Author's Note: This is a change of pace--a Zelgadiss and Lina fanfic, and a songfic at that! Well, since it is a songfic I guess I should add in a disclaimer: Through the Glass is a wonderful song by Stone Sour, and is therefore not owned by me. On with the story...
Through the Glass – A Songfic
Zelgadiss Greywords, clad in a clean, white tuxedo, stepped out onto the balcony for some fresh air. He never was the type for large crowds, especially when its members cast shady glances in his direction when his back was turned. If he didn't have his sharply refined senses, he probably never would have noticed. He would have been happier if he hadn't noticed—he didn't want to know that the people were whispering about his appearance when they thought he wasn't listening. It was something he should have gotten used to hearing by now, but nonetheless it still bothered him.
I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
Oh God it feels like forever
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He sighed and leaned against the railing, glancing upward at the brightly lit moon in the sky. He found the lunar symbol easy to relate to--lonely and cold with a light blue tinge. In this world full of warmth and happiness, the moon was the one thing he could constantly relate to day after day.
A familiar voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Zel!"
Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
All I know is that it feels like forever
No one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He turned his head at the sound of his nickname, and his stony gaze softened. "Lina?"
Lina looked really nice in her dress--a dark indigo color that contrasted well with her pale skin. It shimmered with the color of the moonlight as she walked out to him. She staggered in her heels for the first couple of feet, then kicked them aside in frustration and walked the rest of the way barefoot. Zelgadiss couldn't prevent the amused smirk from showing up on his face, and Lina was quick to notice it.
"You got a problem?" she hissed, glaring daggers at her companion.
He concealed his lips with his fingers. "No," he replied, trying to keep as cool as possible. He looked out over the landscape, focusing on its natural beauty so he could forget what nearly made him laugh. Nevertheless, his mood was significantly lighter than it had been when he was standing there alone.
Lina sighed in annoyance before she smiled. She stepped up next to him, leaning against the railing in a similar. She took one look at the landscape before commenting softly, "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"
He nodded a silent response. After a moment, Lina stepped back and pulled out a bottle from beneath her skirt. She held it out to him and asked, "Care to share this with me?"
How do you feel? That is the question
But I forget you don't expect an easy answer
When something like a soul becomes initialized
And folded up like paper dolls and little notes
You can't expect a bit of hope
So while you're outside looking in
Describing what you see
Remember what you're staring at is me
They sat down on a stone bench at the side of the balcony, and Lina set out two glasses before popping the cork on the wine. Zelgadiss watched her fingers as she worked--two sets of slender, feminine fingers that were also somehow capable of so much destruction. His gaze traced up her arm, and he soon found his eyes wandering over her delicate, bare shoulders…
"Zel?"
He blinked. "Huh?"
She gave him a weird look. "What are you thinking about?" she asked before putting her glass to her lips.
He turned his head away to hide the blush that was showing on his cheeks. "Nothing," he muttered. When he felt it was safe, he turned to face her and took his glass into hand, bringing it to his lips as he scolded himself mentally.
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
All I know is that it feels like forever
But No one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
After taking a small sip, he dropped his hand and asked, "You didn't enjoy the party?"
He was rather surprised to see that she had already consumed her first glass and was helping herself to a second. She put the bottle down and shrugged. "Dancing and mingling isn't my kind of thing."
He rolled his eyes off to the side. That's true...
"And I know what you're thinking," she added in a menacing tone before she put the glass of wine back to her lips. She drank about a quarter of the scarlet liquor before her hands dropped to her lap, and she stared down at the dark liquid, brooding.
Zelgadiss watched her out of the corner of his eye. He knew she had a lot to say, but he wasn't going to prod it out of her. She would speak when she was ready to.
How much is real?
So much to question
An epidemic of the mannequins
Contaminating everything
We thought came from the heart
But never did right from the start
Just listen to the noises
(Null and void instead of voices)
"So…Gourry's married…" began she in a melancholy voice. Zelgadiss listened quietly as she continued, "I'm glad for him, I really am. It's just that…it won't be the same anymore, will it?"
He watched her as she lifted her head and looked to the sky. "Where am I supposed to go now?"
Before you tell yourself
It's just a different scene
Remember it's just different from what you've seen
He dropped his head and folded his hands, letting them hang between his knees. He had known that the wedding would hurt Lina, but she had seemed to be tolerating it fairly well. Though, after the many years he had spent at her side, he had become familiar with the tough façade she often used when there were trying times. And, throughout the course of the night, he had noticed that the face she wore bore closer and closer resemblance to that falsehood.
He inhaled sharply. Comforting was not one of his strong points. "You could always return here," he said in a voice slightly louder than a murmur.
"What was that?" Lina asked, glancing at him. She thought that his cheeks looked a little pink, but she couldn't tell for sure. Her vision was starting to get blurry, and she rubbed her eyes to try and get a better look.
This is too embarrassing, he thought, refusing to repeat what he said. Instead, he cleared his throat and asked, "You haven't been home in a while, have you?"
The look in her eyes was distant. "It's not really a home I can return to."
I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
And all I know is that it feels like forever
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He met her eyes and immediately noticed that her face was flushed. She hadn't drunk that much, yet…or at least, not in front of him. Then it occurred to him that she had probably been drinking all night--trying to wash away her feelings all evening.
His eyes wandered down and settled on her lush, red lips. He felt his cheeks burning and quickly raised a hand to cover them, but he wasn't fast enough. He could hear Lina giggling at him, and it made him blush more deeply.
The next comment stunned him.
"Cute."
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
And all I know is that it feels like forever
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He turned his face away before he could start gawking at her. What's wrong with me, he asked himself, pressing the back of his hand against his warm cheek. He blamed it on the awkwardly romantic atmosphere--the gentle breeze, the brilliant stars, and, of course, the tranquil moonlight. He had begun to string together curse words in his mind when he felt a pair of arms wrap languidly around him, and a light weight pressed against his arm.
He spun his head around to find Lina hugging him, leaning her body against him. His mouth dropped open. "Lina?"
"Please," she whispered into his sleeve, "just let me have this little bit of comfort."
And it's the stars
The stars that shine for you
And it's the stars
The stars that lie to you, yeah ah
And it's the stars
The stars that shine for you
And it's the stars
The stars that lie to you, yeah ah
Touched by the tone of her words, he acquiesced to her request and relaxed his stiff muscles. He looked down to find her eyes closed, and he would have easily mistaken it for sleep if her breathing patterns hadn't been so irregular. Instead, he could feel her shoulders begin to tremble, and he heard little muffled sniffles coming from his sleeve. Her quiet sobs made his heart feel rather sick, and he wondered if there was something he could do to ease her pain.
With wine-laced breath, she whispered, "Hold me."
I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
Oh God it feels like forever
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He paused for a second, unsure of what to do, especially since her arms held his in place. Then he shifted around her weight and wriggled his arms from her grasp, wrapping them around her when they were free enough to move. He soothingly stroked her hair with one hand; the other pressed against the small of her back, embracing her tenderly. A strange feeling was welling up from within him--it was somewhere between sympathy and rue, and then there was something else, too. It made his heart beat faster, and for a moment he was mildly worried that Lina could hear it, but then he realized that she was quickly drifting off to sleep.
'Cause I'm looking at you through the glass
Don't know how much time has passed
All I know is that it feels like forever
But no one ever tells you that forever feels like home
Sitting all alone inside your head
He sighed. Years ago, when he had first met the girl, he had been instantly captivated by her spirit and charm. But when he met Gourry and saw how they interacted--saw how they traded affectionate looks and actions--he had immediately given up the chase. There was no way he could win her heart, not when he looked the way he did.
Back then, he never would have imagined he would get the chance to hold her. And yet here he was, caught in an embrace with this girl who was capable of so much damage and destruction to his heart.
But she had come to him willingly. Despite his appearances, she had come.
He caught her arm as it slipped. Lifting her hand, he weaved his fingers between hers, taking a good look at how those slender fingers looked between his. Then, against his better judgment, he pressed the back of her hand to his lips, planting a gentle kiss there.
He was slightly alarmed when she stirred slightly, but then she smacked her lips and began to mumble something. He blinked; he didn't catch what she had said, for the words had been so soft. Leaning in, he held his breath as she repeated her words in a drunken daze.
"Don't ever leave me…"
And it's the stars
The stars that shine for you, yeah ah
And it's the stars
The stars that lie to you, yeah ah
And it's the stars
The stars that shine for you, yeah ah
And its's the stars
The stars that lie to you, yeah yeah
He held her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised her. I swear it…
He would sooner have his heart broken than see her ever looking sad. Then again, he never would have predicted the irony of what she murmured next--a simple name that clearly and concisely expressed her feelings at the same time it crushed his.
Oh when the stars
Oh when the stars they lie.
"…Gourry."
Author's Note: I...am a mean and cruel person to Zelgadiss and Xelloss, lol. I'm always breaking their hearts by having Lina murmur about Gourry D:. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. Please review if you have any thoughts on it.