Lina's Nocturne

Chapter: 2

Home of the Lost

Next chapter up. Now for the fun to begin.

A/N: I know this has nothing to do with the fic but I just kind of want to ask...Is it just me or has there just been an explosion in the production of yaoi fanfics as of late? I mean every time I look in the Slayers category to see if anyone I know has posted I'm hit with tons of the yaoi...just a observation on my part.

The birds chirped outside the window as Lina tossed in her bed and moaned at the disturbance of the birds. She pulled her pillow over her head and tried to block out the noise from outside while mumbling, "Just five more minutes mom."

"You can sleep until whatever time you want," came a bright, cheerful, and feminine tenor for the left side of Lina's bed.

Lina sat up quickly and looked to the left to be greeted with a stranger. The young girl stared at Lina with bright blue eyes. Her hair was a raven hue that came out in wings on both sides of her head. The girl was dressed in an old looking maids uniform with the included white head piece that sat atop her head. The girl smiled at Lina as she placed a covered dish on the nightstand next to the bed. "Who are you," Lina asked as she was kind of taken aback by the look of this young girl that looked to be only fourteen years of age.

"I'm Amelia and I'm the maid of the mansion. Zelgadis told me we had a new guest so I thought a nice breakfast would be a good way to start," Amelia replied as she smiled at the new tenant of the second room of the second floor of the mansion.

Lina's eyes widened as she remembered the other night, "Where is Zelgadis I need to speak to him," Lina commanded as she began to get out of the bed.

Amelia placed a had on Lina's arm before saying, "Please...eat the food and take a bath before doing anything else."

"Why," Lina stared at the maid before continuing, "Zelgadis knows what's going on here and I'm going to get it out of him one way or another."

"You would be better off to eat and bath first," Amelia continued to recommend, "You will need the strength since Zelgadis is not one to talk much."

Lina looked at Amelia before saying, "I know that. He acts as if he is some kind of ghost but I plan to make that damn ghost talk."

Lina began to stand when she felt her world tip. She slowly began to sit down as she felt Amelia helping her to make it back to the bed. "Just take it easy Miss Lina. You've had a bad bump on the head and you just need to take it easy."

"Fine," Lina answered with a slight huff.

Amelia moved over to the covered dish and pulled the top off to reveal quite a spread for breakfast. Two large slices of french toast, with scrambled eggs, and bacon. Lina looked at the large helping of food while thinking, 'I've died and gone to heaven.'

Lina began to dig into the load of food as Amelia began to walk away and called, "Just leave the plate and I'll come get it later. I hope you enjoy Miss Lina."

Lina had finished her breakfast and her bath as Amelia had suggested. She was now able to move around much better then at the beginning of the day. Now she was walking around the mansion trying to locate the mysterious watcher of the mansion. As she was walking towards the stairs at the front of the second level of the mansion she stopped to look out one of the windows. It was then that she saw that telltale spot of white that was Zelgadis' outfit over by the rose bushes that lined the gate. "There you are," Lina announced as she turned and ran down the stairs.

Lina jumped the last couple of stairs as she made her way to the front door. She burst through the huge double doors and stopped for a brief second as the bright sun hit her eyes. Lina quickly adjusted to the light and ran towards the front of the yard before stopping right behind Zelgadis and shouting, "Hey you!"

To Lina's surprise the young man did not flinch, or move as she yelled at him. He did not even look behind him as he continued to tend to the rose bushes that he was kneeling next to. Lina was about to shout again but stopped when she noticed the chair next to Zelgadis. It held a belt which kept gardening tools together and on top of the belt were two white gloves that Lina realized where the same gloves that Zelgadis normally wore. She heard the snip of the shears and was brought back to reality as she said, "Zelgadis I know you can hear me now answer me!"

Another snip was heard before being followed by the low tenor of Zelgadis as he replied, "Yes, I heard you but that doesn't mean that I have to stop everything I'm doing because you are here."

Lina ground her teeth at the tone of Zelgadis' reply. She moved to his side and said, "Well if you are going to take that attitude with me then I'll be an ass to you. Now I want to know what is going on around here and I know you can answer."

Zelgadis clipped another rose from the bush before turning away. He held the rose very carefully as he looked at the fragile flower. Even Lina, though mad she was, stopped in her rant and looked at the full bloom. It was at this moment that Lina's eyes trailed down to Zelgadis' ungloved hand to notice an oddity about the young man. The hand was not odd but there where a few scars located towards his wrist that did not seem right. It did not look like a cut one would get tending to a garden or a house. Lina reached for his hand but Zelgadis quickly drew away. He laid the rose down and placed the white gloves back on his hand, thus covering up all traces of visible skin, before saying, "Follow me Miss Inverse. I'll answer what I can once we are somewhere that we can sit."

Lina stood up and followed Zelgadis to the terrace where a bunch of tables and chairs were set up for those at the mansion to enjoy the outdoors. Zelgadis pulled a seat out and offered it to Lina before she took a seat. Lina watched Zelgadis moved to the other side of the table while thinking, 'It's hard to get a read on him he can seem to be rude but then he pulls a move like offering me a chair that shows he has at least a decent sense of manners.'

Zelgadis sat down in a seat across from Lina and placed his hands in his lap before asking, "Now, Miss Inverse what do you wish to ask?"

Lina looked at him for a second before asking, "What exactly is this place? And, how do I leave from here?"

Zelgadis sighed before saying lowly, "This place is for those that have lost their way. And, as to how to leave, I guess the only thing I can say is I don't know how to leave."

"What do you mean you don't know how to leave," Lina almost yelled in shock at his answer.

"It is exactly what I said. I don't know how to leave. Do you think I would still be here if I knew how to leave," Zelgadis asked as his head dipped lower.

Lina stopped and agreed mentally that Zelgadis did have a good point but then came back with another question, "You're the owner of the mansion then how is it you don't know how to leave."

Zelgadis looked at her and Lina thought she could almost see a smirk from under that mask. Of course if she had to classify the facial expression she would say that it looked more like a fit of madness had just irrupted on Zelgadis' face. "I never said I owned the mansion...you just assumed that I was the owner," Zelgadis replied sounding a bit off from his normal self.

Lina furrowed her brow before saying back, "Well, of course I assumed you owned the mansion. You are the only person I had seen until this morning and I don't think Amelia would dress like a maid if she owned the place."

"Yes, well I don't own this mansion so don't think that I can answer every question you have. I will admit that I have been here the longest out of the tenets and have assumed the role of the keeper of the house but that does not make me the owner," Zelgadis replied as he seemed to slip back into his usual depressed mood.

Lina cocked an eyebrow at the strange man in front of her before asking, "Well then who owns this place...I'd like to talk with him or her."

"No one owns the mansion," Zelgadis replied as he looked down towards the ground.

"What," was all that Lina could ask being struck somewhat dumbfounded at the answer.

Zelgadis looked up at Lina before saying, "You heard what I said. Now, if you will excuse me Miss Inverse, I have a lot of things to do. Please feel free to explore as you wish. Amelia will ring the bell when dinner is ready but until then please become acquainted with the mansion and its surroundings."

Zelgadis then stood and began to walk back towards the mansion. He stopped right before the first step and turned his head to say lowly, "I would also suggest that you do not do too much investigating at night. It tends to become a bit odd around the grounds once the sun goes down."

With that the keeper of the house, as he called himself, walked up the steps and into the mansion. Lina watched him go, white cloak swaying in the light breeze, as she thought, 'Oh, I'll find out everything I can about this place. I'll solve the mystery of this place and return home just you wait.'

Lina stood from her seat before pushing the chair back under the table. She then made her way towards the mansion intent on starting her investigation as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

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