Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine… so don't sue. Slayers was created by Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi, unfortunately, not me.
A/N: Well, I shall warn you straight out that this first chapter will be very traumatic to Z/A fans. I AM WARNING YOU. But don't flame me for it without reading the next 2 chapters! BUT, it's all setting up to an eventual happy ending. I am a Z/A fanatic a heart and can't stand a sad ending. That said, I'll get on with it.
Heart Broken
"Princess Amelia, there is a man here to see you."
Amelia looked up at the servant at her shoulder. "Just a minute, Marlin, the council session is almost over."
"Shall I tell him you will be down in ten minutes?"
"Yes, that will be fine." She turned back to the rest of the council, and Marlin took that as a dismissal.
Amelia wrapped up the issue over the grain export and excused herself from the council table, wondering who this mysterious visitor could be.
Maybe, just maybe, it's… Amelia squelched her hope before it could grow any further. Every day for the past year she had hoped he would come back… it was useless to hope now. He's too busy trying to find his cure… but if he finds it, I know he'll come back. I know it.
Amelia stopped at a mirror on the way down the hall to make sure her hair wasn't mussed, the continued on her way. Who could it be, if it isn't… him? Amelia had stopped using his name, it just made waiting for him even more difficult. Could be just about anybody. If it were a visiting dignitary, he would want to see daddy, or request a formal appearance. Who would want to see me, personally?
When Amelia opened the door to the receiving room, she thought her heart would stop. Standing by the wall was a man dressed head to toe in tan, a mask covering the lower half of his face. He was obviously a fighter, from the sword strapped at his belt and his balanced stance. His blue, wiry hair framed a face that was too polished to been skin. Amelia knew that it was rock.
"Zelgadis-san?" Amelia still couldn't believe it was him, after over a year. He nodded. She rushed over to him and threw her arms around his neck. "I missed you, Zelgadis-san, but I knew you would come back!"
Zelgadis didn't say anything, or even hug her back, and Amelia looked up at him, confused. She was almost as tall as he was, now, the top of her head coming up to his nose. "Is there something wrong?"
Zelgadis pushed her away, roughly. "No. I just came to give this back." He reached into his pocket and brought out the bracelet she had given him over a year before. "See you." He turned and started to walk out the door.
"Wait, Zelgadis-san!" Amelia called after him. "Aren't you going to stay for a while?"
"No." He had only paused for a moment, and now continued walking.
"Why not? I want to know what you've been doing." Zelgadis slowly turned around to see her hopeful eyes.
He turned on her, suddenly angry. "You want, you want. Well, you can't always get what you want." He started to turn back.
Amelia, hurt, looked at the floor. "Well, are you ever going to come back again?"
"I doubt it." Zelgadis was almost at the door now.
"Why not?" Amelia almost yelled, on the brink of tears. "Don't you care at all? I haven't seen you for a year, and you haven't three words to say to me!"
Zelgadis whipped around to face her for one last time. "You want three words? Here they are: Go away, Amelia. Get out of my life. You just don't know when to give up, do you? You're the most annoying little spoiled brat I've ever met, running after me like some kind of sick puppy. For one last time, Amelia, go away!" He went out the door in a rage, slamming it behind him.
Amelia couldn't believe what she just heard. It couldn't be true. It couldn't… could it? "I can't believe you, Zelgadis!" she couldn't even call him 'san' anymore. "I thought you could care, I thought you had a heart! Now I see that you're just a big rock, inside and out! You don't care at all!" she sobbed. "You don't even care that I love you!" Amelia choked those last three words out, collapsing to her knees as tears ran down her cheeks.