Mallory's-Really-Weird-Not-All-That-Great
Untitled-Slayers-FanFiction-Story-Thingy!
Don't
pick on the name, okay?
By:
Mowi
"Hey,
Zel! Wait!" Lina yelled. Zelgadis stopped just long enough for Lina to
catch up, then started walking again. Before Lina even opened her mouth again,
he glanced over his shoulder at her.
"No."
He kept walking. She tried to keep up, taking three paces for his one.
"Zel!
Please!? It would mean a lot to me! Gourry agreed! Please??"
"No."
He stopped walking and faced her. "No!" He said again, as she opened
her mouth to protest.
"ZEL!!!!!
Come on!"
"No."
"Why
not?"
"Because
I have other things to do!" He folded his arms.
"Look.
I'm inviting ALL my friends. YOU are one of my friends. Therefore, you have to
come."
"No,
I don't."
"So
you're saying you're not my friend?" Lina pouted.
"I
didn't say tha-"
"Yes,
you did!" She stomped her foot.
"No,
I-" He held his hands up as if to fend her off.
"Fine!
So you're (sob) not my friend. I'll (sob) get over it." Tears welled in the
dusky red eyes. Unusual color, he mused absentmindedly, the exact same color as
her hair. He had never seen eyes that color before… they weren't very common.
"But,
Lina-" He tried again.
"You
ARE my friend?"
"This
is insane!" He threw his arms up, tempted to walk away again.
"Are
you??"
"Yes,
Lina." He conceded, rolling his eyes heavenward in exasperation.
"Great!
See you at the wedding!"
"Now,
wait a second-" Too late. Lina had already bounced off down the road.
Zelgadis
sighed. How had THAT happened? He had never agreed to go to any wedding!
But,
now he was stuck for it. That was the way of things when dealing with Lina
Inverse.
A
while ago, Lina had met this guy in a village that they had passed. The village
was having serious financial problems involving trade and taxes and other
tedious things that Lina didn't care about. What she did care about, was that
the prince, Kai, had fallen in love with her, and she was just as disgustingly
smitten as he was. You could hardly get them apart. Then Kai had proposed. Of
course, Lina had accepted, and now was trying to get Zel to come to the wedding.
And it seems he had just agreed, although he really didn't remember that part of
the conversation.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see Lina happy. It was just that he didn't want to see Lina happy with Kai. He didn't trust him. Something about that guy… he was too slick, almost slimy. Also, he was thirty if he was a day! And Lina was what? Fifteen? Sixteen, by now. That in itself was weird. He sighed with resignation. Lina could marry whomever she wanted. It wasn't his problem; he simply didn't care.
The
ceremony hadn't started yet. Gourry and Zelgadis were conversing quietly with
Kai while they waited. Zel STILL wasn't sure how he got stuck for this, but....
"So,
are you sure you can handle her, Kai?" Gourry asked casually.
"I've
had practice..." Kai muttered.
"What
do you mean?" Gourry asked, confused. "Er-I've been traveling with you
people for a while... I'm rather used to her."
Zelgadis
decided to intervene. If this works, he might be breaking her heart... but
saving her life. A fair trade. Besides, Lina was a strong girl, and Zel doubted
she'd let anything get her down for long. More likely, she'd just kill the guy
and be done with it.
"I'm
glad that you love her. I mean-you know...." He said (in his quiet, calm
voice that drives all of us fans absolutely insane).
"No...
I don't..." Kai frowned, confused. Zel pressed on, ignoring Gourry's
warning look.
"You
know... how she needs your support."
"She
doesn't.….. have... anything?" Kai was looking severely worried, while
Gourry was trying not to laugh at the thought of Lina needing anyone's support.
"No,
nothing. She was looking forward to living with you in your castle. Of course,
she loves you." He tried to read Kai's expression. Was there the slightest
bit of...worry? Disgust? Anger? He couldn't tell.
"Not
profitable... not possible." He muttered. Then, louder, "Excuse
me." He walked away, towards the bridal chamber.
"Ano...What
was that all about?" Gourry asked.
"I
don't think Lina will be getting married today." Zel said quietly, trying
not to think of the teenager who was about to get her heart broken.
"Oh,
I'm so excited!" Lina gushed, grinning at Amelia, Naga and Sylphiel.
"But,
aren't you nervous, Miss Lina?" Amelia squeaked.
Now
that she thought about it, she was. Very nervous, in fact. "Y-yeah..."
She
fiddled nervously with her bouquet, looking at herself critically in the mirror.
Low wasted white dress, white roses, white shoes, white, white, white, white.
She frowned.
"What's
wrong, Lina?" Sylphiel asked, putting her hand on Lina's shoulder.
"It's
all white... so plain!"
"You're
the bride! It's supposed to be white."
"Easy
for you to say-You're in color." Lina muttered, looking at Sylphiel's
forest green dress. They were all in color. Except her. "It's okay, Lina.
You look wonderful."
"Sure....."
She twisted in front of the mirror, then turned as the wedding march started to
play. Lina gasped and ran out, stepping into place, out of sight from the
crowds. Amelia went out first, as flower girl, with a final glance at Lina to
convey her annoyance at being stuck in that position. Lina stepped up, ready to
go, and looked around for Kai. She spotted him up at the altar, looking nervous.
She smiled and started walking.
"Isn't
it time for this thing to start yet?" Zelgadis muttered, shifting position.
He wanted out, now. Too many people, too much noise, too much everything! As if
in answer, the music started to play. Zel started a sigh of relief, then lost
his breath as Lina came into view.
Wow!
Was about all his brain could formulate at the moment. Gourry glanced at Zel,
and grinned. "Never seen her in a dress like that before, huh?" He
whispered.
"Never
seen her in a dress at all." He managed, still staring. Then his eyes
started to hurt from all that white.
Lina
was positively glowing! She walked down the aisle, gliding gracefully over the
red carpet. Zel frowned as he tried to find something of the Lina he knew in
this... resplendent princess. She was so different; the way she walked, the way
she smiled graciously at the murmuring of the crowd... it was unnerving.
Then
he almost laughed as she passed by them; she glanced down at them, winked,
grinned, and flashed a peace sign, still holding her bouquet. No one else saw
this, however, and it was gone before Zel or Gourry really had time to register
it; by the time they reacted she was already past them. Zel had to smile as she
walked on past them, and stopped at the altar.
"Lina..."
He seemed rather cool, Lina thought, but she shrugged it off. He was probably
just nervous.
"Oh,
Kai!" She threw her arms around his neck.
"No,
Lina." He detached her roughly, his voice low and hard.
Huh?
"What?" She stared up at him.
"I
won't marry you. Not now, not ever... It's no longer profitable for me to do
so."
"WHAT?!"
In any other circumstance, she would have just Dragon Slaved him, and be done
with it, but she was rather shocked at the moment.
"'Bye."
He left. Just like that. He left her standing at the altar, and the wedding had
barely gotten that far. The crowd murmured at Lina's sudden shout, then gasped
as Kai walked out of the building. Lina followed him, shouting.
"GET
BACK HERE YOU JERK!" She picked up a nearby chair and threw it at him. He
sidestepped, not even looking back, and it splintered against the wall. She
picked up a vase and shattered it on the floor. One of the glass shards bounced
back and cut her cheek. She tripped over her dress, ripping it, swung around to
get her balance... and met the shocked gazes of all her guests. (If one looked
very closely, they would see Gourry giving Zelgadis a suspicious glance, and
notice Zel trying to notice: his hands in his pockets, staring off into space.)
She stumbled a few steps, then the tears started to fall and she ran into her
chamber. She flung herself on the bed, crying more out of anger then of grief.
She lifted her head slowly, and could see her bouquet on the floor.
Damn
him.
She
turned her head away. She saw the pink roses reflected in the mirror. She
thought about Kai. She thought about his handsome face, not old, but not young,
she thought about how he looked when they first met.. so cute... And how they
had held hands... and then the image twisted into him in his suit, pushing her
away...
She
thought about killing Kai.
A
tear dropped onto her arm.
Killing
him was too merciful.
There
was a knock on the door.
Maybe
she should geld him.
"Lina...?"
It was Zelgadis. What did he want... he didn't even want to be here.
"Lina?"
No
answer.
He
opened the door. "Lina!"
She
just lay there, her head in her arms. Zel walked over and sat next to her.
Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but he felt rather responsible.
Besides,
he was 'her friend', as she had so elegantly pointed out.
She
didn't seem to notice him. He sat there for a minute, trying to say something.
Should he tell her it was his fault? He finally gave up.
"He
just... left." She muttered as he was leaving. He turned back to her. She
was looking at him now, more angry then sad. No, it wasn't anger, exactly... It
was more like betrayal. He resolved not to tell her about his little chat with
Kai.
Instead,
he went over and sat next to her again, opening his mouth to say something. To
his surprise, she threw her arms around his neck, resting her head on his
shoulder. She wasn't crying anymore, thank god, but... He hugged her awkwardly,
not quite sure how to take this. Luckily, she let go of him, and curled up on
the bed. He paused, then covered her with the blanket. He looked at her. She was
already asleep. He shook his head in exasperation. She slept almost as much as
she ate. Considering that, he marveled that she had time for anything else.
He left quietly, shutting the door behind him.
Sometime
later, Lina woke up, collected herself, and walked out. Most of the guests had
left, except for Zel, Gourry, Amelia, Phil, Naga, and Sylphiel.
They
stopped talking and looked up at her. She had changed back into her usual
outfit, without the armor, and, in a fit of anger, had shredded the wedding
dress.
Zel
walked over to her. "Are you... alright?" She hoped she hadn't scared
him too much when she hugged him.. She had just needed a hug. At least it was
Zel and not Gourry, who really would have been scared.
"Not
really... But I'll get over it." She offered him a half-smile. He shrugged;
If you say so. "What's been going on?"
"Well...
most people left... We had to forcibly restrain Gourry from killing Kai for
you."
"How'd
you manage that?"
"We
pointed out that you'd be really pissed off if you didn't get to kill him
first."
"True
enough." They walked over to the rest of the group. Gourry looked at her.
"You
hungry?"
"Uh-huh."
They both raced for the wedding cake. Lina won by an inch, and they started
eating with a vengeance. Everyone else stared. Lina looked up.
"Come
on… this is good cake. And we have to eat it before it spoils!"
"You-"
Said Zel, pointing at her, "-are hopeless."
"No."
She corrected him. "Hungry!" She threw a glob of cake at him for good
measure, but he dodged. It hit Amelia. She threw it back at Zelgadis, who was
too busy glaring at Lina to notice. It hit him in the back of the head. He
turned around and picked up Amelia, then tossed her INTO the cake. He then tried
to get out of the line of fire, but Amelia's iron grip on his cape prevented
proper retreat. He tried to detach her, and while he was occupied, Lina hit him
with a pastry.
That's
it. Full scale food fight.
Amelia
and Zelgadis were trying to drown each other in the cake, Lina and Gourry were
throwing and dodging refreshments, and Phil, Sylphiel, and Naga were trying not
to get creamed. Then Zelgadis crept up behind Lina and dumped a pitcher of ice
water on her: Payback! She squeaked and started relentlessly pelting him with
ice cubes until he had to call up a shield.
This
went on for quite a while until everyone was covered with food. Lina leaned back
against the wall, laughing herself completely out of breath; then she was
blinded by a flash of light, and Kai (A.K.A. walking dead man) appeared in the
middle of the room. Lina jumped to her feet, brushing off various pastries and
icings.
"Hi,
Lina. How are you?"
"FIREBALL!!!!"
He
exploded. Then, surprisingly, the flames died down, and he was still standing
there.
"I
was afraid you'd take this personally." He sighed. Lina started to say
something, but was cut off by Zel, of all people.
"And
why wouldn't she?" He asked mildly, with just a hint of anger in his voice.
Lina needed a moment to recover from this unexpected source of defense; but when
she finally got her voice back, what she had to say wasn't very impressive.
"Yeah!
Why wouldn't I?" He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Zel.
"And
you must be Zelgadis. I talked to you before, but was unaware of your name. I
bring a message from my master." Without warning, he fired a bolt of magic
at Zel. Unprepared, he didn't dodge it and it hit him in the chest, slamming him
into the wall. Lina swung back around to face Kai.
"Was
that really necessary?" She asked mildly. He shrugged. "Well, who is
the message from?" She persisted.
"Rezo."
Said Zelgadis from behind her.
Kai
nodded. And vanished, with a mocking bow to Lina. She looked for a moment as if
she were about to blow up the whole city, in hopes that she might catch him
mid-teleport, then calmed down and turned back to Zel, who was just sitting up.
"It
can't be Rezo. We killed him."
"It
has to be. Who else could it be? And you saw Kai confirm it."
"But
why?" She helped him stand; evidently that bolt had hit him hard.
"He
still wants to cure his blindness, but I'm a threat to him now. So he wants me
out of the way."
"Well...
it makes sense. I guess." She looked around. "Hey... where is
everyone?" Zel also looked around. The only people in the room were Gourry,
Lina, and Zel.
"Redo
must have them!" Gourry said.
"We
have to save them!" Lina seconded.
"Of course. That's why he took them." He sighed. "Back to Rezo's tower." He stood and walked out, brushing off a piece of cake. Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance, then followed.
"It's
too quiet." Lina muttered.
"Doubtless
Rezo is going to send some monster out to ambush us." Zelgadis replied
serenely.
Then
a foot came out of nowhere, almost squishing Gourry.
"Told
you." He drew his sword. Gourry and Lina drew theirs as well. Lina leaned
close to Zel.
"Do
you want me to Dragon Slave it?"
"This
creature is after me. Let me kill it." She shrugged, grabbed Gourry, and
dragged him out of the way.
The
fight started. The monster fired a volley of arrows at Zel, who dodged them all
nimbly. He fired a Flare Arrow. It did some damage, but not enough. Lina thought
she saw movement in the trees... she turned her gaze in that direction again...
yes! There it was! An archer. Suddenly she recognized the type of arrow, and
called out a warning, but Zel didn't hear her. The archer did, however. Lina
watched in horror as he strung his bow, aimed, and fired.
Right
at Zelgadis.
Something
crashed into him, the force almost toppling him over-but it continued on past
him to land on the ground. He got his balance quickly, and glanced around,
trying to find the source of the disturbance-and there was Lina, lying
half-conscious on the ground, an arrow protruding from her side.
Zel
kneeled beside her, eyes wide with shock.
"Lina!"
This from Gourry, who then demolished the monster with his Sword of Light.
Zelgadis shielded Lina while the thing exploded, showering bits of monster and
trees and rocks on them. Gourry hurried over to them, eyes wide.
"Is
she okay?" He sheathed his sword, dropping to his knees beside them.
"Not
really... it's just an arrow, though. She'll probably survive."
"Probably!?"
Lina
coughed, and muttered something. Zel and Gourry leaned closer.
"Archer...
watch out.." Zel looked up, and spotted the archer, just getting ready for
another shot. He pointed at him.
"Fireball!"
The guy was set on fire, and ran, screaming. Zel turned back to Lina. She
coughed again, still trying to say something. Blood trickled from her mouth,
mingling with the tears. Zelgadis used the edge of his cape to wipe it away, and
leaned closer still.
"...arrow...
take... out..."
"We
will, Lina, but first we have to-" Gourry started. She grabbed his shoulder
and jerked him down to her.
"If
you don't... take it out now.... I'll die...." She released him, coughing
more violently, bringing more blood. Gourry looked up at Zel.
"I'll
do it. You hold her." He said grimly.
Gourry
nodded. He propped Lina up against him, one arm around her shoulders, the other
around her waist, just above the arrow. Somewhat to his surprise, she took his
hand.
Zelgadis
grabbed the arrow with both hands. He looked at her.
"....do
it." She braced herself.
He
started to pull out the arrow. He had to do it slowly, or it might tear the
muscle tissue. Lina gasped. Her grip on Gourry's hand tightened painfully, and
she squeezed her eyes shut. Zel tried to keep basically expressionless,
concentrating on the arrow. Lina squeaked, severely in pain. She couldn't help
it; she tried to pull away, but Gourry held her firmly.
Zelgadis
yanked on the arrow, pulling it the last inch from her skin. Blood spurted out
over the arrow, and Zel's hands as he tried to clean the wound. He succeeded in
stopping the blood flow, but Lina shook her head and grabbed his hand.
"No!
...let it bleed."
He
hesitated. She grabbed the arrow, and used the end to reopen the wound, wincing.
"The
poison.... must be.... drained......" Zelgadis snatched the arrow from her
lax hand, before she could do more damage.
"But
then you'll die of blood loss!" Gourry protested.
She
smiled faintly. "It's gotta be....... one or the..... other."
Gourry
looked rather alarmed, but Zel nodded.
"She's
right." He stated flatly. "Watch her, Gourry. Give it another minute,
then bandage the wound." He stood and walked over to a nearby cliff,
staring out across the sea. His hands clenched at his sides, breaking the arrow
in half.
"Damn
you, Rezo." He muttered under his breath. "She never did anything to
you!"
Rezo's
face appeared in the water."I regret that the girl was wounded. She could
have been of some use to me. And you're wrong about one thing-I have every right
to incur revenge. She killed me, remember?"
Zel
threw the broken arrow into the sea, and the image disappeared in the ripples.
He stood there for a moment, then lowered his head and returned to Lina and
Gourry.
"We'd
better get moving. If we don't get to a town soon, she'll die." Gourry
nodded and stood. In an unexpected show of emotion, Zel knelt down and picked
her up tenderly. Too bad she wasn't awake to witness it. "Let's go. The
next village is about a day's walk from here."
Gourry
nodded and started walking, Zelgadis right behind him.
Gourry
and Zel (still carrying Lina) walked along a path, and soon they came to a
river. "We should stop for a minute."
Gourry
nodded again. Lina was half-conscious by this time, and drank the water that
Gourry offered.
Zel
suddenly jumped to his feet, sword drawn. Gourry looked up. "What's
wrong?" "Trolls."
Sure
enough, dark shapes began to appear in the forest. Zel and Gourry moved in front
of Lina. Now the monsters couldn't get at her; the stream was at her back and
Zel and Gourry were protecting her. She was fully conscious now, but somewhat
foggy. She watched everything without commenting.
The
fight began. There were dozens of trolls, and only two of them. Thus, they soon
found themselves overmatched, even when Zel started casting spells, and Gourry
drew his Light Sword. Then they heard Lina muttering something.
"What's
she saying?" Gourry shouted over the battle sounds.
"I
can't hear her!" Zel shouted back.
Lina
kept muttering. Zel knelt down, and recognized the words:
".....before
us...be...vanquished....by the power......you and I........posses..." She
raised one hand weakly. Zel's eyes widened and he grabbed Gourry, pulling him
down next to them. Then he grabbed Lina's hand, feeding her energy.
"Dragon
Slave!" They cried together.
The
forest exploded.
"How
can she....?" Gourry started.
"........my
body......is w-wounded. Not my... not my magic..." She explained, panting
with exertion. "Th-thanks, Zel."
"Let's
go." He said, nodding and picking her up again, pulling her cloak over her
to stop her convulsive shivering. He started walking again, Gourry behind him.
"Zel-How
did you-?" Gourry asked.
"I
wasn't casting the spell; Lina was. I merely lent her power."
"Oh."
Gourry shrugged. After a moment, Lina started to squirm.
"Put
me down... I can walk."
He
shrugged, and put her on her feet. She took a step, gasped, and fell to her
knees, clutching her side. Zel picked her up again. "Sure, you can."
Lina
glared, but was otherwise silent. Gourry grinned.
They
came to small cave just as darkness fell. Zel paused.
"We'd
better rest here for tonight; we won't make it to the next village before
morning anyway." Gourry nodded and went in, drawing his sword. A moment
later, Zelgadis followed.
The
cave was pretty small, but adequate for the three of them, so they settled in
quickly and went to sleep, Gourry at the entrance to guard, Lina in the back
(the warmest part of the cave), and Zelgadis over to the side.
But
he couldn't sleep. Not with Lina tossing and turning and muttering and
shivering. Finally, after about a half-hour of this, he sat up and glared in her
general direction. The he could make out what she was saying, but it didn't make
much sense. All she was doing was repeatedly muttering about coldness and ice.
He crawled over to her and but his hand on her forehead. Burning. Yet she was
also shivering violently. With a sigh, he pulled off his cape and tucked it
around her, carefully so she wouldn't wake. Then he returned to his side of the
cave, in the faint hope that he could get some sleep.
He did, but he woke about an hour before dawn, so he decided to go outside and keep Gourry company.
Line
awoke to the low sound of voices. Gourry and Zel were conversing, and the
subject of the conversation was her. So she just settled down as comfortably as
she could and listened.
"Well,
how long have you known her?"
"Oh,
not very. We'd only been traveling together for a day or two before we ran into
you and Zolf."
"Oh.
Well, you're lucky you two are on the same side."
"No
kidding! She's not that bad, though, once you get to know her."
"Yeah,
I'd noticed." The conversation then moved on to other things, and Lina grew
bored. She started to sit up, the fell back to ground again.
"Ow."
Was all she could manage.
Zelgadis
turned and looked at her. "Good morning."
"No."
He
grinned. "Not feeling well?"
"Have
you ever had a sharp stick of wood driven unwillingly into your stomach?"
"Mmmm,
can't say that I have. Why?"
"You're
being unusually cheerful this morning. Why so smug?" He shrugged.
"No
particular reason. We'd better get moving, okay?"
"Yeah,
sure. Why the hell not." She grumped. He walked over and helped her stand,
then picked up his cape and put it on. She looked at his questioningly.
He
shrugged.
"You
were cold."
"How
sweet of you." She murmured sardonically, but it came out somewhat softer
then intended.
"I
couldn't get any sleep with you shivering and muttering about icicles, now could
I." Was there the faintest tinge of pink on his cheeks? Lina couldn't tell.
(Hey-can stone blush?? Yes. Chaos^_^)
Lina
stood up-and instantly regretted it, as the world lurched and spun and she felt
herself falling...she saw the ground rushing up at her face and could do nothing
but brace herself for the impact.
And
Zelgadis caught her. And lifted her, as if she were nothing but a bad-tempered
feather.
They
just looked at each other.
Zel
stood up, still holding her as if she weighed nothing at all. He's so strong.. I
wonder...
Zel
looked down at her, staring into her ruby eyes. She's so beautiful. I wonder...
"Hey,
are we gonna get going?" Called Gourry.
Zelgadis
turned and nodded, then looked back down at Lina. "Are you going to
walk?"
"Would
if I could. But-"
"You
can't. Okay." They started off for the next village, hoping they would get
there in time.
Lina
was lying in bed, tucked in tightly. She was still shivering, though she burned
with fever. She had been that way for the last hour; only her slight breathing
reassured them that she was still alive.
That
was the question; exactly how much longer would she live?
Gourry
sat in a chair next to her bed, Zelgadis paced circles around the room. He
wanted to be out, moving, doing something! Instead, he had to stay here because
Lina was fool enough to get in the way of that arrow-when he told her to get out
of they way-
".......siddown.
Yer makin m'dizzy." She said suddenly, slurring the words in her
exhaustion.
"Lina!
You're alive!" Gourry exclaimed, earning himself and odd look from Zel.
"'course
I'm 'live; 'feel too rotten t'be dead." She muttered, speaking a little
clearer. Zel smiled a little. He walked over and stood next to Lina's bed.
"Will
you live?" He asked simply.
"Think
so. S'not too bad. Hurts, though." He nodded. She coughed, and rolled over,
wincing. "Hey-do we have any food?"
Zel
sighed. "Gourry, go downstairs and get her something."
"Okay.
Be right back, Lina."
"Hurry,
or I won't be 'wake to eat it." She yawned. Zelgadis took the seat Gourry
vacated.
"I
need some sleep." He sighed again.
"So
go to sleep."
"Can't
risk it. If Rezo sends another monster after me, I have to be awake to fight it,
don't I?"
"......I
can fight it." She half-whispered.
"Don't
be stupid. You're sick."
"I
am not either..... I'm dying."
He
looked up, understandably startled, and more than a little alarmed.
"But
you said..."
"I
didn't want Gourry to know. He would have freaked out." She toyed with a
lock of her hair, twisting around her fingers, refusing to meet his gaze.
"So
you're just going to die? Just like that?"
"Dunno.....
I'd say I have about a day or two. Unless we can find a cure."
"What
kind of cure will work?"
"That's
just it. There isn't one. I might be able to pull through on my own, but I don't
know... this is pretty strong poison, and I got a pretty heavy dose. But don't,
under any circumstances, tell Gourry." She did look up at him, then, and
for a moment he couldn't look away.
"Why
not?" He managed.
"It's
embarrassing." She muttered after a moment, lowering her gaze again.
"What's
embarrassing?" Gourry asked, coming into the room.
Lina
jumped. "Ano.....um."
"The
fact that she was stupid enough to get hit in the first place." Zel
interjected.
"Hai!"
Lina agreed, then stopped, glaring at Zel.
"But
she was trying to save you, right?" Gourry asked, with his usual dim-witted
intelligence.
Zel
looked surprised. This hadn't occurred to him; he thought she had merely seen
the archer, and tried to warn him, but the archer had shot her to prevent it.
Lina turned red. Zel turned to look at her.
"You
didn't have to do that. I'm part golem, remember?" He reminded her
bitterly.
"Yeah,
well... I stick up for my friends." She returned, embarrassed.
They
just looked at each other.
"Here's
food!" Gourry said brightly. Lina started eating, and Gourry yawned.
"I'm
going to sleep." He left the room. Zel sighed and settled in the chair.
"You
can go to sleep, you know. I'll be fine."
"Rezo
programmed me. He can reach me even in dreams."
"Ano....
right."
Lina
was asleep, the moonlight shining down on her face gently. He watched her
silently, thinking. Almost unconsciously, he reached out and brushed her hair
back from her face. He realized what he was doing, and frowned.
"What
am I still doing here?" He demanded out loud, then thought to himself as
Lina stirred. I
have to get to Rezo's castle. I have to end it.. I can't live like this anymore.
But-no one seems to mind my appearance, here. And Lina seems to like me just
fine. He sighed. And it all comes back to her, doesn't it? He frowned
again, shaking his head.
"I'm
a fool." He stood up, and scribbled a note quickly. Then he turned to
leave.... but he turned back to her. Very slowly, he leaned down and kissed her
forehead. Then he left, not looking back.
The
feel of the warm sun on her face woke Lina, and she stretched luxuriously....
and her hand landed on the bedside table, and something crackled. It was a note!
She sat up in bed, wincing, and read it to herself.
"Lina
and Gourry-I have decided to go on to Rezo's castle. Lina needs time to recover,
and would only be a burden in the coming battle." She paused here, pissed
off, but realized that it was probably true. "I don't think our paths will
ever cross again; we have both chosen different ones. Forget this battle; there
will be others. Be well, Gourry. Lina, try not to get hit with anymore arrows,
okay? -Zel."
She
looked up, and noticed Gourry just coming into the room.
"Good
morning, Lina! Where's Zel?" She held out the note wordlessly. He read it
quickly.
"Damn!
What'll we do?"
"Go
after him, I guess."
"But
the note says-"
"When
have I ever listened to either of you?"
"But-You're
still wounded!"
"I'm
fine!" She said through gritted teeth. She stood up quickly, and put her
cape on, hiding a wince. Gourry watched her wearily. "Come on, come on! We
have to get there before-" Before this really starts to hurt. "-before
he does anything even stupider!" He followed her out the door and down the
steps.
She was going at half speed, trying not to limp. They got outside the door. Lina started walking determinedly, but veeeeeery slooooowly. Gourry sighed, and followed. This was going to take forever, if he was lucky.
Zelgadis
walked along the spooky path to Rezo's castle. He looked totally blank;
absolutely expressionless. He just walked. He wasn't really thinking about
anything; at least, he tried not to, because all thoughts inevitably led him
back to Lina.
A
wolf appeared, snarling; he simply sliced it in half, not even breaking stride.
There were other such disturbances, but he dispatched them with such relentless
indifference that they soon quit in disgust. A while later, the castle came into
sight. He walked up to it and pushed open the gates, ignoring their squeal of
protest. Rezo appeared before him in a flash of lightening.
"Now
I shall have my revenge..." He intoned. Zel leaned against a tree.
"Spare
me the cliches, Rezo. Let's just get this over with."
"I
was expecting all of you to come... is Lina not feeling up to it?" He
smiled maliciously. "No, as a matter of fact, she's not." He replied,
refusing to be baited. "She asked me to give you this, however-" He
threw several assorted spells at Rezo, engulfing him in the flames. When he
finally stopped, tired, Rezo still stood there, unscathed, but rather annoyed.
"You
know, you're really quite a good spell caster." He admitted as he smiled.
"Well. Now that you've calmed down, we can talk."
"Why?"
"You
know what I want."
"What
does that have to do with me?"
"You
will interfere at every chance you get. Out of spite. I need to insure that this
will not happen."
"And
how do you plan to do that? Bribery?"
"Or
fair trade, depending on who you talk to. Now, let's see... Ahhh. Lina."
He
tensed.
"She
is very ill, at the moment. See?" And Zelgadis did see, by way of a colored
globe hovering in the air between them. Lina and Gourry were walking along a
path--they were coming here! The fool girl. How stupid of her! His heart warmed.
Then
Lina tripped. Gourry stumbled over her, then knelt beside her. The picture had
no sound, but Zel could guess what they were saying.
"Lina!
You okay?"
"No,
actually, I'm not." She tried to get up.
"Lina...
maybe we should go back to the inn.." He grabbed her arm, trying to help
her.
"No!"
She shoved him away, struggled to her feet, and kept walking. The globe
disappeared with a faint 'pop', startling him.
"She
will live about two more hours, and then she will die." Rezo stated. Zel
looked up at him. "I can cure her. I can grant her life."
"In
exchange for what?" He growled.
"Your
promise that you will not interfere with my plans! If you promise this, then I
will cure Lina Inverse. And, I will let your friends go in one piece." Rezo
snapped his fingers, and Phil, Naga, Amelia, and Sylphiel appeared, suspended in
separate nets, each about twenty feet off the ground.
"Zel!
Save us!" Amelia squeaked. He glanced up at her, and in his moment of
distraction, Rezo fired a bolt of lightening at him. He dodged barely in time,
ducking and rolling as he hit the ground.
This
went on for some time, until a familiar figure limped into his line of sight and
threw a fireball at Rezo. It wasn't muck of a fireball; it was somewhat smaller
than most and went by rather slowly. Rezo merely stepped aside to watch it pass
(He was watching with mage-sight, not his eyes, for you critics out there who
like to pick on every little detail : ). It struck a small tree and there was a
faint booming sound; the tree was covered with soot but none the worse for wear.
Rezo
noted this with amusement, turning back to raise an eyebrow at Lina. She
glowered and called up a flare arrow, with pretty much the same result. Lina
turned red and sat cross-legged in the middle of the path.
"Okay.
I tried, but that's enough embarrassment for one morning. You two go ahead; I'll
just sit here and watch. Have fun." What the others didn't know was that
Lina had had to sit down before she collapsed; her side was spasming almost
directly in time with her heartbeat, which was racing.
Zelgadis
looked about for Gourry, spotting him untying everyone else. Rezo didn't notice,
however, and Zel certainly wasn't about to tell him.
Amelia
was free; now so was Naga. They both ran over to Lina, asking anxious questions
about her health. She answered with glares and icy comments, none of which Zel
heard clearly through the explosions all around him.
Now
everyone else was free, and scattered in various positions around the area. Naga,
Amelia, and Phil were all standing in various defensive positions, Gourry had
drawn his sword and was standing in front of Lina, who was leaning against a
tree, trying to look casual. Sylphiel was standing next to Gourry, the
beginnings of a fireball between her hands. Rezo took notice of all this, his
mouth twitching in annoyance. He glanced back at Zelgadis.
"This
is foolishness. Utter foolishness. You can't beat me. I only want one thing; to
cure my eyes." He blinked (or would have, if his eyes weren't glued closed
all the time!) and took a step towards Zel. "There's something you want,
too. I can give it to you." Zel caught his breath, eyes widening in shock.
"Your word that you will not interfere with me in anyway, and I will make
you human again." His sightless gaze came to rest on Lina, who was now
slumped against a tree, with no pretenses about her health. "I will let her
live, as well." Lina lifted her head, then closed her eyes and fell all the
way over, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Gourry
gave a strangled cry, dropped his sword, and knelt beside her. Zel glanced
around him quickly. Everyone's gaze was riveted on the dying sorceress, now
cradled against Gourry.
She
looked up, and glanced around. She looked at everyone without really seeing
them, though it was clear that she knew she would die. She looked at Sylphiel
with affectionate irritation. Fond annoyance for Naga, and Amelia; just plain
annoyance at Phil, with a touch of bewilderment.
"......don't
look alike." She mumbled. She looked up at Gourry. Big brother, little
sister. She smiled, trying to reassure him.
And
she looked at Zel. She smiled, a sweet, tired smile. Before, when they had
looked at each other, there was friendship, a strong friendship. He had felt at
ease around her; she could make him smile and even laugh. In turn, she was more
mature around him, not as wild, and made better decisions. But now, the bonds
had strengthened, and stretched, and broke, and now she looked at him with love
in her eyes.
Smiling
back faintly, he answered her unasked question.
Yes,
Lina. I love you, too.
As
if he had spoken aloud (he hoped he hadn't!), she nodded. And then she died.
Zelgadis
turned back to Rezo.
"You
have my word." He said tightly. Amelia yelled out something he didn't quite
catch, Naga smacked her forehead with her hand. Rezo just stood there. "Rezo!
Heal her!" He simply stood there. Lina was already dead; it was too late.
He should have decided sooner. He should have-
Rezo
tilted his head back and laughed. Laughed! He put both arms over his head and
shouted something, still laughing like a maniac. Zelgadis was enveloped in a
white hot light-so hot-the heat was smothering him-It felt like a million white
hot lances of fire piercing his skin......
He did the sensible thing, and passed out.
The
light faded, but he couldn't see.
He
realized that he should probably open his eyes.
He
saw dirt.... and he raised his head. There was everyone. Rezo was gone.
Lina
was there, sitting up and looking confused. She smiled at Gourry, and returned
his relieved hug. She stood up and walked over to Zel. She offered him and hand
up, and he took it...
And
fell back in shock.
His
hand-was human! Rezo had cured him!
Lina
saw the delight on his face and laughed out loud. He laughed too, and picked her
up and twirled her around, noticing everyone else's wide grins, and not caring.
He
completed the twirl, setting Lina down with reluctance. She beamed at him.
"You finally got your cure, huh Zel?" She stated, grinning. He nodded,
somewhat at a loss. He took her hands in his, started to say something, shook
his head. He couldn't formulate words at the moment, and it was *really*
annoying!
She
simply looked at him, words refusing to come to her. He was cute as a Chimera,
but now...... gods!
Then
she didn't need to say anything, because they were sharing a very long and
passionate kiss.
They
parted after a second-long eternity, and Lina fell into his arms.
"Ain't
this cute." Of all the people Lina totally didn't want to see right now,
Kai was at the very top of the list. Zelgadis started to pull Lina behind him,
but Lina would have none of it; she was too busy planting her fist in Kai's
face.
Zelgadis
laughed as Kai staggered back with a look of utter shock on his face. Indignity
was next, then the pain kicked in, then he finally thought to become enraged. He
grabbed Lina's flowing hair, tangling his fingers in it cruelly and pulling her
to him. She kicked him in the groin, though, and then gave him a black eye to
match his broken nose. After kneeling him in the stomach, she walked away
nonchalantly.
"Okay.
I'm done. Zel, he's all yours. Have fun."
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
And
the last they ever heard from Prince Kai of Amria was a very loud and very
hysterical scream.
"So,
Zel, where are you going now? I mean, you'll need a new quest now, huh?"
Lina asked, taking a bite of chicken.
"Oh,
I was thinking of sticking around for a while. Interesting things always happen
when one deals with Lina Inverse." He smiled at her, fuzzing her hair.
She
glared back at him.
"It's
not my fault! Trouble is naturally attracted to me!"
"As
am I." (Sorry, people! I HAD to put that line in there! It was perfect.)
Zel laughed as Lina turned a shade almost brighter than her hair. He was acting
so different, now that he was fully human again! He was happy and talkative, not
sullen and quiet. It was very disconcerting!
"Will
you be going back to Seyrunn for a while?" Lina asked Amelia, almost
hopefully.
"Yeah,
I guess... Help dad keep it free of bandits and the like; anyone who dares defy
justice must be punished!" But her heart wasn't in it. And so happy were
they to have survived that last battle (and still so stunned by each other) that
they didn't think to question the ease of her acquiescence.
Gourry
and Sylphiel walked in together, and Lina grinned at the sight of them. Sylphiel
was practically glowing; Gourry had his arm around her shoulders. Naga and Phil
were sitting a corner, discussing family stuff, and Amelia had wandered off.
"So.
What should we do next?" Gourry asked, snatching a drumstick from Lina.
And
who'll be traveling-OUCH!-with us?" The 'ouch' was, of course, Gourry being
hit with a wooden ale pitcher. Lina snatched the chicken back from his numbed
fingers, glaring at him.
"Let's
just head to next town. Knowing my luck, we'll have something to do before
sunset. Who's coming?"
"I'll
go. Might as well, since I don't have anything else to do." Gourry
shrugged. "Besides, life with you is never dull."
"I'll
come too!" Sylphiel exclaimed, a little too quickly. She lowered her voice,
embarrassed. "I mean, if you don't mind.."
"Sure,
what the hell?" Lina nodded. She looked over at Naga, whose laugh was
echoing throughout the tavern, making many people wince. "I do hope we can
get out without alerting...certain people." Naga chose that moment to turn
around and walk over to Lina.
"Hey,
I've made a decision!"
"What's
that?" Zel asked, when words failed Lina.
"I'M
TRAVELING WITH YOU AGAIN!!!" She yelled enthusiastically.
CRASH!
Lina
landed on the floor in an awkward little heap.
"Let's
go! We have treasures to steal, rights to wrong, and so on and so forth!"
"Rights
to wrong? Isn't it the other way around?" Gourry asked.
Naga
looked blank. Lina picked herself up off the floor.
"Ummm,
yeah. Let's just go, okay?"
"OOHHOHOHOHOHOHHHOOHOHOOHOOHHH!!!!!"
Naga laughed piercingly, breaking several windows and causing many winces by
those less fortunate who happened to be standing near her. "Off we ride,
into the sunset!!"
"Walk."
Zel commented from the peanut gallery.
"Who
asked you?" She asked heatedly. He smiled cheerfully up at her. Zel smiling
cheerfully was almost like...like... like Lina saying she wasn't hungry! Naga
was so startled, she simply ignored him.
"Okay,
Naga." Lina said.
"What?"
"I'll
tell you what. I'll race you over to that tree over on the mountain; see
it?" When she nodded, Lina added, "And if you win, YOU get to decide
where we go. Deal?"
"Deal!"
"Okay.
Ready.." She ignored Zel, who was staring at her in confusion.
"Set...GO!!!"
Naga took off a jiggling run. Lina did too, though it was a lot less jiggly.
And,
she was running in the opposite direction, dragging Zel, Gourry, and Sylphiel
behind her in that incredible way of defying gravity that they have.
"Lina!
Where are you going?"
"Hurry!
If we're lucky, we'll be able to make it into the next town before she
realizes!" Lina kept running. "LET'S GO, HURRY, NOW NOW NOW
NOW!!!!!"