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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