Slayers Fantasy presents:
Mirror Mirror

    "The Shadow Reflector you say?"
    "Yes, the Shadow Reflector. It's a horrible item from our time that we figured had been destroyed by Naga and myself. Unfortunately it seems to have reassembled and resurfaced and it's the scariest thing in the known universe!"
    "I have to concur. I mean, my shadow copy wanted to wear a muumuu. A muumuu for goddess sake?! Why would somebody want to hide a body as wonderful and splendid as mine, Naga, the serpent. Naga the serpent. O hohohohohoho!"
    Alexander West and Lina Inverse both sighed and bowed their heads, praying that Gracia Seyruun, aka Naga the serpent, would hurry up and get off of her self centered ego trip. With Alex on that day were Mik San Pedro, Tina Johnson, Seifer Almasy, and Tiskili Romeron.
    "Does she do this on a regular basis?" Mik asked, leaning back a little on the desk he was sitting on.
    "Quite," Lina sighed. "Be glad you haven't had to travel with her."
    "Be glad you haven't had to work with her," Alex sighed, scratching the back of his head, "business at the store dropped twenty five percent one weekend due to her continual laugh attacks."
    "So what is your problem, little man?" Naga asked, leaning over so that her cleavage was on the same level as Alex's eyes. "I've seen those nights when your eyes turn emerald green and you get that Brooklyn accent."
    Mik looked from Naga to Alex and back a few times. He then sighed and rubbed his temples, "Alex-kun, when you invited me to join your little band of adventurers I wasn't expecting so much immaturity. And what's this of you having an alternate personality?"
    Alex blanched and stammered a little. "Umm.... what alternate personality?"
    "The one who has called himself Will on a few occasions," Seifer said, clapping a hand on Alex's shoulder. "He's come out a few times while you were asleep and been rather loud and obnoxious."
    Alex turned around and blinked into Seifer's icy blue eyes. "What are you talking about?"
    "Not getting involved sweetie," Tina said, waving her hand in his general direction. "You and I both know that when I hit hunter form I get a little out of control."
    Alex simply sighed and rubbed his head, trying to clear whatever was blocking him from access to part of his powers. He looked at the others before saying, "Ok, back to what we were originally talking about."
    "Yes, the shadow reflector," Tiskili said, standing up while smoothing wrinkles from her SeeD uniform skirt. "From the description that I was provided with from both Miss Lina and Miss Naga I have been able to conceptualize a sketch of said item."
    She clicked on an overhead projector, the image of a very ornate oval mirror appearing on a screen set up nearby. "This is how both of them described the Shadow Reflector. Personally I don't know much on the subject of magical mirrors except for the tale of Snow White, but when I ran a scan of this through the database and the internet I came up with quite a few sites which provided reasonable information to support the theory that it has surfaced yet again."
    Lina and Naga both blanched, since in the past both of them had had shadow copies of themselves produced, and they were utterly revolted by the copies. Alex looked a little uneasy, since he didn't know what appear if his reflection was captured in the looking glass. Mik and Seifer both saw this and looked at each other, shrugging.
    "So where does this leave us at the moment?" Tina asked, pulling herself to her full height.
    "At the moment it leaves us with a bit of a problem," Tiskili sighed. "The information that I have gathered has a few flaws, but most of it points to a very remote part of Europe, namely areas with high medieval influence."
    "Road trip!" Mik cheered. "Oh man, I have to go and pack and set things up with Aimee so that she can look after everything while I'm gone."
    "We'll have to take conventional transportation, won't we?" Alex sighed, blanching slightly. "Commercial airline no less."
    "You have a problem with flying?" Lina asked, arching an eyebrow at him.
    "On an airplane, yes," Alex replied, growing rather pale and shuddering, "ever since that incident two years ago that caused so much trouble for myself and those of us possessing abilities that weren't magical in nature but still not natural, I haven't set foot on an airplane."
    "But Alex-kun," Mik protested, "you know I've been on them a lot for travel and all that. They're not bad. They're safer now than they've ever been, you know that. And if there are any terrorists on board you can just hit them with a lightning bolt or something."
    "Or do something so overkill it blows up the plane and sends all of us screaming to our doom," Seifer sighed, "I'm with the spell caster on this one, I'm afraid."
    "Teleporting is out as well," Lina said, looking at Alex and shrugging slightly. "Remember, your powers are out of whack at the moment."
    "Yeah," Alex sighed, looking at the floor, "teleporting has taken me to some really wrong places ever since we slammed shut the hell mouth in Durham."
    "But if I'm with you then everything should be fine, right?" Mik asked, smiling his million megawatt smile at Alex. Alex shook his head and he grew more serious. "What's wrong Alex-kun?"
    "It's nothing... just personal stuff," Alex sighed, walking towards the door, "you guys have my communicator number if you need to reach me. I need a walk."
    The door closed behind him, and the people in the room looked at each other and shrugged. Each of them had been touched in some way or another by Alex, and none of them could understand anything that went on with him.
    "Think we should go after him?" Mik asked after a couple of minutes of stunning silence.
    "Would you want somebody to tag along after you if you felt like he did?" Seifer asked. Mik shook his head. "Ever since that memorial service for his mom and the hell mouth closing in Durham he's grown rather distant and more troubled."
    "Which brought about the creation of the Will personality," Tina said, slipping on a pair of glasses. "The dark side is materializing itself more and more by the day, and sooner or later the Alex we know may cease to exist, lost inside a pool of blackness."
    The door closed a moment later, and those in the room stared at the empty spot where Seifer had been standing seconds earlier. Mik simply shrugged. "Well, I'm not his boyfriend... Seifer is... so we'll see if he can handle it. Right now we must prepare."

    The chilly night air did nothing to cool down how Alex felt. He walked into the darkness, his hands thrust into his coat pockets, his destination unknown. He wanted to help with the search for the Shadow Reflector more than any of them. He was afraid of what might happen if it was used upon him. He had heard the stories that Naga and Lina had told of their copies; of how Lina's was a strict pacifist who wanted everyone to get along and preached about love and peace; of how Naga's wanted to wear a muumuu and also refused to fight; of how disgusted both of them were when they saw how their copies were reacting. He shuddered lightly and pulled the material of his coat closer around him.
    'Why am I so afraid of flying?' he asked himself. He stopped and closed his eyes, reaching out with what remained of his spirit sense. He reached through time and space a little, towards the place where a pair of very large towers once stood. In his mind's eyes he could see the towers plain as day, and he could smell everything and feel everything that was there. His inner vision switched to the people inside the first plane that slammed into the first tower. He instantly felt like he was on fire, his flesh burning, his life flashing before his eyes. He saw the lives of everyone on the plane and in the tower flashing through his mind, and he fell to his knees, the vision fading like a dream.
    "That's why I'm so scared," he said to the ground, a wave of nausea washing over him, "that is why I refuse to fly on one of those damned planes. I don't care if it's part of my job. Gimme the god damned Ragnarock any day of the week! At least that has some sort of combat capability as well as autopilot and all that jazz."
    "I never told you of the time it crashed," Seifer's voice said from behind him. He turned his head and looked up to see the Hyperion Knight a few feet away. "Came to check on ya. Everyone's worried, you know. Especially Tina and Mik."
    "Yeah, I know," Alex said as Seifer helped him to his feet. "Mik's been worried about me since the memorial, and the whole hell mouth thing just made things worse between us."
    "So, are you in for the mission or not?" Seifer asked as Alex resumed walking into the night.
    "Don't know," Alex replied, looking up at the almost cloudless night. "I mean, I want to more than anything. I'm scared of the potential something like that shadow reflector could have in the hands of a madman or a criminal. But if I can't teleport there then I don't want to go."
    Seifer sighed and ran to catch up to him. "Can't you ask Spike or Celia to teleport you there?"
    Alex simply sighed and looked at his feet. "I don't want to bother Spike. Not now. Not that he's alive or anything...."
    Seifer arched an eyebrow. He hadn't seen the blond vampire for quite some time and more or less figured that he'd been hanging out with Celia more often than not. But to hear from Alex that he was really deceased. "What happened?" he asked, turning Alex around to look him in the face. "What happened to Spike?"
    "Gone," Alex said, a tear trickling down his cheek, "you 'member when I was out in Sunnydale with Celia and Spike and Rob?" Seifer nodded. "Well, we wound up in this nest of really power vampires.... ubervamps, as Buffy and her gang called them. We were kicking butt and getting our butt kicked, and Spike took a couple of blows and wound up underneath the entrance. Well, you see, he'd received this medallion from Buffy, who got it from Angel, and it sort of.... activated, since he had a soul and all. This beam of light shot out of his chest and obliterated the ubervamps and destabilized the hell mouth. Buffy more or less shoved me out of there, and I didn't want to go so she sort of... knocked me out. I awoke on a bus of no longer potential slayers with Buffy and Xander and Willow and Dawn.... but no Anya or Spike. Buffy told me what had happened... and...."
    His voice trailed off as more tears ran down his cheeks. Seifer took a moment to absorb some of what Alex had told him, and he noticed that the person whose shoulders he was looking looked somewhat younger, but wiser and very tired. "You.... you mean he's..."
    "A vampire with a soul would be the champion of the day," Alex said, his voice breaking with the strain of not crying, "I had a vision that said that. I didn't want to believe it, since Spike meant so much to me... to Buffy... to Dawn. But in the end he was dusted... closing the hell mouth once and for all. Sunnydale no longer exists, which I guess is a good thing, but Spike no longer exists, so it hurts."
    Seifer pulled him into a tight embrace, and he cried on the knight's shoulder. "It should have been me," he sobbed, "why couldn't I be the hero and save the day? I seem to be so goddess damned good at doing that, and in one of the biggest battles of the century I wind up getting underfoot, almost killed a few times, nearly impaled, knocked out, and dragged away as one of the men I love is reduced to ash with no hopes of being brought back."
    "Just let it all out," Seifer said comfortingly, running his fingers through Alex's hair. "Just cry as much as you want. I know this has been building for a while."
    "I hate my powers," Alex continued to sob, "the magic is ok, but the visions I can do without. I... I saw them Seifer. I saw all the people on those planes... and in the towers. I saw their dreams and hopes. I saw their lives. I saw each and every one of their lives flash before their eyes before they were obliterated... wiped out. Snuffed out. I felt like I was burning in a million fires."
    Seifer sighed and held him closer. "You can't change the past. You know it. I know it. Fam knows it, even though she was dead set on it for a while. You're only human. You can only do so much. And not even you can change what has happened. You can only go on living your life, from day to day, week to week, and make the most of it."
    Alex continued to cry, and Seifer wrapped both of them in his jacket. After a while Alex's sobbing died down, and he looked up into Seifer's eyes.
    "This is a lot like when Mik held me after mom's memorial," he said, snuffling a little bit. "He held me close and comforted me while I cried on his shoulder. He's also a little bit taller than I am so I had to be on my toes to cry on his shoulder properly."
    Seifer sighed and mussed his hair up a little. "You have everyone back there scared, you know that," he said, cracking a bit of a smile. "All you needed was a little therapy."
    "Yeah," Alex said, drying his eyes on his sleeve, "but I'm still not cured."
    "Will you come on the plane with us?"
    Alex simply shook his head and wiped his eyes. "Not on your bleeding life."

    About a week later they had made their reservations for an international flight, and Alex was still as adamant as ever about not going. However, the promise of no more cuddling from Mik and no more naughty fun from Seifer and Irvine convinced him to grudgingly buy a plane ticket and submit himself to the humiliation of airport security.
    "Don't Kei and Yuri work here?" Lina asked as they stepped into the Manchester airport to find it hustling and bustling with activity. On this day she wore a simple female business suit, composed of a dark red skirt, a white blouse, and a dark red jacket, her hair pulled up in a ponytail.
    "I think they work on the flight we're taking," Naga said as she ran her fingers through her blue black hair. She wore a suit similar to Lina's, except it was black, and her hair was pulled back from her face by a very plain looking headband. "They pulled some strings so that we don't have to surrender our weapons and other gear."
    "Well, can you tell them not to go through my stuff," Alex said, struggling a little under the weight of his carryon bag. Today he wore basic Slayer black; black combat boots, black jeans, a black shirt with a raised pattern, and black leather coat, his hair pulled back by a piece of black ribbon.
    "Alex-kun, what do you have stuffed in there?" Mik asked, arching an eyebrow suspiciously at the mage. For the trip he wore a business suit, black with a blue shirt.
    "Everything including a sacrificial beast," Alex grumbled in response as somebody shoved him unceremoniously through the door. He wheeled around to find Seifer behind him, his gunblade stowed in its case, a heavy duty chain and padlocks keeping it shut.
    "You were blocking the door," Seifer replied to Alex's death glare. "Besides, if you had wanted to keep them out of your stuff you could have used Cenn's bag of holding."
    "What do you think I stuffed the rest of my luggage into?" Alex asked, smirking a little. Seifer simply sighed and rubbed his temples. "You're hopeless."
    "We need to hurry," Tiskili said, walking towards the boarding gates, her red hair brushing against the back of her blouse. "We have to hurry since our flight is due to take off in a matter of minutes."
    "Then allow us to give you a lift," a rather brusk but familiar female voice said. They looked up to see a girl of about 18 years of age with orange hair and blond bangs driving a passenger truck. She wore a standard flight attendant uniform, with the exception of a pair of wings on her left breast that proclaimed she was Kei of the Lovely Angels. Standing at the back of the truck was another young lady of about 18 years of age with long purple hair and big blue eyes. She was also attired in a similar uniform, and the badge on her chest said her name was Yuri, also of the Lovely Angels.
    "Hey Lina, Naga, what's up?" Yuri asked, waving as she stepped down from the truck, "Long time no see."
    "Wow, you guys are looking good," Lina said, shaking Yuri's hand. She turned and saluted Kei. "You guys going to our gate?"
    "We're on your flight, remember?" Kei said, smirking a little. "We're the special security that gets you all the perks without any of the muss and fuss."
    "Load 'em up and move 'em out!" Yuri commanded, taking charge of the situation. She sauntered up to Mik and batted her eyes at him. "You're a new face. You a friend of these guys'?"
    "He's with me," Alex said, wrapping his arms possessively around Mik's right arm.
    "Geeze Alex-kun, you don't have to be so possessive of me," Mik said, looking at Yuri, then at how Alex was reacting, "what's come over you?"
    "I'll explain later," Alex sighed, dragging Mik towards the truck, "time's wasting, after all, and the longer we're here the less time we'll have before some maniac turns the shadow reflector on the unsuspecting populous of some village in the middle of nowhere and unleashes an evil shadow army."
    Tina simply sighed as she brought up the rear. "I don't know if some of you are going to survive this trip," she said, sitting down in the back of the truck, "especially the feline."
    Alex favored her with a rather loud raspberry, and she returned the favor. Mik simply sighed and rubbed his temples. "Oh my, look at the little children."
    "We are *NOT* acting like children!" Tina and Alex retorted in chorus, both staring  daggers at Mik. They resumed glaring at each other as their friends looked at them and sighed.
    "Just drive," Lina said to Kei once everyone was on board, "then we don't have to listen to them so much."
    "All right, if mistress commands it, it shall be done," Kei said, grinning maliciously before pressing the gas pedal to the floor. Tires squealed loudly as the passenger truck took off down the corridor, causing people to dive for cover and out of the way.
    "This is a class one alert," Yuri said over the intercom, "Please remain calm. We are transporting some highly volatile substances...."
    "Namely Alex and Lina," Seifer said under his breath.
    "Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated," Yuri continued as they screamed around a corner at such a high speed the truck went up on two wheels. "We humbly thank you and hope you have a safe and secure flight."
    "Checkpoint alpha is up ahead," Kei said, gunning the engine, a crazed look in her eyes.
    "NUNS!" Naga, Tina, Mik, and Seifer all shouted in unison, pointing to a group of elderly looking sisters of some church order or another that were crossing in their path.
    "Kei, put on the brakes now," Yuri commanded, sitting down and strapping in.
    "Can't Yuri," Kei replied.
    "What do you mean you can't?! This truck was just tuned up the other day."
    "We'll never stop in time."
    "So your plan is to run them down?! Kei, that is so mean. I'll disown you as my partner if you kill any of them!"
    "That's a sacrifice that must be made, since I said WE WON'T BLOODY STOP IN TIME!"
    Several more feet had passed in the time that Kei and Yuri had argued, and the distance between their truck and the nuns was growing very close. Naga elbowed Lina, who looked up and face faulted.
    "Sheizzzz!" Lina shouted, her right hand automatically executing the motions for a spell. "LEVITATION!"
    The nuns slowly floated off of the ground, gaining a little bit of altitude before Lina's powers began to cop out. Naga and Tina glanced at each other before adding their own levitation spells to the mix, sending the nuns up to the ceiling. The truck screamed underneath the sisters, all of whom were too deep in though to realize that magic had saved their collective butts on that day, before Kei managed to step on the brakes. This was accompanied by more tire squealing, fifty or sixty feet of rubber being laid in their wake, and the truck almost tipping over, before they came to a complete stop.
    "Stop the world," Alex said, clinging tightly to Mik, "I want to get off!"
    "Calm down Alex-kun," Mik said, disengaging the mage from around him. "We've come to a full and complete stop."
    "And airport security is here," Tiskili sighed, looking at the heavily armored officers who were now surrounding their truck and the passengers on it. "This is not going to be pretty."
    Kei and Yuri stepped down from the truck, Kei brushing her fingers through her bangs confidently, Yuri cowering a little bit behind her partner. "Kei and Yuri, code name Lovely Angels," Kei said, showing her ID badge, "we're the special cases department."
    "What she said," Yuri added, showing her own ID badge.
    "These passengers are our responsibility, and are all members of the 3 WA," Kei continued, "which means that we take full responsibility for anything in their possession and any actions they may take, provoked or unprovoked, while in the terminal or on the airliner itself."
    One of the security officers made a move towards Seifer, and Kei shot him a dirty glance. "State your business with one of my charges or face my wrath," she hissed through gritted teeth. The officer backed away immediately, and Kei smirked with satisfaction. "All right troops," she said to the Slayers, "it's time to board the flight."
    And those six words began one of the longest insurrections in the history of the Slayers and 3 WA.
    "I'm not getting on the bloody plane and that's final!" Alex growled, clinging tightly to one of the chairs in the waiting room.
    "But Alex-kun, they can't stall the plane for much longer," Mik pleaded, prying Alex's fingers loose from the death grip he had on the chair, only to find that the mage's fingers were locked by sheer force of will.
    "I am NOT getting on one of those things. I'd rather take my chances flying the unconventional skies than risk a hijacking or being blown up or engine failure or anything yucky and nasty like that!"
    "Somebody give me some advil," Tiskili sighed, rubbing her temples, "I feel a migraine coming on."
    "Join the club," Seifer said, his arms wrapped firmly around Alex's midsection while he worked to pry the mage free. "Sweetie, don't forget what I said about no fun between the sheets."
    "Like I said, I don't bloody care!" Alex hissed through clenched teeth, "There's nothing you can do to make me get on that flight!"
    "We'll see about that," Lina said, cracking her knuckles and waving her fingers about. "Unmoving fingers, open yourselves unto me. By my magical powers I command it. UNLOCK!"
    Lina snapped her fingers, and Alex's fingers unlocked, which caused Seifer to fall backwards with the mage landing on top of him. Alex flipped to his feet and made to bolt, only to have Naga stand in his path, creating an effective blockade.
    "Mister, you need to chill the bloody hell out," Naga said, using her size to her advantage. "You're one of our best field agents, and we need your powers to make sure the Shadow Reflector isn't used for evil."
    Alex sighed, scratched the back of his head, and turned around to return to where he had set his bag down. He fished out his water bottle, shook it a couple of times, twisted the cap off, and proceeded to take a very long drink. He screwed the cap back on, and was just putting the bottle back into his bag before he slumped over and began snoring loudly.
    The only sound in the terminal was that of several sets of eyes blinking in unison. Tiskili smirked happily and gave Kei a thumbs up sign, who returned it with a wink. "Well," she said, motioning for Seifer and Mik to lift Alex up, "we have our field agent tranquilized and in custody. With the amount he drank, he should be out for most of the flight."
    "You're bloody ruthless," Lina said, recoiling a little from Tiskili, who simply smiled at her.
    "No dear, I'm a businesswoman. I know how to get what I want."
    Everyone else groaned and sighed as they boarded the plane for points on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, with Kei and Yuri bringing up the rear to close the doors. Within a matter of minutes the plane was airborne, bringing them closer to a powerful magical artifact from ages gone past and more danger than they could anticipate. Who or what was awaiting them was unknown, but if they had the Shadow Reflector they had to either be powerful, evil, well connected, or all of the above.

    "This is your captain speaking. We're on our final approach to beautiful greece. If you look out your windows you'll be able to see some of the wonderful scenery of this majestic countryside."
    "I'll see some scenery when my eyes adjust to me being awake," Alex yawned, rubbing his eyes against the sunlight that streamed into the cabin every time someone lifted their shade.
    "Aren't you glad you flew with us Alex-kun?" Mik asked as he lifted the shade for their row. "You slept with your head on my shoulder for part of the flight."
    Alex blanched lightly, still a little groggy from the amount of tranquilizer that they needed to use to get him onto the plane. "Did I miss anything of interest?" he asked, searching for his water bottle. "And why does my mouth feel like sandpaper?"
    "Answer to question number one," Seifer said from Alex's right, "nothing of interest except for Kei and Yuri kicking someone's ass. Answer to number two would be due to what we used to knock you out."
    "Well, well, well, it looks like sleeping beauty is finally awake," Naga said, poking her head over the seat next to Alex's head. "How do you feel, oh scared one?"
    "Like kicking the butt of whoever gave me the mega dose of knockout drugs," Alex sighed, rubbing his head. "How long have I been out?"
    "Major part of ten hours," Mik said, ruffling Alex's hair, "and I doubt any of us are crazy enough to confess to slipping you tranquilizers."
    "Speak for yourself," Tiskili smirked as she leaned over the seat on the other side of Alex, "I take full credit for drugging you so that we'd have one of our best field agents while he was at full power instead of panicking."
    Alex sighed and rubbed his eyes a little more. "I'll hurt you later," he yawned, "you can count on that."
    "Oh, I wouldn't doubt that," Tiskili beamed, her smile widening. "I want you to whip me like the naughty girl that I am. Spank my booty, c'mon and spank my booty!"
    She proceeded to smack her butt a couple of times before falling back into her seat, laughing at the top of her lungs.
    "She's not usually this bad," Seifer explained to Mik as Tiskili continued to laugh and Alex's eyebrow began to twitch. "She's just been cooped up on this plane for too long and it's making her a little crazy."
    "Would she like to get off right now?" Alex asked, his face turning red from anger and embarrassment. "Because if she does I can easily arrange that."
    "Angry slayer in row 16 B," Lina said, jamming the call button to get a flight attendant to come to their rescue.
    "Yeah, yeah, I'm comin', I'm comin'!" they heard Kei grumble as she made her way down the aisle. "Keep yer shirt on and lay off the fragging button, will ya!"
    "Miss," an elderly gentleman said as Kei passed, "excuse me, miss?"
    Kei stopped, took a deep breath, pulled out her hand cannon, and leveled it at the old man. "Listen gramps, I'll be with you in just a moment, ok?! Right now someone else needs my help."
    "Yes ma'am," the old man whined, growing pale.
    Kei smirked and reholstered her hand cannon before strutting up the aisle, coming to a stop at Lina's row. "What can I do for you guys?" she asked, smiling.
    "More knock out drops please," Lina said, pointing at Alex, who was sitting with his shoulders hunched and arms crossed.
    "I'm perfectly fine," Alex hissed under his breath, "the rest of you are insane."
    "He's awake," Yuri bubbled as she joined Kei, "wow, you missed the coolest fight ever! They had guns and knives and somehow got a missile launcher on board... don't ask me how. Anyway, they threatened to blow us from here to hell and back if we didn't turn the plane around. That was when Kei put her sharp shooting skills to the test and took care of those meanies."
    "Of course they were angry, so they pointed the rocket launcher at me," Kei added, taking over the narration, "the guy holding it had an itchy trigger finger and accidentally fired, sending a shell screaming through the cabin."
    "That was when a barrier of some sort formed around the missile and absorbed the impact," Yuri said, taking back control of the narration, "what doesn't make sense is that nobody in your party is admitting to the barrier."
    "No defensive spells," Naga and Seifer said in unison.
    "Too terrified," Tina and Tiskili added.
    "Was in the mood to fireball now and ask questions later," Lina added.
    "Alex-kun was unconscious," Mik said, "and I don't have any magical skills.... at least I don't think I do."
    "Which takes us back to square one," Kei said, shrugging, "weird if you ask me."
    "Please return to your seats and buckle in. Please return your seats and tray tables to their upright and locked positions. We'll be landing in a few minutes."
    "That's our cue," Yuri said, pulling out a cordless microphone. "On behalf of the crew and flight attendants we'd like to thank you for flying the friendly skies of Lovely Angel Airlines."
    She and Kei both took a bow before returning to their seats, Kei taking a moment to help the old man who she almost gave a coronary to.
    "This'll be a softer landing than some of our people experienced a couple of summers ago," Seifer said, putting a hand on Alex's knee and giving it a squeeze.
    Alex eeped, jumped, turned bright red, and smacked Seifer with his pillow. "Not right now," he hissed in Seifer's ear.
    "But why not?" Seifer pouted, "Irvine's been out every night with Tenal and those guys and hasn't had time for me lately."
    "Wait," Mik said, listening to the conversation, "just how many boyfriends does Alex-kun have?"
    "Enough," Alex replied, blushing crimson.
    "How many?"
    "Not telling. Not gonna tell ya. It's a secret. Yup, that it is."
    Mik sighed and poked Alex in the ribs, which caused Alex to squeak, "Seifer, Irvine, Zelgadis, and Spike."
    Silence echoed through the cabin, as did the hum of engines and hydraulic systems. Alex turned red and looked at his feet.
    "Wow," Tiskili whistled, "polygamy anyone?"
    "That's four," Seifer said, counting on his fingers.
    Mik poked Alex in the ribs again, and he squeaked, "Guile."
    "Five?" Tina asked, also counting.
    "Spike died," Alex muttered, "so it's only four. Guile hasn't been around for a while, so it's three. And if you take into account that Zel has been avoiding me like the plague of late, the total is just two."
    "Excuses, excuses," Mik said, turning his head from Alex, "you're full of 'em, Alex-kun."
    "Here's one more excuse," Alex huffed, grabbing his bag, "I'll see you on the ground."
    A soft bamph filled the cabin as Alex vanished into thin air by slipping between the cracks of time and space. Everyone in the group sighed, since the tension was leaving them.
    "So we're close enough for him to 'port?" Seifer asked, leaning back in his seat.
    "Most likely," Lina replied, scratching her head. "Otherwise."
    "Otherwise what?" Seifer asked, turning his head to look at her.
    "Otherwise he'll fall into the ocean below, get wet, and meet us at the airport with a look to kill," Lina sighed, praying to the goddess that Alex made it to dry land on his first jump.

    Twenty minutes later Lina and company disembarked from the plane to find a dripping wet and very angry Alex waiting for them in the terminal. Lina did a double take, since her worst fears had come to pass.
    "Why did we stop?" Seifer asked, looking past Naga and Tiskili. When he saw Alex he simply sighed. "Oh."
    "Oh?" Alex retorted, blowing a strand of wet hair from his face. He cocked his head and set his hands on his hips. "oh? OH?! Is that all you have to say to me right now?!"
    "Not now," Lina said as she walked past Alex and grabbed his collar, dragging him along with her. "You're causing a scene," she scolded as she walked, "and power down. We can't afford the collateral damage at this point."
    "But?" Alex asked, stumbling along.
    "She's right," Tiskili said, matching Lina's furious pace, "we're seriously overdrawn at the moment, and most of that is from the two of you."
    "Not... now... Kili," Lina muttered, trying to keep control of her temper. "We'll discuss this much later."
    "Baggage claim," Seifer said, grabbing Mik's shoulder, steering him away from the volatile duo. "We'll meet you at the rent - a - wreck counter."
    "Currency exchange," Naga and Tina said, running from the other three.
    "Tiskili, why are you still here?" Lina asked, pulling Alex around a corner and through a crowd towards the exit.
    "To keep you from exploding," Tiskili sighed, her hair flying out from the pace she was keeping. "no blowing things up until later."
    The doors hissed open in front of them, and Lina drop kicked Alex through them, pounced on his back, and rode him to the ground, where he face planted.
    "Or you can blow up now," Tiskili sighed, turning around. "I'll go and rent the car."
    As she walked back through the terminal to the rental counter she sighed heavily, hearing assorted explosions in the background as Lina and Alex duked it out. She wasn't worried when airport security flew past her to settle the disturbance. She was unfazed when the same security people ran past her in a full retreat, a pair of Garv Flares hot on their trails. She didn't bat an eye as dust and debris accompanied a full evacuation of the area.
    "What type of car would you like?" the rental clerk asked, smiling vapidly.
    "Anything with lots of seat belts that will be comfortable for five and uncomfortable for two."
    The rental clerk raised an eyebrow when she heard several explosions from behind Tiskili, who didn't even seem to hear them.
    "You want standard or automatic?"
    "Automatic. CD player. AC. Oh, and heavy duty armor plating."
    The sales clerk arched the other eyebrow. "You transporting a dangerous criminal or two?"
    "Nope," Tiskili sighed, "just a couple of people with issues."
    "And you want a Howitzer tank?"
    "Nah. Just a standard troop transport truck or a nice Hum - Vee."
    Shards of ice sailed past them, embedding themselves in the wall behind the clerk. Tiskili caught one in midair and licked it, since she was hot and going to die soon if Alex and Lina didn't smarten up.
    "Here's the key for a black hummer," the clerk said, growing pale while trying to hide behind her desk, "Lot six, row F."
    "I owe you..." Tiskili began to ask.
    "On the house," the clerk squeaked in reply, cowering behind her desk. "Just don't let them kill me."
    Tiskili sighed and walked off, leaving a business card and the number of a good therapist on the counter behind her. Seifer and Mik were the first people she found, a pair of carts loaded with their luggage being towed in their wake. Tina and Naga met up with them on their way to the rental lot, their wallets filled with local currency. All were curious as to the fate of mage and sorceress.
    "We'll get them soon," Tiskili replied as they walked through the lot, "right now they're working out some issues."
    "Can't be that bad," Naga said, looking to the sky. "the airport is still standing after all."
    A small mushroom cloud appeared in the sky in front of the airport, causing Naga to sigh and say, "I spoke too soon."
    "Load 'em up and move 'em out," Mik said as soon as Tiskili had opened the trunk on the hummer.
    "Loaded and ready," Tina, Seifer, and Naga said thirty seconds later, causing Mik to face fault.
    "All aboard," Tiskili called, starting the engine, "the sooner we get the dangerous duo the safer we'll all be."

    People applauded as the black hummer with the plates BITEME drove off into the distance. Many thanked the gods, goddesses, and heavens above that they were still alive in the wake of magical disaster. Others breathed a much needed sigh of relief.
    In the back seat of the hummer sat Alex and Lina, both of whom were charred to a crisp; both very angry at the other; neither one speaking to anyone.
    "The tension is so thick you can cut it," Mik commented as they left the city limits for the open road. Two glaring sets  of eyes met his gaze in the rearview mirror. "Never mind."
    "They didn't invoke any dark lords this time," Seifer said, checking the rearview to see how the two spell casters were faring.
    "They pulled their punches," Tiskili commented, getting a reaction from Alex and Lina, who cast death glares at her.
    "We did NOT!" they bellowed in unison.
    "So why no Dragon Slave, huh?" Naga asked, catching onto what Tiskili was thinking.
    "We... decided blowing everything up would be a waste," Alex said after a pause.
    "Plus it would be like an act of terrorism or something," Lina added, "you know, blowing up an airport and the planes and all that."
    "So what caused the mushroom cloud we saw?" Seifer asked, "I've only seen a Dragon Slave cause one in the past."
    "We modified the spell slightly," Alex muttered.
    "Sort of a cross between a Digger Volt and a Dragon Slave," Lina added under her breath.
    "Wait.... you fused spells that are unrelated?" Naga asked. The two spell casters nodded.
    "I thought Lina of all people would know better," Tina said, "After all she is a sorceress supreme."
    "Well, the fusion worked," Lina growled, "we created a Pika Slave!"
    Silence fell over everyone in the hummer. The sound of five sets of eyes blinking punctuated the silence every few seconds. After a few minutes of this people finally spoke.
    Mik: "I don't even want to know!"
    Naga: "Pika... Pika.... Pika?"
    Tiskili: "It defies the laws of physics, magic, and good taste."
    Seifer: "I bet anyone who saw that is now traumatized for life."
    Tina: "The feline I can imagine doing something like that, but Miss Lina?"
    Lina and Alex crossed their arms and hrumphed. "We frickin' love you guys too," the growled sarcastically.
    "Before we get to the hotel we should decide sleeping arrangements," Naga said, changing the subject, "we were able to get three rooms, and each room has two beds."
    "I'm with Tiskili," Lina said energetically.
    "So I'm with Naga," Tina said, "since I doubt we're doing co-ed accommodations."
    "But there's an uneven number," Mik protested, looking back at Alex and Seifer.
    "Double up," Tiskili purred seductively.
    Mik looked at Alex and Seifer again. "There is no way that I'm going to double up with Alex-kun, since I think he'd do something naughty to me in my sleep..."
    "Hey!" Alex protested, "I respect you too much to do that!"
    "... and I don't know Seifer well enough to double up with him..."
    "Suits me fine," Seifer snickered, looking back at Alex, "gives us some time to catch up."
    "And I don't want to think about the two of you shagging while I'm sleeping," Mik added.
    "HEY!" Alex and Seifer protested.
    "If anybody shags during this trip I'd better be involved," Tina purred, turning around to bat her eyes at Seifer and Alex, both of whom cringed.
    "Leave them alone, oh queen of death," Naga chuckled, "they'll be too jet lagged to worry about sex for a while."
    "We're almost there," Tiskili said as they entered the limits of a small town. "This town is uber close to the latest reports on the Shadow Reflector."
    "Dinner, a hot shower, and sleep," Lina yawned. "What a job."

    An hour after checking into the hotel all seven met in the dining room, each one wearing more causal clothes than they'd arrived in. Hair had been let down or out of bands; business attire had been swapped for jeans, sweat pants, sweatshirts, or T-shirts; people who had looked like hell earlier now looked clean and refreshed.
    "I'm starving," Lina commented, looking over the menu, "Who wants what?"
    "Anything that won't break the bank," Tiskili said, checking over their expenditure report for the trip thus far, "We need to factor in destruction to property, collateral damage, gas for the truck, food, and other."
    "What goes under other?" Naga asked, sipping a glass of ice water.
    "Alex and Lina created disasters," Tiskili sighed as Lina placed her order for everything in column A, triple portioned.
    "Does a famine fall under that?" Mik asked, rolling his eyes as Alex ordered half of column B, double portion.
    "No, but a table that can't support the weight of dinner does," Tiskili sighed again, gnawing on her pen. "Waiter, better pull up a separate table to hold all of the food those two are ordering."
    "Will do," the waiter replied, sweat dropping, "and for the rest of your party?"
    "White Serpent Special," Naga replied, "twenty types of alcohol in a giant cauldron."
    "Grilled fish, rice, and steamed vegetables," Mik replied, "and a glass of white wine.
    "Chicken Caesar salad with extra croutons, an onion blossom, and a diet soda," Tiskili said when it was her turn to order.
    "Anything," Seifer yawned, beginning to feel jet lagged, "and a cup of tea to go with it."
    "Whatever the two bottomless pits aren't eating," Tina replied when her turn came, "just nothing with fish."
    The waiter looked at what had been ordered and face faulted. "Would you like some fries or sauerkraut or salad to go with that?" he asked sarcastically and rhetorically.
    "Sure, a side of fries for the table," Lina said, smiling her I-want-more smile, "and some of those yummy balaclavas."
    "She means Baklava," Tina corrected, a sweat drop forming on her head, "I don't think she wants to order winter hats."
    Lina blushed lightly when she was called on her grammatical error, and Tina smirked a little. As soon as the waiter trudged off to turn in their kitchen emptying order and his resignation everyone at the table released a group yawn.
    "Jet lag... setting in," Alex moaned, looking at his empty plate, "must... sleep."
    "Use my shoulder," Seifer said, scooting closer to the mage.
    The moment Alex's head hit Seifer's shoulder he was out like a light. Seifer set his head against Alex's, closed his eyes, and joined the mage in slumber land.
    "One would figure that he'd be well rested due to all of the sleep he got on the plane," Mik observed, watching Alex and Seifer saw wood.
    "You figured wrong grasshopper," Tiskili said, doing her impression of a Zen master, "spell casters need lots of food and sleep due to the energy required for spell casting."
    "Which is why Lina eats the way she does," Naga said, receiving a well deserved elbow stomp from her redheaded companion.
    "Would that explain your drinking habits, or do you have hollow breasts?" Lina retorted, poking Naga's chest so that it jiggled.
    "I'll have you know these are all natural," Naga huffed, covering her large endowments with her arms.
    "Naturally full of water, you mean. Only water balloons would wiggle and jiggle like those monstrosities."
    Mik looked at Tina and Tiskili with a mix of fear, confusion, and embarrassment. "Are they like this all the time?"
    "I've heard stories," Tina replied.
    "Ditto," Tiskili answered, "neither of us live with them, so we're not sure."
    "Slipper Slap!"
    "Flat chest."
    Lina, who was rearing back to hit Naga with her bunny slipper, fell out of her chair onto her face. Naga looked down and smirked. "Flat chest press."
    "You're dead, goldfish feces!" Lina fumed, regaining her seat. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."
    The waiter chose that moment to appear with drinks and appetizers, saving lives and thousands to millions of dollars in property damage. Lina took a long swig of her drink and resumed staring daggers at Naga, who had her giant flagon in one hand and was chugging her White Serpent Special like it was water.
    "And now I'm worried," Mik sighed, watching the two sorceresses behave like teenagers... or worse.
    "As if you weren't already worried," Tiskili stated, sipping her soda.
    "What do you mean?"
    Tiskili looked at Lina and Naga bicker, then over at Alex, who was fast asleep on Seifer's shoulder, before saying, "Any of those three are a destructive power in and of themselves. Lina and Alex can cast the Giga Slave. Alex's Zodiac spells are off the charts. Naga scares the masses with her scanty outfits and maniacal laughter. Put all three together and they could destroy the planet."
    Mik took a moment to process all of this information and whistled. "We're screwed if we piss them off, aren't we?"
    "Or if the Shadow Reflector works and copies all of them the way it was meant to."
    Mik shuddered visibly at the thought of Shadow Reflection Alex. If normal Alex was only slightly sick and twisted, then the reflection would be all over him. Or worse.
    Tiskili saw how Mik was reacting to what she had said and added, "We'll destroy it before it's used, of course. Can't have anything that dangerous remaining at large."
    "Speaking of large," Tina said, drawing their attention to the line of waiters and kitchen help nearing their table, "we should have ordered a larger table to hold all that our party is going to eat."
    "Dinner is served sleepyhead," Mik said, lightly slapping Alex's cheek.
    "Dinnertime already?" Alex asked, opening one eye to look around.
    "Yes sweetie, dinner," Tina added, "after that you can sleep all you want."
    "We still haven't figured a boys sleeping arrangement," Mik protested.
    "I'll take the floor if it makes you uncomfortable to have two and one," Seifer said while stretching, "otherwise I'm sharing with Alex, and don't worry about the nookie factor. We're too jet lagged to think about it."
    "Food," Alex remarked as the kitchen help set plates upon plates of food in front of them.
    "One track mind," Seifer sighed, watching Alex's and Lina's eyes light up at the sight of mountains and mountains of food.
    "We hope nobody interrupts the meal," Tiskili remarked as her salad was set in front of her, "otherwise there is a chance for property damage."
    As if on cue a somewhat intoxicated hotel patron stumbled over towards their table, reached around Lina, and grabbed her breasts.
    "You sure ain't no boy," the patron slurred, his breath stronger than Naga's.
    "Lina, deep breaths," Tiskili advised as Lina turned as red as her hair.
    "Wow, they're really small," the patron continued, still feeling Lina's chest.
    "Duck and cover," Naga advised as Lina began to blow steam from her nose.
    "Sir, will you kindly remove your hands from my chest, lest you find yourself launched into a low earth orbit," Lina hissed through clenched teeth.
    "Sassy. I like a girl with spunk. Want to come to my room for some fun?"
    "We're dead," Alex said, coming out of his food induced stupor in time to see Lina really lose her temper.
    "Three..." Tiskili counted, donning flak armor. "Two... one..."
    "NO FREAKING WAY!!" Lina shouted, rising from the table to turn around and deliver such a power kick to the man's groin that he came a full foot off of the ground, his eyes bugging from his head in pain.
    "And they felt that one in the cheap seats," Seifer croaked, experiencing sympathy pain for the drunk who was now crawling away from Lina.
    Lina quickly regained her seat, took a deep breath to regain her composure, and set to the task of eating everything in sight, thus demonstrating to everyone her amazing self control as well as giving the indication that all was well and that her companions should hurry up and eat.
    A collectively released sigh echoed the sentiment that, at least for that moment, all was well with the world.

    Following dinner was preparation for bed and travel the next morning. Tiskili was seated in the doorway to the bedroom she was sharing with Lina, her laptop open and connected to the net via a satellite uplink. Around her were assorted files, some regarding the power levels of their team, others pertaining to the area they were in, and one in particular had to do with the Shadow Reflector and sightings throughout history.
    "Busy?" Mik asked, passing by Tiskili on the way to the bathroom, his toothbrush in his mouth.
    "More or less," Tiskili replied, "Lina is out cold. I don't think she's even the least bit worried about our mission."
    "Should she be?"
    Tiskili arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
    "According to Miss Lina, she and Naga came from an area like this, so in theory we're in their old stomping grounds."
    "Good point. They know the area and therefore have no reason to worry."
    "Exactly."
    "But there's something they should worry about."
    Mik raised an eyebrow this time. "The Shadow Reflector?"
    "Bingo. We don't know where it is. For all we know it can be sitting harmlessly in the house of some little old lady as a decoration."
    "Or in an antique shop," Mik pondered, "or still buried in the ruins of a great castle."
    Tiskili's computer beeped, and she face faulted when she read the results of a search she had been running. "Or it's in the hands of one of the most twisted and evil men in this part of the world."
    Mik crouched down and looked at the picture that was resolving on the screen. "Lord Zavius Lilac XIII," he read.
    "The first lord was the one who wanted the Shadow Reflector to rule the world," Tiskili read from the data that was popping up, "However, a rogue wizard from the PMS stole the mirror and holed himself up in a cave. The PMS sent Lina Inverse and Naga the Serpent after the wizard... and the rest, as they say, is history."
    "Should we wake the others?" Mik asked, rising to his feet as a loud snore emanated from Tiskili's and Lina's room.
    "I'll fill them in over breakfast," Tiskili replied, saving the data to a new file on her computer. "Lina would kill me for waking her, and I'm not sure about the others."
    "Seifer is still awake and polishing his gunblade," Mik said as he resumed his walk toward the bathroom. "Alex, on the other hand, is out for the night."
    "We should get some sleep too," Tiskili said, pulling her files together, "that way we'll all be in top notch condition."
    "Goodnight," Mik called over his shoulder as he stepped into the bathroom.
    "G'night," Tiskili replied, shutting her door.
    A few minutes later Mik returned to the room he was sharing with Seifer and Alex. he thought to knock on the door, just in case the other two were engaged in something intimate. Shrugging that idea off he slowly opened the door, darkness greeting him. A small sigh of relief passed his lips as he slipped into the room and gently closed the door behind him.
    Moonlight peered through the cracks in the blind, gently illuminating bits and pieces of the room and the two occupants of the other bed. He squinted into the moonlight, chuckling lightly when he saw that Seifer was laying on top of the covers, all his clothes, including his coat and boots, still on.
    "They both must have been exhausted," he mused as did Seifer a favor by pulling his boots off and moving both legs onto the bed. "Pleasant dreams Seifer, Alex-kun," he added, draping an extra blanket over Seifer before retiring to his own bed for a good night's sleep before a busy day.

    The following morning over breakfast Tiskili reported her findings. There was a mix of shock and confusion, as well as some personal history thrown in for good measure. Some food flew as Lina and Naga retold their tale of horror and how scary their mirror clones really were.
    "So where the hell does this Lord Lilac live?" Seifer asked, ending further retellings of the clone wars.
    "Funny you should ask," Tiskili said, pulling out a local map, "since I'm sure we could look out the window and see his old manor house slash castle from here."
    "WHAT?!" Lina and Naga exclaimed, slamming their hands on the table as they hurriedly rose to check Tiskili's information.
    "To the south east," Tiskili commented casually, "towards the water a little."
    The two sorceresses tripped over each other in their mad dash to the window, and both gasped in shock at the sight of a very ancient looking castle and manor, right where Tiskili's report had indicated it would be located.
    "What kind of name is Lilac for a lord?" Alex commented, "It's a nice flower and one of my mom's favorites, but a nam for a lord?"
    "Old family," Lina said as she regained her seat, "Evil as hell. They figured you didn't have to worry about your name if you did things on par with the monster race."
    "So what's the plan of attack?" Tina asked, smirking a little, "do we hit the place with a Dragon Slave? Giga Slave? Maelstrom?"
    "Less for property damage," Tiskili sighed, "we ask for the Shadow Reflector and take it by force if necessary."
    "And get slain in the process," Lina said, looking over Tiskili's plan, "he won't just let us walk out with the mirror, not if he plans to rule the world."
    "So we go in well prepared," Seifer said, snagging some of Tiskili's paperwork, "I'm ready to go when you guys are."
    "Breakfast first, then preparation," Naga said, finishing another White Serpent special. "Perfect. Really hits the spot."
    "Is it safe for her to go into battle intoxicated?" Mik asked, a little wary of how much alcohol Naga had just ingested.
    "It improves her aim," Lina chuckled, finishing her glass of juice. "And we're going to need it."
    "Huh what?" Mik asked as the other six people rose and drew weapons from assorted places or fired up spells. He looked past them to see an angry mob surrounding them. "Oh. Never mind."
    "Are they the real deal or clones?" Tiskili asked, striking a defensive stance, her hands glowing with astral power.
    "Clones," Lina replied, firing up a sleeping spell, "we can't kill them until we find the originals, though."
    "Tell that to them," Alex said, leaping into the air to avoid a kick to the groin, "Hey, I still need those!"
    "Breakfast is done," Naga said, dashing forward, her robe slipping open to reveal her skimpy leather costume underneath.
    "My appetite is gone," Mik said, rising to join the dash to the door.
    "Sleeping!" Lina cried, casting her sleep spell over the mob behind them. Nobody really stopped to see if it worked as they snagged gear from the coat rack by the entrance and crashed out the door into the yard, where they encountered a larger mob.
    "Oh fark!" Alex cried, skidding to a stop, "We're in real trouble now."
    "Captain obvious anyone?" Seifer said, almost falling on his butt when he stopped.
    "Ray Wing!" Naga cried, taking to the air over the mob.
    "Come back here Goldfish Feces!" Lina cried, leaping into the air in a vain attempt to catch her sidekick.
    "Why go through them when you can go over?" Naga asked as she landed on the far side of the mob. "Looks like I got the brains with the beauty and talent."
    "Why you...." Lina growled, "Fireball!"
    A globe of flames formed around Naga, toasting her to a cinder instantly.
    "Run now, bicker later!" Tiskili said, casting a levitation spell of her own.
    "Going up," Alex said, picking Mik up by the armpits, "Overdriving at the same time. Ray Wing!"
    "Alex-kun, where are we going?" Mik asked as they continued to fly over the crowd.
    "The castle," Alex huffed, the fatigue of maintaining a flight spell evident on his face, "I'm going to give you the data for a Ray Wing. See if you can do your thing with it."
    Before Mik could protest, a long mathematical equation invaded his thoughts. In less time than it takes to blink the spell string was taken apart, analyzed, modified, and cast as a wide area flight spell.
    "Lilac Castle, here we come!" Lina proclaimed as they cleared fields and roads within a matter of seconds.
    "The only way to travel," Seifer commented, rubbing Alex's back.
    "We're coming for you, old man," Lina grumbled, "So you'd better be ready!"

    "Your Lordship, Lina Inverse, Naga the Serpent, Alex West, and company have just been sighted flying in from the south-west," a red caped castle guard announced in an out of breath manner.
    "I see they received my wake up call," Lord Lilac said from his darkened throne. "Splendid. How long until they arrive?"
    "We figure within a couple of minutes, your lordship. What are your plans?"
    "If they're really here for the Shadow Reflector, then I say we give it to them. Fire the main cannons and have the mages begin chain casting fireball and burst rondo spells."
    "Your Lordship?" the guard asked in disbelief, "Where are you going?"
    "To prepare," Lord Lilac replied, burying his dagger in the guard's stomach, "and never question my orders."
    "Yes... my lord," the guard gasped in pain as his spirit fled the mortal plane.
    "Fool should know better than to bleed on the rugs," Lord Lilac scoffed as he wiped his dagger on the still bleeding guard. "Oh well, can't worry about that now. Gotta go and prepare my precious for some new playmates."

    "We're almost there," Alex said triumphantly, his energy about spent from the flight spell. "Wish I'd had the time to eat a proper breakfast."
    "Ether now, eat later," Seifer said, handing the mage a bottle of glowing green liquid.
    Alex took the bottle and cringed, since Terra's ether tasted funky compared to what he was used to drinking. "This is still green freaking death flavor, isn't it?" he asked, sniffing the contents of the bottle.
    "Hopefully it's not the nacho fiesta flavored batch," Lina commented, "Poor Amelia was sick for a week after that incident."
    "Better drink quickly," Naga announced, a bit of fear tingeing her voice.
    "Why do you say that?" Alex asked, looking up at the horizon. When he saw the number of fireballs coming in their direction he sighed. "Never mind. Answered my own question."
    "Evasive actions," Lina said, casting her own flight spell to add to their maneuverability, "Someone cast barrier or reflect to lessen or block some of those attacks."
    Alex gulped down the ether, absorbing what energy he could from the bottle. "Mirror Force!" he cried, a wall of reflective material forming at the front of their bubble.
    "Brace for impact," Tiskili warned seconds before the first wave of fireballs struck. The mirror force absorbed the spells, amplified them, and sent them back at the castle, where several unsuspecting mages met their end in a rather fiery manner.
    "I hate being stuck in the middle of a fire fight when I can't do anything," Mik said, crouching low in the bubble.
    "You can do plenty," Lina said, noticing a large energy wave approaching their bubble, "right now we need a teleport spell like no other."
    "And Alex is the only one who knows 'em," Seifer sighed, "I'm ready to be blown up or waterlogged."
    "Alex-kun, send me the data for a teleport," Mik said, taking Alex's hand. The mathematical equations that comprised a teleport struck him like a ton of bricks, his vision blurring and darkening for a moment as he wrapped his mind around the problem. 'Too many variables,' he thought, sorting through the spell strings. 'Too confusing. Just need a point.... there.'
    The equation he sent back was half as long as the one he had received, and Alex looked at him like he was expecting more.
    "That's the entire spell," Mik said, shrugging.
    "Alex...." Lina said, tapping the mage on the shoulder.
    "That's too simple," Alex replied to Mik.
    "Alex," Seifer chimed in, adding to what Lina was saying.
    "Too many variables makes for messes," Mik explained to Alex, one of his eyebrows twitching.
    "ALEX!" everyone exclaimed.
    "What?!" Alex demanded, turning to see the beam of dark energy. "Oh."
    "Now," Lina squeaked, bracing for impact.
    "Area Steal!"
    Their spell bubble vanished into thin air, appearing some five hundred feet closer to the castle on the western side, away from the spell defenses.
    "Handy upgrade," Alex said, opening his eyes.
    "We're not dead and we're not soaked," Naga commented, looking at the castle looming up in front of them. "Good work Alex," she added, patting the mage on the shoulder.
    "Mik gets some of the credit," Alex said, giving Mik a thumbs up. He turned around to look at the castle, an evil grin crossing his lips. "Now to take out one of those walls. Lina, will you do the honors?"
    "My pleasure," Lina said, two globes of energy forming around her hands. She pressed these together, creating a larger globe that glowed a different color. "Dam Break!" she cried, hurling the globe at the castle, an equally evil grin crossing her lips.
    "Shatter Blast!" Tiskili cried, multiple energy globes flying from her hands, all circling around Lina's spell.
    "Ding Dong," Alex muttered under his breath as the spells connected with their target and obliterated the wall. "Avon calling."
    "Lame joke," Seifer said as their bubble descended.
    "Lame, yes, but fitting," Naga said as they landed, the bubble vanishing. The wind blew past them, blowing hair and capes in a dramatic fashion.
    "Shall we pay a visit to the Lord now that he knows we're here?" Tiskili asked, stepping past everyone.
    "Let's," Lina said, following Tiskili's lead.

    Inside the castle all forms of panic were breaking loose. With the slaughter of the first mage offensive and the destruction of the wall, it was quite clear to anyone and everyone that they weren't dealing with any ordinary forces or mages.
    "Send out the offensive mages, lines two through six. Don't let them get any closer to the castle. Cleric lines four through seven, report to the next wall to provide cover for the mages. All offensive and defensive specialists, prepare for battle and report to your action stations."
    "So they're here at last," Lord Lilac said, stepping from the shadows.
    "Yes, my lord, they are. They took out the entire west wall with two spells that weren't even close to Dragon Slave strength."
    "Which is exactly what I expected from Lina Inverse and company."
    "Sir?"
    "They only look weak, but even the weakest member of their party has something to offer in a fight."
    With that last observation Lord Lilac turned and stepped back into the shadows. "Call me when they penetrate the outer defenses and reach the castle," his voice said after he'd vanished.
    "Don't you mean if, sir?"
    "No, I mean when. With them it's just a matter of time until they're inside."
    "Yes sir."

    "This is laughable," Lina commented as they approached the castle. "Hey, look, there's a sorceress who can wipe the floor with dark lords. Let's stand in a line and wait for her to kick our collective asses."
    "You forgot to mention her cohorts," Naga added, bouncing alongside Lina.
    "Whatever," Lina grumbled, firing up a spell. "Do we do it quick and painful, slow and painful, or just painful?"
    A rush of air alerted them to incoming spells of various elements.
    "No challenge at all," Tiskili commented, waving her hand, a gush of air forming in the wake of her swing, which deflected the spells off into space.
    "No imagination either," Alex commented, pressing his palm to the ground. "Magma Tower!"
    Three geysers of lava bubbled out of the ground in front of them, digging trenches in their wake as they mowed their way through the castle defenses.
    "Overkill much Alex-kun?" Mik asked, arching an eyebrow at the path of destruction left by one mage.
    "That, my dear, isn't overkill," Lina said, finishing her spell. "This, on the other hand, can be classified as such. Shadow Doom Flare!"
    A ray of energy, no thicker than a broomstick, burst from Lina's hands to tear across the ground at the feet of the offensive and defensive mage units. A split second later a wall of plasma burst out of the ground where the beam had struck, sending the resistance screaming into oblivion.
    "Now that is overkill," Lina said smugly.
    "And you're proud of that," Tina commented, "that's scary."
    "Door's open," Seifer called from ahead of them, "you toasted 'em to extra crispy."
    "Let's bag us a budgie and head for home," Alex said, bouncing up next to Seifer.

    "Lord Lilac, the intruders are in the castle walls and are heading this way as we speak."
    "Send whatever remains of the mage offensive and cleric defensive to intercept."
    Someone whispered something in his ear.
    "They wiped them out?!"
    Nodding.
    "All of them?!"
    More nodding.
    "So that means...?"
    Sad nodding.
    "Oh hell! Where are they now?!"
    The wall behind them exploded and collapsed upon them, revealing Lina with her hand extended, a magical glow vanishing from her palm.
    "We're here," she announced, a fanged grin crossing her lips.
    "Come out, come out, where ever you are," Naga called, stepping through the hole in the wall. When she received no reply she placed her hand on her hip and sighed. "Oh, poop. Looks like nobody's home."
    "Olly, olly, oxen free!" Alex called, stepping into the castle. "Hey ya old fart, where the fark are ya?!"
    "Alex, hush," Seifer and Tiskili hissed.
    "Doesn't look like he's here," Tina said, stepping into the castle as well.
    "Did you ever stop to think that you killed everyone with your overkill spells?" Mik asked, reluctantly following the others inside.
    Lina, Naga, and Alex looked at each other and shrugged. "Nah," all three said in unison.
    The wind suddenly picked up, blowing from somewhere inside the building instead of from outside, flower petals riding on the breeze. A male voice cackled loudly, and all looked up to see Lord Lilac melt out of the shadows, something bound in cloth in his hands.
    "It's him," Tina said, fear tingeing her voice.
    "Lord Lilac," Lina breathed.
    "Correct as always, Lina Inverse," Lord Lilac boomed, a column of stone lifting him towards the ceiling.
    "You're not getting away that easily old man!" Tiskili cried, taking a cue from Lina to disrespect her elders, especially the evil ones. Her hands glowed with ethereal flame as she mentally chanted her spell.
    "Don't do it!" Mik instructed, the hair on the back of his neck prickling.
    "Scatter Break!" Tiskili cried, throwing her hands forward, globes of ethereal fire sailing through the air. An energy field formed in front of the column, absorbing Tiskili's spell and enhancing it before redirecting it off towards the ceiling. A loud explosion rocked the castle as the roof and wall began to collapse around the Slayers.
    "Magna Defense," Tina said, waving her right hand in a wide arc. A visible bubble of energy formed around them, protecting them from the falling debris and dust from a cave in.
    "I told you to hold off," Mik sighed as Tina's bubble expanded, pushing the debris off of and away from them.
    "I thought you were talking to the old man," Tiskili said apologetically.
    "I thought we were goners," Seifer gasped, "Where'd that spell come from?"
    "Something Mik amped up when we closed Durham's hell mouth," Tina said, grinning fro ear to ear. "Came in handy, too."
    "Should I finish you off or let you finish yourselves off?" Lord Lilac cackled from atop his pillar.
    "Better prepare for a butt kicking!" Naga called, her hands sparkling with blue light. "You who crosses between sky and earth, raging water, gather in my hand and give me power. Demona CRYSTAL!"
    Naga waved her hands in front of her body before snapping them up and forward, large ice crystals forming in a line between her and Lord Lilac. The crystals climbed the towering column, exploding into a sort of blossom at the very top.
    "Wow," Alex said, his mouth open in awe, "pretty."
    "I'm totally in shock," Lina said, brushing her fingers through her hair, "good work Naga."
    "Of course you're impressed," Naga gloated, "I'm the great Naga, the white serpent. Naga the serpent. O hohohohoho.... huh?"
    The huh came as the ice blossom at the top of the column shattered, or, to be more precise, exploded in a shower of icicles and ice shards.
    "Fireball!" Lina growled, a wave of flame globes sailing from her hands to intercept the ice shards before they could cause some real damage.
    "You're all fools!" Lord Lilac boomed, whisking the cloth covering off of what he held, revealing the Shadow Reflector.
    "Oh hell," Naga grumbled, "he's got the mirror!"
    "And the eye in the center is opening," Seifer observed, frozen in place by fear.
    The eye in the center of the mirror surface blinked a couple of times before opening wide. A wide swath of blinding light washed over the Slayers before white light bathed the entire compound.
    As the light died away, Seifer asked, "Are we dead?"
    "You'll wish you were soon enough," a voice very much like Seifer's retorted.
    "I'm confused," Mik said as his sight returned, "Seifer, since when can you throw your voice?"
    "He can't," Lina said, pointing across the hall, her voice shaking with terror.
    "The mirror did it again," Naga whimpered, "we're screwed!"
    "Awaken, my shadow force!" Lord Lilac commanded to the seven mirror images of the Slayers.
    Six sets of eyes flashed open, loathing, hate, and malice evident in all of them. The only mirror reflection who didn't awaken immediately was the one who looked like Alex, and this one stood near the back, cloaked in shadow.
    "Lights," the image said, two globes flashing into existence above his head.
    Alex's shadow reflection opened its eyes and looked at them, an evil smile crossing its lips. Alex grew pale, since the reflection had feral green eyes instead of brown, like the original. The colors of the reflection's hair was a complete opposite of Alex's, with burgundy red hair and black bangs.
    "This is bad, isn't it?" Tiskili asked. Alex nodded weakly.
    "Welcome to the party," shadow Alex said in a thick Brooklyn accent. "Don't look so surprised," he added, observing how the party of Slayers were staring at him. "If it'll make it easier for you, you can refer to me as Will."
    "So this is a full manifestation of Alex's dark side?" Seifer asked.
    "Afraid so," Lina replied, "and our darker sides appear to be equally scary."
    "So they got it right this time," Naga sighed as her copy checked herself from head to toe, "deadly as hell and drop dead gorgeous. What a combination."
    "They have all of our knowledge too," Tina added, staring in awe at her reflection's command of dark energy.
    "You can't possibly defeat your reflections," Lord Lilac cackled, "they're all powerful."
    "I'm honestly scared for my life," Mik said, stepping back as his reflection stepped forward.
    "What's wrong Mik-chan?" Will taunted, stepping forward, his green eyes burning with feral fire, "Scared that you, the one person in your party who has no magic, will be the first casualty? Let me remedy that for you. Hell blast!"
    Mik crossed his arms over his face, a barrier forming to absorb the spell and channel it into the ground. Will's eyebrow began to twitch when he realized that someone had unlocked Mik's hidden abilities. "Alex," he growled.
    "Trying to hurt Mik-kun is unforgivable," Alex hissed, the band around his wrist glowing, "using a Hell blast is punishable as well. On behalf of the Slayers honor code I shall punish you!"
<music: 'Romancing Train (tv size)' - Move>
    The band around Alex's wrist melted away into a ribbon of energy, which congealed in his palm to form a new digivice. The crest that ruled Spike's black nova armor glowed on the screen as Alex held it to the sky. "Execute Charge!" he cried, a ring of light spiraling from the device, stopping when its size was little more than shoulder width.
    "Charging UP!" he cried, the ring spiraling down his body, melting away his clothing before stopping at his feet. A column of light shot up around him, black armor components phasing in around his body to bond with his shoulders, wrists, forearms, chest, back, hips, shins, ankles, and around his head. The energy ring spanned back up his body, forming black combat boots, black jeans, and a black shirt while adding green and gold accents and trim to the armor. The digivice glowed before becoming the black and gold saber that was the armor's primary weapon.
    "You think you're the only one who can use charge armor?!" Will hissed, sliding up his sleeve to reveal a band very much like Alex's, Lina's, and Naga's. "Did you forget that I'm you... or a part of you? Whatever you can do, I can one up. Charging UP!"
    Blinding white light surrounded Will's body, his clothes melting away as angelic white armor phased in around his wrists, shoulders, chest, hips, calves, and feet. Pure white boots, pants, and a tunic of the same white formed, completing the armor transformation. Will clasped his hands above his head and spread them, a mighty masamune blade forming above his palms.
    "Holy shit!" Lina exclaimed, "he's got an armor that radiates pure astral power!"
    Alex blanched when he not only saw the white charge armor, but sensed it as well. Will smirked, the shoulder components of his armor lifting up and sliding back, locking into position as globes of raw astral power formed and expanded.
    "Meet the true nova armor," Will purred as his armor began to glow a blinding white, "unlike its opposite, the dark nova armor, this one can wipe you all off of the map without destroying the entire planet."
    "Then it's time for us to bring out his backup," Lina said, activating her wristband, "you ready Naga?"
    "Ready," Naga replied, clicking her band open, "Charging....?"
    Lina's and Naga's shadow doubles had since summoned a pair of rock goloms, and these captured the two originals, preventing them from transforming.
    "Shit!" Naga screamed as the golom tightened its grip upon her. "Let go of me!"
    "Miss Naga! Miss Lina!" Tiskili cried, pulling a baton from the waist of her skirt. The baton glowed before expanding into a spear. She dashed at the goloms, only to encounter her shadow double.
    "What the hell am I supposed to do?!" Mik shouted, ducking the punches his shadow double was throwing at his head, "I don't even have control!"
    Lina looked over at Naga, praying her rival / sidekick would catch her glance. Naga winked at Lina before unclasping the band from her wrist. Lina followed suit, and cried, "Kili! Mik! Catch!" as they threw their bands to the two who weren't all wrapped up.
<music: 'Love is in Danger' - Initial D>
    "Stop them!" Lord Lilac commanded, his face growing red.
    "Keep your shirt on pops!" Will replied coolly as the two shadow doubles of the intended targets moved to intercept.
    "Bonding Light!" Tina shouted, waving her hand at the two doubles. A pair of light globes flew from her hand, knocking the pair of shadows off balance.
    "Got it!" Tiskili exclaimed as she caught the band thrown to her. The band immediately clasped itself around her wrist, the symbol for light glowing a brilliant pink.
    "What are we supposed to do now that we have them?" Mik asked, looking at the band around his wrist, which was beginning to glow orange as the symbol for courage powered up.
    "Same command phrase for each band," Lina choked as the golom holding her squeezed tighter, cutting off her oxygen.
    Tiskili and Mik looked at each other and nodded, the bands around their wrists glowing brightly. In unison they cried, "Charging UP!"
    Wind blew up around Mik, flames joining the whirlwind to burn his clothes away. He stood with his arms by his sides, shoulder width apart, as flame red armor components phased in around his wrists, elbows, and shoulders. A ring of fire formed around his feet and spanned upward, forming black boots, baggy black cargo pants, a crimson tunic with gold and black trim, and a headband of black with golden flames. As the flame ring vanished, golden shin, hip, and chest armor phased in, as well as a full helmet. On his forearms formed two halves of a shield, and on his back formed a scabbard holding a Claymore sword.
    Pink light swirled up around Tiskili, spiriting away her clothes as silvery armor components phased in around her body. These joined with her body before a ring of pink light formed around her feet and spiraled up around her body, a pink body suit forming as it passed. A set of luminescent wings formed on her back, and a scabbard containing a short sword formed on her hip.
    "Woah," Mik breathed following the charged transformation, "I feel such incredible power flowing through me."
    "I think we need to save Lina and Naga first before we take time to admire ourselves," Tiskili said as she levitated off of the ground. Her wings unfurled to their full width, the membranes glowing every color of the rainbow as astral energy was fed into them. "Meteor Splash!" she cried, multiple rays of raw astral power flying from her wings, all attacking the goloms like a hail of meteors. The goloms disintegrated under the barrage, leaving Lina and Naga free to attack.
    "They're pretty tough," Seifer said, ducking a wide slash from his shadow's gunblade. "Skilled too," he added, ducking another slash that trimmed the hairs on the top of his head. "Did I mention handsome as well?"
    "Stop drooling over yourself," Tina said, dodging several whip strikes from her shadow double, "if you ask me, I don't think we should be fighting our own doubles."
    "Try telling that to them," Alex said, engaging Will in a stare down. 'There's only one way to end this quickly, and that's to perform a materia summons.'
<music: 'Boom Boom Fire (full mix)'-Para Para Paradise>
    A burst of heat filled his right fist as his materia phased into existence, a warm pulse flowing into his hand from the stone. He held his fist to the sky, red light bursting from the cracks between his fingers. "Ridley, I summon you!" he cried, opening his fist, flames bursting from the materia stone, rising towards what had once been the ceiling. The flames widened, filling half of the former ceiling space before exploding, revealing the dragon - like creature known as Ridley.
    "You think I'm frightened of that?" Will asked, flames leaping from his right hand, "you're seriously outclassed, little boy. Meta Ridley, come forth!"
    An even more impressive wave of fire flew from Will's hand, and this exploded to reveal a shadow of Ridley with some serious technological upgrades.
    Alex's eyes widened in horror when he saw Meta Ridley. His horror was realized when Meta Ridley belched forth a massive fireball and launched several missiles in rapid successions, all of which zeroed in on Ridley. A great explosion filled the air, destroying more of the castle while sending Ridley screaming into oblivion.
    "Not again," Alex said weakly, falling to his knees, "I've lost Ridley a second time."
    "Pathetic," Will hissed, "You make me sick. I can't believe we were ever part of the same being."
    "Monster!" Tina screamed, turning her attention on Will with several energy blasts, one of which grazed the darker version of Alex across the cheek.
    "You'll wish I'd killed you sooner," Will growled, wiping blood from the cut on his cheek. Flames swept up around his body, a ginormous cannon forming in front of his body. Energy began to collect  in the cannon's chamber, glowing globes forming within.
    "Divinity Cannon!" he cried, the cannon belching forth multiple charged blasts, all directed at Tina.
    Tina crossed her arms over her face in an attempt to block the attack and braced for impact. When all she felt was a gentle breeze and heard the rustle of wings, she uncrossed her arms and opened her eyes to see a giant glowing wing shielding her. Looking up she saw the source of the wing - a giant suit of mechanical armor named Alexander.
    "Hey queenie," Alex called from the armor's shoulder, "you're the queen of death, not the queen who is dead!"
    "Thanks for the save sweetie," Tina called, retreating to a safe distance. "Show him the power of your esper!"
    "Prepare to fry!" Will cried as Meta Ridley charged up for another attack.
    "You're the one who's gonna fry, you little shit," Naga called, "Let 'em have it Lina!"
    "Thanks Naga," Lina said, sweat dropping, "Oh well, I've been feeling a little repressed of late, so why not taste. My. Wrath!"
    Blood red magical energy swarm and spun around Lina's fingers, crawling up her arms before covering her body in a glowing red aura. A ball of the same energy formed between her hands, and this she directed at Meta Ridley. "Dragon... SLAVE!"
    The sound of the spell tearing through the air was deafening, and the explosion that followed threatened to send people flying. A flurry of glowing white beams struck where the Dragon Slave had made contact, adding to the destructive force.
    "Never underestimate the power of good!" Alex cheered from atop Alexander's shoulder.
    "Just die already!" Will cried, the cannon he'd used against Tina forming again. "Divinity Cannon!"
    "Fire Tower!" Mik cried, pressing his palm to the ground. A tower of flame rose up between Alex and Will, blocking the cannon's beam long enough for Alexander to retreat to Esper space and Alex to gain some altitude.
    "Double Divinity Cannon!"
    Mik and Alex were both caught off guard by the twin beam attack thrown at them, and both crashed down against the far wall.
    "And they're down for the count," Tiskili commented, landing between the Slayers and the army of shadow copies coming their way.
    "More goloms," Lina sighed as the Naga clone whipped up a new batch of rock goloms, all of which had serious design flaws. "Typical."
    "Uncanny eye for detail," Naga commented, "the shadow Mik must be amping their powers."
    "You like him?" Will asked, embracing shadow Mik from behind in a loving yet lustful manner. "He's all mine, and with his power..."
    "Yadda, yadda, yadda," Lina sighed, tracing a design through the air, "just shut up already. Vice Freeze."
    A glowing circle of energy trapped shadow Mik, shadow Tina, and shadow Seifer, leaving shadow Lina, Naga, Tiskili, and Will.
    "Your amplifier is out of commission," Lina smirked, "what do you have to say to that?"
    "Look up," Will smirked as a fresh set of stone goloms trapped Lina and Naga. "Boy, you're both really dense."
    "Takes one to know one," Alex said before punching Will in the lower back. He followed with several more rapid punches to the back, releasing a blast of dark energy that sent Will into a wall. "How'd that taste, huh? You like it? You like it? You..."
    Something heavy caught Alex in the back, pressing him into the ground. He looked over his shoulder to see another golom, this one larger than those pinning down Lina and Naga, standing on his back.
    "Gem Storm!" Tiskili cried, large jewels flying from her wings to attack the golom holding Alex down. The gems struck and bounced off with audible results, without so much as scratching the golom.
    "And that worked about as well as nothing," Tiskili sighed, sweat dropping.
    "I'm not even going to try with this armor," Mik said, "can't risk toasting Alex-kun to a cinder."
    "Prepare to upgrade," Seifer said, punching a special code into his cell phone, "Level two charges online."
<music: 'Love Destiny' - Ishida Youko>
    "Level two charge upgrade!" Tiskili and Mik cried, their armor shimmering before melting away. Waves of blue light wrapped up around Mik's body, silver and blue armor components phasing in around his body. These joined with his shins, hips, chest, shoulders, wrists, forearms, and around his forehead, shrinking to fit securely yet comfortably. A ring of blue light formed around his feet and spanned up his body, black boots, baggy blue - black cargo pants, a blue and silver tunic, and a blue headband melted onto his body, a large spear forming in his hand.
    Waves and wisps of silver light blew up around Tiskili, armor components of silver with red and pink trim phasing in around her body and joining with her vital areas. A ring of silver light formed around her waist, splitting in half, each half spanning her body to form a pink and silver body suit as well as a set of glider like wings.
    "Go!" Mik said once his transformation was completed, the shoulder ports on his armor rising back, globes of aqua colored magic forming. "Blue Wave Tsunami!" he cried, the globes more or less exploding into an intertwining column of high pressure water that caught the golom pressing Alex to the ground in the back, disintegrating it on impact.
    "Hurricane Wave!" Tiskili cried, snapping her hands down from shoulder level, her palms facing the golom's remains that were now on top of Alex. A mighty wind caught these debris and propelled them through the air, catching shadow Lina and Naga completely off guard, knocking them unconscious.
    "Five down," Tina smirked, wrapping the three frozen and two unconscious shadow doubles up in magical rope, "that just leaves Will and Tiskili's shadow double."
    A loud whack followed by a THUD came from behind her, and she turned to see Seifer standing over the shadow Tiskili, who was flat on her face.
    "Caught her sneaking up on you," Seifer explained, "she's only unconscious."
    "And that leaves mister gruesome and evil," Mik said, flying back to land with the others.
    "Who will send you screaming to your graves!" Will hissed, the shoulder sections of his armor rising back, locking into position, globes of searing white light forming. The Divinity Cannon reappeared as well, the barrel glowing as energy accumulated within. "Say yer prayers. END OF DESTINY!"
    The cannons on Will's shoulders as well as the divinity cannon released a beam of blinding white light that was roughly the size of a bullet train. Those who were embroiled in the heat of battle could only look on as the beam attack tore a trench in the earth as it sped towards them.
    When all looked lost as blur of jet black and gold sailed into the path of the attack, pulling to a stop dead center. Those who wondered why they weren't dead looked up to see Alex holding the beam at bay, his charge armor glowing, sparks shooting from where the outer armor had melted from the heat.
    "Alex!" six people gasped as the beam detonated, sending up a cloud of smoke and dust that blotted out the sun.
<music: 'Energy Love' - Delta Queens>
    "A hahahahahahahahaha!" Lord Lilac cackled, "even with your fancy charge armor you're nothing! My shadow army is all powerful!"
    "Did he forget that we have six of the copies tied up?" Tiskili asked, arching an eyebrow at the evil tyrant.
    "Does anybody else feel anything about losing Alex?" Seifer asked, tears streaming down his cheeks.
    "Seifer-san, we have to remain rational," Mik said, laying a consoling hand on Seifer's shoulder.
    "You can join him soon enough," Will cackled, the Divinity Cannon reappearing, the barrel glowing with accumulated energy. "Divinity...."
    "Giga Striker!" a voice called from within the cloud of smoke and dirt, a large blade of dark energy tearing through the dust to strike Will's cannon and erase the attack.
    "What?!" Will and Lord Lilac demanded in unison as the cloud parted and vanished, revealing a very bruised and battered Alex, his charge armor more or less decimated.
    "Alex-kun!" Mik exclaimed, "You're alive!"
    Alex nodded and winked at Mik before gazing at Seifer.
    "Prepare... for level three charge," Alex coughed, barely able to stand following Will's last attack.
    "Can that even be attempted?" Seifer asked, keying up the master computer back at HQ on his cell phone.
    "Just do it," Alex hissed, blood dripping down his face from a gash on his forehead.
    Seifer looked at his boyfriend and just how determined he was to win and nodded. "Prepare for level three charge."
    Alex closed his eyes and bowed his head, a magical glow encompassing his body. 'I must reach the next level of charge,' ran through his mind as he summoned the strength for the ultimate level of armor.
    "Execute charge!" he said under his breath, his armor glowing as he threw his head back. "Charging UP!"
    The black nova armor melted away in a shower of glitter, only to reappear with the original storm armor that he had used for so long. Components from both systems of armor combined before joining with his body, rings of flame circling around him as he became one with the armor system.
    "What's he doing?" Mik asked, his own armor regenerating.
    "Giving us a chance to fight back," Tiskili said, the wings on her armor glowing. "Lina, Naga, heads up!"
    Blades comprised of wind struck the goloms holding the two original Slayers, releasing them from their prison. The dynamite duo turned on the person holding the Shadow Reflector, firing up some of their trusty spells for retribution and revenge.
    "How... how is this possible?!" Lord Lilac demanded, his face red with anger. "Will, I command you to execute a third level charge!"
    "What do ya think I'm tryin' ta do, ya old fart?!" Will retorted, his eyes scrunched in concentration. "I don't think it's possible for me to do..... and I think I sprained something."
    "Which means the original is stronger than the copy," Alex said triumphantly. "boo yah!"
    The air was suddenly filled with lilac blossoms, and all looked up to see Lord Lilac using his signature spell, the blossom hurricane.
    "Of all the cheesy spells out there," Lina growled, charging up her talismans, "I'm about to lose my temper."
    "Save it for those enemies that matter," Tiskili said, taking a step back, "Oh hell, how do you use the mega cannons?"
    A blinding light filled the area as Will's armor powered up for another high level attack. Alex glanced at his evil counterpart, his own armor glowing as powers unknown became available.
    "Nova Array!" Will cried, the shoulder mounted cannons of his armor releasing intertwining rays of solar fire.
    "Alex!" Mik cried, making a move to step between the two.
    "Oh no you don't," Seifer said, pulling Mik back, "This is between Alex and his darker half. All we can do is cheer him on."
    'I have to look deep inside myself to find a way to win,' Alex thought as the flames neared him. 'I have to draw out the true potential of this armor.'
    'You can do it love,' Spike's voice said in his mind, 'use my strength for your own.'
    The power that flowed through Alex's body was warm and loving, almost like an embrace from someone deeply cared for. Alex could feel Spike's muscular arms wrapped around his torso, the vampire's cheek touching his own.
    'You have all it takes to lock him away for good,' Spike said in his ear, 'I believe in you. They believe in you. Do you believe in you?'
    "Alex!" six other voices cried as the warrior was engulfed in flames.
    "I believe in me," Alex said, his eyes snapping open. "Will, you're going down!"
    A bubble of energy formed around Alex, shielding him from the intensity of Will's attack. He leapt into the air, a Ragna Blade spontaneously forming in his hand. He brought the blade back up behind his head, the resulting sword from the spell solidifying into a mighty buster sword.
    "You came from inside me, and that's where you're going back!" Alex growled as he began his descent. "I won't let you hurt anyone ever again!"
    As he swung his sword downward a glowing image of Spike overlaid his body, guiding his swing for a true strike, while at the same time giving him a little extra power.
    "I won't go without a fight!" Will hissed for a reply, his armor powering up for another Nova Array.
    "Descending...": Alex / Spike cried, their Ragna Blade pulsing with dark energy. "DARKNESS!"
    They swung their blade of darkness in such a way that a wave of blackest pitch as dark as night washed over all in its path. From within the wave those outside could view Will's armor disintegrating into nothing seconds before the reflection shattered.
    "My... my reflection army," Lord Lilac gasped in disbelief.
    "Are soon to be toast," Lina smirked, globes of dark matter forming in her hands. "Shatter Bleed!" she cried, snapping her hands forward, the globes sailing through the air. Lord Lilac began to run in circles in a vain attempt to avoid being blown up.
    "Freeze Arrow!" Naga cried, using one of her favorite spells to add to the chaos. "Break!" she added, splitting the single arrow into multiple smaller ones.
    "Aero Blade!" Tiskili giggled, using Fam's charge armor better than the owner had been able to by sending multiple energy blades into the mix.
    The three multiple projectile attacks more or less connected at the same time, knocking Lord Lilac from his feet and the Shadow Reflector into the air.
    "No!" he cried as the mirror sailed into the air, "If that breaks we all may die!"
    "What a drama queen," Tina sighed, catching the mirror with an energy whip. She gave the whip a sharp tug, sending the mirror towards Mik and Seifer. "All yours boys."
    "Our pleasure," Seifer smirked, leveling his gunblade at the mirror. "Seeing my darker side again was not fun, so I bid thee adieau."
    He pulled the trigger on his weapon, discharging a couple of rounds that pierced the mirror and cracked the reflective surface. "All yours Mik."
    "A thing of true unbeauty," Mik sighed, "and I've been around Alex too long. Oh well. Fireball!"
    With Mik's spell the Shadow Reflector was sent to its final resting place, what they all hoped to be for good. Lord Lilac broke down in tears when his shadow army vanished before his eyes.
    "And I proclaim this mission closed," Tiskili said, the charge armor she wore vanishing. "Good job all."
    "We caught the slime ball as well," Lina smirked, "and later we can raid his castle."
    "Much later," Alex yawned, his charge armor vanishing. He began to fall backwards, only to land in Seifer's arms. "What a day."
    "After this is over I'm resigning from this madhouse," Mik said, returning his wristband to Lina. "At least teaching math or working with software is less dangerous than being a Slayer."
    "Too true," Tina grinned, "all too true."

    "So what's on the agenda for today?" Alex asked the next morning over breakfast.
    "We tied up the loose ends of this case already," Tiskili said, sipping at her coffee. "The remains of the Shadow Reflector were disenchanted with a Flow Break before a Burst Flare was used to  break them down to ash and dust. Wind magic was used to scatter the ashes to the ends of the earth."
    "A mission well done all around," Seifer said, embracing Alex suddenly.
    Alex belched, and Seifer turned as red as his boyfriend. "That was.... unexpected."
    "Pardon me," Alex said, still blushing as he scooped up several pieces of pancake.
    "Did they find the villagers?" Mik asked, changing the subject back to work issues.
    "Yup, they found them in some outbuildings on Lilac's property," Tiskili said, "for the most part they were ok. Most were spooked about the darker halves that the mirror had produced."
    "As they well should be," Naga said, setting her flagon down, "seeing someone as beautiful as I am with an even darker personality has put quite a strain on me."
    "Not that it shows," Lina said under her breath.
    "When do we head for home?" Tina asked, drinking her juice in one gulp.
    "Whenever you guys are ready," Alex said, smiling at them. "I'll teleport us."
    "What?!" six voices echoed, all with fear evident in the tones.
    "Well, after that battle and knowing that Spike is still with me in spirit, I feel I can do anything!"
    "Did he hit his head?" Lina whispered to Seifer, who simply shrugged.
    "Do we need to drug you again?" Tiskili asked, "Because I have lots of tranquilizer."
    "I'm serious," Alex huffed, crossing his arms, "give me a test."
    "Lilacs from the ruins of Lilac castle," Lina said, "I want some of that peculiar royal purple color."
    "Back in a flash," Alex said, closing his eyes. He vanished with a soft bamph, leaving a cloud of violet smoke in his wake.
    "Now taking bets on if he comes back soaked or not," Lina said, smiling evilly.
    "That's mean," Seifer sighed, "he'll come back dry as a bone."
    "Put your money...." Lina started to say, but was interrupted.
    Bamph
    Alex reappeared in his chair, his hair slightly out of place, yet dry, and three lilac blossoms in hand, all of a very deep velvety shade of purple. "I'm back," he announced happily, tossing the lilac blossoms to Tiskili, Tina, and Lina. "I believe these are the blossoms you were referring to."
    "Wow," Naga said, looking at Lina's blossom, "these are the ones from the ruins."
    "And this as well," Alex said, holding up a piece of materia. "Will's materia piece for summoning Meta Ridley."
    "Which is why we need to revive Ridley," Seifer said, "I don't trust Meta Ridley. He's creepy."
    "I also brought some guests," Alex smirked.
    "What?!" six voices echoed.
    "Just kidding," Alex chuckled, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth, "but this means I can teleport us home."
    "Do we trust you?" Tina asked, arching an eyebrow. "I seem to recall your little incident back at the Gables and the one on the plane."
    "I trust him," Seifer said, wrapping his arm around Alex's shoulder, "he can jump dimensions, so this should be no sweat."
    "When can you guys be ready?" Alex asked, smiling happily.

    A few minutes later the group assembled in front of the inn, the sun shining upon them. A gentle breeze whistled across the land, playing with their hair and any lose edges of shirts, skirts, capes, etc. Alex stood near the center of their group, his head bowed in concentration as he read the ways of the cosmic fabric.
    "We'll need to make a pit stop midway between here and home," the mage announced, a magic circle forming around his feet. "I'm slightly out of practice with a group teleport."
    "Why does that worry me?" Mik asked, glancing at the others.
    "Worry not about him," Seifer said, resting one hand on Mik's shoulder and his other hand on Alex's shoulder. "He's got us here to draw upon if he needs to."
    Alex took a familiar looking wand from his pocket and held it aloft, the jewel glowing a brilliant violet color, the wings on either side of the crystal rising up to embrace it.
    'Take us home,' he said mentally, the magic circle around his feet spreading out to encircle all of them. A soft bamph filled the air as the group vanished in a shower of golden glitter.
    The entrance into the dimensional fold left something to be desired, since the turbulence was ten times worse than anything experienced on an airliner. Once in, though, the ride was smooth and uneventful. Mik, who had never traveled by long distance teleport before, gazed out the warp bubble at the swirling colors in the inky darkness.
    "This is something that I'll remember for all my years to come," he commented, "there are colors out there that don't even have names."
    "Wait until you jump worlds," Seifer said, a smile crossing his lips, "the light show is twenty times more intense."
    'Five seconds until phase out,' Alex's voice echoed in their minds. 'Four... three... two.... one...'

    In a thick forest, in the northern part of the world, in a relatively peaceful clearing, reality shifted and bent, releasing the warp bubble containing the seven Slayers. The bubble dropped a couple of feet, jolting those within with the sudden loss of altitude. The bubble ascended a foot before descending to the ground at a gentle rate.
    The warp bubble vanished once they were on ground level, and Alex pitched backwards into Seifer's arms.
    "Gonna need a few minutes to recharge," Alex gasped, wiping sweat from his brow.
    "Take all the time you need," Lina said, looking around at the clearing. "Hey, isn't this where Aeris lives?"
    "Perfect place for a pit stop," Mik whistled, glancing around. "Gorgeous."
    "Alex!" a perky female voice cried moments before a girl with long brown hair tied up in a long braid pounced upon Alex.
    "Hey Aeris," Alex said, hugging the girl, "hope you don't mind us dropping in like this."
    "It's no problem," Aeris said, smiling at everyone, "I take it you've been on a mission. Tell me all about it. Where did you go? Who did you see? Who did you fight? Who are these new people?"
    "Gonna be a long pit stop," Naga said, rolling her eyes a little.
    "Oh, be quiet goldfish feces," Lina said, elbowing Naga in the ribs. "Aeris is a nice girl and he needs some time to rest before his next jump."
    "A real rest time," Seifer yawned, "just what the doctor ordered."
    As they walked towards Aeris' house, Aeris kept asking questions, and Alex answered to the best of his abilities. A gentle breeze rustled the trees around them, filling the air with the scents of nature, bringing an end to their adventure.

-end credits
<music: 'Lunar SSS op theme'>
    <In your dreams, magical thoughts. All things are real unless you dream they're not>
    Flower petals blow around everyone, carried on a gentle breeze. Seifer is leaning against a tree, Alex leaning back between his legs, Aeris leaning back between Alex's legs. Seifer is busy twisting ribbons into Alex's hair as he braids it. Alex is tying ribbons into Aeris' hair as he works to braid her hair.
    <In your dreams, love is the plot, carried on wings of hope>
    Seifer unexpectedly pulls Alex back into a tight embrace and begins to cry into his shoulder. Alex's expression goes from surprised to gentle, caring, and understanding, and he pats Seifer's hands to reassure him that everything will be all right. Aeris turns her head to look at Alex, who smiles and shrugs a little, since he gave a full telling of their battle with the shadow legion and was sure he didn't omit any details.
    <Each of our souls, intertwine, when you do>
    Mik, Tina, Tiskili, Lina, and Naga look at the three with a mixture of emotion. Mik doesn't really know what to think, since his safe little world has been turned on its ear during the mission. Tiskili brushes a few strands of hair behind her ear and turns her gaze skyward, where sunlight breaks through the treetops and dances across the ground.
    <Instantly we see it, the time to grow and be it, when everything is pinned on a hope>
    Aeris stands up and helps Alex to his feet. Seifer rises to his feet and wipes his eyes on his sleeve, blushing a little from embarrassment. Alex motions everyone to come closer as he takes the wand from his pocket once more. Aeris gives Alex a big hug and a kiss on the cheek as Alex holds the wand aloft, the gem glowing brilliantly. All look expectantly at the gem as a magic circle forms around Alex's feet.
    <Let rise the dreams of your heart>
    The gem releases a few rays of light in a circular pattern before everyone, save for Aeris, vanishes in a flash of light and a shower of glitter.
    <That innocent youth, careless and kind>
    The warp bubble appears in the dimensional fold, this entrance a lot smoother than the last. Alex smiles at everyone and gives a thumbs up sign to reassure them all will be fine.
    <Free to roam the breeze in love, only when two brilliantly shine as one>
    Alex blushes lightly when he feels a set of arms embrace him lovingly. He turns his head to find that it's not Seifer, or Mik, or anyone else in their group giving him a hug, but Spike, or the spirit of Spike. Alex's clothes shimmer and change, forming his warrior armor, the light going from blinding to bearable in a matter of seconds. Alex smiles happily as the bubble vanishes into the swirling colors.

-End
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