Zelgadis leaned against the wall outside the door to the room he was using in this inn.
I hate this...
He opened the door to his small room, taking in the small bed, rickety table next to it, and glass-paned window. The chimera entered the room and closed the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and lay down, staring up at the ceiling.
They are my only friends... but I wish they'd just leave me alone, sometimes.
Thankfully, they hadn't cared when Zel'd left the room, pleading weariness. He was tired, but the real reason he had left wasn't because of that. Zelgadis just needed to be alone. He was tired of watching the others. Lina, Gourry, everyone else... they all just got on his nerves so easily.
Zel sighed. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him. Maybe it was Amelia. She obviously thought she was in love with him, but she seemed to be deluding herself. The princess firmly believed that she had a chance with him, however obvious it was that she had none.
No, it wasn't Amelia. She didn't bother Zelgadis that much- in fact, he found some of her speeches and such to be amusing, even though they weren't meant to be.
Maybe Lina? No. For all her quick temper and yelling, Lina was a good person, standing by her friends through thick and thin. She seemed to understand him more than Amelia, and didn't always intrude into his privacy. So Lina couldn't be the one bothering him...
But it wasn't Gourry, either... for all his denseness, Gourry was as loyal and as good of a friend as Lina and Amelia were. And he did have his moments, when he was surprisingly smart. None of them were the one who made him so on edge.
Zel's thoughts finally settled on the one person they'd been trying so hard to avoid.
Xelloss.
The Trickster Priest was the one who was making Zelgadis so short tempered. He was constantly smiling, and his 'Sore wa himitsu desu' line was infuriating!
But that wasn't the real reason Xelloss bothered Zel so much. The real reason was that when he was alone in his thoughts, when his mind wasn't occupied with other, more important issues, Zelgadis thought about his purple haired priest.
His? Where had that come from?!
With a muttered oath, Zelgadis stood up and strode to the window, staring out at the night sky. He could still hear the noise of voices below him when he concentrated, and knew that Lina and Gourry were probably still eating down in the common room.
The chimera focused on clearing his mind, focusing on one star until all other thoughts out of his mind.
Ralesi. What constellation is that part of...? Zelgadis thought as he named the star.
The wind blew, and clouds blotted out the star. His mind snapped back into his body, and all his thoughts rushed back to plague him.
Why is that... that... annoyance... bothering me so much? he thought angrily. Yes, but an attractive annoyance... his mind reminded him.
"Damn..." Zel muttered. He strode back to the bed and lay down again.
Maybe I can force myself to sleep... Gods know I need it.
And I can worry about this in the morning...