Based on the song Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.
Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world, fe hearst survive
The funeral of the Amelia Wil Tessla Seiruune was a grom ocassion. Thousands of people turned out to pay their respects to the bright young woman who had died long before her time. Among the mourners where Amelia's traveling companions, and best friends. A group of bandit killers and mercs known as the Slayers. They were all there. Lina Inverse, the fiery haired young sorcereress who's temper matched her hair. Gourry Gabriev, the blong swordsman with a heart og gold, and yogurt for brains. Slyphial Nal Raada, the sweet and gental friend of Amelia's Firia Ul Copt, the golden haired Dragon Priestess and her adopted son Valteria. Even the scantily clad Martina and her ever patient husband Zangulus was there. Perhaps the most surprising faces there those of Xellos Metallium, priest and general under the Greater Beastmaster Zella Metallium. But one face was noticably missing, Zelgadis Greyweres, the man Amelia had been reportedly in love with.
All I know is the way I fell
When it's real, I keep it alive
After the funeral, Lina went in search of Zel. She found the Chimrea siting by himself drinking amug of beer for the first time in all the years she had traveled with him.
"Zel how could you slight Amelia like that!" Lina shouted at the unresponsive Chimera.
"She wouldn't have wanted me there." Zel murmured in a dead voice. Lina's ruby eyes flashed ans she slapped Zel hard across the face.
"Get off you pity wagon Zelgadis Greyweres! The world doesn't revolve aroung you.!" Zel looked at Lina with burning eyes as hard and cold sapphire.
"You have no idea Lina, if I hadn't gone then she would still be alive. So don't you tell em to get off my pity wagon. Stop trying to rule other people's lives! That may work with Gourry but it won't work with me."
"You can't talk like that to me, Zel!"
"Watch me! I quit Lina Inverse! My days of aventuring are through!" Zel stoodup and left the hurt and puzzled Lina in his wake, but he didn't look back, not once. He had resolved long ago to never look back
The road is long, there are mountains in your way
But we climb a step every day
Sixty Years Pass:
The Shamanist know as Zelgadis stretched like a cat and he heard his bones crack. He had been hunched over that old dusty tomb longer then he had thought. Zel frowned yet another useless lead! Zel looked down at the small ball that lay at his elbow. He had been putting itoff. Zel knew that he would have to read the letter within it, but he didn't. Zel cracked the wall and extracted the letter.
Dear Zelgadis:
It is with the deepest of sorrows that I must inform you of the deaths of Firia Ul Copt and her husband Valteria. They were victims in a terrible accident and they will sorely be missed. Their funeral will be held in three days time.
Xellos Metallium
Zel felt the tears gather up in his eyes. Of all the Slayers, only Firia and Val had trully stayed in touch with him after he left. He had conversed with Gourry until his death, as well as Slyphial. Zel hadn't heard a word from Lina in sixty years and he figure that was because she blamed him for Amelia's death. And why shouldn't she, it was his fault.
Love lift of up where we belong, where the eagle cries
On a mountain high
Love lifts us up where we belong, far from the world
We know, up where the clear wind blow
Amelia looked at Zel with tear-filled blue eyes.
"Please Zelgadis-san, don't go. You might be killed!"
the young princess of Seiruune begged the Shaman.
"Amelia, I don't feel like that about you. please stop
this."
"That's not it! That's no it at all, I don't want you to
go because I love you! I don't want you to go cause I
have a really bad feeling about this. I don't
think you can survive!" Amelia sobbed and the tears
trickled down her cheeks.
"Amelia I will be fine, I promise." the young man
placed his hands on Amelia shouldars and smiled at her
slightly. "I have to go." he murmured and he whipped
around and walked away. The tears of the princess
following him.
Some hang onto used to be
Live their lives, looking behind
Zelgadis parried the blow form the guard.
"I have come for the book." he snarled as she
dispatched that guard, but another took his place.
"You will never get it." A woman with ruby red lips
smiled cruelly.
"Watch me." Zel shouted as he he held his sword ouy
"Astral Vine!" he cried and his sword glowed green,
and just as bright as the Sword of Light.
"You foul hideous creature!" A high pitched vice that
Zel knew too well came from the rafters of the
building he was in. "The swift sword of justice shall
smite you!" Amelia cried as she jumped down. Naturally
she landed on her head and Zel growled in frustration.
"Stupid girl! Get behind me!" Zel snarled as he turned
back to the monstered that had circled him while he
had been distracted. With one stroke, Zel let go of
the spell, and the montsters were destroyed. Someone
grabbed Zel from behind and he spun around and ran
themthrough with his sword. Amelia looked at him in
confusion as blood began to trickle down her chin.
"Zel....ga....dis-san?" she whispered as she clutched
at the sword-wound in her chest.
"NOOOO!" Zel cried as e droped his sword. Zemlia sank
to the ground and Zel grabbed her and held her against
his chest. "Oh Gods Amelia.... I ..... never!" Zel
sobbed as he suddenly stood up and raced away as fast
as he could. Zel wasn't strong enough in White magick
to heal Amelia's wound, so her only chance was for him
to get her to Slyphial.
All we have is here and now
All our life, out there to find
Zel paced back anf forth down the halls of the castle.
Slyphial was still in the room with Amelia.
"PLease Gods, let her be alright." Zel prayed
silently. The door to Amelia's quarters squeaked
open and Slyphia walked out with tears runnig
down her cheeks.
"I tried to save her.... but." Slyphial sobbed and
Gourry hugged her comfortingly Slyphial buried her
head in Gourry shoulder.
"No." Prince Phil whispered in a ragged voice as
silvery tears ran down his rugged cheeks. "Not Amelia,
no." Zel clentched his fists together and walked down
the hallway. The funeral was held three days later.
That was the last time Zel had seen Lina. He had never
told Amelia, but he couldn't love her because he heart
already belonged to a certain fiery-haired
sorcereress.
The road is long, there are mountains in our way
But we climb them a step every day
The next week, Zelgadis stood over the brightly decorated grave of Princess Amelia Wil Tessla Seiruune. It was the first time he had been to Amelia's grave, and it pleased him to see that bright and cheeful flowers had sprung up. Zel picked one of the fragrant flowers and breathed in its delicate scent. So like Amelia. So bright and sweet, yet short-lived at the same time. Zel closed his eyes and forces the tears back down. He wouldn't cry, no he wouldn't
"Zel?" Zelgadis whirled around and stared into a face that was just the smae as he had seen it last, more then sixty years before.
"Lina?" Zel murmured. The ruby-eyes girl laughed and flung herself nito Zel's arms.
"I've missed you so much Zel." Lina whispered as she hugged the shocked Chimrera. Zel forced his tense muscles to relax and he hugged Lina back.
"I couldn't face you anymore, not after what I had done." Zel whispered as he looked down into Lina's ruby-eyes.
"Baka, I stopped living when you left." Lina whispered as she angrily wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Lina..." Zel started to say, but Lina grabbed him and kissed him fiercely.
"I'm not letting you go again Zelgadis Greyweres!"
Love lift of up where we belong, where the eagle cries
On a mountain high
Love lifts us up where we belong, far from the world
We know, up where the clear wind blow
Zel was shocked as Lina kissed him, but he responded. He had wanted this so for so long. Too long. Zel broke away and stared at Lina with an look of utter confusion on his face.
"Why?" he asked, and Lina shook her head fondly.
"Baka, because I love, you. I always did." Lina smiled and Zel felt his heart flip.
"I love you too Lina." Zel whispered as he kissed her.
"Thank you Zel." Lina whispered after he pulled back.
"I love, you, and I always will." Lina suddenly wavered, and she seemed to become transparant.
"Lina! No! What's are you doing?" Zel cried, and Lina smiled at him with a beautific smile on her face.
"I'm finally free." she whispered. "Goodbye Zel." she murmured as she dissapeared completely.
Time goes by, no time to cry, life's you and I
Alive today
Zel's grief crashed down on him and he fell to his knees and tears ran down his stoene cheeks.
"Lina...." he whispered as he buried his hands into the grass. "No!" Zel howled at the uncaring sky.
"Zel-kun?" A hesitant voice came from behind him. Zel snarled and he lept to his feet and hurled himself at Xellos.
"Where is she? What did you do to her? Xellos where is Lina?" The Tricktser Priest blinked and his eyes widened in shock.
"Lina-chan, but Zel-kun. She died, a long time ago." Xellos murmured as she looked at Zel in shock. Zel went numb, and he allowed the Mazuko to lead him over to a grave. The headstone read Lina Inverse. It was dated sixty years before. "After you left, she just went into a dark spiral. We found her one moring, dead under a tree in the gardens. No one knows for certain how she died. I alway figured it was grief. You didn't know?"
"Lina.... no Lina.... I... I.... NOOOOOOO!!!!!" Zel's scream echoed through the graveyard.
Love lift of up where we belong, where the eagle cries
On a mountain high
Love lifts us up where we belong, far from the world
We know, up where the clear wind blow