Title: Love...or something like it.

Authoress: Ruby Moon Metallium

Summary: You're basic love triangle... hinted shounen-ai, lots of pairings. This is truly Xellos's fault!

Warning: Shounen-ai, X/L, X/F, X/Z, X/G, G/A, G/L, Z/L, Z/A

A/N: ah, 3 chapter up! *mumbles* damn school keeps getting in my way...-_- oh well. Just R&R for me.

D/C: Yes, I own it. Just like I own the internet and chat rooms and anime and kitties! Can't forget the kitties! And I own the world if you were just wondering. *sarcastic grin* you all wish I did anyway....lol j/k

~*~*~*~

Everyone kept walking...and walking...and more walking! Obviously they had gotten lost. Lina knew it was a bad idea to let Gourry lead the group. They have been walking for the past ½ hour, Lina knew it had only taken her 15 minutes at the most to find them in the woods.

"Gourry, you air for brains! Do you even know we're going!?" Lina snapped finally.

"Oh Lina, don't worry...if we really must, I can just teleport out of these woods." Xellos laughed.

"How would THAT help us?" Lina growled.

"I never said it'd help you...."

"Xellos....Don't make me hurt you!"

"I was only kidding Lina. Besides, I can't leave you here."

"Why is THAT Xellos!?" Filia questioned. She stood at his side with her hands on her hips, she glared.

"Well, poor Lina needs to be taken care of since some selfish dragon priestess hit her in the face with her mace." Xellos mocked Filia. Filia didn't have time to respond before Lina interrupted.

"Oh Xellosssss...." Lina hissed. "Come over here for a moment."

"Yes Lina?" Said Xellos once he teleported over.

"Don't forget about our little compromise, I really don't want to give you a free meal but if it makes you be good I'll do anything at this point."

"Oh miss Lina! It's harder to be nice than it looks!"

"Just do it....Just this one thing for me." Lina pleaded and looked into his eyes. He had opened them to look at Lina better. She smile at him and he blushed furiously, before Lina got a glance of this he quickly made his way back to the front of the group with Filia.

"Sorry Filia...." He murmured to the dragon.

"Huh?" Filia though he had just said sorry to her. "E-excuse me?"

"I shouldn't tease you so much...." He grumbled.

Filia lost all her words. She just looked at Xellos blankly. "Uh...Wa-Xel...You...huh?!"The group walked in peace for the rest of the way. It seemed Gourry really did know the way out. Lina mused, jellyfish brains really did know his way.

~*~*~*~

"Boy, where did you all go!? Lina what's with your face!?" Zelgadis said as the group walked into the inn.

" Woods, Filia....mace...sleep!" Lina said in one big blur before she collapsed in Zelgadis's arms. She was fast asleep before he could realize what had happened.

"Oh dear, miss Lina is exhausted!" Xellos sighed. " Filia, you should take care."

Filia almost gasped, Xellos didn't make a dirty dig at her at all. " Uhh... I guess I should." Filia murmured.

It was Xellos's turn to be amazed. Filia didn't bitch at him or complain about his suggestion. " Uh, Zelgadis...Pass Lina to me."

Zelgadis glared at Xellos but then reluctantly passed the sleeping Lina in his arms. "I'll bring her to her room for you Filia." Xellos said and then walked away with Lina in his arms. Filia followed close behind as they climbed the steps.

"That was....Weird...." Amelia commented. She was right, everyone was acting weird. Xellos was being overly nice to Lina and Filia. Lina was obviously angry at Gourry for spending time with Amelia, Filia was calm around Xellos as if they were old friends and Zelgadis kept glaring at Xellos for some reason.

Zelgadis sat down in a chair. He would of thought Amelia would have jumped to his side the moment he sat down but she was....talking to Gourry!? They seemed to be talking about something very interesting because soon they both sat at a table and blabbed on and on about something.

"Oh! You had a dog too when you're a kid, Gourry!?" Amelia was excessively giddy as she talked with Gourry.

"Yeah, his name was Marcus....But he died..." Gourry sniffled a bit, he remembered his poor dog.

"Awwwww, that's so sad!" Amelia comforted him. Zelgadis was very confused, since when did Amelia and Gourry become this close? Not that he was jealous or anything...

Zelgadis got up and walked to Lina's room. Filia had the ice bag on Lina's face, Xellos was sitting by the window looking out over the town. Neither were fighting or complaining, nor was Lina running around.

"Filia, want me to look after Lina? You must be tired as well." Zelgadis said. He was leaning up against the frame of the door. Filia looked up and smiled.

"Would you mind, Zelgadis?" Filia asked nicely. Zelgadis nodded and took Filia's place by Lina. Xellos looked over to where Filia was but the moment she was gone, so was he. Zelgadis sat next to Lina and held the ice bag on her face lightly now.

"Zel...?" Lina murmured half awake.

"Yeah Lina, it's me."

"What are you doing here? Where's Filia?" She asked. Obviously she was asleep when Zelgadis entered the room.

"She's gone to take a break, Lina." He stated and then continued. "Why did you really make that deal with Xellos?"

"I know what you must be thinking Zelgadis. You're thinking that I set this up so I could get a date with Xellos or something. Or maybe you think I'm trying to make Gourry jealous. And right off the bat I'm going to tell you flat out it was either of those reasons. Sure Xellos is nice but I'd never like him THAT way. And so what if stupid Gourry hasn't payed attention to me this whole damn week!? If that's what you're thinking you're dead wrong!" Lina huffed and then removed the ice from her face to look at Zelgadis who was utterly stunned by what she had just blurted out.

" I- I never thought any of that.....well maybe the Xellos thing came to mind....So are you saying that you really did this to help Filia?"

"I suppose. At first it was because I thought all their fighting was going to kill me so I had to end it somehow before I lost my mind but then....I dunno....maybe somewhere in my mind I thought I had a chance to be with Xellos. It's obvious now that maybe I like him more then I say and that all this was my subconscious telling me what to do to not feel so lonely anymore."

"....You feel lonely?"

"Sometimes, when I think that I could of had something with Gourry but I missed my chance long time ago. I know you feel that way sometimes Zelgadis. You keep so much to yourself even though Amelia wanted to help you. Now I'm sure you've seen how buddy-buddy her and Gourry have become after only a day." Lina said and looked at him with her big eyes. She was very pretty as she stared into his....even though she had bruises marking her cheek and forehead, not to mention a few cuts on her chin and lips.

"You look so pathetic Lina Inverse...." Zelgadis sighed. He couldn't help but laugh at her. She glared and then plopped the ice back on her face.

"You're not one to talk Zel..." Lina nudged him with her elbow.

"I have a few things to take care of Lina. Will you be alright here by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She smiled under the ice bag. One would think it was cold on her face but Lina didn't have much feeling in her visage anyway at the moment.

Zelgadis left leaving Lina alone in her room to sleep. She rested for another hour or so before she walked down stairs all refreshed, except for her face that was still looking like she was run over by speeding horses.

"Hey guys." She said as she took a seat with Amelia and Gourry.....who were still on the subject about they're past pets and how the met their demise. Amelia was telling Gourry about her pet goldfish named Pheobix who was eaten by her cat named Justice III that died from rat poisoning.

"Hi miss Lina..." Amelia said and then got back to her story. "Pheobix was such a nice fish.... She was so beautiful! But Justice III was only following her intuition I guess..." Amelia sighed.

"Hey Lina, feeling better?" Gourry said ½ paying attention to Lina.

"Yeah....I guess....The ice started to feel cold so I knew it was time to give that a break." Lina said but Gourry wasn't really paying attention. "....And then a swordfish chopped off my left arm and tried to feed it to L-sama herself but I got it back just in time before Gaav made a soup out of it. So then I reattached it with the Dragon Slave of course...." Lina waited for a reaction but Gourry was only listening to Amelia.

He nodded a bit. "Yeah Lina....Dragon Slave soup sounds good...." He obviously was to tie up with Amelia's story to notice her.

"I figured you'd like it..." Lina snarled and the stormed off bitterly.

She sat down by herself at a new table and ordered as much food as she would have eaten if Gourry were with her. Once the food came she barely poked at it for she really didn't feel like eating.

"What's the matter Lina-chan?" Xellos appeared out of thin air next to Lina.

"Nothing's the matter Xellos. Go away." She grumbled and then started shoving the food in her face. She really didn't feel like having Xellos bugging her at the moment.

"Xellos, leave Miss Lina alone." Filia said as she entered the inn. Xellos simply nodded and helped Filia with her shopping bags. Filia was a bit shocked but didn't mind the help.

"Thank you, Xellos." Filia murmured.

"No need to thank me Filia." Xellos said with his genki smile. If Filia only knew he was only being nice because of his deal with Lina she would have smashed his face in with mace-sama but seeing how she didn't know of such things, she blushed furiously. Lina looked over to them and smiled. Xellos was actually trying to be nice to the dragon priestess.

"Wow, you two have been acting like good friends lately. Is there something you're not telling us?" Lina joked.

Xellos shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly but Filia blushed horribly and then yelled at Lina. "Miss Lina! How could you ever say such a thing! I would never be an 'item' with namagomi! If it wasn't that I've already hurt you today with my mace, you'd be doing a face plant into a tree!"

"She's only joking Filia. Don't get angry over that. She's just trying to bug you." Xellos said simply. Of course he was enjoying her freak out but he couldn't join in the fun for he'd lose to Lina and he really didn't want that. He had to be good, he must be good....He even tried with all his might to be good believe it or not.

"Since when have you and Miss Lina switched roles?!" Filia glared at the both of them. Lina shrugged and Xellos only stood there with a smile on his face. "You're all crazy! You're all planing something evil against me. I'm sure of it!" Filia cried and ran off to her room.

"She really doesn't trust me, does she?"

"Nahhhh...What gave you THAT idea Xellos? Would you be a little nervous if the person who bugs you the most started acting like your best friend?"

"Eh....."Xellos blinked. "I suppose that's logical enough. But it'd be much more fun if she played along with me."

"Xellos, you're such a fruitcake." Lina sighed.

"Oh that wasn't very nice Miss Lina!" Xellos smiled wickedly and then teleported himself into Lina's lap. He bent forward to give her a kiss on the cheek but she pushed him off her and onto the floor before he could press his lips to her blushing face

"Xellos, get off Lina." Zelgadis sighed. He had just stepped in the door way when all this was happening.

"Oh Zelgadis, don't get jealous that I like Lina a bit more the you." Xellos teased. He teleported next to Zelgadis now and wrapped his arms around his next and leaned in to kiss him but he stopped upon feeling something hard press against him. "Enjoying yourself Zelgadis?" Xellos asked as he whispered into Zelgadis's ear.

"Wrong sword, Xellos. Now get off me before I decide to castrate you." Zelgadis hissed in a low voice so Lina wouldn't hear him. Xellos decided it was best not to push Zelgadis today. Oh well, there was always other people to flirt with.

"What are you two doing?!" Lina yelled. She really couldn't imagine Xellos and Zelgadis being so close to each other. Xellos backed off from Zelgadis. Once Xellos had moved out of Lina's way she saw Zelgadis slipping his sword back into it's holder.

"Zelgadis, that's a nice way to get Xellos off of you. Mind if next time I borrow your sword?" Lina laughed and walked over to Zelgadis.

"Be my guest Lina." Zelgadis smiled a real smile. They both laughed at Xellos who pouted next to them.

"Oh fine, be that way." Xellos playfully pouted. "I have to go find Fi-chan anyway. Ja ne!" Xellos said and quickly disappeared.

"Can you believe he's actually going to try and win your bet?" Zelgadis mused.

"Either way, it doesn't bother me. As long as Filia isn't crying her eyes out and running away with then money, I'm happy."

"....Just remember what you told me earlier. And remember Xellos is a Mazoku." Zelgadis said as he walked away to his room.

Lina decided to go back to her room as well.

~*~*~*~

I decided to add a bit more X/Z action for MoroTheWolfGod. ^_^' there might even be more. Now to write the next chapter!!! Hooray! Hooray!