When he finally stopped running, the sun had already sunk below the horizon. Utterly exhausted, he sank to his knees in the cool grassy carpet on the forest floor. His highly tensed muscles eased painfully to relaxation. He hadn't expected the conversation to flow quite like that, nor did he know how he found the words to his final response so quickly, given his surprise. However he had managed, it did the job. He was alone now.
He was so very alone.
Or so he thought.
"Hello." A baritone voice snapped him from his reverie. His lifeless blue eyes slowly focused on his addressor, a tall and thin man in a gray tunic and pants with short brown hair and eeire green eyes.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Zelgadis asked half-heartedly.
"My name is Ikari Kuroi, and I want to know if you are the Shamanist Master named Zelgadis Greywers." The man's slight smile set his sixth sense on guard.
"What if I am?" The chimera analyzed the grin, dissecting it and finding it all too familiar for comfort.
"Then I will have found the man for whom I am searching." Ikari's emerald eyes danced.
"Why are you looking for such a being as Zelgadis?" Ice blue met forest green, neither housing any emotion.
"I wish to employ the services of the most powerful Shaman available, and he would be most interested to hear of the payment I am offering." The smile turned to a smirk. Zelgadis hesitated.
"I'm listening." Cat-slit eyes met orbs of pure emerald without pupils.
"Good." Kuroi's grin became an expression of absolute ominousness.
Four hours. The bar keeper glanced nervously at the last patron, who still sat at the corner table, nursing drinks that would have had an ordinary man on the floor. That man hadn't moved in fours hours, except to signal for another drink, and to blast the bouncer to kingdom come fifteen minutes ago. The terrified bar tender dared not anger a mage who had effortlessly blown up a muscle bound ox of a man, he valued his life more than that.
But... it was a half hour after closing time...
He was almost relieved when the petite red-head sauntered in and glanced about until she found the last drinker.
"Excuse m-me miss, but we're closing..." He whimpered, hoping the other man wouldn't hear.
"I'm just here to get him." She nodded at the mage, who had turned at the sound of her voice.
"Still following me..." he mused, eyes a dark, stormy blue.
"C'mon." She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out the door. "You and I are going to have a little chat." He shrugged, tossing the barkeep the money for his drinks on the way.
"How'd you find me, Lina?" He asked without any real curiosity.
"Not important." Her ruby stare held his gaze a moment before he glanced away. "Now you tell me how come you were sitting in a bar drinking L-sama knows what."
"I met someone." He leaned against the very fountain she had thrown him in to sober him up quickly. "I think this could be it, Lina."
"Oh..." There was a moment of silence, then she plopped down beside him. "So... What's her name?"
"What?" Zelgadis fell out of his long sought relaxation.
"C'mon, Zel, the least you can do is tell me her name."
"Who?" He choked on his own words.
"Your girlfriend!" She proclaimed. "You said you met someone, and you thought this was it. So tell me who she is! Is it Amelia?"
"What?! No!" He coughed, emphasizing his answer with negative hand gestures. "It's nothing like that at all!"
"Oh?" She arced an eyebrow in intrest.
"What I mean is I've found someone who might be able to cure me!"
"What's the catch?"
"I have to retrieve some kind of gem." He sighed. "The Moon's Eye."
"Is that all?"
"I know, it sounds too easy, too good to be true." Glacial eyes hardened with hatred. "Just like what Rezo offered..."
"Are you going to do it?"
"I... I don't know." The chimera shook his head. "The man swore he could cure me, and a part of me wants to believe it, but..."
"Zel?"
"Hm?"
"I think you should go for it. One percent is better than none."
"Hn."
"Zel?"
"Hm?"
"Did you just open up, like a friend?"
"Hn."
"Thought so."
"Lina?"
"Wha - ?"
"You're sitting on my foot..."
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