FACING UP

Takes place immediately after the events of episode 4 of Slayers TRY.

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Amelia grimaced as she slowly made her way back to where her friends had regrouped.

She wasn't often angry at any of them. Annoyed, perhaps, but rarely angry. But even she had to admit that she was not pleased at Zelgadis for what he had done to her.

"Recovery!" She chanted quietly, holding her right hand over the lump on her head she had procured from Zelgadis' brilliant idea. Sure, his plan had worked, but she couldn't figure out if using a Bomb di Wind to propel her past a monster and into the mouth of a cave at high velocity was the only idea he could have come up with.

As she reached her friends, she leaned against the walking stick she had found on her way out of the cave and stood sulking a bit. She quietly listened to the things she had missed, like Gourry's fight with Valgarv and the strange reaction of the Sword of Light, and the appearance of a new bad guy who seemed to be Valgarv's boss.

The group broke and began walking again, and Amelia made a show of hobbling against her walking stick.

As she fell to the back of the group, Zelgadis did as well.

"Uh, Amelia", he started, awkwardly. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to..."

"I'll be fine," she said, cutting him off. She smiled at him, and stood up a bit straighter. "See, none the worse for wear!"

Zelgadis smiled back and then gave her a slight nod before picking up his pace and rejoining the rest of the group. Lina was hollering something about needing protein, and Filia was screeching about how they didn't have time to stop and eat every five minutes.

Amelia sighed, but it was with some humor. The truth was, she did feel better already. The moment Zelgadis had stopped to check on her, he was immediately forgiven. She could never hold a grudge when it came to him.

She never stopped to consider why that was. Why he, out of all her companions, made her heart pound when he was near. Why he was the one whose well-being meant the most to her. Why she went out of her way to make an ice pack for his head after Filia smacked him with her mace, even though a Recovery spell should have taken care of most of the pain.

She could not allow herself to stop and consider why, when she had first heard Lina's voice at the dock, her first thought was actually of Zelgadis and how she hoped he would be there, too.

And then he was there and she was in his arms and they were on another grand adventure.

Because, if she stopped to consider the possibility that she was falling in love (or perhaps had been in love for quite a while) she would also have to consider all the reasons that it was a terrible idea, and all the reasons why it could never work.

And that was something she was not yet ready to face.