Title: Love...or something like it.

Authoress: Ruby Moon Metallium

Summary: You're basic love triangle... hinted shounen-ai, lots of pairings.

Warning: Shounen-ai, X/L, X/F, X/Z, G/A, G/L, Z/L, Z/A and a slight bit of G/X

A/N: There we go! Maybe the next chapter will get here *shrugs* I said I was gonna take out the G/X but I decided to put a 'lil wee bit in it just for fun and to torment Lina^_^

D/C: I Ruby Moon Metallium, other wise known as Beatmistress Zelly, does not own Slayers but I do own the concept of this fic so no stealing my ideas....unless you pay me money^_^



She took up his hand and placed it on her waist, he held it there with a slight blush on his face. She looked up into his eyes to see his reaction as she tangled her long slender fingers in his, holding his hand carefully. A slow melody danced through the warm room, full of energy and ecstacy as the petite redhead boldly moved her body to the quickening rhythm. She brushed her body against his, as a sign to dance with her. Zelgadis turned his head and walked away from the girl.

"Zel..."Lina called after him. She raised her hand to stop him but he walked away briskly.

Lina dropped her arm back to her side and softly walked off the dance floor, not to Zelgadis, but to her own table in a dark corner. She placed her cheek onto the table, her eyes sunk to a dull, dead expression.

"What's wrong with my mind..." she abruptly said. "I worked so hard for Gourry to notice me but....When I'm with Zelgadis or Xellos, they both bring out feelings that I never thought I could feel for either of them. I can't possibly love all three...."

Lina raised her head off the table and looked around to spot either of the three men. She could only spot Gourry dancing with a graceful petite blonde with flowing hair and mischievous eyes. Her dance was light and quite skimpy in Lina's mind as well as her flashy attire. Her long, slender arms wrapped around Gourry's neck, never touching skin though. She removed them and pretended to run a hand down Gourry's chest.

Lina bent the nearest spoon in two and glared horribly. Lina's lips trembled, she bit down to stop the shaking but now they began to turn a shade of blue.

"You'll bite through your lips, Lina."

Lina spun around to see Zelgadis with a faint smile on his lips. She looked up at him to see his full expression, he seemed happy. Zel took up a chair next to Lina.

"Sorry for taking off Lina....It's just....." he trailed off.

"It's just what?" Lina questioned with a friendly face.

"It felt....weird....to dance with you...." he mumbled.

"Weird?" Lina blinked and then got the wrong impression. "ZELGADIS! You don't tell a girl THAT! You pervert!" She yelled and raised a hand to slap him.

"NO NO! NOT THAT FEELING LINAAAAAAA!!!" Zel pleaded.

Lina dropped her hand and smiled. "I know, you aren't that kind of guy to say such a thing."

"Then next time don't make like you're gonna slap me!" Zel glared.

Lina laughed and stuck out her tongue. "But if you did mean it that way.....you'd get more then just a slap..."

"Yeah....More likely a Dragon Slave." Zelgadis gulped.

Lina raised a brow but decided to let it slide "As you were saying...Why did you take off on me?"

Zelgadis looked her straight in the eyes, his gaze wavered a moment " Lina, can we change the subject?"

"Why? I think I deserve at least a bit of an explanation!" Lina huffed.

"You do but I can't offer one at the moment," Zel looked around briskly "And don't even try to give me hell for it. I have my reasons and I just think you should respect them....For once."

Lina leaned back in her chair, "Fine, I won't bother you about it but I would someday like that you trust me more than that. Sometimes I feel like I have to claw anything, if not everything, out of you. We're friends aren't we?" she said.

"We are, Lina. You're a good friend but just because you're a great friend doesn't mean I don't have the right to keep things to myself." he told her and got up off his chair to walk away again.

"You know Zel, if you don't want people in your life to share things why don't you stop leading them on like that. You lead me to believe you had something, well, important to tell me but I guess not. Why don't you ever try to find at least one person you can confide in and open up what you think a bit more?"

"Lina!" he snapped and turned around to her again, "Just shut up and leave me alone! How long does it take you to get that to your brain!? I said drop it!" he stomped off past her and the dance floor, out the door and gone.

"Geesh...Why is he acting like that!"

"Oh some people are just temperamental!" A familiar voice laughed. It was no one other than Xellos.

"Hey Xellos...." Lina sighed and looked uninterested in him.

"Oh? You're not happy to see me?"

"You tell me...You can sense it anyways!"

Xellos opened and eye, "Is it that 'time of the month', Lina?"

*BASH! CRASH! SNAP! SCREAM! YELP! POW! WHAM! SCREAM AGAIN!*

"Oh that was wonderful Lina! You always have such an impact with your fist! Always a delight!" said a totally massacred Xellos, who had a napkin sticking out of his ears.

Lina sighed and placed a hand over her face, she felt defeated and tired now but for some reason she had to smile. "Thanks Xellos."

"Eh? What did I do?" he said and pulled the napkin out of his head.

"You let me beat you up cause you knew it'd make me feel better." Lina grinned.

"....If you say so...I just like how hard you punch ^_^"

"...." Lina glanced at him and shrugged, "Anyway...I haven't seen you all night Xellos!"

"I was with Filia. She got drunk so I took her back to the Inn." he explained.

"Oh? You have better not raped her!" Lina cracked her knuckles.

"No no! She was just drunk so I helped her back. You wouldn't believe what she told me either Lina-chan! She knows all about our bet! It seems she overheard you talking to Zelgadis the other day."

"She what?!" Lina slammed her fist on the table top.

"Yup. She knows everything!" Xellos laugh at Lina's horrified face.

'That must mean she knows about the *other* thing I told Zel! She must know now how I feel about Xellos!' Lina thought.

Xellos was amused by Lina's silence, "You didn't perhaps say something during that conversation that you shouldn't have now did you Lina?"

"Why would you get that idea!?"

Xellos just tilted his head and laughed, "No reason Lina-chan. But I don't think this bet is fun anymore..."

"So you quit?"

"Well....how about we talk more about this later. Perhaps Tomorrow. Right now it's best you find your companions and bring them back to the Inn before they are too drunk to walk."

"Too drunk to walk?" Lina looked over at the bar, there was Amelia and Gourry now sitting together with many shot glasses around them, "I see what you mean...Would you please help me collect them?"

"I don't see why not. I had to bring Filia back, might as well bring the rest of them too."

"Great! You take Gourry! I'll deal with Amelia. "Lina explained their plan of action to her mazoku friend.

"And Zelgadis? Where is he?" Xellos asked innocently.

"Took off on me..."

"Fighting again?"

"Shut up, and grab jellyfish brains over there." Lina glared.

Xellos and Lina picked up Gourry and Amelia respectively and walked out the door with them on their backs. Amelia was murmuring something in her semiconscious sleep and Gourry only drooled all over Xellos's shoulder.

"Gourry is quite built isn't he Lina-chan?" Xellos asked as he tried to balance the swordsman on his back.

Lina blushed and muttered a bit, "Why you asking me that....I wouldn't know!"

"He has such strong legs!" Xellos passed his hand over the sleeping mans thigh.

Lina was horribly embarrassed! She knew Xellos was only teasing he but... "Leave him alone Xellos!" she growled.

"Territorial?"

"Darkness beyond twilight..."

"Yare Yare! I was only joking!" Xellos sighed.

Lina smiled and walked along Xellos in the moonlight with Amelia on her back and Gourry on his. She quickly glanced at Xellos and smiled. She had no idea what was going on nor what to do but for a solemn moment she knew that whatever was to come, she could look back at all this like a lesson learned.

~*~*~*~

Yes! I finally have finished my 6th chapter (so what if it's short?!)! I'm so happy! It's my longest fic! I think I'm gonna draw myself some fanart for my fic! Ja ne!