Author's Note: This is my first Slayers fanfic, but I'm very confident (I usally write Starfox fanfics mainly). I've seen this kind of plot-line done once or twice in other fanfics, and I thought I'd take a crack at it. I've always loved this kind of story, especially for Zel/Amelia, so here we go! There may be some creative liscensing in here, a little ooc, since I'm sure I don't have some aspects down XD
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SLAYERS. ALL OF THAT WONDERFUL-NESS GOES TO ITS RESPECTIVE OWNERS, BUT NOT ME.
P.S. I name each chapter a lyric line from different songs, so lets turn it into a harmless contest! First one to guess correctly the song the chapter titles are named after wins!
I can't wait to see you, 'cause I'm on my way home...
The commotion of the city crowds made his sensitive ears twitch in mild annoyance that same way a dog might find the buzz of a pesky mosquito in its ear equally irritating, but the noise was the least of his troubles. It had been at least four years since he was last in this place. He hadn't meant to stay away so long, and his heart lurched in its cage at the thought of how she must have felt having to await his return for so long. Seyruun was a special place for him full of happy memories that always incited smiles on the chimera's lips.
He'd had adventures here in the past, but eh better part of those days rested in the weeks before he last left. Zelgadis' heart thumped as he remembered. He couldn't remember any other time he'd known such a pure state of bliss. Those days with her were the best he'd spent in a long time.
Somewhere in his secret heart he'd known all along he loved Amelia, but he wasn't ready to admit it to himself back then, much less admit it to her. He'd done some healing during the years he'd spent in his numerous adventures with Lina and company, and when Amelia suddenly invited him back to Seyruun with her after the near-cataclysmic trial with Dark Star, he'd found himself wanting to say yes despite his original "I'll think it over" answer. He'd known then he was ready for something more.
It took time and quite a bit of mustered courage for the both of them to confess what they'd been hiding, but when the words were said, as clumsy and almost incoherent as they may have been, and the pressure off, the chemistry between them had exploded like fireworks, and they found out quickly just how right for each other they really were. Sure, it had been a slow and awkward start, but once they warmed up to the change, they couldn't be stopped.
Zel grinned slightly beneath the mask of his hood-and-cloak as he moved leisurely through the city streets. What wonders even the little moments had been! However, as time passed with her, as amazing and tender as it was, his thoughts had begun to slide back away to his lost cure. He loved Amelia, and that would never change, but his body was his weakness. Maybe if he had seen all there was to see, found out for himself that there was, in fact, no cure for the monstrous cancer Rezo had cursed him with all those years ago, he could have better accepted it and tried harder to adapt to life with the beautifully ugly shell of stone and wire encasing his skin, but the world was still vast and hiding secrets from him. The knowledge that there was still a chance of finding something, anything, somewhere kept him successfully distracted, and it didn't take long for Amelia to figure it all out.
Sensing his indecision, she had urged him, with a great deal of sadness, to go and find his cure.
"You'll never be able to live with yourself until you've found a way to change back," she had mused sorrowfully, "regardless of how I see you. You have to go."
The chimera-man stopped in hesitation when he neared the grand castle. It had been four years though. What could he possibly say to her to make that okay? He fiddled nervously with the bracelet she had given him the night before he left, thumbing the blue bulb absently. He had gotten so carried away in his pursuit, found lead after dead-end lead. After his last fruitless endeavor, he'd finally had enough. He missed the happiness without disappointment. With Amelia he could almost pretend he was human again. He wanted to come back to her.
And now here he was, shrouded in uncertainty as he peered through a gate into the courtyard she usually spent her free time in. His heart skipped a frantic beat when he finally spotted her. She looked exactly the same and yet so different.
Amelia was seated at a small, decorative cast-iron table half-heartedly reading some nameless book. She had obviously grown, but she had changed more than that. A new depth of emotion filled her eyes and almost made them seem tired and troubled, which unsettled him slightly. The breeze tugged lightly at her yellow sundress and pushed her blue-black hair into her face. She stopped and looked up to brush it back, and their eyes locked for a split moment. It was long enough for her to notice her new visitor, and she jolted startled at first. His stomach churned uneasily as he thought he saw a trace of fear flash in her eyes briefly. She jumped out of her seat but went no further, and the two of them just stood and stared stunned for a moment or two.
"Zelgadis…" her frail murmur filled him with longing.
He wanted so desperately to break down the metal gate and run to her. This uncomfortable silence was burning holes in his heart the longer he watched her. What was wrong?
Amelia, as if sensing his urge, took a step forward, paused, and finally burst out into a flat sprint towards him. Zel gripped a bar and smiled warmly as she stopped at the gate.
"Hey," he whispered.
"You finally came back." she pressed a hand to his cheek lovingly and smiled, tears welling in her sapphire eyes.
He placed the hand holding her bracelet, the symbol of their unspoken bond, over hers.
"I made a promise." he said to her gently.
Her soft gaze radiated warmth and fondness, and, realizing he was still on the other side, she unfastened the latch and opened the gate to let him in. Zelgadis closed it behind him, and Amelia caught him off guard with a kiss. Arms wrapped tight around each other, all the words they could have said to express how much they missed the other fizzled out and became the energy they channeled through each other. She broke it off and nuzzled him affectionately.
"I'm so sorry Amelia. I didn't mean to be gone so long." he stroked his fingers through her silky strands.
"I worried you'd never come back, that maybe something had happened," he felt her shiver in his arms, and she looked him in the eye again, "but none of that matters anymore. You're just fine, and you're here now." she frowned sympathetically, "But even after all this time you never found your cure."
"No," he sighed, "I found so many possibilities, but they all came up short. I couldn't get you out of my head the whole time I was gone."
She kissed his lips sweetly, and he rested his forehead on hers.
"What about you?" he asked, "I want to hear everything that's happened."
Amelia's mood shifted suddenly at his words. "Why don't we go inside and talk, Zelgadis?" she said troubled and pulled away.
Warning beacons flared everywhere in his head. "What's wrong?"
"A lot's happened while you were away. We really need to talk first, but not here." she looked afraid, almost terrified now.
Worry sent a shiver down him. "Amelia, what happened?"
Now she was trembling as she grabbed his hand and tugged at it. "Let's go somewhere more private to talk."
Shaken by her sudden nervousness, Zelgadis followed uneasily. Possibilities reeled in his mind, none of them good. Was she sick? Had she found someone else? They walked past the table and towards the door leading inside. Then he saw him.
He had a head of black hair that fell loosely just over the nape of his neck and thin, pointed ears. He sat in the grass playing with a big black wolf-like dog with amber eyes. The sound of them passing by caught his attention, and he looked behind him to see, ears twitching curiously. His earthy gray-green eyes stared innocently into Zel's, and the chimera man's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, the breath caught in his throat. A broken ring of scab-like stone circled his left eye.
Zelgadis' eyes widened stunned, and the shock left him weak. His vision went blurry and then dark, and he heard Amelia shriek in surprise before his senses left him completely.
It was a boy that stared up at him with such innocent curiosity, a boy no older than four years.
Author's Note: So there you have it! I appreciate reviews ^w^