(Chapter 14! This was also a fun chapter to write! ...no improvement on the names. Sorry... I don't own the characters, I just like writing stories about them for my own personal amusement. Haha, anyway, enjoy!)
14- Discussions and Decisions
"So... there are 2 guest rooms... Amelia and Zel can stay in one, and..." Lina stopped and thought for a moment. "So... I guess Enrico and Filia are together as well."
"Wh-what?" Xellos asked, looking at Filia hesitantly. She just smiled at him.
"That should be alright, I suppose." Filia shrugged.
"I..." Xellos began. "I shall boldly volunteer to take the couch! Filia can have the bed, if she'd like!"
"Very chivalrous of you..." Lina began. "Ah... but there are two beds in that room, genius."
"Oh. Well then... that works." Xellos replied.
" Good. Now let's get some rest." Lina nodded. "We can discuss what we're planning to do tomorrow."
The rest of the group nodded and continued upstairs. It seemed like they all needed just a little bit of rest.
"Nice to be back in your own bed, isn't it?" Lina commented to Zara pulling the blankets around the little boy.
"Yeah..." He murmured, as if he was already half-asleep.
"Did you have fun playing cricket today?" She asked.
"Yeah, it was great... I scored five whole runs... plus four extra for hitting the ball..." He replied.
"Nice! That's the best you've done so far, right?"
"Yeah... but you know who was really good? Xellos." Zara continued.
"Xellos was good, huh?" Lina questioned.
"Yeah... but he didn't know what to do... so everyone just kept yelling at him... and they told him to run, but he didn't know where... and he didn't know to drop the bat, so he just held it... and so everyone just kept yelling, and..."
By this point Lina had burst out into laughter. The thought of Xellos running around, carrying a heavy cricket bat, with all the kids yelling at him was an incredibly humorous picture. Lina so wished that she had been there. "So you had fun?" She finished, regaining her composure.
"Yep. Lots of fun."
"Good." Lina straightened his unruly hair for a moment and then got up, blowing out the candle on the desk. "G'night, Zara."
"G'night, Lina." Zara murmured in reply. "I love you."
"Right back at ya, kid." Lina grinned, closing the door slowly.
Zara lay still for a moment, waiting for Lina to go back to her own room. Then, slowly, he got up, making sure not to make too much noise.
Zara tiptoed down the hall, and down the staircase into the living room. As he had expected, Lorelei was sitting on the couch. "Hey... Lorelei...?" he began.
"Huh? Wha-? Oh, Zara... it's you..." Lorelei turned to him in surprise.
"Yeah. It's me. You okay?" Zara asked.
"Oh... yeah... I guess..." Lorelei replied. Zara sat down on the couch beside her.
"I'm not so sure. I know you really well, Lorelei, and I know you're upset about something. What's the matter?"
"Wha-...it's... nothing... just..." Lorelei looked up at her friend and realised that, no matter how she tried, she couldn't hide anything from him. "Oh, Zara! It's not fair!" She sobbed, collapsing into his lap.
"I'm so glad that we finally get to see Miss Lina and Mister Gourry's house. It's so nice." Amelia commented, stretching out on the large bed in their guest room. "I mean, they've seen where we live before..."
"And blown it up plenty of times as well." Zelgadis added, sitting down beside her.
"Well, they had a justified reason for ...most... of those times!" Amelia replied.
"I guess they did..." he sighed.
"I'm glad we finally get some time to rest. I'm so tired..." Amelia said happily.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. All this... craziness has been stressful." Zelgadis replied. "How in the world do we get ourselves wrapped up in this sort of stuff anyway?"
"Warriors who defend Justice must always face perils in order to right the wrongs of the world!" Amelia replied, smiling.
"You and your 'Justice." Zelgadis laughed, playing with Amelia's hair. "So, how do you think we're going to right the wrongs this time?"
"I don't know... when they kidnapped Zara-chan and me, they told us about their plans to revive the Demon Dragon King... but they weren't talking about ambitious goals of world destruction or anything... they simply talked of helping out a friend. It made me wonder just who the bad guys really were..." Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, thinking hard.
"Well, it makes sense that they wouldn't want to destroy the world- that's not what Gaav wanted, remember? And I understand that they want to help a friend... but..." Zelgadis responded.
"Their methods are all wrong. They should not be trying to kill innocent people for the sake of their plans. They may be helping one person, but they are hurting so many more." Amelia said.
Zelgadis nodded. "And who knows how many more people will be hurt after Gaav is revived..."
"I've been wondering something, and meant to ask Mister Xellos about it..." Amelia continued.
"What's that?" Zelgadis asked, feeling slightly annoyed that Amelia would want to go to Xellos for information.
"Well... didn't Mister Xellos say that the spell they're trying to do revives a Dark Lord with their full power? When Gaav was destroyed, he was in a human body... but would he be resurrected in his human body, or would he return to his true form? That's been bothering me."
"You have a really good point." Zelgadis replied. "I hadn't thought of that. If Gaav is revived as his human form, it is bad, but if he is revived in his original monster form... that could be even more devastating..."
"Not to mention that it was his human form that caused him to go against the monster race." Amelia pointed out. "If he returns to being a full monster, then he may try to destroy the world like all the rest of them."
"This is troublesome..." Zelgadis sighed. "And we won't know any of these things until we can get more information about this spell..."
"Mister Xellos might know... but he's having some problems as well... I almost feel sorry for him." Amelia commented.
"Hah! I don't!" Zelgadis laughed. "He deserves it, that monster."
"Zelgadis! That's awfully unjust of you to say!" Amelia scolded.
"What? You want me to lie and tell you that I'm sorry for him?" Zelgadis asked. "I think being a human has actually been good for him. He's learning all the problems that we have to deal with. I think it might give him just a tad bit of humility... or perhaps that's just wishful thinking."
"That is true. I think it's good that he has learned about human emotions." Amelia agreed. "In fact, perhaps this will allow him to realise his true feelings for Miss Filia... and then there won't be such a rift between them. They both love each other, they just need to let one another know. Maybe this will help work things out."
"Yeah, but Filia doesn't even know that's Xellos. She just thinks he's... Enrico." Zelgadis said. "And... forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think Xellos isn't as comfortable around Filia as he tries to make it appear."
"Oh?" Amelia questioned. "What do you mean?"
"Have you noticed that sometimes he'll try to get away from her if she gets too close? And today when Lina said that they'd share a room, Xellos immediately volunteered to sleep on the couch."
"Now that you mention it, I have seen that. But what does it mean? Does it mean that he doesn't like her?" Amelia asked.
"No, actually, I think it means just the opposite." Zelgadis replied. "Perhaps I would notice this more than you would, since you're a girl... but I'm not sure how old Xellos' human form is. He looks as if he's about 12 or 13, maybe even older... and you know, most boys that age have lived in their bodies their whole lives and are completely confused about themselves - much less someone who was just thrown into that body two weeks ago. I'm thinking that maybe he's having to get used to a whole bunch of new things that he's never experienced. If it's tough for humans, it's got to be tough for a monster..."
Amelia contemplated this for a moment. "I... I hadn't really thought about that... but you might be on to something! I wouldn't know myself, but I suppose that's a rather awkward age... isn't it?"
"I'll say. Very awkward. Like going through a growth spurt where you grow almost five inches in just a month, and every time you get out of bed you forget that you're five inches taller, so you end up hitting your head on the bunk above you..." By this point in Zelgadis' narrative, Amelia had burst out laughing. "H-hey! It's not funny!"
"If it's not funny, then why am I laughing?" She replied.
"Because you never had to go through it! I'm still convinced that I suffered some sort of brain damage from that..."
Amelia finally finished laughing, and stroked his hair affectionately. "Your brain doesn't seem damaged to me."
"Thanks. That's awfully nice of you to say." Zelgadis laughed.
"Anyway... it's getting late. Should we get some rest?" Amelia asked.
"That sounds like a great idea." Zelgadis replied.
"Filia, no."
"But Enrico-"
"I said no! This really isn't necessary!"
"But it would be so nice if you just-"
"You really don't have to!"
"I know! But come on, I want to! Humour me, would you?"
"But-"
"Just sit down. I won't hurt you, I promise."
"But-"
"Come here- see? It's not that bad."
"Filia, I don't- OW! OW! Okay, that hurts! OW! QUIT IT!"
Filia sighed and let go of the brush that stayed in Xellos' hair, still snarled in the unruly blonde tangles. "It's going to hurt at first, I'm afraid. That's the problem with letting your hair get like this. When was the last time you brushed it, anyway?" she asked.
"Let me think... never." Xellos replied, trying with no avail to tug the brush out of his hair. "And it doesn't need it."
"Come on, Enrico, that brush got stuck. It definitely needs it." Filia defended. "Why won't you just let me brush your hair?"
"I just... think it's unnecessary..." Xellos replied.
"Well, I'm tired of looking at your messed up hair. I just think you'd look so good with it brushed. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to wash it either..." Filia commented.
"No one is washing my hair!" Xellos defended. "And I think I look just fine without brushing it."
"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Filia asked.
"No... mirrors disgust me at the moment... I sincerely hope you're not going to make me look at myself." Xellos replied. He did not feel like seeing his human form- it was a terrible reminder of the situation he had been placed in.
"Enrico... please?" Filia asked. She gave him a look that startled him- it was so sweet, innocent, and pleading, that he felt as if he needed to comply.
"I... er, well... I suppose that... if you really felt that it was necessary... and won't force me to wash it or look into a mirror... you can brush it..." he sighed forlornly.
"Yay!" Filia squealed happily, taking the handle of the brush back. "Now, hold still, and I'll try to get it out without hurting you." She grabbed his hair close to the scalp and held it in place while she pulled the brush out, so as to not hurt him in the process. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"That depends on your point of view." Xellos replied.
"Oh, it's alright. Give me just a few minutes, and I'll have your hair looking nice again." Filia assured him. She began to brush his hair again, having to work hard to get the knots and tangles out. She did it in such a way that it didn't hurt as badly, and Xellos decided that it was at least tolerable.
Honestly, what am I doing? Getting my hair brushed by a dragon? I'm supposed to be working as hard as I can to figure out how to regain my original form. Instead I'm getting fawned over like some little child. This is so degrading... Lord Beastmaster would not be pleased with me if she found out that I allowed myself to be subjected to such... coddling... especially from Filia! Although... I suppose it could be much worse... Xellos allowed himself to lean against Filia, who continued to brush his hair, in a calming, repetitive motion. I can't forget to talk to Lorelei tonight... can't forget... can't... His thoughts began to blur and his consciousness slowly began to slip away from him.
Filia continued brushing his hair until she could easily pull the hairbrush through his short, scruffy blonde curls. "It really does look cute when it's brushed. I wish you'd let me show it to you... Enrico?" Filia put a hand on his shoulder, slowly turning the boy to face her. "Well, how about that? He fell asleep." She sighed happily. "He really is a sweet child. I can't see why Miss Lina and the others abuse him so..."
Filia picked up the boy and carried him across the room to the other bed, setting him down and pulling the blankets up around him. She watched him for a moment, pushing a golden curl out of his face. So it was curly after all. And here I thought it was just messy. Filia laughed to herself. The poor boy. He must be exhausted. And so stressed out. With all that's been going on, I can't say I blame him. But I wish he'd tell me more about himself. I don't know anything about him. Where does he come from? Does he have parents? How did he meet Lorelei in the first place? How does he know so much about monsters? Filia shook her head, deciding that those were questions for another day. "Pleasant dreams, Enrico."
"It's not fair... not fair!" Lorelei sobbed. Zara put his hand on her head affectionately.
"What's not fair?" he asked.
"It's... it's just... it's not fair that everyone treats me like such a kid! I'm not a kid! I'm a grown-up!" she exclaimed.
"A grown-up, huh?" Zara murmured contemplatively. "I guess so. How old are you again?"
"Around three-hundred... give or take a few years..." Lorelei responded. "...although, that's rather young for a monster..."
"So are you a kid, or are you a grown-up?" Zara asked.
"I... I want to be a grown-up..." Lorelei sighed.
"You want to be a grown-up, huh?" Zara repeated. "That doesn't sound right."
"What do you mean, it doesn't sound right?" Lorelei growled.
"Well, I just think that kids shouldn't want to grow up so fast. I know I don't want to be a grown-up anytime soon." Lorelei stared at Zara with an incredulous expression, so he continued in order to clarify himself. "I mean... there's so much fun stuff that kids get to do, that grown-ups can't. Like today, when we were playing cricket, I've only seen kids do that. I've never seen grown-ups get together and play cricket on their own before. Lina and Gourry practice with me sometimes, but they never actually join in the games. And kids can do a lot of other fun stuff that grown-ups don't do. Plus kids can get away with more things because they look so innocent. Being a kid really is a good thing."
"That... sounds true..." Lorelei responded. "But... there's so many things that adults can do that kids can't. Adults get more responsibility and respect from others. And they are allowed to do so many more things. Plus..." her voice trailed off slightly, as if she had been about to say something, and decided against it.
"Plus what?" Zara asked.
"Well... kids can have friends and everything... and they can be close friends... but when you're an adult... I guess... you can be something more to a person..." Lorelei stammered, unsure of how to phrase it.
"You mean like Lina and Gourry?" Zara asked.
"Exactly like Lina and Gourry." Lorelei replied. "And Amelia and Zelgadis, and Filia and Xe- well, not quite them yet... but you get the idea..."
Zara nodded and paused for a moment. "But... why can't kids fall in love like that?"
"I don't know... people say that they're not mature enough to understand the real concept of love... or something..." Lorelei replied.
"What if they're mature kids, and understand it perfectly?" Zara asked.
"Then... I guess they could..." Lorelei nodded. "But... it wouldn't exactly be the most supported thing by the grown-ups around them..."
"Who cares about the grown-ups around them? As long as two people are in love, age shouldn't matter! I mean... Lina was fifteen when she met Gourry!" Zara exclaimed.
"Yeah, well they didn't exactly hit it off until later... but I guess you're right." Lorelei nodded.
"Yeah... and I met you when I was three..." Zara continued.
Lorelei blushed, realising that Zara was referring to the two of them. "W-well, that's different, isn't it?"
"Is it so different?" Zara asked.
"W-well... I mean... Lina and Gourry are..." Lorelei's voice trailed off. "You and I... I think we still have some growing-up to do."
"I understand." Zara nodded. "I don't want to grow up all at once... but I can't help looking forward to it either..."
"It's tough. And once you get older, you can't go back to being a kid." Lorelei agreed.
"So that's why we have to try and be as grown-up as possible while we are still kids, right?" Zara asked, smiling.
"I guess so!" Lorelei exclaimed. "Say, what exactly do you want to do when you grow up? I've never heard you talk about it."
"Me? I haven't really given it much thought..." Zara replied.
"I know that Lord Beastmaster would probably be pleased to have you as an ally of ours." Lorelei suggested hopefully.
"I suppose... but I think that when I get older, I want to be more like Lina and Gourry." Zara commented. "I'd like... to be able to fight evil... and have someone that I can protect..." Zara's voice trailed off. "...say, Lorelei? Can I ask you a favour?"
"Sure. What do you need?" She asked.
"Can... can I protect you? Like, be your protector, the way Gourry does for Lina. I think that the best way to learn to do something is by experience... and maybe it'll help me to grow up, just a little bit. Would you let me, please?"
Lorelei stared at Zara for a moment, wondering if he was serious in his request to protect her. He made it sound as if she'd be doing him a favour by letting him protect her, though it seemed like it should be the other way around. Was that how it was with Lina and Gourry? Was Lina simply letting Gourry protect her as a favour to him? It did seem logical, since Lina hardly ever needed protecting... but why would she do something like that? Lorelei guessed that it must be because she saw how much he loved her and wanted to protect her because of it. She blushed involuntarily and looked at her best friend with a grateful expression.
"Zara... it would be an honour to have you as my protector." Lorelei replied.
"R-really? Oh, thanks Lorelei!" Zara exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "I promise, I won't let you down! I'll be the best protector you've ever had!"
Lorelei didn't mention that he was the only protector that she'd ever had, she simply nodded in agreement. "Zara..." she began. "Sometime tonight... I need to talk to Xellos... er, actually, we both need to talk to Lord Beastmaster. She needs to know what's going on- we can't keep things a secret from her! Will you come with us? I think... it'll help to have another monster there with us..."
"Sure!" Zara nodded. "I'll follow you anywhere! Remember, I have to protect you now."
Lorelei laughed. "Thanks a lot! And I'll make sure that you get at least some sleep tonight- or Lina will kill me in the morning!"
Zara laughed too. "You don't have to worry about Lina anymore! I've got your back!"
Lorelei smirked. "Awesome. I guess that's a great perk of having you as my protector- Lina wouldn't dare do anything to me if you get in her way!"
The two laughed again, before getting up and making plans to wake Xellos- and pay a visit to a certain Dark Lord.
(I didn't mean for there to be such a long scene with just OCs... *sigh* but they are a bit easier to write, since you don't have to worry about them being out of character...)