Carry On Dancing ~
a Slayers songfic (Zelgadis/Lina)
Author's notes: OK, this is a Z/L songfic to go
along with the earlier Slayers songfics I wrote; however, the one I shall write
a sequel to is left to you, the readers. So, along with a review (in the review
space) please tell me if I should do a Xellos/Lina sequel songfic (a sequel to
"Gunning Down Romance"), or a Zelgadis/Lina sequel to this one. Thank you!
~~~
The moonlight…
Shines down interstellar beams
And the groove tonight
Is something more than you've ever seen
They were all at the New Year's Ball at Seiryuun.
Amelia had managed to convince even thickheaded Gourry that going to such a
party would be a fun way to get together and start the new year – of course,
with her usual rambling about eternal friendship and justice in the letters, no
one could escape the idea.
Even Zelgadis, who was content to stay in the
shadows by the wall of the ballroom. He was more self-conscious than usual; not
only that he was in a tux, but that he was a chimera in a tux. It was
certainly not the first time that fact rose up to punch him in the gut, and
facts didn't care if the one they hit had rocky skin that would hurt the
puncher -
It hurt the same.
Everyone else was having a wonderful time.
Dancing, laughing, chatting with friends old and new. On impulse, he looked for
Lina – he expected her to be dancing with Gourry, trying not to Dragon Slave
him for stepping on her feet. But the ruby-haired one escaped his sight, and
the blond was dancing with Amelia instead. (Evidently, Amelia had gotten tired
of being forced to dance with nobles.)
A sudden sensation –
A familiar voice –
"Looking for me, Zel-kun? How sweet of you!" Lina
swooshed into his view, a smile on her face, and it was then that he realized
what had happened. He raised a hand, unbelievingly, to the slightly cooler spot
on his neck –
Lina's smile grew wider. "Yes, I did kiss you, if
that's what you're wondering."
"Lina- but…" The words stumbled and tripped over
the mixture of hope and self-consciousness in his heart. "I thought – that you
and Gourry…"
"No." She laughed quietly. "Gourry's great as a
protector, but… I can't talk to him. I'm surprised, Zel-kun, that you haven't
figured it out…"
"You… love me?" He would've easily expected such a
thing from Amelia. That girl had a crush on him, and he knew it, but he wasn't
the one he was interested in at all. He would've told Lina earlier, but his own
sunk heart and the presence of Gourry kept him from doing so. "Is that it?"
"Yes. That's exactly it – I should've told you
earlier, much earlier. But you kept going off on your own, every time I got the
nerve to ask." A small pink shade came over her cheeks.
The stars and planets taking shape
A stolen kiss has come too late
In the moonlight
"I'm sorry." Zelgadis forced his voice to sound
normal. "I… love you too, Lina."
"Yay!" The serious expression the sorceress had
worn a second earlier was replaced with a cheerful one. "Ne, Zel-kun, dance a
little with me! Come on… get away from those shadows, you look too good to
blend in…."
Zelgadis felt a blush coming on, and a little
rational voice in the back of his mind wondered if chimeras COULD blush. "Um…
all right…"
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
In the moonlight
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
"You dance well."
"I don't want to step on your foot and have you
Dragon Slave the ballroom into smithereens."
Lina giggled. "You have a good sense of humor,
when you use it. You know, Zel-kun, I think I've figured out why you don't
smile often!"
"I've got good reason not to be an optimist – " he
started, but the sparkle in Lina's ruby eyes told him not to finish his answer.
She leaned in conspiratorally – he knew his
heartbeat was quickening. She was so close, he could tell she used a
tea-scented perfume. He liked that scent. "…it must hurt to smile, being a
chimera and all… if I had to move all that rock just to laugh, I would only
save my laughter for something very, very funny."
Despite the obvious pointing-out of his condition,
he smiled. And laughed.
You're never safe 'till you see the dawn
And the clock strikes past midnight
The hope is gone
To move under...
The moonlight
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
In the moonlight
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
Move. Closer. Passion. Stronger
"Mr. Zelgadis…" Amelia heard the laughter, and
just from the slight strain of it, could tell it was from someone not used to
laughing much. Her eyes misted.
"What about Zelgadis?" Gourry looked, and stepped
accidentally on her left foot, but Amelia didn't seem to register the pain.
"Oh. He looks like he's having a good time."
To the blond's surprise, Amelia only sniffled and
smiled weakly.
"I never got him to laugh. Not like that."
"It'll be all right, Amelia. Didn't you say we
were all friends forever, once?"
Gourry had hit upon one of his rare moments of
wisdom. Amelia brightened and continued dancing, certain that Friendship and
Justice would never fail. Mr. Zelgadis was happy with Lina, and if they were
happy together, it was a duty of a true friend to leave them be.
There's a magic only two can tell
In the dark night
Ultra Violet is a wicked spell
The stars and planets taking shape
A stolen kiss has come too late
In the moonlight
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
The song ended, and Zelgadis felt more free than
he'd felt in years. He was with his friends- the load of bitterness he had
carried around, covered with ice and stubborn pride, had diminished over the
years until he was at this point. At this party. With people he cared about and
a woman he loved.
"It's going to be a great year, Zel-kun!" Lina
laughed. "I think, for my next big adventure, I'll help you find your cure…
what do you say?"
"Big adventures have a way of finding you, Lina."
He shrugged. "You're the first person that's accepted me. You don't consider me
your little sideshow freak."
"Are you saying you're not going after a cure? But
you've been searching for it for so long!"
He smiled at that. "If it's your next big
adventure, then I have to come with you, don't I?"
They both laughed as fireworks signaled the end of
the old year and the start of the new one. And the start of another adventure.
In the moonlight
Carry on, keep romancing
Carry on, carry on dancing
Moving on...
Moving all night
