Eleven – Extreme Tension
Zelgadiss' rocky eyebrows creased as he carefully dropped the piece of cloth into the bubbling solution. He'd done research and discovered that a person's DNA could be tracked through a strand of hair as well as blood. Now he was hidden away in an abandoned building playing scientist. Lina and the others assumed he'd abandoned them and Amelia, but they were wrong. He waited patiently until the thumbnail size of Amelia's clothing was sterile again.
"Almost done," Zelgadiss' tight lips parted briefly. His thoughts were bitter but he was determined to find the monster responsible for Amelia's death. After a few minutes, the pink liquid that embraced the cloth began to bubble. Zelgadiss reached in the trembling pool of acid and pulled out the cloth, resting it on the wooden table. The wood sighed under the damaging mixture. Zelgadiss paid no mind. It wasn't his table. The acid had searched the piece of cloth until it found the DNA. The first DNA came from the blood. That DNA was Amelia's. It was highlighted against the white cloth in green. The second DNA was from fingerprints. It was highlighted in red. Now all he had to do was decipher the red DNA.
Zelgadiss ripped the piece of cloth in half, separating the two strands of DNA. The red DNA he placed in the already boiling blue mixture. It would define the DNA even more. Now he was supposed to cast a spell. Zelgadiss picked up the book he had obtained and recited the spell. Steam began to rise from the bowl of blue liquid until it began to take shape.
The transparent face of a tiny blue woman began to form in front of him. The eyes were narrowed and intense. Her hair curled at the ends, flowing bangs framed her face. A band crossed her forehead. And she was flat-chested.
Zelgadiss gasped. "Lina!" He dumped out the bowls and the bluish image faded. Zel shoved the book in his cape, grabbed his sword and rushed out of the door. In the night, he ran back towards the town he never again thought he'd visit. The town of Amelia's murder.
----
It was sunrise when he finally reached the town he had last seem Lina and Gourry. "I doubt she'll still be here, if it was her. But maybe the Innkeeper knows where she went. There's no way I can know."
Zelgadiss climbed the steps of the Inn and went straight upstairs, ignoring the Innkeeper's demand for payment. "Lina!" Zelgadiss roared as he neared the door of her room. "Lina!" He repeated himself. A heavy fist pounded on the wooden door. No answer came from inside so he forced the door open.
Zelgadiss stepped inside. He cold eyes scanned the room rapidly. Just as he was about to leave, he felt someone walk into the doorway. He froze, then slowly turned around.
There Lina stood, staring at Zelgadiss. She didn't say anything as Gourry walked up behind her. Zel was silent, a million thoughts flying through his head. The DNA magic didn't lie. It was too simple to be wrong. Lina, always the bold one, spoke first.
"Zel..." She sounded surprised to see him. "You're back."
He blinked, taken aback by her strange personality. Her eyes weren't as bright as he remembered and Gourry looked even more asleep than usual. Had they both gotten no sleep? He frowned at the thought, not wanting to explore the possibilities.
"Lina." Zel took a step forward, his expression impassive. He stopped, just standing in front of Lina.
"Zel?" She looked almost innocent, blinking up at him. But Zel knew better than to be taken in by her charm. She may look like a child, but she wasn't innocent.
Lina had killed Amelia. But now standing face to face, the words wouldn't come to mind. 'What could he say to her? How could she? After all this time...' Zel's eyes clouded. He was losing this battle.
"Raymia's dead," Gourry abruptly spoke up.
Zel's eyes widened and he took a step back.
"She stayed the night in my room with Lina. And when Lina woke up, there was she was. She bled to death beside Lina while she slept!" Gourry raised his voice, emotion swelling in him.
"What?!" His eyes immediently locked on Lina's.
Lina looked away. She felt guilty. A small price to pay. Was she guilty? She didn't know. Lina allowed her gaze to meet Zel's once again. "I don't know what happened. I don't know why I slept through it. How could I--"
"Lina, how?!" He yelled. "How could you do this?!"
Lina blinked. "What?!"
He was able to hold back any longer. "YOU killed Amelia!!" A rough reached out and wrapped around her slender throat. Gourry's jaw dropped and Lina let out a squeak as Zel held her against the wall. He glanced at Gourry. "Don't move or I'll kill her right now!"
"Zel!" Gourry yelled angrily, but stood helpless.
Tears had come to Lina's eyes as she looked up at Zel. "Ze-l.."
His eyes flashed as he forced her throat against the hard wood. She screamed in pain. Zel leaned in close so his face was almost touching hers. She winced, feeling his warm breath on her lips. She'd seen Zel mad before, but he'd never hurt her or any of them on purpose. Lina squinted and forced herself to look at him. "How could you, Lina? You traitor.. you monster!"
Suddenly, Lina kneed him in the stomach and dropped to the ground. Zel stumbled backwards at the force, but he wasn't injured. Lina ran across the room and called out Gourry's name as Zel reached towards her. In liquid movement, Gourry whipped out the Hikari no Ken and it blazed across the path between Zel and Lina. Zel gasped and stopped dead in his tracks just. The light blade was just inches from his face. A few strands of iron hair fell silently to the floor. Zel was gasping for breath. They all were. That sword was the only sword that Zel's chimera skin did not make him immune to. Gourry glared at him and lowered the sword towards his neck. Zel gritted his teeth and backed away slowly. Gourry kept him going into he was against the wall.
Lina stepped forward, her face now mirroring the dark expression the DNA magic had revealed to him earlier. Zelgadiss' eyes narrowed even though the Hikari no Ken was pressed to this throat.
"How dare you." Lina's voice was grave and dangerous. "How dare you betray me."
"You betrayed her!" Zelgadiss roared, then again as Gourry forced a small cut into his throat.
"No!" Lina cried out. "Gourry, don't." Gourry nodded in response and pulled the blade away slightly.
"Why did you come back, Zel? Why are you accusing me of this?" Her eyes searched Zel's expressionless face. Expressionless except for the hatred he bore for her. "Was it the visions or the my sword? How did you know, Zel?"
His eyes narrowed. 'So it was her.' But he decided to see what else she'd admit. "What visions? What do you mean your sword?"
Lina's eyebrows creased in confusion. 'If he didn't know about that, then why does he think its me?' "Why do you think it was me, Amelia's best friend, that murdered her?" Lina's voice cracked at the last segment of the sentence.
Zel scoffed. 'Lina always was a good actor, but... Is she acting now?' He held the questions in his eyes. "I ran a DNA test."
"A DNA test?" Gourry blinked.
"A DNA test is something that can recall a person's DNA from a strand of their hair or blood by using magic and certain formulas," Zel explained.
They had all relaxed instinctively, forgetting the threats of earlier, as they spoke.
"And the DNA you found was mine? On Amelia's clothes?" Lina asked.
Zel nodded. "Forgive me, Lina. But it's true. And the test won't lie." He looked at her.
Lina frowned, meeting his gaze. The tension built up. Gourry blinked, looking back and forth at Lina and Zel's faces. The Hikari no Ken had long since faded out once he lost the will to fight.
"But what about Raymia?" Gourry spoke up. Both Lina and Zel looked at him. Zel and Lina looked back at each other. She knew he wanted to ask some questions and she was just fine with answering them. Lina sighed, walked over to the small table and sat down.
"Well then, Zel. Let's begin the interrogation." Lina almost grinned.
"Hey! You're the one being interrogated!" Zel growled. He made his way over to the table but he didn't sit down. Gourry, looking as clueless as ever, probably still trying to figure out what an 'interrogation' was, walked over and sat down diagonal from Lina.
Zel looked at Lina and the atmosphere tensed again. "Tell me everything that has happened."
----
Lina started from the beginning when Raymia had rejoined them. She told him of the discovery of her sword being connected with Amelia's death. She told him of her waking up to the corpse of her friend, then of the second vision of herself killing Raymia. And what Xelloss had said.
When she was finally finished, she collapsed on the table and groaned. It was so annoying and tiring to tell long stories like that. Not to mention the lack of sleep she'd gotten lately. Lina lifted her head and glanced at Gourry. Of course, he was asleep. Lina sighed, sitting up again and looked at Zel.
Zel was apparently deep in thought. 'What's he thinking?' Lina's features tensed as she searched Zel's face. His eyebrows were creased. His rocky chin rested in a gloved hand, blue fingers wrapped around his chin. Strands of lavender fell across his forehead and in his eyes. His gaze was downward. He was analyzing all that he'd heard, deciding whether or not to believe Lina.
Then he looked up at her slowly, feeling her gaze on him. Lina blinked, almost startled. "Zel..?"
Zelgadiss crossed his arms, looking away from her. "I'm not going to get all sentimental, you know me, Lina. I believe you." Now he looked over at her. "Demo, I'm not leaving here until I avenge Amelia's death."
Lina nodded, then leaned over and whacked Gourry in the head.
"OW!! T.T" He sobbed, waking up. "Lina!!"
Lina grinned. "Let's go eat now! n_n"
Zel sighed as Lina dragged Gourry out of the room. "They'll never change..." He forced himself off the wall with one foot and followed them downstairs warily.
Zelgadiss' rocky eyebrows creased as he carefully dropped the piece of cloth into the bubbling solution. He'd done research and discovered that a person's DNA could be tracked through a strand of hair as well as blood. Now he was hidden away in an abandoned building playing scientist. Lina and the others assumed he'd abandoned them and Amelia, but they were wrong. He waited patiently until the thumbnail size of Amelia's clothing was sterile again.
"Almost done," Zelgadiss' tight lips parted briefly. His thoughts were bitter but he was determined to find the monster responsible for Amelia's death. After a few minutes, the pink liquid that embraced the cloth began to bubble. Zelgadiss reached in the trembling pool of acid and pulled out the cloth, resting it on the wooden table. The wood sighed under the damaging mixture. Zelgadiss paid no mind. It wasn't his table. The acid had searched the piece of cloth until it found the DNA. The first DNA came from the blood. That DNA was Amelia's. It was highlighted against the white cloth in green. The second DNA was from fingerprints. It was highlighted in red. Now all he had to do was decipher the red DNA.
Zelgadiss ripped the piece of cloth in half, separating the two strands of DNA. The red DNA he placed in the already boiling blue mixture. It would define the DNA even more. Now he was supposed to cast a spell. Zelgadiss picked up the book he had obtained and recited the spell. Steam began to rise from the bowl of blue liquid until it began to take shape.
The transparent face of a tiny blue woman began to form in front of him. The eyes were narrowed and intense. Her hair curled at the ends, flowing bangs framed her face. A band crossed her forehead. And she was flat-chested.
Zelgadiss gasped. "Lina!" He dumped out the bowls and the bluish image faded. Zel shoved the book in his cape, grabbed his sword and rushed out of the door. In the night, he ran back towards the town he never again thought he'd visit. The town of Amelia's murder.
----
It was sunrise when he finally reached the town he had last seem Lina and Gourry. "I doubt she'll still be here, if it was her. But maybe the Innkeeper knows where she went. There's no way I can know."
Zelgadiss climbed the steps of the Inn and went straight upstairs, ignoring the Innkeeper's demand for payment. "Lina!" Zelgadiss roared as he neared the door of her room. "Lina!" He repeated himself. A heavy fist pounded on the wooden door. No answer came from inside so he forced the door open.
Zelgadiss stepped inside. He cold eyes scanned the room rapidly. Just as he was about to leave, he felt someone walk into the doorway. He froze, then slowly turned around.
There Lina stood, staring at Zelgadiss. She didn't say anything as Gourry walked up behind her. Zel was silent, a million thoughts flying through his head. The DNA magic didn't lie. It was too simple to be wrong. Lina, always the bold one, spoke first.
"Zel..." She sounded surprised to see him. "You're back."
He blinked, taken aback by her strange personality. Her eyes weren't as bright as he remembered and Gourry looked even more asleep than usual. Had they both gotten no sleep? He frowned at the thought, not wanting to explore the possibilities.
"Lina." Zel took a step forward, his expression impassive. He stopped, just standing in front of Lina.
"Zel?" She looked almost innocent, blinking up at him. But Zel knew better than to be taken in by her charm. She may look like a child, but she wasn't innocent.
Lina had killed Amelia. But now standing face to face, the words wouldn't come to mind. 'What could he say to her? How could she? After all this time...' Zel's eyes clouded. He was losing this battle.
"Raymia's dead," Gourry abruptly spoke up.
Zel's eyes widened and he took a step back.
"She stayed the night in my room with Lina. And when Lina woke up, there was she was. She bled to death beside Lina while she slept!" Gourry raised his voice, emotion swelling in him.
"What?!" His eyes immediently locked on Lina's.
Lina looked away. She felt guilty. A small price to pay. Was she guilty? She didn't know. Lina allowed her gaze to meet Zel's once again. "I don't know what happened. I don't know why I slept through it. How could I--"
"Lina, how?!" He yelled. "How could you do this?!"
Lina blinked. "What?!"
He was able to hold back any longer. "YOU killed Amelia!!" A rough reached out and wrapped around her slender throat. Gourry's jaw dropped and Lina let out a squeak as Zel held her against the wall. He glanced at Gourry. "Don't move or I'll kill her right now!"
"Zel!" Gourry yelled angrily, but stood helpless.
Tears had come to Lina's eyes as she looked up at Zel. "Ze-l.."
His eyes flashed as he forced her throat against the hard wood. She screamed in pain. Zel leaned in close so his face was almost touching hers. She winced, feeling his warm breath on her lips. She'd seen Zel mad before, but he'd never hurt her or any of them on purpose. Lina squinted and forced herself to look at him. "How could you, Lina? You traitor.. you monster!"
Suddenly, Lina kneed him in the stomach and dropped to the ground. Zel stumbled backwards at the force, but he wasn't injured. Lina ran across the room and called out Gourry's name as Zel reached towards her. In liquid movement, Gourry whipped out the Hikari no Ken and it blazed across the path between Zel and Lina. Zel gasped and stopped dead in his tracks just. The light blade was just inches from his face. A few strands of iron hair fell silently to the floor. Zel was gasping for breath. They all were. That sword was the only sword that Zel's chimera skin did not make him immune to. Gourry glared at him and lowered the sword towards his neck. Zel gritted his teeth and backed away slowly. Gourry kept him going into he was against the wall.
Lina stepped forward, her face now mirroring the dark expression the DNA magic had revealed to him earlier. Zelgadiss' eyes narrowed even though the Hikari no Ken was pressed to this throat.
"How dare you." Lina's voice was grave and dangerous. "How dare you betray me."
"You betrayed her!" Zelgadiss roared, then again as Gourry forced a small cut into his throat.
"No!" Lina cried out. "Gourry, don't." Gourry nodded in response and pulled the blade away slightly.
"Why did you come back, Zel? Why are you accusing me of this?" Her eyes searched Zel's expressionless face. Expressionless except for the hatred he bore for her. "Was it the visions or the my sword? How did you know, Zel?"
His eyes narrowed. 'So it was her.' But he decided to see what else she'd admit. "What visions? What do you mean your sword?"
Lina's eyebrows creased in confusion. 'If he didn't know about that, then why does he think its me?' "Why do you think it was me, Amelia's best friend, that murdered her?" Lina's voice cracked at the last segment of the sentence.
Zel scoffed. 'Lina always was a good actor, but... Is she acting now?' He held the questions in his eyes. "I ran a DNA test."
"A DNA test?" Gourry blinked.
"A DNA test is something that can recall a person's DNA from a strand of their hair or blood by using magic and certain formulas," Zel explained.
They had all relaxed instinctively, forgetting the threats of earlier, as they spoke.
"And the DNA you found was mine? On Amelia's clothes?" Lina asked.
Zel nodded. "Forgive me, Lina. But it's true. And the test won't lie." He looked at her.
Lina frowned, meeting his gaze. The tension built up. Gourry blinked, looking back and forth at Lina and Zel's faces. The Hikari no Ken had long since faded out once he lost the will to fight.
"But what about Raymia?" Gourry spoke up. Both Lina and Zel looked at him. Zel and Lina looked back at each other. She knew he wanted to ask some questions and she was just fine with answering them. Lina sighed, walked over to the small table and sat down.
"Well then, Zel. Let's begin the interrogation." Lina almost grinned.
"Hey! You're the one being interrogated!" Zel growled. He made his way over to the table but he didn't sit down. Gourry, looking as clueless as ever, probably still trying to figure out what an 'interrogation' was, walked over and sat down diagonal from Lina.
Zel looked at Lina and the atmosphere tensed again. "Tell me everything that has happened."
----
Lina started from the beginning when Raymia had rejoined them. She told him of the discovery of her sword being connected with Amelia's death. She told him of her waking up to the corpse of her friend, then of the second vision of herself killing Raymia. And what Xelloss had said.
When she was finally finished, she collapsed on the table and groaned. It was so annoying and tiring to tell long stories like that. Not to mention the lack of sleep she'd gotten lately. Lina lifted her head and glanced at Gourry. Of course, he was asleep. Lina sighed, sitting up again and looked at Zel.
Zel was apparently deep in thought. 'What's he thinking?' Lina's features tensed as she searched Zel's face. His eyebrows were creased. His rocky chin rested in a gloved hand, blue fingers wrapped around his chin. Strands of lavender fell across his forehead and in his eyes. His gaze was downward. He was analyzing all that he'd heard, deciding whether or not to believe Lina.
Then he looked up at her slowly, feeling her gaze on him. Lina blinked, almost startled. "Zel..?"
Zelgadiss crossed his arms, looking away from her. "I'm not going to get all sentimental, you know me, Lina. I believe you." Now he looked over at her. "Demo, I'm not leaving here until I avenge Amelia's death."
Lina nodded, then leaned over and whacked Gourry in the head.
"OW!! T.T" He sobbed, waking up. "Lina!!"
Lina grinned. "Let's go eat now! n_n"
Zel sighed as Lina dragged Gourry out of the room. "They'll never change..." He forced himself off the wall with one foot and followed them downstairs warily.