A/N: 560 words; I know I'm a little late in posting it, but at least I finished it all within a month's time, which is good enough for me; takes place mid-REVOLUTION/R; not super-AmeZel, but enough I tell you

Eight: Pumpkin

It was honestly the biggest piece of produce any of them had ever seen. The giant gourd sat in the middle of the road, blocking the five travellers' path.

"This wasn't here last time," Pokota frowned. "I know all the roads to Taforashia well—this is new."

"Then the question should be 'how are we going to get around it'," Lina replied.

"You don't want to know how it got here or why?" Zelgadis deadpanned. He watched as Lina inspected both ends, trying to see if they could squeeze around it thanks to the narrow gorge their path was in.

"Nope—don't care!" the sorceress declared. "Alright Gourry, prepare for takeoff!"

"Wait a moment, Lina," Gourry said. "Zel's right: it's suspicious."

"…and who are you going to listen to? The gorgeous, intelligent, beguiling, talented beauty before you, or the stone schmuck over there?"

Gourry paused, considering his options, which made Lina groan.

"You really have to think about that?!" she snapped.

"Miss Lina, if Mister Gourry has reason to take pause, then maybe we should," Amelia added. Their friend fumed, not liking where the conversation was going.

"I don't care—I'm going up anyhow," Lina grumbled. She cast Ray Wing and floated over the pumpkin… only to hit a tripwire, which set off a bomb, decking her square in the face.

"Told you," Zelgadis, Gourry, and Amelia said as Lina fell to the ground. Pokota snickered—served her right in his eyes.

"I don't like this," Zelgadis stated. "Let's just go and find another path."

"You're seriously letting a pumpkin beat you?!" Lina snorted. The chimera stared flatly at her before turning and beginning to walk away. "Hey?! What's that look for?!"

"It's not the pumpkin, but the threat around it," he replied. "Come on, Amelia, let's go."

"Coming, Mister Zelgadis!" she said cheerily. Amelia jogged up to his side, leaving the other three to themselves. "Do you think that they'll be alright?"

"I'd rather not think about it," he replied. There was another explosion behind them and the pair kept on walking. "I think I saw a different path branch off about a mile back."

"At least that's not too bad," she shrugged. "I feel bad for Mister Gourry though, getting stuck between Miss Lina and Mister Pokota."

"He knows what he's doing."

"It's Mister Gourry… are you sur—oh!"

Amelia gasped as Zelgadis pushed her, before laying down himself so that he covered—though not crushed—her body. She heard clacking and hollow, wooden sounds above them, though it did not change the fact she was nestled firmly underneath him, in a rather embarrassing manner.

"Ah! You're quick!" a new voice laughed. Zelgadis stood, helping Amelia up as well. They were surrounded by bandits, with discarded arrows littering the ground around them—thwarted by the fact one of them had skin of stone.

"I think we found the source of the pumpkin mystery," Amelia noted.

"I think you're right," Zelgadis replied. They stood back-to-back, confident where they stood despite having the low ground. "Do we have time before Lina gets frustrated and Dragon Slaves the entire area? There seems to be a group of someones who need to be taught an additional lesson."

"Yeah? And what can the two of you do?" the bandit leader chortled. Amelia cracked her knuckles, while Zelgadis readied a spell.

A lot, actually.