The magic Of Care-a-lot
Disclaimer: I do not own: Rurouni Kenshin, Slayers or the Care Bears Movies. Though I confess to owning a couple of DVD movies and I might have owned a bear or two at some point in my life…I was always partial to Tender Heart!
Part 3: Flying my colors!
…So that everyone can see isn't this a perfect way to introduce me!
You say that I'm different I'm special it's true!
Let the magic of my colors put its power on you!
Zelgadis opened his eyes and found him self sitting at the side of a road on a low stone fence. He looked down to check on his belongings but found himself bereft of both his sword and his spell components. But what he found most amazing was his skin! He pulled his hands up close and examined them.
"No leather or stone! Ha!" he laughed. He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed with joy. It was a simple act that most people took for granted but to him it meant he could be human again! He breathed in deeply the morning air and relished the ability to feel the textures of the stone on the fence and the simple cotton garb he was wearing.
"Yo Zel!" came the familiar and yet not so irritating anymore voice of Lina Inverse walking up the road. He smiled and waved as Lina, Gourry and Amelia made their way towards him.
"How's the new life coming along!" his big friend Gourry called out cheerfully. He hopped down from the fence and walked up to them. He just smiled.
"Where are you guys headed?" he asked amiably feeling unusually cheerful.
"…To New Sairaag! We heard some rumors of a gang attacking travelers on the main road there!" Amelia replied "And we are going to bring the mighty hammer of justice upon them!" she enthused. Zel laughed.
"And I'll get a big fat reward for it!" Lina cheered. Amelia rolled her eyes.
"Ms. Lina! The real reward will be that we bring justice to the victims and safety to the travelers of New Sairaag!" Amelia lectured proudly.
"Yeah! Yeah! Whatever! It's too bad you can't come with us!" Lina commented cheerfully dismissing Amelia's indignant protests about truth and justice. Zel looked confused.
"Why not?" he asked after all he had been a very good swordsman before he became a chimera. He could still take care of himself! Couldn't he?
"Mr. Zelgadis don't you remember?" Amelia asked guiltily. He shook his head. Amelia clamped up and looked away guiltily so it was Lina who answered.
"When that Dark Heart thing hit you he zapped away the Golem and the Brau demon but he also zapped away your magic! The bolts shattered both your arms the healers at the Seyruun palace tried their best but you can't carry a sword anymore. You were unconscious for days! I guess the blow must've been worse than we thought if your memory's been affected too!" Lina explained seriously. He just stared at her in horrified silence.
"You saved my life Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia piped up but the guilt in her eyes zapped away the cheer she meant to give him.
"Can't be…It's a dream…" he whispered too horrified by this wrinkle in his new world. His friends shifted uncomfortably and Zel backed away. He was a proud man after all and the pity he was starting to see in there eyes was something he couldn't tolerate.
He turned away from them and ran towards a small cottage behind the fence he'd just been sitting on. He heard Amelia calling to him but Lina held her back. He slammed the door shut and realized with horror what a difficult task it was to lift the wooden plank that served as a dead bolt from the floor to the hooks on the side of the door.
"This can't be happening!" he shivered violently as he stared at his weakened hands with shock. He looked around the house and there was his sword on an ornamental mount on the wall. He went to it and tried to pull it off but it came crashing to the ground! His fingers were unable to grip it properly and his arms lacked the strength to keep it aloft.
"No!" he shook his head and ran towards the back of the small house. There was a small vegetable garden off to the side and a small barn with a small corral where six fluffy little sheep bounced around. He shook his head and ran back inside bolting the back door as well. He sat by the door shaking his head unwilling to accept what was happening to him.
"It can't be! It has to be a dream!" He tried to cast a spell but even the simplest ones were beyond him no matter how hard he tried. Amelia banged on the door and promised to return to see him soon. He didn't answer as he heard them walk away. Day turned into night more than once but with his knees drawn up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them tight the traumatized Zelgadis did not move from his spot. When morning came there was a short rap on the door and someone slid an envelope under it. Curiosity got the better of him eventually and he got up to look.
"No…" he whispered incredulous as he read the letter again and again. He dropped it on the ground and screamed. It was a short official missive informing him that Princess Amelia had died in the pursuit of justice at the gates of New Sairaag. Gourry Gabriev had perished alongside her and Lina Inverse was MIA. He continued to scream as he stared at his useless hands. He crumpled to the ground in front of the fireplace and curled up in a ball.
"What's the point!" he shrieked at the empty cabin. Bereft of his powers and unable to use his sword he was of no use to his friends. As a result he had not been there to protect them and they had died! What was the point of regaining his human form if he would have to live his life without them…without her! His front door suddenly exploded inward Zelgadis didn't bother to look up. If whoever was intruding wanted to kill him they were too late he was already dead…
Lina was carried in to Zelgadis' small abode unconscious and barely alive. She was deposited in front of Zelgadis. He looked up then astonished. A golem that looked much like him had placed her there. He stared in amazement as just behind him the large form of the Brau demon slithered in behind him. Zelgadis got up quickly to examine Lina but realized there was nothing he could. She would require powerful healing magic that he could no longer use.
"She was the only one we could save…" intoned the golem in a deep metallic voice.
"We didn't realize they were in danger until it was too late," the Brau demon hissed.
"Because you didn't tell us…You banished us…" the golem added.
"This is your fault!" the golem rumbled angrily. Zelgadis shook his head. He opened his mouth to deny it but stopped. He would be a hypocrite if he said so. He had wanted to be normal again after all.
"We gave you our power and protected you and everything you love! In return you gave us nothing but hatred," hissed the Brau angrily.
"What have I done?" he cried as he descended once more into absolute despair. He had traded one curse for an even worse one: To live an empty life without the carefree presence of Amelia and Gourry. Lina he was sure would feel the same if she survived. Her chest rose and fell unsteadily and finally it stopped. Zel held her hand until it grew completely cold and stiff. He screamed!
"This can't be happening! It's a nightmare! This can't be real!" he shouted to the empty room. He shut his eyes and screamed when he opened them again the house had vanished as well as Lina's dead body and everything became dark. From far away he could hear a faint chanting…
"What's happening?" he asked hoping that nightmare had been just that…a nightmare!
"We're in a parallel dimension created by Dark Heart where everything you fear and hate is materialized and trapped," the Brau explained.
"We can't leave here but you can because she cares about you," the golem added bitterly.
"We'll be trapped here by your hate!" the Brau hissed. Zelgadis shook his head. His heart wracked with indecision! On the one hand if he returned he could finally have what he wished but on the other he would be giving up the power he needed to protect that which he cherished most. The chanting was getting louder and he felt its magical tug. Fear suddenly gripped him!
"No! I can't leave without you!" he called out moving towards them.
"We can't leave because you hate us!" the Brau retorted bitterly. Zel looked up as a ray of light pierced down through the darkness. He looked up and he could see Amelia's face from where the light was coming and then it hit him! Yes he hated the way he looked but he loved the power. He got a kick when he saw the look on an attacker's face when they tried to stab him and the knife bounced off. He loved it when would-be sorcerers ambushed him on dark lonely roads and were easily blown away by his magic.
He selfishly enjoyed the thrill of the power they gave him and the fearful look second-rate punks cast him when he walked by. He had been a hypocrite this whole time! He hated hypocrites above all else. For a moment he thought about what Noble Heart and True Heart had been telling him on the ship and what Aoshi had told him not long ago…
He smiled suddenly understanding what he needed to do to free his…friends!
"Your right I did hate you! I was a hypocrite and I'm sorry! If you give me a second chance we can make this work! Besides Amelia cares about you too!" he smiled and extended his hands. He hadn't lied after all Amelia did like the way Zelgadis looks. She had said so when they first met. If he lost them he would lose a part of who he was and he was certain it would change the way Amelia regarded him. He couldn't accept that!
"I'm not leaving without you! You aren't just my power…your part of who I am! I won't sacrifice who I am!" he declared firmly. The only thing about him self that he wanted to stay trapped here was the selfish hypocrite that he had been. He resisted the pull of Amelia's and the Care family's good magic as he waited for them to respond. Finally after what seemed like an eternity they took his hands. He held on tight to them as the three of them were enveloped in light…
"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia screamed as he fell to the ground hard next to Kristy. She ran towards him and kneeled next to him. His body glowed with that same strange glow Kristy had and her healing spells did nothing to revive him.
"Oh no! What have I done!" intoned Dark Heart fearfully as he turned from his gas form to the boy form next to Kristy. He knelt next to her and picked her up carefully.
"Please help me Care Bears! You have got to bring this child back from where I've sent her!" he begged softly with a desperate look in his eyes.
"…And Mr. Zelgadis too!" Amelia added tearfully as she lifted his head and placed it on her lap. Noble Heart moved forward and carefully touched Kristy's hand. He yelped and jumped back as Dark Heart's magic zapped him painfully.
"We… We can't!" True Heart replied sadly.
"It would take more love and caring then even we have all put together!" Noble Heart added equally sad. Dark Heart shook his head desperately. Amelia sobbed softly.
"No! What good is all your love…your caring if it can not save them?" Dark Heart countered his voice full of sorrow and regret.
"…If you can't help us then who can?" Amelia added miserably. Had her friends seen her they would not believe that this grief stricken girl was the cheerful glass-half-full princess they all knew.
"But we care!" said Dawn suddenly. Her twin nodded.
"We all really care!" John agreed. The attention shifted towards them.
"There's got to be others that care as much as we do! People somewhere… anywhere!" Dawn added True heart nodded.
"If all of us and everyone everywhere all cared together it just might be enough to save Kristy and Zelgadis," True Heart enthused. Amelia looked up nodding and looking hopeful again.
"Everyone hold hands! Now open your hearts and your ears and listen real hard for the voice of those who care!" Noble Heart instructed.
"We care," began Cheer Bear gently. Amelia picked it up.
"We care!" she called out as she and Cheer Bear led the chant.
We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care!
True Heart turned to the people reading this story:
"If you've ever cared do it now… Help us! Tell us you care… Email your friends that you care… tell them how much you care… That's it! Do it again! Say it! Shout it! Help us…"
We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care! We Care!
"We care!" shouts True Heart.
Tentatively at first Dark Heart added his own voice to the chant but soon he was shouting along with the others. Amelia closed her eyes tears streaming down her face she shouted the chant at the top of her lungs. Zelgadis awoke and second or two before Kristy. He panicked for a moment wondering where his other two parts were. He felt different…
'Relax Zelgadis! We're here,' said the Brau. He breathed a sigh of relief at the same time wondering how odd it was that he could still hear them. He felt a tear fall on his cheek but knew it wasn't his. He reached up to Amelia's cheek his skin felt different even though it looked the same. He wiped away another tear making its way down Amelia's cheek. She looked down surprised and he sat up at the same time Kristy did. He smiled as a cheer went up in the ranks of the care family for their success.
"Mr. Zelgadis! You're ok!" she yelled happily and threw her arms around him. He laughed marveling how different everything felt. Her hair brushed against his cheek and he was surprised that he could actually feel it. The Care family crowded around them happily but before they could do any real celebrating the cave began to rumble threateningly. The little star and a heart buddy rushed in to warn everyone that the cave was collapsing.
"Come on!" he called out and without thinking he took Amelia's hand and ran out of the throne room. They all hurried out of the cave dodging falling debris as they went and Zel tried to ignore the golem's comment about Amelia's flowery scent and the Brau's comment about her soft hand. Zel held the door open as he urged Amelia, the children and the Care family out and then jumped out as the cave completely collapsed and the door disappeared. He walked towards where the others had gathered and stood next to Amelia.
"Thank you!" the boy who used to be Dark Heart said. Zel smiled in spite of him self as the care family welcomed ex-Dark Heart into their world and the boy gleefully discovered the joys of being a kid and explained his change of "heart" had been due to his sudden understanding of why Kristy saved him from drowning in the lake earlier. The adventure had ended in the way he had predicted but he had not expected the gift that he received.
'Oh so now we're a gift!' the Brau thought back to him with amused sarcasm. He heard a strange rumbling laughter that could only be the Golem.
'Yes…' he replied simply.
'Well it is better than being a curse!' the Golem thought back. Zelgadis wondered if this union of spirits was what Rezo had originally intended.
'No, I don't think Rezo realized the full potential of his spell,' Brau reasoned thoughtfully. He laughed to himself and wondered if these guys were gonna run a constant commentary on his thoughts in the back of his mind for the rest of his life. His two companions laughed…
'Actually Zelgadis we're always talking back here! You just never listen!' Brau commented sounding more amused than angry.
'Until now…' Golem added seriously.
"Mr. Zelgadis? Are you all right?" Amelia asked softly. He smiled down at her.
"Better than all right!" he replied feeling strangely cheerful and noticing with amusement that his two companions clamped up quickly as soon as she spoke.
"I'm so glad Mr. Zelgadis I was really worried!" Amelia said seriously. Zelgadis smiled at her.
"Thank you for caring Amelia," he smiled. She shrugged and smiled shyly.
"That's what friends are for!" she replied smiling but the slight blush on her cheeks delighted the Brau and the Golem just as much as did him.
'Why so quiet all of a sudden?' Zelgadis teased his spirit companions as Amelia beckoned him outside with the rest of the Care family.
'…Because we like to hear voice! Duh!' retorted Brau.
'…As much you like to hear it!' Golem rumbled in solemn agreement. Zel stifled his laughter as he walked outside and looked around and sure enough the camp had been restored almost instantly to its usual cheerful and welcoming look.
"You know Mr. Zelgadis…You look different…I can't put my finger on it," Amelia commented as they walked towards the lake. Zelgadis frowned he was certain his looks were going to stay the same. He stepped to the edge of the lake and looked at the reflection on the water. He stepped back and looked at her as a gentle breeze blew his hair away from his face for a moment.
"I look the same…" he countered confused at the wide-eyed stare she was regarding him with.
"Your hair!" she shrieked "it moved!" she smiled cheerfully and before she could think about what she was doing she reached up to touch it. What she was saying didn't register for a little while as his mind was occupied with the fact that she had her arms around his neck and was running her fingers through his hair.
"Wow! It's so soft!" she commented with her trademark cheerfulness.
'She's running her fingers through my hair!' he finally realized with a jolt of happiness.
'You're a sharp one aren't cha?' Brau retorted sarcastically. His hair was metal so how was it possible. The Brau sighed annoyed to be distracted by Zelgadis' curiosity…
'When Rezo cast his spell you resisted us so we were mostly on the outside! Thus the leathery skin and the metal hair,' Brau answered slightly miffed.
'I see! So now because I'm not resisting you… you're more energy than physical form and more of my own human aspects can surface!' he thought delighted. He had been rather vain about his hair when he was younger and it was the thing he mourned the most to lose.
'Yes…Wonderful…We're all very happy… Now shut up! I can't hear what she's saying!' Golem cut in stoically.
'Thank you!' Brau agreed more than a bit annoyed.
"Mr. Zelgadis, how do you supposed this happened? I thought your hair was metal…" she asked finally removing her hands. He was pulled to the ground by True Heart and Noble Heart and the entire Care family took turns examining the new texture of his do.
"I think it's a side effect from Dark Heart's lighting," he explained calmly as the children too took a turn at touching his hair.
"Thanks for that by the way," Zelgadis added to ex-Dark Heart. The boy smiled.
"Well at least something good came from all of this!" he smiled shyly. True Heart nodded.
"That's right! A lot of good can come from opening your heart and sharing your feelings!" she cheered. Zelgadis laughed.
"Corny…but true!" he added Amelia just stared at him surprised by his out of character behavior.
"Well at least it's the first step to finding your cure Mr. Zelgadis…" she offered shyly but did a poor job at hiding her disappointment. She had after all been honest with him many times in telling him he was fine the way he was. In fact all his friendsfelt the same way…
"You know…I think I'm going to take your advice Amelia," he began as he watched the children and the Care family scamper off to change into swim gear to go for a dip in the lake.
"What advice?" she asked truly confused. Zel ignored Brau's comment about how cute she looked when she cocked her head to one side like she was now.
"I'm going to stay like this. I'm going to stop searching for a way to change back," he replied seriously. She smiled cheerfully.
"Really Mr. Zelgadis? That's so wonderful!" she enthused and then bit her lip nervously and blushed as though she wanted to ask something else but couldn't bring herself to. Zel just smiled.
"I'm still going to travel though. I love learning new things so I'd like to continue to travel for a while to places I haven't been to and see things I haven't seen. Or maybe go back to places I've visited but didn't stay long because they didn't have what I was looking for…" he stopped Amelia went from bursting with cheer to nearly glum.
"That's sounds nice Mr. Zelgadis!" she said with slightly forced cheer. Golem grumbled angrily at Zelgadis for upsetting her.
"You're welcome to come along with me Amelia. I'm thinking I might do much of my traveling with Lina and Gourry anyway. I know they won't mind us tagging along! But if you can't I can always return to Seyruun every so often and share what I've learned with you," he offered seriously. Again she looked so happy he thought she was going to explode. Golem commented how cute she looked when she blushed and Brau congratulated him on finally saying something smart for once.
"A crusade for knowledge is a very worthy cause Mr. Zelgadis! I'm sure I could come along every now and then! When my duties permit it…" she accepted shyly. In vain he tried to shush his mental companions who kept trading comments about Amelia's cuteness. He hadn't realized how badly infatuated with her two out of three parts of himself were. He reminded them sternly of her age. She was barely seventeen still a child for all intents and purposes and all their little "comments" were heading straight towards the "M" section of the ratings!
"Sounds like a plan," he replied calmly smiling peacefully as he lay back on the grass with his hands behind his head. Amelia giggled and lay next to him. Noble Heart came up to them and invited them to join them in the lake. Amelia accepted and went to change. Zel passed deciding instead to nap on the grass by the shore. They spent the rest of the afternoon having fun by the lake. Later that afternoon they said their goodbyes to Kristy and the others and set sail back to Carealot.
Not long after they arrived a woman who looked vaguely familiar showed up…
"Well I see you are both still here!" she called out cheerfully. Dressed in a dark blue business suit similar to the ones worn by adults on this world she approached with an amused smile on her face.
"Oh look! It's Kate! She's back! YAY!" shouted Cheer Bear. They all hollered out her name and rushed to greet her.
"Hello everyone!" she greeted with a smile. Zel and Amelia exchanged confused looks. When they had met Kate she had looked like a school marm in her late seventies or early eighties. This Kate looked like she was forty or fifty at the most and she looked rather glamorous not school-marmish at all.
"Maybe it's a different Kate?" Amelia suggested. Zel shook his head. His improved union with his other parts enhanced his senses and he was able to tell that this woman emanated the same power the other one had. He looked at her wrist as she bent down to hug True Heart and Noble Heart and noticed she was wearing the same bracelet used to send Aoshi and Misao back to their world.
"No…I think she's some sort of shape-shifter…" he countered pensively as they approached. Tender Heart overheard his comment and turned confused.
"Kate… a shape-shifter? But Kate never looks different…she always looks the same…" he argued confused. Kate caught up to them by then and smiled patiently.
"The unique power of the Care Family allows them to see only my true form and none of my disguises!" she explained patiently. To make her point her disguise dropped and Zel realized that it was a very powerful illusion. She was as tall as Aoshi with dark brown hair and golden brown skin. She looked like she was in her early thirties but her strange green and hazel eyes showed age greater than a mere thirty years. She had an athletic build to her that leaned more than a little to the voluptuous side. There was an exotic beauty to her that was almost scary!
"Wow!" Amelia blurted as she took in the women's real attire. She wore a black halter top with black tight fitting pants, black leather boots and a long black shiny trench coat. Zel just frowned suspiciously. She just smiled sadly.
"So what brings you to Carealot?" Noble Heart asked cheerfully as she reached down to pick up Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs. She smiled at the little ones.
"Well today I'm actually here on official business!" she began and explained that she had stopped by the summer camp to arrange for ex-Dark Heart – now known as Frank Hearts! – to remain at the camp as he desired. She had stopped by to check on Nicholas to find that his magician mentor had given Nicholas a more active role in his magic act at the carnival. Nicholas looked like he was fast becoming a big success just as he had hope.
"Also I know Little Amelia would like to know how Misao and Aoshi turned out!" she added. Amelia nodded vigorously. Zel chuckled.
"Well they both lived very long happy lives! They had five children: 4 boys and 1 girl. She was born just over eight months after they were married!" she informed them with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
"Aoshi didn't waste any time did he!" Zel put in amused the Brau and Golem just laughed. Amelia smiled cheerfully at first but then she frowned.
"You said they "lived"…" Amelia quoted confused.
"The device they used controls both space and time. They traveled not only to another world but into the future as well," she explained.
"So that's why you had to erase their memories to prevent a paradox," Zelgadis supplemented. Kate smiled pleased.
"That's correct! They passed away lying together holding hands on the same night…" she added wistfully. That struck a cord with Zelgadis. He would've never thought that two people who were so different could share such a powerful bond.
"He refused to leave without his gift," he found him self saying in his trademark deep serious tone. Kate smiled sadly.
"They refused to go anywhere without each other," she amended. Amelia sniffled.
"That's so romantic!" she whispered dreamily as a happy tear rolled down her cheek. The older woman laughed.
"Yes…Yes it is!" she agreed cheerfully. "At the last minute I restored their memories and they wished you both much happiness!" she laughed at the confused look on their faces.
"Oh and Aoshi asked me to pass along this message for you Zelgadis!" she said and handed him a small note and at first as he opened it the note had script he couldn't read. She passed her hand over it and the script changed:
Zelgadis:
My time is short but I am glad I can remember you.
Do not waste your time feeling sorry for yourself.
Life is much too short and precious to waste on self-pity.
The ones who care for us don't care whether we are demons or human hybrids…
Love them and they will love you back.
All the impossible things become possible after that…
Take this advice from an old demon:
Take care of your gift. It's closer than you think…
Your friend,
Aoshi
"You know I was just thinking the same thing Aoshi!" he thought out loud. He sighed and tucked away the letter carefully. Amelia just looked confused. Kate gave him a knowing look.
'A wise man that Aoshi!' Brau commented solemnly and Golem rumbled his agreement. Yes, he agreed but his gift was still too young, too innocent. Maybe someday but for now he would take care of his gift because after all that's what friends do! Amelia continued to stare at him in confusion.
"Remind me to tell you sometime," he said solemnly and walked away from the group for a moment. The fact that his friend was dead was sinking in. He hadn't known Aoshi for long but he was the one person who had taught him the most about himself. He sat at the rainbow where he had spoken to Aoshi and read the letter again.
"Something to think about…" he said softly as he thought about all the things he'd learned since coming here. Brau commented that in the day they'd spent here he had learned more about him self then in the past ten years. Zel smiled sadly and agreed. Aoshi had been a mirror for what he could be and Zel decided that it was a good goal to shoot for. Amelia walked towards him after a while.
"Mr. Zelgadis?" she said softly not wanting to disturb him. He looked up and smiled.
"Yes Amelia," he replied gently beckoning her to come closer.
"Ms. Kate says we have to go now… She says Ms. Lina's starting to feel guilty that we haven't shown up yet and my father's getting worried…" she stopped and she seemed to wrestle with a decision.
"I don't want to go yet but she says you know how to make us come and go as we please…" she added shyly. He got up and realized that he did indeed know the spell required to take them back and knew how to cast it to bring them here again too…without the bad side effects even!
"Yes! Yes I do know!" he exclaimed delighted. A dozen or so more spells suddenly burst into his mind at blinding speed making his head ache for a moment. She reached out to him immediately but he assured her it was just another after effect of the red bolt.
"New spells just surfaced out of my subconscious all at once! I'm all right though! I can bring you back anytime you want!" he reassured her solemnly and the two walked towards the Care Family and Kate to say their goodbyes. She smiled cheerfully and promised to come back soon.
'Not too soon!' Golem hoped.
'This place is too pink and white and fluffy!' Brau agreed. Zel suppressed a smirk of amusement.
'My thoughts exactly!' he replied and inwardly laughed along with his companions. He turned to Amelia standing next to him and put his hand lightly on her shoulder.
"Ready?" he asked seriously. She smiled and nodded.
"Ready Mr. Zelgadis!" she cheered. He didn't even have to say anything all he had to do was close his eyes and envision the place he needed to be at and call on the magic. A quick swirl of light appeared around them blocking everything from view and when it disappeared they were at the steps of the royal palace of Seyruun...
They found Philionel standing near the door greeting Lina with a stern look. She had unfortunately come back with the bad news that she had misplaced his daughter. They all looked up and Lina heaved a big sigh of relief.
Father and daughter greeted each other enthusiastically. Then Philionel turned to Zelgadis and thanked him profusely for bringing his baby girl back safe and sound. Happy once more that his daughter was home he invited them inside for dinner and everyone agreed at once! Zel chuckled softly as Lina was lectured by Philionel on her reckless use of unknown spells on his daughter butoldPhillistened with avid interest as Amelia recounted their adventure. Especially the part when Zel dove to protect his precious child! Again Philionel was lavish with his gratitude and praise. Zel just shrugged.
"It's what friends do," he replied simply. Everyone at the table (except Amelia) nearly chocked on their food! Lina stared at him incredulous and Gourry got up to check if Zel was running a temperature.
"Boy that lightning bolt must have hit him hard on the head!" Gourry commented. Zel rolled his eyes. Brau and Golem laughed.
'You have no idea!' they both thought. He slapped Gourry's hand away and ran his fingers through his hair quickly. Lina shrieked and ran towards his chair. She lifted his hair and moved it around a bit.
"How did that happen?" she asked incredulous starting to get a little invasive with her examination of his scalp. He frowned.
"Lina please take your hands off my head now!" he intoned seriously. He liked Amelia's hands, he didn't mind the children's and the Care family's but he did mind hers. Brau and Golem whole-heartedly agreed. Again he passed his fingers through his hair to smooth it back into its usual "mysterious swordsman" style. Amelia chose this moment to cheerfully announce that Zelgadis wasn't going to look for a cure anymore.
BOOM!
Gourry and Lina fell off their chairs!
"YOU'RE NOT!" they both shrieked. Amelia just smiled cheerfully. Philionel reached over and patted him proudly on the shoulder.
"Good Man! You should stay just as you are!" he intoned proudly.
"Anyone who judges a person by his appearance and not the content of their character is a vain and unjust person!" he added seriously. Amelia nodded eagerly as Lina and Gourry paused in their usual eating frenzy to gawk at him in disbelief.
"Besides Tender Heart told me that what's in your heart is more important than what is on the outside!" she added gleefully. Lina just rolled her eyes and Gourry just smiled and shrugged then continued eating.
"So what are you gonna do now Zel?" Lina asked in a teasing tone casting a quick glance at Amelia. He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily in exasperation.
"He's going on quest for knowledge!" Amelia crowed triumphantly before Zel could say anything. Lina looked surprised.
"…A quest for knowledge?" Lina echoed confused. Zel just shrugged.
"Sure…There are a lot of spells out there that I can learn and places I'd like to see. I want to find as many ways possible to make myself stronger," he explained seriously. Gourry laughed.
"Now that sounds like the Zelgadis we know!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Lina laughed and agreed. She and Gourry went back to their cheerful eating frenzy and Zel as Philionel offered him access to Seyruun's royal library for possible suggestions on his next destination which Zel readily agreed. Amelia was bursting to ask her daddy for permission to come along on Zelgadis' next adventure but she refrained because she knew Lina would tease her relentlessly. She would ask daddy later…
Kate sighed and put her magical mirror away then turned to the readers:
"And so this adventure comes to a happy ending thanks to the love and caring of the Care Bears and Care cousins, Kim and Jason, Misao and Aoshi, John and Dawn, Nicholas and Kristy, Zelgadis and Amelia and…well you all know who you are! Thank you for opening your hearts and sharing your feelings to help us the day!"
Ok…Now that I have sufficiently scared all of you with my way too twisted mind. I will take a moment to say I'm sorry. Ok moment over! Actually I'm not sorry…I fully intended to scare the crap out of everyone who read this after all I wouldn't have added Care Bears in here if I didn't!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!
Thanks for reading and now share your feelings and review!