Title: Love...or something like it.

Authoress: Ruby Hayashi (Otherwise known as Ruby Moon Metallium so on and so forth)

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: Last chapter. C'mon motivation!

D/C: Slayers no mine. Me no own. Me own idea for fic though.



Lina awoke the next morning with her furious red hair spread out all over her pillow and on her face. She rolled over, eyes open but still not focused and looked at Amelia who was certainly going to have a hangover that morning. Lina propped herself up on her side and yawned. She pushed her legs off the side of her warm bed and placed her feet on the slightly cold floor.

Lina walked out of her room, closed the door silently, turned around.... right into Zelgadis who had just turn the corner at the same time. She looked up into his annoyed blue eyes. He pushed her back and walked to the door of his room. He turned the nob slowly to not make a sound. Lina glared at him. He just pushed her aside! He wasn't even going to say good morning?!

"Zel!" She said a little louder than she wanted to. Her eyes darted from side to side to make sure she didn't wake anyone up.

Zelgadis released the nob, sighed and walked back to her. She stood there, her hair matted, a little bit of mascara from last night smudged under her eyes, Zelgadis took it all in. She still made his heart run. He nervously scratched at his arm, trying to distract himself from her petite figure wrapped in her silk pyjamas.

"Quit being an ass Zel, you're acting like a stupid child! You wont tell me what's bothering..." Lina trailed off. This was exactly what she had done last night to Zelgadis that made him walk away from her.

"...And it's really none of my business but....but Zelgadis....Sometimes, sometimes I worry and it's hard not to worry for someone you care about. I'm sorry for always getting in your way and acting like a brat and for pushing you to do things you don't want to. I'm sorry for everything last night and any time before that. I'm sorry for stopping you every time you want to leave and I'm sorry for being insensitive towards your wishes...."

Lina bowed her face to the floor to hide it from Zelgadis. He looked down on her, her arms limp to her side. He wondered if she was crying, his answer was found when she began shaking and little hicks of breath were heard from the deep of her throat. She locked her arms around her form and walked down the staircase, never once looking back at Zelgadis. He was battling to go after her or to leave her alone.

'I'm going to run after her....' he thought as his legs started to run down the stairs. 'I'm running after the girl I thought I gave up on....'

Zelgadis stopped, she wasn't in the living room, she wasn't there at all. She ran out of the door he figured as the door was ajar. He stepped out into the deserted street. She wasn't anywhere's to be seen but that didn't stop Zelgadis. He listened closely, bare foot steps were pattering across the ground to the west.



*~*~*~*

Filia burst out of her room, looking about. She had heard talking and then two people running down the flight of stairs. She walked to the livingroom in her nightgown and only found Xellos sitting sipping a cup of tea.

"Good morning Filia!" He chirped.

"Who ran down here? Did you see them?"

Xellos opened his eyes, looked at Filia for a long moment and shrugged, "Lina and Zelgadis."

"Why? Were they fighting?" She asked, a little baffle to why they'd both be running so early in the morning.

"Something of the likes. Would you like some tea? It's a lovely brew, Autumn Crisp I believe."

"Alright, I might as well since I'm up now." Filia hesitated to sit next to Xellos.

"What?" Xellos frowned. Filia had never seen him look offended like that before. Usually everything he did was a facade.

"Oh....sorry....I'm just a little confounded....Why are you being nice? Didn't you give up the bet with Lina?"

"Oh....Yes we did..."

"So! What's with the act!?"

"What act?" Xellos turned his head, looking towards the window as if it suddenly was fascinating.

"You! You're still being nice and civil to me!" She stood up and almost knocked the table over. Xellos quickly stabled it.

"Let's just call it.....a new habit.....for now..." He turned towards her again and flashed a grin.



*~*~*~*~*

Zelgadis walked towards a well. He could only see the top of Lina's fiery hair. She was sitting her back against the opposite side of the well. He gulped, why was he chasing her?! She didn't love him, she couldn't. So why was he so willing to fight for his desire? Somewhere, deep within him, Zelgadis knew the answers. You can't let love slip away from you, no matter how hopeless everything looks. Love is all about the fight. The fight to win someone special.

He sat down , back to Lina, resting on the well as well, "You pick interesting places to run away to." he said suddenly. She didn't respond.

"We're so different aren't we Lina? You're so full of raw emotions. You can always speak up and tell anyone what you feel."

"You'd think that huh?" Lina scoffed.

"It always seems that way. Did you have fun with Xellos last night? Or Maybe you found your way back to Gourry..." Zelgadis bit back.

"Oh I had loads of fun with both. Why, couldn't you tell by the way I was with them this morning?"Lina said sarcastically.

"But really, who's won your heart? I bet Xellos has gotten you to swallow every lie he tells you. Did he tell you how much he loves you? Did he say it until he made himself sick because you were just so happy to hear someone say it?!" Zelgadis said ignoring her comment.

"You know what gets me about you Zel? You can tell everyone to just piss off, to leave you alone and yet you can't take the hint yourself!"

"Hmm...not today anyways. Today I have a reason. I have something to settle, then I can move on..." Zelgadis crawled around the well to Lina. He looked at her, she wore a shocked expression. She couldn't read his motives. "I can finally leave forever if I find what I dread."

He leaned over and kissed her strongly. She let out a small moan of surprise but then kissed back. Zelgadis tangled his hand into her hair, pulling her softly closer to him. She tugged on his shirt to hold herself up. Zelgadis backed off now. He looked at Lina, a dazed look plastered her face.

"What did you dread Zel?" She asked quietly.

"I dreaded that you didn't feel the same. I dreaded that you really did love someone else."

"I guess this means you're going to stay then?"

"Yeah...."





~I can't run anymore,
I give myself to you,
I'm sorry,
I'm sorry,
In all my bitterness,
I ignored,
All that's real and true,
All I need is you~

-Evanescence, October



~*~*~*~



Oh I'm so proud! I finished a story!!! Look at meeeee!!! I'm so great!!! I did this in 4 hours too! That's the best way to waste a morning off of school!

And for those wondering about Xellos and Filia. You can guess they end up together more or less. Gourry and Amelia don't go much father than that. They pretty much are clueless to ½ of these happenings -_-'

Zelgadis and Lina do the marriage thing, pop out a couple a kids and spend the rest of their lives fighting with headstrong stone skinned teenagers who fight crime and triumph over evil.

Ok so I'm kidding about that part. Maybe someday I'll write a sequel to this. But not for a long time. Next time I feel like writing a long fic, I'll actually plan it out -_-'

Ja ne!