Chapter 10

Stopped Steps

Inside the ballroom

Zelgadis and Amelia came to an abrupt halt as they took in the sight before them, and Amelia blushed as she watched Xellos and Lina tango across the floor.

"Oh my…" she murmured, unable to take her eyes from the pair.

Zelgadis had been blinking in shock but Amelia's words broke him from his trance and set him to blushing as well. It just looked so… intimate, dancing pressed that close.

Lina and Xellos came to a stop near the center of the floor but near enough that they could see the pair. The music started up again and slowly the two parted. Zelgadis watched as they bowed and curtsied to each other, and his eyes went wider still as Lina went right back into Xellos' arms for the next dance without any hesitation.

Amelia had a dreamy look on her face as she watched them, completely lost in the romance of a beautiful dance. They were no longer pressed against each other, but they were dancing close together for this kind of music. Why are they dancing so close together? Hell, why are they dancing together at all? While the last dance had been sensual, this dance was showing a talent for dancing Zelgadis' never would have suspected Lina processed. The pattern they were dancing was one he didn't know, and it was very complex. If he didn't know better he would swear they had done this before, their movements flowed together seamlessly, matching each other without effort. Lina rarely engaged in what would be considered "girly" things. In fact the only girly trait Zelgadis had witnessed routinely was her insistence on cleanliness.

His rational mind was slowly starting to work again, trying to find the rational explanation even while he still stared in shock. Amelia looked at him with an expression of mild longing before turning her gaze back to the couple dancing on the floor. This wasn't good; the one person who might have been able to get this kind of information out of Lina wasn't going to be any help. Ok, it's up to me to figure out what's going on. There has to be a rational explanation… I hope. Just then he caught sight of Gourry across the ballroom. The tall blond had a strange expression on his face, like he was about to be ill. Things were rapidly going out of control… he realized with a start that he could no longer see Xellos and Lina, Amelia was still blushing, and Gourry had just disappeared from view. Amelia still had a hand on his arm, so he put his own hand firmly over hers and began to make his way towards where Gourry had disappeared. He might not believe in meddling with love lives, but he did believe that whatever Xellos was up to spelled trouble for his friends.

When they finally got to Gourry, they found him sitting at a table trying to reassure a nearly hysterical Sylphiel. Amelia blinked like she was coming out of a trance, and made her way over to comfort the shrine maiden. Gourry gave Zelgadis a weak smile while Amelia tried to make sense of Sylphiel's muffled words. He took a slight step back from the girls and motioned Gourry over to him.

"What's going on? Why is Sylphiel so upset?" He somehow doubted she was that upset over Lina and Xellos.

Gourry frowned, "she got worried when I didn't hear her."

"Didn't hear her?"

Gourry shrugged, "I forgot for a minute."

"Forgot what?"

"That she was there."

Zelgadis' forehead creased slightly in thought, Gourry wasn't the brightest, and he usually fell asleep during any discussion that didn't involve swords or food, but he was usually highly aware of who and what was around him. Even eating he had the uncanny ability to sense people approaching him… eating? There was unfinished food on the table, and Gourry showed no signs of moving to consume it. The world was turning backwards, Zelgadis was sure of it. Something was very, very wrong.

"What were you doing when you couldn't hear Sylphiel?"

Gourry took on a slightly guilty expression Zelgadis hadn't seen on him before. Then he said, "I was just going to go talk to Lina."

"You couldn't hear Sylphiel… because you were going to go talk to Lina?"

Gourry shrugged uncomfortably, "I just need to talk to her."

"Why?" asked Zelgadis, in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"I- I just need her to explain."

"Explain?"

"When I get confused Lina explains things to me. I don't always understand but it lets me know what I should do."

Zelgadis blinked surprised. He knew of course that Lina was forever having to explain things to the blond, they all were. But what Gourry had just said was a little different. Is he saying that Lina is his moral compass? He's disagreed with her before on occasion. Though the only one that really came to mind was when he and Gourry had thought Lina wasn't going to face down Shabranigdu, and they'd been wrong.

Zelgadis' patience snapped. He hated not knowing what was going on if it affected him. He was going to find out what on earth was going on here if he had to slay a Dark Lord to do it. Eyes glinting he said, "let's go find Lina now and talk to her." Gourry was right about one thing, Lina usually knew what was going on.

Gourry was relieved when Zelgadis stopped asking questions and suggested they talk to Lina. Gourry watched as he told Amelia to stay with Sylphiel and see if she could calm her, then he asked if Gourry knew where Lina was. Gourry pointed to the east balcony and they started towards it. His feeling of relief vanished as he saw Xellos lean down and kiss Lina, then they too vanished.