Chapter 03: Erupting Emotions
Lina slammed her hand on the alarm clock and raised her spoiled face from the pillow. It read 6:30. She groaned loudly and sank back into her warm bed. Two more hours before school started, which meant she had an hour and a half of snooze left. Covering her entire body with the thick blanket, Lina buried her petite face into the warmth. It has been a few months since the first day of school and she had taken no breaks. However, after tomorrow, it will be the weekend and it was the first weekend without any meetings or stacks of overdue reports. It was her first FREE weekend. Lina hugged her pillow against her face and released a large grin. Tanning fully relaxed in the beach after many countless weeks of labor sounded LOVELY.
"Gourry better finish his report tomorrow or I'm going to kill him." Lina needed her piggy bank to pay for her transit ticket to go to the beach.
Gourry. The redhead sighed suddenly. Her mind constantly recalled Gourry. Why? What got her so interested in Gourry anyways? Was it his incredible memory loss? Or was it his amazingly idiotic character that made him so interesting? No. It was none of those reasons. It was his ability to make her feel that she will never be alone and he will always be there to shelter her. Gourry had been there when she was at her lowest point and stuck by her even when she did not want him but knew that she needed him. It is because of Gourry that she got so far into her education and was able to move out of her hometown. In addition, it is because of Gourry that Lina was still alive today. Nonetheless, Lina decided a long time ago that she did not want anybody to protect her. She can protect her own damn self.
"I don't need a country boy to protect me. I want a rich handsome man to shower me with jewels so I don't need to work a single day of my life." Lina visualized her fantasy man pouring a bucket of gold coins into a tub and herself, tossing the gold and jewels in the air with a big wide grin. Sighing happily aloud, Lina turned in her bed and spotted it. There, on top of her bed stand, was an aged photograph leaning against the lamp. A picture of two teenagers in matching uniforms, a young girl with bright red shoulder-length hair and a boy of the same age with long blonde hair. In the photo, the girl had her arm draped over the boy's shoulder and licking the ice cream cone in his hand. The teen boy had a great stunned expression while the girl was giving the camera a happy hand gesture. Lina took the photo from the bed stand and looked it over carefully. She ran her fingertips across the young boy's animated face. They were only seniors in high school when this photo was taken and Gourry looked exactly the same.
Lina lay evenly on her back and raised the picture over her eyes. Eventually, her arm lost strength and the photo sank to her chest. Letting out a loud yawn, she rolled to her side with the picture pressed lovingly against her breasts. A soft smile slipped on her face and soon, she forgot all about her fantasy man that was showering her with precious things and was dreaming about going to the beach with Gourry and an ice cream cone.
- o -
"I'M LATE!" Lina stormed out of her apartment with slightly burnt toast between her lips. She pulled her black shirt over her head and stuffed her legs through her tight jeans. Running down her building's hallway, she stopped when she felt a cool breeze brushing against her feet. She looked down and saw socks with no shoes.
"Crap." Lina groaned and ran back to her apartment. Hurriedly opening her front door and rushing in, she grabbed her white running shoes and struggled with them. "If I take the train, it would take me 10 minutes but the train left the station 15 minutes ago and I would have to wait an additional 10 minutes for the next one and that will take me 20 minutes to get to work. BUT, if I run to work, I would get there in 15 minutes." Tying her shoes securely, Lina slammed her front door shut and did not bother to lock it.
- o -
Zelgadiss looked down at his watch and cursed softly. Why couldn't rush hour go any faster? At the changing rate of these traffic lights, it was definitely cutting close to tardiness. It was like any other boring morning; Zelgadiss had woken up on time and had a fulfilling breakfast of cognac and steak. However, this morning was quite different than other mornings for he had forgotten that he had ran out of his cigarettes the night before!
"I can't believe I have to go across the kingdom to get a pack of Priest Cigarettes." Zelgadiss repeatedly slammed his helmet against his motorcycle. Why didn't anybody enjoy smoking the same brand of cigarettes as he did? He could just move to the other side of the kingdom so he could be closer to the only shop that sold his cigarettes.
"Then I have to endure 3 hours of traffic every day." He talked himself out of the idea and zipped down the road when the light finally changed to green. Right as he turned the corner, Zelgadiss let out an aggravating groan when the light suddenly flashed red. While waiting in grueling cigarette starvation, Zelgadiss heard loud screeching of cars and screams from down the street and turned his head.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Lina Inverse ran in the middle of the road, ignoring the earsplitting blares of upset cars beside her. Instantly, Zelgadiss grabbed the ends of his jacket and covered partially of his black helmet. He did NOT want his morning to go from bad to HELL. Luckily for him, Lina ran past without even a glance and into on-going traffic. She sprinted and bounced her way through the busy street of trucks and cars, flipping her middle finger just before they had the chance to hit her.
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY! I AM LATE-" Out of nowhere, a car slammed against the side of her body. Zelgadiss raised his head from his jacket at the sound of the impact. He watched Lina do a somersault in the air and land perfectly on her two feet. Shrugging the tense pain in her shoulders away, she ignored the blood that was spilling from her ribs and lifted her eyes to the blue car that had hit her.
"Get the fuck out of that car." She stalked over to the nervous driver. He was sweating bullets as he watched the woman walk to him with a murderous crooked smile. "I said... GET OUT!" Lina released a low snarl and the driver whimpered a loud. He drove off quickly before the killer can get any closer to his side of the car. Lina spit the blood out from her mouth and watched the car drive away.
"What is he, blind? Couldn't he see that there is a BEAUTIFUL maiden walking by?" She scoffed and dramatically flick the ends of her hair out of her face. Then, she jumped when her yellow wristwatch released a loud beeping.
"OH, SHIT!" Her determination to get to school resumed. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" As she sprinted away, Zelgadiss stared at the roadblock that the explosive woman had created in front of him. There was an abundant of cars, just tossed and turned everywhere in the road and it was preventing him from moving.
"FUCK."
- o -
She kicked down the door to her first class and rushed in. "I'M HERE! I'M HERE!" Lina announced the moment she reached the podium in front of the students. Her students clapped their hands slowly, applauding their teacher who made them wait only a few minutes. Leaning against the wooden podium, Lina panted heavily and ran her fingers through her sweaty brow.
"I made it. I can't believe I made it!" Then, almost instantly, she felt a sharp pain at her side. Lina lowered her eyes to the side of her body and saw blood running down and through her shirt. Carefully touching the blood and looking at it on her fingertips, Lina released a scoff of disbelief.
"I didn't realize that car hit me this hard..." And she fell to the ground. Quickly, all the students ran out of their chairs and to their fallen teacher.
"Oh no, she's hurt!"
"What should we do?"
"Someone call the school nurse!"
"How can a high school nurse fix the invincible LINA INVERSE?" A panicked student shrieked. "Inverse is a crazy maniac! Who could fix her?"
"We have no choice! The school nurse has to be able to fix her!"
"Nobody can fix Inverse!" As the students began to argue one another, the classroom door opened.
"I found dried persimmons from Filia's office!" Gourry shouted cheerfully as he skipped inside with a box of dried fruit in his arms. "I'll give you some if you promise to only take half, Lina!" The entire classroom got silent. The cheerful physical education teacher paused when he spotted Lina. The box in his arm fell to the tile floor and hurriedly, Gourry rushed next to Lina's side.
"LINA!" He grabbed her by the arms and lifted her slightly off the ground. "LINA!" Lina opened her eyes just a little and let out a soft whine before collapsing her head to the side.
"Lina..." Gourry turned his attention to the crowd of students around him. "What happened here? Who did this?"
"Gourry-Sensei..." The female students exchanged looks to one another. "We don't know-"
"WHO DID THIS?" He raised his voice suddenly and the kids took a few steps away, obviously frightened. Gourry noticed their reaction and quickly changed his facial features. This was no time to get angry.
"Someone go to the school nurse and tell her what has happened. I'll be right there." He instructed and more than one student ran out the class. Carefully, Gourry carried the fallen Bandit Killer off the floor, bridal-style, and walked out the room into the hallway.
"Why, hello there, Gabriev-Sensei." Xellos was coincidentally walking the same hallway and wearing his usual professional business getup. He tilted his head when he saw Lina in his arms and the blood dripping down from her shirt and to the floor. "That is quite a heavy wound."
"Can you get out of the way? I'm trying to get to Amelia as fast as I can." Gourry tried to move past him.
"Of course, of course!" Xellos let him walk past. "And take as long as you want with Inverse-Sensei. Do not worry about your classes! I will take good care of yours and Inverse-Sensei's students."
"Thanks." Gourry said and quickly turned the corner. Smiling, Xellos turned his head to the students standing beside him and rubbed his hands together.
"Well, isn't this unfortunate? Your teacher and Gabriev-Sensei is not available." He ushered the worried kids back into their classroom. "Now, grab your things and let's get together with Gabriev-Sensei's students. We can have a little fun outside in the sun AND learn mathematics."
"How are you going to do that? You can't teach two classes at the same time." One of the students asked and the principal just laughed.
"Why, I'm the principal." He said with a glint in his eye. "I can do whatever I want."
- o -
"Gourry-San, calm down!" Amelia tried to settle the irrational man. It has been several months since she started working as the high school nurse and has gotten to know her co-workers really well. Instead of calling them by their professional names, Amelia was pushed by all of them to start calling them by their given names, especially by her closest friends. "It's not as bad as you think-"
"There's blood everywhere! I can see her bones!" Gourry pointed out. Lying on the bed with her shirt raised below her chest, Lina's wound was exposed. Amelia looked at the wound. It was just a large gash with blood dripping. There was no hint of bone or anything. The man paced around in the room. "Is there something I should do? What should I do? Should I get some more help? Should I-"
"Please calm down, Gourry-San." Amelia grabbed Gourry's arms and pulled him to another bed. She sat him down and patted his shoulders. "Just relax and trust me, alright?" She smiled kindly. Gourry gulped and nodded slowly.
"Good." The nurse returned to Lina. Grabbing a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol, Amelia cleaned the large wound. As she carefully treated her, Gourry sneakily walked behind her and watched over her shoulder. It was when she felt his heavy breathing on her shoulder that Amelia stopped what she was doing and pouted her lips out.
"Gourry-San." She said his name with a grumble.
"I'll just wait outside."
"That is a splendid idea." Amelia waited until Gourry walk out of the room and shut the door behind him. "Goodness," She returned to her patient. "What a restless man!"
- o -
Opening her eyes cautiously, Lina tilted her head to the side, making the bright sun light shine to her face. She smiled in the warmness and tried to sit up until the pain at her side stopped her. Looking down and lifting her shirt to her chin, Lina spotted the heavy dressing covering her ribs. She lay back in the bed and stared at the ceiling tiredly. Lina grabbed the cloth beside her to cover her body and noticed that it was different from the usual blanket in the nurse's office. It was more thick and warm. She looked down and saw it was a blue jogging jacket. It was Gourry's blue jogging jacket. Why was his jacket here? Then, she saw the blood stains on the material and smiled.
"I see…" Lina pulled the jacket over her upper body and pressed her face against the thick jacket. "I guess you're good for something, you big Idiot-"
"I need my jacket back, it's getting cold." Lina rolled her eyes when she heard Gourry's voice from across the room. Ignoring the pain, she sat up and grabbed the white curtains that covered the bed. She rolled her shirt down her sides before pulling apart the curtains to reveal herself.
"I'm fine!" She announced. Amelia and Gourry turned their heads from their seats.
"Next time you charge into on-going traffic, look both ways, Lina-San." Amelia mentioned the moment Lina walked away from the bed, looking unscathed.
"Here is your jacket, you big idiot." Lina tossed his jacket back to Gourry. He caught it and slipped it on, not caring that it was partially covered in her blood. Gourry waited for Lina to stretch her body and give Amelia a 'thank you' pat on her head.
"Who's teaching my class?" Lina asked when they walked out of the room.
"Xellos."
"Who's teaching your class?"
"Xellos." Gourry repeated. They kept walking down the empty hallway casually.
"So, there is a crazy principal teaching both of our classes?"
"Yeah, well..." The blonde rubbed the back of his neck. "I think Filia has more snacks hidden in her office. You want to help me find them?"
"I thought you'll never ask."
- o -
After taking control over their class from Xellos, Lina and Gourry were back to teaching and soon having their lunch at the cafeteria. They looked up when Zelgadiss dumped himself heavily next to Gourry. He let out a vulgar sigh and brushed his fingers through his messy silver hair.
"Something wrong, Zel?" Gourry asked and took a bite of his roll of bread. Zelgadiss leaned against his arms on the lunch table and groaned heavily.
"I have no cigarettes."
"Get some cigarettes then." Lina continued to eat her lunch. She raised her eyebrows when Zelgadiss lifted his piercing eyes and scowled deathly at her.
"It is your fault."
"My fault?"
"YOUR FAULT." He made the treys jump by slamming his fists on the table.
"Why the hell is it my fault when YOU have no cigarettes? Just buy some around the corner-"
"IT'S BECAUSE OF YOUR SHORT DAMN TEMPER. RUSHING INTO TRAFFIC AND CAUSING A JAM – YOU MADE ME LATE FOR SCHOOL! LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS THE DAMN STREET, YOU IDIOT!" The furious man hit Lina's half-filled trey off the table, not caring that it collided with an innocent student to the side.
"I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON YOUR OWN SPIT AND DIE…"
"I'm… I'm sorry?" Lina apologized unsurely. Zelgadiss just snorted loudly and returned to his depressed state.
"Where do you usually get your cigarettes?" Gourry asked.
"At the other side of the kingdom…"
"You make everything complicating, you know that?" The redhead grumbled and took her chocolate milk in her hand. "Three more hours till school ends, you can do it."
"Thanks." The miserable biker stood up from his seat.
"Dramatic bastard." The two best friends watched him limp away. Gourry shook his head when Zelgadiss pushed an innocent kid out of his way and violently reprimand a group of students. "Dramatic belligerent bastard."
- o -
Amelia lifted her face from her paperwork. Sitting in front of her desk, in one of the two seats, there was Zelgadiss with his arms crossed over his chest and his head hung low. She inspected the gloomy man and tilted her head to the side. He has been sitting in her office for 25 minutes without moving a muscle and saying a word. Could there be something possibly wrong with Zelgadiss-San?
"Zelgadiss-San?" He did not budge. "Is something the matter, Zelgadiss-San?" When he did not move or say anything back, Amelia got off her chair and walked around her desk. Very gently, she moved Zelgadiss' long bangs away from his face and placed her tiny hand over his brow. He wasn't sick, she concluded after comparing it with her own warmness of her forehead. While contemplating what could possibly be wrong with him, she didn't see his eyes slightly opening and peering at her.
"If he's not sick," Amelia removed her hand from his head and his eyes closed quickly. "Then what could it be?" She turned around and began to pace around her office with a hand to her chin. Busy thinking of a possibly problem, Amelia's thoughts were immediately interrupted when her office phone rang. Answering the call and getting a tip there was a student throwing up in the lunch room, she gathered her kit and rushed out.
"About time." Zelgadiss snorted the moment she left her office. He got off the chair and began to search around her medicine cabinets for something to relieve his growing addiction. Unable to find anything, the history nerd went to the lone bed that was set directly behind Amelia's desk and sat down with a sigh. It was hopeless; he's not going to find anything to help him settle his addict. Might as well bear with the depression until school finishes, he resolved and lay his body on the mattress. As if electricity hit his entire body, he sat upright instantly and looked shockingly at the bed.
"What..." His eyebrow twitched. "What the hell is this?" There was something was terribly wrong with this bed. Pressing his hand over the mattress, Zelgadiss released a hiss from behind his throat when he realized what was wrong. This bed had to be made out of clouds; out of the softest and purest clouds. He lay back down and let his entire body fully relax. No, he was wrong! Zelgadiss remain frozen. This bed had to be made by angels! Turning to his side slowly, he kept his eyes wide as he tried to get uncomfortable. He couldn't get uncomfortable, the bed wasn't letting him.
"This..." Zelgadiss gulped with a serious expression on his face. "Is wonderful."
- o -
Amelia stopped the instant she arrived back from the cafeteria. Snoring loudly on the bed behind her desk, Zelgadiss's arms and legs were sprawled with a droplet of drool dripping from the edge of his lips. Immediately, she scrambled to the bed side and shook the sleeping man by his shoulder.
"Zelgadiss-San!" She hissed his name. "Zelgadiss-San! You mustn't sleep on this bed! Please wake up!" He made no movement. Amelia released a loud whine and looked sadly at the bed mattress. A personal and special crafted mattress made from the purest and softest material in all of Red Orb, she had it specifically made for her own sleeping pleasure at work, given reason that it was set behind her desk and not with the others at the other end of her office. Amelia stared at the imprint that Zelgadiss was making on the bed and sighed gloomily. This was a state-of-the-art memory mattress that was only loyal to the first person who laid on it first.
"I didn't even get a chance to lay on it..." Amelia hung her head. "A $1600 mattress that I bought with my well-earned money... and it's not even mine." Eventually, she looked at Zelgadiss' peaceful face and gave out a smile. At least this proves that there really wasn't anything wrong with him. Covering his sprawled body with a spare blanket, she paused to stare intently at Zelgadiss' face. He was always so mad and silent, she never understood him. Yet, seeing him asleep with a goofy expression made him seem so human. Amelia giggled at this. It was somewhat uplifting to know that Zelgadiss Greywards IS human and not some kind of a heartless creature.
Catching herself gazing at the man, Amelia quickly pulled away. What is she doing? This is work, a place to earn a living. It's not where relationships get started. Besides, the raven-haired nurse sat down in her seat, didn't she tell herself and many male bachelors that she is not looking for anyone? Returning to her work, Amelia stopped when she heard a strange sound coming from behind her. It was unfamiliar chuckle. She turned her head around slowly and looked to Zelgadiss. It was him. He was chuckling in his sleep.
"You idiot..." He laughed softly. "You don't fuck around with the Satan of Royal High." Amelia giggled at his sleepy statement but discovered that she was blushing. It was the first time she heard him laugh and it was breath-taking. Turning away after staring at him for another long while, Amelia didn't scold herself this time and continued to work.
Perhaps, she giggled again when Zelgadiss snorted a swear word, it was alright to allow her heart grow just slightly for another.
- o -
School was over for the day and Lina was waiting patiently for Gourry to win.
"Dammit!" Zangulas had boxing gloves strapped tightly on to his fists. Gourry was dodging his jabs and hooks easily. He hopped on his toes as Zangulas tried to land a punch on him. A large crowd of girls and onlookers surrounding them were cheered loudly for both teachers. Zelgadiss pulled up next to Lina in his motorcycle and watched the two males fight.
"That bastard never gives up."
"And he never will." Lina didn't bother to look at Zelgadiss. "Are you still a fuck?"
"Fuck you."
"I will take that as a yes." As they continued to talk, the main building's front doors opened. Xellos and Amelia walked out together with his arm securely wrapped around her shoulders and he was being stubborn.
"I believe I told you my answer many times before, Xellos-Sempai." Amelia struggled to remove his arm from around her and when she did, Xellos remained by her side.
"I'll make you the best dinner you ever had! And maybe later, we'll watch a scary movie." His eyebrows bounced. "I'll even let you jump into my arms." Opening her mouth to reply, Amelia was interrupted by Lina's loud screech.
"HURRY UP, GOURRY!" At her command, Gourry stopped dodging Zangulas' punches. Swinging his arm back, he launched a powerful upper hook against his jaw, making Zangulas fly backward and drop to the ground. The crowd of girls squealed loudly and drew closer to Gourry, touching him like a piece of artwork. However Lina ran forward and burst through the crowd, separating Gourry and his loyal fans.
"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" The redhead dragged him behind her. "MY PIGGY BANK AND I NEED TO GO TO THE NEAREST ICE CREAM STORE ASAP!" Amelia and Xellos watched on nearby. It was then, she got a brilliant idea.
"I take it back, Xellos-Sempai," She faced the persistent man. "I will join you for dinner."
"REALLY?" Stunned that he had accomplished this time.
"In one condition." Amelia winked. "Make an abundant of food."
"Of course, Amelia-Chan. Nothing but the best for you!" He declared. "Dinner will be at 7 o'clock. I will be waiting anxiously till then!" Amelia watched Xellos skip away and giggled. Tonight will be fun.
- o -
He lit a few more candles alongside of the bed stand. Everything in his 2-story house was clean and orderly. Xellos looked over his dark bedroom. There were rose petals trailing from his living room, up the stairs, and to the bedroom. The abundant of bubbles filled the bathtub and the right amount of lit candles that will illuminate Amelia-Chan's orgasmic face when he takes away her virginity.
"THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST NIGHT EVER!" Xellos screamed with a great big blush. He gasped when the front door rang. "I'M COMING!" He skipped out of his bedroom and down the stairs. Twirling before taking the doorknob, he opened his front door with a big smile.
"Hello, Xellos-Sempai." Amelia stood in a simple pink strapless mini dress with a cashmere purple long sleeved cardigan over it. Indeed, she had arrived for dinner but along with some uninvited guests.
"Sup, Boss." Lina came from behind and wrapped her loose arm around Amelia's shoulders. She had on a mini denim skirt with a red tank top and a black open jacket with a hood. "What's for dinner?"
"Is it time to eat?" Gourry was there, standing beside the two. He had on his loose jean pants and a long sleeved dark navy shirt.
"Is it time to LEAVE?" Even Zelgadiss was there. He was sporting a brown jacket with black jeans and a pair of black boots. Xellos rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled wearily.
"So, this is what you meant by making an abundant of food..."
"May we come in-"
"In a minute." Xellos slammed the door in her face when she tried to go in. Amelia stared at the shut door for a while before looking back at her three friends.
"He seemed a bit frazzled." She pointed. "Do you think I did something bad?"
"He's just being an idiot." Lina removed her arm from Amelia and looked around the secluded neighborhood. "He lives in an expensive part of the kingdom." She joined Gourry and Zelgadiss; they looked up and down the road. Zelgadiss stuffed his hands in his pockets and grumbled angrily.
"I want my fucking cigarettes. I'm going-"
"Come on, Zel." Gourry grabbed him by the back of his collar shirt before he could have a chance to leave. "Xellos invited Amelia, whom invited us, so we should not let Amelia down."
"I want my fucking cigarettes." The silver-haired man continued. The front door finally opened and Xellos appeared at the door in just regular clothes, a simple purple T-shirt and blue jeans.
"What, no dress clothes?" Lina looked over him as he held the front door open. The four guests stared at the complete mess when they stepped in. Clothes were everywhere on the floor, dirty dishes in the sink, trash crumpled on the desks, and there was a very strange aroma in the air.
"Um…" Amelia scanned the apartment. "This is a… nice place."
"What are you talking about, Amelia? THIS PLACE IS A MESS!" Lina expressed loudly.
"What's that smell?" Gourry sniffed the air curiously. The home owner walked from behind and breathed deeply in the awful odor.
"That is the smell of MAN." He wrapped his arms around Gourry and Zelgadiss' shoulders and pulled them in. "Am I right, fellas?"
"It smells like shit." Zelgadiss rudely remarked and pulled away from Xellos. He walked straight to the couch in his living room with Gourry and sat comfortably next to each other on the couch, their legs brought up on the coffee table. Lina snatched the television remote from Gourry's hand and sat down forcefully between the two.
"But I like this channel." Gourry frowned when Lina began to flip through channels. As the two best friends argue over the remote control, Amelia walked around the table and squeezed next to Zelgadiss on the end of the couch. She gave him an innocent smile while he gave her a scowl expression.
"This better be worth my time. I've been cigarette-free for 14 hours and 39 minutes."
"Don't worry, Zelgadiss-San. I promise we'll have fun! And if we don't, I'll buy you the next set of cigarettes." She winked. Zelgadiss just rolled his eyes and leaned against the dusty couch. 14 hours, 39 minutes, and 43... 44... 45... 46... As he mentally counted the seconds, Xellos stared at his filled furniture and lowered his shoulders. His dinner-movie-sexy time with Amelia was terrorized by the terrible trio. He should have known…
"Xellos-Sempai, I brought a board game." Amelia took out a game from her large purse. "I figured we can play while we wait for dinner."
"Let's play! Let's play! Let's play!" Gourry cheerfully began to set it up with her on the coffee table.
"I'm the thimble! Dammit, Zel, I'M THE THIMBLE!" The aggressive redhead shoved her foot to the side of Zelgadiss' head as she held the character out of his reach. Xellos walked to his kitchen silently. He opened a shelf, took a clean clear glass, and filled it with hard, very hard, tequila. This was going to be a long night and he needed to make sure he forgets it all.
- o -
"BINGO!" Xellos laughed hysterically. The four guests groaned simultaneously as their boss moved his piece down the board game pathway. "Look at all this play money I have!" He waved the pile of play cash in front of Lina's face, who punched him harshly on his shoulder.
"Lina-Chan is getting jealous." He teased with his lips pursed out. "If you like, I'll give you some... NOT!"
"I am not JEALOUS that you are WINNING this STUPID game because I KNOW you are CHEATING." Lina snarled and yanked his cheeks away from his face. "And another thing, why are you calling me that?" Getting out of the hold, Xellos continued to drink his alcoholic beverage.
"Xellos-Sempai, I think you had enough liquid for tonight." Amelia took the glass from him, only to have Xellos lung at her and pull her against his body. Lina and Gourry watched while Zelgadiss just raised an annoyed eyebrow. "X-X-X-Xellos-Sempai!" Amelia was struggling to get out of his tight arms. Her hands were pushing his face away to prevent him from licking her face.
"Have I told you that you are so CUTE, Amelia-Chan? I REALLY wanted to turn you naughty BUT against my knowledge, you were already naughty!" Amelia released a loud yelp when Xellos managed to escape her hands and his lips were puckering out to kiss her. Having enough of this absurdity, Zelgadiss grabbed Amelia by the back of her cardigan and pulled her to safety. Scared for her life and red-faced, the school nurse hid behind Zelgadiss.
"This is getting stupid." Zelgadiss grumbled heatedly. "I'm leaving."
"I-I'll go with you, Zelgadiss-San-"
"NO ONE LEAVES!" Lina grabbed the two and shoved them back to their seats. "WE'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL I WIN!"
"The longer we stay here, the drunker this idiot gets." Just as Zelgadiss said that, Xellos dropped his face on the edge of the hardwood table and slipped to the floor. The guests stared at their unconscious host until Gourry put his cards down and crawled to his side.
"Careful, Gourry-San!" Amelia was still behind Zelgadiss. "He's drunk!" Slowly and at a good distance, Gourry reached over and poked Xellos on the cheek. Repeatedly poking at his face, he looked at the others and shrugged.
"What was he drinking? He only had 1 glass." Lina took Xellos' glass and sniffed it. She passed it to Zelgadiss, whom placed it straight to his lips and poured everything down his throat.
"It's tequila." He smacked his lips together. "Really good tequila." Staring at the empty glass for a silent second, Zelgadiss stood up from the floor. "Who wants a drink?" When Lina and Gourry each requested, Amelia panicked.
"W-We mustn't drink!" She waved her arms. "This is Xellos-Sempai's house and we are his house guests! We mustn't drink his alcoholic beverages unless he offers it to us! This is rude!"
"It's only ONE glass of tequila." Lina rolled her eyes. "We'll leave right after."
"Don't worry, Amelia." Gourry met Amelia's worried eyes and smiled. "Xellos won't notice a little bit of his liquor gone." He reassured. Zelgadiss finally found the bottle of tequila in the cabinet and began to pour shots for everyone. Amelia glanced at her three friends and at the unconscious Xellos-Sempai. She released a heavy sigh. Oh well, she leaned against a nearby furniture, at least they were having fun.
- o -
Amelia did not know how it happened but after one shot, it became two shots, and soon, it was the entire bottle. In the end, her eyes widen when Lina threw the 9th empty bottle of hard liquor to the carpet, they each had 3 bottles of alcohol and were obviously too drunk to give a shit.
"DAMMIT!" Red faced and having trouble standing, Lina grabbed Gourry by the collar and shook him harshly. "GIVE ME YOUR MONEY OR I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOUR FACE! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! GOURRY!"
"Y-You said my name!" He just laughed loudly and fell backwards on the floor, bringing Lina down with him. As the two drunks rolled around on the carpet, Amelia turned her eyes to the other drunkard. Zelgadiss was quite normal; he was sitting comfortably on the couch and was using Xellos's crouched body as a leg rest. Though, he was the one who drank the most out of the three, he seemed the most normal. Amelia looked up when she heard the clock on the wall ring, it was nearing midnight.
"We should start heading out. Tomorrow is a school day." After cleaning the mess her friends created and dumping Xellos' heavy body to his bed, where there was an unusual amount of rose petals everywhere, Amelia held Lina and Gourry by their shoulders and guided them out of the house. Zelgadiss walked out ordinarily, not even an ounce of drunken stumble.
"I guess," The sober person glanced at her drunken friends and sighed. "I should call a taxi-" Suddenly, her head spun around when she heard Zelgadiss getting into his truck. "ZELGADISS-SAN!" She screeched and ran to him, eventually getting him out of the driver's seat and shoving him against the vehicle.
"NO-NO-NO-NO-NO!" Amelia held him down. "You are NOT driving home! We are all taking a taxi-"
"I ain'tsss leavin' my truck her'." He may not look drunk but he did have a drunken slur and it was a very cute drunken slur, Amelia giggled at this. "No... nuts leavin' trucks her'."
"Well then," The responsible one placed her hands on to her hips. "It looks like I have no choice. I will drive your car." She motioned for Lina and Gourry to walk over.
"You drive, Me-la?" Zelgadiss asked her using her new name since he was having difficulty talking. She giggled again at his drunken slur and looked at him with a big proud smile.
"I have a permit." Everyone knows, a permit only means that the person have passed the written exam but not the driving.
- o -
"Unhand me, I can drive! I just need someone with a license to watch me!" Lina held her down to the backseat. "I am the only sober individual in this party and I should be the one driving!" Amelia tried to remove Lina's arms but Lina was obviously stronger and drunker.
"Keep Me-la down, Re-na." Zelgadiss was back in the driver's seat and started the car. He rubbed his eyes gently while Gourry turned on the car radio and turned up the catchy song.
"I love this song!" The drunken Idiot cheered and started to sing along. Soon, the car began to run down the road.
"Oh, L-Sama." Amelia whimpered. "We are all going to die."
"Calm down." Lina snickered, her arms still wrapped around Amelia's waist. "Zel drove us home each time we went to the bar. He knows his way around-"
"THIS IS A ONE WAY STREET!" Amelia screamed when Zelgadiss turned into on-going traffic in the opposite direction of a one-way street. He miraculously dodged the honking cars driving straight at him and managed to drive into another one-way going the opposite direction IN THE FREEWAY. Gourry, who was singing, rolled open the car's ceiling window and stuck his entire upper body out.
"GOURRY-SAN, THAT IS DANGEROUS!"
"I'm in love with a redhead!" Gourry announced with his arms high above his head. Suddenly, Zelgadiss made a sharp and close turn out the freeway causing Gourry to hurt his back and slid painfully into the car. Amelia screeched at the sight of his broken expression and tried to get her phone from her pocket to call for help, however Zelgadiss did not slow down for a speed bump in which her phone fallen out of her hand.
"WHOOOOOOOOOO!" Lina cheered as the car drove down a lonely dark street, going the correct direction this time, however at the expense of going over 180 mph. Amelia held Lina down, preventing her from sticking her body out of the ceiling window, except Zelgadiss spun his steering wheel and made the rear passengers shove to the left side of the car. Lina laughed loudly as Amelia weakly tried to shove her relentless heavy body away from her side. After a long and dangerous ride, the car made a sudden sharp stop. Lina, Gourry, and Amelia fell off their seats, none of them had on their seat belts. They were in front of Lina's apartment and amazingly, Zelgadiss parked the car nicely in a stall.
"Out." Zelgadiss looked back at Lina. "Take Go-ry wit' ya."
"That was fast!" Lina pushed the whimpering Amelia off her body and struggled to get out of the car. She managed out and open the passenger door; Gourry's limp body fell out of the car and hit the hard cement ground.
"He's is outs." Zelgadiss leaned his throbbing head against the wheel of the car. Hearing Lina's loud complaints, Amelia rushed to Gourry's fallen side.
"Take him inside and give him some sleep." She sat Gourry up against the car and slapped his cheek. "He'll wake up with a headache but he should be fine." Brushing his bangs away from his eyes, Gourry opened his eyes carefully and gazed at her.
"M-Mama?"
"No, it's Amelia." Amelia smiled wearily. "Lina-San is going to take you inside and take care of you, Gourry-San."
"I guess I have too, now." Lina knelt next to Gourry and easily picked him off the ground. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She called as she held Gourry to her side and walked towards her apartment. Amelia was watching them walk away until she heard a loud noise behind her.
"Me-la owes me cigar'ttes." Zelgadiss slurred with a red color over his nose.
"Actually, Zelgadiss-San, wouldn't it be SAFER if we took the subway-"
"ME-LA PROMISHED!" He shouted and began slamming the horn repeatedly.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Defeated, Amelia reluctantly entered the passenger's seat. She whined when Zelgadiss locked the doors, preventing her from leaving, and pulled on his shades. "Um... Zelgadiss-San, its night out. Wearing shades at night is danger-"
"Shhhhhhhhhh." He hushed her. "Me-la tells me where the first turn is because my eyes ain't workings."
- o -
Lina opened the front door of her apartment and dragged Gourry through by the ends of his golden hair. She managed to pull his heavy body into the middle of her living room. Staring at his sleeping form for a second, Gourry grabbed her hand before she turned away. He pulled her down slowly.
"Gourry?" Lina tilted her head. "You, alright?" Gourry slightly opened his eyes and smiled.
"Lina…" He sighed and raised his other free hand. Lina blushed wildly when he caressed her cheek with his long thumb.
"W-What is it, dummy?" Gourry chuckled at the insult and shut his eyes, his hand slipping and landing on the floor.
"You looked pretty tonight... You always... do." He whispered before falling into a deep sleep. Lina stared at his face than to his hand, which was still holding her hand tightly. As if it was a pair of clamping jaws, Lina quickly removed her hand from his and created a big distance between them. Breathing heavily and holding her chest, she calmed her fast beating heart while watching his limp body. She stared at him for a good while before grabbing a spare blanket and pillow from her closet. Covering Gourry completely, Lina hesitantly looked to his face. She made sure he was asleep and brought her hand to his face. Ever so gently, she brushed her fingertips on his cheek and moved his long bangs away from his eyes. Gourry smiled at her touch, turned his body away, and snuggled into the warm blanket provided for him. Lina sat back to her heels and looked down at the hand that Gourry was holding so tightly. Curling her fingers and making a fist, she kept it over her heart as her body laid down on her side. Her back pressed against his and with an untrusting chest, Lina went to sleep.
- o -
Filia glared at the three adults sitting in front of her desk, each having a terrible headache. She let out a deep and heavy sigh. The high school counselor was terribly disappointed in all of them.
"You three…" She started. Lina rolled her eyes and picked her nose with her pinky. Gourry gave out a loud yawn and smacked his lips together. Xellos rubbed his eyes and muttered something inaudible. They were all wearing the same clothes from the night before.
"PAY ATTENTION!" Filia slammed her angry fists on the desktop causing them to jump in their seats. "THIS BETTER BE THE LAST TIME I SEE ALL OF YOU COMING TO WORK AT THIS LATE HOUR!" She pointed at the clock on the wall. "IT'S PAST 12 AND YOU IDIOTS ARE STILL HUNGOVER!"
"Well, you see, Fi-Chan, it wasn't my fault-"
"ENOUGH FROM YOU, NAMAGOMI!" Filia snapped her sharp teeth at Xellos. "YOU ARE THE PRINCIPAL OF THIS INSTITUTION! YOU SHOULD BE THE FIRST PERSON TO BE HERE! INSTEAD, YOU WERE THE LAST ONE TO ARRIVE!"
"That is because-"
"ENOUGH!" She screeched, making him lean into his chair and crossed his arms. Xellos simply wanted to say that if it weren't for the terrible trio, he wouldn't even be at school. He and Amelia would still be in bed, doing the unforgettable.
"AND YOU TWO!" Filia turned her wicked eyes at Lina and Gourry. "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES! BOTH OF YOU HAVE WORKED HERE LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW OUR SYSTEM!"
"But, Filia, you see-" Lina tried to speak.
"NO! I DON'T WANT TO SEE!"
"But, Filia-" Gourry opened his mouth.
"NO!" She stopped him. Lina and Gourry glanced at each other and sighed. Filia stood up from her chair and walked to her office door. "Report here after school and I will give you your punishment."
"P-Punishment?" Gourry whined while Lina gave a great big angry expression.
"BUT IT'S A FRIDAY-"
"PUNISHMENT TODAY OR NO PAYCHECK FOR A MONTH." Filia threatened. She watched Lina and Gourry slumped out of the office, holding the door for them. "And you, Namagomi, you should be ashamed of yourself." She glared as the purple-haired man got off the chair and scratched the back of his messy hair.
"You know, Fi-Chan, if people didn't know about us, they'll think that you were the principal of this school." Xellos commented with his tongue out. Filia rolled her eyes and slammed the door as he walked out.
"IDIOTS."
- o -
"Thanks a lot, Amelia." The red head grumbled with a bag of ice cubes over her forehead. It was the last recess of the day, Lina and Gourry sat across from Amelia's desk groaning in pain. "We're being punished after school… AND IT'S A FRIDAY!"
"I'm sorry. I thought last night was going to be fun." Amelia innocently told them, she stood up from her chair to grab files from a cabinet. She retreated to her desk, not before grabbing a bag of snacks from her secret compartment. "Here, Gourry-San, you should eat something. It will help your headache."
"Thanks, Amelia." Gourry opened the bag of teriyaki sticks and slowly ate. Lina scoffed, she crossed her arms behind her head and sighed loudly.
"This is not fair. We were just 6 hours late… It's fucking Friday, give us a break."
"6 hours is quite late, Lina-San."
"Well, it's your fault." She glared. Amelia hung her head; this redhead is not going to let it go easy. The three looked up when the door opened. Zelgadiss stepped in with dark circles under his eyes. "Well, if it isn't the black lunged, angry bastard. How were you able to come to work on time?"
"I have an automatic alarm." He walked past everybody and went to the bed behind Amelia's desk. He climbed over and placed his head on the white pillow. It was still as comfortable as ever. Pulling a blanket over his body, Zelgadiss sighed heavenly and shut his eyes. "Don't wake me up."
"But recess is almost over. What about your last class, Zelgadiss-San?" Amelia pouted when he did not answer.
"Don't worry about him." Lina grabbed a handful of Gourry's teriyaki sticks and ate it generously. "He is responsible enough to take care of his work."
"I guess so…" When the bell did ring for the end of recess, Lina reminded Amelia that it was her fault again before Gourry dragged her out to their final class and Zelgadiss remained still. Amelia turned in her chair and looked to the sleeping historian.
"Zelgadiss-San…" She nudged him on the shoulders. "Time for class." Instantly, Zelgadiss opened his eyes and glared at her.
"Didn't I tell you not to wake me up?"
"The bell rang and-" He rolled away from her and covered his entire head with the blanket. Amelia pouted and placed her hands on her hips. Normally, she wouldn't allow such inexcusable behavior to happen. However, it is Zelgadiss-San and he is responsible unlike Lina-San or Gourry-San.
"Oh, right." Amelia suddenly remembered. Nobody in this school is responsible, especially the sinister dark-lung anti-social historian with the angry eyes. She touched his shoulders again and shook him, hoping that he will listen to her. She stopped when Zelgadiss let out a snort. He ignored her and rolled around the bed, unconsciously turning his face towards her.
Amelia stared at his peaceful sleeping face. This was the second time she saw such peace on his face. She sat back in her chair and continued to gaze at his soft expression. Last night, when he took her to the other side of the kingdom and made her buy 15 boxes of cigarettes, it was strangely... nice. He was chattier, probably because of the cigarettes, but whenever he called her name 'Me-la', she couldn't stop blushing and giggling. She never had a nick name and it was cute that it was he who made one for her. It was only when getting into bed at 4 in the morning did Amelia realize that not once did Zelgadiss ask her out or compliment her on her looks. In fact, he did the opposite of what other male bachelors had done; say mean and rude things, ridicule her thought process, and refused a hug when Amelia offered to give him his first one after many years.
"Hmmmm…" She smiled at the recollection and turned away from him. "Work. Work. Work. I have so much work to do." A few minutes into her work, Amelia had forgotten about Zelgadiss and concentrated on her paperwork. Zelgadiss poked his head out of the blanket. Woken from her humming and awful singing, he watched Amelia sing loudly and twirl the ends of her hair with her fingertips. She then began to talk to herself.
"I wonder what I should have for dinner." She sighed softly. Zelgadiss reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette. He placed it between his lips and opened his lighter. Amelia turned her head around when she heard the lighter close. Zelgadiss laying on his side with a lit cigarette, looking at her with annoyed eyes, she smiled.
"Awake?"
"Because of you." He snorted rudely and blew smoke at her face, in which made her fan it away with her hand.
"Are you going back to your class?" She was still persistent.
"I don't have my last class anymore." Zelgadiss took the cigarette and started to tap his ashes on the bed stand. He stopped when Amelia thrust an ashtray to him.
"Please?" She gave him an innocent frown and Zelgadiss rolled his eyes. He submitted to her request. "Why don't you have your class?" Amelia asked when he took the ashtray from her.
"Bastard gave my class to another history teacher."
"Why?" Amelia curiously questioned and it was his turn to give her an expression. "I just want to get to know you." She told him with a toothy grin. Zelgadiss snorted.
"You know enough about me." He placed the tray besides him on the bed and lay fully down. "Why do you want to know more about me? I'm boring. There is nothing interesting about me."
"That's simply not true." Amelia paused to sink into that statement and smiled large when saying the next one. "Well, it is true that you are boring BUT I'm interested in you, Zelgadiss-San." It took a while for him to realize it but when he did, Zelgadiss turned his full attention to her.
"Wait. What?" He sat up slightly. "What did you say?"
"Hmmm…?" Amelia had her eyeglasses on the tip of her nose with a piece of chocolate poking out of her mouth and she looked back at him with adorable confusion. There was a long elapsed time frame between her confession and Zelgadiss' realization that Amelia returned to her work and began snacking so she looked to have forgotten what it was she said before.
"You said..." He stared at her charm with a light blush. "You said… you are interested in me?" He told her slowly for he was embarrassed to repeat it. Amelia nodded and took the chocolate out of her mouth.
"Yes, I'm interested." She giggled.
"What do you mean by that?" Zelgadiss quickly attacked. "Be specific."
"Well... It means…" Amelia nibbled on one edge of her chocolate. She shrugged her tiny shoulders gently. "I guess it means that I'm interested in you and I want to know more about you."
When she returned to her work, Zelgadiss lay back on the bed and pressed his arm against his eyes to shield the light from burning his eyelids. Abundant of questions developed in the back of his mind. What did Amelia mean? He playfully adjusted his cigarette with his lips, carefully moving it around with the tip of his tongue. Was she interested in him as in like an experiment? No, Amelia is not a psychopath like Zangulas. He listened to Amelia's pen scratching on the paper and lifted his arm from his face. Zelgadiss stared at her by the corner of his eyes. Maybe, just maybe, she was fond of him. He highly doubted it, yet... it would not hurt to ask.
"Work. Work. Work." Amelia suddenly got off her chair; she removed her white coat and hung it on the coat rack. Zelgadiss looked at her slim curvy body, up and down. It was obvious that she did not know how to dress accordingly to the school dress code. She grabbed a file from her desk and went to cabinets. Since she was so small, she had to use a stepladder to reach the cabinet on top and even then, she was still too short. Zelgadiss turned to his side and watched in amusement as she went on her manicured toes and loudly complained how it did not make sense to put a cabinet this tall for a nurse so short. His eyes drifted up her slender legs and to her revealing white lace underwear. He rested his head against his palm and silently smoked. He will ask later when he has more time but for now, he will just enjoy the view.
- 03 -
Erupting Emotions