KONNICHI WA MINNA-SAN!!!! Oh oh....::pulls out remote control and puts up a Protection Barrier:: Wow...a Dragon Slave...::eyes broaden disbelievingly:: Miss Lina...I'm sorry..but.. hey! wait....your not Lina-chan....Oh my...I'm sorry...but I really am a Lina/Zel fan....I'm not much of a kill-one-of-my-favorite-Slayers'-character writer.....I didn't mean to tee anyone off.
Lina: "Oh yeah? Well where's my Zel then?"
Ms. L: " 'My Zel'?....Sorry Miss Lina. All I can say is...it's a secret! ^_~"
Everyone 'cept Xellos sighes....(Zelgadiss is still not among them but I'm pretty sure he heard me and sighes in annoyance)
Ms. L: "Y'all have to wait til I'm done with typing the fic. Now...on with the fanfic!"
They took slow steps towards the distressed damsel. Once they were right behind her, they saw her trembling lightly.
"Lina?"
"Lina, please....you need to lie back down, you've overexerted y..." she interrupted Sylphiel.
"ZEL! ZELGADISS...!" she screamed out for him again. Fresh tear drops rolls one after another.
She levitated to scan the devested area. They got depressed as the played the terrible images of their late traveling colleague and esteem friend.
He couldn't of survive his first and only Dragon Slave, especially if it's been amplified. were on their thoughts (a/n: yes, even Gourry's....he's not that brain dead!). They immediately looked up once they heard another anguish call from the floating sorceress.
"ZZEL..ll..gg..a...ooh..." she felt woozy and started to see black dots, blurringly forming in her crimson eyes, she was ready to black out, making her lose balance on the levitation spell. She's falls but somehow manage to brisk air breaks before she hit hard on the ground, she collapses again.
"LINA!" the girls rapidly worked their magic on her.
Their hands brightly glow as they thoroughly check for any injuries that they have missed. Gourry, Slyphiel and Filia saw her paled face, clear, wet paths were shown on both sides of her ashen cheeks. Oranges, reds, and rusty yellows were painted on one side of the horizon as greyish-blues, violets, deep blues and purples were on the other, her dull red eyes perceived at the scattered dark clouds gathering around the middle.
"No...no...no.no.nononono..NO! ::gasp:: Oh Zel ::hiccup::"
They backed off a bit as she turn to lie on her right side, collected her knees to her chest, placing herself in a fetal position, she starts to cry.
They could only remain quiet because they couldn't think of anything to comfort her, as well as to wonder the "what if's".
"Oh Zelgadiss, you were supposed to come back to Lina, alive and well." Sylphiel sniffled as she sobbed on Gourry's chest.
He gently laid his left dampen cheek on her head, allowing more tears to fall freely from his sad blue eyes to her black-lavander hair, and hugging her closely.
Lina's desperate cries had awaken Amelia, Val, Aez, and Xellos, alarming them that something is amissed. They ran to where the standing three are at and soon remembered and realized why their faces bear expression of guilt and sadness. They too, lowered their heads and joined in the funeral.
Everybody's heart, that is if Xellos has one, broke when they saw and heard Lina's mournfully crying.
"I guess that means Zelgadiss-kun didn't make it after all." Xellos concluded.
"Cousin, we just found and reunited with each other a year ago, only to loose you again." Aezorl's throat tightened, he closes his eyes, making the tears flood upon his cheeks.
Val walked up next to Filia, placed his hand on her shoulder. Female instincts took over when Filia noticed who it was, turns around, and immediately cried on his shoulder once she wraps her shaky arms around him, he returns a comforting embrace.
"This is suppose to turn out like in one of those fairy tales.....where the hero comes out victorious and alive.....and...and the princess and him get together and live happ ::sob:: happily ever after...." the golden dragon weeps again.
The daughter of crowned Prince Philonel just stood there, emotionlessly staring at the darkened horizon. The young silver-blue hair man stood right in front of her, lifts her chin so that she would meet his eyes.
"Amelia?"
Her blank eyes show no acknowledgment, as if she refuse to come into reality.
"Amelia, please respond....please, please answer me."
This time, her blue agates wavered a bit of confusement, finally looks into his teal blues, seeking for answers.
"I'm sorry love, Zel..gadiss,....your big brother....my...my...only cousin....is...is..no..long....." his eyes begin to sting, yet he refuse to close them, fearing to loose the connection he just made.
The sweet, innocent paladin of justice, pulls away from his embrace and steps back away from him, her eyes widened, her face wore different expressions, both of fear and sadness, understanding what her boyfriend is trying to tell her, her emotions turns into anger.
"NO!!!!NO!!NO!!!....THIS IS NOT FAIR AND JUST!!!!! THIS ISN'T HAPPENING....IT'S NOT REAL!!!!" Amelia shouted, hot tears making their way down on her angered face, she then buried her face into her trembling hands.
Aez sighingly, shakes his head as they watched the hysterical princess. She slumped to the ground, he knelt in front of her, she speaks again in a more disbelieving, whispered tone.
"It's not fair....Zelgadiss is an ally of Justice....he's not supposed to die...Justice won't allow it....he's....he's....no..no.. wh..what about L..ina....::sob and shakes head:: Love won't permit this...to happen...he...oh...." she cries bitterly on his chest.
Lina remained in her fetal position, the salty water rained on her cheeks, staring into space again. Nothing could stir her from her realm of silence, she didn't even hear Amelia's sorrowful outbursts.
Xellos Metallium could only stand and observe. He couldn't even take upon himself to feed himself on their sorrows. In the outer appearance, he may not be smiling, but only a straight line formed his mouth and his eyes in the usual closed manner. However, inwardly, he too felt the empty gap in his chest, tightly wrapping itself in its own turmoil. He hasn't felt these certain emotions for a long, long, long while, emotions he had thought he longed erased, emotions that finally determined him to become a mazuko, one of them he's experiencing is...sorrow.
The sun is now completely settled and the full moon stood in its place, hovering and illuminating over them and the remaining forest.
"Come on. We better go and find a town." Gourry spoke as he walks over to his ruby sister.
He bends down and extended his hand in front of her face.
"Lina, are you okay now?"
Lina sat up, still hugging her knees, blinked and looked up to see a small smile on her protector's face, small yet sad. He took it as a yes, thoughtfulness and caring were in his eyes as he spoke again.
"We need to find an inn. Ready?"
Without responding, she took her blonde brother's hand and lifted herself up. They silently perceived her as they walked. As usual, she leads, however, this time, she didn't talk and it's more of a slow pace in her trancelike state.
The somber, black, fat clouds floated on the world's dome, obscuring the twinkling stars. The moon is able to peek through the thick dark fluff, the group are thankful for its persisting light on their path to nearby small town.
"Hmm...it's going to rain again." Val theorized as he was the last person to enter the inn.
Each paid for their rooms (a/n: except Xellos, he has to get ready to go back to Zelas) and went up the stairs to where the rooms are at. Lina was already in her room by the time they were in the middle of their slightly quiet meal. She didn't even fight Gourry when he stole her roast chicken, rolls, roast beef, and her steamed vegetables. What's even worse, she barely touched her food, not even the desserts.
"Hallis is finally destroyed." Val wanted to get to bring out the good news, hoping to awake the sorceress from her somewhat lost state.
"So...you can now consider yourself a happy widow Lina-chan." Xellos wanted to enlighten the mood as well, it was getting too gloomy at the dinner table.
She looked at her left hand, true to the General Priest's words, she noticed the wedding band is gone...for good.
But at what costs? Lina's eyes watered again.
"I'm....::sigh::....I'm tired. I think I better go to bed. Goodnight everyone." she excused herself as she got up from her seat and retreated to her rented quarters as the crew-minus-one bid her dismal goodnights.
She locked herself inside her room and instead of going to bed right away, she went to a wooden chair that was right next the window. She gazes at the rain, listening to the soft pitter patter, tapping on the glass and the wooden panes.
"Oh Zel, it's not even a full night and I already miss you terribly."
Lina placed her still-ungloved-wedding-band-free, ivory hands where her heart beats slowly but steady, she felt her chest constricting around her heart, making her ache from underneath her hands. She closes her eyes and bowed her head slightly, creating tear drops to trickle endlessly unto her lap.
"It hurts....Damn it...::gasp::...oh how it hurts...so badly...Why did you leave me...behind...alone." the sobbing widow lowered her head buried into her hands. She cries in mourning again.
Her friends were going to their rooms but stopped at her door when they heard her crying softly. Their faces expressed the melancholic mood that still linger from within their hearts. Gourry was ready to knock on the door......
"Gourry-dear...." Sylphiel whispered and shook her head no.
"Lina-chan needs time alone. She needs to let out all her grief for at least one night." surprisingly Xellos explained.
"Yes, tomorrow we'll talk and explain to her what had happened." Aez spoke as he held the weary princess.
"I can't believe he's gone....Why did he leave us? Why did he leave Lina? the grieving longtime comrade whisperingly inquired.
They lowered their heads.
"Zelgadiss had to do it, Gourry. He refuse to let anyone take or hurt Lina. He defended and saved all of us, he especially wanted, needed to protect his true love, at all costs." Filia whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah....but it cost him his life." Gourry's eyes started to sting him.
"Sacrifices, my friend...you sacrifice anything for love." Val sighed sadly.
Each couple looked unto his/her beloved. The purple mazuko arched his eyebrows at the couples.
"I think I understand now." he gazed into Sylphiel's emerald green eyes.
"Well, by tomorrow she'll be able to understand better with a cleared head after her rest." Aez held Amelia's hand.
"I believe you are correct Aez-kun. I must take my leave now and thus I bid everyone a good bye and a good night." the priest phased out after the group said their evening greetings and sluggishly went to their rooms.
Before each Slayer go to sleep in the comfort of his or her bed, all prayed that Zel's soul is at rest, thanking him and offered a teary good-bye. Lina dragged her feet towards her bed, she laid down, hugged her pillow, and cried til she fell asleep.
Please remain patient....and calm. I'm almost done....Please don't worry....this will fic will have a happy ending. Well, take care...Adios!!
~~Miss "L"