It was summertime in the forest. The sunlight shone brightly through the trees and dappled the forest floor with lacy patterns of black and gold. A mild breeze made the leaves rustle, cooling the comfortably warm air, and the sky was the most beautiful shade of cornflower blue, accented by the puffy white clouds that scurried across it. The air was filled with good smells, and the sweet sound of birdsong. Carrot Glace would have thought it a perfect day, had he and his companions not been hopelessly lost.

�Dammit, where ARE we??� Carrot cried, slumping against a tree. Marron, his beautiful, long-haired younger brother, peered at the map he held in his elegant hands and then glanced around with deep golden eyes.

�I do not know. This is the direction in which we should be travelling to get to the village Big Mama wanted us to go to, but I do not see any of the landmarks that are indicated on the map. We were following it correctly and then suddenly . . . we were not.�

�Let me see that,� growled Gateau Mocha. The big, buff, blue-eyed blond snatched the map out of Marron�s hands and held it close to his face, glaring at it. His face scrunched up as he scrutinized the paper, thick eyebrows drawing together and mouth curved downward into a dark frown.

Marron tucked his hands into the wide sleeves of his robe and watched his muscular friend, a small smile playing across his face. Carrot tried not to gag.

�Aw, this doesn�t make any sense at all!� Gateau cried.

�Of course not,� Marron said softly. �The map makes no sense at all. . . when you read it upside down.�

Gateau blinked, frowned, and shoved the map back at Marron. �Well, anyway, reading stuff is your job, not mine. I just have to protect your scrawny ass.�

�I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Gateau,� Marron replied coolly, bending over slightly to smooth the map against his thigh. �I believe I have proved it on numerous occasions.�

Chocolate Misu rushed to Carrot�s side, reddish-brown hair fluttering behind her, tears in her eyes. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her well-endowed body against him, letting out a forlorn squeal as Carrot wrinkled his nose.

�Oh, Darling,� she whined, �what are we going to do? We are soooo lost!�

�Get ahold of yourself, sister,� Tira said quietly, adjusting her large, glittering eyeglasses. �I'm sure that everything will be all right.�

�Quite,� said Marron, casting a smile in the pink-haired woman�s direction. �I am sure we will stumble across the right path somehow . . . perhaps we will encounter a town soon, and they can tell us where we are.�

�We can only hope,� Carrot grumbled, trying to push Chocolate off of him.

�Well, if we are going to get anywhere, then we�d better be on our way!� Tira adjusted her voluminous red cloak and began to stride down the narrow dirt path. Marron glanced at the map one last time, and then he sighed, folding it neatly as he walked after Tira. Gateau followed on his heels like a rather large, doting puppy, peering into the trees around them almost as if expecting some kind of threat to come crashing through the underbrush. Carrot tried one last time to disentangle himself from Chocolate�s embrace, but she continued to cling to him and coo in his ear. He heaved a resigned sigh and then stumbled forward, dragging Chocolate with him as he sought to catch up with the rest of the group.

�Do you see anything, Amelia?� Lina Inverse shaded her chestnut-colored eyes from the bright sunlight and looked up at the girl perching in the topmost branches of a tall pine tree.

Amelia Will Tesla Seyruun stood very still as a breeze lifted a few locks of her shoulder-length black hair, biting her lip as her eyes roved over the landscape.

�Nnnno, Miss Lina,� she called down hesitantly. �Nothing looks familiar, nothing!�

�Strange,� murmured Zelgadis Graywords, leaning against the tree that served as Amelia�s current �pillar�. �We�ve traveled this way so many times, and now, suddenly, we get lost?� He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Gourry Gabriev looked from Zelgadis to Lina and back, lifting one large hand to scratch his mop of golden hair. �Ummmm . . . where are we?�

�We don�t know, Gourry,� Lina grumbled, looking around slowly at the forest surrounding the path.

�But I thought we were going to Seyruun?�

Lina sighed. �We were, Gourry.�

�Then why are we here?�

�We don�t know, Gourry. We�re lost.�

�Oh.� The blond swordsman scratched his head again. �But how could we get lost? We come this way all the time!�

�We don�t know that either, Gourry. By the way, nice shortcut, Amelia!�

�Hey!� Amelia cried, glaring down at the red-haired woman. �I knew that short cut just as well as I knew the main path, and you know it. I don�t know what happened, but this isn�t my fault, Miss Lina!�

Lina sighed, throwing her hands into the air. Continuing to lean on the tree, Zelgadis lifted his eyes from their position on the ground and gazed at Lina, a pensive expression on his face.

�Lina, on the path back there, I got a rather odd feeling. Almost like the feeling I get when entering sub-space. Did you feel that as well?� Zelgadis said quietly.

Lina blinked. �Actually . . . actually, I did. You think we might have stumbled through some magic portal or something? Into another dimension, or a pocket of sub-space?�

�It would explain how we got lost on a path we know like the back of our hands.� Zelgadis pushed himself off of the tree and moved toward Lina, crossing his arms over his chest. �Of course, it does not explain how we will get out.�

Lina looked at Zelgadis, and then up at Amelia, who was still scouring the landscape with her dark blue eyes.

�Nothing?� Lina cried.

�No, nothing yet . . .� Amelia called back. �There�s . . . wait, there�s a river . . . it�s not where it�s supposed to be, but . . .�

�But if we follow the river, maybe we�ll find a village!� Lina snapped her fingers. �So we�ll go that way!�

The Sorcerer Hunters walked along the riverbank, all strung out into their usual order: Carrot heading the group with purposeful strides, Chocolate clinging to him, Tira walking behind the pair with the expression in her eyes concealed by the glare of her glasses, and a little further back the sedate Marron and his rather large, blond shadow Gateau.

Marron glanced over at the glimmering surface of the rushing water, admiring it for a moment. �If we follow this river long enough, perhaps we will come to a village,� he murmured, somewhat distracted.

�I sure hope so . . .� Carrot grumbled. �Not a whole lot of pretty girls running around in the woods, are there?�

�But Daaarling!� Chocolate whined. �What do you need to chase those pretty girls for when you have me right here?�

Grumbling something unkind under his breath, the older Glace brother tried to detatch her from around his waist. Chocolate whined and clung to him as tightly as a barnacle to a ship�s hull.

�What do those girls have that I don�t have?� she cried. �I can fulfill your every desire!�

�Sister, behave yourself!� Tira scolded.

Marron softly chuckled, shaking his head, and Gateau rolled his eyes dramatically.

Suddenly Carrot froze in mid-stride, and Tira had to pull Chocolate away before she took advantage of the young man�s pause to do something inappropriate. The older Glace brother tilted his head back slightly; his brown eyes slipping closed as he inhaled deeply.

Carrot almost seemed to resemble a bloodhound scenting the air for game as he stood there, a slightly enraptured look on his face. And then his mouth began to twist into a rather large, mischievous smile.

�I smell . . . I smell . . .�

�Carrot?� Tira queried, her hands still firmly grasping Chocolate�s arm.

�I smell . . . women!!!� With that, Carrot took off down the riverbank, screaming incoherently.

�Carrot!!�

�Darling!!�

�Brother?�

�That little perv.�

�Well wherever we are, it sure is pretty . . .� Amelia sighed, looking around slowly. �Look at how the sunlight sparkles on the river!�

�Yeah,� said Gourry, smiling.

Lina opened her mouth to reply, and then she blinked as the faint sound of screaming reached her ears.

�What�s that?� she asked, glancing towards the sound.

�Is someone in trouble?� Zelgadis grasped the hilt of his sword.

�If they are, then we will save them. For Justice!� Amelia thrust her fist triumphantly towards the sky, index finger extended.

Gourry placed his hand lightly on his own weapon, the fabled Sword of Light. �Umm . . . yeah.�

As a group they turned to face the direction that the noise was coming from, watching the underbrush warily as it seemed to draw closer, growing louder and louder . . . sounding more masculine and more obnoxious as it got closer. They all blinked as one as the possessor of the voice burst through the trees, a skinny, muscular young man with his arms and legs flying, wild black hair sticking out in all directions, brown eyes wide and tongue lolling out of his mouth.

�OH PRETTY GIIIIIIIIRL!�

Amelia blinked again. Zelgadis� mouth dropped open. Gourry almost fell over. And Lina did the first thing that popped into her head . . .

�FIREBALL!!!�

Carrot skidded to a stop, his eyes widening the moment before the ball of magical flame reached the point of impact . . . namely, his torso. The explosion slammed into him, tossing him backward through the air, and then he cried out sharply as he crashed to the ground in a heap of smoking flesh and clothing. The other Sorcerer Hunters burst out of the underbrush just in time to see him hit the ground, groaning. Carrot�s companions stared down at the young man�s charred body, and then looked up at the other group, blinking in shock, and the others stared back at them. Suddenly the silence was broken by a low, rumbling growl.

�Oh, no,� Marron groaned.

�RrrrrrrRRRRROOOOOOAAARRRRR!!!!� Carrot�s body spasmed strangely as he began to transform, the magic of the fireball spell triggering his zooanthropy. His skin rippled strangely, bones popping with a sickening sound as he began to grow in size, tufts of brown fur sprouting all over his body. He threw his head back, his nose and mouth extending into a muzzle lined with razor sharp teeth, snarling loudly as bony, twisted horns burst out from either side of his head, thrusting out straight and then curving upwards towards the sky as brassy, gleaming strips of metal wrapped around them. He stretched out his fingers as they thickened, nails extending into wicked black claws, his body still growing in size and now completely covered in dark brown fur. Carrot threw back his head again as he towered over the trees, a monstrous, slobbering beast, his eyes glowing red like hot coals. Roaring again, he turned his massive head towards the strangers.

Amelia fainted.

Zelgadis growled softly, releasing his grip on his sword to draw his hands back, concentrating on a spell.

�Elmekia . . .�

�Oh no you don�t!�

Zelgadis cried out in shock as an expertly-thrown thread of razor-wire tore through his sleeve, jerking his arm backwards and pinning it to the trunk of a tree. He looked up in confusion and saw a young woman glaring at him, wearing a pair of loose black pants slung almost dangerously low on her hips and a red top that barely covered her ample chest, leaving very little to the imagination. She met his gaze, her eyes half-hidden by the fall of her auburn hair and the bill of her leather cap. And then the woman smiled at him wickedly, tugging on the wire with her red-gloved hands and catching a bit of it alluringly between her teeth.

�Nobody hurts my darling but me,� Chocolate purred.

Gourry whipped the Sword of Light out of its sheath, flicking his wrist easily and snapping off the detachable metal blade, holding the seemingly harmless, ornate hilt in his hand for a moment before he commanded the mystical blade to burst forth in all its blazing blue-white brilliance. The sword glowed brightly and hummed with power as he rushed towards the woman threatening Zelgadis, snarling.

Chocolate turned towards the blond swordsman with yet another smile and then leaped upward into a backflip, the garrote whistling through the air as she jerked it back towards her.

Gourry blinked as the strange woman landed up in one of the high branches of a tree, in almost as much shock as Zelgadis had been. But he quickly regained his senses enough to dodge as the man-turned-beast swiped a massive paw at him.

�Flare arrow!� Lina cried, firing off another spell.

As the points of flame rushed towards the bestial Carrot, Marron ran a few steps forward, his robe and hair flying. He whispered a word and flung a scrap of paper into the air, towards the strange sorceress� spell. There was a brief flash of light, and suddenly the flare arrows had vanished almost as if they had never existed. The ofuda drifted towards the ground, the paper crumbling into dust and ash before it even touched the grass. The small red-haired woman stared at Marron incredulously, and he offered her a small, wry smile. Then he swiftly reached into his robes, preparing another spell just in case she decided to attack again.

Gourry turned and looked around, confused by all of the action around him. He saw Zelgadis fending off the strange young woman once again; the chimera�s sword deflecting each arc of the razor-garrote as it came towards him, even as another pink-haired woman crept closer and closer, wielding an impossibly huge wooden mallet. Torn for a moment, half-moving to protect Lina while his blue eyes remained locked on his other friend�s struggle, and also aware of Amelia�s helpless body behind him, the blond swordsman froze. And then he heard Lina cry out her spell, turned his head just in time to see it fizzle in midair, the threat of the long-haired stranger all too close to her for Gourry�s comfort. The swordsman growled, and his weapon blazed and vibrated in his grasp, the Sword of Light responding to his heightened emotional state, the light flashing and brilliant as he shifted his weight forward and charged.

Marron blinked, frozen for a moment by the blond warrior�s fierce cry as the tall man came closer and closer to him. And then he felt more than saw a large shape loom behind him, falling back a step and keeping a careful eye on the sorceress as Gateau moved to engage the attacking warrior.

The powerful blond Sorcerer Hunter ran forward, legs moving like pistons, propelling him towards his opponent. The swordsman swung his blade, the air behind it thrumming and glowing with raw energy, but Gateau ducked with a grace belied by his large frame. Gateau�s powerful legs drove him forward as he continued to hold his body low, his armored shoulder slamming into the other blonde�s stomach. Thrusting himself upright, he sent the swordsman flying head over heels through the air, and then Gateau whirled about, dropping into a wary half-crouch. His hair streaming behind him, the swordsman flipped in midair and landed lightly on his feet, shifting into a crouch as well, pale blue eyes meeting eyes just as pale and just as blue across the tense air and the distance that separated them.

�Now, Tira,� the raven-haired young man commanded.

�Right!� Tira said brightly, pulling off her gleaming glasses. She stepped easily out of her red high heels, lifting her chin and taking a deep breath. Quickly she loosened her wavy hair, shaking it out for a moment as she unclasped her voluminous red cloak and let it drop to the ground behind her, offering Marron a rather saucy wink. Then she giggled and bounded towards the Carrot-beast.

Gourry and Zelgadis were struck dumb yet again as she flew forward, laughing insanely and uncoiling her whip. Her scanty gold and white costume gleamed in the sunlight as she vaulted into the air, and her reddish-pink hair flowed out behind her.

�Come on, Carrot! It�s time to take your medicine!� Tira screeched.

Carrot turned to look at her and screamed, his red eyes widening in terror. Tira laughed, snapping the whip at his back. Carrot let out a wild screech and tried to run from her, his huge arms pinwheeling, knocking trees over left and right.

Gateau jumped sideways and dropped into a roll as a huge furry foot slammed into the ground where he had been standing. He and the other blond glanced towards each other for a moment, and then Gateau got to his feet and ran to keep from being trampled. He skidded to a stop next to a rather old, gnarled tree, glancing back just in time to see the swordsman dive into a cluster of bushes.

�Princess Princess Princess Princess!� Carrot screeched, still trying to escape. Tira only laughed and continued to whip him.

Their eyes as wide as saucers, Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis�s jaws were practically dragging on the ground. Zelgadis shook his head rapidly, gaining his senses enough to grab Amelia�s prone body and drag her a safe distance away from the chaos.

Marron drew another ward out of his robes, holding it close to his jaw for a moment as he closed his eyes and began to concentrate. His lips moved in a soundless chant, and the symbols on the ofuda began to glow. He ran a few steps forward, his long, dark hair flying, his arm jerking outward. Almost effortlessly his long, thin fingers tossed the scrap of paper into the empty space, and it streaked through the air towards Carrot, it�s path as straight as an arrow. The ofuda hit the beast squarely on the rump, glowing brilliantly as it began to suck the magical energy out of him. Slowly, gradually, Carrot began to revert back to himself.

Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis glanced back and forth between each other as the other group began to slowly gather around the rapidly shrinking beast.

�Who are they?� Gourry asked, his eyes darting towards his massive blond opponent once again.

�I saw how he absorbed your spell, Lina . . .� Zelgadis murmured, gazing speculatively at the long-haired young man�s back.

�Are you sure that�s even a he???� Lina arched a brow at Zel.

Marron dropped to his knee next to the fully-restored Carrot, placing his hand gently on his brother�s shoulder as Carrot began to rouse.

�Are they sorcerers?� Gateau asked, glancing over his shoulder at the diminutive, fiery woman and her companions.

�The red-head and that odd-looking man seemed to have spell-casting abilities,� Tira murmured, fastening her cloak again and slipping on her silvery glasses.

�Odd looking, indeed,� Marron murmured, turning to look at the man Tira had indicated with his deep golden eyes.

�Also, the girl who fainted has magical symbols on her clothing,� Tira continued.

�But they don�t have the sorcerer�s mark,� said Chocolate.

�It doesn�t seem like they want to hurt us,� Gateau mused.

Carrot coughed. �Oh really? Seemed like they wanted to hurt me pretty bad!�

�Well, that�s what you get for chasing girls again!� Tira snapped, smacking Carrot in the back of the head.

�Ow!�

�Perhaps they know where we are . . .� Marron stood up slowly, fixing each of his companions with a long, questioning gaze. When he received no protests, Marron turned and moved slowly towards the other group, who were too busy trying to rouse the dark-haired girl on the ground to notice his approach.

�Um . . . Hello,� Marron said quietly. The three conscious members of the group looked up quickly, and the Sorcerer Hunter smiled politely and bowed. �I must apologize for my brother . . . sometimes he can be quite irrational.�

�That guy is your brother?� Gourry asked, surprised.

Marron nodded, straightening again, his golden eyes flicking straight to Tira�s �odd-looking� man. He couldn�t help but stare at the young man, fascinated by the pale blue skin and indigo hair, and the rocky clusters on the other man�s cheek and chin and around his single visible eye. A small smile tugged at the corner of Marron�s mouth at how the other�s hair fell almost endearingly to cover half of his face, at how the strange man�s lips parted softly as he stared back into Marron�s golden eyes.

Zelgadis turned away from the sudden scrutiny, heat creeping up his neck and across his face as a deep red blush colored his cheeks. He found himself suddenly, vehemently wishing he�d chosen this day to wear his mask and his hood, but somehow, in some part of him, he wanted to turn and let the other young man stare at him again, to meet that almost unsettling amber gaze.

Marron unconsciously caught his bottom lip between his teeth and nibbled it as the other man turned away, berating himself inside his mind for staring at the rather exotic creature and upsetting him. He did not see the other�s blush as he blushed as well, dropping his gaze to the ground, red flowers blooming on the smooth ivory of his cheeks.

Lina glanced from one to the other and wrinkled her nose. �Who are you, anyway?� she snapped.

�Just a traveler. My comrades and I are lost, and we were hoping that you would know where we were.�

�You guys are lost, too??� Gourry asked, blinking his large blue eyes.

�Shut up, Gourry,� Lina snarled, punching Gourry on the shoulder.

�Hey!� Gourry cried, wincing and rubbing the now bruised spot.

Marron turned his depthless golden eyes on the tall blond swordsman, his smooth brow furrowing slightly as he drew his thin black eyebrows together. �You do not know where we are as well?�

Lina sighed and rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the dark-haired young man. �Yeah, we have no idea where this place is. One minute we knew exactly where we were, and the next, poof! We don�t.�

�We think we might have traveled through some inter-dimensional portal,� the blue-skinned man intoned quietly, still not looking up, and Marron turned his head quickly towards him, surprised at the rich warmth of his voice.

�Interesting,� the young Sorcerer Hunter murmured, lifting a hand to thoughtfully rub his chin. �I will tell the others what you have told me. Thank you.� He offered them all a faint smile, bowed, and turned away from them.

Lina and Gourry stared at his white-clad back as he walked back to his own group, and then turned to look at each other incredulously. Zelgadis lifted his head slightly, peering covertly over his shoulder.

�Who the heck are they?� Lina screeched, placing her hands firmly on her hips and scowling.

�I don�t know,� Zelgadis said quietly, watching the strange young man�s back. �But that man who turned into a monster . . . those two crazy women . . . very unusual. And as for that sorcerer, or whatever he is, I have never seen that kind of magic before.� Or such beautiful eyes, and beautiful hair, he added inside his own mind. �You would think that we would encounter such people upon our travels, or we would have at least heard of them.�

�What are you saying, Zelgadis? That they�re from another world or something?�

�Well, I suppose it is possible . . . if a portal to sub-space opened in our world, why couldn�t one open in theirs?�

�How did we all end up in the same place, though?� Gourry asked.

�They might have gotten the same idea as us, to follow the river,� Lina replied.

�Ooooooh . . .� Amelia stirred, her eyelids fluttering. �Ooh, what happened?�

�You missed a pretty interesting fight,� Gourry chuckled, grinning down at her.

Amelia blinked, sitting up and rubbing her head. �I did? Oh, darn it! Why do I always miss the good stuff?�

�Because you�re a wimp.� Lina smirked, poking Amelia�s turned-up nose.

�I am not, Miss Lina, and you know it!�

�Then why did you faint at the sight of that monster?�

�I . . . I didn�t faint, I was resting my eyes!�

�Oh, su-ure.� Lina rolled her eyes.

Zelgadis cringed slightly as the two women began arguing heatedly behind him, leaving it to Gourry to pull them apart as he continued his scrutiny of the stranger who had come over to speak to them. His mind lingered on how the young man had looked at him, not with disgust as some did, but with an almost childlike curiosity . . . He suddenly found himself wondering how old the other was, and how he could have been born with such uncommon, effeminate beauty while his brother was so wiry and sloppy looking. They looked nothing alike, save that they had black hair, but even that was different: the white-robed stranger�s was long and silky and lustrous, and his brother�s was shorter and wild, sticking up in all directions. Zelgadis suddenly found himself consumed with curiosity about the other man, about his almost unearthly beauty and the strange magic he used.

�Ooooo . . .� Amelia gasped, staring across the distance at the other group of people. Her dark blue eyes lit first on the blond, lingering on the massive man�s bare biceps, and then flickering over the black leather vest and the green shirt stretched tight across his powerful chest before she looked up at his face. Then she bit her lip and glanced at the one who�d turned into a monster, who wasn�t too bad looking in his own right, with his sweet face, muscular frame, and soft brown eyes. Then her eyes fell on the young man dressed all in white, and her mouth fell open.

�Who is that???� she gasped. �W . . . who are they?�

�We don�t know that yet, Amelia,� Gourry said, looking down at her again.

�Yeah, but I�m going to find out . . . right now.� Lina put her hands firmly on her hips and stalked towards the strange group without sparing a glance for her own companions.

Tira elbowed Gateau and Chocolate threw her arms around Carrot�s neck as they noticed the red-haired woman�s approach. Marron turned to face her, giving another polite bow, while the others just stared at her in silence.

Lina stopped a few feet away from them, taking her hands off of her hips to cross her arms over her chest and eye each one of the strangers in turn.

�Just who the heck are you guys, anyway?� she asked sharply.

�Oh, well, we�re . . . uhhh . . .� Gateau trailed off, scratching his head.

�Simple travelers,� Tira offered.

Lina turned her calculating gaze back to the one who�d turned into a monster and the young man cringed, a small whimper escaping through his clenched teeth. Then she turned to the golden-eyed stranger and narrowed her eyes slightly.

�You don�t seem all that simple to me. And you don�t look much like travelers.�

Marron blinked, pinned by the sudden scrutiny of her gaze, and Gateau took a step toward her with a low growl.

�If you do not mind our asking,� Tira said softly, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, �just who are you?�

�Me?� Lina lifted one hand to flip her fiery red hair back off of her shoulders. �Why, I�m Lina Inverse, fabulous and beautiful sorceress extraordinaire!�

�Beautiful?� snorted Gateau. An animalistic growl tore from Lina�s throat as her lips curled back into a snarl, and Marron had to step between them to keep the red-haired woman from punching the big blond in the face.

�It is nice to meet you, Lina Inverse. My name is Marron Glace.� Marron gave her one of his most endearing smiles, his golden gaze pouring like warm honey into the depths of her red-brown eyes.

Lina blinked, her breath catching for a moment in her throat, and then she stammered a bit, casting her eyes down at the ground. She mumbled something that sounded vaguely like, �Nice to meet ya, Marron,� as a faint rose-colored blush crept across her cheeks.

Gateau snorted a second time and glanced at Carrot, who rolled his eyes dramatically.

�Yeah, yeah, yeah, that�s Marron, I�m Carrot, that�s Tira, Chocolate, and Gateau. Enough with the introductions already! Jeez�� Carrot grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest.

�But Lina Inverse�s friends have not been introduced to us yet,� Tira pointed out softly, adjusting her glasses.

Lina glanced up at the mention of her name, giving Marron a scathing look for a moment before jabbing a gloved finger in the general direction of her companions. �Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis. What more do you need to know?�

Gateau blinked, a slight frown crossing his rugged features as he looked up into the sky. The heavens were beginning to turn red gold, like leaves in autumn, and the clouds were the color of war. Violet fingers of twilight already were beginning to creep over the eastern horizon, and stars flashed into being like signal-fires in the night. He cocked his head slightly to the side, running his fingers through his short blond hair. �It�s getting late.�

Tira, Marron, Chocolate, and Carrot all looked up as well, Chocolate taking advantage of the older Glace brother�s distraction to creep closer to him and slip her arms around his waist.

�Yea, it is�� Lina placed her hands firmly on her hips and frowned thoughtfully. �We�re going to have to set up camp for the night.�

�Marron told us that you and your friends were lost, too, and under the same odd circumstances as we were,� Tira said, stepping closer to Lina and tucking her hands into the folds of her red robe. �Maybe it would be best for us to stick together. I think all of us would be able to find the solution to the problem than each of our groups separately.�

Lina arched a brow, looking from her reflection in Tira�s huge, silvery glasses to Carrot struggling to detach Chocolate from him, and she wrinkled her nose slightly. Then her eyes traveled to Marron, who was standing and looking almost meditatively at a spot over her shoulder, his gaze distant, his thin fingers wound together and his hands folded across the front of his robe. Lastly she looked at Gateau, who was openly and rather unabashedly staring at Marron, his mouth curved into an odd, unnerving smile. Lina shuddered and then let her gaze fall back upon Tira�s face once again.

�I don�t suppose it would kill us to team up.�

�This place is as good as any to set up camp,� Zelgadis said suddenly from where he had come to stand behind Lina. The red-haired sorceress nearly fell over in shock at hearing him so close to her and turned to pin him with an angry glare.

�Right,� Tira said, nodding. �So I guess we�d better get started.�

�I�ll get the firewood!� Gateau cried, bounding off into the forest.

�I�m starving,� Gourry whimpered, rubbing a hand over his stomach. �Do you guys have anything to eat?�

�No, but I could find us something,� Marron murmured, already taking a few steps away from them and toward the trees.

�Yeah, well, hurry up, Marron! Don�t be all day about it�. Dammit, Chocolate, get offa me!!! How the hell �m I supposed to make a fire or something when you�re hanging on me like that?�

�I�ve got your fire right here, Darling!�

�Sister, behave yourself!�

Lina, Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis all exchanged looks, brows arched in some speculation. They all had a feeling that it was going to be a long night.

�Mmm, that fish was delicious!� Gourry said, leaning back against the thick bole of an ancient tree and stretching his muscular arms over his head.

�Yeah, I�m stuffed. You�re a good cook, Miss Tira,� said Amelia, curling up on her blanket roll and rubbing her stomach.

Tira smiled at the dark-haired girl as she pulled off her oversized glasses and polished the lenses with a corner of her red cloak. �Well, I try. Thank you, Amelia.�

Carrot wriggled closer to the fire, pulling his blanket more tightly around his shoulders and holding his hands out towards the leaping flames. �Gah, it�s getting awfully chilly��

�I can keep you warm, Darling!� Chocolate snuggled up to Carrot from behind, slipping her arms around Carrot�s waist and pressing herself against his back.

Lina glanced up from her reclining position on her blankets and the spell book she�d been flipping through. �Do you ever stop?� she asked sharply, frowning at Carrot and his auburn-haired leech.

�Do I ever stop what?� Chocolate blinked at her innocently. Lina heaved a great sigh, rolling her eyes before she turned her gaze back down to the ancient, yellowed page of the book before her.

Gateau crashed out of the underbrush and glanced around with his pale azure eyes, his gaze flitting quickly over the two combined groups. His shirt and leather vest were clutched tightly in one hand, his opposite arm curled around a final load of firewood, and his tanned skin gleamed in the ruddy glow of the fire with a slight sheen of sweat, accentuating every well-defined muscle in his powerful torso. Amelia�s eyes widened, and she looked like she might faint.

�Hey� where�s Marron?� Gateau looked almost ready to pout as he glanced around the gathering a second time.

�Wandered off somewhere, like usual,� Carrot grumbled, glancing up at him. �Aren�t you cold?�

�It isn�t cold tonight, idiot,� Gateau grumbled, dropping his stack of wood onto the pile with the rest of the kindling. He stalked past Carrot and Chocolate to flop gracelessly onto his bedroll, grumbling and frowning moodily into the fire.

Lina looked up at Carrot a second time, one thin, fire red brow arched slightly. �Oh, you have one of those, too?� She waved her hand loftily at those gathered around the fire.

Carrot glanced around at each of the faces lit by the warm red glow of the campfire and then blinked his large brown eyes as he noticed that another was missing besides his brother. �Hey, where�s that funny-looking guy?�

�Mister Zelgadis isn�t funny looking!� Amelia snapped, finally tearing her gaze away from the careful study of Gateau�s musculature. �It�s not his fault that he�s a chimera� and besides, it�s cool!�

Tira leaned back against a large rock, her gaze hidden beneath the silvery gleam of her glasses. �You don�t suppose they�ve gone off somewhere together, do you?�

Gateau blinked, his eyes widening for a moment, and then his frown deepened into a scowl.

�Marron? Nah� if he doesn�t have his �alone-time�, I think he�d go crazy.� Carrot snorted. �My weird little brother��

�Zelgadis is the same way, I think,� Gourry mused, scratching his head thoughtfully. �Sometimes it seems like he doesn�t like us at all, you know?�

�Well, I�ve saved his life enough times that he�d better�� Lina grumbled, snatching up her book and turning her back to them all. Carrot stuck his tongue out at the fiery red locks that cascaded down over her shoulders to puddle in soft red waves on the coarse brown fabric of the blanket. Then he let out a surprised squeak as Chocolate bit the tip of his tongue.

Tira�s glasses flashed briefly in the firelight as she adjusted them with one small, long-fingered hand, her hidden gaze settling sagaciously on the brooding Gateau. �Hmm� I do wonder what they�re up to�.�

~END OF PART 1~

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