulder finally healed. He lifted up both swords and just stood their spreading his arms out to his sides," Or are you too weak to stop one young dark mage?"

"Fine, sign your own death warrant, again," Luna hissed out and began chanting hollowly," Divine breath of the Holy Dragon, Holy Father of the light, grant unto you loyal knight the power of the blessed Dragon King, Cephied Flare!"

Hiero waited while she chanted, his ears registering the roaring sound of the power of the Dragon King. He just smiled when the chant was done and crossed raised both swords high. "Guumueon." He uttered with a smile, a protective anti-magic shield surrounding him. The moment Luna's spell met with it, it died away. Hiero just waited for her to say something, but all her got was a startled gasp. 'Good enough.' He mused, tossing Luna's sword right back at her. He heard a yelp and shinkt noise and followed it, keeping his spell up and his arms in front of him.

When his fingers bumped up against the hilt of Luna's sword, he felt down it, the shallow and pained breaths of his opponent. It had hit her square in the chest, the blood flowing over his fingers warmly as he felt her heaving body. She was pinned to the wall, the sword up to its hilt in her chest and she was right against the wall, from what he could tell using his fingers.

"Hmm, nice….now you can't get away. I was hoping you'd do that. You really are a weakling, in body and mind. You're a shameful excuse for an Inverse. You killed an Inverse, your greatest mistake," he chuckled planting a kiss on her forehead, holding head still with his hands," I, Hiero Greywords, will avenge our family for your actions. I am your destroyer now."

He held her there, relishing in all of her struggles as he put his sword away. "I'd start running if I were all of you. This is my right, she killed me first, so she deserves the most painful spells," Hiero announced," I'll give you 10 minutes….since I love you all so much, well, except Xellos, but kindly take him with you. I don't want to be disturbed."

"But Hiero…." Lina began, but he just waved her off with his hand. "I have to, Mother. Get out now. I'll be done soon. You can die, I can't. Save your lives….for me at least." Hiero replied. He heard his mother go on protesting, but her voice was fading with the rapid multiple footsteps. He waited until he couldn't hear them anymore, the only thing to fill his ears being Luna's dying breath.

"Now for some quality time," Hiero chuckled childishly," Hey Auntie Luna, guess what, guess what? I can do Dragu Slave. Let me show you….up close." He snickered when she spit in his face. He didn't bother to wipe it off, backing up slightly to bring his hand above his head.

"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows, buried in the flow of time, in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness! Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGU SLAVE!!" he chanted, the giant ball of toiling red energy of the Lord of Nightmares and Shabranigdo formed before his hands before ripping away into Luna. He wished he could see her expression, but he heard her say something. "At least Shabranigdo will go with me."

He didn't understand what she meant under after the spell hit, putting his hand to his chest to find the talisman was gone. He could still hear Luna's ragged breaths, bubbling blood and seared flesh sizzling. "You're a stout and sneaky little witch, Auntie Luna. Heh, but I'm not as stupid as you are. I would never keep my key to destiny where you could grab at it. I just want your dying thoughts to be of me and my success….in the soon to be resurrected Demon King. Say good night….oh, and I have saved up a lot of aggression for what you put us all through, so don't go hoping this will be swift." Hiero snickered, lifting his hands above his head once more.

Luna let out a slight whimper, before he let the spells rip into her.

"Ruby-Eye Blade!" The power of Shabranigdo came forth in his hands, the mythical crimson blade the Demon King's power gave him. Hiero grinned and send the blade crashing right at the weak grunts coming from Luna's body.

"Dynast Brass!" left his lips, the giant pentagram forming quickly under his own and Luna feet, but he wasn't worried. His protection spell was still up, so it wouldn't touch him. The screams filled his ears as the lightening crashed down.

"And for my finale….Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the Infinite….Ra Tilt!" The spirit energy all around him flew at what remained of Luna, the crystal fortress quaking dangerously as the spells took their toll.

~

Lina listened and watched in horror as the crystal fortress fell inward with sickening cracks and rumbling. Her heart sank further when it was gone, only a few crystal spikes' tips managing to jut out, littered with cracks. "Hiero….he was taken from us again." Lina whimpered, her eyes too stunned and hurt to even force out the tears she wanted so dearly to shed.

"Where is he? He promised." Val growled, slashing his sword out in front of him and making a fist with his other hand and looked off at the toppled fortress angrily.

"Darn, I'm going to get punished for this. Xellas would have been so happy to hear your kid was still breathing. I'll never be able to be glorified for anything now." Xellos muttered, sulking as he leaned on his staff.

Zelgadis just looked at him angrily and socked him one in the face, sending him flying several feet in the air. "Show some bloody respect. He avenged himself…." Zelgadis began, but quickly shut him mouth and eyes, biting back his own pain.

"Why all the sad faces? I don't….urk….look that bad….do I?" Hiero voice called softly. All eyes shot toward the fallen fortress, and in the middle of it all was a very battered Hiero, his black clothes torn badly, blood soaking nearly every angle of his body, and his hair was bit singed. His sapphire hair was white now, probably from such a great use of magical power in Lina's opinion.

When no one said anything, Hiero raised up his bruised right hand, the naked flesh managed to lift up one finger. "I have an announcement….yup. Luna has left the universe and I'm….going to sleep. Ahhhh……" He passed out, falling face first onto the ground with a loud thud.

Lina looked at Zelgadis for a moment, then at their fallen son. "Back to town?" she asked. He nodded. "We'll ray Wing ourselves there. The cold weather around this area won't help us get him to safety….and when I say safety I mean away from Xellos." Zelgadis replied, casting a sneer at where he'd knocked the Mazuko off to.

Xellos just shrugged from spot he was laying on and smiled brightly. Lina shuddered and ran to her son's sleeping form.

~ Rivheine Township ~

"I've done all I can, Lina, he just won't wake up. The wounds are gone, but he still refused to rise. I don't know what's wrong with him." Zelgadis said solemnly, taking his hands off his son's forehead. Lina still couldn't get over, no matter how many times she saw Zelgadis and Hiero together, in how they almost looked like brothers.

Even if only one bang resembled Zelgadis' and the rest was shorter and cropped closer to Hiero's head, the shapes of their faces, their eyes, and attire just made them look alike. They were built practically the same, with Hiero still being a few inches or so taller than his father and a little more lithe.

'He looks exactly the same as he did nearly a century ago. Did he master black magic all those years ago behind my back just to do all this? Or was he going to do it even if Luna never killed him? No healer could have healed up sword stab wounds without leaving scars. He's without blemish, only that scar Xellos gave him on his left hand, why? Oh Hiero wake up!' Lina's mind screamed.

Hiero's body twitched a little, but then relaxed. "He's still alive, just sleeping. I guess we'll have to guard him so Xellos doesn't try anything funny….depending on where that namagomi fruitcake is right now." Val interjected. He looked in the wrong direction for support, Justin Saillune.

"In the name of justice, regardless of the fact that he is your son, I must take him back to my kingdom to stand trial. As a Champion of Justice, it is my sovereign duty." Justin said stubbornly, frowning at Hiero.

Lina sent a fireball at him, slamming him hard into the wall. "Justice, smustice! Listen here, you royal pain in the butt, this is my son and sure, he took the piece of Shabby you were protecting, but the talisman it was on is gone. The chain was torn from his neck probably, there were bruises from it when we checked him initially, but they are gone now. It was probably destroyed along with Luna, as clear as I can guess. So any evidence that he stole anything flew the coop. Get over yourself, princy."

Justin paled a bit and his eyes watered. "But you all heard him acknowledge that he stole it from me. You can help me convict him, it's the just thing to do."

"I didn't hear him say that, did, you Zelgadis-sama?" Lina said sweetly, smiling at her husband. Justin grimaced when Zelgadis shook his head. "Not really, Lina- itoshii*, I didn't hear that. Val and me weren't with you when you met his highness."

Val nodded, smiling rather smugly. "He's right. I didn't hear a word out of his mouth about that subject. You must be hearing things, Justin."

He looked at his mother who looked to be finding all this terribly amusing. "Well, I was to busy eating to hear much but my dainty stomach grumbling. Sorry, Prince Justin." She giggled.

Justin did what seemed to come naturally for his family line. He started crying his little blue eyes out, his face scrunching up and his balled up fists pressed to his cheeks.

"If anything, that will keep us up so we can all watch Hiero until he wakes up. Justin and me will take first watch, the rest of you get some rest," Zelgadis spouted, then eyed Val," I'll wake you up for the next watch."

Val nodded proudly, then went off to the corner farthest away from Justin and curled up to sleep. His mother laid next to him, clutching her mace, the deadly teddy bear it was to her. Lina just stayed in the chair she'd been sitting in ever since they got in the room, leaning her tired head on the back of the chair. After a half-hour passed, Zelgadis picked his wife up from the chair and laid her on the bed with Hiero, to the left of their son before kissing her lightly on the lips. She smiled in her sleep and cuddled into the softness of the sheets.

- Morning -

Xellos teleported into the room of sleeping heroes, chuckling. It had taken the entire lot till the crack of dawn to weaken from lack of sleep and nourishment. Zelgadis was sleeping in a sitting position against the bed and Val was leaning in a bent over position by Hiero's bed on the hilt of sword. Filia looked even more ridiculous, her rear end high in the air under her cute little pink dress with her face mashed and snoring between the knees of Justin's spread legs.

Justin was drooling and snoring where he'd been crying half the night, his head tilted to his left. 'Hmm, I can't resist. How the hell she wound up like that is beyond me….but I can't resist such a tempting sight.' Xellos thought, reaching into his pouch to pull out a lip-stamp and a bottle of red ink.

As quick as lightening, he stamped the prince's face up with lip marks and stuck Filia's finger in Justin's mouth, then closed Justin mouth to keep the finger from falling out. 'The fact alone that I saw them like this will get a major cannibalistic bug up her panties….cute as she is, and her little tush. Hee, hee, I can't resist a good trick.' Xellos snickered, turning his attentions to the young man and pretty red-head on the bed.

Hiero natural sapphire hair had returned, but he was still sleeping. "Weakened himself by going overkill. I'd never waste all of my energy like that, as if I could. Least I can steal them both for my mistress. Lina-chan will be good incentive for Jr. here to do what Xellas-sama says. Let's see him refuse us with her life in the balance." He snickered, floating quietly past Zelgadis and crossed his legs to float over Lina.

"Really, this boy's a beauty, even for a male. His looks challenge all those of the handsome males in the world….but not me. I'm far too handsome for this world. Xellas will be pleased he's still good to look at. He could provide her with a lot of strong Mazuko. Hopefully that is something I don't have to watch. Well, time to work my magic." Xellos chirped, reaching down for Hiero.

What he didn't expect was Hiero to reach for him, with both hands, and start to strangle him. "And just who invited you, namagomi? You should have stayed on your little hideaway island like I told you to when I stole your jewelry. You're such a fruitcake." Hiero said, his eyes fully opened as he held Xellos up in the air by his neck. He was kneeling on the bed now, malice lacing his gentle features.

"Urk! GAH! I thought you were asleep! -gag- And blind!?" Xellos choked out, his face matching the color of his hair. Hiero blinked a little, looking a little surprised at Xellos, then smiled. "I've obviously been rewarded for avenging myself. You never could read me, could you, namagomi? However, I know you can hear. Tell that tasteless boozer you call your mistress that I will never be a Mazuko or serve her. She interferes in my life again and I'll destroy her. You tell her that….I want the old bag to hear everything. Now beat it!" Hiero hissed out, swinging Xellos' body out the only window in the room," And to help you on your way….Bomb Di Wind!!"

~

The second Xellos hit the glass, the funnel of air shot out of Hiero's hands and sent Xellos sailing into the distance until he was no longer in sight. "Suck on that for a while. Wonderful, I get to kick the fruitcake's ass and I have my sight back….and its daytime!? Daytime! Guess I didn't lie to Xellos after all. One curse lifted, one to go." Hiero began then someone put him in a headlock.

Or a misjudged hug, regardless, his air was cut off. "HIERO! MY BABY!" It was his mother and he assumed she was hugging him. His Xellos bashing must have roused her. "Hi….ack, Mom. Um, I need air." He gasped out, his sapphire eyes bulging. She let go so swiftly he fell forward and off the bed, crashing into Val's legs.

Val went down and let out a startled snort when it woke him up. As they hit the floor, his mother fell backwards in shock into Zelgadis' lap, making him wake up with a kick. His foot booted Filia's rear end, shoving her head hard into Justin's groin. Justin and Filia screamed at each impact as the others all shot their heads up to stare at them.

Hiero started snickering. "So that's what Xellos was giggling about." He chuckled out, almost feeling sorry for Filia when she looked at Justin in horror. Justin just looked very scared and was holding his pained loins. "What's so funny about her head butting my royal jewels?" Justin groaned.

"That's pretty funny, but the kiss marks all over your face are what's really, really funny." Hiero announced, making Val and his parents blush. Filia was mortified.

Justin's jaw dropped as his hands went to his face and he found Hiero was right, the red of the marks imprinting on his gloves. "Argh, I slept with a priestess!! I've sinned against justice. Oh no!!" Justin whined, wiping furiously at his face. He only succeeded in dying his entire face red. Then Justin licked one of his red-stained gloves and grimaced. "Its ink….someone put ink kisses on my face. Argh, the Trickster Priest Xellos! He shall pay for messing with a Champion of justice!" Justin cried out angrily, tightening his fists so hard the ink squeezed out.

Filia just looked plain relieved that it had only been a prank and not real. Hiero couldn't help but give Xellos points for being so sneaky, even if his aunt had been the one injured mentally in the humiliating prank. He was more amused by how it affected Justin.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, young man. This….-snicker- isn't funny." His mother scolded, or tried to. She was giggling too. His father was even smiling a little, putting his hand a little over his mouth to hold in his own amusement. "Yes it is, Mom, you're laughing too. I've been without you guys for too long, you think what I was doing was fun?" Hiero chuckled, untangling his torn cloak from Val's horn. Val was pulling himself with the wall behind them, so the cloak ripped instead, leaving the young dragon man to pull the fabric pieces off.

"Not to stray from the subject at hand to the event that has occurred, how is it you are still the way you were when you lost your life? And why start a career in thievery and resurrecting Shabranigdo?" his father interjected, suddenly grabbing Hiero by his ear.

'Ich, always quick and to the point, nothing gets by Dad. He's so serious.' Hiero thought with a smile. "Ow….Oh that….I had to eat, Dad. Stealing was the only way after I left the tutelage of Lei Magnus….he told me where everything was so I could resurrect the Demon King for him, but I pretty much lied my ass off with him. It was sure-fire way to take out both Luna and Crab Puss, like so. I had no intentions of taking over the world. Really. Please let go of my ear! Ow!" Hiero smiled, snapping his fingers deftly.

His father frowned a bit, tugging slightly to make Hiero wince. "What about not aging? Your mother never taught you black magic. She locked all of her books up." He pointed out. Hiero just shook his head.

"Sorry, but I found a way past the lock and learned while you were in town or asleep and I'd practice out in the forest when you weren't looking. I just wanted to learn the dark arts, not the holy arts, first. I finally was able to master black magic after my death….why I came back to life is beyond me," Hiero spouted evenly," I was alone when I woke up. Regardless of that, I learned all of the Shamanism, black, and white magic spells ever created. I pushed myself after the Xellos thing, I wasn't taking chances. Don't look so perturbed about it, jeez."

"How do you know how I look?" his father asked, finally letting for of Hiero's now red ear. "I said I saw the lips marks all over Justin and you still don't get it, Dad. Old age has made you senile." Hiero smiled, walking around the bed to stand right in front of his father and look down at him. His father's eyes widened slightly. "You can see? How?" the chimera balked.

"My reward for avenging myself….I was as surprised as you were. After death, I was only allowed to see at night, by what force, I have no idea," Hiero lied," But now my curse of blindness is over. I can see perfectly now. Hmm, and you have a piece of chicken in your teeth, if you'll excuse my saying so."

His father just blushed and turned around to clean his teeth, leaving Hiero to look to his mother, staring at him from the bed in a sitting position. "You can see now? You're alive and you don't age…." She muttered, sounding as if she didn't believe it all herself. "Yeah, Mom. I'm happy I can see too. I finally get to see with my own eyes what my parents look like, and how pretty my mother is. No wonder Dad loves you so much." He said breathlessly, taking in the sight of the long red hair that decked his mother petite head and the brilliant ruby eyes, wide and curious on her face.

Then she smirked at him. "You trying to butter me up so I don't spank your butt off with a fireball?" That amused him.

"I know I deserved that for not telling you all the truth, but I mean what I just said. Fireball me if you want to. I did disobey you with the magic thing, but I had to do it Mom. For all our sakes. I didn't want to lose my family. This way, I regained you and I'm no longer the target of Luna." He told her, sitting on the bed beside her and bowing his head to her.

He felt his hair get rumpled and then his mother bopped his head with her fist. "Stop that, I hate it when you get all self-less. I'm not going to spank you. Why do you have to be so damn adorable?" She muttered, bringing him into a warm hug. "Must be in the family….Greywords and Inverse blood make for a cute package, hmm? Ohh….nuts." Hiero said sweetly, then his stomach grumbled.

"What's wrong, Hiero?" Val asked, watching mother and son with a gentle grin.

Hiero just gave off a sheepish smile and pulled out of the embrace to pat his stomach. "I'm running on empty. I haven't eaten since I got the last piece of Shabranigdo. Can we eat now?" Hiero replied with a slight blush.

His father rolled his eyes and shook his head with a groan while his mother gave him the most appreciative smile ever. Val just let out a light chuckle. "Still the same old Hiero, devourer of entire restaurants." The dragon youth mused.

"I still have a load of sapphires I….heh, uh, borrowed from the water nymph. I can pay," Hiero offered, reaching into the folds of his cloak," Hey, where are the pouches I put them in?"

Not that anyone expected it of him, Hiero looked at his mother suspiciously. She looked shocked and cross as he looked at her. "Are you insinuating something? I never, my own son thinks I robbed him." She huffed, crossing her arm over her chest.

"I know my Mom's habits, but just to be sure….Divine-Search." Hiero chanted out, closing his eyes in concentration. He made a sort of lopsided grin when he opened his eyes and started frisking his mother. He had to tickle her to prevent her from stopping his hands from getting inside her cloak.

When he withdrew pouch after pouch of his sapphires, he threw his mother a mockingly cross expression. "As I said before, I know my Mom, and she's as hooked on treasure stealing as I am. I'd probably have robbed you too of you found them first." He offered apologetically, stuffing all but one pouch back into his cloak, what remained of it.

When his mother began to pout over the loss of the jewels, he patted her shoulder. "I'll give you a nice map that'll take you to better treasure over breakfast, don't pout. Mom, stop it. I'm too hungry to argue with you." Hiero sighed, looking to his father for support. The look he got from his father was so stiff, as if to say "Clean up your own mess."

"Argh, fine," Hiero grumbled and pulled out a piece of parchment, cramming it into his mother's hands," Take the map now. I'm hungry and my clothes are full of holes. Gang way, my stomach needs to be satisfied. Come on, Val! Time to clean house!" Hiero grabbed his friend roughly by the arm and whisked him out the room without another word.

~

"Treasure….food and my son is alive. What a wonderful day, huh Zel-sama?" Lina chirped, looking greedily at the opened parchment, the map Hiero had been offering her.

Zelgadis smiled at her and sat down with a sigh. "Neither of you will ever change….guess I should thank L-sama for small miracles," he said in an amused manner, pulling her close suddenly," Life gave us a lot of high points after all the lows. Its very nice, Lina-chan."

Before Lina could reply, Zelgadis kissed her deeply right on her smiling face, the map fluttering onto her lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Yeah, life is pretty damn good.' She thought," And I want that treasure to bath in….and maybe more, my sweet Zelly-chan. Hee, hee.' She thought wickedly.

Side note *: "itoshii" means lovely in Japanese.

To Be Continued….