Written by: Shira ^__^ (i.e. me)
Inspired by: The song "Someday You're Gonna Love Me"
The white magic capital of Seyruun. It's roads and walls form a giant magic circle to protect it and amplify their white magic abilities. Not only that, but it's soft serve ice cream is very tasty, and famous across the continent. Seyruun is the major peacemaker, and ruled by the extreme pacifist, Prince Philionel el de Seyruun. But you can call him Phil.
Seyruun's been known to be prone to all sorts of accidents in the past. Phil's oldest daughter, Gracia, ran away several years ago. The prince Randy betrayed Phil and tried to kill him so he'd have access to the throne. Then, just a short time ago, Alfred, Phil's nephew, made a contract with two mazoku to kill Philionel to let him rule Seyruun, with the mazoku behind the scenes.
So it wasn't exactly surprising that Phil's youngest daughter, Amelia, was having a crisis of her own at the palace gates one bright, sunny morning.
After the Dark Star battle, we all sort of went our own ways. Gourry and I went off to finally try that Dragon Cuisine that we'd tried to have about a year ago, but because of certain circumstances-- SIX MONTHS!!-- we were unable to eat it. Oh, but it was sooooooo good! Nothing will ever compare to it! I mean, the way it--
Ahem. Wrong story. Anyway. Filia went back to her old home, from before her stay at the Temple of the Fire Dragon King, and opened up a cute little store called Filia's Teahouse of Maces and Vases. Pretty corny if you ask me, but it suits her personality perfectly.
And, I was actually a little surprised at this, but Zelgadis went with Amelia back to Seyruun. Wow. Who could've seen that one coming? So, for the past year, he's been living at Seyruun palace with Amelia. And all this story is his fault. Yup. It's always the guy's fault. Always.
So, anyway. It was a nice morning, all bright and sunny. The stupid birds were chirping, the clouds were way too freaking puffy for their own good, and everyone seemed in such a good mood that I probably would've been sick. It's kind of ironic, though, because Amelia and Zel were probably the unhappiest people in the world right then.
"You can't leave!!" Amelia cried, hanging for dear life onto the edge of Zelgadis's cape. She was trying to keep him from walking away, but all she was succeeding in doing was dragging herself along after him.
Then Zel actually stopped. But not because Amelia told him to. It was because he wanted to. Or that's what he was telling himself, probably. He turned around, and looked right at her. His voice bitter and harsh, he asked, "Why, Amelia? Why don't you want me to go!?"
"I like having you here with me!" Amelia shouted. Her eyes started watering with tears. Poor Amelia. If I'd been there, I would've-- Ahem. She finally let go of his cape, and balled her fists up by her face. "When you came here to Seyruun, I was so happy!" she told him, her voice thick with emotion. "You had finally started to open up!" Her tears threatened to spill over. "I don't want you to leave me, Zelgadis-san!" she cried, the tears finally making their way down her cheeks.
Zelgadis crossed his arms, and asked without a change of expression or tone of voice, "And I want to know why not. You haven't answered me yet." Grr! Take a hint, Zel! "I finally have a lead on what may actually be my cure, and you--"
"I don't care about your stupid cure!!" Amelia yelled at him. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but the tears just kept coming. "I don't, Lina-san doesn't--" Hey, don't speak for me, Amelia! I can tell the jerk myself! "--Gourry-san doesn't.... Your friends don't care, Zelgadis-san!"
Frowning down at Amelia, Zelgadis said, "You still haven't told me why you want me to stay." The heartless guy didn't even bat an eye at her, seeing her cry. I bet he was beating himself up inside because of it. He was making her cry. Guilt trip. Anyway!
"Because!" Amelia cried. "I care about you, Zelgadis-san!" she shouted at him, her hands in tight fists by her sides, standing up as tall as she possibly could. I'll bet she looked really regal and stuff just then, even with the tears. Princesses have to look regal sometimes. "I... I love you, Zelgadis-san!" she yelled.
Let me tell you, Zelgadis was quiet for a long time after that. But the only change in his stoic expression was a slight raise of his eyebrows. "So, that's it." That's all that jerk said! Grr!
"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Amelia asked, her shoulders slumped, her hands no longer in fists. There goes the regalness. "Don't you care that I love you?" Earlier, she'd been shouting and yelling at Zel. Now she was reduced to a shocked whisper.
"Why would I care?" Zelgadis asked calmly. JERK! Amelia gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide in shock. "This may come as a surprise to you," he said dryly. "But I don't love you, Amelia." Sure, keep telling yourself that. But don't tell it to Amelia!!
Amelia didn't seem to know what to say to that. Her hands shook, and she stared Zelgadis right in the eye, her eyes filled with more pain and sadness than ever before. That was Zel's fault. See? All the guy's fault, like I said! Slowly, her hands went back to her sides. Her shoulders dropped, and she bowed her head, staring at the ground, trying to keep back the sudden rush of tears. It took her a minute before she was actually able to talk, because she was so choked up from her tears. When she looked up, Zelgadis had turned his back to her and had started walking.
"Someday!" Amelia called after him, her voice slightly stronger than before. "Someday, Zelgadis-san, you're going to love me! You'll realize how much you really do care about me! I know it!"
Zelgadis didn't even turn around. Baka. "I doubt that, Amelia," he said coldly. He is SO in denial! But he has no right to take it out on Amelia!
"You can't stop me from believing that." You tell him, Amelia! She took a half step forward, and started to take off one of her bracelets. "I believe that someday, when you realize you love me, you'll come back. I'll wait for you." Fresh tears started streaming down her face. Poor Amelia. I never knew she had so many pent-up tears. "But.... I can't wait forever, Zelgadis-san. I wish I could." Her voice broke off, and she took a second to be able to speak again. "But no one can wait forever. Promise me, Zelgadis-san, that the day you love me, you'll come back?"
"Amelia..." Zelgadis said with a sigh, still not turning around.
"PROMISE ME!!" Amelia shrieked desperately. God, she must have been heartbroken.
Zelgadis turned around agitatedly, and stopped in shock when he saw the pure desire, hope, and desperation in Amelia's eyes. With another sigh, he said, "I don't think that day will ever come, Amelia, but I promise." He's only saying that to make Amelia happy, you know. Grr. I bet he doesn't mean a word of it.
But I guess it worked. Amelia relaxed a little, and almost smiled. She took off her bracelet, the pink one with the blue jewel on top that had the star inside. You know the ones. She held it out to Zelgadis, and pressed it into his palm, closing his hand around it. "This is to remind you to keep your promise," she told him quieter. "Don't forget, because I will never forget. I'll try to wait for you, Zelgadis-san. I really will."
Zelgadis looked away, and shoved the bracelet deep into his pocket, barely even looking at it. But notice that he kept that hand in his pocket. Denial. I hate it. Then, without even making eye contact-- LEMME AT HIM! --he said calmly, "Good bye, Amelia." Then he turned and walked out the palace gates without looking back.
Amelia watched him as he left. She clasped her hands to her chest, and fell back a step. Quietly, to herself, she whispered, "No, Zelgadis-san. Not good bye. Never good bye. I will see you again. I know it." Oh my God! I think I'm actually almost crying! Poor Amelia... She needs a hug.
So the heartless jerk wandered off to go find his cure, and-- What? How'd I know all this? Just suffice it to say I have connections, okay? Now don't interrupt. Like I said, Zel went off to God-knows-where to find his cure, leaving Amelia alone at the palace. And, just like the heartless jerk that Zel is, he left Amelia there for six years. SIX YEARS!!
It wasn't until six years afterwards that Zel decided to go back. He was lying on his back in a wide field, staring up at the stars. The sky was pitch black, and everything around him was dead silent. Exactly the opposite of that sickeningly sunny, perky day back at Seyruun six years ago. It was so quiet, he could almost hear his own heart beating. Creepy, huh?
So, he was staring at the stars, and lo and behold, his thoughts turned to Amelia. They'd done that a lot recently. "It was a lie," he said to himself, staring at the sky. "Nearly everything I said that day was a lie." Now he gets it! Geez, this guy needs to buy a clue! With all that money he spent looking for his cure, he could have bought a pretty good one, too. "I do care that she loves me..." Of course you do, dummy! Who wouldn't care? "And...." Go on, say it already! Zelgadis sighed, and folded his hands behind his head. "The more I think about it..." Hurry up and spill it already! "I think... I think she was right. I do realize how much I care for her... I guess it just took my leaving for it to sink it." Well, you know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Or something like that.
With another sigh, Zelgadis sat up, and took out Amelia's bracelet from his pocket. He kept changing where he kept it. First it was in his pocket, then his backpack, then around the neck of his canteen, then back in his pocket. He looked at it for a long time, angsting and thinking and whatever else Zel does. He doesn't do much more than that, actually. Anyway, after about twenty minutes of staring at Amelia's bracelet, angsting, and thinking, he gave a sort of determined nod, and stood up, holding the bracelet tight in his fist. "I'm going back," he said to himself. "I'll keep my promise, and go back to Seyruun." Good boy. Have a cookie. He sighed yet again, and looked down at the bracelet some more. "I hope she waited for me..." he mused.
So Zel packed up his stuff and headed back for Seyruun to see Amelia and tell her he kept his promise and he loves her and all that. I must say, I was pretty darn proud of angsty Zel when he did that. Under normal circumstances, he would have stayed as far away from Seyruun as possible if he found out he cared for someone there. He's scared, you know. Scared of being rejected. He doesn't think I know, but I do. Anyway, like I said, under normal circumstances, he would have gone in the other direction. But, Amelia isn't exactly a normal circumstance. She's very abnormal. But she and Zel are just so cute together, don't you think? Opposites do attract, after all.
Anyway, back to the story. Zel walked. And walked. And walked. God, he's so boring. So, after walking for a long time, he finally reached the outer walls of Seyruun palace. It was here that he stopped for a little more angsting. I bet this was what was running through his head: I haven't seen Amelia in six years. I abandoned her. Angst angst. Do I deserve to see her again? But I promised. I love her. Angst angst angst.... I'm almost positive that's what he was thinking.
After a deep breath, Zelgadis squared his shoulders, and walked through the gate inside the palace walls. The scene reminded me of the last time I was in Seyruun, when we thought Prince Phil had died. It was very quiet. There were lots of guards around, and no villagers. A very high creep factor.
Obviously remembering that same thing, Zelgadis looked over to the flag poles. Last time, when everyone thought Phil was dead, the flags had been at half mast.
They were at half mast again that day.
Zelgadis looked around anxiously. Wait.... Zel? Anxious? That's a new one. I was shocked too. Anyway, he looked around, and ran over to a Seyruun guard, dressed in the turquoise and white outfits they always wore. Aren't those turban things weird? I always thought so. And, you know, it's not really white. It's beige. Whatever.
"What's going on here?" Zelgadis demanded of the guard. "What's happened?"
The guard stiffened when he recognized Zel. I mean, who can forget a face like that? .... Just kidding. So, anyway. "Z-Zelgadis-dono!" the guard stammered.
"Tell me!" Zelgadis nearly shouted. Geez, I don't blame him. I'd be creeped out and all "grr" at everyone too.
"Zelgadis-dono!" the guard exclaimed. A tear fell down his cheek. "You.... You're too late. If you'd been here just a few days earlier...."
Zelgadis angrily grabbed the guard by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up to his face. "What happened?" he asked angrily, nearly shaking the guard.
The guard shook his head and looked at the ground. "Amelia's.... Amelia-hime's...." he choked out.
Zelgadis stared at the guard in shock. Before the guard could finish his sentence, he slipped out of Zel's grip and fell to the ground. Zel didn't seem to notice he wasn't holding on to the guard anymore. He just stared straight ahead, in complete shock. "Amelia...." he whispered. "That... That's impossible..." Hey, anything's possible when you've been gone for six years.
Zelgadis didn't even give the guard time to say another word. He ran through the palace halls, looking desperately from side to side whenever he passed a room. He finally found the room where Phil's coffin had been last time. He came to a dead stop in the doorway, and stared inside the room.
At the end of a long red carpet was a stone coffin. The coffin was surrounded by thousands of white roses. Where do they get all those anyway? Above the coffin was a stone statue of a tall and regal Philionel. I wonder how long it took them to make it. They probably used the same one from last time. Kneeling at the side of the coffin, her head resting on her arms, was Amelia. She looked like she was asleep.
Zelgadis let out a sigh of the deepest relief. Poor guy thought Amelia was the one who died, probably. He probably felt bad that Phil was dead, but was more relieved when he saw Amelia was still alive. I'd feel the same way if I thought G-- Uh.... Nothing. Nevermind.
Slowly, Zelgadis began to walk towards Amelia, down the red carpet. I'll bet he had butterflies in his stomach and everything, but if he did, he didn't show it. But he did slow down as he got closer to Amelia. He stopped right behind her, and just watched her sleep for a long time. He probably couldn't believe he was seeing her again, after being gone for six years. Well, it was his fault. He's not getting any sympathy from me. No sir. No way. Not at all. .... Poor guy.
"Amelia..." Zelgadis said quietly. Then he knelt down on one knee beside her, and looked at her sleeping face. Amelia really looks like a little kid, you know. She's almost my age, but I can't help but think of her as a lot younger, just because she looks it. Anyway, this isn't about me, sadly enough. This is Zel's moment. So he brushed away some locks of hair from her face, and froze when she started to move.
Amelia blinked a few times, and looked up at Zelgadis. When she saw him, her eyes went wide, and her eyebrows shot up. She blinked again, and rubbed her eyes. "Am I dreaming?" she asked. "Z-Zelgadis-san... Is that really you?"
Zelgadis was still frozen, his hand still in her hair. He couldn't speak, he just stared at her, and nodded slowly. Geez, Zel, snap out of it.
Amelia's eyes filled up with tears, and her face broke out into a huge smile. "Zelgadis-san!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly hugging the life out of him. Zel didn't seem to mind, though. "I knew you would come back, Zelgadis-san! I knew it! I knew you'd come back to me!"
"I had to keep my promise," Zel said, hugging Amelia back. I'll bet he felt really insecure about that. But, hey, that's just my guess. "You told me to come back when I realized how much I cared for you. When... When I realized that... I loved you." WAHOO! Not the most direct way to say it, but it's said all the same!
Now, being the weird person Amelia is, she was crying. She was laughing, too. "I knew it, I knew it, I just knew you'd come back!" Well, duh. The guy loves you, what can you do about it?
Then something happened that I wasn't expecting. Zel wasn't expecting it either, judging by his wide eyes and the blush that spread across his face when it happened. I don't think Amelia was even expecting it, because she was blushing too. But Amelia kissed Zel, right on the lips. You go, girl! I could never kiss a rock, but, hey, that's Amelia for you.
"Never leave me again, Zelgadis-san," Amelia said, resting her head against Zelgadis's chest after the kiss was over. Which was a while. I think Amelia's been practicing. And after you practice kissing on pillows and stuffed animals for six years, you get pretty good. Um... Not that I would know or anything. Ahem. "I don't want you to ever leave me again."
Zel ran his fingers through her hair-- Who'd've thought he'd be the romantic type? --and said, "Don't worry, Amelia. I'm not leaving you again. I'm just glad you waited for me."
"With Daddy gone, you're all I have left," Amelia said, crying for real this time. Hey! What about me? I count, don't I? Well... I guess it would help if I came to visit sometimes, huh? Ahehe... "Don't leave me alone."
Being romantic some more-- If you told me Zel was a romantic, I would have laughed in your face before --he hugged Amelia, and whispered to her, "You're never alone, Amelia. I'll never leave you."
Okay, getting too sappy for me. Maybe I'll go gag. You don't need to know more. They kiss, it's all good, Amelia cries a little bit more, and Zel stays. That's the story. Now, why did I tell you this? Tell me why I told you this story. You don't know? Well I do. You see, I've got a problem. Gourry kissed me. AAH! I can't believe I told you that!!! But... Well... I don't know what to do. I don't want things to change. Gourry's.... Gourry's a sweetheart, and I... I... I don't need to be telling you this! Oh my God, I can't believe I almost told you that!! Go away!! LEAVE!!! Oh, God, I'm blushing... Please don't let Gourry come in now! Okay, that's it, story time is over! Leave me alone now!
By the way. You tell anyone what I almost told you, and I'll make you wish you were never born! I put you under threat of Dragon Slave. AH! Oh.... H-h-hi, G-Gourry...
Authoress Note: Well, whatcha think? I was trying to sleep last night after I'd finished watching Vision of Escaflowne, it was around 3 in the morning, and I was trying to sleep. I always sleep with my radio on, and the song "Someday You're Gonna Love Me" started playing. I used to always think that would make a kawaii Zel/Amelia songfic, but some verses just don't fit. But it was inspiration. And after having fluff in Esca, and hearing that song, and needing the urge to write a one-shot, I just sort of came up with this idea as I fell asleep. I'm really surprised I remembered it until now. Now, originally, this wasn't gonna be told from Lina's POV. I just did the first few paragraphs like Lina does in the series, giving a little background info, stuff like that. Then I decided it would be funny if I made Lina the narrator. Don't ask how she knows. Like she said, she has connections. Okay, shameless plug here. Read my works-in-progress: Dark Memories, Slayers FIGHT, and Slayers Next Alternate Past. That's all. ^^;;