Author's Notes: This is a fanfic of a fanfic. It's based on Ichiban Victory's "Rescue Me." She and I got into a discussion of writing in first person, and after reading her own example of one, I asked her if I could write the story from Zelgadis' point of view.

So a very special thanks to Ichiban Victory for giving me permission. This story can stand on it's own, but I highly recommend reading her story if you wish to see Amelia's point of view.

Zelgadis, Amelia, Lina, and Gourry belong to Hajime Kanzaka. Clair and Lord Ramat belong to Ichiban. Kahkuva belongs to me.

Rescue You

I'd lost track of how long I have been traveling with Lina, Gourry, and Amelia. We had just left a small town called Gunny when we stumbled upon a bandit camp. And, to make a long story short, we witnessed again why Lina Inverse is known as the "Bandit Killer." I swear she enjoys bandit killing far more than any person should be allowed.

The bandits had more than just treasure, as Amelia discovered for us.

"Hey everyone! There's a noblewoman in here!"

Amelia had poked her head out of one of the shacks, which must be serving as a prison house. No doubt the noblewoman, whoever she was, was being held for ransom by the bandits.

It was typical of Amelia to show such concern, but I hung back. I wanted to make sure there were no bandits around to surprise us and, to be honest, I'm a little hesitant to introduce myself to new people. My strange appearance tends to put them off, you understand.

Only after I was convinced everything was safe, and I became curious as to what was taking Amelia so long, did I enter the prison house. I found Amelia inside, chatting away merrily while casting a healing spell on the noblewoman.

"Amelia, the bandits are cleared out." I said to her. Both ladies turned their attention to me, and I could see the noblewoman's eyes grow wide. I'm a stone-skinned chimera, so I'm rather accustomed to looks like that. "We should be heading out of here as soon as pos…"

I mentioned that I'm accustomed to strange looks from people because of my monstrous body, but I'm not accustomed to beautiful women throwing themselves at me and hugging me around the neck. But that is exactly what the noblewoman did.

"Thank you so much for saving me!"

Okay, what am I suppose to do now? I looked at Amelia, hoping she could give me a hint, but she looked just as surprised as I did. She looked distraught, too. Not that I blame her, this woman was giving me credit for what Amelia had done.

"I…didn't rescue you." Oh yes, stuttering gives an impression of total confidence. Idiot. Of course the woman was hugging me close, very close, so can you hardly blame me? "Amelia let you out of…"

"You're my hero!" I don't think she was listening to me, and she was now hugging me even tighter. I decided to do the only thing I could think of to do, and I wrapped my arms around her back, patting her gently.

"There, there, it's okay." I felt silly just saying it. "Let's get you out of here. Um…what's your name?"

She released me, looking up into my face. She had a very beautiful face, with almond shaped brown eyes and the perfect complexion one expected from royalty. Her hair was what I think they refer to as "dishwater" blonde, and she wore a dark-magenta noble robe.

"My name is Claire. I'm a Lady of the Ramat family." She curtseyed gracefully in front of me. "And you are?"

She looked up at me again with those eyes. Damn those eyes. I couldn't help but smile back as I answered. "I'm Zelgadis Greywords."

And that is how it all began. From then on, Claire clung to me like a shadow. She stayed with me, fawning over me. And, to my own surprise, I enjoyed it. It's not often that a guy like me gets so much attention from a beautiful, full-figured woman.

We began our journey to take Claire home. She mentioned living in a mansion only a few days travel from where we found her and she promised us a handsome reward when we got there. I don't have to tell you that Lina was very happy to hear that.

It would take us another day at least to reach her place, so we secured an inn in a small village along the way. I have to admit I was falling for Claire, and falling hard. I'm normally more reserved than this, but she had a sweet demeanor that knocked down all my barriers. She was also very intelligent and we could talk for hours about just…well…anything.

She and I decided to sneak off to a nearby park that evening, away from the others. As soon as we were alone, we sat down, half-laying and half-sitting against a fallen log. She rested her head on my shoulder and draped a delicate, womanly hand across my chest.

I was surprised at how comfortable I was. And, despite the fact that I'm made of rock, she looked very content, too.

I just wasn't quite as comfortable with her chosen topic of conversation.

"I can't believe the Red Priest would do this to you."

Yeah, you're not the only one, Claire. "Not many people know the real side of Rezo."

"Well, if you don't mind me saying." She had a musical tone in her voice, and her hand reached up to touch the edge of my chin. "I think he does good work. I like you this way."

"I don't!" I may have said it a little too harshly, as I felt her cringe.

"I'm sorry, Zelgadis dear, I was just trying to compliment you." Her hand moved down from my chin and back to my chest. I felt a tingle in my jaw where she had touched me, and I realized how much I enjoyed it.

"I know." I've never been very good with women. "I'm seeking a cure for my chimera body so I can be a normal human again. That's why I'm traveling with Amelia and the others."

She shifted her body, and I looked down to see her looking back up at me. She had a sweet smile on her face. "You know, I have a sorcerer's lab at my mansion. My father use to do chimera research there. I bet we could find a book or something that might help you."

That got my attention. "Really? That would be great."

"I'll let you look through it on one condition." She brought her finger up for emphasis.

Damn, here it comes. "And what is that?"

"Stay with me, Zelgadis dear."

Oh! Hmm, I wasn't really expecting that. Hell knows I wanted nothing more than to stay with her, but I'd only known Clair for a few days, and things seemed to be moving very fast.

Although, I did care for her a great deal, so it seemed like a win/win situation to me. I could stay with this beautiful woman and, maybe, find a cure for my cursed body, too.

There was still one issue. "What if there is no cure for me there?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure we'll find something. But those are my conditions. Take them or leave them."

So, basically, even if I don't find my cure with her, she wants me to stay and give up my search. She must be joking? I've been seeking a cure ever since Rezo transformed me and she wants me to give all of that up? For her?

But, then again, how often am I going to find someone like her? Someone who so fully accepts me for who I am like she does? I didn't want to lose her, not that I'd finally found someone like her.

Well, I suppose if there is one thing I've learned in my life, it's that we have to make sacrifices for the things we really want.

"I'll think about it, Claire."

We laid there for awhile longer, making the kind of small talk I normally balk at. With her, however, I rather enjoyed it, and we laughed at each others' silly faces and corny jokes. It was while Claire was giggling at another stupid joke I made that I heard the noise coming from behind us. It sounded like someone stumbled and fell.

"Did you hear something?" I asked Claire. We both stood up, looking behind us to see what had happened. What I saw was a black-haired girl sprawled on the ground, and I didn't have to see her face to know who it was.

"Amelia?" I didn't want to sound cold, but I wasn't pleased to see her, not when I'm with Claire. This was extremely awkward. "What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, well, I…" She bit her bottom lip cutely as she sat up, her face flushed with embarrassment. She then gave us an equally-cute sigh, before answering. "Miss Lina told me she wants to leave early tomorrow morning. I was just coming to tell you."

She bowed her head shamefully so I couldn't see her eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but Claire spoke first.

"How sweet!" I looked over at Claire. She was smiling politely at Amelia, but I could hear an edge of irritation in her voice. "But you don't need to worry about us. We adults can take care of ourselves."

Ouch. What brought that on? I looked back at Amelia, just in time to see her nod her head as she stood up. She looked back at the two of us, and even I could tell she was offended by the comment.

But she still bowed politely, ""I'm sorry to have interrupted you. I'll go now."

I wanted to say something to her, but nothing was coming to mind. I felt Claire grab a hold of my arm and pull me away.

"Take care, little princess," I heard her call out as she dragged me deeper into the woods, until I could no longer see Amelia at all.

Despite the flirty, endearing look Claire gave me when we were alone again, I wasn't happy. "That was rather rude of you, Claire. Amelia's my friend."

Her smile dropped, and she looked back haughtily. "Can you blame me if I'd rather have you all to myself?"

I stared at her for a moment in shocked at her spitefulness. Then, it hit me, and I laughed instead. "Miss Claire, are you jealous?"

"Yes I am!" She answered promptly, and that playful, flirty smirk was back on her face. "You're mine now, Zelgadis dear," she purred. "And I'm not one to share."

I'll spare you the gushy details of what happened after that.

As promised, Lina got us up bright and early the next day to head out again. We traveled throughout the day, and made it to Claire's home by mid afternoon.

To say the place was huge would not do it justice. Her home was a three-story manor, white with red trim. The yard was just as big as the house, full of gardens and fountains, and was very well manicured. There was a lake in the back as well, and I somehow wouldn't be surprised if she owned that, too.

"Lucky!" I heard Lina cry out as she saw it. "You guys must be mega rich!"

She practically flew inside, and the rest of us had to run to catch up with her. I wasn't as anxious to go into the manor as Lina was. No, it wasn't because I promised Claire I'd stay here. It was because I was going to have to meet…him. You have no idea how terrified I was.

Fortunately for me, Claire's father, Lord Ramat, was a very friendly man who took to me right away. He was a tall man, about the same height as Gourry, with dark-brown hair and a clean-shaven face. I think it helped that Lina kept the man occupied most of the time as she haggled for her reward.

But it wasn't long before Lina had her reward, and I found myself breaking the news to my former traveling companions. Claire and I escorted them to the border of her property, but it was here we would have to say our goodbyes.

"So this is how it goes..." Lina barely spoke above a whisper.

I took a hold of the noblewoman's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Yes, I am going to stay here. With Claire."

I watched as Lina turned to Amelia, but the princess shook her head rapidly. I wasn't exactly sure what that exchange was about…

Lina turned back to us. "Normally I would tease you about all this, but...it just doesn't feel right to do so now. Be happy, Zel."

"See you around, Zelgadis." Gourry gave me a quick wave before turning to follow Lina.

It was now Amelia's turn, and I looked at her knowing this might be the last time I'd ever see her. She wasn't looking at me though. If I didn't know better, I'd think something on the ground directly in front of her was more interesting. Poor girl never was very good with goodbyes. I knew that better than anyone.

I felt a tug on my arm, and I looked over at Claire who nodded her head towards the mansion. I knew it was time to go. I suppose it was just as well that Amelia said nothing, and I turned to walk back.

"Mister Zelgadis!"

It was Amelia, sounding almost panic-stricken. I couldn't help but wonder if she had gotten herself into trouble, though I wasn't sure how...

She was looking back at me, but I couldn't read her expression. Not at first. Finally she smiled at me, that typical, cheerful Amelia-smile, and she waved at me. I smiled back at her, before turning back to Claire and walking back to the mansion. That smile was all I needed to see to know Amelia would be just fine without me.

I was going to miss Lina and Gourry, but I knew I'd miss Amelia the most. She and I got along so well, to the point where we could even synchronize our attacks and finish each other's sentences. It pained me to think I may never see her again. I considered her to be my best friend…

But that page in my life was closed. I had Claire now, and a new world was opening up to me.

We walked back to the mansion, hand in hand. I couldn't help but smile as I looked forward to spending more time with her. She was beautiful, intelligent, mature, and she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I wasn't sure how I got so lucky.

It was only after I entered the mansion that my mood changed. I had thought it was my dread at meeting her father that made me so nervous before, but her father wasn't here, and that feeling of dread returned the moment I stepped inside the mansion.

It wasn't her father at all. It was this place.

I took a more careful look around and noticed the odd decorations for the first time. The paintings on the wall were mostly abstract, but dark, with lots of reds and black. There were also stuffed trophies and mounted animals strewn about, but they weren't your standard deer heads or rearing bears. They looked more like some twisted taxidermist decided to take several parts of different animals and splice them together.

"Something wrong, Zelgadis dear?"

I hadn't even noticed that I had released her hand and stopped walking. Claire was in front of me now, looking at me with worry.

"I was just noticing your strange choice of décor." It was true, mostly. I wandered over to study one of the mounted animals, mostly so she couldn't see how tense I was. Not that staring at a stuffed, two-headed sheep made me feel any more at ease. "Very strange."

I could hear the mischievous smile in her voice. "I like collecting strange and unusual things."

And that's when I got it; that strange feeling of suffocating dread. The feeling that I was about to get into something I might regret for the rest of my life. Believe me, I was all too familiar with this sensation. It was the same feeling I got when Rezo offered to give me great strength years ago; just before he turned me into a chimera.

"Zelgadis dear," Clair called out to me. "If you are still interested in seeking your cure, I can show you my father's lab in the basement."

Some things never change. Despite the suspicion I was getting, I followed her like a love-sick puppy down the staircase into the basement of her mansion.

The staircase was long, surprisingly long, and winding. The air went from clean and pleasantly perfumed to dank and musty. Not surprising considering how far down we went. As the staircase got darker and darker, I watched Claire place her hand gently on lanterns, causing them to light up at her touch with a magical Lighting spell.

When we finally reached the bottom, I tried to look around, but the room we were in was pitch black, despite the Light from the staircase. Claire wandered over to a indentation on the wall and gently touched it.

The entire basement suddenly lit up with several spell-lamps, and I got my first look at her father's "laboratory." It wasn't at all what I expected.

The entire basement was lined with pedestals and cages. On top of the pedestals were various animals and humanoids the likes of which I had never seen. They were most likely all chimeras or rare creatures of one kind or another. Most appeared to be sleeping peacefully, fully alive based on the rise and fall of their bodies as they lay there. The cages appeared to be empty, but had been in recent use.

"Claire, what the hell kind of place is this?" It was not a chimera lab; trust me, I'd seen more than my share. I instinctively wanted to run back up the stairs and get out. But, once again Claire turned that sweet smile on me, beckoning me towards her, and I followed, allowing myself to move away from the stairs.

I was only a foot or two from the stairs before she spoke again. In an instant, the charming, flirty Claire I had gotten to know was gone. Her eyes flashed with greed and a more sinister desire that made my blood turn cold. "That's far enough, Zelgadis dear. Kahkuva, take him!"

Whoever this Kahkuva was he was fast. Before I even had time to think of what Claire had said, I was grabbed from behind by two arms, each the width of my torso. I felt myself picked up off the ground, my arms pinned on either side of me by whatever massive creature had me.

"What the hell?" I growled as I tried to struggle, kicking my legs and trying to break free. But even my enhanced chimera strength was no match for Kahkuva, whatever he was.

"Isn't he fascinating," Claire said as she slowly walked up to me, looking behind me at the creature. Um, yeah, like I can even see him like this, Claire. "He's the most loyal member of my collection. Like a little puppy, aren't you, my sweet Kahkuva." She said the last line with a higher pitch, like she was speaking to a baby. It didn't make me feel any better.

"What are you doing, Claire?" I had stopped struggling. My senses were on high alert, but I simply could not let myself believe that this noblewoman, this beautiful intelligent woman that I had fallen for, had betrayed me.

"I think it should be obvious, Zelgadis dear," she spoke the last word with unveiled sarcasm this time, and I clenched my jaw in anger. "A golem, demon, and human chimera created by the Red Priest will be the pride and joy of my collection."

She lifted up her hand, touching my forehead to chant a very familiar spell. "Sleep."

As much as I struggled against the spell, I knew it was in vain, and the drowsiness overtook me. The last thing I remembered was that sweet, but now sadistic smile on her face before blacking out.

Funny thing about a sleep spell; you never know just how long you will remain asleep after it is cast. The potency of the spell depends a great deal on the one casting it. It could last only a few minutes, a few hours, a few days, or even remain in place indefinitely until dispelled. So when I finally woke up, I could only imagine how long I had been out.

I was lying on my stomach, my cheek pressed against a cold, metallic floor. As my senses came into focus, I picked up the sound of two voices; a man and a woman. Both sounded familiar, but it took a moment for my sleepy mind to register who they were.

"I just don't know why it isn't working, Father." It was Claire I heard, and I opened my eyes to get a feel for my situation. The first thing I saw were metal bars to match the metal floor I was laying on. She had apparently placed me in one of the cages I had seen earlier.

I looked past the bars and saw Claire and her father, sitting next to what looked like a lab table, based on the beakers and chemicals strewn across it.

"What happens when you try?" Lord Ramat asked his daughter as he held up a small, red gem to study. I recognized that gem right away. Rezo and Eris used them to control their creations. It was a mind-control gem.

"It just won't stick." Claire's voice sounded much whinier and spoiled than I ever remembered it. Further evidence I didn't know her as well as I thought I had.

"Well, maybe we could try something other than mind control, Claire." The Lord placed the gem back on the table. "Perhaps freeze him somehow…"

"Father, don't be stupid." I could imagine more than see Claire roll her eyes. "Zelgadis is made of stone. If I freeze him, my Club Sisters will just think he's some ridiculous statue. He has to be moving in order to make the right impression!"

"Keep him in a cage then?"

"Ugh, no!" She was sounding exasperated. "That's such a barbaric way to display him. I'm sorry, but we have to get this gem to work one way or another."

I could have told them why the mind control gem didn't work, not that I ever would. Mind control spells take the saying that you can't serve two masters literally. Rezo had placed a mind control fail-safe inside me when he created my body, so he could take control of my mind if he so chose. As long as that remained in place, no one else would be able to take control of me.

Granted, I realized even as Claire's father spoke up again…

"Maybe if we drill a hole in his head..."

…I really needed to get out of here.

I lifted my head up to get a quick look at my surroundings, but doing so brought my attention to another problem. I lifted my hand up to feel something on my neck, like a rounded metal collar. I knew what it was the moment I felt the static spark hit my finger and I groaned inside.

Lina told me about this. The collar, which could also be worn as a headband, was imbued with a Mono Bolt spell. Any attempt to remove the band or cast a spell of any kind would deliver a nasty shock to the wearer.

I tried to remember back to Lina's story, and how it was she conquered it. Oh, right; she just gritted her teeth and dealt with the pain. Sounds like something Lina would do. Oh well, I guess I can try…

"Source of all power, crimson…"

Okay, after that attempt, I can honestly say…god damnit, Lina, how the hell did you endure that? My muscles were still twitching involuntarily from the shock of that collar. I've dealt with a lot of pain in my lifetime, but…

"Oh look, Father, he's awake." My muscles still ached, but I managed to look over at Claire. She hadn't moved from her lab table, but she was now looking at me with an infuriating sneer. "I wouldn't do that again if I where you, Zelgadis. I bought that band during my last trip to Seyruun. The effects are impressive, wouldn't you agree?"

Oh yes, very much so. I watched her turn back to her lab work, and sat back against the bars of my cage to think. If I couldn't even cast a Flare Arrow, my options were very limited. I only knew of a handful of spells with a shorter cast time, and I wasn't sure spells like Sleep and Lighting would be all that useful here.

Of course, there was one I could try. But I was going to need something sharp to work with.

My cage was completely bare, save for me being in it, so I looked around the outside. The area surrounding my cage wasn't very tidy, so I'm assuming Claire didn't let her servants down here. There were pieces of garbage, shredded paper, spilled mystery liquids, broken glass…

Broken glass. That will work! I reached my hand out to one shard that resembled a bent blade, probably from a broken lab beaker. It was almost out of my reach, but I squeezed my shoulder through the bar as far as it could go, and was able to grasp onto the end with the tips of my fingers.

I made a quick glance at Claire and her father, making sure they weren't watching me, before I pulled the shard of glass into the cage with me.

I grabbed the collar around my neck, pulling it away from my skin as slowly and gently as possible. I felt a spark from the band, but otherwise it didn't take my movement as an attempt to remove it. I wedged the piece of glass between my neck and the band and held it there.

I took a long, deep breath, prepping myself for the inevitable pain I was only going to get one shot at this, so I had to make it count. Taking one more deep breath, I cast my spell.

"Astral Vine!"

The shock came immediately, but I was still able to complete the spell. I felt the heat from my spell engulf the shard of glass and I sliced outwards, cutting the collar in two.

I felt the spliced pieces of the collar fall from my neck, clanging loudly on the floor of my metal cage. The shard of glass I held in my hand was glowing red from my spell, and was cutting into my hand. I couldn't feel the pain as much as see the blood, since the shock from the collar was all the pain my brain could register at the moment.

I took a moment to let the pain of the shock subside, but a moment was all I could spare. As I looked up, I saw Claire and her father both staring at me, wide eyed.

Taking the glass, I sliced at the bars of the cage in front of me, then kicked them in as hard as I could, watching as three bars flew across the room. I then leapt from my cage, doing a summersault before standing up, facing my captors.

Lord Ramat shrieked like a cowardly woman and ran up the stairs. For a moment I thought Claire was going to do the same, but she called out to her servant instead.

"Kahkuva!" Her voice was high pitched and panicked, and she backed up to the stair case. It was then that her very large servant, Kahkuva I imagine, emerged from the shadows behind the spiral staircase.

I had figured he was a chimera, and an ugly one at that. I'm guessing he had the base-body of a blue-skinned troll, but his head looked like an elephant. He had large, thick, and nasty claws on his hands, and wore nothing but a brown loin cloth.

I'd love to describe him further too, but he just decided to charge me.

Kahkuva was big, but he was surprisingly fast, and I only barely avoided his grasp when I leaped to the side. One of his over-sized claws snagged my leg, ripping my pant-leg to shreds, but only leaving shallow abrasions on my skin. Considering his claws shouldn't have left marks on my stone skin at all, I'm now a bit worried.

To make matters worse, I didn't have my sword. I tossed the piece of glass aside, ignoring the pain in my hand where it had cut into me. The small shard of glass was useful as a tool, but useless as a real weapon.

Guess I have to try a spell. "Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright. Flare Arrow."

My Flare Arrow struck Kahkuva in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Unfortunately for me, that's all it caused him to do. Seems he's immune to simple spells. Wonderful.

The lumbering elephant charged at me again, both arms outstretched like he wanted to embrace me. I jumped backwards, avoiding the claws again, but only barely. Now the top of my tunic was shredded, just in front of my chest and along my sleeve. I was going to need one hell of a seamstress if I ever get out of here.

It was then that I finally spotted it; my sword. It was only a few yards in front of me, set in a pile of junk. Unfortunately there was a certain hulking chimera between me and it, and he was still set and determined to give me a hug.

Well, I suppose I can try taking a page from Amelia's book. I waited for Kahkuva to come close to me, which he did with frightening speed. Before he was able to wrap his tree-trunk arms around me, I pulled my fist back and punched him in the jaw as hard as I could.

Hey, that was rather effective, even if my hand stung like the devil for it. The giant chimera stumbled to the side, falling to the ground, but more importantly, falling out of my way. I lunged forward, grabbing my sword from the pile and pulling it out of it's scabbard. I tossed the sheath aside, brandishing my sword in front of me as I watched Kahkuva slowly recover from my attack.

Now that I had my sword, I knew I had a fighting chance. Of course, if Kahkuva was really part troll like I suspect, it would take more than a few hits with my sword to take him down.

While weighing my options, I saw Claire coming up behind the chimera, even though she was staring at me. Looked like she was hoping to give her favorite pet some back up, but I only smiled in response. Her positioning was perfect.

Bringing my sword up, I charged at Kahkuva, slicing at his chest in a diagonal slant. The giant was fast for his size, but I was faster, and despite his attempt to jump back, I carved a gash straight through the front of his chest.

Kahkuva trumpeted like an elephant in his rage and pain, but I wasn't about to stop there. I sliced at him again and again and again, making a gory mess of his huge chest. He stumbled backwards, still trying to get away from my onslaught. He didn't seem to realize that pushing him back was exactly what I wanted. Once he was close enough to Claire, I jumped forward and kicked him as hard as I could on his bloody torso.

The chimera fell backwards, and the noblewoman didn't even know what hit her. She screamed as the giant fell on top of her, pinning her beneath his massive girth. I could hear her gasp as the wind was knocked out of her.

Kahkuva's chest was already beginning to heal from his regenerative powers, and he struggled to stand up. But I was already by his side with one of the simplest spells in all of magic on my lips.

"Nighty, night!"

Okay, so I stole that particular line from Lina, I admit it, but the Sleeping spell was just as effective. Kahkuva slumped back down on top of Claire, snoring loudly.

"Ah! Kahkuva! Kahkuva, get off me. You're heavy!" Claire screamed and beat her petite hands against the giant. But he was out cold, and I knew he'd be out for at least an hour.

I gathered up my cloak, scabbard, and other belongings that had been carelessly thrown into the pile of junk. Claire was still whining and crying behind me, pushing uselessly against her chimera.

She continued like that, up until I walked over to her and put my sword to her throat.

She stopped screaming, looking up at me with eyes so wide I thought they might pop out of her head. Her lips quivered, those same pouting lips I remembered kissing before. She carefully gulped, causing a nick on her neck that oozed a small amount of blood.

"Please," her eyes were filling with tears as she pleaded with me, "Please don't kill me!"

Oh, I wanted to; I really wanted to. I wanted to slit that throat of hers and watch her blood spill on the floor. I wanted to sit back and watch her life pool at my feet, to see it drain from those beautiful brown eyes of hers.

I suppose it's a testament to my humanity that I didn't. I sheathed my sword, glaring down at her for just a moment more, before heading for the stairs.

"Zelgadis wait!" I heard her cry out to me. "Help me, please!"

"Go to hell, Claire," were the last words I spoke before I headed up the stairs and out of the mansion.

It was night now, but I was in no mood to enjoy the fresh, clean air. I just kept walking, never looking back. I knew Claire wouldn't come after me. I had no intention of being merciful if there was ever a "next time."

I still couldn't be sure how long I had been in the mansion, thanks to that damn sleep spell. Claire didn't strike me as a real sorceress, though her father may have been. But I knew which way my friends had been traveling, and it seemed like my best bet to just head that way as well.

Part of me was hoping I didn't find them; Amelia and the others. I dreaded the idea of explaining to them what a foolish thing I had done. Not to mention the humiliation of asking if they'd let me tag along again. Maybe I was better off just heading off on my own. I had always been a lone wanderer. I enjoyed my own company more than anyone else'.

So someone please tell me why the hell am I still headed in their direction?

I'm not sure how long I had been walking when I saw the campsite. I saw two familiar tents set up in a small clearing, and I sighed in both relief and trepidation. My friends hadn't come very far it seems, and I found them.

The campfire they had in the center had long since gone out, but it only took a weakened Fireball to get it going again. There was a pile of sticks sitting next to it, so I sat down, resting my arms on my knees. I picked up one stick after another, breaking them and throwing them into the fire to keep it going. And because the act of breaking things has always been a great stress-reliever.

With a chance to rest, my mind went back to the events that I really didn't want to think about. As much as I hate to say it, I really did love Claire. I had fallen so hard for her, I was even thinking of marrying her.

You might be surprised to know that even a guy like me was hoping to some day settle down with a wife and family. No, seriously, is it that surprising? It was one of many motivating factors behind my search for a cure.

Claire was just the kind of woman I had always wanted. Or, at least, she made herself out to be. But it was all an illusion; a horrible lie.

"Damn it all to hell!" You'd think by now I'd have learned not to trust anyone. I rarely let my guard down, and yet, once again I took the risk of letting those walls drop, to expose my soul to someone I thought cared about me. And, as always, I was stabbed in the heart, gaining another painful reminder of why I was suppose to be so heartless. Maybe I deserved it for being so damn stupid.

"I was such a fool," I fought back a sob, gritting my teeth fiercely to try and distract myself from the water in my eyes, "to think she actually cared..."

I broke another branch, throwing it into the fire. For what must have been the hundredth time in the last few years, I swore to myself I'd never trust anyone ever again. You'd think Rezo's betrayal would have been enough for me, and yet I still…

"Mister Zelgadis?"

It felt like my heart leapt into my throat and I jerked around to see who it was, although I already knew. Amelia was poking her head out of one of the tents, looking at me bewildered. Crap, I really hadn't meant to wake her up.

"Mister Zelgadis, what happened? I thought you..." Her words trailed off, but she didn't have to finish it. I really didn't want to have to explain myself, but I suppose if I had to, was better to do it with sweet, understanding Amelia than with a snide and sarcastic Lina.

I picked up another branch from the pile, shaking my head in disgust. "I made a mistake and am lucky to have escaped with my life." I broke the stick, throwing it into the fire with the others. The fire really didn't need anymore wood, but it was a convenient distraction.

I heard more than saw Amelia exit the tent and come over to me by the fire. She sat down next to me, so close I could feel her warmth even over the blazing fire. Part of me wanted to look at her. She really is nice to look at. But I resisted, keeping my gaze forward.

"Did you want to talk about it?" It was so very Amelia. She probably assumed that my talking about it would make me feel better. But telling her everything that had happened was the last thing I wanted to do.

"What's there to say?" I said to her with a slight shrug, "I made a mistake. Why do I always attract the weird ones?" I mean, really, why?

"Weird ones? What do you mean?"

I picked up another branch before turning to her, staring straight into those large blue eyes. Despite my best attempt, something about the way she was looking at me broke through my resolve, and I knew she could see the pain in my expression.

"I never seem to meet anyone…normal. They're always odd in some way. Like being men in drag." Don't ask! "…Or only liking me because of my body." I clenched my fist, snapping the stick in half.

"Oh…," she turned her gaze to the fire. I continued to stare at her, watching as the fire left beautiful, flickering patterns of light on her face and hair. Amelia may be very young, but she was also very pretty.

She turned to look at me again. Her mouth was straight, but there was a hint of a "smile" in her eyes. "You don't think I'm weird, do you?"

Uh oh. "W-weird? You? Uh…no, not at all." A princess who climbs onto high perches just so she could spout speeches about Love and Justice…weird? Never! I coughed into my fist.

"I see," she rubbed her chin anxiously. Something in her expression told me that she was mulling over something, but I couldn't tell what.

I looked back at the fire again, but the moment I did, I felt her hand rest on top of mine. I couldn't help but start at her touch, even as I found her warmth comforting. She'd taken my hand before, usually when she wanted to drag me somewhere, but this was different somehow. It was tender and warm, and I found myself looking at her in surprise.

"Then you lied, Mister Zelgadis. What you said can't be true."

I felt an involuntary shudder go through my body, but my eyes were fixed on hers. Did she just say what I think she said? I've never been very good at reading people, but I could tell there was something deeper in her words. "Amelia, what are you saying?"

I watched Amelia take a deep breath, letting it out slowly in preparation for…

"Mister Zelgadis, you're my friend. One of the best friends I've ever had, and...well...I care for you. A great deal. I've felt this way for a long time, but I wasn't sure how you felt about me, and I didn't want to lose your friendship by scaring you away."

Yes, she definitely said what I thought she said. And I was dumbfounded.

"When you met Miss Claire," she continued, "And got involved with her...it hurt. It hurt me a lot. I suddenly realized that by saying nothing to you that I would lose one of my best friends...and all because I had been too scared to say anything! To see you here again, I must be the most fortunate girl in the world. I don't know if you care for me as I do for you, but I cannot let another day go by without saying anything anymore."

I could only stare at her, letting everything she said sink in. Her eyes watered, and a single tear streamed down her cheek, but she continued to look at me, searching.

For what seemed like the first time, I looked at Amelia. I really looked at her. I was always very fond of Amelia, but I had only seen her as a sweet little girl; and much too young for me. I guess it was hard for me to believe she was only a few years younger than me.

She seemed so naïve and innocent. It was that purity that I always found such a comfort to me. She had a calming affect on my heated emotions, a calm that not even Claire could quenched. I'm not sure why I never noticed it before.

She looked away suddenly, gazing down at the ground as she withdrew her hand from mine. I heard her whisper a barely audible "sorry" before moving to get up.

On instinct, my hand shot out and took hers, and she stopped. I turned away from her, shaking my head at my own blindness. I still wasn't sure what I wanted to say to her, what I needed to say to her. All I knew is that I didn't want her to leave.

"Mister Zelgadis?"

"Don't apologize," I finally looked back at her. It came to me this time. I knew what I wanted to say. "I am as much at fault as you are. Here you've been a good friend to me as well, but I took you for granted. I should have considered your feelings more, but I was too caught up in myself to notice. Amelia, I'm sorry, too."

I cracked a smile, even though my insides were twisted in knots. She was crying now, and I couldn't be certain if they were tears of despair or…

"I missed you, Mister Zelgadis." She lunged forward, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her head in my chest. She was openly sobbing now, and I could feel the tears hitting the stone skin of my torso where my shirt had been torn.

I gazed down at her, stroking her ebony hair with my hand. I remembered back to that promise I made to myself, the promise that I would never trust anyone ever again.

Yes, it seems I will be breaking that promise. Again.