Zel listened as Miwan talked. He didn't say a word, he just listened. Listened to the pain and suffering that this girl had gone through. Her mother, the shrine maidens, her father. It was awful, and it would of continued if Lina hadn't come in looking for the Claire Bible. Her mother was the main cause, that damned women. She was worse then any of the monsters he had seen. Even Shabranigdo, well scratch that, but a lot of the monsters they had fought didn't com close to this girl's pain. She didn't want to be a shrine maiden like Silphael and Amelia, she wanted to explore. She had to explore, like it was in her blood. Zel wondered if her father was responsible for it. Then she stopped.
"I'm sorry that I troubled you with all those problems. I never told anyone this before."
Zel smiled. He wanted to hear it. Something inside him was telling him how much more he wanted to listen, to find out more about her. His heart ached. Was it...
"Miwan, I..." He smiled. Miwan had fallen asleep. He walked over to where she had dropped his cloak, picked it up and spread it on her then took off his shirt and placed it under her head, then walked back to where he was before. I wonder what she's thinking about. Then Zel stopped that thought. So he watched her sleep. Why was it that girls looked cute when they sleep. Flashback to Amelia and Lina sleeping.
He sweat dropped. Ok, he was wrong, not all girls looked cute when they were sleeping, in fact once he and Gourry had to share a room with Lina and Amelia. God, that was pure hell straight off. Lina was a bed-hog and snored. He had insomnia for a few weeks because Lina's snoring kept popping into his head, and when she was sleeping she had the strangest face he had every seen. He promised himself that it would never happen again. Sharing a room with Lina was bad enough. He still had nightmares from it. Then there was Amelia... He shuttered. If sharing quarters with Lina Inverse was hell, then... Was there a worse place then that? Because he had a feeling he had gone there.
But watching Miwan sleep eliminated that. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Something was wrong with his body. His heart was pumping hard whenever he looked at her, This girl. When he first met this girl he had this feeling that he had never felt before. The blood in his body was boiling for no reason, he felt like blushing and could admit it. Why was he like this. Was it Miwan? Was she doing this to him. All she was, was a runaway princess who wanted to defy that bastard mother, and Zel knew that he wanted to protect her. From her mother, from that life of hers, no. He released how long he wanted to protect her.
All his life.
He released what it was. It was a feeling that was new to him. And he liked it. But then he realized fear. What if she didn't like him, what if she was playing with him. What if she really was a he? But then those question flew out of his head, because he knew she was a girl. He could feel it. Not from earlier. He didn't know how or why, but he just knew it all along, and she looked like she liked him. She was willing to give him a chance. And if she was only playing with him. She wouldn't. It might be wrong but that gut feeling was telling him that it was ok. It still rained outside heavily, and it looked like it would never stop, or at least Zel didn't want it to stop. He wanted to savior this moment, because if this was the only time he could spend with her, then it would never leave him. At least he hope it wouldn't. rain poured through the window hitting the fire until it finally went out.
Suddenly thunder rang out of nowhere, waking Miwan up suddenly. Her body was quivering and she gasp, as if it was in fear.
"Miwan, are you..."
"Sorry, it's just that I'm scared of lightning."
Thunder clapped again, louder, closer. Miwan ran and grabbed on to him very tightly. Zel began to blush. Her body, she was still... Then he released it didn't matter. He put he hand around her, as if to protect her from her worst fears. The rain began to pour and the shed began to flood but Zel still held on to her tight, letting go was not an option. The thunder got worse and so did the rain. He closed his eyes, she still held on to him tight. He could hear the rain pouring down. Miwan was very scared. It seemed like they were in the end of the world, and then released if it were true, he was with the one person he wanted to be with, to live with, to die with. But was this a true feeling? Suddenly...
"It stopped raining."
Zel opened his eye and saw Miwan near the window. He walked over and saw that it was true. It had stopped. Finally after hours of rain it stopped as fast as it had begun, even faster.
"I'm going back."
Zel turned to Miwan, and she smiled.
"I'm afraid of lightning. Just like I'm afraid of mother. I should go back."
It didn't make any sense and when she said it, it was with regret. Zel could tell this by her face then she spoke again.
"I've been afraid of lightning ever since I was little, just like my mother. But lightning I can't handle, I think I can handle her." She smiled. "You were confused, I could tell."
Amazing, thought Zel. It was true, he was confused, and he tried to hide it, without luck. He went back to what she had said.
"But if you go back, you might be killed."
He turned his head to her and saw she was getting dressed, the clothes however were affected by the rainstorm.
"But after what happened, especially what your friend did... I appreciate you saving me, and trying to help me out, but they might come after you. And you know I couldn't let you hurt them, even if they were frauds."
"Miwan..."
Then on cue, light began to appear. The never-ending night had finally died.
"I can't come with you. Sorry."
She ran out of the shed, slamming the door behind her.
"Miwan!"
It was too late.