No More Secrets
It was two days now since Zelgadis left, and everyone would have liked to say things had gone back to normal. But that was far from the truth.
Gourry had done some minor repairs to the door the chimera broke, mostly with patches of wood. It didn't look pretty, but it was functional again. The warrior was the only one sleeping in that room now, anyway.
Amelia sat at the table with her chair facing the front door, the Holy spell manuscript in front of her. When she wasn't eating or sleeping, you could count on her to be at the table or in her room with the manuscript, trying to memorize the Cleansing spell. She had become exceptionally focused on it.
The door to the cabin opened and Lina walked in, a large sack slung over her shoulder. "Whew, Xellos was right. Burto has a surprisingly well stocked magic shop."
She threw the sack onto the table, making the furniture shake a little. She looked expectantly at Amelia, but she hadn't flinched from the movement. Lina glared in annoyance. The princess had been like this for the last two days, and it was really getting on the her nerves.
"Of course, they didn't have a Ceiphied Candle," Lina said. "It looks like someone is going to have to head into Zefielia to get one."
Lina looked around the cabin for "someone" else to volunteer, before looking up. Llygad was laying on her stomach in one of the rafters above them, her knees bent and swinging back and forth like some bored teenager. She had been spending the day smiling down at Amelia, most likely enjoying her depression.
The sorceress grinned. "Hey, Llygad? Make yourself useful and go get us a Ceiphied Candle."
The Mazoku turned her attention to Lina, looking at the human with curiosity. "What?"
"You told us your contract is not settled until Xellos is cured. Well, we need that candle to cure him, so you'd better help out."
Llygad narrowed her eyes at the sorceress. "How dare you! I don't take orders from a human…"
Lina interrupted, "Now, now, be a good little Mazoku and go ask Xellos for some money. I'm sure he's outside somewhere. We can't complete this ceremony without that candle."
The Mazoku woman jumped down from the rafters, landing next to Lina. They stared at each other, eye to eye, but Lina was far from intimidated. She only snickered at the Mazoku.
"Well? What are you waiting for? We humans aren't getting any younger, ya'know."
Llygad narrowed her eyes, but walked out of the cabin and away from Lina.
"Geez, what a pain in the ass she is," Lina sighed. "You can never get her to do anything unless you point out how it benefits her first." Oblivious to any irony, she turned her attention back to Amelia, who was practicing some magical gestures.
"So, speaking of money," Lina slid a piece of paper across the table to the princess. "Here's the bill, Amelia, for all the reagents I bought. A copy has already been sent to Seyruun."
Amelia glanced down at the paper, picking it up to look more closely at the amount.
"I know it looks like a lot," Lina said, hoping to cut off an inevitable freak-out from the princess. "But this Holy spell of yours takes some serious magical reagents."
The panic didn't come. Amelia took the paper and put it in her pocket. "Don't worry, Lina-san, my father will take care of it. I've already sent him a letter explaining everything." Her words were dry and devoid of emotion, and she immediately went back to studying the manuscript.
Lina frowned as she looked at Amelia. She had been like this since Zelgadis left, and it was getting on her nerves.
The red-headed sorceress slammed the table hard with both hands, which finally got Amelia's attention.
"Damnit, Amelia, you are usually the cheerful one. You need to snap out of this!"
The princess glared at Lina, "Let me get rid of these marks, Lina-san, and then I can be as cheerful as you want. But until then, get off my back!"
"No way," Lina crossed her arms stubbornly. "All your sour mood is doing is making Llygad the happiest Mazoku around. I swear she's getting fat off of you. I'm sorry you lost Zelgadis, but you don't have to bring the rest of us down, too."
"I'm not trying to bring any of you down!" Amelia stood up, both hands on the table as she glowered at Lina. "I'm just trying to learn a how to cast this Holy spell, and it is a lot harder than it looks!"
"Nice try, Amelia, but you and I both know this is about Zelgadis and not the damn cleansing spell. Can't you just try to get over him already, for all our sakes?"
Amelia's shoulders shook with rage as she faced the sorceress head on. "Lina-san, just what do you think I've been trying to do for the past two da…"
She stopped suddenly, looking past Lina at the window behind her. Amelia's shoulders slumped before she gathered up the manuscript and retreated to their room.
"Huh? Wait, Amelia, where are you goin'? Oh." Realization dawned on her as she watched Amelia flee.
"Oh, right. This again. One…two…three…Hiya, Xellos. Welcome back."
She wasn't even looking behind her, but on "three," the front door opened and Xellos stepped inside. He glanced over at the sorceress and smiled. "Hello, Lina-san. Everything going well?"
"Oh yeah," Lina turned to look at the Mazoku, one hand resting on the table as she grinned at him. "I just got back from the magic shop, Gourry's outside somewhere, Llygad has agreed to go to Zefielia for the Ceiphied Candle, and Amelia is avoiding you. Everything is pretty much as it has been for the past couple days."
Xellos briefly glanced at Amelia's door, but only briefly. He walked over to the bag Lina placed on the table, taking note of the items she purchased.
"Well done, Lina-san. These will do nicely." He closed the bag, looking back at the sorceress. "And with Amelia-san's newfound focus, we should have this spell finished in no time."
"Yeah, speaking of Amelia," Lina glared at Xellos, "are you ever going to tell us just exactly what you did to her and Zelgadis?"
Xellos grinned at her, "Now, Lina-san, if Amelia-san doesn't want to tell you, why should I?"
"Because we might be able to help her." Lina folded her arms. Xellos was a little taller, but the glare she gave him made it clear she wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"I think what I did has had a positive effect on Amelia. She's just as determined to cast this spell as I am. Why would I want to jeopardize that?"
"Geez, Xellos, don't you feel the least bit guilty about what you've done?" Lina clenched her fists at her sides. "What good is having a conscience if you can still go around ripping people apart while smiling about it?"
A flash of irritation crossed the Mazoku's face, as it always did when his condition was brought up, but it vanished in an instant. He smiled at her cheerfully, "You mustn't upset yourself over me. Once Amelia-san casts the Cleansing Spell, everything will be back to the way it was before."
"Not everything…" Lina shot back. She continued to study Xellos, watching him so intently it made her eyes hurt. But there was nothing there. Just the closed-eyed smile he was so well known for. If anything, he looked smug, which only infuriated the sorceress.
The Mazoku turned on his heels to walk out of the cabin, "Thank you again, Lina-san. At this rate I'll free of these marks in no time." Then he was gone.
Lina snarled as she spoke to no one in particular. "You know, I think I liked him better before he gained a conscience."
Xellos stepped out of the cabin, and walked across the porch to the side of the house. There were no windows on this side, and no one could see him without coming to where he was.
And it was here that Xellos could let his mask fall. He slumped down against the wall of the cabin, letting his back rest against it, and put his head in his hands. He grimaced, clenching his teeth behind pursed lips.
The pain was excruciating, and it was giving no signs of letting up. This agony wasn't caused by the wound Amelia had given him back in the forest. That had healed up within hours. But that pain paled in comparison to this.
He had underestimated the strength and cunning of this new, unwanted emotion, and the amount of control it really had over him. It was the loss of control that frustrated him more than anything. He was a master of manipulating humans and situations to suit his purposes, or even just for amusement. And so he had smugly assumed he had control over his new conscience as well. It was that careless belief had been his undoing.
But, regardless of what he had expected or wanted, he was still responsible for everything that had happened. He couldn't even blame the little stubborn ghost, as much as he wanted to. He had promised Amelia he wouldn't hurt her. But without meaning to, he had; he'd hurt her a great deal.
And fixing it had proven more challenging than he expected. He'd made several attempts to get close to Amelia, to apologize, including the one he tried just now. But each time, she would walk, and sometimes run, away from him without a word. He knew millions of techniques for gaining someone's trust, but he also knew when someone was completely closed off to them.
So here he was, painfully wanting to get rid of this horrible guilt, but finding his options lacking. He lifted his knees up, wrapping his arms around them as he contemplated the situation. At their current rate, Amelia and Lina should have the Cleansing spell ready to go in another week and a half, one they were lucky. That was barely a drop in a lake compared to his Mazoku life span. All he had to do was wait it out, and he'd be free of this terrible sensation forever.
He could wait that long. Couldn't he?
A noise from the other side of the cabin caught his attention, and he lifted his head up to listen. Someone was coming around the corner, humming a merry tune.
The mask instantly came back on and Xellos stretched his legs out, one foot on top of the other, and put his hands behind his head to relax against the cabin. By the time Gourry came around the corner and saw him, you'd never have known the Mazoku had been crestfallen.
"Heya, Xellos," Gourry gave him a friendly greeting. He was carrying a large black tray. "I didn't expect you to be over here."
"Hello, Gourry-san," Xellos replied with a smile.
Gourry placed the tray on the ledge, and pulled out what looked like a string with slivers on it. He tied one end of the string to a column of the porch, then strung it over and fastened it to another column, letting the string hang in the afternoon sun.
Xellos watched, frowning when he realized what it was. The Yangin Mushrooms he'd had Amelia pick a couple of days ago had been sliced up, and placed on that string for drying. Gourry was just moving it from one side of the cabin to the other to help it dry faster.
He hadn't lied to Amelia about the mushrooms. Once they were dried, they would be ground into powder and added to a reagent mixture necessary for the Cleansing spell. Still, a small part of him wondered if he would have been better off having them buy the mushrooms. They really weren't that expensive here, considering they grew in the area. And it would have saved him a lot of trouble…
Gourry placed the now empty tray on the ground, then turned back to Xellos, a friendly smile still lighting up his face. "Should be just one more day and the mushrooms will be ready."
Xellos nodded at the warrior.
Gourry walked over next to Xellos, sitting himself down, though keeping a comfortable distance away. He leaned back against the cabin, putting his hands behind his head in the exact same pose. Xellos didn't say anything, but he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the warrior.
"Hey, this is a good spot." Gourry said, stretching his arms a bit and yawning. With the sun on this side of the cabin, but the porch offering some shade, it was comfortably warm. "I bet I could take a nice nap here."
The Mazoku chuckled. "You'll find I'm very good at finding all the best spots to laze about."
A long silence stretched between them as they both basked in the partial shade of the afternoon. Xellos was starting to suspect Gourry of falling asleep, until the warrior spoke up.
"You know you'll never get near her."
Xellos frowned and turned his head to the warrior curiously. "Pardon?"
"I spoke to Amelia this morning," Gourry continued. "I don't know what you did to her in that forest, Xellos, but she's really mad. Even if you did apologize, she isn't going to accept it."
Xellos put his hands down to his sides, staring at the warrior in disbelief. "What makes you think I'm trying to apologize to her, Gourry-san?"
Gourry turned to the Mazoku and gave him knowing smile, "It was obvious from the way you've been acting these past couple of days. I'm starting to think having a guilty conscience hurts Mazoku even more than us humans, huh?"
Xellos stared at him for a few moments more, puzzled. Gourry could tell?
'Well, of course he can tell.' Xellos sighed in defeat and leaned back against the cabin. "I'm just not used to it. This is a rare first for me."
"Yeah, I bet," Gourry said with a brief laugh. "Lina tried to explain to me why Mazoku don't feel guilt, but I'm afraid I can't remember what she said."
Xellos grinned. 'No, and I'm sure you wouldn't be able to understand, either.'
"She did say one thing that I remember," Gourry continued, and his expression turned grim. "She told me that being able to feel guilt has the potential to kill you, Xellos. Is that true?"
The Mazoku frowned. He was certain there were no texts or books describing what a conscience would do to a Mazoku, so the fact that Lina figured that much out on her own showed just how clever she was. But it was an aspect of this curse he didn't like to think about.
Learning to control his guilt wasn't just a matter of pride, but survival. Mazoku were spirit beings, like ghosts and other astral life forms. Their sense of self, their self-worth, was their entire being. Anything that threatened that was devastating to a Mazoku.
He had assumed that every time he controlled his guilt, he had crushed it completely, but this latest development made it clear that was not the case. Every time he experienced remorse, even when he recovered, a small piece was always left behind; a constant reminder of what he'd done. A small amount was nothing, but every little bit continued to build up inside of him, like a growing cancer.
It would likely take one hundred years or more, longer than Amelia had to live. But if, by chance, he couldn't remove these marks…
"Yes, Gourry-san, it is true," Xellos answered gravely. "It can destroy me."
"Then you need to make things right!" Gourry said, nodding sagely, which was a comical look for him.
Xellos' smile grew larger, but he suppressed a laugh. "And if I can't even get near Amelia, how do you propose I do that?"
"You need to go find Zel and convince him to come back." The warrior said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Xellos turned his head towards the human, raising an eyebrow. "Gourry-san, I'm sure you are aware of how much Zelgadis-san hated me before. I don't think you can even imagine how much he hates me now."
"Doesn't really matter how much he hates you, Xellos," Gourry sat up straight. "I saw the way he looked at Amelia before leaving. He wants her back, and if you can help him do that, he'll even listen to you."
"You sure about that, Gourry-san?" Xellos asked, the tone in his voice making it clear he didn't believe it.
"Of course I am. I know what it's like to love someone, and I know the lengths I'd go to get them back."
'We all know,' Xellos thought with a grin, as he remembered Gourry chasing after Lina when she was possessed by the Lord of Nightmares. But he let the warrior continue.
"Zelgadis is no exception." He grinned that dumb but friendly grin he was so well known for. "You are a smart guy, Xellos. I'm sure you could figure out what to say to make him come back to Amelia."
Gourry leaned back against the cabin again to relax. Xellos turned his gaze away from the warrior, thinking to himself. Perhaps the idiot was right. If he was careful in his approach, maybe he could appeal to Zelgadis instead of Amelia.
The Mazoku picked up his staff, using it to help him stand up. He turned his gaze north, where he knew Zelgadis had headed, as he considered his possibilities. Xellos was very skilled with words, and if he could get Zelgadis to talk to him, even the mistrusting chimera could be persuaded into returning.
The hard part would be convincing him to talk at all.
On a whim, he turned back to Gourry, ready to thank the warrior for his…interesting insight. But, despite only a few moments passing, he saw that Gourry's head was bowed and he was snoring softly.
It was just as well. With a friendly smile, Xellos vanished from sight.
The bar was set up on the outskirts of town, and was designed for what the citizens of Zefielia referred to as the "less fortunate" members of their fair city. If this were any other place, this would likely be the hangout of bandits, thieves and shady characters. People of such repute never seemed to last long in a city full of legendary heroes, however, so it was simply where servants, waitresses, and blue-collar workers came to get a drink.
This particular establishment had an oval-shaped bar on the opposite wall from the entrance, with a pinewood countertop and matching barstools. There were dark wood tables all around with matching chairs. The place wasn't very busy at this time of day, but there was a handful of people scattered among tables.
Zelgadis pulled his mask down, taking a sip from his mug before putting the mask back in place and setting the cup down. He was the only one sitting at the bar, which suited him just fine. He liked to be alone with his thoughts.
"You sure you don't want something stronger, sir?" The barkeep, a rather short but thin man, asked him yet again.
"No, thank you, this will do." Zelgadis answered from behind his mask. He didn't come here to get drunk, even though part of him would have loved to. Maybe then he could numb away the regret.
Part of him wondered if he had been too hard on Amelia. He had been in the throws of rage and betrayal and was, at first, desperate to destroy the source, even knowing it was impossible. And then he just wanted to escape.
As hard as he tried, though, he could not get that damn kiss out of his head. The Amelia he thought he knew would never have betrayed him like that, and especially not with a Mazoku. But, then again, this hadn't been the first time he'd been betrayed by someone he thought he knew and loved…
Zelgadis didn't realize how hard he'd been clenching his fist until his mug suddenly shattered in his hand, waking him from his thoughts. The remainder of his beverage spilled onto the counter along with shards of porcelain.
"Sorry," Zelgadis said as he picked up his napkin to wipe his hands. "I'll pay for that."
"Don't worry about it, Sir," the barkeep said as he calmly cleaned up the mess with a bar rag. "Happens all the time. Are your hands okay?"
"Yeah, they're fine," he said as he glanced down at his blue-stone fingers. A clay mug couldn't even dent the flesh, but he found himself staring nonetheless. He had just been telling Lina a week earlier that he wanted to take a break from finding a cure. He was, dare he say, feeling comfortable with his chimera body. He had his time in Nullin and Amelia to thank for that.
Now he had Amelia to thank for his new found desire to find a cure again. He would be human again, he swore it. Or he would die trying. Looking for his cure was the only excuse he needed to get away from Xellos and away from her.
He was avoiding Amelia easily enough. The other, not so much. Earlier in the day he had entered a local shop to replenish his supplies, but just as he was about to make his purchase, he saw a figure with a familiar red-gemmed staff and purple hair enter the store.
Xellos never approached or even looked at him, but instead began scrutinize the various shelves. Zelgadis snarled angrily, but tried to ignore him. Instead, he made his purchase as quickly as possible and left with great haste.
He later went to an inn to secure a room for the night. He had just finished talking to the proprietor, when a familiar voice caught his ear. He closed his eyes in disbelief, turning towards the sound before opening them again. Sure enough, there was Xellos, speaking to another patron.
'Are you kidding me?' Zelgadis could only stare in shock. He changed his mind about staying at that inn, and left with an apology.
And now he was here at this bar. And, sure, enough, it wasn't long before Xellos wandered in, taking a seat at the table closest to the door, his back to the chimera. Zelgadis rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hand. 'I don't believe it.'
The Mazoku sat quietly, alone, sipping from a glass of water in front of him. The chimera's first instinct was to simply leave again, perhaps to find another inn. But it was becoming clear that Xellos wasn't about to leave him alone.
Since he couldn't really attack Xellos in the middle of a city, there was only one thing to do.
Zelgadis stood up, placing a few coins on the bar before stomping over to Xellos' table. He slammed both hands down in front of the Mazoku, making it shake slightly.
"Why the hell are you following me?" With his hood up and his mask covering his nose and mouth, you could only see Zelgadis' eyes. Those eyes, however, were filled with barely contained rage.
Xellos looked up and grinned at Zelgadis, who simply seethed in response. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you, Zelgadis-san."
"You are the last person I want to talk to." He narrowed his eyes further. "I only came over here to tell you to stop following me. If we weren't surrounded by innocent people I would have Rah Tilted your ass already."
Xellos shrugged, "And that's why I chose to follow you here."
Zelgadis clenched his fists, but was careful to keep his temper in check. The last thing he needed was to make a scene or attract the local authorities.
"I'm telling you," Zelgadis spoke through clenched teeth, "to leave me alone. You thwart my attempts to find a cure every chance you get, you destroy the one I did find, and now you've taken Amelia away from me. I seriously doubt you could screw up my life any more than you already have!"
Xellos raised an eye-brow. "Now, to be fair, Zelgadis-san, it was you who screwed yourself out of your cure in Nullin. It certainly wasn't my idea to have you add your power to its shield…"
Zelgadis slammed his fist on the table, causing a small crack to form. Xellos didn't react, but the action did get the attention of the bartender.
"Is everything okay here, gentlemen?" He said as he approached the table gingerly. His eyes went wide as he noticed the crack, but he decided with a nervous gulp not to say anything about it.
Zelgadis took a long, drawn-out breath before glaring at the bartender. "Everything is fine. We're just discussing a…private matter."
Xellos just grinned gleefully at the bartender, who was more than happy to walk away.
Zelgadis turned his furious gaze back to the Mazoku. "You're trying to make me create a scene, aren't you?"
"Absolutely not," the Mazoku responded in a 'Would I do that?' voice. Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "I came here because I hoped we could sit down and have a nice, polite exchange of words."
"So if I sit down and listen to you, and I'm not saying I will," Zelgadis snarled. "Will you stop stalking me?"
"Well that depends entirely on your response to what I have to say."
"Then just say it." Zelgadis folded his arms in front of him, his eyes boring into the Mazoku like a flaming knife. "What do you want, Xellos?"
"I want to apologize."
The Mazoku took another sip of his drink, as the stunned chimera just stared. "What?"
"What you saw occur between Amelia-san and I was not what you thought." His tone was matter of fact and honest.
Zelgadis relaxed slightly, taken aback. It was all a bit too fishy, but he couldn't help but smirk, causing his mask to fold and twist to accommodate. "You cast a spell on her, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did." Xellos made a gesture for Zelgadis to sit down across from him.
Zelgadis just stood there confused, initially ignoring the gesture. "A spell to have her kiss you?"
Xellos smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "No, that wasn't really the nature of the spell. That was more of an unexpected side effect."
"A 'side-effect?'" Zelgadis growled. "What you did to Amelia is far beyond a 'side-effect.'"
Xellos bowed his head slightly, placing his water back on the table. "The kiss was never my intention, Zelgadis-san. I respectfully ask that you allow me to explain the situation so we can spare Amelia-san additional pain."
"I seriously doubt you are doing this for anyone but yourself. Give me one good reason why I should believe you?"
Xellos sighed in defeat and annoyance, then lifted up his right hand and wiggled his fingers. He didn't have to remove his glove for the chimera to know what the gesture meant.
Zelgadis stared for a moment, but as realization dawned on him, he couldn't help but grin, trying to contain a laugh, and not being all that successful. It all made sense now. He pulled out the chair across from the Mazoku and sat down.
"Alright, fine! You have my attention, Xellos." He leaned on the table, watching as the Mazoku took a calm sip of water. "But if you expect me to buy this, I want the full story on what really happened. No more secrets!"
It had been a week now since Xellos had finished the translation of the Cleansing spell, and Lina and Amelia were making great progress. Amelia had memorized the incantation and the ingredients were ready. The only thing they needed was for Llygad to come back with the Ceiphied Candle and they'd be ready to begin.
Amelia went to her room to rest and wait it out. Lina and Gourry headed out into the forest for some alone time. They now sat leaning against a tree, Lina's head resting in the crook of Gourry's arm as though he were a comfortable piece of furniture. It was rare to see the fiery red head looking content, but Lina appeared to be almost asleep.
Gourry sat smiling, watching the birds and the squirrels, and wondering when he should tell Lina that his arm had fallen numb.
"Hey, Gourry," Lina's voice was surprisingly soft as she spoke, and the warrior turned to look at her.
"Yeah, Lina?"
Lina took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale before speaking. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I never realized it bothered you so much."
"Huh?" Gourry just looked down at her perplexed. "What bothers me?"
"You know, how I tell people like Amelia that we're not together when we are."
"Oh, that," Gourry looked ahead again, furrowing his brow. "It's okay, Lina."
"No, it's not!" She sat up, looking straight up at the warrior who looked back down at her. Her expression turned serious and sad. "I'm not ashamed of you in the slightest, Gourry. I should be willing to put my own stupid pride aside every once in awhile for your sake."
The warrior smiled at her, but then let the smile drop for his next words. "I don't think it matters now, Lina. With Amelia being the way she is, it's not a good idea to reveal the truth to her."
"Oh, I know, I know," Lina snuggled back into the crook in Gourry's arm. "But when she finally gets back to her old self, I'm going to tell her. I promise."
Gourry looked down at Lina and smiled. "Thank you, Lina."
"Hah, somehow I knew you guys were a couple."
Lina may have been relaxed before, but the new voice made her eyes shoot open and she sprang into action faster than a furious fish man. Lina suddenly shoved Gourry away so hard, he hit the ground with a loud smack. She ignored the cry of pain from the warrior, as she leaped to her feet to address the newcomer.
"No way! It's not like that. We were just…." she stopped, blinking twice as though to make sure she was seeing who she thought she was seeing. "Zelgadis?"
The chimera smiled back. "Hi, sorry if I surprised you. You okay, Gourry?"
The blonde warrior picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his head where a new bruise would soon be forming. Despite this, he gave the chimera a thumbs up with his other hand. "Welcome back, Zel."
"Zelgadis!" Lina's eyes lit up as she stared at the chimera, and Zelgadis sweat-dropped. "Thank goodness you are back! Amelia has been absolutely unbearable this last week."
Zelgadis frowned and looked away from Lina. "Yeah, I'm afraid that's partly my fault. That's why I came back."
Lina clapped her hands together with excitement. "And that is exactly what I wanted to hear!"
The red-headed sorceress ran behind Zelgadis and began pushing him towards the cabin. "Come on. No stalling. Amelia is in her room so you better hurry."
"What? Wait a minute, Lina," Zelgadis had the strength to resist her pushing, but the last thing he wanted was to make her mad. "Stop pushing. I didn't say I was ready!"
"You've had over a week to get ready, Zel. It's now or never!"
Amelia sat in the room she shared with Lina, staring out the one window looking off to the side. She had taken one of the chairs from the main area and placed it here so she could sit while she rested her arms and head on the windowsill.
She hadn't seen Zelgadis in over a week, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She had run through their last encounter in her head over and over again, but still it came back as a blur. And what happened before that was an even greater mystery.
As hard as she tried, all she could remember was speaking with Xellos about Ginnalko, and then the next thing she knew she had her arms around his neck and was kissing him. She shuddered at the thought, burying her face in her arms. 'But I would never kiss a Mazoku!' her head screamed. 'Would I?'
If only she could remember, then maybe she would have given Zelgadis a better explanation. Or, at least, she hoped she could. She remembered how Xellos had made her feel in Nullin, with his constant and subtle flirting. It turned out to be a ruse to get her to perform the ceremony, but still. Could she be harboring a strange fondness for…?
She shook her head as though to shake the memory from her mind. 'No! No! NO! That's impossible.' Xellos was evil and cunning and he terrified her. And now, that terror extended to an even more personal level.
She loved Zelgadis, there was no doubt in her mind. Even if she couldn't have him anymore, she knew deep down she would always love him.
Amelia could hear the door open behind her, but she didn't look up to see who it was. This was Lina's room too, after all. 'Probably came to give me another stern lecture about cheering up,' Amelia thought with annoyance.
It was only when the door slammed shut with a loud 'BANG' that Amelia startled enough to look. What she saw made her eyes go wide with surprise.
Zelgadis was staring at the door, looking just as startled as Amelia. He sighed as he turned away. "Damn you, Lina."
"Zelgadis-san?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, and Zelgadis turned towards her. She was staring in total disbelief that he was standing there in front of her. Not that he could blame her.
They stood there, shuffling their feet for several minutes, but neither of them spoke. It seemed like an eternity before Amelia asked, "Zelgadis-san, what…what are you doing here?"
Zelgadis stared at her for a moment, before turning his eyes away. 'What do I say at a time like this?' He took a deep breath, trying to think of some way to answer.
He smirked awkwardly. "Well, Lina kinda shoved me in here, so I didn't have much choice really."
He wished he'd taken it back as soon as he said it, after seeing the look of disappointment flash in Amelia's eyes. The princess looked down shamefully, "Oh, I see."
'Damn it.' Zelgadis cringed. 'Sure, just make her think you were forced here. Brilliant!'
"No, Amelia, I didn't mean…" He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to give himself time to think. "I came back because of Xellos."
That got her attention and she looked up at him, confused. "Xellos-san?"
"He told me the truth, Amelia." He regained some confidence as he stared back at her. "He told me he forced a ghost to possess your body."
"Huh?" Amelia's eyes went wide. "A ghost?" She looked down, her mind remembering their conversation in the forest. "Ginnalko-san! He had Ginnalko-san possess…?"
"Her name is Dova."
Amelia looked up at him in surprise. "What? It wasn't the girl from my dream?"
"Her full name is Dova Ginnalko, and, yes, she is girl from your dream," Zelgadis smiled gently at the princess. Xellos had been surprisingly forthcoming when they spoke in Zephilia. The Mazoku also made it clear that Amelia didn't know all the facts, either. "She was also the white mage from the Fifth Couple. He forced her to possess your body so he could speak to her."
Amelia stared at the chimera, gape-mouthed. "He…forced…my body…." Then what he said sunk in, and her body began to shake with rage She hugged herself, tears forming in her eyes. "That jerk! I can't believe he did that!" She cried out between gritted teeth. "How could he do that to me! How dare he…"
"Amelia…"
Zelgadis stepped towards her, slowly but with purpose, until he was standing directly in front of her. Amelia stopped shaking and looked at him, his presence releasing her anger as quickly as it had built up.
"I'm sorry, Amelia." Zelgadis lowered his head, pursing his lips as he tried to think of what to say next. "You never did anything to make me doubt you, and I…I mean…Amelia, would you…with me…?"
Amelia's eyes began to water as Zelgadis stammered. She cut his awkward speech short by throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him so forcefully the chimera gasped. "I'm sorry, too!" she choked between sobs. "I should have listened to you!"
Zelgadis wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly against him and burying his face in her soft black hair. A week away from her had felt like an eternity, and he had missed her every day no matter how angry he had been.
"Don't ever leave me like that again, Zelgadis-san!" Amelia sobbed. "Please promise me you won't."
Zelgadis couldn't help but smile. "I promise."
Amelia pulled away from him, but only enough so she could pull him into a deep and loving kiss. He returned the kiss eagerly, bringing his hands up to hold her cheeks.
The princess and the chimera were so caught up in each other that neither of them noticed the figure outside their window watching their tender encounter. But, as far as Xellos was concerned, he had just as much invested in their reunion as they did.
The Mazoku smiled to himself, bowing his head before vanishing into the Astral Plane. His efforts had paid off, and his pain was finally gone.
Chapter 12: Holy Cleansing
Finally, Xellos will be free of the mark. Or will he…?