Ch. 7 In Which Zelgadiss makes a decision and retrieves several important things.

I know who you really are.

La-di-da!

-The Murmurs 'La Di Da'

Zelgadiss ran.

And ran and ran and ran.

Until he was too tired to run anymore. In which case, he would shrink back to his kitten size and Amelia would carry him.

And run and run and run.

The running wasn't as exhausting as it was keeping up the larger form. It took more energy to stay large enough to carry Amelia than it did to cast a half dozen successive Ra Tilts.

But the price was worth it. They had already covered 3 days ground in a little under a day. The sun was just setting as they approached the spot that Amelia had originally found him as a cat.

Which was good, because he needed a break. Preferably a nap. Nice long one.

Even better, he heard some familiar sounds. There were people nearby fighting over food. Familiar sounding people.

Such as one Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev.

He slowed down to a casual trot, heading off the path. On his back, Amelia tensed, looking around. "Grey-kun?" She questioned. He let out a muffled growl, the larger forms version of a purr.

There was a small clearing up ahead, a fiery redhead and a golden blond wrestling over what appeared to be dead roast bird.

"Lina-san! Gourry-san!" Amelia called, waving. With a relived sigh, he shrunk back down into the kitten size and promptly tripped over his toes. Amelia noticed and scooped him up in her arms. Normally he would protest being cradled this close to her chest, but he simply didn't have the energy to argue.

"Amelia!" The pair scrambled over, all smiles as the fight for food was momentarily forgotten.

"How are you doing?! Where have you been?" Lina bubbled. She noticed him and leaned down for a closer inspection. "Who's this guy?"

Zelgadiss feinted ultimate indifference and yawned at her.

"Hey! He looks sort of like Zel!" Gourry noticed. Zelgadiss debated biting him, but decided against it. Sleep was a better option.

So he closed his eyes and tuned out the chatterings of his friends, slumber overtaking him almost immediately.

***

It was much later that night when he finally awoke. It was nearly time for him to change back into a human, something he wanted to do far away from his friends.

He sat up and stretched, feeling some bones pop into place. He needed that. Feeling a bit better, he noticed that someone was sitting up next to the fire. It was Gourry, he'd fallen asleep.

Zelgadiss knew better. As long as everything was peaceful, for all intents and purposes, the swordsman was out like a light. But if anything untoward was around, the swordsman would be at them in a heartbeat, asleep or not.

On Gourry's other side was Lina, fast asleep. Amelia was sound asleep as well, he was pleased to note. He took a few careful steps away from the Princess, careful not to disturb her. Gourry twitched, his head dropping a bit, but other than that, the 3 humans remained asleep.

Good. Made his job easier.

He crept out of the clearing, then picked up speed, running along the forest floor.

***

The cave was as dark and as cool as he remembered it. That was a soothing fact, somehow. If it had been different, he would have been afraid that it meant that he wasn't welcome.

Of course, he wasn't sure if he was welcome, similar markings or not.

Well, he'd find out.

He passed by the pillars, carefully avoiding looking at them, even as they shifted out of the corner of his eyes. It hurt his head to try to sort the images out, so he sped up a bit, passing them by.

By and by, he reached the chamber. It was as clean and as sparse as before. And just as deceivingly empty.

He sat down in the middle of the room and waited, both grateful for the chance to rest, and dreading the end of it.

Zelgadiss didn't have to wait long. The Kami appeared, not from the plants on the walls this time, but from the earth on the ground.

The Kami didn't say anything, and seemed content to float and watch him as various roots and stones silently dancing across her surface.

She was the first to break the silence. "Come to look in the Well again?" She asked, curiosity mixed with minor distain colouring her tone.

He shook his head. Maybe later. He was on a mission right now.

The Kami began to look interested for the first time.

The things he had left here, he mewled. The sword and the books. In stead of letting them turn to dust here, he wished to give them to his friends. They could use them.

She blinked.

Then she waved her hand, his clothing, sword and other objects appearing on the floor as if they had always been there.

He bowed his head, a silent thank you. She chuckled.

"You might want to take the cloak with you, as well as the objects you came for." She said, a droll tone colouring her voice.

He looked up at her, puzzled. Then a familiar ache swept over him as he transformed back into his human form. Zelgadiss glanced down and blushed slightly.

"Thanks." He muttered, swinging the cloak over his head, the familiar folds covering him yet again. The Kami smirked.

"You're welcome."

He gathered the book and sword, taking care not to damage them as he did so. They seemed to be in the same condition as when he had last seen them, but he was not so foolish as to unsheathe the sword in the presence of the Kami to make sure.

Zelgadiss rose, the cloak covering him modestly. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome. Good luck to you and your friends."

He nodded, then paused, looking at the well. "I don't suppose... If I come back someday..."

The Kami shook her head, drifting close enough to touch his hair, a mother's caress. "You've already got what you need." She murmured, a look of infinite kindness in her soul-black eyes.

"Oh." And suddenly, he understood.

He gave her a slight bow, then turned and walked out of the cave.

***

His hour in human form was almost up by the time he got back to the camp. Zelgadiss smiled slightly to himself. Perfect timing. That gave him just enough time to write the notes he wanted to, then go back to sleep.

When he got Amelia back to Saillune, the first thing he was going to do was crawl someplace nice and dark and sleep for several days. Yes, that sounded quite pleasant.

Zelgadiss yawned, sitting down next to the fire, across from Gourry. The swordsman was still asleep, having opened his eyes just long enough to recognise him as not a threat and then falling back asleep. Zelgadiss envied him sometimes.

Muffling another yawn, he pulled a quill and a small bottle of ink out of Amelia's bags and quickly wrote his notes. The first was to Gourry.

Gourry's was easy. He'd heard that he was looking for a new sword and hoped that this one would hold up until he found a better one.

After all, if it had survived the Chimera's battles, it should hold up to the former Swordsman of Light.

He folded up the note and tied it to the hilt of his sword, giving the blade one last glance.

Zelgadiss -liked- his sword. It was a good sword and his constant companion for almost as long as he could remember. It had defined him as a swordsman.

But he didn't need it now. He couldn't use it most of the time anyway, and he'd rather it being used for something useful, like protecting Lina and Gourry, then rusting away.

And the other swordsman would take good care of it. It may have not been a family heirloom, but it was a friends heirloom.

With a reluctant sigh, he sheathed the sword and set it down next to Gourry, where he'd often see him place the Hikari no Ken while resting.

He was going to laugh the first time Gourry pulled out -this- sword and shouted 'Hikari Yo!!'

The next note was to Lina. Lina was slightly harder to write for than Gourry. Gourry would just be happy with his new acquisition. Lina would be suspicious.

So he conveniently sidestepped the reason why he was giving her the 2 books by saying that he didn't need them anymore and was hoping she found them interesting.

The maps sketched on some of the pages locating some of Rezo's hideouts was sure to distract her attention for a while. He'd already been thru them and found nothing of interest to him.

He tucked the note inside the top book and set them next to her. She stirred faintly in her sleep, then snored on.

Zelgadiss felt a faint pang as he retreated once again. Lina had been one of his first real friends, and the one who probably be the most suspicious about Grey-kun. Unlike everyone else, she probably would not dismiss the cat's similarities to himself.

He was half tempted to tell her, just so that -somebody- knew, but quickly dismissed that idea.

He probably wouldn't survive the interrogation if she knew, chimeric body or not. She was scary like that.

The last note was to Amelia. This was the hardest one.

There was so much he wanted to say, and at the same time so little he could say.

He settled for a 'You looked cold, I hope this'll help keep you warm' note.

Zelgadiss glanced at the note. Was he always so cold and detached? Sheesh. No wonder he'd been turned into a cat.

He paused, mulling the thought over.

It was amusing, in one of those 'The Gods are Playing With Us' sort of ways. To learn how to act like a human, he had been turned into an animal.

It meant that there was no one he could blame for the current predicament but himself. True, Rezo had turned his body into a hideous freak of nature, but he was the one who had changed his personality to fit it. Icy, cold and very very bitter.

The Kami had simply given him a shape more suited to that. And in doing so, forced him to adapt his personality once more.

By becoming even more protective and affectionate to those he did hold dear.

Zelgadiss blinked, realising that this was probably the first time that he had ever given them any sort of gift. And the act of doing so didn't hurt him. Quite the opposite. It made him feel better. About himself and them.

He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts as futile. The slight buzz in the back of his head informed that it was about time to change back.

He reached over and put the ink and quill back where he found it, then poked the fire with a stick, causing it to flare up and release a burst of heat.

Amelia stirred, blue eyes blinking as she sleepily opened her eyes. "Zelgadiss-san?" She murmured.

"Shhh..." He whispered, putting another piece of wood in the fire, to keep it going until morning. "Go back to sleep."

"Uhmmm-hmmm..." She agreed sleepily, closing her eyes.

Zelgadiss gave a sigh of relief, standing up and yawning. There was a faint feeling of vertigo as the change started, as if he had stood up to fast. He quickly stepped to the other side of Amelia, placing the note by her head as he draped the cloak over her.

He stepped back into the shadows of the forest, curling up as his shape changed. There was no pain involved in it, rather a vague numbing sense as his body warped and twisted, the world growing larger. He was more aware if it now, since his 'Zelgadiss' mental self stayed conscious instead of falling back into his subconscious.

Less than a minute later, it was over and Zelgadiss was a kitten again. He gave himself a small shake, then turned toward the campfire for some much needed rest.

Only to be greeted by a pair of sparkling eyes, deep as mystery peering out at him from strands of midnight black hair. "Zelgadiss... kun-?" Amelia whispered.

Animal instincts have 2 basic reactions when confronted. Fight or flight. Humans have a third. Fight, flight or try to talk your way out of it.

Zelgadiss couldn't currently talk, he couldn't attack Amelia, and so he did the only other available option to him.

He turned tail and ran.

****

It was many many hours later before Zelgadiss' consciousness came to the fore front again.

He was in the larger cat form again, running on the open road with Amelia on his back.

Well, he had been right after all, that first night he'd woken up after being turned into a cat. If he tried to leave, he'd wake up right next to Amelia again with a mindful of cat memories.

Zelgadiss gave a mental sigh and retreated back to his subconscious again. What he really wanted to do right now was disappear somewhere and brood. Since that wasn't an option at the moment, he'd go back to sleep and let Grey deal with the endless miles of un-interesting road.

In the mean time, hopefully he'd be able to figure out a way out of this latest predicament.

One that didn't mean leaving the princess.

TBC.