A/N- well here it is, the epilogue of my weird story with a pretty much non-existent storyline….that's how all my stories turn out, twixt the madness.

Oh well. C'est la vie.

(by the way, if you want Zel to stay a chimera, you probably shouldn't read this.)

A few years later….

'Look Zelgadis I really don't CARE whether you're looking for your damn cure or not!'

'A-Amelia?'

The princess in question stomped the ground with her foot, holding her horse by its reins in the road where she had accosted the young man.

'You heard me! I haven't seen you in ages! Come on, Gourry and Lina are at the palace too, and for some reason Val and Xelloss dropped in together.'

'Eh?'

'Val said he was working peacefully in his mother's sho when all of a sudden, he heard Filia scream, "namagomi!', and Xelloss appear right in front of him. Of course Val grabbed him to find out what he was doing and Xelloss teleported- taking Val with him.'

'Oh.' Zelgadis said with a smile. Amelia watched him. He remained unchanged, through the years, unlike the rest of them. At least, his physical appearance didn't alter- but she noticed he was smiling more, easier to make laugh than when she had first met him…almost ten years ago, now…

'We're not getting any younger.' She murmured. He raised an eyebrow (insofar he had one)

'What was that, princess?'

'I SAID come with me! You're in my kingdom, you know.'

Zelgadis looked at the ground under his feet and back at Amelia. His mouth twitched.

'Right. Yes, your majesty.'

'Zelgadis!' Lina screamed, and flung herself on the chimera.

'Eech- nice to see you too, Lina.' Zel managed. 'Hi, Gourry. How's married life treating you?' his blue gaze fell on the small child, about three years old.

'Oh my god.'

'That's exactly what I said.' Val said from where he had sat on the stairs. Like his mother and Xelloss, Val remained a late-teenager, his golden eyes and gravity-defying aqua hair remained unchanged. The child toddled up to Zelgadis and tapped his hand, then put it in her mouth.

'Ow! You're HARD!'

'That's right. Uh, Lina-'

'Her name is Rina Gabriev.' Lina grinned. 'Rina, this is Zelgadis Greywords, I told you about him.'

'That's right!' the tiny child smiled widely, her blue eyes regarding him. She didn't have the quick extreme moods or her mother, Zelgadis noted, and heaved a sigh of relief. 'Mummy and Daddy told me about you. You're not half as scary as I thought you'd be.'

'Oh.' Zelgadis said, taken aback. He began to smile. 'Thankyou, Rina. Do you know any spells yet?'

'Mummy taught me a fireball!' she said proudly.

'Really?' Xelloss's eyebrows shot up. 'Good grief. ANOTHER walking inferno.'

'What was that Xelloss?' Lina growled, cracking her knuckles. Zelgadis and Gourry snickered.

'So, Val, how's Filia?'

'She's all right, Fuming I daresay at the moment though-'

'I'll go see, shall I?' Xelloss said brightly, disappearing from view. Val sighed.

'He's been popping in a lot lately.' The dragon told the group as Zelgadis leaned on the wall by Amelia. 'He has WAY too much free time.'

'Oh, popping in has he?' Amelia said, looking very Lina-like. Zelgadis reflecting Lina had settled down in Sailoon. This meant more time with Lina for Amelia. Oh dear.

'He hasn't visited me in three years!'

Val lifted an eyebrow.

'I like Mr Xelloss,' Rina said hanging onto her father's hand, 'he's funny!'

'Funny in the head, you mean.' Zelgadis muttered. This drew some laughter from the group. They all felt light-headed, being together again, and not off on some dare-devil quest to save the world. Xelloss re-appeared.

'Where's Filia?'

'Strange thing,' Xelloss said, scratching his head, 'she wasn't there.'

'Xelloss-' growled Lina. Val's muscles tensed.

'What have you-'

'I didn't do anything, I swear!' Xelloss pleaded. 'She wasn't there! I-'

'HELLO EVERYONE!'

Cleo and Kai'ila flung open the doors to the palace. L'risia had her eyes covered in embarrassment. Filia was walking alongside her and Casper, and leading, on a piece of golden thread-

'Oh my-' Xelloss murmured. 'The unicorn. It has returned to Fi-chan.'

Val looked sidelong at the man. He'd been talking to himself-

'Xelloss, you realise you're calling Filia Fi-chan even when you're talking to yourself, don't you?' Lina piped up. Xelloss looked at her, rising from his thoughts.

'Huh?'

'You're calling her Fi-chan.' Lina persisted. 'I bet if you ever slept you'd call her that in your SLEEP.'

'Don't be silly.' He snorted, and ducked the mace that was thrown at his head. 'Watch it, Fi-chan you could hurt someone!'

'That was the idea YOU FRUITCAKE!!'

'I think that's the most polite thing she's ever called him.' L'risia said to the room in general. 'So, how is everyone?'

Zelgadis noted something.

'Did everyone but Val and me know that Lina and Gourry had a child?' he asked. Lina scowled at him.

'Yes! You were, of course, off wandering, weren't you! You never consider us! It's always YOU, YOU YOU YOU INCONSIDERATE LOWLIFE!'

The flames died down. Rina came out from behins the vase.

'I think she missed you.' Kai'ila told Zelgadis.

'Sory Lina.' Zelgadis muttered. Lina walked- no, strode, in a circle around him, waving her arms.

'But you aren't are you?! It's always been for your cure! Sure, yous top and help us along the way, but it's ALWAYS for the goddamn cure! When will you get it through you thick skull that WE, of all people, couldn't care less if your skin was normal, stone, or HOT PINK! Which you go quite often when you're embarrassed! You never stop to consider out feelings, every time you go dancing off into the sunset!'

Xelloss, Kai'ila and Casper began to giggled at the mental image. Everyone else had their mouths on the floor as Lina continued to rant.

'We never know where you are, if you're even still alive you numbskull! You never even WRITE! I mean I even got a letter from Cleo and the others last year! Xelloss drops by to annoy me occasionally but you- you just LEAVE! We're ALWAYS seeing the back of you!'

Gourry placed a hand on her shoulder and the woman drew in deep breaths, eyes raging. Zelgadis stared around the hall. Amelia was looking at him steadily, agreeing with Lina. Filia remained serene. L'risia inclined her head, very slowly. Val shrugged. Xelloss had his tounge in his cheek, shrugged and nodded.

'I-' Zelgadis began, and found he had no words to say. He felt very alone-

'You're NOT!' Cleo shouted, slamming a fist onto the table. He jumped.

'You read my mind!'

'I only do it when I have to! Zelgadis this is what Lina's been trying to tell you! You're not alone. If you were, she wouldn't have yelled at you!'

Zelgadis watched his friends again. Lina subsided.

'I- I'm sorry, Zel, but-' he placed a hand on her mouth.

'I'm truly sorry but my cure-'

L'risia slapped her forehead.

'It's fixed in your mind, isn't it.' Amelia said sourly. He shuddered, and passed a hand across his eyes, aware it had become an obsession.

'We can actually help.' L'risia said quietly from her corner, stepping into the light. 'Zel- well- we can see into the souls of people- and I know yours is torn apart.' Kai'ila tapped his chest. 'I can't see that so- the other received payment for their deeds a long time ago, but you waned to be left alone, so Filia has agreed to help.'

'Help?'

Filia stepped forward with the unicorn. 'You want to me human, Zelgadis?'

He nodded, dumbly.

'Your powers may diminish a bit.' Cleo warned him. 'You will need to practice hard to regain them.'

Zelgadis nodded, mouth dry. They were offering to turn him back-

'And no more jumping in the way of cannon balls either.'

'Or letting yourself get hit in a swordfight.'

'Standing in the middle of Lina's fireballs.'

'You'll have to learn how to swim, too.'

'And by a hairbrush, although I have a feeling your hair is just one of those kinds that just bounce back like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards.'

'OKAY!' Zelgadis laughed, hands on his ears. 'I know! Just do it!'

Cleo shrugged at the others, and it seemed to Zel that the girls in the room all looked at Amelia, for a fraction of a second. The girl was tense, half off her seat in apprehension.

'Hands on the unicorn.' Cleo ordered. Zelgadis put trembling hands on the unicorn, and gasped as the world went blazing white before his eyes.

'What-' Val began as Zel's eyes snapped wide open and stared into something out of this world. Xelloss held him back as L'risia held out her hands, forming a blade of pure white light, the same white of shifting colours that glowed from underneath the unicorn's skin. She opened her eyes, now pure orbs of the same.

'L'risia?'

Her friends held Zelgadis's hands firmly on the unicorn. He was yelling in pain as white flames licked at his body. L'risia leapt up, hanging in the air and the sword over one shoulder. Then she dropped like a leopard, bringing the blade down and through in a flashing arc of light that blinded all present.

Casper took his arm away from his eyes, and pulled Rina to her feet, silently passing the scared child to her mother, who rested her on her hip lovingly. Val rubbed his eyes and blinked. L'risia drew herself up, panting. The white light had faded. Filia stepped back, taking the unicorn, and the three priestesses knelt by the ivory-clad figure in the centre of the room.

'Well?' whispered someone.

Kai'ila rolled the boy over, revealing violet-blue hair, soft but still feral, and cream-white skin that, for a moment, throbbed with white, shifting colours, and was then gone…

Amelia dived forward. L'risia stood and stepped away, letting her through. Amelia's fingers stroked the smooth, soft skin on his cheek.

'He's bloody gorgeous.' Kai'ila stated, folding her arms.

'Humph.' Casper snorted.

'Oh not as cute as you dear.'

'I'm going to be sick.' Xelloss, Cleo and L'risia said at the same time.

'Gourry and Val, could you take Zelgadis to a guest room?' Amelia asked, voice trembling.

'So, what did you think of him?' Cleo asked. Amelia took a deep breath.

'He's just as handsome now as he was before.'

Dead silence. Then L'risia wolf-whistled.

'Amelia! You have changed!'

'Can we do the whole gossip thing INSIDE the hot springs?' Lina grumbled, jerking a thumb at the male members of the party behind them. Zelgadis was talking animatedly with Gourry, a smile on his face.

'I've never see him this happy.' Lina murmured. 'I'm glad.'

'I'll say. Maybe we can get him to come to some night clubs!' Cleo grinned as they entered the change rooms.

'I think we wouldn't be able to stop the man.' L'risia grumbled. Kai'ila poked her.

'You're coming to, Miss Anti-social.'

'I am not- oh all right maybe I am.'

'And Val can come too!' Cleo said mischievously as her friend got into the water. L'risia froze and tinged pink across her nose. Amelia looked nervous.

'Uh, Miss L'ri-'

'OU TAKE THAT BACK!' L'risia shouted with a grin, sweeping her hand through the water and soaking her friend, who squealed as the hot water touched her.

'Ooh you'll pay!'

Soon a full-scale fight was on. Over the wall, Xelloss grinned and began to levitate, stopped by Val calmly pulling on his ankle.

'Don't event think about it, Xelloss.' He said calmly. Zelgadis sighed and leaned of the edge of the pool.

'I'm going to need to get a tan.' He said to no one in particular.

 Gourry snickered and then sputtered as a stray glob of water smacked his head.

'Ow!'

'Sorry!' Filia shouted. 'RINA! Lina, your daughter has a bucket-'

The men sat in silence for a little longer.

'Women.' Val said eventually.

'Yeah. Have a drink.'

And they all lived happily ever after…

Perhaps the bluest part of the sky always seems furthest, so that we will always strive to reach it.

- Himura Kenshin.