Chapter 36

Morning broke, dawn coming and passing without notice from the four sleeping in the hotel. Jedah noticed it, being that he was perched atop the building, having spent the entire time sitting and staring out at the stars and the world. Now, however, he was watching the two who were walking hand-in-hand in the small garden outside.

Lina and Zelgadis had emerged almost an hour ago, and Jedah was relieved to see them holding hands. He'd worried that somehow it would go wrong and would end in tears. Instead, it seemed to be going as well as it could, with both talking quietly between themselves. He wouldn't listen in; he wanted to give them the privacy that they needed. After everything was said and done, he owed them both that much.

Given that, he ought to see if the others were awake… he stretched and phased through the roof of the hotel, fading into the hallway in time to see Amelia burst out of the room where Lina and Zelgadis had been. It took her a few moments to realize that it was Jedah, and then she nearly leapt at him in her anxiety. "Jedah! They're gone! What happened! Is Lina okay? Where is Zelgadis??"

Jedah reached out instinctively, grabbing her shoulders gently, but firmly to keep her from running off. "It's okay, Amelia. Zelgadis woke up and he's just fine. They went outside, to talk. It's the best way things could go." He hoped it would stay that way, hoped that Lina could help Zelgadis heal. He knew that there would come a time that he'd have to face Zelgadis, and while he wasn't looking forward to it, a part of him was glad. It meant that Zelgadis would be himself again.

Amelia's eyes filled with tears, and she started to cry, throwing herself into Jedah, who, for all the world had not expected that sort of reaction from her. Stunned, he brought his arms up and around her in time for Naga to step out of her room and look at him curiously for a moment before moving towards the pair of them.

Sighing, Jedah decided that he just couldn't win, and closed his eyes, lowering his head to Amelia's and settled himself on holding her as she cried. He heard Naga move, felt her brush past them, and he heard her gasp. A moment passed, and then he opened his eyes as a hand was placed on his arm. He followed the line of Naga's hand up to her arm, his gaze meeting her eyes, though he said nothing.

"Are those good tears, or bad?" Naga asked softly, having stuck her head in the room and seen that both Lina and Zelgadis were missing. She hoped it was the better, but given everything else that had been happening as of late, she had to ask to be certain. If she'd entered the room and looked out the window, she might have seen them, but she hadn't, so she asked.

"They're outside talking," Jedah replied quietly, holding Amelia and wondering if he ought to be. After a moment of indecision, he gave the princess a little hug and gently pulled back to look to her. "Come on, Amelia. Pull yourself together now… Zelgadis isn't the type to like a fuss." Part of him wondered at how kind his voice was. He did love her, curse his heart, but there was no way that he could.

As Amelia stepped back and wiped her tears, Gourry and Sylphiel walked up from the room down the hallway. One look at Amelia was all Gourry needed to glare hotly at Jedah, instantly assuming the absolute worst. Old habits died hard, after all. "What did you do?"

Suddenly, it was all too much for Jedah. Emotions burst violently hot, the relief at Zelgadis' return, the pain of losing Xellos, the irritation at being immediately labeled as the cause of Amelia's tears, and it was beyond his ability to contain. To be honest, he didn't even try. Instead, he lifted his head, giving in to the rush of anger and letting it have voice.

"Damn it, Gourry, I am not the bad guy here! I made a promise to Zelgadis years ago that I'd protect Lina, and that's what I did! I even killed my lover to keep her out of danger, and all I get is suspicion and doubt! I give up!" His eyes blazed brilliantly for a moment, and he ran his fingers through his hair to keep himself from reaching out and throttling someone. "I'm done. I've done what I promised to do; I kept Lina safe. Zelgadis is back, and I'm through. I've acted against my nature, against my title, and I've lost nearly everything that I cared about…" His voice trailed off as he realized that his actions had had lost him more than he had counted. He'd lost Zelgadis and Xellos both in varying fashion.

"Jedah…" Amelia said softly, stepping forwards to reach for his arm, but all she got was a pained look before he stepped backwards and vanished. She turned, looking at Gourry for a moment before she turned away and looked to Naga. "He said that Zelgadis and Lina were outside. I don't want to bother them yet, so I'm going to go find breakfast. Care to join me?" Her voice was arch, her clear disapproval of Gourry's interpretation of events ringing loudly in the hallway.

Naga knew better than to argue, and nodded to Amelia, turning to walk with her sister to the stairs so they could leave the hotel and find something to eat, leaving Sylphiel and a very surprised Gourry in the hallway.

"You deserved that," Sylphiel commented mildly, though for her to say it gave Gourry serious pause. His gentle mannered wife wasn't known for sharp observations, but when she made them, it was with pointed clarity. What stunned him further was that she moved past him, calling down to Amelia and Naga to wait for her, she was coming with them, leaving him alone in the hallway.