Slayers 1. Fever and Lightning

Author's note: Okay, I feel that I should warn potential readers that this is not an ordinary fic. First of all, our fab foursome wear actual, modern-day clothing. The only real reason for this is that I wanted to create a softer, more realistic atmosphere for the story. The other is, um, my fangirly desire to see Zelgadis in nothing but a pair of black pants. ;-) Okay, another stark difference between this fic and the series is my treatment of Zelgadis. Just prepare yourself for a much more confident, comfortable version of everyone's favourite chimera.

Disclaimer: _Slayers_, the series and its characters do not belong to me. I only own this fic's plot, flimsy as it is. Please, don't sue.

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**Crush : Fever and Lightning**

The sun hung in the sky much longer that day. It was the first day of summer and, being so, was one of the hottest days that year. While everyone in the village tried their best to stay indoors, Lina and Amelia couldn't have been more pleased with the heat.

"Feel those rays, Amelia," Lina commented. Leaning up, she grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion and began smoothing some out on her legs. "I can't remember the last time I was able to relax and get a tan."

"I know the feeling," Amelia replied. "With all the monsters and bandits we've been fighting recently, it's nice to finally have some peace and quiet." Amelia yawned and flipped over onto her stomach.

"You'd better stop that yawning. We've got a big night."

"We do?" Amelia opened her eyes. "Oh, that's right. I can't believe I almost forgot! Gourry's surprise birthday party. It's so nice of you to do this, Lina."

"Hey, it's the least I can do. After all, he's saved my life a few times." Lina smiled, thinking about the blonde swordsman.

"And you're in no way going to try to sweet talk him into giving you his Sword of Light?"

Lina peered over at Amelia, who was sporting an accusing glare, and smiled innocently.

"Who, me?" Lina asked.

Amelia giggled and rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless, Lina." Amelia rolled on her back and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later Zelgadis and Gourry walked into the Inn, looking around.

"Where are they?" Gourry asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think I overheard them talking about swimming." Zelgadis put his sword down for the moment and walked to the window. _Well, now what have we here?_ Zelgadis thought to himself as he saw Amelia lying on a towel in a light blue bikini. A few beads of sweat formed at her chin and rolled down her neck. _Damn. _He shook his head, grabbed his sword, and walked up the stairs to his room.

"Are they out there?" Gourry called to Zelgadis.

"See for yourself." Zelgadis climbed the rest of the stairs only to hear a crash downstairs. _I guess he did see for himself_. Zelgadis smirked and entered his room. Setting down his sword, he grabbed a pair of baggy black pants. He changed into them and stretched out on the bed. _God, it's hot. How can they stand being out in the sun for so long? They seem to be standing it fairly well_, thought Zelgadis, remembering Amelia. _I wonder if she needs help with that suntan lotion._ Zelgadis smirked briefly before shaking it off his face. _What's with you today?_

"Maybe it's the heat," Zelgadis suggested to the empty room. He climbed off the bed and made his way down the hall to the bathroom. Splashing some cold water onto his face, he looked at himself in the mirror. _Just get a hold of yourself, alright? Hormones are natural, but keep them to yourself._

Zelgadis walked out of the bathroom only to see Amelia dressed in her previous attire accompanied by a black silk robe. _Didn't think I'd be running into anyone...guess I should've put on a shirt._ Nevertheless, he walked down the hall.

Amelia nearly fainted. Seeing Zelgadis in only a pair of pants was definitely a surprise. _Why does he have to look so good?_ Amelia tried her hardest to return her face colour back to normal. _Oh, no...here he comes._ She swallowed, remembering her own outfit.

"Getting ready for tonight?" Amelia asked, trying to make some small talk.

"Tonight?" Zelgadis entered his room, leaving the door open as an unspoken invitation.

Amelia bit her bottom lip and followed. "Yeah, tonight...didn't Lina tell you?" She stayed near a desk by the door.

Zelgadis sat on the bed, pulled a white T-shirt over his head and looked questioningly at Amelia. "Tell me what? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no...it's nothing" Amelia was cut short by a gust of hot, summer wind coming in through the window. It tugged at her untied robe, revealing her petite frame, covered only by two small pieces of clothing.

_Very small_, Zelgadis agreed, admiring her curves. He glanced up and watched as the damp strands of her hair flew lightly around her face.

"Um...would you mind..." she asked, motioning towards the window.

_Not at all_, Zelgadis thought evilly. Two seconds later, he blinked. "Oh, sorry about that." Zelgadis strode over to the window and shut it. _Such a pity._ "Guess it's gustier than I thought."

Amelia smiled shyly, tying the robe and fixing her hair.

"Now, you were saying..." Zelgadis began.

"I w-was? Oh, right. T-tonight." Amelia swallowed once more. "We were going to throw Gourry a surprise birthday party."

"Ah. And here I thought the evening was going to be dull."

"Did you want it to be?" Amelia asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say no to a dull evening, but I don't mind."

Amelia noticed that his eyes were sparkling. Maybe she was just imagining it.

"So, you're going to come?"

"Sure...though I need to think of something to give him. Don't want to be rude, you know." Zelgadis began to think. "What are you giving him?"

"Who, me?"

Zelgadis smiled. "Yeah, you."

"Oh...nothing special. Just a nice shirt I saw in one of the village shops yesterday." Amelia hoped it wasn't too cheesy, but she really had no idea what Gourry would like.

"Hmm." Zelgadis nodded. "Oh, well...I'll think of something." He walked over to Amelia and reached out his arm.

"Oh!" Amelia moved back, blushing.

Zelgadis reached a little further and opened the door. He looked at the blushing girl beside him. "Speaking of shirts, I forgot one of mine in the bathroom this morning. I'd probably better get it before someone steals it."

"O-okay...right. You probably should." Amelia's face was beginning to shame the bright red sunset outside.

"After you?"

Amelia nodded and scurried out into the hall and into her room.

Zelgadis chuckled._ She's so cute when she's embarrassed. _He jogged down the hall, grabbed his shirt from the bathroom, and went back to his room to think of an appropriate gift.

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A little while later Lina was in her room when someone knocked on the door. Lina sighed and hopped off the bed. She opened the door and was surprised to see Zelgadis standing there.

"Hey, there. What brings you to this part of the hall?" Lina raised her eyebrows.

"Actually, I was looking for Amelia. She dropped one of her rings...thought she might want it back."

"Well...she's not here. Not in her room, huh?"

He shook his head. "I knocked, but no one was there."

"Hmm...she probably went to go take a bath. Maybe you can catch her coming out."

Zelgadis nodded his thanks. "See you tonight."

"Right." Lina closed the door.

Zelgadis looked down the hall to the bathroom door. _Don't even think about it. She's an innocent young woman._ He walked a few feet and stood in front of the bathroom door._ Hmm...what to do._ He moved his hand to open the door when he heard movement on the other side. He slowly backed away and walked back to his room.

The door opened and Amelia stepped out, wrapped in a fluffy pink towel and...well, that's about it. Wet hair trickled small droplets of water down her shoulders and back. The floor behind her creaked, and she spun around.

"Zelgadis!"

"You know, we've really got to stop meeting this way," Zelgadis smiled. He tilted his head, trying to get a better view of her underneath the towel. _Though I'm not complaining._

"I...forgot to get two towels." Amelia motioned towards her hair._ Why is it that recently Zelgadis only sees me when I'm half naked?_ Amelia began to blush slightly, clutching the towel as if her life depended on it.

"Well...you dropped this in my room earlier. I thought you might want it back before you noticed it was missing." Zelgadis broke the distance between them in a few strides. He held up the ring. When she just stared at it, he wasn't sure it was hers. Then he noticed her death grip on the towel. "Here." He guided her hand away from the towel and slipped the ring back on her left middle finger.

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis and was about to thank him when a voice interrupted her.

"Proposing so soon, Zelgadis?" Lina watched, amused, as the two blushed. "Found her, I see." Lina winked at Zelgadis and, walking between them, made her way into the bathroom.

"W-well...I guess I better go get ready." Amelia started to back away.

"Yeah, me, too." Zelgadis watched Amelia as she turned around and walked into her room. "Well...this week is going to be fun." Zelgadis smiled again and returned to his room.

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Gourry knocked on Lina's door. No answer. "Hmm. I'll try Zelgadis." A couple knocks landed on the door to Zelgadis's room. "Well...where is everyone? Amelia, Lina, and Zelgadis aren't in their rooms. I hope they didn't leave without me." Gourry made his way downstairs and noticed all the light was gone. He fumbled around in the dark until he found an oil lamp. Lighting it, he looked around the room.

"Surprise!" Amelia and Lina shouted, each casting a lighting spell of their own.

Gourry was so startled that he fell backwards. Luckily, a chair broke his fall. "Wow, you guys. This is all for me?" He looked around the room at all the balloons and streamers.

They all nodded. Zelgadis, who had remained silent, took a step forward. "Happy Birthday, Gourry. This makes you...what, 21?"

"Yeah, I'm 21 today. I can't believe you guys remembered...I barely did."

Lina smirked. "That's not too surprising. So what do you want to do first...eat cake or open presents?"

Gourry's eyes widened. "There's cake?"

Lina nodded and pointed behind him. Gourry turned around and saw a vanilla cake with chocolate icing sitting on the table. "Alright! I want to eat first!"

Lina shook her head. "Again...not too surprising," she whispered to Amelia, who giggled at the comment. Lina walked over and sat down beside Gourry, who had already started eating.

Zelgadis walked up behind Amelia and whispered in her other ear. "So you do have clothes after all."

Amelia turned around and blushed. "Oh, yeah...you'd be surprised." She smiled when she saw the same sparkle in his eyes. _He seems so much happier than usual. I guess this lack of action is doing him some good._

"We'd probably better get some cake before it's..." he looked past Amelia to the few crumbs that was left of the cake, "gone." He couldn't help but smile at Lina and Gourry.

"Oh...sorry, guys. Did you want some?" Lina looked at Amelia and Zelgadis.

Amelia saw Zelgadis smiling. _There really is something different about him._ "Oh, no...it's fine. Wasn't really that hungry."

Lina smiled apologetically. "So, Gourry...how about the presents?"

"Oh, yeah...who's first?" Gourry was smiling like a seven-year-old at a circus.

Amelia stepped forward and handed Gourry a small package. Gourry ripped the package open, semi-noticing the red paper and blue ribbons used to wrap it. He unfolded the forest green button-up shirt. Looking it over, he couldn't stop smiling.

"Thanks, Amelia...this is great! I'll wear it tomorrow."

Amelia smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Zelgadis stepped up and handed Gourry a book. "Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it...short notice." He glanced up at Amelia, who began blushing slightly.

"Oh, that's fine. It's not the wrapping I want." Gourry looked at the cover of the book, noticing it was a technique book for swordsmen.

"I realize you probably know most of the information in there...but there might be a few new things," Zelgadis explained.

"I'm sure there are...I've probably forgotten a lot of stuff, too. Thanks, Zelgadis!" Gourry flipped through the book before setting it on the table. He looked up at Lina, who was standing a few feet away. "Lina?"

"Yeah? Oh, my present. Sorry." Lina stepped forward and handed Gourry a small box.

Gourry opened it slowly and found a red talisman strung onto a necklace. "Wow...a talisman, Lina?" Gourry glanced at Lina.

"Yeah...a protective one, you know...for when you're fighting." Lina raised her eyebrows. "Do you like it?"

"Do I? Lina, this is great. Really thoughtful." Gourry, once again, wore a grin from ear to ear.

Lina smiled. "Good." She yawned. "Well...I guess it's time we all head up to bed."

Gourry sleepily nodded and followed Lina up the stairs, leaving Amelia and Zelgadis alone.

Amelia glanced at Zelgadis, who was still wearing his black pants and white T-shirt. She watched as he walked over to the window. Interested in what he was looking at, she followed. Standing behind him, she stared at his back. _That's a...really nice back to have._ She shook her head. "So, what're you looking at?"

"Lightning," he answered softly.

Amelia's eyes widened. "Oh." She slowly walked away and sat down on a couch. "Storm's coming?"

Zelgadis noticed fear creeping into her voice. "Most likely." He turned and walked to her. "Something wrong?"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "No...nothing. I just...I don't like storms."

He smiled. "There's nothing to be afraid of." He sat next to her, taking in her appearance. A small white tank top accented her slim figure, and her short cut-off shorts nicely bared her legs.

A crackle of thunder sounded in the distance, causing Amelia to whimper. "Why can't it go away?"

"Amelia," Zelgadis said, "it's not going to hurt you." Zelgadis was highly amused by her fear. _Now, just need a loud crack of thunder and she might end up in my arms._ Zelgadis rubbed his hand on her shoulder, trying to be reassuring.

Amelia looked out the window, wide-eyed. "I know.." She jumped as it thundered again. "I think."

"Well, maybe if you go try to sleep..?"

"No!" Amelia grabbed Zelgadis's knee. "I...sorry." She let go, embarrassed. "I don't want to be alone."

_You don't have to be sleeping alone. Shut up. _An extremely loud crack of thunder caused Amelia to squeal and land in Zelgadis's lap, her arms latched around his neck like leeches. _Perfect. _Zelgadis brought his hands to her back and rubbed gently. "It's okay, princess," he cooed. Amelia's breath was ragged in his ear. He rolled his eyes into his head. _Such a good feeling._ "Okay, we probably shouldn't be down here this late. Don't want to wake up the innkeeper."

Amelia began to speak as another deafening crash of thunder cracked. Amelia murmured something inaudible. _God, I'm acting like a two-year-old...I hope he doesn't think I'm really immature. Man, his shoulders feel good._ The only thing that let Zelgadis know she was okay with going upstairs was her small nod.

"Do you want me to drop you off at your room?" he asked quietly.

Amelia squeezed Zelgadis harder. He would've mostly likely passed out by now if he hadn't been made of stone. _Take that as a no._ Zelgadis moved to get up, then realized it proved to be a harder task that he'd first thought. Yet another crash of thunder ended any thoughts of her letting go. _Hmm. How to do this._

"Amelia...when I stand up, wrap your legs around my waist, okay?"

Amelia loosened her grip slightly and looked at Zelgadis with wide eyes. "I don't..." She was interrupted by still more and louder thunder. "Okay."

Zelgadis stood up and felt her legs tighten around him. He nearly growled at the sensation. _Calm down. You're _not_ going to take advantage of her._ Wrapping an arm around her waist and putting another on her back, Zelgadis climbed the stairs easily, delighting at how light the young girl was. He glanced down the hall to her room before entering his own. Once inside, he thought it best to let her take her fear out on something that didn't require air to breathe. _Guess a pillow will have to do. _He walked over to his bed and leaned over, laying Amelia on her back.

"Amelia...you can let go. There are some pillows right over there if you need them." Zelgadis gently grabbed her shoulders and pulled her arms away from him. Now, he looked down into her frightened eyes. _I hope the storm is the only thing she's scared of._

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis...whose face was only about three inches away. _It'd be so easy to kiss him right now. _"Is it still storming?"

Zelgadis smiled as her voice wavered. "I'm not sure...if you let go of me, I can go see if it's still lightning." He glanced down at her legs that were still firmly attached to his waist. _Nice muscles for such a small person._

"Oh...I'm so sorry." Amelia blushed, untangled her legs, and scooted up the bed to kill a pillow.

Zelgadis watched with interest before trotting over to the window and peering out. "Looks like it has cleared up already." Zelgadis threw a menacing stare to the sky. _It couldn't have been an all night storm, huh?_ He turned around and found that Amelia was still holding the pillow, but with a much looser grip.

"Really?" Amelia couldn't have been more relieved. _Although this means I have to go to my room now._ Again, her smiled faded.

Zelgadis noticed the smile come and go. "Something else wrong?" He walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down.

"I just..." Amelia was thinking very hard of something else to say._ C'mon...think of anything that'll keep you here._ "I've been having bad dreams the last few nights."

Zelgadis had to force himself not to smirk. _She's not that great at lying...but I'm certainly not going to argue. _"Oh? What about?"

"Just...being chased by monsters and such." Amelia looked expectantly at Zelgadis. _Please believe me._ "I'm scared to go to sleep alone," she threw in for good measure.

Zelgadis nodded. "I know how that is." _Hmm...I wonder if she's asking me what I think she's asking me. Can't be. _"Forgive me, but what would you like me to do about it?"

"Well, uh..." Amelia swallowed. _Rub my back some more. Kiss me senseless. Hold me till I fall asleep. I could go on._ "I'm not sure..."

Zelgadis thought for a moment. _Oh, forget it. The worst that can happen is that I'll get slapped._ Zelgadis got up and laid down beside her, opening his arms. "C'mere."

Amelia watched him with large, innocent eyes. _What's he...? Just comforting a friend, that's all._ Amelia crawled over and settled next to him, her head resting on his shoulder and arms tucked up in between them. _Mmm...this feels good_, she thought as he put his arm around her shoulder. Amelia let a small contented sigh and drifted off to sleep, leaving Zelgadis to his thoughts.

Zelgadis gazed down at the princess in his arms. _She can't already be asleep._ "Amelia?" he whispered softly. Silence. _Well...guess she was tired. I wonder if...no. Stop that. She really would slap you if she woke up. God, she smells good._ He breathed in the scent radiating from her hair. _What is that...vanilla?_ Zelgadis again studied Amelia's face._ So soft. _Before Zelgadis could stop himself, he lightly touched her cheek. When she didn't wake up, he traced an imaginary line down her neck to her collarbone._ This tank top sure does have small straps, _he noticed._ It'd be so easy to...argh. What's wrong with you? This is Amelia...sweet, innocent, young Amelia. You're Zelgadis...part demon. Enough said. There's no way in hell she'll ever have feelings for you. Don't kid yourself. _Zelgadis sighed and moved his hand away. _Oh, well...that's not going to stop me from thinking about her._ Zelgadis scooped up Amelia in his arms and stood up. Amelia sleepily opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Wha..?"

"Shh...go back to sleep."

"Mmm." Amelia closed her eyes and leaned against Zelgadis.

_Argh...why does her being cute have to turn me on?_ Before Zelgadis could do anything else, he walked out of the door down to Amelia's room. Inside, he put her down on her bed and pulled the covers up.

"Goodnight, princess," Zelgadis whispered quietly in her ear. And with that, he took one final look at her for the night and walked out the door.

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Like it? I'll post more if I get a good response.


	2. Moans and Haystacks

Author's note: Wow! A big thank you to all the wonderful feedback on my story! I can't believe so many people want me to continue. Thanks so much for the encouragement!

Okay, I noticed a few people commenting on Zelgadis's character, saying that they don't think this is a completely believable portrayal of him. Well, honestly, I don't either. But to me, stories that don't branch out and fill in a character's thoughts or background (even if they're subjective) are missing something. Not enough meat, so to speak. I'm the first one to admit that I'm altering the character's actions and attitudes, if only to spice up the story. And especially in the case of Zelgadis/Amelia stories, you _have_ to change them slightly because, alas, the actual show leaves so much unexplored. We don't get to see how Zelgadis and Amelia would interact if left alone together for an extended amount of time. So, if you're against slightly out-of-character stories, you might want to stay away. ;-) Well, I'll stop ranting and let you read the next chapter. Hope you continue to like. Again, italics indicate a character's thoughts.

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**Crush : Moans and Haystacks**

Amelia slowly awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the distance. Yawning, she sat up and groggily examined her surroundings. _In my room...in my bed._ Amelia blushed as she recalled the previous night's events. _I practically threw myself at him. Stupid storm...I couldn't even think straight._ Sighing, Amelia pushed back the covers and crawled out of bed. _I hope he just forgets last night._ Amelia grabbed a couple towels and headed down to the bathroom. She entered the bathroom just in time not to hear another door down the hall opening up.

Zelgadis sleepily existed his room and walked down the hall to Amelia's. He was about to knock when he noticed it was slightly open. Quietly pushing his way into her room, he found it was empty.

"Hmm. Already up and about, I see." Zelgadis was about to leave when he noticed her traveling bag. _No...don't do it. It's called an invasion of privacy. _Against his better judgment, he walked over to the bag and untied it causing many items of clothing to fall out. _This looks familiar_, he thought as he stuffed the blue bikini back into the bag. _Well, well._ Zelgadis held up a pair of black satin panties and a matching bra._ She can wear that to my room anytime she wants._ He smirked. Putting them, as well as the rest of the clothes, back in the bag, he quickly tied it and walked out of her room.

A little while later, Amelia dried off, wrapped the two towels around her, and walked outside. She saw Zelgadis walking towards her...not at all surprised. _I might not be surprised...doesn't mean I'm any less embarrassed. _

"Hello, Zelgadis." Amelia took in his appearance. Instead of only being in black pants, the only clothing on him now was a pair of beige cargo pants. Her eyes lingered on his chest before looking at his face._ Gulp._

"Morning, princess." Zelgadis wasn't sure when he started calling her princess, but since she literally was one, he didn't think he would get in trouble. "Sleep okay?"

"Oh, fine. Thanks." Amelia blushed. _I guess he hasn't forgotten last night._

"Glad to hear it," Zelgadis replied. "Hopefully, there won't be any more storms tonight." _Although if one does pop up, I'll certainly be looking for you. _He gave Amelia a small smile.

"I hope not." Amelia began blushing again. _Why do I have to blush at everything little thing? I have to get out of here before he confuses my head with a tomato. _"Well...I'd better.." She motioned towards herself.

_Invite me in and let me dress you? Shut up, I said._ "Right. See you downstairs." Zelgadis began to walk towards the bathroom.

Amelia smiled shyly and entered her room, closing the door.

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Later that morning, Zelgadis climbed down the stairs and found Lina and Gourry, what else, eating.

"Pass the chicken," commanded Lina.

Gourry grabbed the bowl of chicken and noticed Zelgadis walking to the table. "Good morning, Zelgadis."

Zelgadis nodded. "Seems that way," he replied, looking out the window at the perfect weather outside.

"Gourry...gonna do anything with that chicken anytime soon?" Lina asked, eyeing the chicken hungrily.

"Oh, sorry." Gourry handed Lina the bowl.

Zelgadis looked around. "So Amelia hasn't come down?"

Lina shook her head. "Nope, not yet. Looking for her again?"

"Oh, no. Just wondering." Zelgadis sat down and grabbed a chicken leg. "So...still quiet around these parts? No new evil to fight?"

Lina chewed some more chicken and swallowed. "Haven't heard anything...but you know, the bad stuff usually comes right when you're not expecting it."

Zelgadis nodded. "Calm before the storm, as they say." Zelgadis looked over at Gourry and noticed that he was wearing his new shirt as promised. "Nice shirt, Gourry."

Gourry looked at Zelgadis and down at his shirt. "Oh, yeah...it fits pretty good."

Lina nodded her agreement as she continued to eat.

After they finished eating, Lina stood up. "Hey, Gourry...do you want to come with me to get desert?"

"But they've got desert here."

"I know that, but I know a really good ice cream shoppe." Lina started tugging at Gourry's shoulder.

"Well...okay, I guess." Gourry shrugged and stood up. "You want to come with us, Zelgadis?"

"No, thanks. I think I'll go back to my room...sharpen my sword or something."

"Alrighty," said Lina impatiently, dragging Gourry out the door with her. "See you later."

Zelgadis put down the half-eaten leg of chicken back on his plate and glanced up the stairs. "I wonder what's keeping her." Zelgadis stood up and trotted up the stairs. Putting his hand on his doorknob, he looked at Amelia's door. _Hmm._

Zelgadis quietly walked down the hall, stood in front of her room, and listened.

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Earlier that morning...after her short meeting with Zelgadis in the hall, Amelia entered her room and closed the door. _I really need to start bringing my clothes with me to the bathroom._ Amelia looked down at the towel wrapped around her and sighed. She walked over to the dresser in her room, sat down, and looked at herself in the mirror. _He looked good, though, didn't he?_ Amelia smiled and unwrapped the towel on her head. Throwing the towel on the floor next to her, she grabbed her brush and begin untangling the knots in her damp hair.

_Okay, girl. Time to be serious. Since when do you get nervous around Zelgadis? We've been traveling for over a year now. He _has_ been acting differently, though. It's nice to see a happier side of Zelgadis...although him brooding is kind of sexy. Argh...see? Zelgadis and sexy in the same sentence? You seriously need to get a hold of yourself. I mean...there's no way he feels the same way. That'd just be too weird and...no, there's no way. I'm probably just a little kid in his eyes. I mean, he saw me pretty much naked three times in the last couple of days...and last night...and he still hasn't shown any interest. _

Amelia shrugged._ Hey, I can have a crush if I want to. A crush? Yeah...that sounds right. Just a little harmless crush. That's all this is. It'll pass._ She unwrapped the towel that covered herself, threw it on top of the other one, and walked to her bed. Not sure what she wanted to wear yet, she slipped on her black silk robe. She walked over to her bag and pulled out a small white baby-tee with short pale pink sleeves. Holding it up, she inspected the pink kitten on the front with 'princess' written underneath it. She smiled, noting her new nickname.

"That'll do. Now...for some pants." She pulled out a pair of faded jeans and walked back to the bed, setting her clothes down. "Oh, yeah." She trotted back over to the bag and pulled a pair of white cotton panties and a bra of the same colour. Retracing her steps, she put the underwear with the rest of the clothes and sat on the side of the bed.

_Be nice if Zelgadis were here to do this for me._ She giggled at the absurdity of her comment. _I do wish he was here, though._ She looked down at herself. _I wonder what he would do if he was._ She brought her hand up to her stomach and began to trace a circle lightly with her finger. Moving her hand up, the circle became a line to the middle of her chest. Thinking about Zelgadis, she took her left breast in her hand, massaging it gently. She raked her fingernail across the nipple, causing it to become hard. She moved her other hand to the inside of her right thigh and rubbed the soft skin. She slowly inched her way upward to the place that was gradually becoming wetter.

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Zelgadis leaned forward, pressing his ear to the door. He was startled when he heard a soft moan. Scared she might be hurt, he reached for the doorknob. Then he heard another moan. He stopped, knowing fully well that it was not a moan of pain. He would have chuckled if he weren't trying to be stealthy. Instead, he just smirked. _Well, well. Seems as if the princess isn't as innocent as we all would have believed. So, _that's_ what she was doing._ Zelgadis looked at the doorknob._ Hmm. Should I? No, but you already know that._ Zelgadis's hand made it to the doorknob, and he started to turn it. _Zelgadis, stop. You walk in, you humiliate her to death. You walk in, you get mixed up in a lot of complicated stuff. Just stop and go back to your room. Give her some privacy...she obviously wants it._ Zelgadis looked at the door and retracted his hand. He slowly backed away and went back into his room.

_You made the right choice._ Zelgadis smirked yet again. _I would've loved to watch her, though._

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A little while later, Zelgadis heard a soft knock at his door. He threw on a black T-shirt and opened the door. He raised his eyebrows when Amelia appeared before him.

"Hi, there. What's going on?" Zelgadis looked down at her shirt, seeing 'princess' written on it._ Always did like that shirt. _He motioned for her to come in.

"Oh...nothing. I was just wondering where Lina and Gourry were. Have you seen them today?" She walked past him to the window.

Zelgadis closed the door and turned around. He then noticed the tight jeans she had on. Tilting his head slightly, he stared at her. "I saw them earlier, but they went out to get some ice cream. Guess they just haven't gotten back yet."

She turned around, and he quickly lifted his gaze up to her face. "Oh. So, what've you been doing?" She tried not to stare at his chest. _Why does his shirt have to be so tight?_

"Oh, nothing much. Enjoying the quiet mostly." He pointed to a book on the bed. "Did a little reading." He couldn't wait to get his next question out. "And what've you been doing?"

"Me? Oh...just trying to decide what to wear." Amelia blushed, trying not to sound guilty.

Zelgadis smiled to himself. "Ah. Nice choice." He noticed she had a small grin on her face. _What's she up to?_ He walked over to his bed and sat. "Something on your mind?"

"Well...I was wondering if.." Amelia grinned a little more as she walked closer to him. "I wanted to know if you'd.."

Zelgadis watched with intrigue as she crept closer to him, wearing a sly smile. _What is she...I hope she's not drunk._ "Yeah?"

Amelia slowly closed the distance between them, still smiling. She was two inches in front of him. "Could you.."

Zelgadis looked up at her, trying to resist the urge to reach out and grab her. "Could I...what?"

"Could you...teach me how to fence?" Amelia said the second part of the question so fast Zelgadis barely understood it.

"Fence?" Zelgadis asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Yeah...you know, sword fighting." Amelia gave another small smile.

"You want me to teach you how to use a sword?"

Amelia nodded. "Just a little?"

Zelgadis couldn't help but laugh softly. "Why the sudden interest?"

Amelia moved over and sat next to him. "Well...I just thought it might be useful to know how to use one. You know, in case something comes up. So...will you?" Amelia looked up at Zelgadis with wide, expectant eyes.

Zelgadis looked down at Amelia. _Now, how could I say no to those eyes?_ "No problem."

Amelia gave a huge smile. "Really?"

"Sure...but you'll need a sword. Might be hard with just mine."

"Oh, I have one," Amelia answered quickly.

Zelgadis's eyebrows were definitely getting a workout today. "You have a sword? When did that happen?"

"I got one yesterday...when I was shopping for Gourry. I saw it, and I wanted to learn."

"Ah." Zelgadis smiled._ Trying new things left and right._ He narrowed an eye. _At least, I think they're new things._ Zelgadis looked at Amelia. "So, when you do want to do it?"

Amelia blushed at his wording. "Well...since Lina and Gourry are still out, we could now," Amelia answered shyly.

"Guess we could." Zelgadis smiled, knowing his words could hold another meaning.

"Where do you think would be a good place...to train?" Amelia added the last bit to comfort herself.

"Hmm...guess we could use the stables. No one there except the horses, and I don't think they'll try anything." Zelgadis winked at Amelia before standing up and walking over to his bag of clothes. He pulled out a pair of loose black jeans. Looking back towards Amelia, he began examining her from head to toe.

Amelia blushed under the chimera's gaze. _What does he think he's looking at? _Amelia was thinking if she should slap him when he spoke.

"That won't do." Zelgadis motioned towards her attire.

"What, my outfit?" Amelia glanced down. "What's wrong with it?"

Zelgadis smirked. "Too loose."

"I-it is?" Amelia looked at Zelgadis. _This_ is too loose?

"Yeah...you need to be wearing tight clothes. Don't want anything to get snagged and cause further damage." Zelgadis tried his best to look sincere._ It's not like I'm lying...just really liking the rule, that's all._

"Tight clothes? But you're..." Amelia pointed to the baggy jeans in his arms.

Zelgadis smiled. "I know what I'm doing. Just want to make sure you're safe."

"Well...okay." Amelia sighed and stood up. "Guess I'll go change."

Zelgadis nodded and watched her leave. _Wonder what she'll come up with. _Zelgadis changed into the black jeans, slipped on some shoes, and grabbed his sword. _This should be...interesting. _He grinned to the empty room and headed out the door. He leaned against the wall opposite Amelia's room.

A few moments later, Amelia stepped out and saw Zelgadis. She smiled and looked down. "This better?"

Zelgadis stared at her new outfit. Extremely tight black pants that flared slightly below the knees covered her lower half, and an equally tight black tank top covered her upper half. She had her hair pulled back in a bun, leaving the shorter strands to loosely hang next to her face and down her neck.

_Much better._ Zelgadis gave a small smile, causing Amelia to blush slightly. "It'll work. Come on."

Amelia, sword in her hand, followed closely behind Zelgadis down the hall and stairs. She noticed a few other men sitting at the tables. She tried her hardest to hide behind Zelgadis but to no avail.

"Hey there, little lady," said one of the men to Amelia. He stared at Amelia like she was a peace of meat. "Wanna"

Before anyone in the room could blink, Zelgadis unsheathed his sword and held it up to man's neck. "Wanna what?" Zelgadis growled the question to the man.

The man looked at Zelgadis with eyes full of fear. "N-nothing. Nothing at all."

Zelgadis lowered his sword, and the man ran out the door faster than a bat out of hell. Amelia looked at Zelgadis, not sure whether to be thankful or afraid. Zelgadis glanced down at Amelia.

"You okay? He didn't touch you or anything, right?"

Amelia smiled. "I'm fine...he didn't have time to do anything."

Zelgadis softened his gaze. "Good." He sheathed his sword and motioned for her to go ahead of him. He didn't want anyone else sneaking up behind her. _Except for me, that is. _He smirked, watching her hips sway as she walked.

Once inside the stables, Amelia walked over to a bale of hay and sat down. "So, where do we start?"

Zelgadis put his sword down and took the black shirt he was wearing off, throwing it on the ground.

Amelia eyes grew wide. "What..?"

Zelgadis looked back to Amelia. "Don't want it to get torn." He smiled. "Need to see how you can handle a sword first."

"Oh." Amelia looked at his chest. "Okay."

Zelgadis walked over towards Amelia, causing her gaze to move to his face. "Alright. First things first. Do you know the basic parts of a sword?"

"Well...I know there's a handle and a blade, and the blade's the end that kills people." Amelia swallowed. "Not a whole lot."

Zelgadis walked closer to her and gently took her sword, examining it. "Not too bad...little lighter than I prefer my swords, but the balance is good." He held out the sword in front of Amelia. "Okay, this part," he said while pointing at the wooden covering for the blade, "is the scabbard."

"Scabbard," Amelia repeated softly.

"And this, as you know, is the handle." He pointed to the part jutting out between the scabbard and the handle. "This is the guard. Always keep your hands behind this when fighting," he winked.

Amelia looked disbelieving at him. "Well, I figured that."

Zelgadis laughed lightly. "Sorry, just teasing you." He unsheathed the sword slowly. "And this is the blade. Very dangerous."

Amelia nodded. "What's a good way to hold a sword?"

Zelgadis handed her the sword and asked, "Are you right or left-handed?"

"Right."

"Okay." He took her right hand and put it near the guard. "Now, put your other hand below that one." She did as instructed. "Good. Okay, just get used to holding it...I'll go get mine." Zelgadis walked back over to his sword and picked it up, unsheathing it. He brought his scabbard with him as he walked back and set it next to Amelia's.

"Um...Zelgadis?"

"Yeah?" Zelgadis looked up at Amelia.

"Why does your sword look so different?"

"Well, I have a double-edged blade...both sides are sharp. Your sword only has one sharp side."

Amelia scrutinized her blade. "Oh...I see."

Zelgadis glanced at Amelia. _She looks kind of sexy with a sword._ Zelgadis smirked to himself. He walked over and stood in front of her, holding up his sword.

Amelia slowly mimicked Zelgadis's actions. _I hope I don't look too stupid._

"Okay, guess we can go over the basic moves today. First, there's the slash." Zelgadis backed up and moved his sword through the air. "Just trying to cut or wound your opponent, really."

Amelia watched Zelgadis carefully. _He looks so graceful._ She hesitantly tried to slash the air.

"Good...like that." Zelgadis nodded. "Okay, then you have the parry." He walked over to her. "Try to slash me."

"W-what?" Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Are you sure?"

Zelgadis gave a sly smile. "Don't worry...you won't hurt me." He tapped his arm with his sword. "Part golem. Just don't hit me too hard...don't want to shatter your sword." Zelgadis winked.

Amelia smirked at Zelgadis. "Okay." She made a move to slash Zelgadis, surprised when he brought his sword up and blocked her. She looked at Zelgadis. "So a parry's a block?"

"In a way." Zelgadis, his sword still holding hers in the air, moved his sword quickly to her neck. "It's also a counterattack."

Amelia looked at the sword. "O-oh."

He lowered his sword and spoke again. "In blocking your opponent, you leave them open for you to attack."

"Okay, I got it...I think." Amelia drew in a deep breath, still a little shaky from having a sword one inch away from her neck.

Zelgadis noticed she seemed a little nervous now. "I'd never hurt you, you know."

Amelia peered at Zelgadis's concerned face. "I know...I just.." Amelia looked at his sword and back at him. "I know."

Zelgadis moved closer to her. "Good." He looked into her huge blue eyes._ It'd be so nice to kiss her._ He continued to stare at her eyes until he noticed the innocence pouring out of them. He backed away and held up his sword. "Now, let's see you parry."

Amelia was startled by his abrupt change in behavior but held up her sword. "I'll try."

After an hour or so of practicing, Amelia was worn out. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her wrist before they began another session of slash and parry.

"Zelgadis, I'm getting a little.." Amelia blocked Zelgadis's slash and fell over into a huge pile of hay. "Tired."

Zelgadis smiled at her._ She's so cute._ When she made no move to get up, he began to get worried.

"Are you hurt?"

"Mmm. Nothing serious. Something just poked me in the back." Amelia stretched out in the hay. "Time for a nap."

Zelgadis walked over to her and bent his knees. "Maybe so, but not in there." When she didn't listen to him, he thought of something. "Well...I guess the spiders can keep you company."

Amelia's eyes popped open, and she sprang up. "Spiders?"

Zelgadis nodded and stood up. "Mm..hmm. Big, creepy spiders." While he talked, he moved his hand to her arm and crawled up to her shoulder, imitating a spider.

Amelia slapped his hand away. "Stop that." She looked up at him defiantly.

Zelgadis tried his best not to laugh at the small girl. Not counting the fact she was nearly a foot shorter than him, the hay adorning her hair and clothes made her even less intimidating. "I'm sorry." He began picking some of the hay out of her hair. "Can you ever forgive me?" he whispered softly.

Amelia softened her stare at him. _God, he has a nice voice._ "Okay...but don't do it again." She kept her scolding look for a moment before she felt his hand on her neck, picking off more hay. _Mmm...that feels nice._

After Zelgadis pulled most of the hay off her hair and shoulders, he spoke. "Guess we'd better go back. You do look like you need a nap."

Amelia yawned. "Okay."

Zelgadis grabbed his sword and hers and made his way, after Amelia, out of the stables. The entered the inn, and the men who were there earlier kept their distance. The two walked up the stairs, and Zelgadis walked Amelia to her room, handing her sword to her.

"See you later tonight," Amelia said sweetly.

"Count on it," Zelgadis replied, smiling.

After Amelia entered her room, Zelgadis went down to his. Setting his sword down, he plopped down on his bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off the sleep, faintly noting that Lina and Gourry still hadn't returned.

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Notice that I'm trying to very slowly add some intrigue. I promise this story will get darker. But until then, let me know what you think!


	3. Nightmares and Prisoners

Author's note: A huge thank you and hugs all around to everyone who urged me to continue. You people don't know how much you rock! Seriously...I'm thinking Christmas cards or something. ;-D I'm taking your advice and just writing for myself. Of course, I have to let you all know that I take forever to write. But don't worry, I'll steadily keep at it until it's done. Well, anyway, here's the latest chapter! Hope everyone continues to enjoy it. Oh, and just so everyone's happy...Warning: Some of the characters in my fanfic are slightly out of character, doing and saying things that probably wouldn't happen on the show. Deal with it!

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**Crush : Nightmares and Prisoners**

Frantic knocks pounded on Zelgadis's door, causing him to awaken and nearly jump out of his bed. _What the?_ He ran groggily to the door and opened it, surprised when a small princess ran by him and sat down on his bed, shaking.

"Amelia," he started, closing the door and walking towards her. "What's wrong?"

"They're after me...they won't stop." Amelia's voice trembled with emotion. "Make them stop!"

Zelgadis bent in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Make who stop, Amelia? Who's after you?"

"The demons! They're everywhere...can't you hear them?" Amelia began sobbing hysterically.

Zelgadis stopped to listen. _I don't hear anything but her._ "Amelia...I don't understand. Are you sure you didn't just have a bad dream?"

Amelia shook her head. "The faeries!" Amelia began to fling her arms in front of her, swinging violently at her face.

Zelgadis nearly fell over at her actions. "Amelia! Calm down. There's nothing here." He held her arms to her side, afraid she might hurt herself. "No one's going to hurt you."

Amelia stopped struggling and crying and looked up into Zelgadis's face. "What about you?"

Zelgadis looked at her, confusion flaring up in his eyes. "What do you..."

"You want to hurt me, don't you?"

"Of course I don't. Why are you saying that?"

When she didn't reply, he stood her up. "Amelia, answer me. What's wrong with you?"

Amelia slowly lifted her eyes to meet his stare. "Do you really think I'm good?"

Zelgadis burrowed his eyebrows in confusion. _What the hell is she talking about?_ "Amelia...I don't know what you're..." he words were interrupted by a pair of soft lips.

Amelia stood on her tip toes and deepened the kiss, bringing her arms to his shoulders. Zelgadis reflexively brought his hand up to stroke her back. Moving his arm up and down, he faintly noted the silk fabric. Amelia moved her leg up to just below his waist. Surprised, Zelgadis stopped their kiss to look at Amelia. Amelia grabbed his hand and moved it to her thigh. She began kissing him again, more passionately than before. Zelgadis returned her kiss and began to gently massage her thigh, inching his way up her leg. Coming to his senses, he pulled her away.

"Amelia," he said breathlessly. "We need to stop."

Amelia backed away and sat down on his bed. He then noticed what she was wearing. She had on her black silk robe accompanied by the set of black satin underwear he found earlier that day.

_Damn. How am I supposed to think clearly with her in that? _He looked at her eyes. They were filled with an emotion he couldn't put his finger on.

"Come here," commanded Amelia.

Zelgadis slowly walked to her. "Amelia, you're not thinking clearly...you.." Zelgadis was again interrupted by Amelia. This time, she put her hands behind his neck and pulled him on top of her.

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis and leaned up to kiss his neck. He braced himself up with his arms, not wanting to crush her. _What is she doing? Oh...that feels good. _He closed his eyes as she kissed up his neck to just below his ear. Nibbling on his earlobe for a moment, she stopped to whisper very softly in his ear.

"Take me."

Zelgadis snapped his eyes open and found he wasn't with Amelia anymore, but in an old abandoned church. He looked around and was startled to see an old beggar woman quickly making her way to him.

"Sir! You mustn't leave them behind. They're in danger ...something horrible is coming. You must be ready."

Zelgadis looked down at the woman. "Who's in danger...be ready for what?"

"No time to talk...no time. You have to be ready. Yes, yes...you have to be ready." The woman walked away, mumbling to herself.

Zelgadis watched the woman walk off and began to wander through the church, looking for Amelia. He saw a long hall and decided to see where it led. Walking down, he heard voices emanating from the walls.

"...no angels in the air...unholy days are coming...the demon is here..."

He walked slightly faster, unsettled by the voices. He came to the end of the hall, angrily finding out it was a dead end. He looked at the wall, noticing a mirror in the center. The frame of the mirror was exquisite, adorned with just about every jewel known to man or monster. The gold trim sparkled and reflected back every ray of light that hit it. Zelgadis was about to turn around and look for Amelia elsewhere when something caught his eye in the mirror. An image flashed up for a split second before disappearing. He looked harder into the mirror, and the image appeared again.

"Amelia..." Zelgadis murmured. Tears formed in his eyes and threatened to spill down his cheek.

The image in the mirror showed Amelia chained inside a circle drawn on the floor. She was wearing a white cotton gown that was bloodied and torn. Around her, hundreds of demons, faeries, and other horrible-looking creatures watched her misery with delight. A man, shrouded in darkness, walked up to her and spoke.

"It's time."

At his words, a bolt of lighting struck Amelia. She was lifted up as far as her chain would allow and slowly drained of her life.

Zelgadis couldn't watch anymore. "No!" he shouted over and over again. "Stop!" Zelgadis banged on the walls of the hall.

"Zelgadis! Wake up!" Amelia shook him violently, avoiding his swinging arms. "Zelgadis!" she screamed in his face.

Zelgadis awoke with a start. "Amelia?" He looked at her face.

"Yes, it's me," she said. "You were having a nightmare."

Zelgadis breathed deeply. "I'll say." He looked at her again. "Are you okay?"

Amelia looked questioningly at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Zelgadis smiled at her. "No reason...just making sure."

Amelia noticed he was sweating. "Hang on a second." Amelia ran out of the room and appeared again a few moments later with a wet cloth in her hands. She put the cloth up to his forehead. "Better?"

Zelgadis closed his eyes and leaned back on the headboard of the bed. "Much. Thanks."

"What did you dream about?"

Zelgadis opened his eyes and looked at her. "I dreamt.." He looked at her soft, concerned eyes. "Just being chased by a monster. That's all."

"Sorry to hear that. You'll feel better after a little while, though." Amelia smiled up at him.

Zelgadis looked down. "You always wear that when you take a nap?" he asked about her short, white, silky gown. He also noticed it was somewhat see-through, her white underwear very much visible underneath. _Very nice_, he smirked.

Amelia blushed profusely. "Well...yeah. I sleep in it. I just...I heard you screaming, and I thought you were in trouble. Didn't have time to change," she rambled.

"Ah." He smiled. _Guess I should start crying out in my sleep more often._ Zelgadis was really having to fight the urge not to touch her. The gown just barely reached her thighs._ Don't stare._ He gazed back up at Amelia's crimson face. He took the cloth from her hands and held it up himself.

"Why don't you go change now?" Zelgadis suggested. She smiled gratefully and hustled out of the room. Zelgadis smirked._ I hate being a gentleman._

A few minutes later, Amelia knocked on Zelgadis's door.

Zelgadis looked at the door from his bed. "Amelia?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"Come in." Zelgadis hadn't moved a muscle, still a little too shaky to try walking.

Amelia entered the room quietly and looked at Zelgadis. "Feeling any better?"

Zelgadis pushed off the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Much. Thanks." He noticed she had a new shirt on, a short sleeve black shirt with a silver butterfly on the front. The jeans looked the same as the ones she had on before the training.

Amelia looked at the shirtless Zelgadis._ Maybe I should burn all his shirts...he looks perfectly fine without them._ She smiled and sat down beside him. "Good." Then she remembered something, and a worried look arrived on her face.

Zelgadis studied her new expression. "What's wrong?"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Well, I just stopped by Lina's room." He nodded for her to continue. "They still aren't back yet."

Zelgadis shrugged. "I guess they decided to get more than just ice cream. Making it an all day outing."

"Yeah...that's what I thought at first. Then I noticed...the room was completely empty. All her stuff was gone." Amelia was beginning to get scared. "So...I went ahead and looked in Gourry's room. His bags aren't there, either."

Zelgadis soaked this information in thoughtfully. "Well...they wouldn't have gone on without us. Hmm."

Amelia began sobbing. "What if they've been kidnapped?" she asked worriedly.

Zelgadis shook his head. "Not likely...a kidnapper wouldn't go through the trouble of getting their luggage."

"Then what?"

"I have no idea..." Zelgadis thought for a moment. "I can't imagine what's happened to them." He felt Amelia's shoulders shaking beside him and put an arm around her. "We'll figure this out, Amelia."

"What should we do?" she squeaked.

"Well. I guess we should head out...travel around, see if anyone's seen them." Zelgadis racked his brain for a reason why they were missing. _If they have been kidnaped, someone might be trying to draw Amelia and me out. Doesn't matter...we can't just sit and wait for something to happen. Not when our friends' lives are at stake. _Zelgadis glanced at Amelia. "We should probably leave now...before nightfall. That okay with you?"

Amelia gave a small nod. "If it'll help."

Zelgadis got up, walked over to his bag, grabbed his black T-shirt, and pulled it on. Tying it, he stood up with the bag and looked at Amelia. "Your turn. I'll be downstairs checking out." Amelia nodded and left his room.

Amelia quickly climbed down the stairs with her own bag, looking for Zelgadis. Spotting him waiting by the door, she hurried over to him. "All checked out?"

Zelgadis nodded. "Everything's done." He noticed she was carrying her sword, not having a place to keep it while walking. "Here, I'll get that." He gently took her sword and motioned for her to go first.

"Thanks," she smiled weakly and walked out the door.

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After a couple hours and walking through a few villages and asking around, Amelia and Zelgadis came up empty. Now, the sun was setting, and they were in the middle of village with no information.

"No one's seen them...or knows where they are," said Amelia sadly. "We're never going to find them."

"Hey...they haven't disappeared off the face of the earth, which means we're going to find them sooner or later." Zelgadis looked at the sky. "We should go to the town inn for tonight."

"We could walk to the next town...cover more ground. We could just walk all night." Amelia suggested.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "We...could. You're not sleepy?"

"No..." Amelia yawned, "not at all."

"Uh, huh." Zelgadis smiled at the young girl. "Very convincing."

"Well, I guess we should sleep tonight. So we'll be refreshed to start another search tomorrow." Amelia looked around. "So, where's the town inn?"

"I'm pretty sure that's it right over there," he said, pointing to a crowded building about a hundred feet away.

Amelia followed his gaze. "Wow...it looks pretty busy. Hope they have a room."

Zelgadis nodded. "Yeah." He began to walk towards the building, Amelia close beside.

Once inside, he leaned over and whispered, "Stay close," in her ear. She nodded. He walked up the desk and began to speak to the innkeeper. "I'd like two rooms, please."

"Sorry, sir. Only have one left."

Zelgadis looked at Amelia and raised his eyebrows, silently asking her if it was okay. She gave a shy nod. He looked back at the keeper. "I'll take it."

"Alright." After getting their names, the man began to write them down in the book in front of him. Leaning over, he grabbed the only key left. Reaching his hand out, he spoke to Zelgadis. "Thank you for choosing the Crimson Tavern. You pay when you check out."

Taking the key, Zelgadis nodded and headed up the stairs. Making sure Amelia was behind him, he entered their room and set his stuff down. He glanced at the bed, then at Amelia. She was looking at the small bed as if it were a dragon.

"The floor doesn't look too uncomfortable," he told Amelia as he closed the door. "I don't mind sleeping on it."

Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "No...I don't want to make you.."

"Well, I'm not having you sleep on the floor while I get the bed." Zelgadis smiled. "It's okay."

"Well...okay," Amelia sighed. "I'm actually not that tired...did have that nap earlier."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on sleeping just yet either." Zelgadis handed Amelia her sword. "You weren't too bad today," he added, motioning toward the sword.

Taking it, she glanced at Zelgadis. "Do you really think I'm good?"

Zelgadis nearly fell back. Those words...that expression on her face. _They're exactly like my dream. _Zelgadis stared at her until she spoke again.

"Zelgadis? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Amelia waved her hand in front of his face. "You in there?"

Zelgadis snapped back to reality and looked at Amelia. "Oh, sorry. Just worried about Lina and Gourry."_ Idiot. Still...I hope this isn't a sign._

"Oh...me, too." Amelia put her sword down and walked over to the bed. "Zelgadis...I still don't feel right about making you sleep on the floor."

Zelgadis, still trying to recover from his earlier shock, walked to the bed and sat beside her. "I told you, it's fine. Believe me, I've had worse."

Amelia looked at the floor._ But we could share the bed. _Amelia began to blush slightly. _I can't say that...I'd just embarrass myself. Besides, I'm a princess of a kingdom. I can't just sleep in the same bed with any guy. I have a responsibility._"Okay, but I still feel bad."

Zelgadis smiled at the young girl. "I'll be fine." _Either way, I'll still get to see you in your nightgown._ Zelgadis got up and walked to the window._ Don't say anything else. If you suggest sleeping in the bed with her, you face two outcomes. You either get slapped into next week...or, if she actually does agree, you have to fight the demon in you all night not to touch her. _Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the strange woman making her way towards the inn.

Amelia yawned. "That's weird. I'm really tired all of a sudden." Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Would you mind if I go ahead and sleep?"

Zelgadis turned towards her and smiled softly. "Not at all. I think I'll try to sleep as well."

Amelia nodded and picked up her bag. She scanned the room and spotted what she was looking for. She grabbed the long, lavender robe and, after letting Zelgadis know she was going to change, left the room.

A few moments later, Zelgadis heard a knock on the door. _That's odd. She has the key. _He opened the door and was hit with another wave of shock. _The beggar woman from my dream._

"Y-yes?" Zelgadis asked shakily.

"Here. Take this. It'll protect you." The woman threw a coloured stone at Zelgadis. "Keep it safe. Tell no one of its presence."

Zelgadis caught the stone easily and examined it. Upon closer inspection, he found it was actually an amulet. It was a beautiful blue gem that sparkled when the light hit it. _What I am supposed to do with this?_

"Excuse me, miss, but what is..." Zelgadis's sentence trailed off into silence as he looked up at the empty hall. Zelgadis shook his head. _Either something extremely odd is happening...or you're going crazy. _He looked back down at the stone. _'Keep it safe,' she said._ He slipped it into his pocket and closed the door.

_Okay. Time to worry. Two things from your dream have transpired. That means, most likely, more things will happen._

Zelgadis cringed as he remembered the ending of his nightmare. 

_I'm not going to let that happen. Whoever that guy was...I'll kill him before he has a chance to. I just...I wish I could've gotten a clearer look at his face. He looked human, which means he could be anyone._

Zelgadis sighed. _Calm down. You're not going to protect anyone if you're panicking. Just keep a close eye on her._ Zelgadis smirked in spite of himself. _That shouldn't be too hard._

Searching the room, Zelgadis found two more blankets in the drawer of a desk. He made a makeshift bed on the floor and pulled off his black shirt.

A couple minutes later, Amelia entered the door with a timid expression on her face. "Um...there's a lot of people in the bathroom. Would you mind if I changed in here?"_ Don't blush. Don't blush._

_Not at all_, he thought evilly. Zelgadis tried his best not to smirk. "Of course not." He watched her as she made her way to the bed.

Amelia pulled her nightgown out of her bag. She shyly glanced over at Zelgadis, who was still looking at her. "Could...you.."

"Oh, of course." Zelgadis realized what he was doing and quickly turned around. He heard her unzipping her jeans and had to force himself not to turn back around. _God, I want to watch her. _He listened intently as she tugged the jeans off.

Amelia pulled off her shirt, slightly whimpering.

Zelgadis heard her quiet cry of pain. "What's wrong?"

Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Oh, just my back. I guess it was a little worse than I thought. You know, in the stables."

"Can you heal it?"

Amelia tried to put her hand over the wound on her back. "No...I can't reach it."

"Do you want me to...can I help?" Zelgadis kept his back to her.

Amelia blushed as she looked down at her underwear, the only garments on her at the moment. "No...that's okay. I think it'll be fine."

"But if it isn't treated, it might get worse," Zelgadis argued.

"Well.." Amelia started. She thought for a moment before slipping on her robe and holding it closed. "Okay."

Zelgadis slowly turned around. He walked towards her and sat on the bed, motioning for her to do the same. She did so, her back facing him. When she didn't show any signs of moving the robe, he smiled to himself.

"Amelia, I need to see...can you lower the robe?" he asked gently.

Amelia swallowed. "Oh..sorry." She pulled the robe off her shoulders, letting it hang loose on her back.

Zelgadis lightly ran his fingers across part of the wound. He noticed some of the wound was behind her bra strap. "Uh, Amelia?"

"Yeah?" she asked nervously.

"I can't get to all of it. I need to.." Zelgadis put his fingers on her shoulder where the bra strap was to make his point clearer.

Amelia's eyes threatened to pop out of her head. "O-okay."

"Are you sure?" Zelgadis asked.

"Yeah...go ahead." Amelia swallowed again.

Zelgadis slid his fingers under the strap and slowly pulled it off her shoulder. He stared at the expanse of her skin. _Mmm...that'd be so nice to kiss. _Shaking himself out of it, he raised his hands to the wound. A soft glow of white light appeared after a moment and the wound slowly disappeared.

"There you go." Zelgadis lowered his hands.

Amelia looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Glad I could help." Zelgadis got up and returned to his former stance.

Amelia slipped the robe off and pulled her nightgown on. "Okay."

Hearing her word, he turned back around, happily seeing the nightgown. He bent over and settled under the covers of his bed.

Amelia quickly crawled into her bed and pulled up the covers. "Good night," she called softly to Zelgadis, blowing out the two candles.

"Night."

"Sweet dreams," she added.

Zelgadis smiled in the darkness. "Thanks."

xxxxxxxxxx

In a room filled with shadows, far away from civilization, a man sat in front of a clear sphere hovering in the air.

"Show me," the man demanded in a low, steady voice.

The transparency of the ball altered to reveal the room in which Zelgadis and Amelia were sleeping. The man reached his long fingers to stroke Amelia's face.

"Soon, my sweet. Soon." He looked at Zelgadis. "And you...will lead her to me." He began to grin.

"You'll never get away with this!" a voice from behind him shouted.

"Yeah, just you wait," came a second voice.

The man turned around the face the couple.

"You two should learn to respect your elders. I did arrange to have your things be brought with you. You should thank me." He arose from his chair and made his way to them. "Just feel lucky you're worth more to me alive." As he came closer, he could make out their expressions. The red-haired girl was looking as defiant as ever. The blonde man held the same anger...although he seemed slightly calmer.

"You're a coward," she spat out.

"Now, now. None of that." He snapped his fingers. An unseen force pulled the girl away from him violently, sending her crashing into the back of their small prison. The man began to chuckle. "Have a nice night. Don't let the bed bugs bite." As soon as he left the room, the blonde swordsman began to speak.

"Lina, are you alright?" He ran over to her, helping her up.

"I'm...fine, Gourry." Lina coughed. She looked up at Gourry, who had a worried expression firmly planted on his face.

"Lina, who is that guy?"

Lina looked towards the door the man had existed from. "I don't know, Gourry. He hasn't said his name...but I have a feeling I've never heard of him before."

"How are we going to get out?" Gourry searched Lina's face for an answer he knew wasn't there.

"I...don't know. He took your Sword of Light and my powers." Lina glanced back up at Gourry. "We're in trouble."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Muahahahaha! The villain has arrived! Scared? ;-) Well, that's it for now. Hope it's enough to keep everyone satisfied for a little while. Please, let me know what you think!


	4. Innocence and Fervor

Author's note: Sorry for the lengthy time in between this and the last chapter. I've been having some major computer problems. Plus, I couldn't do anything for a week because something was messed up with my eye. Not to mention, school's been keeping me annoyingly busy. So, this is sort of a filler chapter until I can concentrate better without all these annoying distractions. I promise the next chapter will have some action. This chapter is mainly intended to further Zelgadis and Amelia's relationship, which I want to be an important part of the story.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Crush : Innocence and Fervor**

Zelgadis yawned and reluctantly opened an eye. Rubbing the other one open, he sat up in his bed on the floor. _Hmm...slept pretty well, considering._ He pushed the covers back and stood up. Glancing over to the real bed, he smiled. _So cute when she's sleeping._

Amelia's hair haphazardly framed her face, and the covers had been pushed down to her waist. Zelgadis's eyes perked up when he spotted skin. Walking quietly towards her, he found that the nightgown had been pulled up to her stomach, revealing her small waist.

_Very nice._ Resisting the temptation to pull the covers down further, he bent down to his bed and began to fold up the blankets. _Guess I can go see if there's anything to eat down there._ He stuffed the blankets back in the drawer he'd gotten them out of and noiselessly left the room.

Downstairs, he thankfully noted a smaller number of people than the night before. He looked over to the buffet and grimaced. Most of the food looked like it'd been chewed up already. He noticed some edible-looking bread. _This doesn't look too bad._ Grabbing a few slices, he jogged back up the stairs. He entered the room just in time to hear a small yawn escape from the mass of pillows and blankets. A few moments later, a very disheveled princess arose from the bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Zelgadis teased. He walked over and sat on the bed.

Amelia peered at him through one eye. "Is it really that late?"

Zelgadis smiled. "No...I just got up about ten or twenty minutes ago." Zelgadis nodded his head towards the bread in his hands. "Went downstairs to see what they had to eat. This is the only thing that looked safe."

Amelia looked down at the bread and noticed her panties were visible. She quickly pulled the nightgown further down.

Zelgadis tried not to smile too much._ I wonder if she even knows that thing is see-through._

Amelia took a piece of bread and began nibbling at its edges. "Does this room have a mirror?"

Zelgadis looked around and grabbed a small, hand-held mirror. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Thanks." Amelia looked into the mirror and nearly dropped it. "God! I look horrible."

Zelgadis laughed lightly. "You don't look that bad. You did just get up."

"No...I never look this bad." Amelia stared into the mirror. "I mean, my hair looks worse than.." She began to smooth her hair down as much as possible. She pushed her upper lip up to examine her teeth. "Ah! Awful."

Zelgadis watched Amelia's little episode, extremely amused. _Does she go through this every morning?_

"I must've really slept last night." Amelia's eyes suddenly lit up. "Zelgadis..." Amelia started. "I don't...snore, do I?"

Zelgadis smiled. "Quiet as a mouse."

"Oh, good." Amelia sighed. "I wasn't sure...no one's ever been in a position to let me know."

"Privileged to be the first." Zelgadis winked at the young girl.

Amelia blushed. "Well. I guess I should get ready. We should get an earlier start."

Zelgadis nodded his agreement. "Want me to..?" He made a turning motion with his hand.

Amelia smiled. "Please."

Zelgadis turned around as she crawled out of bed and got dressed.

"Is your back sore?" Zelgadis decided to make a little small talk.

Amelia glanced up at him to make sure his back was still facing her. "Oh, not at all. Can't even tell I was injured." She pulled her shirt over her head, smoothing the wrinkles out of it. "Thanks again."

"No problem." Zelgadis crossed his arms. _Sure wish I had that mirror right now. Be quiet._

"Okay, you can turn back around." Amelia dropped her hairbrush into her bag.

Zelgadis turned to face her, taking in her new outfit. She was wearing the tight black pants again, this time with a semi-tight white baby-tee with a small black cartoon dragon adorning the front._ I think she's the first person I've met that can pull off sexy and cute simultaneously,_ he thought. Upon examining her face, she appeared to be thinking.

Amelia bent down and picked up her hairbrush again. She grabbed the mirror and walked over to Zelgadis. "Hold this." She held the mirror in front of him.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," he teased, taking the mirror and placing it in front of her face.

Amelia eyed him. "Watch it," she lightly warned as she began brushing her hair. Turning her attention to herself in the mirror, she held her hair in a ponytail with her hand until she wrapped a thick black ribbon around to hold it in place.

"Okay," she said as she took the mirror from Zelgadis. Setting it down on a desk, she glanced back at him. "So, do we need to take our stuff with us downstairs, or will we be coming back?"

"I suppose we'll be checking out. Might as well be ready to leave."

"Alright," Amelia replied as she made her way over to her bag.

Within a few minutes, they were both ready to go. Zelgadis opened the door and, putting his hand in front of him, spoke.

"Ladies first."

"Always the gentlemen." She smiled and walked through the door.

_You have no idea._ Closing the door behind him, he smirked as he again placed his attention on her swaying hips.

xxxxxxxxxx

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Never seen either one of them in my life," the man told Amelia. He apologized and walked away.

Disappointed, Amelia shoved the drawing of Lina and Gourry into her back pocket. _Where are they?_ She decided to see if Zelgadis had had any luck. Looking down the street, she spotted him talking to a young woman. Amelia watched the two for a moment. She frowned as she saw the woman laugh. _What is he doing? We're supposed to be looking for Lina and Gourry...not trying to get a date._ Flustered, she decided to intervene.

"There you are, Zelgadis!" Amelia ran up to him and gave him a tight hug. "I've been looking all over for you." She leaned up, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Zelgadis, startled, looked down at Amelia as if she were drunk. "A-amelia?"

Amelia batted her eyelashes, still clinging to Zelgadis. "Yes?"

Zelgadis was too confused to say anything else at the moment. _Maybe she's possessed._

The woman watched the two in front of her. "Should I leave you two alone?" she asked, amused. She had a feeling she knew what the girl was doing and decided to play along.

"Oh, you don't have to–" Zelgadis started but was interrupted by Amelia's lips.

Amelia stopped kissing Zelgadis to answer the woman. "If you don't mind."

The woman tried her hardest not to laugh. "Sure thing. I hope you find your friends," she added. She stifled a giggled and walked into the store she was in front of.

Amelia let go of Zelgadis and looked up at him angrily. "And just what was that all about?"

Zelgadis looked down at Amelia, again surprised. "I was just about to ask you the same question."

"What were you talking to her about?"

Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. "Lina and Gourry. You know that."

"You seemed to be pretty cozy together." Amelia's voice was tinged with bitterness.

Zelgadis's eyebrows flew up. "You're not...jealous, are you?"

"Jealous? Please. I just thought it was a little disrespectful to Lina and Gourry. We're trying to save them...and the only thing you can think about is girls." Amelia tried her hardest not to cry.

"Amelia...I wasn't.." Zelgadis looked into her watery eyes. "I was just asking her if she'd seen them."

"And had she?"

"No."

"Then why were you still talking to her?" Amelia asked.

"Amelia, am I not allowed to talk to other girls?"

"Not when our friends are in danger!" Amelia started crying.

Zelgadis closed the distance between them and put his arms around her. "That girl doesn't have anything to do with this, does she?"

"What do you mean?" Amelia sobbed.

"This is all because you're worried about them, isn't it?" Zelgadis rubbed his hand up and down her arm.

"I guess." Amelia sniffed. She looked up at Zelgadis with wide, frightened eyes. "We're not going to find them this way."

Zelgadis nodded. "I know, but we don't have anything to go on." He sighed. "We'll just have to wait for something to happen."

xxxxxxxxxx

Hours passed slowly, and the sun sunk into the horizon, displaying the brilliant shades of nature. As the sunlight disappeared, the shadows in the forest Zelgadis and Amelia were currently in began to emerge from the deep, murky trees.

Amelia tried to keep her eyes glued to the road before them, but she couldn't help the endless 'monsters' she kept imagining she saw out of the corner of her eyes. A low branch caught her shirt, tugging gently. Screaming, Amelia turned around, preparing her assault on her attacker.

Zelgadis, hearing the scream, turned around quickly. "Amelia?" He squinted his eyes. _Where is she? I thought she was right behind me._ Zelgadis threw down their bags and ran toward the direction the scream had come from. He arrived just in time to see Amelia slicing a branch repeatedly. Smiling, he walked over toward her. "Amelia. Are you alright?"

Amelia, breathing heavily, gazed up at Zelgadis. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to fall behind. I just...got scared. I kept seeing things.." Amelia swallowed. _He probably wishes I weren't here. I'm just in the way._ "I'm fine now," she quickly added.

Zelgadis thought he heard some shame in her voice. _Does she think I'm mad at her?_ "I'm glad you're okay." He carefully pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her back. Relieved, Amelia snuggled against him. Zelgadis looked down the path they were on. He didn't see any way they could make it out of the forest before they would need to sleep.

"Amelia...I know how much you love these woods, but do you think you'll be able to sleep here? I didn't realize how big they were."

Amelia looked up at Zelgadis with wide eyes. "I-I..don't know. I think I might be able to." She sighed. _I suppose I have no choice._ Looking around at the shadow-infested trees, Amelia shuddered. _Since when am I so afraid of a bunch of trees?_

Zelgadis felt the small girl trembling in his arms. _She can't be cold. If anything, the temperature has raised since sunset._ He looked around at their surroundings. _These woods are odd. I haven't heard a sound since we've entered...not even a cricket. _

"Zelgadis?" Amelia's voice broke into his thoughts. "Where will we sleep? The road's probably not the safest place to be."

Zelgadis nodded thoughtfully. "I think I saw a small clearing up ahead...just off the main path." He gazed down into her big blue eyes. "Care to join me, princess?" he asked softly.

Amelia's knees nearly buckled, causing her to have to struggle to hold her weight. _God, I love his voice._ She wasn't sure if she could speak so she simply nodded.

Zelgadis smiled and stepped in the direction of the clearing. Amelia, though saddened that she was no longer in Zelgadis's arms, walked quickly beside him.

As the last of the sun's light died, a full moon rose and began to shine its brilliant incandescence over the land. Amelia looked up, quietly bathing herself in the ethereal glow around her. Zelgadis glanced over at Amelia, making sure she was still near him. His jaw nearly hit the ground. _She looks like...an angel._ He tried not to stare, but found he couldn't help himself. Finally, he shook himself out of his trance long enough to spot the clearing.

"There it is," Zelgadis told Amelia, pointing. They were now to the place where he had tossed their bags. He bent down and easily picked them up. "Your sure this is okay? We could keep walking."

Amelia stared at Zelgadis in disbelief. _He's insane. My legs feel like they're made of jelly. We've been walking all day._

Zelgadis smiled inwardly. "Well, I guess the look on your face tells me we are going to be enjoying a wonderful night right here under the stars." He winked.

Amelia shook her head. _How can he be so unruffled? I'm about ready to drop dead, and he's making jokes._ She threw her arms over her head in exasperation. "Wonderful, indeed." She grumpily made her way towards the area he had pointed out to her.

Zelgadis quickly dodged the sword she had waved around. _Now, what's gotten into her? She was fine a minute ago._ He followed her. "Amelia? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing at all!" She stomped through the tall weeds until she reached the clearing, throwing her sword down. She whirled around to face him.

Zelgadis watched her closely. He dropped their bags and walked towards her. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"You want to know what's bothering me?"

Zelgadis slowly nodded. _What's going on?_

"Alright, here we go. Lina and Gourry are missing, possibly for good. There hasn't been a sign of them since they disappeared. We have nothing to go on except pointless searches of clueless villages. And this never-ending forest! We've been walking in it for, what, seven hours now? I've had to convince myself every time I see a shadow or a twig that I'm not under attack. I've been picking bugs off me and out of my hair ever since we got into this place. All the while, you've had nothing short of a holiday in here. My legs and back are about to kill me, and..." she glanced down for something to end her tirade. "...my feet hurt!"

Zelgadis, hearing her finish, tried his hardest not to smile. _She certainly has her mood swings. _He remembered earlier that day when she had kissed him in front of that girl. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"And just what are you laughing about?" Amelia demanded, though her voice had softened slightly. She would never be able to be mad at him for long. _Not when his smile makes my heart melt._ Amelia blinked. _Where did that come from?_

"You, my dear." Zelgadis walked towards her till he would have had to stand on top of her to get any closer.

Amelia looked up at him defiantly. "Well, you'd better––hey, what are you doing!"

Zelgadis said nothing as he grabbed Amelia and threw her over his shoulder. He began running through the forest until he reached a small lake that they had passed by a little while ago. He glanced at it, and his enhanced vision told him that it was deep enough. He quickly scaled a large rock and, a protesting Amelia in his arms, jumped into the water.

Seconds later, they resurfaced. Amelia gasped for air and turned to look at Zelgadis. "What in the world do you think you're doing?"

Zelgadis smiled mischievously. "I don't think I'm doing anything. I already did it."

"What, ruin my hair? Add more to my list of woes? Congratulations!" Amelia huffed at him, about to make her way towards the bank.

Grinning again, Zelgadis dove underneath the water. Amelia crossed her arms, then realized she needed her arms to stay above the water's surface. Growling, she began to speak again.

"Zelgadis, would you quit playing around? We have to find Lina and Gourry, and we need to find some place to sleep." Amelia stared into the water. "Zelgadis?" Amelia's heart began to beat rapidly. _He's been down there a while._ "Zelgadis! Where are you?" Amelia turned a circle, hoping to see that he'd resurfaced somewhere else. Seeing nothing, she turned her attention back to the water. "Zelgadis!" Amelia screamed loudly.

About to go looking for him, she suddenly felt rough, wet fingers against her mouth. Attempting to scream, she was whirled around by strong arms. When she opened her eyes, she found herself face to face with a pair of soulful blue eyes.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia pounded uselessly on his chest. "You jerk! I thought you were drowning! I was about to drown myself going after you!" She continued her assault on his chest. Without the aid of her arms, she began to sink into the water.

Zelgadis quickly put his hands onto her shoulders. "And I appreciate the thought." _I swear I'd stop messing her with if she wasn't so cute when she got mad._ He grinned once again.

Amelia stopped hitting and looked up at Zelgadis. _This is getting me absolutely nowhere. Argh. This isn't fair. He can get me riled up, but nothing I do affects his demeanor._ Amelia breathed, exasperated. _Hmm. Time to do something about this._

"Ow...," Amelia complained believably. She reached and held her upper left thigh. She pouted for good measure.

Zelgadis stopped grinning. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"It's just my...leg. I think I scraped it on something." She tried as hard as she could to water her eyes. "It's starting to sting."

Zelgadis looked into the dusky waters. "Where?"

Without hesitation, Amelia grabbed his hand and placed it on her thigh. She had to raise her leg up slightly so he could reach. His eyes grew as big as saucers. His expression threatened to make Amelia laugh out loud. _Why didn't I think of this before?_ "There," she whimpered.

As soon as his hand made contact with her leg, Zelgadis froze. His mind raced. _Sure, I daydream and think constant hormonal thoughts about her, but I have to draw the line there. This is _Amelia Zelgadis looked into her eyes, trying to decipher what she was thinking. _She has no idea what she does to me._

Amelia smiled inwardly as she saw Zelgadis squirm in front of her. _So, he doesn't want to take advantage of poor little Amelia, huh?_ Amelia moved closer to him, causing his hand to move further up her thigh. She nearly gasped._ Man, that feels good. _She peered up at him. "Zelgadis...have you ever healed someone underwater?" she asked, trying to muster up her most suggestive voice.

Zelgadis swallowed. "No...can't say that I have." The fact that his hand was as high as it could go on her leg without running into something else had not gone unnoticed by him.

"Would you like to try?" Amelia opened her mouth slightly, licking her lower lip.

Still in a somewhat frozen state, Zelgadis stiffly nodded. "Alright." _God, she doesn't know how I close am I to losing my control. Shut up. Just concentrate._

Amelia slowly wove her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his wirey hair. "Fabulous," she softly whispered into his ear.

Suddenly, before Zelgadis could move, Amelia quickly shoved him underneath the water. When he resurfaced, he heard the sound of her giggling near him. _Why...that little vixen._ He looked over at her, and found her laughing so hard, she was struggling to stay afloat.

"Amelia..." he drawled. "Come here."

She glanced at him and saw pure mischief in his eyes. _Ooh...I hope he's not too mad._ "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Nothing..." he glared at her. "Much."

"Now, Zelgadis..." She swam a little further away from him. "You did deserve that."

Zelgadis cocked his head to one side. "Did I now?" He slowly made his way towards her.

Amelia's heart pounded. _I know he's not going to hurt me...but still. What in the world is he thinking?_ "Zelgadis?"

"Yes, princess?" he purred.

"What are you..."

Zelgadis grinned evilly. "Come here and find out."

Amelia swallowed. "I don't think I want to." _I know he's just messing with me. Isn't he?_

He swiftly closed the distance between them and brought his hands up to her waist. Startled, Amelia peered up at him.

"You know, Amelia..." Zelgadis spoke quietly. "I've always wondered something about you."

Amelia began to blush slightly. "And what was that?"

"Whether or not you're..." He moved his hands to her stomach. "Ticklish."

Amelia's eyes widened. Suddenly, he began to tickle her relentlessly. "Zelgadis! Stop!" She laughed so hard she cried. "Zel!" She tried to defend herself but failed miserably. He was much too strong to ward off. Finally, after several agonizing minutes, he stopped his torture. By that time, however, all of her energy was gone.

"Zelgadis..." she panted. "I'm gonna get you back." She clung to his shoulders to keep from sinking.

Zelgadis grinned down at her. "I can't wait," he whispered softly. He wrapped his arms around her and slowly swam back to the bank.

So content in his embrace and worn out from their watery adventure, Amelia snaked her arms around his neck and slowly fell asleep.

Zelgadis looked down at her and smiled. _So untouched by the world. So pure._ Zelgadis rose out of the water, Amelia in his arms, and walked back to their bags. He set her down on her feet, gently shaking her shoulders. "Amelia," he cooed softly.

"Mmm," Amelia murmured. She opened her eyes. "Yeah?"

"We need to change and get to sleep."

Remembering that there were no bathrooms in a forest, Amelia suddenly became more awake. "Yeah, I guess we do." She looked around for her bag. She suddenly had a thought. "Zelgadis?"

Bending down to retrieve a dry pair of black pants, he looked up at her. "Hmm?"

"We don't have any covers to sleep on." Amelia began to scan the forest, trying to find something suitable for a bed.

"Oh, yeah...I forgot to tell you." Zelgadis reached into his bag and pulled out a large blanket. "I, uh, borrowed this from the last inn we were at."

"Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed. "That's stealing."

Zelgadis eyed Amelia. "Well, if you want me to go give it back, I'll–"

"No! No..." Amelia interrupted shyly. "Maybe just this once."

Zelgadis stood. "Alright, now that that's settled, I'm going to go change. I'll be right back." With that, he made his way into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.

Amelia sighed. She leaned over, found her white nightgown, and looked for an appropriate place to change. Seeing a large grey rock, she quickly walked behind it. She tugged off her pants, which was a much harder task than she'd anticipated. Still wet, they clung to her legs like a second skin. After that, she striped herself of the rest of her garments. She quickly put on a dry pair of white cotton panties. She was about to put on her bra when she heard a noise in the trees behind her. The bra slipped to the ground. Not noticing, she tightly held the nightgown to her chest and quickly glanced around.

"Zelgadis? Is that you?" Amelia's eyes nervously flitted around. _Please, Zelgadis. Let that be you._ "Hello?" she called timidly.

She was answered by a horrifying growl emanating from the murky woods. She was too scared to run so she slowly retreated from the shadowy trees. She backed up into something and was about to scream when a familiar hand covered her mouth. She looked down, saw the light blue skin, and nearly fainted with relief. _Zelgadis._ With a quiet sigh, she leaned into his shirtless chest.

"Amelia," he carefully whispered into her ear. "Something's out there. Turn around and go back to the clearing. I'll follow right behind you."

She nodded and did as instructed. She was so frightened that she completely forgot she hadn't finished dressing. Noiselessly, they walked back. Zelgadis checked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone.

"I think we're okay. I'm not sure what it was, but I can't sense it anymore." Zelgadis did his best to comfort her as he looked around. When he felt her begin to tremble, he involuntarily brought his arms around her back. It was then that he finally noticed her attire or lack thereof. He hands came in contact with skin and nothing else. He gazed down, his heart racing. _Dear god._ The only thing she was actually wearing were her panties and the nightgown, translucent as it was, hid very little above them. Thankfully, her hands obscured what was important.

Amelia looked up and was surprised to see him staring down at her with wide eyes. Confused, she glanced down. _Oh, my god._ Nothing could have stopped the profuse blush that spread across Amelia's face. _I'm such an idiot._ Too embarrassed to look back up at Zelgadis, she stared at the ground, no idea as to what she should do.

Zelgadis couldn't help it. He continued to stare even after he realized she was deeply mortified. _She's so...beautiful._ Against his better judgement, he reached up and stroked her slightly damp hair. He put his other hand behind her neck, gently tilting her head to look at him. He caressed her cheek with his thumb. _Zelgadis...stop. This is wrong._ He continued to touch her cheek. _But why does it have to be wrong? We've known each other for awhile. She knows everything about me and still cares for me. I won't find that anywhere else, not in a million years._ He gazed down into her innocent eyes. _But she doesn't know everything about me. Yes, she knows that I'm part demon, but she doesn't understand what that means. Yes, she knows that I'm naturally drawn to darkness, but she doesn't realize that it's because I have darkness inside me. Always. It will never go away, no matter how much good I try to do._ He sighed. _I have to stop this...stop confusing her. Just because I can't figure out my own emotions doesn't mean I have to muddle hers._

He was about to pull away when he felt Amelia's arms wrap around his neck and tenderly drag him down. As she did so, the nightgown she had been holding fell to the ground. Her lips came up to meet his, kissing him very softly...tentatively. Unable to stop himself, he kissed her back. She leaned closer to him until their bodies came in contact with each other. A rock on Zelgadis's chest scraped lightly across Amelia's breast, causing her to moan into his mouth. Hearing her sigh of pleasure, Zelgadis brought his hands back up to her hair and neck. He gently stroked the skin from her neck down her back. Amelia clung to his broad shoulders with one hand while massaging his neck with the other.

Leaning back, Zelgadis broke away from the kiss. He looked into Amelia's eyes once again, rapidly losing his resolve when he saw them darkening with lust. He leaned forward, softly kissing her neck. Amelia felt her knees buckling and was suddenly afraid that she might collapse. As if reading her thoughts, Zelgadis wrapped his arms around her, easily lifting her up. Instinctively, she twined her legs around his waist firmly, eliciting a rough growl from the back of his throat. Amelia smiled inwardly, marveled that she could affect him so much. Zelgadis resumed kissing her neck, leaving a trail of fiery passion wherever his lips went. He nipped at her collarbone, again causing the aroused princess to moan.

Zelgadis continued to caress her back, while holding her up against him with the other arm. His hand reached the hem of her panties, lingering there. When he slipped his fingers underneath the thin fabric, Amelia's eyes snapped open.

"Z-zelgadis?"

"Yeah, princess?" he asked, surprising even him at how husky his voice sounded. He quickly reversed the motion of his hand, moving it up her back.

"I don't think..." Amelia blushed, "I don't think I'm ready for this." She looked down. _I hope he's not mad...I did start all of this, after all._

Zelgadis looked at Amelia, whose face was getting pinker by the second. "Amelia."

She glanced up.

"It's okay." Zelgadis did his best to smile reassuringly. He was still very aware of the fact that neither of them had clothing on above the waist. _If I can get through this without ravaging her, I can get through anything._

"Are you sure?" Amelia asked shyly. "I mean, I know that most guys would be frustrated or something."

Zelgadis did smile that time. "Well, I'm not most guys," he said, fighting the urge to look down. _Liar._ He gently set her down and walked behind her, facing away from her. "You can finish getting dressed now."

Amelia turned to look at him, smiling when she saw his back. _Definitely not like most guys._ "Thank you." She quickly found the nightgown and slipped it over her head.

Zelgadis breathed deeply, glad he finally had something else to look at except a nearly naked Amelia. _Not that I mind,_ he thought._ I just...need something to take my mind off of sex if I'm going to get through this night._ He took another deep breath. _I wonder when we'll talk about what happened._

"Okay," Amelia called. As Zelgadis turned around, she spotted the stolen blanket and began to spread it out.

Zelgadis looked at her. _Unbelievable._ She still had on next to nothing. She still failed to notice that she had no bra on and that the nightgown was see-through. She still looked gorgeous. Zelgadis sighed. _Sometimes I wonder if she's really this naive or if just she's messing with me._

Amelia stifled a yawn. "Ready to sleep?" she asked.

Zelgadis nodded, despite his thoughts. _I'll be lucky if I get two minutes of sleep tonight._

Amelia arranged herself into the oversized blanket and waited for Zelgadis to join her. When he simply stood there, she looked questioningly up at him._ I hope he's not too upset about what I did._ "Are you coming to bed?"

Zelgadis closed his eyes for a moment. He never ceased to be amazed at how easily she could arouse him. With her simple, innocent question, he was again uncertain as to whether he would be able to lay next to her without his hands roaming her body.

Zelgadis forced himself to smile. "Of course." And with that, he settled next to her, looked up at the starry sky, and listened as she fell asleep. He glanced over at her sleeping form and sighed. _This will be interesting._

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	5. Demons and Bruises

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**Crush : Demons and Bruises**

The moon hung high and luminous in the sky. Zelgadis studied it, wondering how much longer it would be there. He sighed. _Probably four or five more hours. Plenty of time for me to do something I might regret. Shut up. Stop thinking about that._

Zelgadis glanced over at the sleeping princess. The moonlight spilled across her face, illuminating her facial features. It was then that he noticed she was sweating heavily and suddenly became alarmed. He moved closer to her, putting his hand on her forehand._ Hmm...she doesn't appear to be sick._ He smiled. _Guess she's still a little worked up from earlier._ Zelgadis reached up and wiped some of the sweat off of her neck. As he did so, he looked up at her delicate face. _God, she's amazing._ He traced his finger up to her cheek and softly caressed her skin, causing Amelia to stir.

"Zelgadis," Amelia breathed, her eyes still closed.

Zelgadis moved closer. "I'm here, princess," he murmured softly in her ear.

Amelia swallowed, noticing how dry her mouth was. She drowsily opened her eyes, gazing up at Zelgadis. "I'm...hot," she complained.

"So I've noticed," he replied teasingly.

Amelia looked at him. _Did he just call me...?_ When she noticed the playful grin pulling at his lips, Amelia rolled her eyes and sat up. "I'm serious. I'm about to die from this heat." She reached up and wiped her forehead with her arm.

Zelgadis sat up as well, bracing himself on one arm. He leaned forward, gently gathered Amelia's hair, and blew softly on the back of her neck. "Better?" he asked lazily.

"Mmm..." Amelia sighed. "One more time."

Zelgadis smiled. "As you wish."

As Amelia again felt the cool tingle of his breath on her neck, she felt her surroundings melt away. _He does that so well._ Her shoulders began to sag, and she nearly fell back asleep just sitting there.

"Amelia, I'm sorry."

Zelgadis's sudden apology caused Amelia to open her eyes and turn to face him. Confusion swirled and danced in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Sorry for what?"

Zelgadis sighed. "For tonight. For taking advantage of you." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I should never have gone that far."

Amelia stared at him. "What are you talking about? Tonight...tonight was my fault. Not yours."  
Zelgadis opened his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. "Amelia..." he started. "How could you think it was your fault?"

"If I hadn't kissed you, would you have done anything?"

Zelgadis considered. "I honestly don't know."

Amelia frowned and wondered aloud at his remark. "Why not? You always seem so in charge of your emotions."

Zelgadis nodded thoughtfully. "I usually am. It's just...lately, it seems to be more difficult to do that when I'm around you."

Amelia contemplated his statement quietly.

"Amelia," Zelgadis began. "Tonight...I just lost my self-restraint. Seeing you like that..." He let his voice trail off, leaving her to fill in the rest.

Amelia blushed.

"I'm sorry, Amelia." Zelgadis sighed. "I just lost it."

Amelia looked down, studying a pebble on the ground. "Maybe I don't mind you losing it," she said quietly.

Zelgadis snapped his attention to Amelia. "What?"

Amelia looked back at him. "You heard me."

Zelgadis shook his head. "You don't mean that."

"And why is that?" Amelia's eyes were showing the first stages of anger.

Zelgadis studied her expression. "Amelia, tonight was just child's play compared to what would really happen if I lost my control." When she remained silent, he continued. "You do remember that I'm part demon, don't you?"

"What does that matter? You're not a demon," Amelia replied, her anger dissipating into trepidation.

"Maybe not on the outside. But on the inside, Amelia, it's horrifying. You might not see it, but it's there. It may seem easy to control to you, but that's because you don't have to deal with it every second of your existence." He paused for a moment. "Do you want to know what a demon desires most?"

Amelia glanced at him, genuinely unsure as to whether she wanted to know or not.

Zelgadis watched her, hoping he was getting through. "Corruption. To take someone or something pure...innocent and stain them."

Amelia looked at Zelgadis. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I have to make you understand that my self-control is not something to be toyed with."

"Then, what am I supposed to do!" Amelia stood up suddenly, walking away a few steps and staring at a knot in a tree. She spun around and faced Zelgadis, who had stood up also. "This may come as a shock to you, but I enjoyed what we did."

Zelgadis stared intently at Amelia. "I realize that, but it can't happen again."

The anger Amelia felt earlier was working its way back into her system. "Why not?" she asked, trying desperately to keep her voice level. "What is so wrong with me that you could be that repulsed with the thought of being with me romantically?"

"Amelia," Zelgadis began, feeling his patience beginning to slip away. "Nothing is wrong with you. You're...incredible."

"Then what's the damn problem!" Amelia demanded.

Zelgadis's patience snapped. With heightened speed, Zelgadis rushed over to Amelia and pressed her roughly against a tree. He pinned her arms over her head, holding her at the wrists. He didn't want to hurt her, but he did want her to realize he was very serious.

"Amelia," he began in a dangerously low voice. "I'm not telling you again."

Amelia, though shaken by her new position, stared defiantly up at Zelgadis. "Zelgadis, everybody feels like this. Everyone has to control urges." She struggled against his grasp, hating to be in such a helpless state.

Zelgadis eyed Amelia, firmly holding her arms in place. "I'm sure they do. But, for humanity's sake, I hope they don't have to deal with the kind of urges I do."

Amelia's expression remained obstinate. "Is kissing me really that horrible, Zelgadis?"

Growling in exasperation, Zelgadis quickly leaned forward and crushed his lips on Amelia's. Not letting his grip on her wrists slacken, he kissed her fiercely. Before Amelia had time to register his action, he moved down to her neck, frenziedly kissing the soft skin from her shoulder up to her ear. Amelia gasped in surprise and, much to her indignation, pleasure. She didn't want him to think he was winning the argument. In between his fevered kisses, he huskily spoke in her ear.

"Amelia...kissing you...believe me...it's indescribable." He stopped for moment to look her in the eye. "But sometimes...I honestly can't tell which part of me, human or demon, enjoys it more." He then released her wrists and stepped away from her. "You can't understand what that feels like...to have this part of you that wants someone simply because they're innocent," he told her, pain creeping into his voice. "And I'm afraid...afraid that that part of me is stronger." As he looked away, a single tear slid down his cheek.

Amelia watched him, a myriad of emotions running through her. She finally settled on compassion and walked slowly over to him. She put her arms around his neck, gently hugging him. "It's okay, Zelgadis," she reassured him, leaning her head on his chest.

Breathing a much needed sigh of relief, Zelgadis wrapped his arms around Amelia's back. "I just don't want to take advantage of you," he admitted quietly.

Amelia tilted her head up, looking into his eyes. "You won't," she told him, equally as quiet. When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off. "You won't," she repeated firmly.

Zelgadis sighed. "I wish I could know that for certain."

Amelia stepped away, instantly missing the warmth of his embrace. "And I wish you would have a little more faith in yourself." Sadly, she looked away. _And in me._

Zelgadis looked at her thoughtfully. _She certainly has grown up since I first met her._ At this, he cast his gaze downward, taking in her appearance. Unfortunately, it had not changed. Although it was dark, the lucent moon only served to highlight her wonderfully feminine curves. He closed his eyes. _Will this night never end?_

No sooner had the thought entered his mind than he heard a ear-piercing shriek above them. He looked up to find a monstrous bird flying towards them with incredible speed. Zelgadis ran over to Amelia, knocked her down, and covered her body with his. A split second later, the bird, stretching out its razor-sharp talons, dove down low over Zelgadis. He yelled out in pain as a talon sliced his bare back. Realizing the bird did not break his stony skin, he swallowed. _Doesn't mean it didn't hurt like hell._

The bird gave a shrill scream and began to fly back up, breaking any branches that were in its path. Aware that he now had some time, Zelgadis quickly stood and helped Amelia do the same.

Amelia's eyes darted around. "What in the world...?"

Zelgadis was about to answer when a loud screech interrupted him. Knowing the bird was close, he reached for Amelia. Too late. The bird plunged down and knocked into her, throwing her across the clearing. She hit a tree and slid to the ground, momentarily unconscious.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled, running to her. Suddenly, a claw shot out at his throat, captured his neck, and roughly pinned him to the ground. Coughing, Zelgadis reached up and encircled the lethal talons with his fingers. Staring into a pair of narrow and golden eyes, he tried futilely to release himself from the bird's grip. He struggled with the beast for a few minutes, his strength weakening due to his lack of oxygen. He was beginning to black out when he lifted an arm and struck with all the force he had left. His knuckles connected with the horrid creature's face. A squawk of surprise and pain emitted from the bird as it went flying upwards. Zelgadis stood protectively in front of Amelia, watching it circle around them above the trees. Then, as if it decided that this was too much trouble, the bird gave one last shriek before it flew away, into the distance.

Once he was certain the danger had passed, Zelgadis quickly turned towards Amelia. He noticed with relief that she had already opened her eyes. He bent down in front of her, gently leaning her up into a sitting stance. "Amelia? Are you alright?"

Amelia slowly blinked a few more times before formulating an answer. The pain in her back was too intense for her to speak just yet. _Why does my back hurt so much? I remember talking with Zelgadis...then what?_ After a few moments, she turned her head to look at Zelgadis. "My...my back," she whimpered.

Zelgadis moved next to her and examined her back. _Damn it._ Her impact on the rough bark of the tree had cut into her nightgown, deeply slicing and bruising her back. Blood covered nearly her entire back, making it difficult for Zelgadis to tell where one wound began and the other ended. "Oh, God..." he murmured, not wanting to alarm her but unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

Amelia frowned. "What's wrong? Is it that bad?" _God, what on earth happened to me?_ When he didn't answer her, she asked, "Zelgadis?"

Zelgadis tore his attention away from her back to look at her face. "Amelia...I need to get you near water. I'm going to levitate us to back to the lake." Zelgadis swallowed. "I'm going to pick you up...I'm sorry, but this will hurt."

When he was sure she knew what he was going to do, he walked swiftly to his bag, pulled out a black T-shirt, and draped it across his shoulder. Once he was back at her side, he leaned over and gingerly picked up the wounded princess. He gritted his teeth together when he heard her cry out in pain. "I'm sorry, Amelia." Once he was standing up straight, he firmly declared, "Levitation."

A white, glowing ball immediately appeared around them, causing Zelgadis and Amelia to rise off the ground. Concentrating, Zelgadis lead them towards the lake that they had visited earlier before. Once they'd reached their destination, the radiating ball disappeared, and Zelgadis, throwing his shirt on the ground, took a step into the water. Bending over, he gently set Amelia down. She gasped as she came in contact with the cold water. Zelgadis moved behind her and took the bottom of her nightgown in his hands.

Leaning forward, he softly asked her, "Amelia, can you lift your arms?"

Amelia bit her bottom lip and swallowed. _Don't be immature. He's only trying to help you._ "I...I think so." She slowly raised her arms, unable to contain her gasp as Zelgadis began to lift her gown up.

Once the nightgown was over her head, he threw it back towards the bank. Zelgadis looked at her back, grimacing again when he saw the numerous gashes and cuts. He reached down, cupped some water in his hand, and brought it just above her back. "Brace yourself," he warned her just before releasing the water to trickle down her back.

Amelia whimpered as the pain in her back intensified. She was suddenly afraid she might faint again. She reached down and grabbed a large rock, squeezing it until her knuckles were white. After a few more handfuls of water had been poured down her back, the pain slowly abated. The cool tingle of the water began to have a soothing effect on her, almost lulling her asleep.

Once he washed the blood away and was able to tell one wound from the other, Zelgadis immediately began to heal Amelia. Soft glows appeared wherever his hands went, and as he focused, the injuries began to fade away. Her deeper wounds had needed extreme concentration so by the time Zelgadis was finished, he was worn out. Taking a deep breath, he took a final look at her back. A few red marks and bruises remained, but she was in much better shape than before. He lightly ran his fingers across her back, listening for her reaction. When she gave a small sigh, he was satisfied that she was fine.

"There," he started. He moved to stand up. "I think you'll be alright now." He turned around and walked to the bank, picking up the shirt.

Amelia looked over her shoulder, surprised when he stood up. "Thank you," she said softly. She looked down, quickly remembering that she only had on a pair of panties. A light blush crept into her cheeks. _How am I going to get back to my bag?_

"Here," said a voice behind her. She turned her head to see Zelgadis holding a black T-shirt just above her shoulder.

Amelia took the shirt gratefully and, slipping it over her head, she stood up. Water trickled down her legs and back, making the shirt cling to her. She tugged on the bottom hem, trying to cover herself as much as possible. Realizing it wouldn't reach further than her thigh, she gave up. She turned to face Zelgadis, who was watching her intently. She looked down, blushing. "Thank you," she said again.

Zelgadis forced himself to blink. "Of course," he responded as he took a few steps toward her, his bare feet sloshing the cool water. _God, she looks good in my shirt._

Amelia swallowed, uncertain as to what he was going to do. She felt her legs weakening under his fixed gaze. Walking gracefully towards her, he reminded her of the panthers that her father had once told her about. _Why is he looking at me like that?_ Amelia took a shaky breath, and as she did so, her back reminded her that it was sore.

When Zelgadis saw the grimace on Amelia's face, he closed the distance between them in one long stride and brought his hands to her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Amelia looked up. "Oh, yeah...my back still hurts a little." She noticed her hands were slightly burning so she brought them up to examine, surprised when she saw them scuffed up. She tilted her head up to look at Zelgadis, who was already holding one of her hands and healing it. "Zelgadis, what happened to me?"

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow as a faint glow appeared between their hands. "You don't remember the vulture?"

Amelia frowned. _A vulture? In a forest?_ "No, I just remember talking to you..." she trailed off, trying to recall more. When nothing came, she shook her head. "And that's it."

"Well," he began as he took her other hand, "I had a fight with a large bird, and you got caught in the middle of it." He let go of her hands, now thoroughly exhausted.

Amelia looked at her hands once more, then back up at Zelgadis. "Well," she yawned sleepily, "looks like you got off easy."

Zelgadis smiled to himself. "Hmm, I suppose I did." Then, though he was tired beyond belief, he carefully lifted Amelia into his arms and began walking towards the clearing.

Amelia rested her head on his chest and gave a grateful sigh. "Thank you, Zelgadis," she murmured for the final time that night. She breathed deeply, smiling softly when his familiar scent filled her nose. She absentmindedly brought a finger up to his chest, tracing around a small, grey stone.

Zelgadis sucked in a breath when he felt her touch him. He glanced down to her find her innocently rubbing one of his rocks. "Amelia?" he asked, wondering what she was thinking about.

She looked up, drawing her hand back and feeling somewhat guilty. "Yes?"

"What's on your mind?"

"Well," Amelia began slowly, not sure how much he'd like the topic. "I was thinking...about the cure you're looking for." She held her breath and looked down at her hands, waiting for his response.

"My cure?" Zelgadis asked, surprised. _Why is she thinking about that?_ "What brought that up?"

Amelia let out her breath, relieved that he didn't sound upset, just confused. "I don't know...I just suddenly thought about it." She brought her finger back up to the stone. "I was wondering...why do you want to find a cure so much? It can't just be because you don't like your appearance." Amelia tried to pick her words carefully, not wanting to sound impolite.

Zelgadis thought about her question. "And why is that?" He looked down at her.

"Well...it just seems like you've gotten used to it." Her fingers slipped from the rock and began to wander across his azure skin. "Especially when you're fighting," she added as an afterthought.

Zelgadis wasn't sure how much more he could take of Amelia's naive exploration. He took another breath in, trying to calm his fervent nerves. _Just think about the conversation._ "Well, that's true. I have grown accustomed to my body. It's become especially useful at times."

Amelia looked up, confusion mingling with her cerulean eyes. "Then why do you constantly search for a cure for it?"

He sighed. _Sometimes she's just too perceptive for her own good._ "Do you remember what we talked about earlier...about my being part demon?" When she slowly nodded, he continued. "That is real reason I'm looking for a cure. To be free from this demon." He looked ahead of them and saw the clearing come into view. "I only tell everyone the other story because it's easier for them to identity with...to accept. I don't think anyone could ever truly realize how much of a burden this demon is." When he reached the clearing, he looked back down at her.

Amelia thought about his response. Finally, she nodded. "I understand your reason."

He smiled faintly. He walked over to their blanket, gently set her on the covers, and laid down next to her. Then, as if it were something he'd done all his life, he instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. When he realized what he'd done, he froze. He half-expected her to slap him. But she only snuggled closer to him, seeming to understand he was merely trying to keep her safe. A relieved sigh passed his lips, and he closed his eyes.

"Though," he said suddenly, but softly.

"Hmm?" Amelia tilted her head to look at his face. When she saw his eyes were closed, she rested her head back down on his shoulder. Not having anywhere to put her arm, she lightly draped it across his stomach and waited for his response.

"It would be nice not to look like a freak," he admitted quietly.

Amelia sighed, about to drift to sleep. "Mmm...I think you look good," she murmured before falling asleep.

Zelgadis opened his eyes in surprise. He gazed down at the princess in his arms. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. _I don't think she'll ever cease to amaze me._ And with that, he closed his eyes and fell into an appreciated peaceful sleep.

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"Lina! Lina, can you hear me?" Gourry almost shouted, not knowing what else to do. He'd been trying to wake up the redheaded sorceress for nearly half an hour with no luck. He looked back at her face and grimaced. Her left eye was swollen and black, her lip was busted, and blood still trickled from her nose. He ran his fingers through her fiery locks of hair that were now darkened with blood. "Lina, wake up!" he almost begged.

"Could you please keep the noise down? I'm trying to concentrate," an amused voice interrupted.

Gourry looked up and found the man responsible for Lina's condition. He quickly crossed their prison to face him. "You bastard," he said angrily. "What do you want?"

The tall, dark-haired man shook his head. "Come, now. You shouldn't concern yourself with that yet," he said in a light tone. "All will be revealed soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gourry asked through clenched teeth.

"All in good time," he told him casually. "Now then, would you care for something to eat?"

"No, thanks," he bitterly responded, though his stomach protested. It had been over two days since they'd had anything to eat.

"Hmm." He gave a sinister grin. "Well, if you change your mind..." His sentence trailed off as he raised his hand. A few seconds later, a tray of food appeared on the floor next to Lina. When he saw Gourry's doubtful expression, he spoke again. "I assure you, it's not poisoned." He saw no change in the swordsman's face so he continued. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here."

Suddenly, a glass of water appeared in Gourry hand. Startled at first, he lifted the liquid up to his lips and took a drink. Moments later, he spit it back out in the man's face. The man quickly lifted his hand again, palm facing towards Gourry. As he did so, the water vanished before it made contact. Gourry's eyes widened.

"Foolish boy," he scolded him. "When will you learn?"

"My lord." A woman's voice from behind made the man with raven tresses turn around. A smiled twisted his lips.

"Ah, yes." He walked swiftly towards her. "I trust my pet brought me back something useful?"

"Yes, my lord." She raised her hand and dropped a rock into the man's hand. "As you requested, a stone from the chimera's body."

Behind them, Gourry listened intently. He heard the woman mention a chimera and muttered, "Zelgadis," quietly under his breath.

The man, not noticing, held the rock up to examine. "Mmm, splendid." He looked back at the woman. "How about we let the demon come out to play?"

The woman gave a small smile for the first time since arriving. "Very good, sir."

"Have everything arranged quickly. I want to perform the spell as soon as possible." He watched the woman nod and walk out the door, then placed his attention back on the stone in his hand. Without warning, he began to laugh quietly, and somewhere in the darkness of the night, a vulture cried.

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Well, there you are. The end of chapter five. Please review! I'm dying to know what everyone thinks! Reviews will probably be the main thing that keeps me going.


	6. Arrests and Incantations

Author's note: God, I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to work on this story again. I knew that as soon as college arrived, I'd have to put this on the back burner. Fortunately, I've finally found some time in between my annoyingly time-consuming classes to write the next installment. And yay for spring break coming up in a couple weeks! Anyway, this chapter is mostly filler, but it sets up some important stuff for the next chapter.

Oh, and one more thing concerning my characterization of Zelgadis. I've gotten a few questions about it. My fic is based on the fact that Zelgadis is part demon, and I realize that the actual demon (brau?) is not necessarily evil. However, I thought it would be interesting to look at his situation in a different angle. Therefore, demon!Zel is going to be a l'il naughty. ;-) Anyway, on with the story!

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**Crush : Arrests and Incantations**

A leaf fell from an overhead branch and floated lazily down until it landed rudely over Zelgadis's face. The chimera quickly opened his eyes, mentally preparing himself for an attack. When he realized what had happened, he moved to snatch the offending leaf away. However, his arms wouldn't move. Something, or someone rather, was hindering his ability to raise his arms. He easily blew the leaf from his face and looked down. _Gulp._

Amelia was completely draped across him, her chest flush against his. Her right arm pinned his left one down, and her right leg was hitched up over his hips. If she moved any closer, she'd be straddling him. The thin nightgown had riden up during the night and was now bunched up near her waist. Unable to form a complete thought, Zelgadis just stared. After a few moments, however, the wheels began to turn. _Okay, think. How to move without waking her up and mortifying her._ He slowly moved his left arm out from under her, causing her stir. Zelgadis sucked in his breath and froze. She unconsciously moved her right hand up to his shoulder but did not wake. He gave a quiet sigh of relief.

_Alright. Step one down. Onto to step two._ He thought a moment on how to fix the fact that she was very nearly laying on top of him. He then thought a moment on why he would even want to fix said fact. _Oh, yes. Amelia...embarrassing. Okay, here we go._ He gently placed his right hand behind Amelia's head to protect her and swiftly rolled over, effectively switching their positions. He sensed that the movement had caused her to awaken, so he quickly rolled back, leaving her where she was. _Whew._ He closed his eyes, feigning sleep.

Amelia felt something beneath her head. It felt like a hand. _What the..?_ She opened her eyes and glanced to her left, seeing that Zelgadis was still asleep and that it was indeed his hand between her head and the cover. She yawned and leaned forward. _Ack! This stupid nightgown!_ Amelia quickly pulled it down to her thighs. Throwing a look towards Zelgadis to see if he'd seen anything, she stood up and made her way towards her bag. Assuming her previous changing spot behind the large rock, she took off her nightgown and got dressed. She returned and found that Zelgadis was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.  
"Good morning," she said.

He looked up to find her in a pair of fitted jeans and a light pink tank top. _Finally. An outfit that doesn't tempt me to ravish her into next week. _He tilted his head. _Well. Almost_. "Morning," he replied.

Amelia looked towards the sky. "Some night, huh?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully, we'll be out of this forest before we have to sleep again."

She gave a small nod of agreement. "We should start pretty soon."

With that, Zelgadis moved to fold up the blanket. However, a dark red spot near the middle of the blanket caught his attention. He leaned over to inspect the stain. His eyebrows bunched up in confusion. _Blood? What in the world? _He quickly reached his hand around, and indeed, he felt a slightly sore area on his lower back. _That's...odd, to say the least. _He looked over to Amelia, who was gathering her things into her bag, completely unaware of his situation. He didn't want to alarm her unnecessarily, so he decided against telling her about it just yet. Grabbing a dark grey shirt from his bag, he stuffed the blanket in. He put the shirt on and, picking up his and Amelia's bags, he gestured in the direction of the road. Soon, they were once again making their way through the woods.

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"Why isn't it working!" The usually calm man banged his hands harshly on the table, causing the many items on it to shake. He glanced at the crystal ball and saw, with much displeasure, the chimera and the princess walking together and chatting amicably. He threw a disgusted glance to the frightened woman near him.

"I assure you, my lord. E-everything is in place; all the items are here." She swallowed. "I am just as confused as you."

While the dark-haired man continued to fume, the two imprisoned occupants behind him listened intently. The sorceress looked pointedly at the swordsman, and he moved closer to her.

"What's going on, Lina?" he asked, whispering as quietly as he could.

"I'm not sure. From what you told me earlier, it sounds like he's trying to free the demon part of Zelgadis." She gave a small shrug. "I never knew it was that big of a deal; he's never mentioned it before." She looked back over to the man. "Well, whatever he tried, it didn't work."

"Maybe he'll just give it up," suggested Gourry hopefully.

Lina looked disbelievingly at her blonde companion. "I wouldn't count on it."  
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"Finally!" Amelia exclaimed as she moved past the last few trees of the forest. She looked out across the open plain. "You know..." She turned towards Zelgadis, who had just stepped beside her. "I think I recognize this land."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, we're near Seiruun!" she answered excitedly. "We could go ask my father for help with our search. He could send messengers out to neighboring villages."

Zelgadis nodded thoughtfully. "He could, but what makes you think he will?"

Amelia looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "I'm his daughter. I'll make him!" And with that, the young princess began marching in the direction of her kingdom.

Zelgadis lifted his eyebrow, an amused expression on his face. "Well, I suppose that settles that," he muttered to himself and followed after her.

A few hours later, they tiredly reached the gates of Seiruun. Making their way towards the castle, they failed to notice the piece of parchment with a sketch of Zelgadis's face plastered to the stone wall. However, they did notice the quiet whispers and hooded stares of many passersby. Amelia unconsciously stepped closer to Zelgadis as they walked. They gave each other quizzical looks but remained silent. When they neared the castle, the doors opened to reveal Prince Phil and a number of castle guards.

"Daddy!" Amelia grinned and ran towards her father, leaping up to hug him.

Phil whole-heartedly hugged his daughter back, setting her back down on her feet. "Amelia, it's wonderful to see you! How have you" He stopped abruptly upon seeing Zelgadis. "Amelia, what is he doing here?"

Amelia looked from Zelgadis to her father. "Daddy, what do you mean? He's a friend of mine; we've been traveling together. What's wrong?"

Phil turned back toward the guards. "Chain him and take him to the dungeons," he commanded. Zelgadis snapped his attention to the dark-haired prince, his mouth slightly open in shock.

Amelia's eyes widened. "Daddy! What're you doing!" Seeing the guards advancing toward Zelgadis, she quickly ran to stand in front of her friend. "I demand an explanation," she said sternly to her father.

"Amelia. Move aside," Phil ordered, determined to keep the upper hand. When he saw that she wasn't going to give in, he gave an impatient sigh. "Your 'friend' here is a criminal. We received word from Elmekia a few weeks ago that a man fitting his description decimated a temple of theirs. As Seiruun is allied with Elmekia, we gave our word that we would bring this man to justice."

Amelia spun around to face Zelgadis. "You destroyed an Elmekian temple?" she asked incredulously.

Zelgadis winced, remembering the day clearly. He'd been looking for his cure there and had been in an extremely bad mood once he found that his search had again been fruitless. "If it's any consolation, I hadn't planned on doing it." He inwardly cursed his temper.

Amelia continued to stare at Zelgadis. _He's so hell-bent on finding a cure._ After a few moments, she took in a deep breath and let it out in a huff. She had no idea what to do.

"Amelia," her father began worriedly. "You shouldn't be near him...he's dangerous."

_Oh, for heaven's sake!_ She turned a bit so she could see both Zelgadis and Phil. "Daddy, he's not dangerous. I've been traveling with him for months!"

"You've been with him for months? By yourselves?" he asked, suddenly alarmed for his daughter's safety.

"Well, no. That's why we came here...but nevermind that now." She shook her head. _I've got to get this arrest thing settled before I bring up anything else. _She saw Phil give the guards a slight nod, and they once again advanced. She ran quickly to Zelgadis, ignoring her father's protest, and threw her arms around his neck. Making sure no one else could overhear her, she whispered, "I'll get you out, Zel. Just don't do anything rash, okay?"

Zelgadis, darting his eyes quickly from her father to Amelia, gently put his hands on her back. "Alright, princess. Don't make me wait too long." He knew that if she were planning on getting him out in a civil and legal manner, he probably shouldn't make matters worse by attempting a jail break. He looked down at her and noticed her nerves looked like they were about to fry, so he gave a small smile. "It'll be fine. We'll fix this."

She nodded slightly and leaned back down, stepping back to allow the guards to chain his wrists. He allowed himself to be led to the castle without protest. Amelia watched sadly as he disappeared. _Well. Welcome home, Amelia._ Giving her father a final glare, she walked inside and made her way up to her room to think.

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"I want to see Zelgadis, the man that was brought in today," Amelia stiffly told the officer who was keeping watch that night.

He gave her a strange look in reponse. The prince's daughter was not notorious for visiting criminals. "Forgive me, Princess, but may I inquire as to the reason for this visit?"  
"You may not," she answered bluntly. _I am, after all, royalty. I shouldn't have to explain myself to a guard._

The officer nodded, quickly realizing it was not his place to question her. "Follow me." He turned around, fished out the keys, and unlocked the large wooden door that lead to the dungeons.

Amelia stepped through behind him and peered around. They were in a long hall of roughly seventy feet. Nothing occupied the room except a few dusty paintings that were poorly illuminated by about twenty candles nestled in sconces along the two longer walls. The room immediately gave Amelia an uneasy, forboding feeling. I am going to strangle Zelgadis for making me come here. The two walked silently through the room until they reached another door, which the guard easily opened. Leaning around the officer, Amelia saw a stone staircase, also lit with candles, winding down to a lower floor. Upon descending to the bottom, Amelia gazed down the new hall; it was lined by numerous cells, obviously for the criminals. The cells, she saw, were separated by stone walls but were enclosed by black metal gates, unfortunately allowing the current inhabitants to stare avidly at the princess as they passed by. She dared a glance at one man but quickly looked forward, not at all pleased with the fact he seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. She shivered, despite the fact that she was sweating profusely. _Are we ever going to get to Zel?_

The guard sensed her unease and spoke up. "They were afraid he would try to harm the other prisoners, so he was locked in the back."

Amelia bit back her sarcastic response and settled, instead, for rolling her eyes. They finally arrived at his cell, and Amelia nearly gasped. Zelgadis was sitting on his bed, staring solemnly at the floor. The heat of the underground room had drove him to discard his shirt, and sweat was running down his neck and chest. The candles' flames that meagerly lit the room danced across him, making him seem much more mysterious and imposing than before. She also saw that his wrists were still chained together, though he had about two feet of slack between them. He looked up and, upon seeing Amelia, he gave a slight smile, which looked more a smirk in the flickering candlelight. Amelia swallowed. _God, he looks..._ She saw him stand up and walk gracefully toward her._ Delicious._

"Hey," he said, breaking the silence.

The officer looked taken aback. "You will address her as 'Princess'," he told Zelgadis condescendingly. After all, he was a common criminal.

Amelia bit her bottom lip, trying desperately to keep from smiling. Little did he know that Zelgadis usually called her that, though using the term more of an endearment than an actual title. Zelgadis saw her hidden smile and smirked.

Amelia turned to the guard and said, "You may let me in now."

He very nearly fell over. "L-let you in? With him?" He threw a glance toward the chimera, quickly looking incredulously back at Amelia.

Amelia sighed dramatically. "Yes, with him. I'm not asking again," she stated, tired of this whole mess. It was so stuffy in there, she thought she might pass out at any second.

The guard slowly, reluctantly pulled the keys out of his pocket. It seemed he'd rather be doing anything other than what she was requesting. He thought of what Prince Phil would do to him if he found out. He placed the key in the lock and looked up at Zelgadis. "Move to the back of the cell," he ordered. Once he was satisfied, he unlocked and opened the gate.

Amelia quickly walked through. _It's about time._ She turned to the guard, thoroughly annoyed. "Could we have some privacy?"

"Princess! I couldn't possibly leave with the gate unlocked. I would lose my job!"

"Well, then. Lock it back." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zelgadis holding back laughter. She began to get grumpier. "I'll let you know when to come get me."

The guard was beginning to think the young princess had lost her mind. Seeing that this would be a losing battle, he grudgingly locked the gate and walked to the bottom of the staircase.

Amelia quickly turned to face Zelgadis, who was no longer able to contain his laughter. "And just what is so funny about all of this?" Her previous mental image of strangling him was looking more satisfying by the minute.

Chuckling, Zelgadis answered, "You'd think I was a mass murderer!"

"Well, for all he knew, you are one. He's a night watchman; he has no idea why you're here." Amelia sat down on the bed in a huff. "If I known how much trouble visiting you would have been, I would have thought twice about it."

"Oh, you don't mean that, princess," he said good-naturedly, sitting down beside her. "You wouldn't have been able to live yourself, knowing how miserable I must be." He leaned back against the wall, lazily looking up the ceiling.

At that, she actually looked around at the bare chamber. The ground was extremely dirty, and the lumpy bed that they were on was the only piece of furniture. She noted that his sword was missing. "They took your sword?"

Zelgadis grimaced. "Yeah, it's common to search a criminal before locking him up. Looking for weapons and talismen and the like." _And amulets, _he thought angrily. He didn't know why, but not having that blue amulet unnerved him. He'd felt strangely vulnerable ever since they'd taken it.

She glanced at his chained wrists and looked at his face. "Is it really that bad in here?" she asked, a tone of worry in her voice.  
Zelgadis tilted his head to look at her. "Well, I'm not jumping for joy, but it's easier knowing that I'm not going to be here for long. Speaking of, did you talk to your father?"

Amelia let out a frustrated groan and stood up, pacing. "Yes, but I can't get through to him...no matter what I say. Loyalty between kingdoms isn't something he's going to easily give up," she said glumly. She stopped for a moment to gauge his reaction.

He thought for moment. "Well," he began quietly. "If it comes down to it, I can get out of here whenever I want."

Amelia sighed. "Yeah, I know that. I just wanted..." Her voice trailed off.

Zelgadis gave a small smile. "I know." He stood up to walk towards the gated opening, his shoulder brushing hers as he passed. The brief contact sent a spark through him, causing him to involuntarily shiver. _God, I wish I wasn't so attracted to her._ He reached up to grip the metal bars that caged him in.

She looked over at him, worried. She was about to speak when she noticed a mark on his lower back. She squinted, attempting to find out what it was. "Zel?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"There's something on your back," she started. "Looks like...a bruise." Amelia looked at him questioningly. _I didn't even know he _could_ get a bruise._

He released his hold on the bars and looked over his shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of the wound. "Oh, yeah. I guess I got it during my scuffle with that bird," he said.

Amelia raised her line of vision to his face. "Does that...happen often?"

He thought to himself before answering. "Not really. Why?"

"Well," she began thoughtfully. "I've never seen a bruise on you before. How do you get bruised with skin made of rock?"

He paced around her as he answered. "The rocks are a part of my skin. The only way to bruise me would be for a stone to be...ripped off my body."

Amelia winced. "God...that sounds awful." She watched him until he came to a stop at the back of the cell. "How often does that happen?"

He looked away and slowly answered, "Almost never." He wouldn't allow himself to tell her about when he had first received his body of stone...how his contempt had driven him to drastic measures. He brought his gaze back to her. "Why do you ask?"  
She gave a defeated sigh. "I don't know. I just hope it isn't a sign."

"A sign of what?" he asked curiously.

At that, Amelia looked directly into his eyes. "Trouble."

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Once again, the dark-haired man had everything in place. He was determined to succeed this time. He poured a vial of dark red powder into his hand and closed his eyes. He opened his mouth, and as he spoke, he slowly poured the powder in a circle around the stone on the table before him.

"Bringer of terror...collector of lost souls, let the darkness come forth and cause misery to rain. Free the chaos within." So he chanted quietly to himself, repeating the spell again and again. Finally, after the fifth time, he held his hands over the stone. A brilliant glow suddenly appeared, illuminating the stone and causing it to glow as well. The man opened his eyes and spoke the final words. "Let the devil inside be unleashed."

A flash encompassed the entire room, and the man felt a surge of power radiate through him. Nothing could have stopped the terrifying grin that spread across his face.

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"Trouble."

Zelgadis met her worried gaze. "Amelia, there's no reason to think" He was suddenly silenced as a tremor of blinding pain coursed through his body. He fell to his knees, groaning and clutching his head. _What.._? He felt as if a part of him was slipping away. He opened his eyes and stared at the ground in horror. _Oh, God._

"Zelgadis!" Amelia quickly ran toward him but instantly saw him lift his arm, as if to stop her. "What's happening? Are you okay?"

"Amelia, you have to get out of here." The pain was still too great for him to move. How is this happening?

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Zel, what's wrong?"

"Leave, Amelia. Before it's tooah!" Another wave of agony rushed through him. He knew that he was rapidly losing control. He fell forward, clawing at the ground.

Tears formed in Amelia's eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Please, tell me what's wrong! I don't know what to do!" she begged desperately. She slowly moved closer and reached out to touch his shoulder.  
As soon as her fingers grazed his skin, Zelgadis sprung up and spun around to face her. She gave a startled cry. Without warning, he grabbed her shoulders, closed the distance between them, and crushed her lips with his own.

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Muahaha! I know. I'm evil. :grins impishly:


	7. Cat and Mouse

Author's note: Once again, I apologize for the unforgivably long time between chapters. I really wasn't sure when I'd have another chance to write on it, but a few days ago, I started re-reading Crush and looked at all my reviews. You guys are seriously the best inspiration. I just couldn't help but start writing again. So, this chapter is dedicated to each and every one of my reviewers. I heart you all.

Oh, and considering it's been so long since I last updated, I recommend re-reading the previous chapters (especially the dream sequence in chapter three) before diving into this one. Hope you enjoy yourselves!

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**Crush : Cat and Mouse**

All rational thought flew out of Amelia's head as soon as she felt Zelgadis's lips on hers. Even though she knew that something was very wrong, she couldn't stop her hands from reaching up and clinging to his shoulders. She eagerly kissed him back and dimly noticed a new, strange taste. She was completely oblivious to the fact that Zelgadis was steering her backward as they kissed. Oblivious, that is, until she felt the cool wall against her back. The sensation brought her back to reality.

Pushing Zelgadis away, Amelia gasped for much needed breath. "Zel, what..?"

Zelgadis brought a finger up to her lips. "Shhh, princess," he whispered huskily. He moved his lips back to hers, more gently this time. The taste was stronger. He brought a hand up and ran it through her hair, seemingly trying to pacify her.

Amelia couldn't ignore the warnings going off in her head. It was only last night that Zelgadis had told her that they couldn't be together. _And now he's kissing me? _She couldn't make sense of anything. Wanting to get some answers, she tried to push him away again. Unfortunately, this only seemed to aggravate Zelgadis. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat. He grabbed her by the shoulders, lifted her up, and held her against the wall.

Amelia's cry of surprise was caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes. In all the time that she had known Zelgadis, she had never been truly afraid of him. Until now. In his eyes, she noticed a depraved hunger that she'd never seen before. _Oh, my god. _She looked more closely and saw that a thin, faint amber ring now encircled his pupils.

"Zelgadis?" she asked nervously, hoping that her senses were mistaken.

In response, he leaned forward to nuzzle her neck, slowly kissing just below her ear and working his way down to her shoulder. Amelia sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. _How could..I don't understand...I have to be wrong. _He smirked against her skin when he heard her softly gasp.

"Princess?"

Amelia's eyes snapped open, and Zelgadis lifted his head in annoyance. Their gaze drifted towards the hallway, where the voice had originated. Suddenly, Amelia's eyes widened. _The guard! _She brought her hands up to Zelgadis's shoulders, attempting to push him away.

"Zel! Let me down!" she whispered frantically, her fear of getting caught outweighing her previous fear of him. "He can't see us like this!"

Amused, Zelgadis looked down at the struggling girl in his grasp. "Why not, princess?" he asked teasingly.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed quietly. "Put me"

He silenced her as his lips descended on hers once more. However, as he kissed, he slowly lowered her until her feet touched the ground again. Breaking the kiss, the chimera stepped away just as the guard timidly peeked around the corner.

"Princess?" he repeated hesitantly. "I heard something a moment ago..." His voice trailed off as he took in the scene before him. The princess's hair was in disarray, and her skin was flushed to the same shade of pink as her tank top. The prisoner looked as if he wanted to murder him. The guard swallowed and spoke to Amelia. "Is everything okay?"

Amelia barely registered the question. She was still staring at Zelgadis in a complete daze, a number of different emotions running through her. After a few moments, though, she realized that she had been spoken to. She tried to blink away her confusion and glanced over at the guard.

"Yeah. Everything's..." She looked back at Zelgadis, who met her gaze. "Fine."

The guard nodded in response. "Are you ready to return to the castle?" he asked hopefully.

As soon as the question left his lips, Amelia saw Zelgadis's body slightly tense up. He looked back at the guard, his expression hostile. At that, Amelia's earlier fear washed over her. Something was very wrong with her friend. She hesitated, not knowing what Zelgadis might do if she tried to walk away. _I have to find out for sure. _

"Not yet," she told the guard. "Just give me a few more minutes."

Deflated, he answered, "Yes, Princess." Throwing a final suspicious glance to Zelgadis, the guard returned to his previous post.

Once he was gone, Amelia returned her attention back to Zelgadis. Afraid that he might try something, she lifted her arm to keep some distance between them. He merely watched her with a slight smile.

"I want to know what's going on," she told him, trying to keep her voice level.

He kept his attention on her and paced around the cell, knowing that his movement was unnerving her. "What do you mean?"

She watched the chimera carefully. "What happened to you earlier?" she clarified.

"Oh, that?" he responded casually. "Just a headache."

More than anything, his cavalier attitude unsettled Amelia. She had wanted to hear that this was all an insane joke. She bit her bottom lip. _I'm in trouble. _She glanced towards the gated opening, desperately thinking of a way to escape. She looked back at Zelgadis.

"I'm going back to the ca"

Abruptly, he took a step towards her, eliminating the distance between them. He swung the chains that bound his wrists around her back, holding her close to him. Terrified, she tilted her head up to look at him.

"Stay with me."

"Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"Because I want you," he answered silkily.

Amelia's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. She'd been longing to hear those words from him. _Why now? Why like this? _She swallowed, aware that she needed to get away from him.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," she tried again.

He simply stared down at her face, his expression not changing. They stayed that way, looking at each other, as if frozen in time. Suddenly, Amelia took the opportunity to try to catch him off guard. She shoved against him with all her might. However, she wasn't prepared for his reaction. He gave into her push and fell backwards, holding Amelia against him. They landed on the bed, and Zelgadis wasted no time. He quickly rolled them over so that Amelia was pinned underneath him.

The chains under her dug into her back, causing her to wince. Upon seeing her discomfort, Zelgadis moved his arms so that the chains rested on her chest instead. He propped himself on his elbows and held her arms against the bed. Apart from this, he did nothing but look down into Amelia's frightened eyes.

"Please..." she began.

A ghost of a smile formed on his lips. "Please what, princess?" he asked softly.

"Let me go," she answered, trying to keep her voice from wavering. "You don't want to do this."

He tilted his head. "I don't?"

Amelia didn't answer because she had no idea what to say. She settled for barely moving her head from side to side. She gasped when he lowered his head and planted soft kisses along her neck.

"You're wrong," he said, lifting his head again to look at her.

A single tear leaked from her eye and trickled down her face. Zelgadis moved his hand to catch it before it reached her ear. He rubbed the tear between his fingers, as if attempting to understand what it was. He returned his gaze to her face.

"You're afraid of me," he said. It wasn't a question.

She said nothing. Her composure wasn't going to last long; she couldn't take much more.

Swiftly, Zelgadis stood and looked down at the young woman on his bed. He took a few steps back, not averting his gaze. Amelia looked up at him, disbelieving what she was seeing. _He's letting me go? _She slowly sat up, her mind racing. _This is probably just another game to him_. Nevertheless, Amelia didn't waste her opportunity. She shakily stood up and made her way towards the gate.

Clearing her clogged throat with a small cough, she called out to the guard. "I...I'm ready!" She forced herself not to look behind her.

The guard appeared instantly, unlocked the door, and ushered her through the opening. As he locked the gate back, he looked up to find the prisoner staring intensely at Amelia. He then glanced at her and saw that she was staring just as avidly back. He wondered for a moment if they'd forgotten that he was even there.

He cleared his throat to break the spell. "Right this way," he told her as he made his way to the staircase.

Still in a slight daze, she turned to follow him. Before she left, however, she gave the cell one final glance. What she saw made her heart stop. Zelgadis, watching her with a crooked smile, tugged at his chains with tremendous force. They broke instantly and easily. Her eyes widening, she spun around and ran past the guard, who had turned at the sudden noise.

"Princess!" he called out, a bit startled. He hurried to follow her.

It was no use, however, for Amelia had already dashed out of the prison and into the warm, summer night.

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Amelia raced the entire way to the castle, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Her heart pounded in her chest as she hastened up the steps to an upper level of the palace that she called home. She hadn't taken one look behind her since she left the prison. Without stopping, she ran into her room, closed the door, and dropped to her knees. She leaned against the door for support as the tears finally came.

"Zel.." she sobbed to the empty room. _He's..gone. _She fell to the floor, as if she lacked the strength to even sit up.

She lay there for several minutes, grieving her loss and blaming herself. _I should have sensed it sooner...I could've done something. _She cried harder, her thoughts of guilt tearing her to pieces. _What good is being a shrine maiden..if I can't even protect someone?_

After a while, her tears slowed down to a few hiccupping sobs. She carefully stood up and made her way to the bed. She lied down, curling into a fetal position, and fell into a fitful sleep.

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Zelgadis sat on the floor, leaning against the back wall of his cell. His arms rested on his knees, the remnants of the broken chains dangling from his wrists. It had only been a couple hours since Amelia's visit. His heightened senses allowed him to hear footsteps above him. A sly grin spread across his face. He crossed his arms, hiding the fact that the chains had been severed.

After a few minutes, a guard appeared before him. He had a chipped plate with a chunk of bread on it and a small cup which, Zelgadis assumed, held water. He bent down to slip the plate through the thin opening at the bottom of the gate. He looked at the prisoner, who made no signs of movement.

"Supper," he informed. When he received no response, he shrugged and stuck his arm through the bars to place the cup next to the plate.

With superhuman speed, Zelgadis leapt forward and grabbed the guard's arm. The guard gave a startled cry and tried to pull away, but the chimera's grip was too strong. Zelgadis stood up, dragging the guard along with him. He reached his other arm through the gate and clutched the guard's shirt to keep him in place. Upon spotting the ring of keys at the guard's hip, Zelgadis seized them and roughly pulled the guard forward. As his head slammed into a bar, the guard lost consciousness and slid to the ground.

Zelgadis wasted no time. He began trying each key in the lock and was successful on the fourth attempt. He opened the gate and stepped into the hallway, looking down at the motionless guard. It was then that he noticed a smaller set of keys. Bending down, he examined the chains on his wrists. Working quickly, he removed the broken chains and threw both sets of keys on the ground. That task accomplished, he made his down towards the staircase. As he passed by the remaining prisoners, they spoke up.

"Hey, man...let us out!" one called.

"Yeah," another added. "We didn't do nothing to be put in here...nothing much."

Zelgadis stopped and looked at him. "I somehow doubt that," he said apathetically.

"Hey, that was the Princess who came to see you, wasn't it?" A third man stood up and walked to the opening, a lewd sneer on his face.

Zelgadis turned to him, but said nothing.

"She's easy on the eyes, eh?"

Anger flashed across Zelgadis's face, but the prisoner didn't seem to notice.

"I certainly wouldn't kick her outta be"

He lost his voice as Zelgadis's hand shot through the bars and gripped his neck. Coughing and sputtering, he grabbed Zelgadis's arm and tried to force it away. A few seconds passed, but Zelgadis made no sign of stopping. His expression was ruthless, and his entire body exuded malice. Finally, just before the prisoner took his last breath, Zelgadis threw him against the back wall. The man clutched his own throat, breathing heavily, and looked fearfully at Zelgadis.

"You'd never have the chance," Zelgadis retorted with contempt.

He glanced around at the other prisoners, as if daring one to speak. They all had their mouths open, looking at him with a mixture of fright and awe. Seeming to decide that it was time to leave, Zelgadis remained silent as he climbed the stairs and exited the dungeons.

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A light breeze drifted in through the open window of Amelia's bedroom. Suddenly, a figure swung noiselessly in and glanced around the room. Upon seeing the sleeping princess, the intruder smirked and made his way over to her bed. As he neared her, he heard a soft moan escape her lips. He narrowed his enhanced eyes in the darkness and noticed that she was sweating heavily. He stilled at the foot of her bed. After a few moments, she began to toss and turn, faintly murmuring, "No..no..." in her sleep.

Zelgadis watched Amelia with interest. Leaning forward, he gracefully crawled onto her bed and crept up until his entire body covered hers. He easily held himself over her smaller frame, his eyes never leaving her face as her head sporadically rolled from side to side. Amelia's face held a pained expression as she slept. Slowly, Zelgadis lowered himself until his lips grazed hers ever so slightly before pulling his head back.

Amelia was dimly aware of a familiar scent as she drifted awake. A small smile on her lips, she opened her eyes. Her smile faded quickly. "Zelgadis?" she asked in bewilderment_. What is he doing...? _Amelia struggled to remember what had happened before she went to sleep. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization.

Zelgadis looked down at the young woman, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. He saw a myriad of emotions pass across her face in only a few seconds. Happiness...confusion...and fear.

Amelia suddenly became wide awake, noticing that he had her pinned helplessly down...again. She swallowed. "What are you doing here?"

The smirk tugged further. "What do you think?"

Amelia merely bit her bottom lip in response. _Oh, god...this is not good. Why in the world didn't I tell someone...get a guard or something,_ she mentally berated herself.

Zelgadis lowered his head to kiss her again but stopped when he heard her suck in a breath. His face inches away from hers, he remained silent.

Amelia's eyes slid shut. She couldn't do this. _Not again. _She opened her eyes and found that his gaze had not wavered. _That's it._

"Zelgadis," she said as firmly as her nerves would allow.

"Yes, princess?" he answered, unsettlingly calm.

"Please get off me." She forced herself not to blink. "Now."

Zelgadis tilted his head, visibly confused. "Why?"

Slightly encouraged, Amelia's voice became steadier. "Because I asked you to, Zelgadis." She was still reeling from the night's proceedings, but a small drop of hope began to trickle through her mind. _Maybe he's not dangerous...maybe I can figure this out...maybe_

Her thoughts were interrupted by an audible growl emanating from Zelgadis. The moonlight flickered in through Amelia's bedroom window, illuminating his eyes and the amber rings around the pupils. _Maybe not._

However, after a pause, Zelgadis lifted himself off of Amelia and stood up. He backed up slowly, watching her just as he had earlier in the prison cell. Amelia threw back the covers, revealing her pale pink tank top and matching pajama pants. She scurried off the bed, standing on the opposite side as Zelgadis. She took in his appearance, noting that he was still only wearing a pair of black pants. A brief _why me? _flashed through her mind before she attempted to focus on the situation.

A few moments of silence passed before Amelia broke the spell. "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"At the prison," she persisted. "When you..fell over.."

He was quiet, as if in thought. "It felt like a spell."

Amelia lowered her gaze to contemplate his answer. _A spell? But what kind of spell? Possession?_ She looked back up at Zelgadis. "Who...are you?"

His expression remained unreadable. "What's going on, Amelia?"

"That's what I'd like to know," she said softly. "I know that you're not Zelgadis," she continued, more boldly than she'd intended.

"Is that so?" he asked, eyebrows raised playfully. He began walking around the bed.

Amelia's pulse quickened when she saw him move. Backing up slowly, she answered, "Yes. You're not...the man I know." She swallowed as he drew closer. "You're..." Her words evaded her as she bumped into the wall.

Zelgadis closed the distance between them and brought his hands to rest behind her, effectively trapping the young woman. "I'm...what?" he asked.

She looked up him, desperately trying to keep calm. "Different."

He smiled, as if pleased by her answer. "Yes, I'm different," he agreed and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers.

Amelia briefly entertained the idea of just giving in before raising her hands to his chest to push him away. Except to pull his head back, he didn't move.

"What is it?" he inquired, a hint of impatience lacing his words.

Taking in a breath to quell her anxiety, she asked, "Can we just...talk?"

"Talk?" he repeated questioningly.

She gave a small nod. "Yeah, talk." When he didn't appear convinced, she bit her lip nervously. His attention quickly focused on her lips, so she stopped immediately. "Please?"

For a few moments, Zelgadis remained motionless. His expression remained indecipherable as he locked gazes with the princess. Then slowly, as if not to startle her, he lowered his head back down to hers. "Kiss me," he murmured softly.

Amelia's heartbeat was racing. She'd no idea what was running through his mind. No idea if she was getting through to him. She looked into his eyes, irises now ringed with amber. _Is this still Zelgadis?_ she wondered. Tired of being completely in the dark about everything, Amelia summoned every ounce of strength she had left and pushed him away.

Not expecting this, Zelgadis stepped back, his arms falling to his sides. His eyes flashed with emotion, catching Amelia's attention.

"What?" she asked, anger lacing her words. "What are you thinking? What do you want? Who are you!" she practically screamed.

He merely watched her and made no apparent reaction to her little eruption, save a faint smirk that danced across his lips.

Seeing this, Amelia took a deep breath. _I'm getting nowhere. He'll never talk to me. _She glanced at him once more, unwilling to give up. _Time to try a different tactic. _

"What if I call the guards?" she baited. This seemed to elicit a response, as his posture tensed. "What then, Zelgadis?" she added.

When she still received no reply, she took a step towards the door, cautiously keeping an eye on the unpredictable chimera in front of her. Another step. No response. Another. Nothing. Another. As Amelia neared her destination, she reached out for the doorknob. Casting a final glance behind her and finding that Zelgadis still hadn't moved, she twisted the metal sphere.

"Don't," he said, his voice low and fierce.

Amelia paused. "Don't what?"

Swiftly, he closed the distance between them. So quickly that she had no time to register, Zelgadis pushed her against the door and pinned her arms over head. "Don't leave," he answered darkly.

"Why not?" she asked, almost playfully. By now, adrenaline coursed through her veins, clouding her judgement and senses. "You want to hurt me, don't you?"

Her words seemed to have a strange effect on him. His grip on her arms lessened, and he cocked his head to side curiously. Amelia had no idea what to make of his reaction. He appeared to be lost in his thoughts, as if trying to remember something important. Finally, he seemed to snap out of his daydream and looked down at her.

"Never," he answered, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

Amelia blinked, confused by his reaction and somewhat surprised by his response. "You don't want to hurt me?"

"No."

"Then...why are you doing this?" She gestured to their position, him holding her captive against her door.

He appeared to think for a moment before asking, "Am I hurting you?"

"What?" she asked, caught off guard by his question.

Changing his grip so that he could hold both her wrists with one hand, he brought the other down to cup her cheek, rubbing his thumb lightly against her jawline. He lowered his lips to her neck, planting feather-soft kisses. "Does this hurt?" he rephrased.

Amelia sucked in a breath as he continued to nuzzle her neck. _God, this feels... _Closing her eyes, she struggled to get her thoughts into some semblance of order. _He's so different, and yet there still seems to be..._ A gasp cut into her thought process as Zelgadis nipped at her earlobe. _How am I supposed to think clearly like this?_

"Zelgadis," she said, rather breathlessly.

"Mmm?"

"Please...stop," she answered, her words and thoughts clashing with each other. _Oh, god...don't stop._

Zelgadis pressed his lips against her skin again, and the princess had a sudden fear that the chimera might have the sudden ability to read her mind. However, he finally ceased, releasing her arms and taking a step back.

Amelia opened her eyes, feeling a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. "Thank you," she said shakily. He said nothing in response. _What a shock_. Taking a deep breath, she plowed ahead. "Okay. I...I want to talk to you."

Amelia stepped towards the table and, looking at Zelgadis, noticed that he wasn't following. Against her better judgement, she reached out a hand, palm upward. He looked at the proffered hand for a few moments before slowly taking it and allowing her to lead him to the table.

"Okay," she said again. "Um...sit down." She gestured towards a chair, mentally crossing her fingers. Surprisingly, he complied.

_Well, that was easy. _She moved to sit in the remaining chair but was stopped. Looking down, she noticed that their hands were still entwined, and he didn't seem particularly keen on letting go.

"Uh.." she began. Her words drifted off as he tugged her closer until she found herself standing between his legs. Fighting the blush that was creeping over her face, Amelia looked at Zelgadis, somewhat surprised that, even sitting down, he was almost as tall as herself.

He gazed up at her, reaching out to touch her hair. When her eyes began to close, he wrapped his hand behind her neck and tenderly dragged her down to him. Their lips met, and the princess momentarily abandoned her plan of uncovering the truth. Bringing her free hand up, she buried it in his hair as, kiss after kiss, she melted closer and closer into his body. Untangling their hands, Zelgadis splayed his palm across her lower back. Entire minutes passed as the princess and chimera kissed, their lips molding against each other again and again. Quiet moans filled the room.

Suddenly, as if coming to her senses, Amelia broke the kiss and forcibly stepped away. They were both breathing heavily._ Oh, my god...I don't know if I can do this. _Looking at him, her knees nearly buckled at the obvious desire flaring in his eyes. She did the only thing she could think of to do; she sat down.

Zelgadis watched her. "Why do you do it?" he asked softly.

Amelia frowned, confused. "Do what?"

"Deny yourself."

She sighed, fiddling with her fingers. "I...I just want..to understand this," she answered awkwardly. Taking a deep breath, she added more firmly, "I _need_ to understand."

He seemed to contemplate her response as his gaze dropped to her fidgeting hands.

"Zelgadis," she started. When she knew she had his attention, she continued. "Who...what has happened to you? You've...changed," she said, feeling silly for saying something so obvious.

He was quiet for a while. "I don't know," he said finally. "I felt...trapped before."

Hoping that she was making progress, Amelia asked, "So...what do you feel now?"

A dangerous grin worked its way across his lips. "Free."

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End file.

Slayers, Drama, Romance