Zelgadiss slowly woke up, yawning and stretching like a cat. She laid there for a few seconds, a peaceful smile playing across her face. She was amazed at how well she was sleeping lately. The only way she could describe it was that she felt....safe. Safer than she'd felt in a long time.
She slowly opened her eyes to take in the rose covered room. They was fresh roses, again. Xelloss had put roses in her room every morning and every night, for the last three days. She smiled and absently reached out and stroked a soft petal.
"They are beautiful........," suddenly, she snapped her hands away. "Damn him! What is he doing? Is this just another twisted game? Ooooh, Gadiss is a woman now, let's tease her by flirting with her." Zelgadiss growled under her breathe and got up to get dressed and go to breakfast.
Zelgadiss walked into the dining room to find Xelloss greeting her at the door with his familiar bow and kiss of the hand.
"Ah, my love. Did you sleep well?"
"It's just a good thing I'm not allergic to flowers with all those roses you keep putting in my room." She sarcastically growled under her breathe.
"Ohhh, you're allergic, I'm sorry, I'll stop bringing you flowers."
"NO," the chimera replied," I'm not allergic."
"So, you don't want me to stop bringing you flowers" the trickster replied, getting nose to nose with Zelgadiss.
"YES, I MEAN NO." Zel was getting frustrated. She was finding it hard to think with him that close.
"Soooo, do you want the flowers or not."
"NO, I DON'T WANT ANY MORE FLOWERS!!!"
Xelloss stopped to ponder for a moment, then brightened, "O.K., no more flowers." and floated to the table.
Zel followed Xelloss, noting the huge pile of dishes already scattered across the table.
"Oh, Lina-chan and the rest got here early this morning and ate," Xelloss said responding to Zel's questioning look.
"Oh," was Zel's only reply, as she sat down to enjoy her tea.
After Zel had finished her minuscule breakfast, she decided she wanted to take another one of her many baths. She always loved a relaxing bath. She walked to her bedroom, opened the door and found......jewelry.
She sighed. "Now, he's bringing me jewelry. How cliché!"
She walked around looking at the assorted jewelry that were scattered through her room. All of them were ordinary, though some looked antique.
"I guess you could collect some interesting pieces over a thousand years." She thought to herself, as something caught her eye.
It was hanging from the canopy. It was an amulet and from what Zel could tell a very powerful magic amplifier. Zel stared at it for a while, reaching out her fingers to stroke the stone that was set in the center of the piece. She stared at the dark violet shade of the stone, "it's beautiful. The same color as his eyes".
She suddenly let go of the amulet, letting it swing from the canopy. "Where did that thought come from. I didn't think that. I didn't, didn't, DIDN'T."
She quickly removed her clothes and put on her bathrobe and stormed down the hall to the baths.
"How dare he keep this up. As if, just because I've turned into a woman, I would be attracted to him or any other man. I doubt the spell would have changed that."
Zel walked into the baths and came to a dead stop.
"Hi, Zelgadiss-san. You really have changed."
"Hey Zel, come on in."
Zel just stared at her two naked female friends in shock, not hearing them. She didn't understand. She felt... nothing, absolutely nothing.
Before, she would have blushed and run out upon seeing her friends like this. However, now, she couldn't even force a blush. Zel stepped out of the women's bath in shock. She stood there thinking a moment, until she looked across the hall and saw the men's bath.
"No, I'm not attracted to men, and I'll prove it."
She walked through the doors and felt the last proof of her former life go out the window with the blush that crept across her cheeks. Gourry was just starting to get out of the bath. He looked at Zelgadiss and quickly wrapped a towel around his waist.
"Hey Zel," putting a hand on the blushing chimera's shoulder," you really are a girl. Wow, you have more breasts than Lina."
Suddenly, the swordsman hit the floor as a fist hit him on the head. Zel turned to see Xelloss looking at Gourry crossly. Suddenly, the priest was nose to nose with the chimera.
"What are you doing in here?," he asked impishly, "Let me guess, you made a wrong turn and ended up in here by accident."
Zelgadiss nodded wordlessly, looking down to avoid looking at Xelloss' shirtless condition, before realizing he didn't have a towel wrapped around his waist.
Zel's head snapped back up, "You, fruitcake, can't you at least cover up with a towel."
"Well," the Mozuku countered, "you were the one who walked in here, why should I have to cover up. Besides, you do blush beautifully."
Zel gasped, "Well, since I'm here, I like you to stop giving me all these useless items. They're not going to work. I'm not going to fall for you, just because you waste my time with such frivolous items."
Xelloss continued to stay nose to nose. "I didn't think that amulet hanging from your bed was frivolous or useless. It's quite powerful, but beautiful, ne?" as he opened his eyes to stare into hers.
"Well.....yes....I mean," she stuttered, her mind going to mush. She couldn't think with him staring at her with those violet eyes, the same shade as the amulet.
She felt him sneak his arms around her waist. "NO, I'M NOT ATTRACTED TO HIM, I'M NOT GIVING IN TO HIM, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT."
"YOOOOUUU, FRUITCAKE," she screamed, while slapping him. She pushed passed him moving to the door.
Xelloss sighed, touching his slapped cheek. "Ahh, I think it's love!"
Zelgadiss spun around, "NO, IT'S NOT!", then spun back around and stormed out the door.
Xelloss chuckled, "Me thinks she protests too much."
That night Zelgadiss found no jewelry or roses in her room, to her relief. She looked around, pleased that the Mozuku had listened. However, the room seemed empty without it all.
She scanned the room and spotted something on the desk. She walked over to it and found that it was a book, "THE ANCIENT SPELLS OF ELVEN LORE". The book looked old. She sat on the bed and excitingly opened it and found a slip of paper in it, a note from Xelloss.
"I know how you love books. I have a library that has books I've collected over my lifetime. Just ask, and I'll let you see it sometime."
My undying love,
Xelloss Metallium
Xelloss phased into Gadiss' room, once he'd sensed she'd fallen asleep. He'd walked to the side of the bed and found Gadiss laying on her back, the open book held to her chest. He smiled, delighted that she seemed to have accepted the gift. However, he sighed, he never thought he'd be envious of a book.
"Oooh well," and he floated off the ground to hover above the bed, so he could keep an eye on her as she slept, like he'd been doing for the last three nights.