Amelia ran through the woods with tears streaming down her face. Zelgadiss-san didn't love her. What was she going to do?
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."
"Iyaaa!" Amelia cried out. "Not again!" The voice only plagued her in her dreams. Why was is suddenly becoming reality? It happened over ten years ago, so why was it so strong now? Amelia tripped on a root, crashing down into a mud puddle.
"Your Highness!" someone called.
"Leave me alone!" Amelia screamed.
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa." Why can't the voice leave her be? She was picked up.
"Iya!" she screamed. "Leave me alone!" She tried to wiggle free from her capture's grasp, unable to think clearly enough to cast a spell.
"Amelia!" Wait. She calmed down. That wasn't the voice. That sounded like..
"Lina-san?" she sobbed.
"Where's Zelgadiss?" she pried. "We heard an explosion. How could you leave him alone in battle?" Amelia didn't answer. Looking at Lina-san hurt too much. She lowered her eyes, unable to stop her tears.
"Gomenasai, Lina-san, but.." she broke down into balling. The arms around her, which turned out to be Sirus-san's held her close.
"Go and find him, Lina. I'll look after, her Highness."
"Okay, Sirus." There was a loud explosion. Lina-san and company went in that direction. Sirus-san sat down with Amelia in his arms, crying her eyes out.
"Your Highness," he whispered. "What's wrong? What can I do?"
"I..I..I," Amelia tried to speak. It was too much. Her mind was overloading. She had to focus on one thing. But both hurt so much.
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."
"Who's there!" Sirus-san called out, holding his staff protectively in front of Amelia.
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa." Amelia screamed. Memories of it flooded back to her. She pulled away from Sirus-san and ran blindly into the woods.
"Your Highness!" he called. He ran after her. Amelia was small, though, and very fast. She ignored the branches that cut into her face. She ignored the bushes that tried to trip her. She just tried to run away from it.
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."
"Iya!"
"Ameeeeeeeeeeliaaaa."
The ground suddenly inclined and she fell down into a ditch. She tried to get up, but Sirus-san was suddenly there, trying to calm her down. Sirus-san, being innocent, tried to hold onto her. She tried to pull away. What ended up happening was his hands went in unwanted places. One hand went around her waist while the other grabbed her chest.
"Amelia!" the voice said. "It's him!" Amelia screamed again, turning to kick Sirus-san, who suddenly looked very different. One of Sirus-san's hands, in an attempt to hold her went between her legs. Though he didn't understand the significance of this move, Amelia did. She bit him and tried to get her own footing. By doing so, she lost her balance, along with Sirus-san's and they landed down on the ground, with Sirus-san on top of her.
"Amelia!" the voice said again. "It's him!" Amelia looked up. Sirus-san was no longer there, but a man with a bloody knife and a bearded face.
"Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Your Highness!" the man said. "Who is that voice?"
"Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The man was left with no choice.
"Sleep." Amelia could feel the spell take hold. She tried to stop it, but she didn't have any strength left. She fell into a nightmare.
It was several days after the fight with Kotowa, but Amelia still refused to come out of her room. Zelgadiss moped around, a look of shame on his face. Lina tried to talk to both him and Amelia to no avail. Gourry was just clueless. Xellos and Fillia were too absorbed about how to defeat Drrael and Kotowa to really portray any serious concern, and Sirus was left concerned for all parties.
So he went up the stairs to Amelia's room in hopes to get her out of her room, or at least to get her to talk. He knocked quietly, but there was, as usual, no response. He opened the door as softly as he could and stepped it. "Your Highness?" he whispered closing the door behind him.
Said Highness was sitting on her bed, clinging to her legs against her chest as she started blankly into space.
"Sirus-san," she whispered blandly.
"Highness," Sirus said slowly. He sat down on the bed in front of her, looking directly into her eyes. "Highness, please. Such sadness and melancholy doesn't suit you. Surely talking about whatever is troubling you will help. Whatever is wrong cannot be so bad as to make you so unlike yourself."
Amelia said something so quietly that Sirus almost didn't hear her.
"They all reject me."
"They? Highness, this is not true. There is not one in our group that rejects you."
"Liar!" Amelia yelled. Without thinking she raised her hand, ready to slap Sirus, but the young man quickly grabbed her wrist.
"I believe you are picking up habits from Lina-san," he said observantly. "I would have thought that causing more pain would be worse for you."
Amelia stared at him, then lowered her hand. "They really do reject me. Gourry-san, Xellos-san, Fillia-san, Li....na-san,.... And.... Zel - " The young princess finally lost her control and wept. She blindly wrapped her arms around Sirus' neck and continued to ball.
Sirus, at somewhat of a lost, merely hugged in return, swaying back and forth slightly in hopes of calming her.
"Your Highness," he said softly in her ear. "If the others hate you then I will come to your defense. I will not reject you."
Amelia cried for a very long time. Sirus wasn't sure how long, and hour at least. When it seemed the last of her tears came out, Sirus let go and Amelia sat up. Her eyes were a little red, and her nose was running. Sirus' shoulder was by now drenched, but it was nothing to him.
"You won't reject me?" Amelia asked hesitantly, the catch still in her voice.
"Of course not," Sirus said proudly. "Your Highness is to special to feel rejected. If I must prove it to you, then I shall. What would you wish me to do?"
Amelia thought about it, different possibilities flashing across her face.
"I have already pledged myself to you. I will talk to Lina, or fight with the AI Zelgadiss if that is what you want. It appears that those two are the ones who are at the root of this tragic sadness in you."
Fresh tears seemed to fill in the princess' eyes, confirming Sirus' suspicions, but the blue-eyed girl took a deep breath and looked directly into Sirus' eyes.
"You won't reject me?" she asked again.
"Never. What can I do?"
"Kiss me," she said flatly.
Sirus cocked his head. "But we are not married."
"What does marriage have to do about it? About anything?"
Sirus shrugged. If it made her Highness feel batter, then fine. He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek.
"Not like that," the princess said sternly. "Like this." Amelia wrapped her arms around the young man's neck and gave him a very adult kiss. Sirus wasn't even sure if what was happening could even be classified as a kiss. His parents never said anything about all the rather sudden feelings that were associated with a kiss like this, which they had never demonstrated before him.
When they came up for air, both were panting and Sirus was sweating a little.
"Highness," Sirus asked, he voice cracking a little. "Are you sure that was a kiss. My parents never said anything about kisses like that. Uh, now what are you doing?" Amelia was taking off her cape and boot slowly, never loosing eye contact with Sirus.
"I'm teaching you about the verb sex," she answered coolly. She wrapped her arms around him again and pushed him back on the bed, repeating the performance of that weird kiss again. Once she finished with his mouth, she move to his ear, whispering some very dirty words before adding, "You promised you wouldn't reject me."
Sirus sat up, totally confused. "Why do you keep asking that?"
Amelia sat up as well, licking her lips again.
"I've already stipulated several times that I wouldn't reject you, so why do you keep asking or stating the fact. What purpose does the repetition serve?"
"I'm having you prove it to me," Amelia said defensively.
"But how can I prove it by lying down on a bed? Or by you saying all those strange and dirty words? I've already proved that I won't reject you. Haven't I?"
Amelia was by now very red for some reason. "But, I - "
"Your Highness," Sirus said softly. "What is this really about? Rejection is a large part of it, but I get the feeling that it has to do with a specific event. Something happened when Kotowa showed up. Am I right?"
"No, it was before." The princess looked down, her eyes renewed with tears. "He said... He said... Oh Sirus!" A new wave of crying ensued, and Sirus knew this had to end soon. He took a chance and pressed the matter.
"Who said what? If it was before Kotowa's attack, then it was the Artificial Intelligence, correct? The chimera Zelgadiss? What did he say?"
"WWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Amelia whaled. "HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!!!!!!!!"
It all suddenly came together in an audible thud in Sirus' mind. "You had a crush on an AI? You fell in love with it but it couldn't return the feelings?"
"Y-yes," Amelia whimpered in his shoulder. "Program Rezo said he was leading me and Lina-san on. I really thought it was me. I thought he loved me. And he said he didn't! How could I be so stupid! Why does this have to hurt so much! Why why why WHY?"
Sirus waited until the whaling and the crying had died down some before he answered. "You are not stupid. My parents told me that sometimes you love someone and they don't love you back. They said it happens sometimes, and that it just means that it's not meant to be. Your Highness, you heart belongs to only one person. You thought it was the chimera, but that obviously is not true. The person you are meant to love will come in time. All you have to do is wait for him."
"But it hurts so MUCH!"
"Well, think of it this way. How much more would it have hurt if the AI hadn't told you? If he had kept letting you believe that falsehood, how much more emotion would you have wasted? At least now you know. You will grieve for a while, and then you will move on. It will hurt. It has to hurt in order for you to grow. Do you understand what I'm saying? Then, in time, you will find your true husband. And then you can do whatever you want with him."
"Sirus-san!!" Amelia exclaimed, sitting back and turning bright red.
"What? What did I say? Is something else wrong?"
"N-no. I guess not."
"Very well then. Perhaps you would like to come down to dinner?"
Amelia thought about it. "No, Sirus-san. Not yet."
"Very well then. I will bring it up to you." The young man got up and went to the door.
"Sirus-san?"
"Yes?"
"Arigatoo."
Zelgadiss still felt very bad for hurting Amelia like that. Though she seemed better now, Zel regretted loosing her as a friend. She refused to talk to him or go near him, which he understood, but he still valued her friendship. Now he had lost it. He tried to push the guilt away, focusing on the small pull that he followed through the forest. Overall, Zel was not in a good mood.
"It's about time you showed up," a voice said in the trees. Everyone looked up to Kotowa who was perched on a branch looking down to them. He jumped down.
"I thought you'd never get here."
"Sorry, Kotowa," Xellos said. "But we're on our own time table. Fortunately, it doesn't coincide with yours."
"But I'm not going to fight you here."
"Like you ever fought us before?" Lina muttered.
"Instead, I come with gifts from my master, Drrael-sama." With a wave of his hand three people appeared at the base of the tree. One was a man who looked almost exactly like Gourry. The only differences lay in the pale blue hair, which was much shorter, and the green eyes. Next the Gourry-look-alike was a woman who looked like Amelia. She was short, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. Next to her was Copy Rezo. "I believe three of you know who you're going to be fighting."
"Iyaaaaa!" Everyone turned to Amelia. "It...it...it can't...nooooo!" She turned to run, but Sirus was there to help her. The woman went over to Amelia. The blue-haired man went to Gourry. Zel didn't pay any attention to this as he went after Copy Rezo. His sword sliced air and Zel lost track of his companions as he continued to go after Copy Rezo.
Zelgadiss had had enough Rezos in his life. He didn't need one of them to come back from the dead. He threw a Fireball at Copy Rezo to throw him off balance. It came to no avail. Copy Rezo was too fast. Suddenly, all he could here was the ringing of Rezo's staff.
Not again! Program Rezo, can you stop this??
I can, but I need time. Try to fight him. I refuse to be Kotowa's slave again.
Well do it!
Do you want to talk or have it done? Zel mentally quieted down. By now he was once more someone's puppet.
"Zelgadiss," Copy Rezo said. "It's good to have you working for me. I'm surprised that Kotowa told me about all the little treats Rezo put in you. But since I am better than Rezo, I will control you far better than he could." Zel could not say or do anything. "Zelgadiss. Rezo Program: Terminate. Target: Xellos." Zelgadiss got the strong hint that it was Kotowa who ordered that command. The original Copy Rezo, (now there's an oxymoron) would have him go after Lina to force her to cast a Giga Slave. Still, even if Xellos was a pain, he wasn't going to kill him. He used all of his will to fight Copy Rezo.
"You can't resist me, Zelgadiss," said Copy Rezo. "Phase II." Zel's will crumbled as he changed phases. Changing against his will tired him out. His body turned to Xellos.
"Um, gee, Zelgadiss," Xellos said. "Maybe we can work out our differences another way, ne?" Zel slowly walked to him, sword in hand. He raised it. Zel once more tried to force himself to stop, but it was impossible. He brought his sword down. Xellos brought up his staff to counter, but didn't need to. Fillia blocked him with his mace.
Thank you, Fillia, he thought to himself. Unfortunately, it was now clear that in order to get to Xellos, he was going to have to kill Fillia. His day just kept getting worse. He finally knocked Fillia aside. He was about to kill her when he suddenly found himself in the air.
"MEGA BRANDO!!" Zel mentally praised Lina. When he landed, he heard Copy Rezo's voice again.
"If you're going to be that way about it, Lina Inverse, then how about this? Target Change: Lina." Zelgadiss started to advance.
Haven't you fixed it yet??
Done.
Then why am I still advancing?
Because I can't initiate it until you're in Phase X.
WHAT?!?!
Quiet and listen. Copy Rezo controls you in Phase II. Kotowa will block you from Phase III, knowing that you prefer it. If you go into any of the other phases, which you haven't been in before, I can't control the outcome. It has to be Phase X. I'm sorry but you'll be stuck in that phase until you can kill Copy Rezo again.
Zelgadiss mentally grunted, but called up the program to change phases. It was painful. But once he opened his eyes, he was free.
One more thing. I can't override the defense Rezo put in from killing him. Copy Rezo looks like Rezo, so you can't kill him, but I've removed all blocks from hurting him. Zel mentally smiled. He glared at Copy Rezo and followed the animalistic instincts that came with this phase. He pounced onto Copy Rezo, catching him by surprise.
"WHERE'S MY CURE??" Lina, Fillia, and Xellos facefaulted.
"You've activated Program Rezo. Well done," Copy Rezo sneered. "I am your cure. There is none other than me."
"What?"
"You, Zelgadiss, need me." Zel howled in anger and got ready to rip Copy Rezo apart.
"Amelia, you killed me!" the woman said. "Why?"
"Who are you?" Sirus demanded. "Why do you wish to hurt her Highness, so?"
"Don't tell me how to talk to my daughter!" Sirus was taken aback, though he still held the sobbing Amelia in his hands.
"Her mother? The Queen, Amria? But you've been dead for over ten years!"
"Yes, when I died that horrid death, Drreal-sama took my soul. I am his to command, just as Gorel and Copy Rezo are." She turned to Amelia. "Why did you kill me, Am-kun?
"But," Sirus interjected, completely baffled. "How could Princess Amelia have killed you. She was," he paused, doing the mental calculations. Fourteen years, from her Highness' age, "only four years old at the time. What could she have possibly done to kill you?"
"You fool!" said Amria. "She was there when I was killed! She could have done something to stop him or get help! No, she is just a coward who did nothing but watch me die. Amelia!" Amelia wailed.
"Am-kun, do you remember him?" She nodded. "Do you remember what he did?" Amelia wailed again.
"What are you doing to your own child!?" Sirus shouted. He still held Amelia protectively in his arms.
"He," Amelia whispered. Sirus looked down to her tear stained face. "He... he robbed me of my maidenhood." Sirus suddenly understood why she hated rejection so.
"That cur!" he cursed. "How dare he violate you in that way? Give me his name and I will hunt him down for you, your Highness. I will drag him back to Sailoon for you to pass judgment upon that wretch who hurt you so!" Amria studied him.
"You are the innocent, are you not?"
"I am."
"Then how did this man violate my daughter?" Sirus frowned.
"I don't know. I once overheard my father trying to help with a women who said her maidenhood was taken from her. Father said that was the worst violation to bestow upon a women. What is it anyway?" Two sweatdrops suddenly appeared.
"Oi, Sirus-san, you really are innocent, ne?" Amelia said. Kotowa floated over and Sirus got his staff ready.
"Amria, dear," he said. "Get down to business or face the consequences."
"Yes, my Lord," she said quickly. "Do you remember him, Am-kun?" she repeated. "Do you remember what he said?"
"He...he.." Amelia's voice was unsteady again. "He said he was going to teach me what he couldn't teach you."
"What did he teach you?"
Amelia pulled away from Sirus and stood tall. "He taught me," she said in a strong voice, "that a hammer of justice is needed to protect those who follow a righteous path yet cannot protect themselves." Sirus applauded.
"Well said, you Highness."
"Oh really," Amria said coldly. "That's your father speaking. What did he teach you? You learned this lesson again didn't you? A few days ago?" Amria pointed to Zelgadiss who was fighting Fillia. "He taught you that lesson as well. What did you learn?"
Amelia was suddenly unsure of herself. Sirus stood protectively in front of her. "They taught me.." she said softly. "They taught me that..that...all will reject me because I am Princess....they taught me..that ...that...men will betray you!"
"What?"
"Daddy was the first to betray me," Amelia whispered
"Prince Philionel? How?"
"He always wanted to hug me after Momma died. I'd say no. I couldn't since I had been robbed. But Daddy hugged me all the same. He betrayed my trust..."
"Exactly," Amria said. "And you betrayed mine. You killed me."
Sirus interjected again. He desperately wanted to put Amria's ghost to rest, but he knew that Amelia need to deal with this instead of running again. "I am sure that her Highness would have helped if he could." Amelia looked up.
"I did help."
"What?"
"I stood in front of the man before he attacked you with that knife. He just hit me aside and then..then he started chopping. I tried to pull him off, but he hit me back again. Momma, you told me to stay back!" Sirus took that as his cue. Raising his staff he murmured a brief incantation.
"Rest!" he commanded, pointing his staff to Queen Amria. She screamed, but slowly dissipated like smoke. Turning, he caught Amelia as she started to cry again.
"Why did momma have to die?" she whispered.
"It's alright now, your Highness. She's in peace now, where Drrael can't harm her." Amelia's grief was interrupted.
"WHERE'S MY CURE?" Amelia and Sirus facefaulted
Gourry locked swords again with Gorel. Gorel was exactly the same as Gourry remembered him. Gorel's hair fell over his left eye, as Gourry would do to his right eye when he got older. The armor Gorel wore was almost identical to his own. But Gorel looked more like their ancestor, Raudy Gabriev. After all this time, Gourry's older brother hadn't changed a bit. The only difference was that now, Gorel fought to kill instead of fighting for fun. Kotowa didn't help matters much with his taunts.
"How did it feel to kill your only brother? Your idol? Just so that you could get your hands on the Sword of Light. Was it worth it? Did you finally get your family's respect?"
"You stay out of this, whatever-your-name-is," Gourry barked. Kotowa fell to the ground.
Gorel finally spoke. "I see you're still as dumb as when you were a kid." He snickered and crossed swords again. "But then, you are blond, so I guess it's only natural for you."
"Perhaps," Kotowa agreed, "but blonds have more fun. Did you know he has two girls after him?"
"What?"
"The mayor's daughter, the priestess Drrael-sama took recently, and that redhead over there," Kotowa replied pointing to Lina who was preparing a spell.
"You've been busy, haven't you, little brother?"
Kotowa sighed. "I knew Amria was going to be to weak for this. Excuse me." Gourry breathed a sigh of relief as Kotowa finally left.
"Why did you kill me?" Gorel asked.
"I had no choice," Gourry replied quietly.
Kotowa floated back. "Sorry about the interruption. Did I miss anything?"
"He says he had no choice," laughed Gorel. "He killed me out of necessity."
"No choice?" Kotowa said. "Sorry Gourry, but you're bright enough to realize that you did have a choice that day. You could have taken the Sword of Light, or saved your brother's life."
"And you choose the family heirloom over me," Gorel finished. "Domo Arigatoo."
"I was told to take the Sword of Light," Gourry replied, reliving that awful day again. He shook his head and blocked Gorel's lunge.
"Who, little brother? Who told you that the sword was more important than me?"
"You, big brother. You."
"But Gourry, child," Kotowa chided. "Look back on that day. Don't you see how many opportunities you had to save your brother before taking the sword? What if.."
"WHERE'S MY CURE?" Gourry, Gorel, and Kotowa facefaulted. They all heard Copy Rezo proclaim that only he was the cure. Gourry mentally cheered as he saw Zel get ready to slice Copy Rezo. Unfortunately, Zel was thrown back.
"I think my job here is done," Kotowa said. "Ja ne!" He snapped his fingers and Gorel, Copy Rezo, and Kotowa himself disappeared. Gourry sheathed his sword and looked up to the sky. Gorel, what's changed you? He was very quiet the rest of the night.