Chapter 13: The Unsure and Silent

Time stood still. The wind didn't dare to blow. The crickets didn't dare to sing. The trees didn't dare to sway. The world didn't dare to move. The darkness of night surrounded the two, enveloping them in a world of their own, where only the other was present. They couldn't hear the owls, or the wolves, or even some of the drunken villagers at the tavern not too far away. The only thing they could hear was the quiet sound of the other's breathing.

He was frozen. Paralysed. Stuck. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even blink. All he was capable of doing at that moment was to stare at her and breathe. She stood before him, looking a bit paler than the last he had seen of her, her body seeming to sway a bit. She was clean, unlike the last time they had met, and she wore a brown blanket about her shoulders, clutching it to herself dearly. A blue dress brought out the colour of her eyes, and showed off her figure quite nicely. But it was her face that had him captivated…her face that held him captive in this quiet stupor of his. It was…Amelia…The word sounded in his mind over and over again as he just stared into her deep blue eyes. What would she do now? What would he do now?

He'd searched for her. She didn't know what to say, or what to do. Was she supposed to hug her dear friend? Was he really even her friend anymore? Her head swayed, and a drought of dizziness came about her, but she just shook it off. It was him …Zelgadis…His name seemed to echo in her mind. Her mind was in a huge conflict; she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. He'd acted selfish and stubborn, and had said those things about her. He'd given her back the bracelet she had given him, because he couldn't and wouldn't keep a promise. She hated him, didn't she?…But, they'd been through so much together. They were friends. So why should that change now? It's not as if I still like him as something more than just a friend…that was just a stupid crush…

Her mind raged on, a battle of thoughts crashing and colliding. Would he say anything to her? Would she say anything to him? What am I supposed to do??  Amelia's mind continued its argument, but she couldn't seem to find an answer. She felt herself sway to the right, as if falling asleep, but as she immediately became aware of her surroundings she stood upright again, wanting to shine but only dulling herself more and more. Her sight began to blur, and she felt herself sway again. The ground below her blurred, and Zelgadis became a spot of blue and beige, as she felt herself fall, the ground rushing closer and closer towards her…

"AMELIA!!!"

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Black and red. Blood and Darkness. Blood… Everywhere. So much…and she couldn't escape. It was all around her, all over her, all so…red…Mommy! Mommy, please…no…mommy…get up, get up! MOMMY!!! Tears streaked down her face, her pitiful form standing huddled against the far wall, her sister opposite her. Gracia…sister, please…NO! Don't leave me! Please!! Her mind filled with sounds; high, mocking laughter, and screams…blood-curdling shrieks that came from everywhere. Everywhere. She couldn't hide; it was all around her. Surrounded. Everywhere. By…blood…by horrible sounds…and so much blood…

…Her mothers blood…

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Why does everyone leave me???

The ground felt hard and shifted underneath her as she moved. Her head ached and throbbed, pounding at her head intensely. Something cool and soft was placed on her forehead, her eyes still a bit blurry. Everything around her was dark, and even though she couldn't see anything at the moment, her eyes wandered. She tried to recall what had happened, and then remembered…him…Was he still there? Was he ever there? What would she say? What would he say? I've just fainted in front of him…he'll think I'm still a weak little girl who still has a crush on him. Where is he?? She tried to push herself up, only to feel a hand push her back down.

"Don't move, or you might faint again."

Amelia mentally sighed; it was Zelgadis. She hadn't just imagined the whole thing. They'd found each other…again…but she wasn't sure if she wanted to see him again. He's so cold, cruel and stubborn…and sometimes he's so unjust! And he's always so depressed, and only cares about looking for his cure. I don't even know if he's my friend anymore…then again, was he ever my friend? Of course he was! We travelled and fought together many times! That makes us friends…doesn't it? Her mind continued to rage as her eyes began to focus, and she could clearly see him kneeling on the ground beside her.

His eyes gazed into hers, his lavender hair still hanging over his eyes a little. His blue stone skin was just the same as she remembered, and he even wore the same outfit as before. Their eyes locked again, and for a moment they could only see each other. Amelia broke the gaze, turning her head to look around at her surroundings better. What's wrong with me? Maybe its because I haven't seen him for so long… From the corner of her eyes she saw Zelgadis stand up, look around at the surroundings too, and then look down at her again.

Should I ask her what happened? Zel thought to himself. Where she was? She might still be mad at me…maybe it would be better if I don't say anything at all. Maybe we should just go back to Saillune as soon as possible, so that Phil won't worry about her. And then I can continue my search for my cure…

She looked at him again, the silence between them feeling quite awkward now. Should I tell him why I ran away? Why is he so quiet? She thought to herself, looking at the chimera. Well, I guess he's always fairly quiet. He was never the one to start a conversation…

The awkward silence was filled only by the sounds of the wind and the owls, and the drunken laughs of the men in the tavern a distance away. Zelgadis found his eyes travelling to look at her body's curves again, which were outlined nicely with the dress she was wearing. Noticing that he was looking at her, he blushed bright crimson colour and turned away, thankful of the dark hiding his reddened face. What the hell am I doing?!?! He asked himself, but his answer was a jumbled mess. He quickly made himself think of something else. We can't just stay here, we have to get to the town, so we can sleep and then go on our way to Saillune.

He looked back at her, and noticed that she was gazing at the night sky above. She'd found her blanket underneath her and was holding close to her again, even though the night was very warm. Zelgadis turned his head upward to see what exactly was so special about the stars, and found that the night was clear, and the midnight blue sky was woven with bright white stars.

Amelia breathed in deeply, enjoying the night air and the beautiful sight in front of her big blue eyes. I'm not still mad at him, am I? But maybe I shouldn't say anything…he might be mad at me for running away and wasting his time. Her mind was filled with questions about Zelgadis, but she didn't know what she was supposed to do, or if she was still mad at him. She forced herself to stop thinking about him, and just stared at the stars above her. "They're beautiful…" she whispered unknowingly, her eyes still gazing upwards. Zelgadis looked at her thoughtfully when he heard her words, and then looked back up.

They were silent for a few minutes again, both gazing at the stars as they thought about what to do next. Zelgadis was the one who finally broke the silence as he looked at her.

"We should get back to the tavern, so we can get some sleep. We should head back to Saillune."

Amelia was almost startled by his sudden voice. She looked up at him and sat herself straight, and then rose to her feet, holding onto her brown blanket as she remembered again. "S-Saillune??"

Zelgadis raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Yes, Saillune," he said, looking at her. Why does she sound so surprised? "Don't you want to go back home? Phil's probably worried about you, and so are Lina and Gourry." Doesn't she want to go home? Something's wrong…

"Of course I want to go home!" She said, standing up tall, although Zelgadis was still taller than her. "It's just…well…"

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. He sighed, looking a bit annoyed but feeling a bit worried. "It's just what?"

"Nothing. I just…" She looked at the ground, thinking of an excuse to use. I can't tell him the truth…I don't even know if it's the truth, and I don't want to make him worry. Nobody really needs to know. Not yet, anyways… "It's just that…I thought we'd meet Lina and Gourry first before we went back. They'd be worried! We have to tell them first!" I hope he buys it…I really don't want to lie to him, or anyone else, but…

"They're at Saillune already. Or at least should be by now. The sooner we get there, the sooner people will stop worrying about you. So let's go back to the town…we should get some rest before we leave. We'll get some supplies for the road in the morning."

"Ok," came Amelia's quick reply. That's all he's going to say? How can he be so cold? He's just found me again…isn't he going to show at least some sigh that he was worried, or that he's glad to see me?

Zelgadis turned to walk, his beige cape flying behind him as he walked towards the small town. Maybe she isn't mad at me anymore, but just in case I better not say anything. I can't have her run away again…

Amelia walked behind him, not knowing what to do. She decided the best thing to do was to stay silent. Maybe I shouldn't tell him about what happened…it'd be better that way. It's a good thing he isn't asking me…I'd hate to lie again. Lying is so unjust!

The path quickly changed into a stone road as they both entered the town, neither of them saying a word. Amelia pulled her brown blanket closer around her as she looked at the buildings around her. She had never really looked before, because she had kept her gaze down the short time she had been in the small town. She followed Zelgadis, and noticed how he knew exactly were to go. They turned around a few corners, and walked past a few shops before they turned again. Here, she saw a building with its light still on, and assumed that it was the tavern they were going to stay at for the night.

She entered the tavern, and looked around. There were three drunk men at a table at the far end and to the right, close to the wall. She quickly moved her gaze to look at the actual tavern. The floor was wooden, and the smell of beer and food filled her nostrils and she took a deep breath. The painting on the walls was peeling off, and the ceiling was low with wooden planks running along from one side of the room to the other. The lighting was a bit dim, but she didn't mind. She thought it made the place more comfortable looking.

Zelgadis ordered a room for Amelia, and then, without a word, led her upstairs. He gave her the key, and pointed to the room next to his, and silently entered his room. She stood looking at the key in her hand, and then looked at the door, before deciding to go back downstairs.

She padded across the floor and reached the bar. A young lady with long, wavy blond hair greeted her with a warm smile. "Can I get you anything, Miss?"

Amelia smiled back and sat down at the bar, which was a good distance away from the drunk men. "I'd just like something to eat. Do you happen to have any soup?"

"We have tomato soup, if you'd like?"

"I'll have that," she answered, smiling.

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As she walked back up the stairs to her room, she felt very full, and sighed with content. But that feeling was soon pushed away because Amelia began to feel worried. What about what Reirs said…its not safe for me or for my friends. Maybe I should tell Mr. Zelgaids…no, I don't think I will. He'd get all worked up and worried, and might even get depressed again. She sighed, entering her room. Zelgadis must already be asleep, she thought to herself as she closed the door. Not one tiny sound came from the room next to hers.

Why didn't he say anything to me today? He hardly said a word, except that we should go back to Saillune. He didn't even say goodnight! And he didn't even say sorry for what he said about me! Why is he so mean? And he didn't act like he was happy to see me again…he just…stared…She sighed, sitting down on her bed. "Do I really want to go back to Saillune? I'd have to start doing all my duties again…but I can't just leave. My people need me, and I miss Father. But now there's something after me, too. What am I supposed to do?"

Amelia looked down at her hand, and saw that she was wearing a ring; her mothers ring. The one Reirs had given her. "Maybe Reirs is right…I should listen to her. But do I really want to go all the way back to Saillune with Zelgadis?" I'm still a bit mad at him. He leaves me alone when he promised to help me find a ship so that I could go home, then he never said a word to me for almost three years, then he gives back the bracelet I gave to him as a sign of friendship, and then he says all that stuff about me with Lina. She lay down in her bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Why can't I just forgive him? He is…or, was my friend. And maybe he still is, but…"

She didn't know what she felt about him. She felt so distant, and was still mad at him. Mad for a child's reason, of course. Because I'm still a child… Amelia didn't really know if she was still mad at him, even though she had just said she was. Her head began to throb again, and she decided to stop thinking, because her mind was still a complete mess.

And so she fell into an uneasy sleep hours later, still unsure of her feelings for Zelgadis. And though she didn't know it, Zelgadis was also arguing with his mind, and assured himself that he only thought of her as a friend, as he too feel into an uneasy sleep.

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*AN: Hiyas again everybody! Did this chapter take too long? I'm sorry if it did. So…what did you people think this time? Good? Bad? Ugly? Is this all taking too long, and do you feel like everything is being dragged? Am I taking to long to get to the actual plot?? I'm sorta worried about that…these chapters aren't THAT boring, are they? I hope not…cause I kinda like these chapters…But I'm not too sure about this chapter. Oh well, tell me if you think this story is going too slow! And I think Lina, Gourry, Xellos and Filia won't be in this fic for a few chapters…but I'm not sure. Also, sorry if this chapter is short!

Now, on to the thanking part! Ok…I feel bad for not mentioning some of my reviewers sometimes, so now I'm gonna name every single one that reviewed the last chapter…and I'll do it all in one breath! *Takes in a deep breath* Thanks to Lauren-Sama, KellyChan, Minimerc, MoroTheWolfGod, Digi-riven, Winged Dancer, and Kawai Fox!! I have gotten better thanx to all of your reviews, and I hope to stay in good health! ^^ *breathes out and takes another breath*

Ok, ok, I missed out three people, but that's because it's the first time they ever reviewed!!

To Saree, I'm glad you like my fic! Thanks so much for taking time to write a review!

To Filia Metallium, don't worry…Filia will get the best of Xellos sometime…I think ^^ And I'm glad you like the way I'm doing Amelia *grins*

And also, to Okami…don't die, or else you won't get to read more! ^^

Once again, thanks so much for reviewing my fic! You all rule! Remember what I said about making you people temples and monuments? Well, I'm gonna make you people your own kingdoms now (don't worry, I'm still maling those temples and monuments)!! ^^ Later peeps!!! –Vivi