CIRCLES
CHAPTER 5
by Elizabeth Smith

*Zel-Lina Shrine: fan fics* e-mail author* credits*

The restaurant was a mess. However usual after a meal with the Slayers gang that may be, Lina hadn't been there this time. Zel and Lina stopped in amazement at the mess in front of them.
Zel recovered first. He jumped for the nearest frightened rabbit of a waitress and was ready to yell in her face when he thought better of it. It would probably only make her blubber more. He'd had enough of Amelia for that. But crying women really weren't his forte. He glanced to Lina for help.
Not that she was likely to help. She was probably just as short on straws as he was, so...he couldn't really blame her.
But to his total surprise, Lina calmly walked over to the girl and started soothing her with soft, comforting words. After a little while, the waitress calmed down enough to inform them a large, dark figure had come in, ripped the place apart and had left the establishment entirely Gourry and Amelia deprived. Details were extremely vague, she had been scared out of her mind. The establishment was known for being in the middle of nowhere, it rarely even got a brawl. No one was used to heavy-duty magics.
Zel and Lina slowly walked away from the diner. It was silence for a while, then,
"I can't believe it. I feel so guilty."
Zel shook his head. He'd been expecting this one. "I think you had nothing to do with it."
"If I had been there--"
Zel sighed. "I'm pretty sure this was planned. What better way to defeat us than to split us up and take us out individually? They would have found a chance no matter what happened, and we weren't ready, so they could have picked any time."
She smiled up at him. "How come you always know exactly what to say, Zel?"
He grinned, faking pride. "When it comes to human weaknesses, I'm an expert." He quoted. (Author's note: If ya really wanna know where the quote came from, read Battle angel Alita, Angel's Ascension, I think it was.)
She smiled. "Hm?" She stopped. "Do you notice it, too?"
He paused. "I don't believe it."
"They couldn't be stupid enough to leave a trail of sapped magic, could they?"
"Apparently. But..."
"It could be a trap."
"In all probability."
"Do we follow it anyway?"
"Do we have a choice?"
She shrugged. "Not really."

* * *
"Mouuuuu, this goes on for miles!" Lina complained, getting into her food. "I hate this! How long are we going to follow them?"
"Until we catch them." Zel replied, sipping his coffee.
Lina sighed heavily, then attacked the food with gusto. Zel smiled behind his coffee cup. Funny, she wasn't as...vicious with her food when not battling Gourry for it. But she could still tuck it away at paranormal speeds. He watched with amusement as a waiter filled her glass with something out of a bottle.
Then he saw the label.
"Lina, don't drink that!" He yelped, jumping to his feet.
Too late. She'd already finished half the - Zel covered his eyes - huge tankard. Full of an extremely alcoholic beverage. "Shit." He said politely and paid the bill.
"Zel? What?" Lina asked, a flush already coming to her cheeks.
Zel sighed. Not good. Not good not good not good. The last thing he needed on his hands right now was a drunken Lina. "That was Jestian Wine. Very, very alcoholic. Not as much as your hometown, but..." He shrugged. "Within five minutes you will be drunk off your, to put it bluntly, ass."
Lina stopped short. "Oh. Oh shit." Then giggled. And hiccuped. Zel prayed for help, then raywinged the hell out of there. Preferably out of dragu slaving distance.
* * *
Zel landed in the forest and set Lina gently down on a log. Funny, she wasn't acting like he thought she would.
He'd expected her to be more greedy, temperamental...he'd expected her to get, well, drunk. But she was acting more as if...as if the barriers that she had worked so hard to put up over the years were....
All coming down. She was acting more emotional, not just temperamental, and...
Well, Zel certainly knew what it felt like to have those walls come crashing down.
"Zel?" A slightly slurred voice yanked him back from la-la land. "I think I'm drunk." Such a grasp on the obvious, he thought. She paused. "Ya know what? Ye know what ye know what ye know..." She trailed off. "It wasn't Gourry not being right for me. Nononono. Well, yes. But...I wouldn't have just broken it off with him for that reason. I'm not that brave. I could have lived with him." She smiled at a tree as if it would smile back. Zel's thoughts stopped in their tracks.
"What?" He said intelligently.
"I was in love with someone. Else. An'..an'....no matter how hard I tried, I kept thinkin' bout him an' not bout Gourry. I didn't wanna do that t' Gourry. Y'know?" She blinked sleepily, pulling her red, unruly hair out of her face. She blew at the strands making their way across her face, and grinned.
"Who?" Zel asked, curious in spite of himself. Probably someone from her hometown...
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" She grinned at him, "I'll tell you about him...but I don't think you'll recognize him. Maybe you don't even realize he exists." She looked thoughtful.
"I've known him for a really long time, but it seems like longer. He's intelligent, always looking for answers. He's kind, caring. He thinks of others, but doesn't notice it. He thinks he's strong, has a heart of iron, but it's really glass, shattering, cracking into a million pieces. He's strong, he's beautiful. More beautiful than you could ever imagine. As they say, his face could launch a thousand ships. Not all female." She grinned ruefully. "But he doesn't believe it. He thinks he's hideous." She looked sad. "He...he thinks he's the most repulsive, hateful thing to walk the face of this earth."
"I takes a certain kind of idiot to do that." Zel said, wondering why he was suddenly so jealous. Jealous? Of a man he'd never met? "It's probably all an act, anyway. You know, the 'I'm in angst' thing that drives girls crazy."
She looked at him. "You'd be surprised. It does seem to drive girls crazy, but it's not an act. He honestly believes it." She sat back, staring at the moon.
"He's different, so people are afraid of him. He's been so hurt..." She sighed.
"I never had the guts to tell him."
Zel grabbed the reins of his emotions and yanked hard. What was with him today? Lina was the best friend he'd ever had. Or probably ever would. Loyal the trustworthy. She deserved to be happy. And she was head over heels for this guy, it seemed. If he planned on hurting her, a nice talk with big brother Gourry and dear friend Zel would set him straight. If it didn't kill him. Zel had to grin at that thought. "Why not?"
"Well..." She kicked her heels on the log like a child. She was so cute when-whoa boy! Settle down! "Did you know, when I was little, I never got a card on Valentines day? Even if the teacher at school said you had to give them to everybody. No boys ever so much as looked at me." She smiled sadly. "I realize now that it was because Nee-chan would dragu slave them if they ever did, but...It's ingrained. I know intellectually, but...deep down inside, you really believe it, you know?" She shrugged.
Zel clenched his teeth. He had to be there for her. He'd promised. If this was what she wanted... "Then you should tell him."
"Hm?" She looked up at him.
"I'm sure that anyone would have to be a complete fool not to realize what an unimaginable treasure you truly are, Lina." And if they don't, I get to be the first to blow them up, ne?" He finished, attempting humor.
She smiled at him. Was it getting warm? "Maybe I will. But not right now." She stood up, and looked around the clearing. "Let's camp here. I don't want to be cooped up inside today."
He shrugged. "I'm going to take a bath. You set up, okay?"
She smiled and nodded. "Enjoy!" She called after him.
* * *
"Enjoy." He grumbled, lowering himself into the nicely fireballed water. It helped ease the tension in his back. "Of course." He sighed.
"Why am I so jealous?" He asked himself. It wasn't as though he was in love with her himself, or anything.
Was he?
He sat back to consider this. Zelgadis always prided himself on being logical. Okay, he told himself. You're going to logically think this through. He hated not knowing things, especially if they were about him.
Now that he thought about it, his stomach always did seem to tighten when she struck a pose, or flipped her hair in that oh so arrogant way. He always wanted to brush those curls back that were constantly falling into her face around her headband.
She was the only one who actually, really saw through the stone he was encased in. She was powerful, intelligent, temperamental. Never let anyone tell her what to do. Power to back up that temper.
But...she said he was beautiful. A little voice inside said. She called him beautiful beyond your imagination. How could you compare to that?
He ignored the voice.
Well, it would certainly explain his discomfort around Lina and Gourry.
And his hatred of the wedding.
Beautiful...the voice whispered teasingly. Beautiful. Thoughtful. Kind. Caring. How could you compare?
He probably wasn't. It was probably only an act by a total narcissist. Undoubtedly a stuck up actor.
The voice chuckled. Do you really believe that? Laughter. Beautiful. Intelligent. Kind. The perfect match for the infamous Lina Inverse. How could you even compare? Ever?
Zel hunched down over the water, Salt of his tears mingling with the water.

*next chapter*

CREDITS

  • "The Slayers" is the product of Software Sculptors, Tokyo TV, Enoki Films Co., Ltd., Monthly Dragon Magazine, Weekly Comic Dragon, Fujimi Books, Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, and Kadokawa Publishing Co., Ltd.