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Red = Lina's thoughts
Blue = Zel's thoughts
Lina Inverse looked up at the sky, sighing. It was her turn to watch at night and the others had gone to sleep some hours ago. All that was left of the fire was smoldering embers, which cast strange shadows everywhere. Gourry was snoring softly, lying on his side and Amelia lay curled up in a ball. muttering something about 'justice' in her sleep. Lina rolled her eyes. That was all Amelia ever thought about. Peace, love and justice. Lina tore her eyes away from the two sleeping figures and studied the sky once more. She didn't need to see Zel to know how he looked in sleep. He would be tense and rigid, with a tormented look on his face. He's not even at peace when he's asleep. She thought. He would be leaving to find his cure soon, or rather, chasing another rumor of one. Even though he hadn't said anything to them, Lina knew. Gourry may be too dense to realize, and Amelia too busy agreeing with everything Zel said, but the petite sorceress noticed. Zel would withdraw himself from them even more, and speak even less than usual, and for him, that wasn't much. Zelgadiss didn't leave often, thank the gods, but when he did, it tore her apart. I wish I could just tell him how much he hurts me every time he leaves. Would he still leave? All of a sudden, she realized she was crying. The tears rolled down her cheeks, unchecked. Why am I crying?! I'm Lina Inverse, the great sorceress, who never breaks down like this! she scolded herself, mentally. What am I even crying for, anyway? She sat there for a while, trying to wipe the tear stains from her eyes. Maybe I should go wash my face at the creek...Soon she'd have to wake Zelgadiss for his watch (not that she'd need to) and there was no way she was telling Zel that she'd been crying. Nor anyone else for that matter. Quietly, Lina got up and began to creep in the opposite direction to her sleeping friends. Casting one last glance around, Lina realized something. Where was Zel? Hey! Why should I be worrying....he can take care of himself! Zel could be up in a tree, asleep, for all she cared! Up ahead, Lina could hear the creek they had camped near. This area the group had picked was pretty uninhabited. At least I'll be able to wash my face in peace! Tripping on a stone, she swore and stumbled on in the dark. She started to murmur a light spell, then stopped herself mid-way. What was the point anyway. She'd only have to get used to the dark again, and it'd drain her energy. "I hate the dark" she muttered. She stumbled again and fell into something warm and hard. Struggling, she tried to get up, but something grabbed her, and something cold was pressed against her throat from behind. Lina ceased fighting. "Don't move if you wish to live" a voice hissed near hear ear. Lina started. She'd know that voice anywhere! "Zel?" she turned around. "Lina??" an equally shocked Zel replied. As her eyes adjusted , Lina could make out his startled face. Then...where..?? She blushed when she realized she was sitting in his lap. He quickly withdrew the dagger and sheathed it. "What were you doing?" he asked quietly. She fumbled for words. "I....was....umm..." Zel, who was normally patient, cut her off. "Lina, what's wrong? You've been crying." Suddenly she was defensive. "No I wasn't! I was........" "You may fool Gourry, Lina, but you don't fool me." he informed her. Then she heard Zel say something totally unlike him. "Please, Lina. Has someone hurt you, what is it?" Zel was worried about her? She stared at him a minute before answering. " You're leaving again, aren't you?" It was more like a statement than a question. "I will be leaving soon, yes." he nodded. "Damn it Zel! Why do you always do this!" Lina burst out angrily. Zel looked surprised. "I'll be back, if that's what you're worried about." She looked hurt for a moment, then lost all self-control and buried her face into his shoulder. Zel's muscle's tensed and he cleared his throat. Is she crying? Never in his life had he seen Lina cry or show any sign of what she thought was weakness. He knew she had emotions, but she rarely showed hurt or sadness. She had learned to mask her emotions nearly as well as he had. Gently, he lifted her chin until her eyes were level with his. Tears had streaked down the petite sorceress's face, almost breaking his heart. He reached out a hand and carefully wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't you want me to go?" Are you afraid something might happen? "Every time you leave, Zel, a part of me dies. I'm afraid one day there'll be nothing left. I hurt Lina by....leaving? Suddenly Lina reached out and touched his face. Out of instinct, Zel moved away, but Lina's hand still rested on his cheek. "Zel, you're not a freak, no matter what anyone says. You're beautiful" Lina stressed. I'm...not a freak. But..... "But...." Zel started. No-one was more surprised than Lina when she leaned forward and kissed him, silencing his protests. Slowly Zel relaxed and felt himself respond, wrapping his arms around the sorceress' waist, kissing her deeply. Eventually they pulled apart, blushing brightly. "I love you, you know." Lina breathed. "Why didn't you tell me how tell me how you felt?" the chimera whispered in her ear and hugging her tightly. "I didn't think you'd love me, Zel.....I'm a flat-chested little girl who......." Lina rattled on, nervously. The shamanist put a finger to her lips and looked into her eyes. You fear rejection, is that it? Out loud he said "I love you more". And smiled.
