Author's note: Sorry for the lengthy time in between this and the last chapter. I've been having some major computer problems. Plus, I couldn't do anything for a week because something was messed up with my eye. Not to mention, school's been keeping me annoyingly busy. So, this is sort of a filler chapter until I can concentrate better without all these annoying distractions. I promise the next chapter will have some action. This chapter is mainly intended to further Zelgadis and Amelia's relationship, which I want to be an important part of the story.

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Crush : Innocence and Fervor

Zelgadis yawned and reluctantly opened an eye. Rubbing the other one open, he sat up in his bed on the floor. Hmm...slept pretty well, considering. He pushed the covers back and stood up. Glancing over to the real bed, he smiled. So cute when she's sleeping.

Amelia's hair haphazardly framed her face, and the covers had been pushed down to her waist. Zelgadis's eyes perked up when he spotted skin. Walking quietly towards her, he found that the nightgown had been pulled up to her stomach, revealing her small waist.

Very nice. Resisting the temptation to pull the covers down further, he bent down to his bed and began to fold up the blankets. Guess I can go see if there's anything to eat down there. He stuffed the blankets back in the drawer he'd gotten them out of and noiselessly left the room.

Downstairs, he thankfully noted a smaller number of people than the night before. He looked over to the buffet and grimaced. Most of the food looked like it'd been chewed up already. He noticed some edible-looking bread. This doesn't look too bad. Grabbing a few slices, he jogged back up the stairs. He entered the room just in time to hear a small yawn escape from the mass of pillows and blankets. A few moments later, a very disheveled princess arose from the bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Zelgadis teased. He walked over and sat on the bed.

Amelia peered at him through one eye. "Is it really that late?"

Zelgadis smiled. "No...I just got up about ten or twenty minutes ago." Zelgadis nodded his head towards the bread in his hands. "Went downstairs to see what they had to eat. This is the only thing that looked safe."

Amelia looked down at the bread and noticed her panties were visible. She quickly pulled the nightgown further down.

Zelgadis tried not to smile too much. I wonder if she even knows that thing is see-through.

Amelia took a piece of bread and began nibbling at its edges. "Does this room have a mirror?"

Zelgadis looked around and grabbed a small, hand-held mirror. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Thanks." Amelia looked into the mirror and nearly dropped it. "God! I look horrible."

Zelgadis laughed lightly. "You don't look that bad. You did just get up."

"No...I never look this bad." Amelia stared into the mirror. "I mean, my hair looks worse than.." She began to smooth her hair down as much as possible. She pushed her upper lip up to examine her teeth. "Ah! Awful."

Zelgadis watched Amelia's little episode, extremely amused. Does she go through this every morning?

"I must've really slept last night." Amelia's eyes suddenly lit up. "Zelgadis..." Amelia started. "I don't...snore, do I?"

Zelgadis smiled. "Quiet as a mouse."

"Oh, good." Amelia sighed. "I wasn't sure...no one's ever been in a position to let me know."

"Privileged to be the first." Zelgadis winked at the young girl.

Amelia blushed. "Well. I guess I should get ready. We should get an earlier start."

Zelgadis nodded his agreement. "Want me to..?" He made a turning motion with his hand.

Amelia smiled. "Please."

Zelgadis turned around as she crawled out of bed and got dressed.

"Is your back sore?" Zelgadis decided to make a little small talk.

Amelia glanced up at him to make sure his back was still facing her. "Oh, not at all. Can't even tell I was injured." She pulled her shirt over her head, smoothing the wrinkles out of it. "Thanks again."

"No problem." Zelgadis crossed his arms. Sure wish I had that mirror right now. Be quiet.

"Okay, you can turn back around." Amelia dropped her hairbrush into her bag.

Zelgadis turned to face her, taking in her new outfit. She was wearing the tight black pants again, this time with a semi-tight white baby-tee with a small black cartoon dragon adorning the front. I think she's the first person I've met that can pull off sexy and cute simultaneously, he thought. Upon examining her face, she appeared to be thinking.

Amelia bent down and picked up her hairbrush again. She grabbed the mirror and walked over to Zelgadis. "Hold this." She held the mirror in front of him.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," he teased, taking the mirror and placing it in front of her face.

Amelia eyed him. "Watch it," she lightly warned as she began brushing her hair. Turning her attention to herself in the mirror, she held her hair in a ponytail with her hand until she wrapped a thick black ribbon around to hold it in place.

"Okay," she said as she took the mirror from Zelgadis. Setting it down on a desk, she glanced back at him. "So, do we need to take our stuff with us downstairs, or will we be coming back?"

"I suppose we'll be checking out. Might as well be ready to leave."

"Alright," Amelia replied as she made her way over to her bag.

Within a few minutes, they were both ready to go. Zelgadis opened the door and, putting his hand in front of him, spoke.

"Ladies first."

"Always the gentlemen." She smiled and walked through the door.

You have no idea. Closing the door behind him, he smirked as he again placed his attention on her swaying hips.

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"You're sure?"

"Positive. Never seen either one of them in my life," the man told Amelia. He apologized and walked away.

Disappointed, Amelia shoved the drawing of Lina and Gourry into her back pocket. Where are they? She decided to see if Zelgadis had had any luck. Looking down the street, she spotted him talking to a young woman. Amelia watched the two for a moment. She frowned as she saw the woman laugh. What is he doing? We're supposed to be looking for Lina and Gourry...not trying to get a date. Flustered, she decided to intervene.

"There you are, Zelgadis!" Amelia ran up to him and gave him a tight hug. "I've been looking all over for you." She leaned up, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Zelgadis, startled, looked down at Amelia as if she were drunk. "A-amelia?"

Amelia batted her eyelashes, still clinging to Zelgadis. "Yes?"

Zelgadis was too confused to say anything else at the moment. Maybe she's possessed.

The woman watched the two in front of her. "Should I leave you two alone?" she asked, amused. She had a feeling she knew what the girl was doing and decided to play along.

"Oh, you don't have to–" Zelgadis started but was interrupted by Amelia's lips.

Amelia stopped kissing Zelgadis to answer the woman. "If you don't mind."

The woman tried her hardest not to laugh. "Sure thing. I hope you find your friends," she added. She stifled a giggled and walked into the store she was in front of.

Amelia let go of Zelgadis and looked up at him angrily. "And just what was that all about?"

Zelgadis looked down at Amelia, again surprised. "I was just about to ask you the same question."

"What were you talking to her about?"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. "Lina and Gourry. You know that."

"You seemed to be pretty cozy together." Amelia's voice was tinged with bitterness.

Zelgadis's eyebrows flew up. "You're not...jealous, are you?"

"Jealous? Please. I just thought it was a little disrespectful to Lina and Gourry. We're trying to save them...and the only thing you can think about is girls." Amelia tried her hardest not to cry.

"Amelia...I wasn't.." Zelgadis looked into her watery eyes. "I was just asking her if she'd seen them."

"And had she?"

"No."

"Then why were you still talking to her?" Amelia asked.

"Amelia, am I not allowed to talk to other girls?"

"Not when our friends are in danger!" Amelia started crying.

Zelgadis closed the distance between them and put his arms around her. "That girl doesn't have anything to do with this, does she?"

"What do you mean?" Amelia sobbed.

"This is all because you're worried about them, isn't it?" Zelgadis rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"I guess." Amelia sniffed. She looked up at Zelgadis with wide, frightened eyes. "We're not going to find them this way."

Zelgadis nodded. "I know, but we don't have anything to go on." He sighed. "We'll just have to wait for something to happen."

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Hours passed slowly, and the sun sunk into the horizon, displaying the brilliant shades of nature. As the sunlight disappeared, the shadows in the forest Zelgadis and Amelia were currently in began to emerge from the deep, murky trees.

Amelia tried to keep her eyes glued to the road before them, but she couldn't help the endless 'monsters' she kept imagining she saw out of the corner of her eyes. A low branch caught her shirt, tugging gently. Screaming, Amelia turned around, preparing her assault on her attacker.

Zelgadis, hearing the scream, turned around quickly. "Amelia?" He squinted his eyes. Where is she? I thought she was right behind me. Zelgadis threw down their bags and ran toward the direction the scream had come from. He arrived just in time to see Amelia slicing a branch repeatedly. Smiling, he walked over toward her. "Amelia. Are you alright?"

Amelia, breathing heavily, gazed up at Zelgadis. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to fall behind. I just...got scared. I kept seeing things.." Amelia swallowed. He probably wishes I weren't here. I'm just in the way. "I'm fine now," she quickly added.

Zelgadis thought he heard some shame in her voice. Does she think I'm mad at her? "I'm glad you're okay." He carefully pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her back. Relieved, Amelia snuggled against him. Zelgadis looked down the path they were on. He didn't see any way they could make it out of the forest before they would need to sleep.

"Amelia...I know how much you love these woods, but do you think you'll be able to sleep here? I didn't realize how big they were."

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis with wide eyes. "I-I..don't know. I think I might be able to." She sighed. I suppose I have no choice. Looking around at the shadow-infested trees, Amelia shuddered. Since when am I so afraid of a bunch of trees?

Zelgadis felt the small girl trembling in his arms. She can't be cold. If anything, the temperature has raised since sunset. He looked around at their surroundings. These woods are odd. I haven't heard a sound since we've entered...not even a cricket.

"Zelgadis?" Amelia's voice broke into his thoughts. "Where will we sleep? The road's probably not the safest place to be."

Zelgadis nodded thoughtfully. "I think I saw a small clearing up ahead...just off the main path." He gazed down into her big blue eyes. "Care to join me, princess?" he asked softly.

Amelia's knees nearly buckled, causing her to have to struggle to hold her weight. God, I love his voice. She wasn't sure if she could speak so she simply nodded.

Zelgadis smiled and stepped in the direction of the clearing. Amelia, though saddened that she was no longer in Zelgadis's arms, walked quickly beside him.

As the last of the sun's light died, a full moon rose and began to shine its brilliant incandescence over the land. Amelia looked up, quietly bathing herself in the ethereal glow around her. Zelgadis glanced over at Amelia, making sure she was still near him. His jaw nearly hit the ground. She looks like...an angel. He tried not to stare, but found he couldn't help himself. Finally, he shook himself out of his trance long enough to spot the clearing.

"There it is," Zelgadis told Amelia, pointing. They were now to the place where he had tossed their bags. He bent down and easily picked them up. "Your sure this is okay? We could keep walking."

Amelia stared at Zelgadis in disbelief. He's insane. My legs feel like they're made of jelly. We've been walking all day.

Zelgadis smiled inwardly. "Well, I guess the look on your face tells me we are going to be enjoying a wonderful night right here under the stars." He winked.

Amelia shook her head. How can he be so unruffled? I'm about ready to drop dead, and he's making jokes. She threw her arms over her head in exasperation. "Wonderful, indeed." She grumpily made her way towards the area he had pointed out to her.

Zelgadis quickly dodged the sword she had waved around. Now, what's gotten into her? She was fine a minute ago. He followed her. "Amelia? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at all!" She stomped through the tall weeds until she reached the clearing, throwing her sword down. She whirled around to face him.

Zelgadis watched her closely. He dropped their bags and walked towards her. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"You want to know what's bothering me?"

Zelgadis slowly nodded. What's going on?

"Alright, here we go. Lina and Gourry are missing, possibly for good. There hasn't been a sign of them since they disappeared. We have nothing to go on except pointless searches of clueless villages. And this never-ending forest! We've been walking in it for, what, seven hours now? I've had to convince myself every time I see a shadow or a twig that I'm not under attack. I've been picking bugs off me and out of my hair ever since we got into this place. All the while, you've had nothing short of a holiday in here. My legs and back are about to kill me, and..." she glanced down for something to end her tirade. "...my feet hurt!"

Zelgadis, hearing her finish, tried his hardest not to smile. She certainly has her mood swings. He remembered earlier that day when she had kissed him in front of that girl. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"And just what are you laughing about?" Amelia demanded, though her voice had softened slightly. She would never be able to be mad at him for long. Not when his smile makes my heart melt. Amelia blinked. Where did that come from?

"You, my dear." Zelgadis walked towards her till he would have had to stand on top of her to get any closer.

Amelia looked up at him defiantly. "Well, you'd better––hey, what are you doing!"

Zelgadis said nothing as he grabbed Amelia and threw her over his shoulder. He began running through the forest until he reached a small lake that they had passed by a little while ago. He glanced at it, and his enhanced vision told him that it was deep enough. He quickly scaled a large rock and, a protesting Amelia in his arms, jumped into the water.

Seconds later, they resurfaced. Amelia gasped for air and turned to look at Zelgadis. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Zelgadis smiled mischievously. "I don't think I'm doing anything. I already did it."

"What, ruin my hair? Add more to my list of woes? Congratulations!" Amelia huffed at him, about to make her way towards the bank.

Grinning again, Zelgadis dove underneath the water. Amelia crossed her arms, then realized she needed her arms to stay above the water's surface. Growling, she began to speak again.

"Zelgadis, would you quit playing around? We have to find Lina and Gourry, and we need to find some place to sleep." Amelia stared into the water. "Zelgadis?" Amelia's heart began to beat rapidly. He's been down there a while. "Zelgadis! Where are you?" Amelia turned a circle, hoping to see that he'd resurfaced somewhere else. Seeing nothing, she turned her attention back to the water. "Zelgadis!" Amelia screamed loudly.

About to go looking for him, she suddenly felt rough, wet fingers against her mouth. Attempting to scream, she was whirled around by strong arms. When she opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with a pair of soulful blue eyes.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia pounded uselessly on his chest. "You jerk! I thought you were drowning! I was about to drown myself going after you!" She continued her assault on his chest. Without the aid of her arms, she began to sink into the water.

Zelgadis quickly put his hands onto her shoulders. "And I appreciate the thought." I swear I'd stop messing her with if she wasn't so cute when she got mad. He grinned once again.

Amelia stopped hitting and looked up at Zelgadis. This is getting me absolutely nowhere. Argh. This isn't fair. He can get me riled up, but nothing I do affects his demeanor. Amelia breathed, exasperated. Hmm. Time to do something about this.

"Ow...," Amelia complained believably. She reached and held her upper left thigh. She pouted for good measure.

Zelgadis stopped grinning. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"It's just my...leg. I think I scraped it on something." She tried as hard as she could to water her eyes. "It's starting to sting."

Zelgadis looked into the dusky waters. "Where?"

Without hesitation, Amelia grabbed his hand and placed it on her thigh. She had to raise her leg up slightly so he could reach. His eyes grew as big as saucers. His expression threatened to make Amelia laugh out loud. Why didn't I think of this before? "There," she whimpered.

As soon as his hand made contact with her leg, Zelgadis froze. His mind raced. Sure, I daydream and think constant hormonal thoughts about her, but I have to draw the line there. This is Amelia Zelgadis looked into her eyes, trying to decipher what she was thinking. She has no idea what she does to me.

Amelia smiled inwardly as she saw Zelgadis squirm in front of her. So, he doesn't want to take advantage of poor little Amelia, huh? Amelia moved closer to him, causing his hand to move further up her thigh. She nearly gasped. Man, that feels good. She peered up at him. "Zelgadis...have you ever healed someone underwater?" she asked, trying to muster up her most suggestive voice.

Zelgadis swallowed. "No...can't say that I have." The fact that his hand was as high as it could go on her leg without running into something else had not gone unnoticed by him.

"Would you like to try?" Amelia opened her mouth slightly, licking her lower lip.

Still in a somewhat frozen state, Zelgadis stiffly nodded. "Alright." God, she doesn't know how I close am I to losing my control. Shut up. Just concentrate.

Amelia slowly wove her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his wirey hair. "Fabulous," she softly whispered into his ear.

Suddenly, before Zelgadis could move, Amelia quickly shoved him underneath the water. When he resurfaced, he heard the sound of her giggling near him. Why...that little vixen. He looked over at her, and found her laughing so hard, she was struggling to stay afloat.

"Amelia..." he drawled. "Come here."

She glanced at him and saw pure mischief in his eyes. Ooh...I hope he's not too mad. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Nothing..." he glared at her. "Much."

"Now, Zelgadis..." She swam a little further away from him. "You did deserve that."

Zelgadis cocked his head to one side. "Did I now?" He slowly made his way towards her.

Amelia's heart pounded. I know he's not going to hurt me...but still. What in the world is he thinking? "Zelgadis?"

"Yes, princess?" he purred.

"What are you..."

Zelgadis grinned evilly. "Come here and find out."

Amelia swallowed. "I don't think I want to." I know he's just messing with me. Isn't he?

He swiftly closed the distance between them and brought his hands up to her waist. Startled, Amelia peered up at him.

"You know, Amelia..." Zelgadis spoke quietly. "I've always wondered something about you."

Amelia began to blush slightly. "And what was that?"

"Whether or not you're..." He moved his hands to her stomach. "Ticklish."

Amelia's eyes widened. Suddenly, he began to tickle her relentlessly. "Zelgadis! Stop!" She laughed so hard she cried. "Zel!" She tried to defend herself but failed miserably. He was much too strong to ward off. Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he stopped his torture. By that time, however, all of her energy was gone.

"Zelgadis..." she panted. "I'm gonna get you back." She clung to his shoulders to keep from sinking.

Zelgadis grinned down at her. "I can't wait," he whispered softly. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly swam back to the bank.

So content in his embrace and worn out from their watery adventure, Amelia snaked her arms around his neck and slowly fell asleep.

Zelgadis looked down at her and smiled. So untouched by the world. So pure. Zelgadis rose out of the water, Amelia in his arms, and walked back to their bags. He set her down on her feet, gently shaking her shoulders. "Amelia," he cooed softly.

"Mmm," Amelia murmured. She opened her eyes. "Yeah?"

"We need to change and get to sleep."

Remembering that there were no bathrooms in a forest, Amelia suddenly became more awake. "Yeah, I guess we do." She looked around for her bag. She suddenly had a thought. "Zelgadis?"

Bending down to retrieve a dry pair of black pants, he looked up at her. "Hmm?"

"We don't have any covers to sleep on." Amelia began to scan the forest, trying to find something suitable for a bed.

"Oh, yeah...I forgot to tell you." Zelgadis reached into his bag and pulled out a large blanket. "I, uh, borrowed this from the last inn we were at."

"Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed. "That's stealing."

Zelgadis eyed Amelia. "Well, if you want me to go give it back, I'll–"

"No! No..." Amelia interrupted shyly. "Maybe just this once."

Zelgadis stood. "Alright, now that that's settled, I'm going to go change. I'll be right back." With that, he made his way into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.

Amelia sighed. She leaned over, found her white nightgown, and looked for an appropriate place to change. Seeing a large grey rock, she quickly walked behind it. She tugged off her pants, which was a much harder task than she'd anticipated. Still wet, they clung to her legs like a second skin. After that, she striped herself of the rest of her garments. She quickly put on a dry pair of white cotton panties. She was about to put on her bra when she heard a noise in the trees behind her. The bra slipped to the ground. Not noticing, she tightly held the nightgown to her chest and quickly glanced around.

"Zelgadis? Is that you?" Amelia's eyes nervously flitted around. Please, Zelgadis. Let that be you. "Hello?" she called timidly.

She was answered by a horrifying growl emanating from the murky woods. She was too scared to run so she slowly retreated from the shadowy trees. She backed up into something and was about to scream when a familiar hand covered her mouth. She looked down, saw the light blue skin, and nearly fainted with relief. Zelgadis. With a quiet sigh, she leaned into his shirtless chest.

"Amelia," he carefully whispered into her ear. "Something's out there. Turn around and go back to the clearing. I'll follow right behind you."

She nodded and did as instructed. She was so frightened that she completely forgot she hadn't finished dressing. Noiselessly, they walked back. Zelgadis checked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.

"I think we're okay. I'm not sure what it was, but I can't sense it anymore." Zelgadis did his best to comfort her as he looked around. When he felt her begin to tremble, he involuntarily brought his arms around her back. It was then that he finally noticed her attire or lack thereof. He hands came in contact with skin and nothing else. He gazed down, his heart racing. Dear god. The only thing she was actually wearing were her panties and the nightgown, translucent as it was, hid very little above them. Thankfully, her hands obscured what was important.

Amelia looked up and was surprised to see him staring down at her with wide eyes. Confused, she glanced down. Oh, my god. Nothing could have stopped the profuse blush that spread across Amelia's face. I'm such an idiot. Too embarrassed to look back up at Zelgadis, she stared at the ground, no idea as to what she should do.

Zelgadis couldn't help it. He continued to stare even after he realized she was deeply mortified. She's so...beautiful. Against his better judgement, he reached up and stroked her slightly damp hair. He put his other hand behind her neck, gently tilting her head to look at him. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. Zelgadis...stop. This is wrong. He continued to touch her cheek. But why does it have to be wrong? We've known each other for awhile. She knows everything about me and still cares for me. I won't find that anywhere else, not in a million years. He gazed down into her innocent eyes. But she doesn't know everything about me. Yes, she knows that I'm part demon, but she doesn't understand what that means. Yes, she knows that I'm naturally drawn to darkness, but she doesn't realize that it's because I have darkness inside me. Always. It will never go away, no matter how much good I try to do. He sighed. I have to stop this...stop confusing her. Just because I can't figure out my own emotions doesn't mean I have to muddle hers.

He was about to pull away when he felt Amelia's arms wrap around his neck and tenderly drag him down. As she did so, the nightgown she had been holding fell to the ground. Her lips came up to meet his, kissing him very softly...tentatively. Unable to stop himself, he kissed her back. She leaned closer to him until their bodies came in contact with each other. A rock on Zelgadis's chest scraped lightly across Amelia's breast, causing her to moan into his mouth. Hearing her sigh of pleasure, Zelgadis brought his hands back up to her hair and neck. He gently stroked the skin from her neck down her back. Amelia clung to his broad shoulders with one hand while massaging his neck with the other.

Leaning back, Zelgadis broke away from the kiss. He looked into Amelia's eyes once again, rapidly losing his resolve when he saw them darkening with lust. He leaned forward, softly kissing her neck. Amelia felt her knees buckling and was suddenly afraid that she might collapse. As if reading her thoughts, Zelgadis wrapped his arms around her, easily lifting her up. Instinctively, she twined her legs around his waist firmly, eliciting a rough growl from the back of his throat. Amelia smiled inwardly, marveled that she could affect him so much. Zelgadis resumed kissing her neck, leaving a trail of fiery passion wherever his lips went. He nipped at her collarbone, again causing the aroused princess to moan.

Zelgadis continued to caress her back, while holding her up against him with the other arm. His hand reached the hem of her panties, lingering there. When he slipped his fingers underneath the thin fabric, Amelia's eyes snapped open.

"Z-zelgadis?"

"Yeah, princess?" he asked, surprising even him at how husky his voice sounded. He quickly reversed the motion of his hand, moving it up her back.

"I don't think..." Amelia blushed, "I don't think I'm ready for this." She looked down. I hope he's not mad...I did start all of this, after all.

Zelgadis looked at Amelia, whose face was getting pinker by the second. "Amelia."

She glanced up.

"It's okay." Zelgadis did his best to smile reassuringly. He was still very aware of the fact that neither of them had clothing on above the waist. If I can get through this without ravaging her, I can get through anything.

"Are you sure?" Amelia asked shyly. "I mean, I know that most guys would be frustrated or something."

Zelgadis did smile that time. "Well, I'm not most guys," he said, fighting the urge to look down. Liar. He gently set her down and walked behind her, facing away from her. "You can finish getting dressed now."

Amelia turned to look at him, smiling when she saw his back. Definitely not like most guys. "Thank you." She quickly found the nightgown and slipped it over her head.

Zelgadis breathed deeply, glad he finally had something else to look at except a nearly naked Amelia. Not that I mind, he thought. I just...need something to take my mind off of sex if I'm going to get through this night. He took another deep breath. I wonder when we'll talk about what happened.

"Okay," Amelia called. As Zelgadis turned around, she spotted the stolen blanket and began to spread it out.

Zelgadis looked at her. Unbelievable. She still had on next to nothing. She still failed to notice that she had no bra on and that the nightgown was see-through. She still looked gorgeous. Zelgadis sighed. Sometimes I wonder if she's really this naive or if just she's messing with me.

Amelia stifled a yawn. "Ready to sleep?" she asked.

Zelgadis nodded, despite his thoughts. I'll be lucky if I get two minutes of sleep tonight.

Amelia arranged herself into the oversized blanket and waited for Zelgadis to join her. When he simply stood there, she looked questioningly up at him. I hope he's not too upset about what I did. "Are you coming to bed?"

Zelgadis closed his eyes for a moment. He never ceased to be amazed at how easily she could arouse him. With her simple, innocent question, he was again uncertain as to whether he would be able to lay next to her without his hands roaming her body.

Zelgadis forced himself to smile. "Of course." And with that, he settled next to her, looked up at the starry sky, and listened as she fell asleep. He glanced over at her sleeping form and sighed. This will be interesting.

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