Lina Inverse stared at the old sage in disbelief.
"Whaddya mean, there's nothing?!" She yelled, getting ready to throttle him, fry him, or both.
"Short of walking up to the Lord of Nightmares and asking her to do it, there's no way to undo a curse once the caster is dead." The aged wise man slammed shut his dusty book, great clouds of sediment sending Gourry, Ameria, and Lina into coughing fits.
"So." Zelgadis stared numbly at his hands. "That's it, then. I'm stuck like this... forever." His cerulean eyes were dull and gave no hint about the razor sharp intellect behind them.
"It's okay, Zelgadis-san, out undying friendship is not based on your appearance, but rather, the loyal and just man that you are inside!" Ameria beamed, but her sunny disposition was unable to pierce the heavy cloud of depression that had firmly settled over him.
"Ameria?" He lifted his expressionless gaze to her.
"Yes?" She smiled brighter in hopes of lifting his spirit.
"Shut up." There was no temper to his voice, no anger, no annoyance, no venom, only the exhaustion of someone who was tired of life.
"Ne, Zel, she was only trying to help." Gourry fell silent after the chimera turned his ice-blue eyes on him.
"I don't care." The shaman shrugged. "Do whatever you like, just as long as you leave me out of it." He stood quietly and walked out the door.
Lina watched him for a moment, her temper fermenting until it exploded.
"Listen up, ya' old coot." She snarled, grabbing the sage by the collar. "You sit here and you find something. I don't care what the hell it is, just find something to help Zel! Gourry, Ameria, stay here and don't let this moron out of your sight. I'm going to get Zel, and then we can all discuss this like mature adults instead of running out on everyone."
"Lina-san, I want to come too!" Ameria whined.
"You gotta stay here and make sure yougurt-brains doesn't wander off." Lina snapped.
"Why can't you do that?"
"'Cause I don't have the patience!"
"oh." The young princess squeaked as the red head took to the air in pursuit of Zelgadis.
It had started out so wonderfully. The rumor of the world's wisest man had been relatively easy to follow, the forest full of monsters was a piece of cake to pass through, the giant squid they had to fight to get to the island made for delicious kalimari, and the old guy was more than willing to do a little research for the first company he had recieved in over fifty years.
How did it come to be like this? Zelgadis wondered as he numbly sped through the forest with reasonably less monsters. Why am I still angry at Rezo when it was my own selfish foolishness that -
"Hey, Zel! Wait up!" Lina's voice broke his concentration, and he had the great misfortune of running straight into one of the larger trees.
"Oww..." He moaned, sliding to the ground.
"Oops. Sorry, Zel." She grimaced, landing next to him.
"Lina..." He growled, rubbing his aching head.
"Well, it's good to see you've still got some life left in you." She poked his neck, and he cringed in pain.
"Why are you here?" He asked quietly, rising to his feet and dusting off his clothes.
"Why are you?" She retorted, brushing some dirt from his shoulder.
"What do you want?" Zelgadis' voice resumed the dead quality he had before, when the wise man found the lack of a solution.
"I want you to come back with me so we can beat the old guy into finding a different answer." She straightened his brooch, smiling. "C'mon, it'll be fun."
"No, thank you." He politely began walking off in the direction opposite of her.
"Why not?" She pouted.
"Because I am tired," he sighed, "of hoping and finding nothing." With that, he blurred out, his demonic speed leaving only a trail of scorched earth.
II | Story Index | Fanfiction