Rain
Zelgadis sighed. The gray skies and pouring rain seemed to match his mood. He had not yet found his cure and now depression had set in. In fact, he now sat right in the middle of an open field, not even caring whether or not he got wet.
"What does it matter? It's not like I can get sick!" Zelgadis thought, moodily. He heard a movement behind him, but didn't even lift his head. All he wanted at that point was a way out.
"What're you doing sitting here?" a girl's voice suddenly asked. Startled, Zelgadis looked up, bringing the cowl part of his hood up to shield his face from the girl.
"I like the rain. It suits my mood." Zelgadis replied, calmly. The girl raised an eyebrow. She couldn't have been older than seventeen, and she had her long turquoise hair tied back with some string. Her outfit was one that he'd never seen before; it was foreign.
"What's your name?" the girl asked.
"My name is Zelgadis." Zelgadis replied.
"I'm Rain, pleased to meet you!" the girl said, with a smile.
"Rain……………very appropriate, since it is raining now." Zelgadis said, with a sigh.
"Mind if I sit with you? You seem sorta lonely sitting here all by yourself." Rain said.
"Suit yourself." Zelgadis said.
"Okay." Rain said, as she promptly took a seat beside him. For a few moments, they sat in silence, not knowing where to take the conversation, then Rain spoke up.
"Zelgadis, why are you so far from any towns? Aren't you lonely out here?" Rain asked.
"I've learned to get used to it. I'm not like anyone else." Zelgadis replied, somberly.
"Why not? You look normal enough to me." Rain said, matter-of-factly.
"I'm not, believe me. I am far from normal." Zelgadis said, bitterly.
"Why do you say that?" Rain asked, amazing Zelgadis with her naiveté.
"If I show you, do you promise not to scream?" Zelgadis asked.
"I promise." Rain said, with a smile. Sighing as he did so, Zelgadis revealed his face to Rain. For a moment, Rain looked startled, but then she tentatively touched the stony skin of Zelgadis' face, then his wiry hair.
"You poor thing………" Rain murmured, her horror and pity mixed into one expression in her blue-green eyes.
"Please, don't pity me. This is the result of a foolish wish for more power." Zelgadis muttered, as he looked away from her.
"Who did this to you?" Rain asked.
"Ever hear of Rezo the Red Priest?" Zelgadis asked. Surprise and shock registered on Rain's face.
"He did this to you?!" Rain asked, with disbelief in her voice. Zelgadis nodded.
"But I asked for it. I wanted more power, and that is what I got, even though this was not what I'd had in mind. I'm a freak." Zelgadis said, as he regarded his hands, scorn very evident in his voice.
"I'll bet you've probably traveled all over, searching for a cure." Rain said, quietly.
"I have. But I have not found one yet. I guess all I have left to do is find a way to kill a chimera. That way I can at least die, and leave this freakish body behind." Zelgadis said, morosely.
"Don't talk like that! There must be a way! Rezo changed you into what you are now, there has to be at least a counter-spell for it!" Rain said, desperately.
"If there was, why can't I find it?" Zelgadis asked, hopelessly.
"Maybe you're not looking in the right places for it, or asking the right people." Rain said, as she suddenly stood up and faced Zelgadis. Suddenly, a change took place in Rain that Zelgadis couldn't believe; the girl he'd taken to originally be a simple teenager was in actuality one of his land's many legends!
"The Green Priestess……………" Zelgadis murmured, suddenly coming to himself and bowing respectfully before her.
"Don't look so surprised, Zelgadis. You should have expected to see another one of the sages at one time or another." Rain said, gently.
"But…………..you hadn't been heard from in almost two centuries! Why do you choose to appear before me?!" Zelgadis asked.
"To undo what another of us has done. I have been traveling as well, Zelgadis, undoing the wrongs Rezo performed before his death. The last one I need to undo is the wrong he did to you." Rain said, as Zelgadis stood up.
"You mean…………….you can cure me? You can really cure me?" Zelgadis asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"Yes. I can cure you. But the transformation back into your human form might be worse than your transformation into a chimera. Are you sure you want to go through that?" Rain asked.
"Whatever it takes. I will go through any kind of pain, just to be all human again." Zelgadis replied, fervently.
"All right then. Brace yourself." Rain said, as she raised her tree-branch staff to the sky, then pointed it directly at Zelgadis' chest. What happened next took Zelgadis' breath away. Immediately, green energy shot out of Rain's staff and snaked through Zelgadis' body, forcing an outcry of pain from him. All at once, Zelgadis was assailed by both hot and cold sensations, and crippling pain that forced him to double over. Without his realizing it, Zelgadis had been lifted into the air by the intense spell. Even though it hurt to see Zelgadis going through such agony, Rain continued to weave her magic around him, holding on until she was certain that his transformation back into a full human was complete and permanent. After what felt like hours, Zelgadis was lowered to the ground back onto his feet, where he immediately fell to his knees, weakened by the violent transformation.
"Am……….I………..human?" Zelgadis asked, his voice raw from screaming in pain.
"Yes, you are. You are no longer a chimera. Now, let's get you to a town, you need to get dried off before you catch your death of cold." Rain said, as she helped Zelgadis to his feet, then, together, they set off for the nearest town.
Lina Inverse sighed contentedly as she sat back from the table, having just finished a huge meal. Gourry sat across from her, equally as satisfied. They were almost the only people in the restaurant, so they were surprised when two rain-soaked figures walked in (or, to be more exact, one was helping the other to walk).
"Yes? What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
"Two hot teas, please and two bowls of stew." A woman's voice replied, as she led her exhausted companion to a table.
"Comin' right up." the bartender said, unruffled by the woman's leading the man away to a table while she was talking to him. He was used to strange people, anyway.
"Hey! Horrible weather we're havin' around here, ain't it?" Lina asked.
"I wouldn't say so. I'm somewhat fond of the rain. It's snow I don't like." The other woman replied, jokingly.
"I can agree with you on that." Lina said, shuddering at the very mention of snow.
"So you like the rain, then?" Gourry asked.
"Yes. I like rain, sun, any kind of weather except snow." The woman said, gently.
"So, who are you? What's your name?" Lina asked, curious now as to who the woman was and who her companion was.
"My name is Rain." The woman replied, as she pushed the hood of her green cloak back to reveal her turquoise hair and blue-green eyes.
"Odd name. By the way, my name's Lina Inverse, and this is Gourry." Lina said, as she walked over to the table. It was at that moment the man lifted his head and looked at Lina.
"Waitaminute………..don't I know you?" Lina asked, as Gourry came up behind her. The man smiled.
"You really don't recognize me, do you?" Zelgadis asked. Lina shook her head. Then Gourry took a close look at his face.
"Hmm………….you kinda look like Zelgadis………….but he's a chimera, you're a human." Gourry said, for once making a logical deduction. Lina's jaw immediately hit the floor and she jumped up to feel Gourry's forehead for a fever.
"Nope, you're not sick." Lina said, relieved that the sudden show of brain cells wasn't the result of an illness. As usual, Gourry was clueless the whole time this was going on. The man chuckled.
"Never cease to amaze me, Lina." The man said, getting a second dumbfounded reaction from Lina.
"ZELGADIS?!?! Is that you?!?" Lina asked, not believing that Gourry's statement about the man looking like Zelgadis could actually be true.
"Yes. I am Zelgadis. Human, whole, and not feeling particularly strong right now." Zelgadis said, his voice still soft, but audible, as he raised himself so that his head wasn't resting on his arms.
"Man, you're not kidding. You look completely exhausted, Zel." Lina said, as she brushed Zelgadis' now sandy brown hair out of his face.
"The transformation was extremely rough on him, but, as you can see, it worked." Rain said, as she looked at Zelgadis with an almost motherly look of concern on her face.
"How do you know? Did you see him find his cure?" Lina asked, now a little suspicious of Rain. Rain smiled.
"I know because I am the one who cured him. I am the Green Priestess." Rain said, dropping a proverbial bombshell onto Lina.
"One of the Four Sages of the Age?! You're that Green Priestess?!" Lina yelped.
"Yep." Rain replied, good-naturedly, as a waitress arrived with hers and Zelgadis' food.
"Are you anything like Rezo?" Gourry asked.
"At one time, I would have said yes, but when Rezo departed the ways of a true Red Priest, I could no longer associate with him. So no, I am not like Rezo. As I'd told Zelgadis before I cured him, I have been traveling around, undoing Rezo's wrongs. Zelgadis just happened to be the last of those." Rain said, as Zelgadis started eating, knowing that he would get his strength back much sooner if he ate something.
"So you a good guy………..erm……….girl……….priestess………" Gourry said, stumbling over what to call Rain. Rain laughed.
"Yes. I am a 'good guy' or whatever term you might come up with for someone who stays on the right path." Rain said, preventing Lina from slugging Gourry (for once).
"Rain, your stew is getting cold." Zelgadis said, sounding a little bit stronger now that he'd had some nourishment.
"All right. Just wait while I finish, then I can see about getting us some rooms." Rain said, but was stopped from saying anything more when Lina spoke up.
"Hey! Don't worry about it! I accidentally got an extra room when Gourry and I arrived! I guess part of me was thinkin' that Zel was with us. If you want, I could share a room with Rain, and Gourry and Zel can bunk together. How's that sound?" Lina asked.
"That is very generous of you, Miss Inverse!" Rain said, with a smile.
"'Sides, I've got a lot to ask you." Lina said, with her 'I'm gonna learn new magic' look.
"Okay. I look forward to answering your questions." Rain said, warmly. Before anything more could be said, Zelgadis got up from the table, and promptly collapsed.
"Zel!" Lina and Gourry yelped, concerned for their friend.
"Zelgadis!" Rain shouted, as they all rushed to his side. Repeating a move she'd done on Gourry only moments before, Lina pressed a hand to Zelgadis' forehead, gasping when she felt heat radiating from it.
"He's got a fever." Lina murmured, worry evident in her tone.
"Probably from the rain, or from the rough transformation. Either one, or both, could be doing this. It looks like we'll be sharing a room in order to keep an eye on him." Rain said, as Gourry lifted Zelgadis with surprising ease.
"Then let's get him to a room." Gourry said, seriously.
"Right. I'll get a fire started in your room, Gourry." Lina said, as she went to do just that. Within moments, Zelgadis was in bed, with worried friends surrounding him.
"Amelia……………..the promise……………." Zelgadis muttered, feverishly.
"What's he talkin' about, Lina?" Gourry asked, as Lina put a cool, damp cloth on Zelgadis' brow.
"Dunno………….whatever he's mumbling about has to do with Amelia." Lina replied, as Rain sat down on the other side of Zelgadis.
"Amelia?" Rain asked, confused.
"A friend of ours who lives in Seiruun. Apparently she'd made Zel promise her something before we all parted ways." Lina said, as Zelgadis stopped muttering and drifted into normal slumber.
"He seems to be okay now." Gourry said, quietly.
"He does. He should sleep till morning. In the meantime, let's all go ahead and get some rest." Rain said, as she and Lina walked out of the room, and Gourry took a place on the floor, letting Zelgadis keep the bed.
Zelgadis awoke to morning sunshine warming his face, and Gourry's snoring. With a little effort, Zelgadis sat up and looked around. Things were unusually quiet.
"Not for long, though. Knowing Lina, things are about to get loud around here." Zelgadis thought, as he started counting down the seconds before the noise would begin. When he got to one, he cringed when he heard a crash and loud yelling in the next room.
"Lina Inverse strikes again!" Zelgadis muttered, as he put a hand to his face in exasperation. Looking over at the corner, Zelgadis wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Gourry lying there, still asleep despite the ruckus.
"Gourry can sleep through anything." Zelgadis thought, with a deadpan expression on his face as Gourry continued sleeping, oblivious when Lina burst in with food.
"Mornin' guys!" Lina shouted, cheerfully.
"Good morning." Zelgadis greeted, deciding against saying anything about the ruckus.
"Mornin' Lina!" Gourry said, immediately awake once he smelled food.
"How are you feeling, Zelgadis?" Rain asked.
"Better. I must have overexerted myself last night." Zelgadis said, with a quiet smile.
"I'll say ya did! Took two steps away from the table and fell flat on your face!" Lina said, grinning when she saw a slight blush creep over Zelgadis' now human face.
"Now that is embarrassing." Zelgadis said, softly, still blushing.
"No, actually it was sorta frightening. Gourry and I have never known you to get sick before, so we weren't used to it. Personally, I'm glad to see that you're all right, Zel." Lina said, with uncharacteristic warmth in her voice. Zelgadis was touched by his friend's concern.
"Thank you, Lina." Zelgadis said, smiling when Lina again turned to the food.
"So, are you hungry, Zel?" Lina asked. Zelgadis nodded.
"Then let's eat!" Lina shouted, as she handed Zelgadis a plate of food, then dove into what remained.
"Hey! Save some for me!" Gourry cried, as he rushed over to try and get some breakfast. Rain laughed as Lina and Gourry tug-of-warred over a piece of bread, while Zelgadis sat where he was, sedately eating his breakfast. By the time morning was well advanced, Zelgadis had regained most, if not all, of his strength.
"He sure recovered fast." Lina murmured, as she and Rain watched Zelgadis and Gourry spar.
"It must have been the shock his system experienced after being transformed back so violently. But he is a strong young man." Rain said, laughing as Zelgadis flipped over Gourry's head and stuck him in the backside with his sword.
"Do you think he'll be strong enough to travel?" Lina asked.
"He should be, if you take it slow. If you are walking, make it an easy pace, so he won't tire himself out keeping up with you. Or I could get some horses and we can go that way." Rain said, watching as Gourry gave Zelgadis a dirty look, then they continued their spar.
"It seems Zel still has some of his chimera speed. Why is that?" Lina asked.
"He had been a chimera for so long before I got to him that some of those traits will remain with him for the rest of his life, even though he is human." Rain said, quietly.
"But he won't revert into a chimera, will he?" Lina asked.
"No. That is one thing that will never return." Rain said, as Gourry came back to Lina, breathless and a little sore.
"He's still fast, even though he's human!" Gourry said, as he took a seat beside Lina.
"But of course!" Rain said, as Zelgadis walked over, looking a little tired, but was otherwise ready for anything.
"Shall we leave then?" Lina asked.
"Yes. Let's go." Rain said, as she started walking.
"Rain! We're not ready to leave yet!" Lina called.
"I know! But I am going to get some horses for the trip." Rain shouted, as she disappeared behind a stable. When Lina, Zelgadis, and Gourry had returned to the town center, Rain stood there with four horses, waiting for them.
"Wow, what fine horses! I'll bet these cost you a pretty penny!" Lina said, as she inspected one mare's fine white coat. Rain only smiled; a secretive smile that Lina couldn't quite decipher.
"Let's get going. I am sure we can get about halfway to Seiruun before nightfall." Rain said, immediately getting a look of consternation from Zelgadis.
"Yeah, I'm sure Amelia will be happy to see you, Zel." Lina said, snickering when Zelgadis turned an interesting shade of red. Without a single word, Zelgadis hid his face behind his cowl and rode off, leaving Lina and the rest in the dust.
"Hey! Wait for us, Zel!" Gourry shouted, as he spurred his horse into action. The day was spent chasing Zelgadis through the pristine countryside, trying to keep up with an obviously frustrated shaman. When night began to fall, they could see Seiruun in the distance.
"Man! We traveled farther than I thought we were! And Zel's still traveling! How long is going to stay mad at us?" Lina asked, as she watched the figure of Zelgadis get farther and farther away.
"It's best that we let him blow off some steam. We did, after all, cause this." Rain said, as Zelgadis disappeared from sight.
"Honestly! I think Zel's hardheaded, while Gourry's thickheaded!" Lina said, as she dismounted and tied her horse to a tree, then sat down in front of a fallen log. As sullen silence fell over the group, worry started to set in; what if the guards didn't recognize Zelgadis, now that he was human? What if they killed him first, then asked questions later?
"This is no time to be sitting around! Zel could get killed up there if no one recognizes him!" Lina yelped, as she abruptly stood up, untied her horse, mounted, and galloped off.
"Wait! Lina!" Gourry shouted, as he went after her, with Rain following close behind him. They got there just as bowstrings 'twanged' and arrows started whizzing through the air.
"Zel!" Lina shouted, her voice causing the archers on top of the wall battlements to stop what they were doing and look down.
"Lina Inverse! Is that you?" one guard asked, in disbelief.
"Damn straight! Just who were you shooting at just now?" Lina asked, furiously.
"One of the new recruits thought he saw someone near the wall and decided to start shooting. Once he started, his whole wall started. I don't know whether there was anyone there, though." One guard said, as he gave the said new recruit a dirty look
"I sure hope not. Is Amelia around?" Lina asked.
"She's in the library. Probably trying to find a cure for that chimera of yours." The guard said, with some distaste in his voice.
"Too late. He's already been cured. Now he's somewhere around here. Your new idiot probably shot him with an arrow." Lina said, with a vindictive sneer. While the senior guard chewed the new man out, Lina turned her attention to searching the grounds for signs that Zelgadis had been there. Casting a quick light spell, Lina quickly found what she didn't want to find; an arrow embedded into the trunk of a tree that had a shred of Zelgadis' cloak in it, and the beginning of a blood trail.
"Gourry! Rain! This way!" Lina shouted, not showing them what she had found, but leading the way where the trail led.
"Don't you dare be dead, Zel!" Lina thought, as she ran, a sickening feeling of foreboding settling like a stone in her stomach.
Amelia looked up when she thought she'd heard a noise. Shrugging it off as her imagination, she turned her attention back to her book, still hoping that she could find something to cure Zelgadis. Then she heard another sound, the sound of someone landing on the balcony just off to the left of the library.
"Wonder what that is?" Amelia wondered, as she walked toward the sound. When she got to the balcony, she saw a man there. He had apparently slipped past the guards, but not completely successfully, since blood was flowing freely down his right arm from two arrow wounds. He was leaning heavily on the stonework, holding his wounded arm, trying to stem off the bleeding. Without thinking, Amelia stepped towards the man, concern wrinkling her brow as she did so.
"Sir? What are you doing here?" Amelia asked. Startled, the man looked at her, then his whole demeanor changed.
"Amelia……….." the man murmured, then winced, gripping his arm.
"Oh! Come in here! Those wounds need to be treated before you lose too much blood!" Amelia said, ignoring the fact that the man was an apparent stranger, but acknowledging the fact that he was still bleeding heavily. Leading him to a room just adjacent to her own, Amelia went about getting what she would need to cleanse and bandage up the wounds. As gently as she could, Amelia worked the man's tunic off and got a better look at his arm wounds. Involuntarily, she gasped at the sight of his wounds; one was apparently a graze, just enough to draw blood. The other, on the other hand, was much more severe; part of the shaft was still in the wound.
"Did you try to take the arrow out yourself?" Amelia asked. The man nodded, with a slight blush. Gingerly, Amelia reached her fingers into the wound, trying to work the shaft end loose. She looked apologetically at the man when he flinched and grimaced.
"It hurts………….." the man said, with pain in his voice.
"I know it does. Do you want me to cast a sleep spell, so you can sleep through it?" Amelia asked, gently.
"No……………..it doesn't hurt as much when you talk to me." the man said, softly.
"For some reason, you seem familiar…………do I know you from somewhere?" Amelia asked. Without saying a word, the man reached into his pocket and brought out a piece of jewelry.
"Why…………that's my bracelet! That's the one I gave Zelgadis before he left to find his cure! How did you get this?!" Amelia asked, now looking closely at the man's face.
"I promised to return, when I had my cure. I'm glad I was able to keep my promise…………" the man whispered, before passing out in Amelia's arms.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia shouted, suddenly alarmed that the chimera-turned-human had passed out from his wounds.
"Hang in there, Zelgadis-san!" Amelia said, this time not wasting time with her Justice speech, but diving right in and working on getting the bleeding stopped. Within the hour, Amelia had removed the arrow and taken care of Zelgadis' wounds. With much effort, Amelia dragged him over to the guest chamber bed, blushing the whole way. When she had gotten him settled, she watched as he slept. His now human face was peaceful, innocent, in the moonlight. But he also looked pale and weak from losing so much blood.
"I'll call for a healer in the morning. But he's here! He's finally here! But he paid such a high price to get back to me." Amelia thought, as she tenderly leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Blushing madly, she pulled away, smiling when she saw that, even though he was asleep, Zelgadis was blushing too.
"Sleep well, Zelgadis-san." Amelia murmured, as she set up camp nearby so she could keep an eye on him.
Zelgadis groaned when morning sunlight struck his sensitive eyes. Reflexively, he moved to put a hand between his eyes and the light, forgetting that his right arm was injured, and choking back a yell when pain burned through it.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia was at his side in a heartbeat, worry evident in her sapphire blue eyes.
"Amelia……………" Zelgadis muttered, already feeling his face grow warm from blushing. Then he looked a little more closely at her; she had obviously stayed up all night because of him, since her hair was a little more disheveled than usual. There were also bloodstains on her dress from when she'd helped him walk to the guest room. At first, they both looked shyly away, blushing about the whole situation. Then they looked at one another.
"She's gotten so beautiful since that time I was last here." Zelgadis thought.
"He's so handsome…………………But he was handsome when he was a chimera too! But he looks so much better now!" Amelia thought, surprised when she found herself touching Zelgadis' face. Without even trying to regain his composure, Zelgadis allowed her to touch his face and hair, letting her marvel at the warmth and softness.
"Do you like what you see?" Zelgadis asked, in his usual soft manner.
"Yes, I really do. But I liked you before too." Amelia admitted, "But you look great now!" she added, brightly.
"I'm glad…………..I guess……………" Zelgadis said, as he, once again, blushed.
"Zelgadis-san, how were you cured?" Amelia asked.
"The Green Priestess, Rain, removed the curse Rezo had put on me." Zelgadis replied, quietly.
"I see. Do you love her?" Amelia asked, suddenly.
"I………….No! Of course not!" Zelgadis yelped, sitting up too quickly and jarring his arm.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia shouted, as Zelgadis gripped his arm, his face contorting into a grimace.
"I………….I'm all right…………..just moved a little bit too quickly………." Zelgadis gasped, as sweat beaded on his brow.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that!" Amelia apologized, as Zelgadis caught his breath and sat back, already looking exhausted.
"It's all right……………not your fault……………should have known you would assume that…………..Gomen….." Zelgadis said, as he put his left hand to Amelia's face.
"No, it's all right, Zelgadis-san. But I need to know……….why did you return?" Amelia asked.
"I returned to keep my promise to you………….and to see you again………Something came over me last night…………don't know how to explain it…………..I couldn't wait till morning to see you, so I decided to try and sneak in…………….it was foolish of me to try such a thing, but I didn't want to wait………." Zelgadis murmured, closing his eyes a little as the pain eased a little bit. Amelia was stunned by his words; he'd returned not only to fulfill his promise, but also because he wanted to see her again!
"Zelgadis-san…………." Amelia murmured, as tears came to her eyes. She gasped when she felt Zelgadis wipe away her tears with his left hand, his tenderness towards her shown in that one simple act.
"Don't cry. I don't want to see tears in your eyes." Zelgadis said, softly. Slowly, so as to not jar his arm, Zelgadis again sat up, then, in an act of bravery, kissed Amelia on the lips. Amelia, though surprised by this move, didn't do anything to break contact and she gently sat down on the bed beside him, getting as close as she dared to in that moment. From their vantage point somewhere above them, Lina, Gourry, and Rain watched the romantic interlude.
"Aww………..how sweet!" Rain whispered, as Gourry politely turned away.
"Yeah………..ain't love amazing?" Lina said, grinning from ear to ear and snapping away with a camera she'd gotten from somewhere.
"What're you doing, Lina?" Gourry asked. Lina grinned again.
"Blackmail!" Lina said, with a laugh, as she held up the camera and rushed off to get the film developed.
"I think I should stop her." Rain says, as she takes off after Lina.
"I don't think you should!" Gourry shouts, as he follows, trying to keep up with the two women and stop them from destroying Seiruun while they are at it.
~Owari~
Or is it?