Everything was in turmoil. Once it was discovered that there was going to be a marriage everyone decided to contribute. Gourry started bugging Zel if he could be the best man, even though Zel had told him countless times that he could be the best man.
Amelia immediately suggested that they have it at Sailune's Temple of Ceifeed. She was already ordering decorations, ministers, and several caterers, whose food Lina had to of course sample to make sure it was the best.
Through all this, both Fillia and Zel were stunned by how the princess threw herself into the marriage arrangements. They were both sure that she wouldn't take the news of their marriage so well. However, she had even helped Fillia pick out her wedding dress and flower arrangements. She was being the perfect wedding coordinator. She was almost obsessive.
Amelia felt like screaming. It wasn't fair. It wasn't just. She knew Zelgadiss-san much longer than that Gold Dragon. She should be preparing a wedding for herself and Zelgadiss-san. She loved him so much that she felt like crying.
But no, she was a princess and one of their best friends; she had to put up a good act for them. She had to help them with their wedding. She had to keep busy, keep moving, keep from thinking about how she wanted to curl up in a fetal position and cry, just after she used the Fists of Justice to throttle a Gold Dragon.
Amelia walked down the street, looking for a bakery to make that perfect wedding cake. She was thinking so hard about the task at hand that she didn't notice the old man sitting on the ground and nearly toppled over him.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you O.K.?"
"Oh, I'm just fine, but you don't look so O.K. Is everything all right with you my dear?"
"Nothing," Amelia lied, "I'm just fine."
"I see," the man nodded wisely, "It's a man in your life?"
"No," Amelia sulked, "It's a man going out of my life. He's going to marry someone else."
"Is that all?"
"IS THAT ALL! I JUST TOLD YOU THAT THE MAN OF MY DREAMS IS GOING TO MARRY ANOTHER WOMAN AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS "IS THAT ALL"!"
"But, my dear that is so easy to fix," the man confided, "I know a magical cave that if you take him to it, I can promise you, he won't be marrying that Gold."
"Really," Amelia said, getting starry eyed, "you mean, it's a cave that will make two people fall in love. How romantic!"
"I can give you a map."
"But," Amelia pouted, her forehead creasing, "how do I get him there?"
"Oh, just tell him that it may have the cure he's searching for"
"Oooo, that's a great idea," taking the map the old man handed to her, "doomo arigatoo gozaimasu"
"Doo itashimashite," the man yelled after her.
The old man sat there and smiled as he watched the young princess run away.
"Ahh, sir," ventured a young boy, "I'm sorry for my rudeness, but I was listening to your conversation. How did you know the guy was marrying a Gold and that he was searching for some kind of cure?"
The old man's smile widened and he opened his wrinkled eyelids to reveal slitted, violet eyes.
"Ah, sore wa himitsu desu."
At that moment, the boy decided it was time to go home.
Zel gasped for air. He tried to get up despite the pain. He could hear Amelia's shallow breathing and could barely see her through tears of pain. She was lying in her own pool of blood, and from the amount she wasn't going to last long. But then, looking at the blood around himself, neither was he.
He tried to sit up, feeling the blood running into his lungs and collect at the bottom, leaving the upper half free to breathe. He looked around, trying to figure way out of this situation and then tried to stand up, but only succeeded in having his legs give out, tumbling him onto his back. Now that he was flat on his back, the blood was allowed to spread evenly throughout his lungs, giving him less to breathe with. He found himself gasping for air. He coughed, feeling blood running down his cheek.
"I can't die! I just found her!" his mind screamed.
He tried to get up again, but found he had lost too much blood, and was too weak to get up. He could only lay there and gasp for air.
He didn't know how long he laid there before he noticed the footsteps that suddenly started from the center of the room. He was sure he hadn't heard them come in.
"Mozuku!"
He tried to see what was walking up to him, but his vision was blurring, and he couldn't see too far. He closed his eyes in pain and felt a set of feet straddling his body. Then he felt a slight weight on his chest as whatever it was knelt over him.
He slowly opened his eyes, and found himself staring into a set of violet slitted eyes.
"Xelloss cough what gasp do you want?"
"I just came to check on you," he purred, smiling, "It seems you could use some help, but unfortunately," he pouted, " I don't know any healing spells. I guess, you'll have to die."
wheeze "Bastard"
The Mazuku's ever present smile widened, "But, you don't have to stay dead. I can fix that," Xelloss cooed, reaching down and stroking up Zel chest and neck till he cupped Zel's chin. "My mistress could use you," he sighed, as he ran a tongue across Zel's lips, enjoying the salty taste of blood, then running his cheek against Zel's until he was whispering in his ear, "You could make a very powerful general for her."
"No," gasped Zel, attempting to jerk away.
"That didn't have much conviction to it. I think you don't want to die. You don't want to leave Amelia to die, especially since I have no interest in saving her."
Zel gasped, and tried to look over at the princess, but could only hear her slow breathing. He couldn't let her die, but to become a Mozuku...would he even care if she lived or died.
"Zel, you're taking to long. You're going to die soon, and you'll leave poor Fillia all alone."
"No," Zel's mind moaned, "Nooo, I can't leave her. Please, I can't. But, to become a Mozuku. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Suddenly, he heard a humming sound..."Goury's sword, how did he..."
"Come now, you better decide quickly. I have to make a clean killing to resurrect you. So, make the decision before you die."
Zel could barely hear Xelloss' words as he felt the world go dark around him. He could hear Xelloss insisting, sometimes it sounded like he was begging, "Zel, don't die, you have to make a decision. Say yes, or no, but make a decision. Don't die without telling me!"
Zel could hear the faint hum of the sword hovering above his chest, but just barely. His mind was getting fuzzier and he couldn't understand much...except...
"ZEL..."
... if he died....
"MAKE A DECISION"
...he'd never see...
"NOW!"
...Fillia.
Fillia came rushing down the hallway of the palace. They had found Amelia on the steps, badly wounded and unconscious. However, there had been no sign of Zelgadiss.
"Where could he be?" her mind screamed. Tears of fear and worry ran down her face as she ran into Amelia's room. The resident healer had already healed Amelia enough that she was stable, but weak.
Because of this, everyone tried to stop the charging Gold Dragon, insisting that the princess needed her sleep. But, nothing was going to stop her from finding out what happened to her fiancé, what happened to Zel.
"Amelia, where is Zel?" she yelled at the semi-conscious princess, "where is he. Is he O.K.? How did you get here?"
Amelia just looked at her blankly, not fully comprehending what was going on.
"AMELIA, TELL ME WHERE HE IS?" shaking the princess in a panic, " TELL ME WHERE HE IS."
"Went... to ...cave, " Amelia managed, "map.... in...pocket."
Fillia pounced on Amelia's blood soaked clothes that were lying on the floor. She quickly rummaged through the pile, and found the map in the pocket. She ran to the balcony, jumped over the edge and transformed into her dragon form on the way down.
She was soon flying over the forests, in search of the cave. However, suddenly she fell from the sky, feeling something force her into her human form. She crashed into the forest floor.
She looked around to find herself surrounded by a band of lower rogue mazuku. They must have been the ones to force her down. They all leered at her as they started to advance towards her. Fillia shrank from the group, pulling out her mace, knowing that she couldn't fight them all herself.
"Oh, Zelgadiss, where are you?" She felt frightened tears run down her cheek, though if they were for herself or for him she didn't know.
A mazuku charged her, but suddenly he was down on the ground, a deep gash ran from his throat to his groan. Fillia gasped.
"It had to be another Mozuku," she thought to herself.
Then, she saw it, moving slowly in the shadows. It's feline facial features curled back in a snarl and it's ears laid back and shifted like bat wings. It crouched on its haunches, with its arms reaching to the ground. It's huge, muscular body looked like it could easily move on all fours or on it's back legs. It's growled, baring long teeth. Pushing off with its powerful legs, it launched itself at the closest mazuku and slashed it with extended claws. Fillia stared in fear as she noticed the shape of wings lightly pressed against its back. She watched as the wings were snapped open and their razor sharp edges decapitated and maimed many mazuku who tried to sneak in on it's rear.
In a short time, the mazuku were dead, maimed, or running. Fillia sat on the ground in absolute terror. This had to be a powerful mazuku in its beast form.
"Zelgadiss," she cried again, tears running down her face, "where are you?"
Suddenly, the mazuku turned to look at her, causing her to cringe. That is when it opened its eyes to reveal blue slitted eyes. It slowly moved toward her, and Fillia gasped in disbelief as it moved into the light.
It was blue.... with a mane of violet hair running down it's back. It had small black stones scattered across its body. But, the most noticeable features were the stones that encircled its eyes and ran along its jaw line.
It looked down at her. It's eyes full of pain, fear, hope, and relief.
Fillia couldn't believe it.
"Zelgadiss!"