Disclaimer: Don't own Slayers, if I did, I wouldn't be writting this story here. I'd be in Japan and Gourry would've run off with Sylfiel long ago.
At an inn, a man covered by an ivory cloak stepped out, into the darkness of the winter night. The man's face was hidden by the shadows. His name was Zelgadis.
He walked to the nearby forest and sat on a rock to think.
He and the others were in this small village chasing what now appeared to be a hopeless dream.
His thoughts wandered to all the things they had been through: saving the world, searching for the Clair Bible and possibly a cure for his chimaeric condition. They wandered also to the odd people picked up along the way: his traveling companions, his friends, and perhaps more; the idiotic swordsman, Gourry; the clumsy, justice-loving princess, Amelia; and the fiery, red-headed soceress who had somehow managed to capture his heart, Lina Inverse.
She had quite a few nicknames, such as 'Bandit Killer' and 'Enemy to all who lived'. She was feared by most. He, too, had become feared, and found someone he could relate to in Lina. But he also feared her. He feared her rejection, and so kept a distance.
He had erected an emotion barrier early on, and bit by bit she had chipped away at it. He couldn't let it down completely, he was too afraid of getting hurt. But he was already hurting, hurting himself.
He thought by keeping his distance, it would be easier not to reach out and touch her, not to think of her, that the pain would stop. It didn't work, it never does. It only hurt worse. Dreams of her came to him nightly. She invaded his every thought.
All he wanted to do was run away, but he couldn't leave her. It wouldn't do any good, anyway. He'd just miss her, and his heart would ache more.
He got up from his seat and walked slowly back to the inn. He decided to have a drink, as he couldn't sleep.
"Tea, please," he ordered as he sat.
"Here ya' go."
He let a sigh escape him.
A small hand lands on his shoulder. Its owner obviously female.
"Hey, Zel," she says.
He doesn't need to turn around, he already knows who it is, and he smiles.
"Hey, Lina."
So, what do you think? Yeah, I know it's short. This is my first Slayers fanfiction. I'm actually more of a drawer than a writer, but every now and then I like to write something.