With Amelia and Sylphiel rushing them they made it to Tadden in no time to discover that the festival had already started. Amelia was a little disappointed that they didn't make it to the town when it had begun but then Xellos pointed out that the really fun stuff didn't really start till the night time. So they went to enjoy the daytime festivities. Somewhere along the line, Zelgadis broke off from the group. No one knew where he could have gone but they decided that he'd probably just show up sometime later. Lina was distant and quiet the whole time Sylphiel and Amelia were shopping and soon broke off from the group as well.
"Miss Lina what do you think of this one? Miss Lina? Hey where did Miss Lina go?"
"Well she didn't quite seem to be enjoying herself shopping..."
"It's not like she was doing anything, you two were doing it all. Which reminds me, why do we have to carry all this?" Xellos motioned to the 10 boxes of items that Amelia had bought and the 7 boxes that Gourry was carrying that was Sylphiel's.
"Well you can't expect us to carry it all do you? Why two beautiful and delicate girls like us?" Amelia said with cutie eyes bashing her lashes repeatedly.
"Sometimes you scare me Amelia... you act more and more like Lina everyday!"
"Mr. Gourry that was really mean! You don't say bad things like that to a person!"
"Now, now Amelia, Miss Lina isn't that bad..."
"Honestly Miss Sylphiel I'm surprised you can say that with such a straight face."
"Well no matter Mr. Gourry you shouldn't - hey look at that Miss Sylphiel isn't it so cute?!"
With this Gourry and Xellos are dragged to another store to ending up with having to carry more stuff. It was going to be a long day.
Lina walked around the crowded streets of Tadden wanting to be anywhere but there. She just wanted all the happy people around her to shut up. It was like a reminder of how bad and unhappy her life was. Tears were starting to form in her eyes and she wanted to leave. Lina started to run in a direction to leave the town when she almost smashed right into Xellos. Scampering backwards and out of sight, Xellos didn't even notice Lina with all the boxes he was carrying. Lina still hiding listened carefully to what they were saying.
"...but I still think it's a little odd of Miss Lina to run off like that. I mean I'd expect that sort of thing from Mister Zelgadis."
"Hmm... I wonder where she is..."
"Chances are, we passed her."
"No we couldn't have, we would have seen her."
"How could we? With you two obsessed with your shopping and with Gourry and I unable to see under all this stuff how could we see her?" An evident annoyance was clear in Xellos' voice.
"Mister Xellos do you have to complain so much?"
"Well look what I have to carry! Gourry isn't complaining because he's too dumb to and plus he's got less stuff than I do!"
"So? You are a monster why should it bother you?"
"Just because I'm a monster doesn't mean I mind being used like a lackey!"
"But aren't you Zellas' lackey?"
"That's different! If I don't do what she says I could be punished severely."
"So then why are you doing this for me then?"
Xellos thought for a moment and realized she was right. ‘Why am I doing this?' Then he looked over at Amelia's cute ruffled up face. She was all huffed up about Xellos' protests and Xellos couldn't help but smile wider.
"Perhaps because you are so cute..."
Xellos received a blush in reply from Amelia.
Lina couldn't hear what else they said because they walked off with Sylphiel and Gourry following close behind. She wasn't sure why but watching that whole scene made the knots in her stomach tighten. A fast blur of purple, black, yellow, and red was seen by the townspeople as Lina speeded out of the town. She found herself at a small lake just outside the town. She collapsed and started crying out all of her frustrations.
"WHY!?!?!? Why do I have to suffer! What was so wrong about me Sid that you couldn't meet me? And why did I find out that I was in love with you only after you broke my heart? WWWWHHHHYYYY!?!?!?!?!?!?!" Lina screamed out loud to a voice that would not answer.
Zelgadis himself was wandering around town without a location in mind. He walked around aimlessly not sure of where or what he should be doing. Why did I run off from them in the first place? It's not like I have anything special to be doing at the moment where I need to be alone. It's true he wasn't sure why he separated from them but all he knew was that he needed to leave. It was the gut feeling that forced him to go. Zel continued pondering until he saw Xellos, Amelia, Sylphiel and Gourry walking towards his direction. With out even thinking Zelgadis hid before they could see him. Why am I hiding from them? Then that gut feeling returned and he knew that for whatever reason he didn't want to be with them right now. Zelgadis looked at the group of four. The four of them look like they are enjoying themselves... Wait a minute! Only four? Where's Lina? Hoping to find that out Zelgadis crept in closer without revealing his location.
"...why are you doing this for me then?" Amelia asked Xellos.
"Perhaps because you are so cute..." Amelia blushed at that comment. Zelgadis was a little surprised to hear Xellos say that to her but then he was distracted by a fast blur of color. Now what was that? It almost looked like Lina...
Zelgadis followed where the color trail stopped, a small lake just outside the town. Upon reaching the lake from a far distance he was able to see Lina's collapsed form crying. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but he definitely heard her scream out the word 'why' really loud. She was suffering from such mental and emotional anguish that it was ripping Zel's heart up. He wanted to go to her but he couldn't get himself to move. No point, I'd probably hurt you like I hurt Lee in the long run... I seem to do that to everyone that I fall in love with... And Zelgadis turned around and headed back towards Tadden.
Lina cried violently till she wasted all the energy that she had left and she fell asleep on a pile of leaves by the water. Luckily for her, Lina's sleep was dreamless with no nightmares to disturb her. Still though, she slept restlessly not at all peaceful. Somewhere during her sleep, Lina removed the sapphire from her pocket and put the necklace around her neck.
Zelgadis approached the tavern with the mindset to get extremely drunk, but when he got there he couldn't bare himself to do. He got as far as putting the glass to his lips when he put it down. Drinking wont get me to forget my problems... He put down some money and headed towards his room. If I put myself to sleep then maybe I'll sleep through the whole damn festival. Setting his stuff down he collapsed on the bed chanting the words of a sleep spell.
"SLEEP," and Zelgadis fell asleep clutching the red ruby on his cloak.
Having dumped all of the items that Sylphiel and Amelia had bought, Xellos and Gourry had thought that it was all over, but no that was dead wrong. Amelia and Sylphiel weren't done and still had tons more stuff to buy.
"No more!"
"Yeah! We are tired and hungry, how can you expect us to carry around more of your stuff?!"
"Okay then."
Xellos and Gourry looked at each other and then looked at Amelia and Sylphiel hopefully.
"You can eat and then we can shop some more!" Xellos and Gourry face faulted.
"You can't be serious..."
"What do you mean you guys don't like shopping with us?" Amelia and Sylphiel look at Gourry and Xellos with very big cute puppy eyes. Both men sighed. They were beaten and admitted defeat.
"Well at least they are letting us eat..."
"Makes no difference to me, I don't really need to eat. Just do me a favor and take a really, really, really long time eating? That way I can rest longer..."
"I'll just make sure to order a lot!"
Amelia and Sylphiel give Gourry and Xellos a sour face as they headed towards where the free food was.
Sometime latter Lina woke up not knowing where she was. It took her a while to figure out that she was at the lake still and that she had fallen asleep. Lina couldn't figure out what is was that woke her up either, but she did realize that she woke up just in time for the Star Light Festival's night parade. She had no intensions of going there, but like a moth drawn to a flame Lina found herself on the side street of the parade standing in the same spot she had been standing waiting for Sid years ago. She was even holding onto her sapphire like she did back then. Lina was confused on way she had done this, but she was compelled to stay and wait. What am I waiting for? An answer never came but somehow she knew she had to stay.
Zelgadis woke up with a start. Expecting it too be morning outside his curtain he was surprised to see that it was nighttime and the parade was going on. He was going to go back to sleep until in the corner of his eye he spotted a red head standing waiting for someone. Without knowing what he was doing Zelgadis rushed outside. He ended up in the same shadowy spot where he had been watching Lee from. The red head he saw almost looked like Lee too, but then he realized it was Lina. Again Zelgadis loses control of himself and he ends up right behind Lina. He could hear her faint soft crying and he was compelled to touch her. From behind he places his hands on her shoulder pads. Lina was startled and tilted her head slightly to see a very blurry Zel with her teary eyes.
"Hello Zelgadis..." She said that as she moved her eyes back to watch the parade.
"Lina what are you doing?"
"Waiting..."
"For what?"
"For...someone...who won't come..."
"Then why do you wait?" Zelgadis wasn't sure what he was doing but somehow he ended up with his hands trailing down her sides and wrapped around her waist. Lina closed her eyes feeling the warmth he radiated. Why can't I just concentrate on you Zel? Why do I have to be haunted with his image when I care about you just as much? Why do I wait for him?
"He...he didn't come before..."
"Lina?"
"I...I waited all night and he didn't come..."
"..."
"I don't know why he didn't come, he promised me he would..."
Lina's grip on the sapphire tightened. When Zelgadis saw it he finally understood.
"But he did come Lina.."
"No he didn't come..."
"He did, but he couldn't come and face you, he was afraid my little fire fly."
He whispered into her ear and kissed it softly.
A rush of confusion and emotions filled her. Then it hit her.
"Sid... it's just the last three letters of your name backwards..."
"And Lee is the first syllable of your name."
"Why Zel? Why did you never say anything before?"
"I didn't know till I saw your sapphire, the one that perfectly matches my ruby."
"Why didn't you meet me Zel?"
"I couldn't, after I left looking for the philosophers stone for Rezo he put this curse on me to keep me away from you. I couldn't go see you when I looked like this."
Zelgadis received a blunt blow to the head from Lina's elbow.
"Are you completely stupid or something!?"
"What?"
"Have you forgotten what I said to back then before you left? I don't care about appearances. I never cared that you were part monster, I didn't care that you were a chimera when I met you again and I sure as hell don't care now! What did you think I would hate you if I saw you like this?!"
"You wouldn't have?"
"NO! OF COURSE NOT! Oh Zel there is nothing wrong with the way you look. You look just fine. You are absolutely drop dead gorgeous and no curse could change that. Or otherwise how could I have fallen in love with the same man twice?" Lina said blushing and she embraced him in a big hug.
"I fell in love with you too twice, but you should hate me..."
"I don't hate you Zel..."
"But I didn't keep our promise..."
"Yes you did, it just took you a little more time to do it. Just be with me and don't break my heart again..."
He stroked her hair tenderly knowing that he was the luckiest man in the world.
"I wont..."
"I love you Gray Man..."
"I love you too Fire Fly..."
And the two of them kissed proving that promises can still be kept if given a second chance.