Actually, "Selfishness" refers to the clingy fan girl's refusal to take a hint and leave Raziel alone. I suppose it also refers to Raziel's refusal to acknowledge her feelings.

I fixed to chapter yesterday, so I'm not going to delay it any longer. (What was I thinking, having Liz pull the whole "I don't have long to live," act.)

6/1/05 Disclaimer: I don't own Raziel or Ico. Elizabeth is a stock character type.

We wandered through the castle for hours. During that time, we discovered that Raziel's reversion was complete save for his mind. He was again vulnerable to water, and he was lacking his wraith blade. Raziel's attitude towards me still did not change. He went through the puzzles in a methodical and businesslike manner.

At a point where Raziel had to reach down to pull me onto a ledge, I crossed my arms and stood defiantly.

"What's wrong with you?" Raziel asked.

"You're being a jerk!" I spat. "You act like being in my company is some great burden."

Raziel withdrew his talon and crouched on the ledge. "I was trying to find the secret of my destiny, but instead I got dragged here."

"You're happier not knowing," I muttered.

"I don't care for your opinion," Raziel sneered.

"Whiney giant smurf," I scowled, turning my back towards Raziel.

At that moment, a portal opened, and smoldering spirits came out to attack me. I did not hesitate to grab Raziel's hand and let him pull me to safety.

It wasn't until we were well away from the portal when Raziel growled, "I don't want any more of your foolish little delays."

"You did seem worried when that portal opened," I quietly remarked.

"Despite my feelings for this situation, no one deserves to go there," Raziel said ominously.

I nodded, remembering an earlier incident when one of the creatures had started to drag me in. My leg had immediately gone numb to everything but tiny lances of pain. I shuddered to think about how it would feel to have my entire body dragged in.

"Besides which," Raziel continued, "you're the only thing that can open those doors."

"Actually, there is something else that can open them," I said. "There's a magic sword in the grotto underneath the castle. The trouble is, you've got to be outside wanting to get in."

"That knowledge would have been beneficial much sooner," Raziel growled.

"No shortcuts," I insisted. "That would have gotten us stuck here permanently. The only benefit you have is that I'm not a defective princess."

"A what?" Raziel asked.

"In the game, Yorda doesn't do much of anything except occasionally stare at the solution to the puzzle. She doesn't even try to defend herself." I said.

"You're not very good at defending yourself," Raziel commented.

"That's why I'm happy that you're willing to keep them from getting me," I smiled coyly.

We reached the halfway point quickly enough. Our next challenge lay in a huge room with a waterfall flowing through it. It was smaller than the ballroom, but there were more levels defined by the bridges and pathways.

"I'm not going in there," Raziel insisted, hanging back in the entrance.

"We have to keep going," I yelled over the roaring of the water.

Raziel stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the side of the doorway. I felt some sympathy for him. He had good reason to fear the water. The last water puzzle had left him shaking and pale, and that had been shallow.

"I thought you wanted to go home," I said, wrapping my hands around his arm. "It will be okay. Just go out through that window at the top."

Raziel frowned as he considered his lack of options. He shrugged his arm out of my grip and carefully jogged across the highest bridge to the other side of the chamber. I took my own path, carefully lowering myself over the edge of the stone walkway and dropping to the one underneath.

After two minor puzzles, we entered the grassy courtyard. The stream that fed the waterfall flowed swiftly along one side. I shoved a box into the stream to prove that I wouldn't be able to swim it. Raziel flatly refused to attempt leaping over the stream.

Steeling my courage, I took a flying leap over the stream… and landed a foot short. My fingers brushed the ledge on the opposite side, but I wasn't able to get a grip before the current pulled me over the waterfall.

My whole body stung from hitting the water bad. I thrashed to the surface and started shrieking for Raziel. I clambered out of the water and retched. I screamed for Raziel again.

Fear caused my legs to wobble even as I lurched back to the outside. I knew that if the spirits acted like they always had in the game, then Raziel would never reach me in time.

Sure enough, the spirits did come, but fortunately Raziel could move faster than Ico, and I wasn't a brain-dead princess. Raziel hissed as he saw that I was soaking wet, but he bore the burning and quickly jerked me up to the ledge.

Fortunately, Raziel did not have to repeat the worst part of the puzzle. He tried jumping the stream this time, and I held my breath as he almost slipped on the landing.

Even with the stream feeding the waterfall cut off, the room was still half-flooded. I waded through knee-deep water and dragged the floating crate so that Raziel could stand on it. He wasn't too keen on the idea, but I managed to ferry him to the other side.