Part

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Notes: No, I’m not an Amelia hater. I just figured Xelloss was… or maybe he just thinks she’s funny.
Also, I might edit this some more later. After I wrote this, I had to rush to get it up. Please r and r, it really will make me write faster. ^^;;

Pit-pat pit-pat pit-pat. Zelgadiss awoke to the soft sound of a morning drizzle on the inn roof. A peek outside informed him that it was going to be one of those dreary, sunless, sleepy days when no one could tell what was what. He wondered if he’d overslept; the grayness outside hid the sun.

But that was all right. He had plenty to keep his feet ground in reality today. He had someone to keep that grayness away. He had a someone now, someone who could help him stay sane while the days wore on and his search for his cure became tedious. Xelloss.

Even if there were problems they had to face, problems every openly gay male would have to, they would face them together. He smiled to himself, the first smile in a while to reach his eyes. With a contented sigh, he rolled over to bid good morning to his lover.

And of course, he met nothing but a pile of empty sheets.

Oh well, that was nothing new, Zelgadiss assured himself. Xelloss probably had some sort of mission or other. Maybe his master had called him away. Surely nothing else could have pulled Xelloss from his side before he woke up, not when he knew it meant so much to him. He shook his head to clear it of any doubts, and stumbled downstairs.

He must have awoken late, thanks to the gloom. Lina could eat forever given the chance, but when he spotted the table, Zel noticed that she and the others had already finished breakfast and were discussing plans for the day. Xelloss wasn’t sitting with them, just as he had expected. Good, so he had been called away. He let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, and took the remaining seat.

He didn’t have to wait long to be noticed. Though he wouldn’t admit it to himself that fact helped to banish his depressed mood. It almost made up for not seeing Xelloss beside him as he woke. He had friends. He had friends, they cared for him, and he cared for them. Not that he would confess something as sappy as that out loud.

“Good morning, Zelgadiss-san!” cheered that ever-spunky voice.

“Good morning, Amelia,” he responded with a slight (if just a tad bit sad) smile on his face.

“Mornin’, Zel!” Lina grinned.

“Heey! Zel!” came voice number three, Gourry.

“Morning, everyone,” Zel’s smile grew and the sadness was banished from his eyes. “So what’s this?” He gestured to the floor plans and maps on the table.

“Well, Zel,” Lina said, “While you were off dozing in dreamland, we were busy planning our visit to the ruins.”

“Where’d you get the maps?” Zel asked. “I didn’t think anyone had any maps of Skandaru.”

“Well, you know,” Lina said. “I have my ways.” She discreetly pointed over to the corner, where a man with purple hair sat drinking his morning tea.

“XELLOSS?!” Zelgadiss burst out. So he had been here all along! What was he thinking, leaving him like that to worry? He definitely had to give that little (delicious and sexy) Mazoku crap a piece of his mind.

“Yeah,” Lina shrugged, misreading his outburst entirely. “He’s got to have something up his sleeve, if he actually gave out information…but he did, and you know what they say about gift horses.” She called over to the Mazoku. “Xelloss, get over here. We’re getting ready to leave. Unless you want something to eat first?”

That last comment was directed at Zelgadiss, who was seething in his chair. Maybe Xelloss didn’t know how much it had meant to him, but he was going to make sure he found out. “No thanks. I’m not hungry,” he growled.

“Zelgadiss-san?” Amelia blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“Never mind,” Zel snapped, not noticing the wince Amelia responded with. His eyes were on the object of his affection as it sauntered over to the table, with that idiotic, oblivious, genki smile on his face. Much to Zelgadiss’ surprise, Xelloss didn’t seem to notice his anger. Worse, he didn’t even seem to notice him, even as he dished out his death glare. He fumed, hiding his worry and confusion with anger.

Lina lifted an eyebrow at Zel, but decided it would be best to just leave him alone. Instead she turned to Xelloss, and informed him, “You’re coming with us. And you’re not going to leave if something happens. Got it?”

“Oh, I am?” Xelloss had that feigned innocence plastered all over his face. “Why’s that?”

“Because I don’t trust your motives this time, Xelloss,” Lina had a kind of triumphant, Lina-like smirk on her face. “So you’re staywithwith us. Got that?”

“I suppose I don’t have any choice in the matter. I agree,” Xelloss nodded.

“That’s a new one,” Zel snorted. “Xelloss staying when he’s wanted? Now that’s odd.”

“You act like I’m an unwanted insect!” Xelloss chuckled. He didn’t seem phased by Zel’s jab at all.

Zelgadiss leaped off his chair and looked straight into Xelloss’ face, fist poised to and ready to punch. “Well MAYBE you ARE!” Why wasn’t Xelloss responding? Why was he acting like nothing was wrong?

“Zelgadiss-san. . .” Amelia said again. “Calm down. . .”

Lina sprung up and stood between them. “Hey, hey,” she said. “Calm down Zel. I know you don’t like him, but he did give us these maps. Which I assume are accurate?”

“Mmhmm,” Xelloss affirmed.

“Good. Then let’s go.” Lina grabbed Xelloss’ cape and dragged him out of the inn, Zel, Amelia, and Gourry following.

Zelgadiss glared at the Mazoku as he walked.

It It was working. Zelgadiss’ inner turmoil was. . . sublime. Even as Lina dragged him out of the inn, Xelloss could feel Zelgadiss’ pain as if it were his own. It felt as if he were floating in a sea of bliss, a delicious sea of Zelgadiss. And all it had taken was a little ignoring. What a lesson learned: the closer you got to someone, the easier it was to hurt him. Perhaps he should become close to people more often.

The other part of his plan was working, too. The part he had been commanded to do. No one had an idea of what he was up to, and it would probably stay that way. Vaguely, he wondered if he would feel sad when his task was completed and fla flame was finally snuffed out. Probably not. He might feel wistful, maybe, but sorrowful? He doubted that.

“Xelloss-san?” that squeaky little girl’s voice brought him back to the present. “Are you all right?”

“Hm?” Perhaps he should reflect less; it made one miss the other parts of life.

Lina was laughing at him. “Oh,s fis fine Amelia! He’s just daydreaming.”

“Mazoku daydream?” Justice-girl peeped.

“Guess so,” Lina grinned. “So what’s up, Xelloss? Dreaming about a crush? Of course, he’s dreaming about me, the wonderful and beautiful Sorceress Supreme!” The cute little flame made a Justice-girl pose, as Zelgadiss made a face. She was actually relatively close—well, without the part about her. How cute of her. Xelloss’ trademark smile grew a little.

“Hey! Lina! That’s my pose!” Freak Princess protested.

“No time to argue, Amelia, not in dangerous caves like this…” Lina had taken out her map again. “Okay… let’s keep going, then turn left.”

Zelgadiss was abnormally quiet. Which is to say, he said nothing, considering normal Zel said little anyway. Delicious; Xelloss sure did love that chimera.

The tunnels stretched endlessly in all kinds of directions. Obviously, the priests who had designed the temple had not made things very orderly. To make matters worse, age had corroded away at the hallways and strange beings had made their homes there, making the underground temple treacherous. Indeed, those Ceipheed-worshipping white magic priests had not intended on their temple becoming a dangerous labyrinth, but time had made it so. Perhaps time would also make it useful to Shabranigdou; or so Xelloss hoped.

Lina was following the map by the letter. She seemed to trust Xelloss’ judgment; of course, his judgment was hardly ever wrong. If he had been on her side it would have been a good idea. “Left again,” Lina called to her group, and they followed.

“Stop!” Lina commanded. Her train stopped. “The map warns that this room is full of traps and hiding places. Perfect for an ambush.”

“Let me see that,” Zel hissed; he was still in that delicious bad mood. It’s only beginning, you know, Zelgadiss. Xelloss smiled to himself and in that moment the group was concentrating on the map, he called forth his minion.

They were caught off guard, as planned. Better, Zelgadiss was so engrossed in his own anger that he did not sense a thing; Lina was busy wrestling the map away from Zelgadiss. “Give me that, Zel, I’m leading!!!” she protested, even as Amelia and Gourry tried to stop their fight. “JELLYFISH BRAINS! Stay out of this! You, too, Amelia!”

Wonderful, simply wonderful! He probably hadn’t even needed such a high-level minion for this task. [Destroy her,] houghought-commanded to it. [Use your cannon beam attack, the one made of fire.] Fire to defeat the flame.

[Done,] it responded, shooting a cannon’s beam of fire at the mess fighting over the map.

Wonderful, and now just watch it. . .hit?

“LINA! Look out!!” Zelgadiss dropped what he was doing and stood in front of her. He chanted. Zelgadiss, you won’t have enough time, what are you doing?

“Balus—” Zelgadiss was cut off by the beam.

No, Xelloss did not like this kind of pain at all. “ZELGADISS!” he cried out.


NOTES: Weeell ain’t that a great ending. . . ok I feel guilty. . . maybe I better write the next chapter ASAP. . .

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