She stretched one final time before throwing the covers back, already daydreaming about the food she wanted to eat for her first meal - including, but not limited to, sausage, bacon, eggs, toast, waffles, potatoes, hash browns, milk, juice, fruit, and whatever else the menu had to offer in no less than three helpings. But as she slid out of bed, her eyes caught sight something on the night table beside her that broke her chain of thoughts. She blinked. It was a note.
"What's this?" she murmured, taking it in both hands and looking at the handwriting, which was unfamiliar to her. All it said was 'To Miss Lina Inverse'. There was no return name. Lina found that rather mysterious and intriguing, but before she could rip into the letter, her door burst open.
"Hey Lina!" Gourry rushed in, looking excited. "Guess wha -"
Lina's eye ticked. "GOURRY!" Her fist flew through the air and caught the blond swordsman on the side of his head, sending him sprawling into the doorframe. "Don't you have any consideration for a young innocent girl who just woke up?" She clutched her arms over her chest and her pajama top so that her partner couldn't have seen anything even if he had tried.
"Owwww..." Gourry whined. He sat up and rubbed the bump on his head, ignoring the little fangs at the side of her mouth. "I'm sorry, Lina! I just wanted to show you this!"
The look of anger disappeared, and Lina noticed Gourry had a note just like hers. "Where did you find that?" she asked, taking the note from him and forgetting about beating him senseless.
"It was on my night stand!" he explained, struggling to stand up. "We've won a free vacation, Lina!"
"Free vacation?" she repeated. Her eyes scanned Gourry's letter. Sure enough, it explained that he had won a free vacation and included tickets to the finest hot spring resort in the world. "Where are the tickets, Gourry?"
"I put them in my pocket so I wouldn't lose them," he said proudly. "I guess you won the same thing! That's what it looks like."
"You're unusually bright this morning," Lina remarked. "Guess the sunlight opened your brain a bit. Well, let's see what mine says."
She opened her letter quickly and pulled out the note inside. "Dear Miss Lina Inverse," she read. "Congratulations! You have been selected to win one of our luxurious hot spring resort vacation packages by random drawing! This package includes a two-week's stay at the hot spring we have chosen to be the finest in the land. Meals, rooms and any activities will be paid for in full by our company!" Lina's eyes instantly turned to shiny stars. "Two weeks, paid in full?"
"Great deal, huh? I can't wait to taste the food!" Gourry grinned.
Lina practically tore into the envelope again to find the tickets and held hers up to read the hot spring resort title. Her look of joy instantly turned to one of surprise, then utter annoyance. "Mypross Island?!" she sputtered.
"I hear they have the best hot springs in the world!" Gourry beamed, proud that he could remember such information. "My grandfather used to live there! I can't wait to see the place. Dad always told us about it -" His sentence was cut short when Lina nailed him on the head again.
"You idiot! Those hot springs are just a rip off!"
"Huh?" Gourry stared at her, dumbfounded. "What are you talking about?"
Lina huffed and looked at the tickets again. "Never mind. Since it's a free vacation, maybe we should go. But that's the only reason," she frowned.
Gourry scratched his head. "I'd be really surprised if you didn't take something free, Lina."
Lina grinned at him. "Exactly! Lina Inverse would hate to break her track record of taking free things!" she exclaimed proudly. "Alright, off to Mypross Island! ...as soon as we eat breakfast and check out of the inn," she added with a wink.
~*~
The royal mail deliverer was escorted inside the palace's study, where he bowed low before the crowned princess of Seyruun. "Your Highness, I have a special letter for you!"
Amelia, who had been placing her stamp and signature on several important documents for her father, looked up from the polished desktop and smiled cheerfully at her messenger. "Oh? What is it?"
The man stood straight and smiled back before handing the sealed letter over. "I don't know who it's from, your Highness, but it is addressed to you."
"Hmm..." Amelia blinked and looked the letter over. He was right, there was no return address. She wondered whom it could be from. Then her eyes suddenly lit up. "Maybe it's from Mr. Zelgadis! Oh, wouldn't it be wonderful if he found a cure? Then he could come back and see me, and we could profess our true feelings!" she cried. Her fingers ripped the letter open with uncontainable excitement, but when she started to read the note, her face fell.
"I've won a free vacation to Mypross Island?" She couldn't have been more surprised if the letter had said her long-lost sister was returning home to take her rightful place in the kingdom. "But why? Oh, random drawings. That's odd." She looked at the tickets. "Well, I don't think I have anything planned these two weeks, and I do need a vacation from all this work... I'll have to ask daddy." Amelia smiled. "But I suppose a hot spring resort would be the perfect thing to relax!"
~*~
"What the hell is this?" Zelgadis glared at the messenger who had delivered the note. He was currently in the Southern Ruins, a land far to the below of the old barrier, having gone there on the rumors that a strange magical spell existed in one of the old temple libraries centuries abandoned. He had hoped it was a healing spell, but so far he hadn't found it.
The messenger just shrugged. "I was told to give it to Mr. Zelgadis Greywords, and I was given directions on how to find you."
"Who gave you the directions?"
"Some townspeople to the village north of here. Sorry sir, that's all I know."
"Fine, thanks." Zelgadis grumbled. He waited for the messenger to disappear back through the sandy dunes in the deserted land before he sat down on an old, fallen stone pillar to read the letter.
"If you want a cure for your body, you can find one on Mypross Island."
Zelgadis stared at the note. "Mypross Island?" He continued reading. "To help make this offer more enticing, you have been selected to win an all expenses paid vacation to the Island for two weeks!"
Zel nearly face faulted. "Two week paid vacation just to find a cure? What sort of trick is this?" he practically shouted to the note.
After his short rant, he crossed his arms and glared out across the desert, lost in thought as he mulled the note's information over. It was rather depressing out here, so far away from civilization and alone to top it off. Not that he particularly needed the company of friends, but it was sometimes welcome. He sighed and glanced back at the note. He hadn't found any clues for a cure yet, and he was getting antsy at this deserted temple. Going to a new location might be a good idea.
He was certain he'd read of Mypross Island before, so he racked his brain for what he could remember about the place. It was only accessible for roughly one month out of the year, due to high tides and extreme mists between the mainland and the island itself. It was said to have some strange magical power, as well as being the premier hot spring resort of the known world. The hot springs weren't that interesting to Zel, though. The strange magical power, on the other hand, was.
He recalled that the island was home to a faerie race, which was recorded to have died out long ago due to a demon race taking over. Perhaps the old faerie temples and ruins on the island would hold some information regarding special white magic cures and healing spells. Like the dragons, the faeries were descendents of the gods and could call on holy power. A smirk crossed Zelgadis' face as he made his decision, crazy as the back of his mind insisted it was. He grabbed his cloak, tossed it over his shoulders, and set out away from the temple to find the nearest seaport.
~*~
"Boss! Boss!"
Filia cringed at Jilias' voice. Did he always have to call her boss? It was unnerving, for Filia never considered herself anyone's boss! It had been almost two years since the defeat of Dark Star, and she still hadn't been able to break him of the habit. With that thought, she turned and gave Jilias a sickeningly sweet smile, put both hands on her hips and demanded, "What is it?"
He cowered a bit before this appearance, noting that her tail had popped out from under her long pink dress and was swishing with irritation behind her. One small fang peeked from under her lip too. "Um, sorry boss! But the mail's jus' come!" He meekly held out a letter. "It's addressed to you, boss!"
Filia took the letter and examined the handwriting critically. It was incredibly neat and extravagant, though it held no return address - just her name. In fact, if she didn't know better, it almost looked like a dragon's handwriting. Her blue eyes blinked. But it must just be a coincidence, for she was the last of the golden dragons left, and Valgaav was the last of the Ancients. Carefully opening the letter, she began to read.
"Congratulations. You have been selected in a random drawing to win a trip to the hot spring resorts on Mypross Island. This trip includes board, meals and any activities you so desire. All expenses have been paid."
"Wow, boss!" Jilias beamed. "You won a vacation! Isn't that great news?"
"I think it's a little strange," Filia admitted. "I didn't put my name into any random drawings!"
"Oh, that doesn't matter," Jilias waved a hand to the side. "Maybe someone else put your name in for you! And the point is, you won! You deserve a vacation! You've been working hard lately, keeping the store clean and watching Lord Valgaav!"
"A vacation might be nice," Filia agreed. She looked back at the letter. "I'm sure the hot springs are just lovely, too."
"I'm sure they are. And you can leave the shop in our hands, Miss Filia! We don't mind one bit! We'll even watch Lord Valgaav for you -"
Filia shook her head and cut him off. "No, I'll take Valgaav with me. He's my responsibility, and I couldn't leave him behind." She noticed that Jilias looked rather crestfallen at this decision, so she promptly added, "But you can take two weeks off too, Jilias! In fact, I insist that you do. Don't worry about the shop. Just take a couple of weeks off and relax. You've been working as hard as I have."
His eyes grew large and shimmering, and he clasped his hands in front of him. "Do you really mean it, Boss?"
Filia giggled. "Of course I mean it! Take a two week vacation, Jilias."
Jilias let out a happy cry before running into the main part of the Filia's antique shop, babbling about what he was going to do with his sudden vacation time. Filia smiled after him for a few minutes. Then she looked back at her note, made a careful remembrance of the days allotted on the tickets, and hurried to mark them on her calendar.
~*~
Meanwhile, back in the Lord of Nightmare's grand hall, Xelloss had reappeared to update the monster world on his progress and his personal plans.
"I've given letters to Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, the Crowned Princess of Seyruun, and Zelgadis Greywers. They should all be on their way to Mypross Island this weekend! By doing this, I'll have them all in one place, and carrying out your plan should be much easier, my Lord!"
"An interesting place," The Lord of Nightmares mused. "Home to faerie spirits, old temples, and a rip-off hot spring resort. How long have you arranged them to stay there, Xelloss?"
"Two weeks."
She nodded at this, than stole a glance at Milgazia, who was standing beside Zelas. He gave her a quick, curt nod to assure he'd done the same for Filia, and the Lord of Nightmares smiled.
It was then that Xelloss noticed his master and the golden dragon standing in the shadows. His eyebrow twitched and he closed both eyes before asking in an overly polite manner, "Pray tell, what is one of the golden dragons doing in your presence, Mother?"
The Lord of Nightmares frowned. "Milgazia is here on my request regarding another problem I dealing with. Oh, don't worry Xelloss, it has nothing to do with you and your mission."
"I just didn't expect to see a dragon near this many monsters," he smirked. "After all, the Golden Dragon, Filia, hates monsters, you know. And the entire monster race hates the dragons! I'm surprised to see Beastmaster standing so close to him!"
Milgazia remained as calm and collected as he could, though his aura did seem a bit frightened to be on such a dangerous astroplane.
Zelas stepped between him and Xelloss quickly, before any more words could be exchanged. "You have work to do, Xelloss. The Lord of Nightmares probably would not appreciate laziness in such an important mission," she stated sharply. "Milgazia's reasons for being here are not your concern."
"Of course, Beastmaster." He bowed and vanished instantly, not wishing to make either Zelas or the Mother of All Things angry. Zelas, on the other hand, smirked the moment he was gone.
"Lord of Nightmares," she purred, "I hope this lie works on him. He is very smart, after all." She grinned wickedly and glanced sideways at the throne.
"I think it'll work," The Lord of Nightmares smiled, "because he will not question his master and the Mother of All Things. Milgazia, how is your task coming?"
He bowed politely. "Filia, the former Golden Dragon Priestess, is on her way to Mypross Island as we speak. I assume I was to follow Xelloss' plan in that manner."
Zelas conjured a decorative, plush velvet chair and sat down, crossing her legs so that her bangles jingled softly and echoed in the hall. Once she was comfortable, she pulled out a cigarette. "Excellent. I would say this plan is working well so far."
"We still have a while to wait. Until then," The Lord of Nightmares touched her holographic image and watched a scene swirl into play, "we can enjoy the show. Milgazia, would you like to stay and watch?" A second chair was conjured beside Zelas in an inviting manner.
He looked uncertain for a moment, but finally settled down. "I might as well," he sighed. "There's nothing as interesting as this on Dragon's Peak. And you might need my power with Filia later."
"Excellent," The Lord of Nightmares laughed.
At that exact moment, Lina and Gourry just happened to be on a large ship headed for Mypross Island, giving the Lord of Nightmares a nice view of their typical daily interaction. They had finished a huge dinner, and were yawning and walking towards their cabin for the night.
"I hope the food on Mypross is better than what we ate this evening," he grumbled.
"Mypross has a lot of seafood," Lina shrugged, crossing her arms behind her head as she walked. "Some of it is really good, but some dishes, like jellyfish and octopus, get really disgusting after a while."
"What are the hot springs like?" He held the door open for her and she entered their small cabin.
"They're a rip-off, but they still aren't bad. It's a nice place to relax. Don't you know any of this?" She frowned and sat down on the bed to take her cloak and gloves off.
Gourry shook his head. "Not really. I never knew my grandfather, and dad didn't tell me much about Mypross. After he was given the Sword of Light, he moved to the mainland and married mom. I guess my grandfather died on the island. Hey, do you think he might still be alive?" Gourry's face lit up with hope. Just the sight of it made Lina feel bad as she recalled her memories from the first time she'd traveled to the island.
"I don't know," she lied, toying with her glove. "But I doubt it. Mypross had a lot of bad things happen to it once."
"Bad things?" He sat down on his bed and began stripping his armor off. "What sort of bad things?"
"Well, demons for instance. They once ran the island over and killed a lot of people."
"That's terrible! I wonder why no one ever told me?"
"They probably did, and you forgot," Lina muttered. She curled up on her side, putting her back to him. "But I think you'll like the island."
"I hope so," Gourry yawned. "Will we get there tomorrow morning?"
"We should."
"Too bad Amelia and Zel couldn't join us," he babbled, laying down and sliding both hands under his head.
"Yea, a real shame. Now go to sleep, Gourry. I need my beauty rest. And don't you dare say anything about that remark, do you hear me?"
"Alright, alright!" Gourry rolled over. "Night, Lina! See you in the morning!"
What Gourry and Lina didn't know was that Amelia and Zelgadis were both on their way to Mypross Island as well. The Princess of Seryuun had gotten permission from her father to take the vacation, and requested a small royal ship to transport her to the island. Zelgadis had hopped aboard the first vessel he could find, which turned out to be a shipping boat. Not that he cared. He enjoyed the privacy he had aboard such a ship.
And last, but definitely not least, Filia and little Valgaav had rented some fancy accommodations on board cruise ship. Valgaav was as excited as his adopted mother was. Technically, he was only two years old, since he'd hatched shortly after Dark Star's defeat, but because he was a dragon, he looked to be around three years old in human form and could already talk and carry on a childish conversation.
When Filia tucked him into bed that night, she hoped he wouldn't talk too much, and whispered for him to have sweet dreams. Her other hope was that the ocean's soft sounds might lull him to sleep quickly.
He looked up at her with heavy eyes and yawned. "Mama, how much longer do we have to go?"
"We'll be there tomorrow morning," Filia smiled. Then her voice grew stern. "And remember what I told you, Valgaav. Don't turn into a dragon around the humans! They'll get scared and they might do something bad to you! Besides, you fly too fast already, and it's harder for me to keep up with you. So no transforming, understand?"
"Yes, mama!" he replied obediently.
Filia pressed a finger to her lips trying to think of anything else to say. Nothing came to mind, so she brushed Valgaav's sea-green hair away from his eyes. "Now, go to sleep."
He nodded energetically before shutting his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Filia yawned herself and crawled into bed beside him. As she drifted to sleep, she realized just how tired she really was. Jilias had been right - she definitely was in need of a vacation and a chance to relax. A smile crossed her lips as she imagined the fun she would have on Mypross Island, without any worries except keeping an eye on little Valgaav.
What she didn't know was that all the Slayers were on the same path she was - and nothing went normal when the Slayers were together. Had Filia known that, she might would have turned around and headed back to her antique shop... But the ocean's waves soon rocked her to sleep as well, and the night gave her dreams about the wonderful vacation she thought she was about to have.
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