"Come on, hurry please!" Zel said impatiently.
"I'm eating, wait a minute!" Lina said, and took a gulp of her drink. "You're always in such a rush Zelgadis. You should learn to enjoy the scenery, take life as it comes at you!" She popped the last morsel of food in her mouth and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her full stomach contentidly. "Ahh..."
"Lina! Please! With the constant stops, and eating, we're never going to find my cure! I don't like sounding so selfish, but this is the reason we are travelling, is it not? I get the feeling I would have better luck on my own!" Zelgadis sat down at the chair and looked at Lina.
"Geez, Zelgadis! Your cure isn't going anywhere! We are travelling for that, but we are also travelling for the joy of travelling! So much to see, so much food to eat..."
"I can see we won't be agreeing any time soon. I'm not in the mood for an argument. I guess we can stay another night here. But... can we please talk about it?"
"Sure, Zelgadis. Right after we see the Summer Solstice Fair!" Lina grinned, and got up. Gourry and Amelia followed suit.
Zelgadis sighed. "Go on ahead, I'll meet you guys back at the inn later."
Can't they see.... the change in me...?
. . .
"Gee, Mr. Zelgadis is sure acting weird, guys!" Amelia said.
"Aw, Zel's okay, he just needs some time alone, I think." Lina paused to look at a gem at a booth where they were walking by.
"Yes, but I feel kinda bad about making him wait when he wants to find his cure so much. Personally, I don't know why he wants that cure so much, I think he looks so kawaii like that!" Amelia blushed a bit.
"Yes, I know Amelia, but I think it's something that Zel can't live with. He wants to be human, and I think we should help him. But he doesn't need to be so rushed about it! I mean, we only get one chance to visit Parachelie during the summer solstice! It's so beautiful!"
"Hey, Lina!" Lina turned to face Gourry's voice.
"Yes Gourry?" Lina said.
"Come over here, quick!!" He shouted. Lina looked quickly, and spotted his blonde hair in a crowd of people. His voice sounded frantic, and she rushed over, squeezing through the crowd and elbowing people out of her way.
"Gourry!" She called, finally reaching him.
He pointed. She turned, and her eyes opened with shock. "Zelgadis!" She cried. "Zelgadis what are you doing!!!"
Zelgadis's face was twisted with fury. He held his sword at the throat of a man. Two others lay on the ground, already dead. He looked up when he heard Lina's voice calling her name. His eyes glowed red with hatred, and no recognition crossed his face. Lina stopped moving towards him in shock. This... this had happened before.... When they were fighting Rezo. Rezo had simply told Zelgadis to kill them, and he had obeyed, a loyal puppet for his crazed master. But... but Rezo was dead.... So what was doing this to Zelgadis?
His eyes narrowed at her, and a growl escaped his lips like that of a feral animal. He jerked his sword from the mans neck, leaving a slash, but not fatal. The man cried out and crawled away from him. Zelgadis moved forward, crouched in a fighting position, towards Lina.
"Zelgadis! Wake up! It's me, Zelgadis, Lina!" Lina waved her arms around and yelled at him. The crowd, scared of the crazed monster, had all but fled, and there was only a few people left in the square: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and what was supposed to be Zelgadis.
He crept forward more and more, smiling evily, and showing fangs that gleamed sharp, that Lina didn't know he had. His eyes still shone with red, and his sword dripped blood on the ground.
"Zelgadis!" She shrieked. "Snap out of it!!!" Not wanting to hurt Zelgadis, but knowing that it worked last time this had happened, she cast a flare arrow, and sent it at his legs, hoping to knock him down, just as he leapt forward. The shot, intended to hit only his legs, hit him full in the chest as he hurtled through the air. As it connected, his head snapped back and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.
"Zelgadis!" Lina cried, and rushed forward. She turned him over so he was lying on hiis back, and checked his pulse. Nothing. But, a flare arrow couldn't kill him..! "Breathe dammit!" She cried, and started to pump his chest as hard as she could, palms and fingers bruising on his hard, rocky skin. She stopped, and opened his mouth with her hands, and placing her lips over his and breathing life into him. She resumed pumping his chest, but by now, Gourry and Amelia had come over to help. As Gourry pumped his chest, Lina checked his pulse and gave him oxygen, and Amelia started to cast a healing spell. Suddenly, he coughed and jerked, his eyes opening. They were back to the normal colour, but their was no memory of what had happened in them. Zelgadis didn't realize what was happening at first, and pushed himself away as fast as he could, gasping for breath.
"Zelgadis, thank the gods!" Lina cried, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're alive!"
"Wha-... what happened-...?" He asked, sitting up. This seemed to be too much for him and his hands went to his head as blackness threatened his vision. He shook his head and stood up slowly, trying to ignore the pain that felt like his head was about to explode as his heart beat wildly.
"You... you went crazy...." Amelia said, eyes wide. She pointed speechlessly at the two bodies of the men he had slain.
Zelgadis's eyes widened. "N..no..." He stuttered. Looking down at the sword laying in the dust next to him, covered in blood, he realized the truth. That was his sword.... those men.... "NO!" He cried, as an intense pain flared up behind his eyes, filling his vision with red. He fell to the ground once more, clutching his head and writhing in pain.
"ZELGADIS!" The two girls cried, rushing to him.
Whats.... What's happening....? What's happening to me?!? This was his last thought before the world eclipsed into beautiful oblivion.
. . .
"I'm eating, wait a minute!" Lina said, and took a gulp of her drink. "You're always in such a rush Zelgadis. You should learn to enjoy the scenery, take life as it comes at you!" She popped the last morsel of food in her mouth and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her full stomach contentidly. "Ahh..."
"Lina! Please! With the constant stops, and eating, we're never going to find my cure! I don't like sounding so selfish, but this is the reason we are travelling, is it not? I get the feeling I would have better luck on my own!" Zelgadis sat down at the chair and looked at Lina.
"Geez, Zelgadis! Your cure isn't going anywhere! We are travelling for that, but we are also travelling for the joy of travelling! So much to see, so much food to eat..."
"I can see we won't be agreeing any time soon. I'm not in the mood for an argument. I guess we can stay another night here. But... can we please talk about it?"
"Sure, Zelgadis. Right after we see the Summer Solstice Fair!" Lina grinned, and got up. Gourry and Amelia followed suit.
Zelgadis sighed. "Go on ahead, I'll meet you guys back at the inn later."
Can't they see.... the change in me...?
. . .
"Gee, Mr. Zelgadis is sure acting weird, guys!" Amelia said.
"Aw, Zel's okay, he just needs some time alone, I think." Lina paused to look at a gem at a booth where they were walking by.
"Yes, but I feel kinda bad about making him wait when he wants to find his cure so much. Personally, I don't know why he wants that cure so much, I think he looks so kawaii like that!" Amelia blushed a bit.
"Yes, I know Amelia, but I think it's something that Zel can't live with. He wants to be human, and I think we should help him. But he doesn't need to be so rushed about it! I mean, we only get one chance to visit Parachelie during the summer solstice! It's so beautiful!"
"Hey, Lina!" Lina turned to face Gourry's voice.
"Yes Gourry?" Lina said.
"Come over here, quick!!" He shouted. Lina looked quickly, and spotted his blonde hair in a crowd of people. His voice sounded frantic, and she rushed over, squeezing through the crowd and elbowing people out of her way.
"Gourry!" She called, finally reaching him.
He pointed. She turned, and her eyes opened with shock. "Zelgadis!" She cried. "Zelgadis what are you doing!!!"
Zelgadis's face was twisted with fury. He held his sword at the throat of a man. Two others lay on the ground, already dead. He looked up when he heard Lina's voice calling her name. His eyes glowed red with hatred, and no recognition crossed his face. Lina stopped moving towards him in shock. This... this had happened before.... When they were fighting Rezo. Rezo had simply told Zelgadis to kill them, and he had obeyed, a loyal puppet for his crazed master. But... but Rezo was dead.... So what was doing this to Zelgadis?
His eyes narrowed at her, and a growl escaped his lips like that of a feral animal. He jerked his sword from the mans neck, leaving a slash, but not fatal. The man cried out and crawled away from him. Zelgadis moved forward, crouched in a fighting position, towards Lina.
"Zelgadis! Wake up! It's me, Zelgadis, Lina!" Lina waved her arms around and yelled at him. The crowd, scared of the crazed monster, had all but fled, and there was only a few people left in the square: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and what was supposed to be Zelgadis.
He crept forward more and more, smiling evily, and showing fangs that gleamed sharp, that Lina didn't know he had. His eyes still shone with red, and his sword dripped blood on the ground.
"Zelgadis!" She shrieked. "Snap out of it!!!" Not wanting to hurt Zelgadis, but knowing that it worked last time this had happened, she cast a flare arrow, and sent it at his legs, hoping to knock him down, just as he leapt forward. The shot, intended to hit only his legs, hit him full in the chest as he hurtled through the air. As it connected, his head snapped back and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.
"Zelgadis!" Lina cried, and rushed forward. She turned him over so he was lying on hiis back, and checked his pulse. Nothing. But, a flare arrow couldn't kill him..! "Breathe dammit!" She cried, and started to pump his chest as hard as she could, palms and fingers bruising on his hard, rocky skin. She stopped, and opened his mouth with her hands, and placing her lips over his and breathing life into him. She resumed pumping his chest, but by now, Gourry and Amelia had come over to help. As Gourry pumped his chest, Lina checked his pulse and gave him oxygen, and Amelia started to cast a healing spell. Suddenly, he coughed and jerked, his eyes opening. They were back to the normal colour, but their was no memory of what had happened in them. Zelgadis didn't realize what was happening at first, and pushed himself away as fast as he could, gasping for breath.
"Zelgadis, thank the gods!" Lina cried, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're alive!"
"Wha-... what happened-...?" He asked, sitting up. This seemed to be too much for him and his hands went to his head as blackness threatened his vision. He shook his head and stood up slowly, trying to ignore the pain that felt like his head was about to explode as his heart beat wildly.
"You... you went crazy...." Amelia said, eyes wide. She pointed speechlessly at the two bodies of the men he had slain.
Zelgadis's eyes widened. "N..no..." He stuttered. Looking down at the sword laying in the dust next to him, covered in blood, he realized the truth. That was his sword.... those men.... "NO!" He cried, as an intense pain flared up behind his eyes, filling his vision with red. He fell to the ground once more, clutching his head and writhing in pain.
"ZELGADIS!" The two girls cried, rushing to him.
Whats.... What's happening....? What's happening to me?!? This was his last thought before the world eclipsed into beautiful oblivion.
. . .