navy = dreams
Many years had passed since that day. Lina had continued traveling with Naga, while Zelgadis went on trying to find the philosophers stone before Rezo. Both of them trying to do the same thing, forget the feelings of pain of a breaking heart, but neither of them doing a good job. But still wounds do heal with time and soon the memories they once shared started to fuzz in their minds making it harder to recall what each other looked like. Just the same though, Lina and Zelgadis' paths crossed again, but without either one knowing that they had met before. So they stopped Rezo, twice, defeated a few dark lords and ate a ton of food. And that brings us to now, where Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis, Gourry, Sylphiel, and Xellos were sitting at a table in an inn after finishing off more food than 20 people could eat.
"So what should we do now?"
"Go to bed, I'm sleepy," Gourry said while receiving a blunt blow on the head from Lina's elbow.
"I was talking about tomorrow you jelly fish!"
"Oh."
"Miss Lina have you ever been to Tadden?"
Lina flinched at Amelia's question. She had not been to Tadden since that day years ago. Suddenly a rush of old memories came crashing down on her. She thought back to the sapphire that she had wrapped up in cloth in one of her pockets. Since that day she had not looked at the gem but she did not throw it away either. It was to special for her to lose, but too painful to look at. So she wrapped it up and it kept it close to her. Having not seen it in over two years Lina didn't realize that the red ruby on Zelgadis' cloak was identical to her sapphire, or that Zel also flinched when Amelia mentioned Tadden.
"Why do you ask Amelia?"
"Well we are only a day or two away from there, and the Annual Star Light Festival is about to begin soon..."
"You...you...want to go there?" Lina had a look of dread on her face that she tried to conceal.
"Oh yes! When I was little I had heard about the festival and I have wanted to go since. I had planned to go before on other occasions, but something always came up and I was never able to go."
"I have wanted to go too in the past, but being a shrine maiden I wasn't able to before."
"Oh that's too bad Miss Sylphiel it's a very interesting festival."
"You have gone to it before Mister Xellos?"
"Oh yes many times! The last time I went I even heard an interesting story that tied in with the festival. It's a very romantic but sad story."
"What was it about?"
"That is a secret!"
Xellos got groans from Amelia and Sylphiel but what really puzzled him was the lack of response he got from both Lina and Zelgadis. Both them seemed to be in their own little worlds, and both had very grim expressions on their faces.
"Is there a lot of food at this star-thingy?"
"Oh yes Gourry. During the festival they have tons of food and wine that is practically free!"
"FREE FOOD?! Let's go!"
"Really Gourry-dear? I'd love to go!"
"Me too!"
"Well I guess it looks like I'm going back again."
The conversation continued on with Xellos telling them all about the festival. Neither Lina nor Zelgadis protested to going, nor did they say anything either. This was odd, Lina not jumping for joy over free food but none of them seemed to notice. They were too wrapped up in the excitement to notice much. A big evil monster-demon could come in and do the hokey-pokey in a tutu and they wouldn't have realized it. At some point their hyper energy died down and they decided to turn in for the night only none of them could really sleep that well. They were still to excited about going to the festival, but Lina and Zel had other reasons...
"Lina what are you doing?"
"I'm going to change."
"Into what your old white mage outfit? Why would you do that?"
"I've promised to meet a friend and if I wear this it will make it easier for him to find
me. Just go ahead and get drunk, I'll see you latter."
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!! I'm going to drink so much that there will be nothing left in
this town when I'm done! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH!!!"
Lina walked out of the inn and headed towards the festival parade. It was so beautiful
with all the colors, lights, dancing, and music, but Lina could barely concentrate on it. Her
mind was filled off nothing but her excitement of seeing Sid again.
"Well it's been along time hasn't it Miss Fire Fly?"
Lina turned her whole body around to see her Sid. He had not changed one bit and she was
ecstatic to see him. She jumped into his arms wrapping herself tightly around him. Everything
seemed so perfect, so wonderful then Sid pushed her away.
"Sid?"
"You know you were right Lina, I shouldn't have been afraid of people hating me for what
I am..."
"You know my name?"
"Of course dear. I've heard all about you. The infamous bandit killer, the dragon
spooker, that is what they call you right? Tell me why would think that I would want to be
with a little flat chested brat like you when I can have anyone I want?!"
"What?!"
"Yeah Lina, you were right I shouldn't have been afraid. I did what you said and I found
someone much better than you."
"No..."
"Yes Lina. I don't need a freak like you. You are nothing to me. I just came to tell you
that." With that Sid turned away from her and started walking away. Lina collapsed with tears
stinging her eyes and held out her hand reaching out for the illusion of Sid that
disappeared.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Lina screamed as she awoke finding herself in her bed with Gourry, Sylphiel, Zelgadis, Xellos, and Amelia's concerned faces hovering over her.
"Miss Lina are you okay? You were having such a bad nightmare, screaming and everything!"
"I...I...I'm...I'm...fine..." Her voice was shaky partly because she still was crying a bit. In a desperate attempt to make them all go away Lina suppressed her emotions and put up a false happy front.
"I'm fine! Just a bad dream. If you guys don't get out of here and let me get some sleep I'm going to Dragon Slave all your asses right now!"
"Okay Miss Lina, sleep tight," all but Zelgadis was fooled and he stayed when the rest left.
"What do you want Zel? I want to get some sleep!"
"Can you really sleep after that?"
"I said I'm fine!"
"Maybe you can fool the others, but you can't fool me. No one can recover that fast from a nightmare."
"..."
"Well I'm right aren't I?"
"Okay fine you're right! Are you happy now?!"
"No. I'm not."
"Why?"
"Because there is something bothering the great Lina Inverse, and that something must be big because she is one of the bravest people I know."
"What do you want?!"
"To help you."
"How can you?!"
"I don't know, but I'd like to try... Do you want to tell me about the dream?"
"No..." Lina said that softly looking down, when she looked up Zel had moved very close to her. He blushed slightly as he pulled her towards him in a fierce hug. This surprised Lina because it was so unlike Zel, but she welcomed it. Her vision started to blur as her suppressed tears started to flow.
"What happened to you Lina?"
"It was just a dream..."
"Could a dream really do this to you?"
"No, but a broken heart did..."
Her statement startled Zelgadis.
"You weren't having a nightmare were you? It was a memory..."
"Sort of. It started out as a memory but turned out differently, but it still hurts the same..."
Zelgadis stayed with her till she finally fell asleep and then he placed her gently on her bed and quietly left for his room. Upon reaching his room he couldn't sleep. All he could think about was about what Lina had said. It reminded him all too much about what had happened to him in the past. Wrestling with his mind and body he finally fell asleep.
A very anxious Zelgadis hides in the darkness staring out to very
radiant red haired girl. "How can I go see you like this?" Then words of the past floated into
his head of what Lee had told him. She had said that she doesn't care about appearances,
so she shouldn't care about what I look like now. So with all his mustered up courage
Zelgadis approaches his beloved from behind.
"Lee..."
"Sid?! Is that you?" She tried to turn around to see him but he held her from behind
making it impossible to.
"Yes my Fire Fly it's me."
"Let me see you. I have been anxious to see your handsome face for a while now."
Zelgadis lets her go and turns his back on her as she turns to face him.
"You don't want to see my face..."
"Why?"
"I'm not the same as I used to be..."
"Well it's not like you are an ugly creature or anything! Now turn around and take off
whatever you are hiding your face with."
He did as she instructed and he was met with a horrified and disgusted look on her face.
"You...you...are an ugly creature!"
"No! I'm not! Lee you said that you don't judge people on appearances!"
"But I'd never said I'd date them! My god you are hideous! Before you used to be a
monster, now you look like one too!"
"Lee..."
"Get away from me!!"
"Lee!"
"I said get away from me you monster! I never want to see you again!!"
"No..."
He held out his hand to touch her but she swatted it away screaming. Everyone looked at
them and a lynch mob broke out to get Zelgadis. They were pummeling him till he was nothing
more than bloody broken body on the ground. He didn't know what hurt worse, his body or his
heart. Then Lee came to him and tilted his face up to see her.
"You poor creature, you do not deserve to live! DARK FLARE!"
Zelgadis woke up with a silent scream trying to escape from his throat. He silenced it quickly and wiped the cold sweat from his face. Daylight greeted his eyes and he tried to shake off all the effects of the nightmare before going downstairs to meet the others.
At breakfast the group consumed an all-time low of 12 people's worth of food. Lina only picked at her food, but again no one noticed, not even Zelgadis. He was still too shaken up about his nightmare to be in touch with the outside world. Amelia and Sylphiel on the other hand were bugging Xellos to tell them this story he had heard. He wasn't planning on telling them but he compromised, promising to tell them when they got to Tadden. With that taken care of Amelia and Sylphiel were determined to get to Tadden as soon as possible and they dragged Lina, Gourry, Xellos, and Zelgadis out on the road. Xellos didn't care, Gourry was complaining, and Lina and Zelgadis didn't say a word. This silence was to be expected form Zel but from Lina now that was surprising. Xellos did notice this but didn't comment on it though he was enjoying the emotion buffet he had to snack on.