Lina looked at the bandits blocking her way with disgust. It wasn't as if they could kill her or anything! She was Lina Inverse, sorcery genius, known throughout the world as the Bandit Killer, Dragon Spooker, and Enemy of All Who Live. There was no way in hell they could possibly defeat her, not after she'd destroyed two pieces of Shabranigdo, with the help of her companions.
"Okay, Lady, give us yer money, or we'll hurt ya'!" the leader of the small bad of bandits demanded arrogantly. The tip of his sword was pointing towards the middle of her stomach, and the eleven other bandits surrounding her had leering, stupid expressions on their faces.
"Humph!" was Lina's response. "Talk about stock dialogue! That line's been used so often by bandits, I'm starting to think it's part of the instructions you get. 'How to Be a Bandit in Three Easy Lessons' ... 'Step 1: Gather at the side of a road. Step 2: Jump out when a woman goes by and say, "Okay, Lady, give us yer money, or we'll hurt ya'!"... 'Step 3: The lady in question says...Fireball!'"
The bandits only had a second to regret their choice of victim before they were blasted into the underworld.
From behind her came the faint sound of clapping. She whirled, readying another fireball just in case, only to be confronted with the sight of a man leaning casually against a nearby tree, and dressed almost entirely in a creamy-white outfit. He had light lavender hair that just reached the nape of his neck, and spiked outward a few inches above that in a slight curl; bangs hung down on one side of his face to just past his chin, covering up one eye, while slightly shorter and sparser bangs hung on the other side, barely out of his other eye. He had light blue skin, with chips of rock surrounding his eyes, and more chips of rock on his chin and both sides of his cheekbones. A creamy-white, turtle-necked tunic ended near the top of his thighs, and he had on regular, creamy-white pants. Around his shoulders hung a creamy-white cloak, the inside of which was a grayish-turquoise, with a strip of cloth that ended just above his elbows and came together in the front, where his cloak was clasped together with a circular, red jewel set in silver. There was a dark brown, leather belt on his waist, and a looser belt hung at an angle on his hips, where a fancy sword hung in a plain scabbard. His shoes were a dull gray, and he had dark creamy-white, wrist-length gloves on his hands, the fingers expertly cut out.
"Zelgadis!" she cried, surprised. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Gourry and Amelia, taking a vacation at that beachside hotel."
He shrugged and gestured to his body, "I soon realized that a vacation at a place where I could only wear shorts was more stressful than going up against a horde of trolls and ogres."
Lina grinned ruefully and added, "I kind of wondered how long it would be till you left."
He gestured toward her. "But what about you? You were the one who suggested the hotel, and suddenly you were gone, without a trace of where you went." He paused for a moment, waiting for her to answer, and when she didn't he added, "I used it as an excuse to get away. I told them I'd go looking for you, so here I am."
She sighed and walked over to him, leaning against a side of the tree. "I got bored pretty quickly. It's a great place to visit if you have lots of friends to entertain you while you're there, but Amelia was off at the beach, Gourry spent most of his time sleeping and eating, and you...I'm not sure where you went." She bit her lip and mumbled, "All the rest of the people kept on giving me weird glances, too, and if I attempted to talk to one of them, they slunk off, usually muttering something about having to use the bathroom. Besides, the restaurants all cost a small fortune to eat at, and there wasn't anything even mildly entertaining, except for the beach."
Zelgadis listened to her complaints quietly, offering neither advice nor criticism. When she paused, he said nothing for a few seconds, and finally commented, "There was more to it than that, I think. You don't usually just take off, and leave the rest of us behind. It's not like you."
When did he get so perceptive? Lina thought, frowning gently. Usually he's pretty blind to anything that involves emotions.
"Zel..." Lina paused, and bit her lip. "I just got bored, that's all," she finally answered.
"Like I said, that isn't you Lina," Zelgadis murmured, eyes closed.
"...I-I'm not sure how to phrase this best..." Zelgadis waited patiently for her to sort through her feelings and come up with the most suitable words. Finally she started again. "I...I've always known that I'm not quite normal. I can handle spells that no one else in the world can cast, and I've saved the world at least twice, probably more. I know all this, and accept it, just like I accept that I'm greedy and like to eat a ton of food." She took a deep breath.
"It's just that...well, the last time I was at that hotel, I was just gaining fame as a bandit killer. Everyone treated me like I was a normal, everyday girl. They didn't realize I was a bandit killer, and I didn't tell them. When I went back with you guys, I wanted that to be the same, but it wasn't." A tear slid down her cheek, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Zelgadis glance sharply at her.
"I'm so rarely accepted for who and what I am, that I tend to go back to the places where I was accepted. That hotel was one of those places." She looked up at the sky, and another tear escaped from her sparkling ruby eyes. Zelgadis took out a white handkerchief and gently wiped away the tears that followed in quick succession.
"But this time, they treated me like I was someone to be feared and hated, and avoided my company. They'd find excuses to go away and never come back, and although all the people who worked there were unfailingly courteous, none of them warmed up and talked with me." She shook her head gently, and slid to the ground, huddling in a ball and closing her eyes tightly shut.
"It's a dumb thing to expect of people you knew. I guess I'm as stupid as Gourry for wanting to be known simply as Lina Inverse, and not have the names 'Dragon Spooker,' 'Bandit Killer' and 'Something Not Even A Dragon Would Step On' follow me wherever I go. When people hear my name, they remember that I killed Rezo, Shabranigdo, Copy Rezo, the Demon Beast Zanaffar, and countless bandits. They become wary of my infamous temper and agree with my every word. If I wanted them to grovel at my feet, I could force them to without effort." She gave a hiccupy sob and stated, "I hate it." Lina clutched at her forehead, tears dripping down her face.
"I can act just as normal as them, if I try; I just don't like to. No one seems to realize that, although I'm a woman who's done some pretty amazing stuff, I am also just a woman." She gave a bitter laugh that came out sounding half like a sob. Beside her, Zelgadis gave a start and looked closely at her.
"Even Amelia and Gourry, two of my best friends, think I'm some sort of...of divine being...who can't make a mistake in the heat of battle. Amelia idolizes me, and Gourry...ack, Gourry's too dumb to think of me as anything but an extremely powerful little sister. Still, I think he's a little awed of me sometimes." Lina rubbed the back of her neck, trying to suppress the sobs that threatened to break loose. Zelgadis sighed and moved closer yet, awkwardly wiping away her tears with a hankerchief and a gentle hand. She was so lost in misery that she barely notice.
"No one accepts me as both a powerful sorceress who can destroy with world with one spell and a girl with ordinary needs who routinely makes mistakes."
She paused for a moment before admitting, "I know what I just said sounds incredibly arrogant, but I'm not blind; I see how others act around me, and I figure out why they act that way by observing what they say, how they treat me, and how they treat others. Amelia, for example, won't accept me when I'm going against her idea of justice, and has turned on me several times. Gourry's loyal at least, but he either treats me as a little girl in need of lots of protection, or a firebreathing monster that should be avoided." She took in a deep breath, ruthlessly supressing the rest of her tears and waited for some response from Zelgadis.
Zelgadis was silent, but she noticed he was looking at something far in the distance. "What of me, Lina?" the chimera finally asked, quietly and without a trace of emotion.
She smiled grimly and stated, "I have no idea how you view me; you hide your emotions very well. But...if I was to guess...I'd say you...oh hell, I don't know. Like I said, you hide emotions well; too well, if you ask me. Most of the time, I figure you hang around because I might stumble across that cure you want. I seem to have a knack for attracting the strangest people and things, after all." She shook her head and added, "But that's just a guess."
Again, he was silent. It stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was probably only a few minutes. During that whole time, all the pair did was sit.
As Lina was losing hope that Zelgadis would respond to what she'd said, she heard him whisper, "Lina, there's at least one person on this world that accepts you for who you are, and always will."
She peered up at him, heart in her throat, and asked as a tear again escaped from her eyes, "Who?"
The chimera looked toward her, tenderly wiped away the stray tear with a gentle hand, and stated softly in a shy, "Me."
Smiling tremulously at his statement, she asked uncertainly, "...How? How can you accept me for what I am, when no one else does?" She looked up at his eyes, and saw a world of emotion in there that was hidden so often from her, feelings that took her breath away.
He shrugged. "You're you, no matter if you're saving the world, helping to destroy it, eating mass quantities of food, or joking with your friends. I think others see that as well, but many people have never seen you vulnerable enough to...to cry over things as simple as wanting to be accepted, or be defeated and captured by an enemy. Well, I have seen you cry, and seen you get captured. How can I not think of you as...you?"
She shook her head in denial. "If that was so, then Gourry and Amelia would accept me as well, and they don't. They've seen me weep tears of frustration, and both have seen me helpless before an enemy. What makes your feelings different, Zel?"
He sighed and asked warily, "Do I have to spell it out?"
"Yes."
"Very well. The main reason is...I...I love you." Zelgadis stumbled slightly over the words, but they were said in such a way that it was obvious he meant every letter. Beside him, Lina sucked in her breath in surprise. "Maybe it's a dumb reason, and it might not hold up to your logic, but it's the only thing I can think of that applies. I...mmph!" Zelgadis was abruptly cut off, for Lina had thrown her arms around his neck and was kissing him deeply on the lips. At first, he was too shocked to react, but soon he was able to encircle her waist with his arms and draw her closer, deepening the already passionate kiss. All Lina could think while this happened was, Finally...
When they came up for air, Lina stated in a happy, contented voice, "I love you too, Zelgadis Graywords. I had hoped for so long, but...you kept your emotions hidden well, and I couldn't be sure." She snuggled close to him, and rested her head on his chest. "We'll go back to the hotel in a few hours, after I've had a chance to take a nap." Yawning, she added sleepily, "It seems emotional outbursts take a lot out of me."
He nodded, smiling, and settled down into a comfortable position, his head resting up against the tree. Lina snuggled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist. He helped by wrapping an arm around her own waist. And the two fell asleep, both of them dreaming about the gentle touch of a hand from the person they love.