After Zel had situated Zellas, he rushed back to Khirah's rooms. He got there, but everyone was laying on the floor.
"How strong is she?" Zel murmured as he check everybody over for injuries. They seemed okay, they were just knocked out cold. Zel sighed and called some servants to help everyone back to their room. Zel walked over to Khirah's beside and all but smirked at what he saw. "It appears you aren't as uncaring as you want us to believe Xellos." Zel murmued as he looked down at Khirah. Suddenly her eyes opend and she looked up at Zel with the strangest look on her face. "You okay?" Khirah nodded.
"Yes thank you Zlegadis, I think you saved not only my magick, but my sanity as well." Khirah looked around. "What happened?"
"You happened." someone said weakly and Khirah looked up as Zellas walked into the room. "Your powers is unbelivable, no wonder Dynast wants to get his hands on you. You knocked us all out, incleading myself." Zellas looked pointedly at the prone Xellos "And Xellso as well it seems. I am going to have to have a talk with my Trickster. If he was caught off guard that easily, then he is getting old." Zellas gestured and Xellos dissapeared. "Get some sleep you two." And with that, Zellas Metallium left as well

The next few weeks were interesting. Khirah had to explain why she had colapsed and why Amelia haf fallen ill.
"It seems that someone placed a barrier around Amelia's Astral projection and it was slowly sucking her spirit out until she died." Khirah answer for the umtenth time
. What's a Astral porjectioon?" Gourry asked with his usaly rapier wit. Khirah swetadroped and fell on the floor twitching.
"Lina you take it form here." Khirah muttered as she picked herslef up off the ground.
"Gourry you jellyfish brains! Everyone has an Astral projection, it is kind of like a persons spirit and Shamanism deals with the Astral Plane so what Khirha is trying to say is that the person that attacked Amelia was obviously a master Shamanist. Now do you get it?"
"No, I wasn't paying attention." Gourry answer cheerfully and Lina jumped on him and procedded to beat the living snot out of him. Khirah sighed and massaged her head
"This is going to be a long week,"

A Month later:

"What!" Khirah shouted. "What do you mean tomorrow is Zels birthday?"
"I though someone told you." Amelia quivered. "So we are planing a big party for him ,and....." Khirah stopped listening after that.She did know one thing however, the last thing Zlegadis would want is to have a big party thrown for his birthday. After Amelia had left, Khirah went towhere Lashka was staying, and explained what had happened.
"So you see Lash, I am going to have to cancelour date tommorrow. I have to save Zel form this party I wouldn't want his birthday to be a tota disaster " Lashka took the news rather well.
"I understand Khirah, you obviously have your priorities strait, and I see where I fit into them." Lashka looked into Khirah eyes. "I am glad that you value your friendship with Zelgadis so much, and I am glad that I found out that /he/ means more to you then I do." Lashka turned around. "I think this discussion is over with. Please leave." Stunned by the venom and bitterness in Lashka's voice, Khirah wordlessly left.

By the time the next day had come around, Khirah had worked herself up into a rage.
"How dare he dismiss me!" she muttered as she ruthlessly pulled the tangles out of her silky silver-gray hair. "Of all the nerve!" Khirah dressed in some corfortable cloths and left her rooms and walke dodwn the hall to Zelgaids' room. "Hey Zel it's me, open up!" Khirah pounded on the door and a rather irrataed Zelgaids opened i
t. "What Khirah?" he demanded. "Come on,our favorite princess is planing a big birthday party for you my friend, so I figured you would want to get awy before thhat happens." Zel blaunched at Khirah news and a certain look of panic filled his sapphire eyes.
"I'm coming." and he got ready in record time. The two Chimera's left the castle and Khirah and Zel wandered aroung Sayruune aimlessly for hours. Finally they got hungry and thirsty and decided to hit the local bar. Over the last few hours, Khirah had spilt her story abou tthe fight she'd had with Lashka.
"You and I are going to get so platered, we will forget all about our problems." Khirah said cheerfully. "What do you think about that? I can forget about Lashka and you cab forget about Amelia." Zel nodded his head and the two consummed a lot alchohol in a short amount of time.
"You know what Zel." Khirah slurred. "I really love that jerk Lashka... hicup..... That's whhhyy, it hurt so much when he turned on me yesterday." Khirah leaned forward and whispered in Zel's ear. "What about you, who do you love?" Zel had gotten deathly silent.
"Who could love a freak like me Khirah?" Zel asked bitterly as he stared down into his drink.
"I could." Khirah hicuped. Zel's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward and stared at her belgeriently.
"You could huh? How you're so impressed by the perfect Lashka, I'm surpirzed that you even remeber us."
"Lashka is my true love. Even when I was in that acursed rock he was there!" Khira shouted, and other people begain to look at them. "He was the one who saved my sanity, without him I would had gone mad. But for over a year he was there, and he helped me through it." Zel felt his heart freeze.
That's impossible. he thought shocked. How can she know about the woman I met on the Astral Plane?
"And how do you know it was Lashka?" Zel asked.
"Becuase the man I met and fell in love with had dark blue hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Lashka fits him to a T and he knows all about our conversations." Khirah slurred. "Now Zel, I want to help you, how can I help you?" Zel brought his face even closer to Khirah's so that their faces were mere inchs apart.
"You'll help me Khirah, how are you going to help me. Ca you heal my broken heart? Huh?" Zels voice rose. "How can you hel me You're the cause of all my problems. You and Lashka, and I am so sick of hearing Lashka this and Lashka that.!" Khirah stared up at Zel with hurt and betrayal written across her face.
"You know Zel, you make a really losely drunk!" Khirah cried as she swiftly left the bar.Zel sat down at the bar and glared at his glass.
"Stupid woman, wouldn't know the truth if is came up and bit her in the ass!"

Khirah ran to her quarters and threw herself on her bed. Only then did she succomb to the tears that had threatened to fall ever since she had left the bar.
"How could he be so heartless?" Khirah asked herself as she slipped into a druken slumber.The next time she woke up, Lashka was standing over her
. "Khirah I'm so sorry about yesterday, but it hurt my feelings that I thought you cared my about Zelgadis then me, esecially considering how much I love you. That's the reason I wanted to take you out to tonight, I wanted to give you this." Lashka held out a small box and Khirah took it wonderingly. When she opened the lid, her face lit up with joy. "You would make the happyest man in the world if you would marry me." Khirah threw her arms aroung Lashka's neck
"Of course I'll marry you." "Then lets do it now." Lashka whispered.
"What?"
"Lets elope."
"Elope?" Khirah was shocked. But if I elope, I won't have to face Zel again. she thought silently. "All right, lets do it!" Khirah stood up and she and Lashka left the castle, Seyruune and Zelgadis far behind