Amelia stirred and heard a soft sigh behind her as a hand slipped tenderly about her waist. Cerulean eyes snapped wide as a scream threatened to escape her lips.
"Ame-chan…" the soft male tenor voice murmured sleepily as the hold over the girl's waist tightened.
The princess swallowed hard and craned her neck slowly to look back. There, curled protectively around her back was a handsome young man, perhaps a couple years older than she was, soft teal tendrils of hair brushing a perfect cheek next to a small, contented smile. Amelia began to shake violently when she realized just who the young man was. She'd met him the year previous while she was at home in Seyruun before she'd left with Lina-san to go the New World. His name was Akkari Duenne Eshynal, her arranged fiancé. The two had met that summer for the first time and had really hit it off, something not often seen in arranged marriages but they were both willing to make the best of their parents' wishes.
But, what in the name of Ceiphied was she doing there?! Or he there?!
She gingerly slid out of the young man's arms to stand next to the bed. She waited only a moment before snatching up a robe, clearly hers, and racing from the room, tugging the garment on over her nightclothes as she ran. A large hall opened before her and her pace slowed to a brisk walk. At the end of the hall to her left was a raised dais with twin thrones and a large portrait hanging above it. Curious now, she headed towards it only to freeze in place as soon as she could make out the picture.
"Ahh, such a lovely day was that," a kindly male voice told her, startling the princess.
"Pardon?" she asked shakily, turning to look at the elderly man who now stood next to her, smiling fondly at the picture.
"That," he gestured. "Such a wonderful ceremony it was. Yes. Like yesterday, it I remember…" He sighed nostalgically then turned to smile up at the baffled princess. His chocolate-brown eyes twinkled youthfully from beneath his heavy grey-streaked brows. "Like that day, pretty are you still."
"That's really me?" Amelia squeaked turning confused eyes back to the portrait as she absently tightened the belt of the pink robe.
The old man chuckled and nodded as if the young woman had made a joke. "My king, asleep still is?"
"Who's your king?"
He laughed again. "Funny are you, Queen."
"Yes she is, isn't she? She didn't even kiss me good morning," the gentle voice of Akkari responded lightly, his tone teasing. He stepped next to Amelia and leaned to kiss her softly on the cheek not noticing her blush. "Good morning, love."
"G-good morning, Akkari," she stammered. Just what was going on here?
"Poku, is breakfast ready?"
"Ready it is," the old man replied with a small bow before walking back down the hall, leaving the two to themselves.
"Akkari," Amelia began uncertainly, looking again to the beautiful portrait, "when was that?"
"Our wedding?" the young man laughed. "Ahh, testing my memory, well I just may surprise you. We were married in mid spring of last year, darling. A year ago next month. As if I could forget the happiest day of my life, rivalled only with the happy news you gave me last week!"
"Happy news?"
Akkari laughed again and shook his head. "My, my, teasing this morning aren't we? And the look is so genuine as well! C'mon, dearest, breakfast awaits."
"What's happening? I wasn't supposed to be affected," she whispered to herself, almost panicking as the young king led her toward the dining hall, his arm curled about her waist.
"Go on," the familiar voice in her head urged with the promise of an explanation.
Zelgadis had woke to find himself in a strange place, somewhere he'd never been before. What'd Amelia give me, he wondered grumpily as he wandered down to the main part of the inn. Finding the innkeeper busy behind the desk, he cleared his throat.
"May I help you, Zelgadis-san?" the man asked kindly.
"Who booked me into this inn last night?"
The innkeeper peered at the chimera strangely. "No one booked you in, Sir. You and your lady friend never have to."
"Why not?" Zelgadis demanded sceptically. He stared hard at the man, his expression ensuring a painful demise if lied to.
"Why because you and she own this fine establishment, Sir. Is there anything that I may get you before your lady comes back from the baths?"
"A coffee."
The man nodded and quickly moved off to fetch the beverage as Zelgadis went to sit in the back corner of the restaurant. The coffee was brought to him by the innkeeper himself, making the chimera wonder even more. Just as the man started to leave, he called him back.
"Just a moment, …?"
"Sonnar, Sir."
"Right, Sonnar. What do you mean that I and a lady friend own this place?"
"You and a lady, Zellas-san, purchased this establishment not quite a year and a half ago, Sir. Not long in fact. I see that you are testing my loyalty but be confident, Mr. Zelgadis, in you and she is where my loyalty lies unwaveringly," Sonnar assured with a warm smile, confusing the chimera only more. "Ahh, here is your lady now. Good morning, Zellas-san."
"Good morning, Sonnar. I trust my breakfast will be swift?" a beautiful lady inquired with a brush of a long blonde lock over her shoulder. Her amber eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Of course, Ma'am. It shall be brought to you promptly." Sonnar bowed slightly before hurrying back towards the kitchen.
Zellas turned her smiling gaze to the silent chimera and grinned. "I see you have finally rid yourself of that little potion. Well, Zelgadis, I am Zellas Metallium, Greater Beastmaster, Darklord and ruler of Wolf Pack Isle."
Zelgadis merely stared. This woman, her eyes giving her away as a true Mazoku, had introduced herself so calmly, as if it were common to be meeting a Darklord when one woke up. After a moment Zellas seated herself across from him and propped her elbows on the table to rest her chin in her palms. The chimera swallowed hard.
"Do you mind explaining what's going on here?" he finally ventured. Might as well ask before everything goes to Hell…
"Oh not at all. You see my dear little boy was mentioning how boring you all had gotten so I decided to spice things up a bit." She paused. "Do you want the long version or the short version?"
"Start with the short version."
"As you wish," she conceded with a smile, her eyes never leaving his. "The princess, Amelia I believe her name is," she raised an eyebrow for conformation. The chimera nodded. "Well, she's got this little itsy-bitsy problem, something she's had since her mother died and her big sister ran away. But that is really besides the point. Anywho… I manipulated her…quirk…and she drugged you all with Star-bane and knocked you out with Sleep Grass. Poor thing was affected too…"
"Back to the story," Zelgadis persisted, his jaw clenching in growing frustration.
"Oh yes. Sleep Grass… As I was saying," Zellas continued with a grin. "She dosed you all with Star-bane then… what's the word… set you all up… To put it bluntly, she mind wiped you all for a year and a half to let you all start new and happy lives." Her smile widened but was far from menacing as she continued. "You ended up with me so as to start anew with someone, someone who was not afraid of you in a place that you would be accepted."
"And that is where exactly?"
"Why, Canyon, an island of the East coast off the continent and out from Zefilia."
Zelgadis mulled this over for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure if he liked what had happened or hated it. "Why did we buy this inn then?"
"You were out to make some money to pay for your cure and meet new people so I suggested this." Zellas informed brightly. She was cheerful and her smile reminded the chimera vaguely of a certain violet-haired trickster-priest. "You turned out to be quite the businessman, Zelgadis."
Zelgadis shrugged off the comment though he was inwardly pleased at the praise. "Wait… My cure?"
"Ahh, so you did catch that huh?" Zellas chuckled. "It was offered to you by a mage in the town, a hermit really, but he wanted an outrageous sum for it. Hence your desire to make cash."
It was understandable, logical even but Zelgadis was hesitant. He would just threaten to kill the man in that case then… wouldn't he? Zellas seemed to have read his thoughts when she continued.
"Killing him would have erased any chance for you to get your precious cure as it resides in his body and can only be 'unlocked' by him."
"Oh."
"Your breakfast," Sonnar interjected in a low tone as he settled a plate of steak and eggs before the sultry blonde.
"Thank you, Sonnar," the Darklord purred, turning a sultry smile upon him. "You may go on about your business now."
"O-of course."
As Sonnar scurried away to attend his business, Zellas didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that he turned to cast a longing look back at her before disappearing behind the desk once more. The chimera shook his head in disbelief. How in the world did he end up with a Mazoku?
"Yanno, you were much more talkative when you didn't remember how obsessed with your appearance you were," Zellas commented suddenly, resting her chin on her wrist, a fork dangling from her loose fingers. With an equally sudden shrug, she went back to her meal, her eyes never leaving the chimera's. "I'm really not so bad, am I?"
He shrugged slightly while answering in a low tone, "Well you haven't killed me yet."
At this the demoness laughed, her amber eyes dancing with amusement. "No, I haven't. Once I've finished eating I'll show you around your home and let you get reacquainted with me."
"Shylenan. City of Hope: a place for all people in search of their ultimate happiness. Welcome. Please respect the following regulations: No magic. No weapons. No killing, maiming, or fighting. Thank you and enjoy your stay. We, the leaders of Shylenan, wish you the absolute best in you quest."
Lina frowned and scratched her head in confusion. This was the second sign like this she'd found and it only managed to pique her curiosity more than alleviate it. The building she'd woken in this morning looked more like a dorm room with only a bed, dresser and vanity. Her clothes were folded neatly into the dresser drawers with her favourite brush on the vanity. She had changed quickly and left the room to wander the halls. There were several doors lining the halls she traveled, all locked from the inside, some marked with do not disturb signs hanging from the doorknobs. Xelloss had found her reading one such notice and had gained himself a punch in the head for startling her.
"Happiness huh?" she mused softly to herself. "I think I've heard of this place in a legend when I was a kid. It was said that no one ever left this place because they had found what they'd been searching for: ultimate bliss."
"What an odd place," Xelloss added as he appeared in the open doorway next to the sign from his quick search outside.
The sorceress glanced up at him and nodded. "Find anything useful? Anything about this place?"
"Only a few more signs like this one and a few people wandering the streets. It is only early morning yet," he informed simply. "I questioned one person about this place and he said that it was a nursery doubled with a hospital."
"That's it?" Lina began to wonder about why she'd woken in such a place. "Didn't you wake up here too?" Xelloss nodded. "Any idea how we got here or why we're in this particular building?"
He shook his head. "Not how we got here or why, only that you dear princess friend had a hand in it."
"Amelia?" Lina gasped then paused in thought. "Actually, come to think of it… it was strange how tired we all were after her little feast last night."
"Make that a year and a half ago."
"Right, a year ago… Wait. What? A year!" Lina yelled, grabbing the priest by the collar and shaking back and forth. "What do you mean a year ago?" she growled.
Xelloss grinned at the raging sorceress. He too had been shocked though he'd handled it far differently. "Calm down, Lina-chan."
"What do you mean calm down?" she demanded, shaking the priest harder. "We're a year later than yesterday, in an unknown place, and we don't know how we got here or why Amelia drugged us! And you expect me to ca-!" Lina halted mid tirade and swallowed hard, a hand flaying to cover her mouth. "I'm gonna be sick." She suddenly pushed the mildly surprised Mazoku away before running back down the hall for the lavatory she'd passed.
She came back a few minutes later still looking a little green. "That's weird," she commented, her tone subdued. "I don't feel like I have a cold or anything."
"So it would seem," Xelloss agreed with his usual grin, earning a scowl from the sorceress.
"Lina-san, what are you doing up?" a kindly woman's voice chided from behind the younger woman. Lina spun around to see a short, plump brunette with a warm smile and a kind face shaking her head disapprovingly as she smoothed her white apron against the grey of her skirt.
"Uh… just looking around," she lied slowly.
"You know that you must get plenty of rest now. We went through this last week, Lina-san."
"But I'm feeling fine," she protested. The young woman was confused and in a very strange situation making her unstable and quicker to take action rather than to think first. "Why do I have to rest?"
The older woman smiled patiently at the whine and moved to take Lina by the elbow. She slowly led the sorceress back down the hall leaving Xelloss to trail along behind.
"Because if you lose your strength you could have trouble even though it is still early." This caught the demon's attention but before he or Lina could comment, the woman looked over her shoulder at him as they walked. "And you, Xelloss-san, should know better than to disturb a woman's rest, especially in her condition."
"Condition?" Lina echoed nervously. "What condition?"
"She was already up, my dear," Xelloss told the woman with a wide grin. This was too good!
"What condition?"
"Even if she was, it's as much your responsibility as hers to make sure she rests," she lectured, turning her attention back to the hall before her and steering Lina into the room she'd woken in. "Seeing as you are the father."
Lina stopped cold in her tracks and the smile vanished from Xelloss' face. "Come again?" they both demanded.
The woman released her hold on the sorceress' elbow and turned to address the pair. "I thought you knew… The test we ran when Lina-san came in a last week came back positive. Not only is she pregnant, it's yours, Xelloss-san. I thought that was why you were with her," she explained, her tone curious but pleasant.
"I…I…I'm pr-prr-prrregnant?" Lina stammered.
"Oh yes, unmistakably."
"Oh shit," the younger woman squeaked before her eyes rolled up and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Oh dear. Xelloss-san, could you help me move her onto the bed?"
Xelloss moved like an automaton as he scooped up the redhead to deposit her gently onto the bed as the plump woman covered Lina with the blanket. Once done, he sat in the chair next to the bed. His face was still one of shock. "Is Lina really pregnant or is this some elaborate joke?"
"No joke, sir," the brunette assured. "I'm curious, I told her that she was pregnant last week, why wouldn't she remember?"
"I'm not sure, miss, but it may be do to a spell or something of the like cast before we came here. I too am suffering a loss of memory. Please, how long have we been in this city?"
"Well, my name is Carlanna, and I'm not sure but you two came in a week ago tomorrow. She was injured in a brawl and could not figure out why she'd been getting sick of late. The culprit for the fight was banished from the city as punishment and it is well that Lina-san did not use her magic in the fight as she would have also been banished," Carlanna assured with a smile. "I ran some tests while she was recovering and discovered that she was pregnant, about eight weeks along in fact, and that the fetus had the same energy signature as you."
"How'd you get my energy signature?"
"A hair while you were sleeping," the woman admitted sheepishly, having the decency to blush and look ashamed of her impropriety. "But you see, Lina wouldn't tell us who the father was and I had a feeling that it might be you since you brought her in and seemed concerned, if distantly, about her recovery. I told her that it was you but she said that it was impossible for some reason, but our tests have never been wrong."
Xelloss nodded numbly and closed his eyes once more. "Could you excuse us?"
"Of course. You must have a lot to think about. Come see me when she wakes."
The demon nodded again and the woman left, closing the door silently behind her.
"Is she gone?" Lina whispered faintly.
"Yes, she's gone."
"I can't believe this!" she growled, opening her eyes to stare up at the ceiling thoughtfully. After a moment she rolled her head to the side to look at Xelloss to see him uncharacteristically hunched over with his elbows propped on his knees, head in his hands. "Xelloss? You ok?"
Surprised at the gentle concern in her voice, he looked up at her and smiled his usual smile. "The better question is, are you?"
"No, but I'll manage…somehow. I always do."
Xelloss chuckled in response and nodded. "Yes, you always do. Will you keep the baby? Assuming you really are pregnant and that test of theirs wasn't wrong."
Lina didn't hesitate before she nodded. A smile quirked at her lips and she gave a soft laugh. "Yeah. I was raised that a kid is the most important thing, although I never thought that I'd ever have one, honestly. My… line of work doesn't really allow for that kind of thing, yanno? That and, no offence, I never thought that it'd end up being you..."
"None taken. And honestly, neither did I on both accounts. Now what will you do?"
"Firstly, I'm gonna get outta this city and find a real midwife, there's a good one in Zephelia that I know is never wrong, then I'm gonna go get Amelia and kick her ass!"
Xelloss laughed. Always an indomitable spirit, he mused with a smile, no matter how radical the situation.
Gourry cracked an eye open to notice that it was nearly noon. He'd really slept in! Lina was gonna yell at him for this… He groaned and sat up, dreading the fiery sorceress' temper. Suddenly he blinked in surprise. This wasn't the hotel room. Where was he? A soft sigh next to him made him glance down and stare in shock.
"Sylphiel?" he whispered incredulously. She lay next to him beneath the blanket, watching him through half-lidded eyes.
"Morning, Gourry-dear. Sleep well?"
"A little too well, I forgot where I was," he told her, his mind frantically trying to make up for the memory lapse. "How did I get here, Sylphiel?"
"Amelia brought you a little over a year ago, wounded and unconscious," the shrine maiden explained simply, having had warning that a spell cast on the swordsman would eventually wear off and he would remember nothing up to that time. "I healed you and when you came around, you'd lost your memory so when I asked you to stay, you did."
"Really? I don't remember that…"
She sat up, letting the blanket fall away. She chuckled when the blonde flushed darkly. "I can remind you all over again," she whispered promisingly, sliding her arms about her love's neck and pressing her bare chest against his. "If you like?"
Gourry's mind drew a blank letting his body compensate for his lack of articulacy by leaning down to capture the tempting lips with his own as his arms encircled the priestess possessively. Who was he to disagree after all…?