Title: Sparring
Characters: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis
Pairings: none
Rating: G
Timeline: Sometime during NEXT.
Summary: Whenever Zelgadis looked back on the first time he sparred with Amelia, the thing he remembered most was the sound of Gourry and Lina laughing.
"Oof!"
Gourry landed painfully on the ground, arms twisted in a complex hold. He chuckled breathlessly, wind knocked out from the fall, "I give up!"
Amelia quickly pulled him to his feet, looking over him and making sure she didn't do any damage, "You okay?"
Gourry ruffled her hair, "I'm a tough guy, I can handle getting beaten up now and again."
Perhaps once, something would have told him he ought to feel miffed at being beaten by a girl nearly half his size and probably a third of his weight, instead he ambled over to the steps of the inn and sitting down with a sigh of relief.
"Oh, are you finished?" Amelia asked, disappointed. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, lower lip unconsciously pushing outward in a pout.
Had Gourry not been a gentleman not keen on cursing in front of ladies, he would have done so heartily. Amelia was even more talented at getting her way through puppy dog eyes than Lina, and she wasn't even doing it intentionally. Amelia's pleading looks had been known to move even Lina to her side.
To Gourry's relief, Zelgadis chose that moment to come out through the door. The younger man paused, one eyebrow raised curiously, "What are you doing out here so early?"
"Zel!" Gourry bounded to his feet, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Do you know hand-to-hand combat?"
"Some," Zelgadis said slowly, wondering what Gourry was up to. Gourry's grin widened.
"I'm beat, why don't you spar with Amelia for a bit?"
Zelgadis blinked, eyes swiveling from Gourry to Amelia, and back again. "Spar with Amelia?" he repeated hesitantly. Amelia's expression was hopeful, "I guess..." He pulled off his cloak and walked down the rest of the steps.
Gourry sat back down, the grin never leaving his face as Amelia and Zelgadis both shifted into a defensive pose. Zelgadis was slightly shorter than Gourry, though he made up for it with his weight, and Gourry was certain as to the outcome of the session.
Zelgadis waited, watching Amelia, who was in turn patiently watching him, waiting to see who would make the first move. Zelgadis's first thought was to try to end the fight quickly, and he lunged forward.
In the next instant, he found his face slamming into the ground his legs were knocked beneath him and a pair of small but surprisingly strong hands forced his arms into a painful hold, and he let out a gasp of surprise.
He heard Gourry chuckle loudly from his place on the porch, "Come on, Zel, I didn't expect you to win, but that was kind of pathetic. Have I ever lost that quickly, Amelia?" He asked.
Amelia's grip on his arm shifted, and she pulled him to his feet again, looking sheepish, "Err... no, Gourry-san..."
Zelgadis sighed, putting a hand over his eyes when he heard Lina let out a shriek of laughter from nearby. He would never live that down.
A/N:This one was quickly written for a Christmas challenge I never finished. I've always pictured Amelia as the most adept at fighting without weapons, since she's never relied on them, and I thought it would be amusing to have her beat Gourry and Zelgadis at something. I figured that Gourry would want to get some practice with weaponless fighting, but would never win, no matter how many times they sparred. And of course I like to pick on Zel.