DANCE IN THE DARK

Yay, I can finally upload this! I already had this idea working in my head, so when a Slayers Secret Santa came around I knew I had to finish it for fellow ZA fan, Piku-chan!

Enjoy!

Baby loves to dance in the dark,
'Cause when he's lookin' she falls apart.
Baby loves to dance in the dark.

He could never explain in words how he always ended up right back by her side, without fail. It was as if she drew him to her, like a moth to a flame. Her very essence attracted him to her almost from the moment they met, and it continued to do so.

"I just need to know you're still alive out there, so please write to me this time. Because we're friends, right?" The princess smiled up at the taller figure hovering awkwardly over her, with one hand on her shoulder in what he thought was a nice gesture of closeness.

"Right. I'll try. Anyway, I'll be going now." He removed his hand and shot one last glance over his shoulder at the small girl waving wildly at him as he walked away.

That had been the second time he left her, after getting closer than he ever thought was possible. It was after the big fight with Phibrizzo, when he had held her in his arms while her life was sucked from her body...

Zelgadis Greywords gave a small shudder at the memory. He knew he was not the easiest man to get to know. Frankly, most people didn't even bother. But now he had a handful of friends and comrades he kept close to his heart, so he was already doing better than back when he had first been betrayed.

He has been raised by his great-grandfather, a well respected healer and mage. A great wise man who wandered around the continent providing aid to those in need. All except his own flesh and blood, of course. For Zelgadis, he provided nothing but pain and suffering.

Because it was his great-grandfather who had turned him into a chimera, and set Zelgadis on a spiraling path of self-loathing and doubt that had followed him for more years than he cared to remember.

He remembered Amelia's big blue eyes when he had left the third time. They had just fought against Dark Star, a being on par with Ruby Eye Shabranigdo, and survived.

They were back in Seyruun, because he had gone so far as to escort her home before returning to his search. The never ending search for a cure that would return him to his normal human body.

They had snuck up to her large room; more like an apartment, really, because Amelia had said she needed to talk to him about something.

Suspicion was a feeling Zelgadis knew well, so Amelia's strange behavior and obvious ruse immediately sent up red flags...but what the hell, he went along with it.

When they got to her room, Amelia closed and locked the door behind them and proceeded to assault her chimera companion.

"Whoa, Amelia!" Zelgadis had protested as the short princess practically climbed him to capture his lips in a kiss. "What are you doing?!"

Amelia's look had been very serious. "Zelgadis-san, I care about you very much. You came back to Seyruun with me, and I want you to stay. I...I love you."

On the last words, her cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink, but her eyes were determined.

Zelgadis felt his own face heating up and hoped it wasn't as noticeable.

"Amelia...I don't know what to say," he finally managed to mumble.

"Say you'll stay with me," Amelia stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It was such an innocent request, and he could feel the love in her words. But what she didn't seem to understand was that the one thing that kept him sheltered from most people, and what kept him from being able to stay with her, was his stone body.

But as he looked into her eyes and saw the hint of fear there...the fear of rejection, no doubt...he found he couldn't say goodbye. He couldn't do the one thing he knew he had to do to protect her from his messed up life.

Because she made him feel more human than he had in years

So for the first time in his life, Zelgadis threw caution to the wind. He let his inhibitions go, and shoved his doubts aside. His brain was shouting at him that it made no sense for a beautiful princess to be in love with a hideous thing like him, but his heart was telling his brain to shut the hell up and enjoy it.

He leaned down and began kissing the short girl, somewhat awkwardly at first, but then with more passion.

Amelia's enthusiasm was obvious, because she pushed herself up against him with such force that they both fell to the soft rug on the floor of the sitting room. Zelgadis' brain continued to fire warnings about how out in the open they were, how they were right by the door, and how they should stop...but he chose to ignore them.

They slept the night away in each other's arms, cuddled on the rug in front of a blazing fire.

Their innocence and inexperience in love didn't matter, because for the first time in a long time, Zelgadis found himself feeling happy.

After a night of bliss spent with the small girl in his arms, it seemed only fitting that his happiness would be short lived.

As the morning sun crept into the room, dousing the princess and the chimera with its light, they both awoke and smiled sheepishly at each other. Amelia made a move to embrace Zelgadis in a morning hug, but stopped suddenly as a gasp of pain escaped between her teeth.

"Amelia, what's wrong?" Zelgadis shot straight up and grabbed Amelia as she nearly fainted into his arms.

"I'm...not sure," she said, clinging to him. "I just hurt all over, I can barely move."

It was then that Zelgadis noticed the bruises and scratches all over her body. Dark purple spots were beginning to form on her bare arms and throat, and he noticed scratches around her cheeks, mouth and shoulders.

All the places he had touched and kissed her.

It was then that reality came back to Zelgadis and he realized he had been a stupid, selfish fool. As usual. His worst personality traits always seemed to be getting him into trouble, and hurting other people.

The chimera jumped up and grabbed his things, not looking at Amelia.

"Zelgadis-san," the princess said, alarmed. "What's wrong, where are you going?!"

With a sigh, he turned and placed a hand gently on her cheek. So gently he was barely touching her skin at all.

"Amelia, I have never had the courage to tell you until now, but I love you. Seeing you like this makes me want to kill myself," he held up a hand against her immediate protest, "It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, the worst thing a person can ever do is hurt the one they love, and I've hurt you terribly. I was thoughtless last night. I wanted...to feel human, I guess, and I didn't even stop to consider the consequences of my actions. Now you're laying there practically in traction, all because of me."

Amelia looked beside herself with a dozen different emotions before proclaiming, "But neither of us knew...a few bruises and scratches don't matter to me! I'll do a healing spell and be good as new soon!"

Zelgadis sighed and looked down at the floor. "Amelia..."

"Zelgadis-san, please don't go. Please, I love you." The princess had tears in her eyes as she said it, and absently grasped at his arms.

"Amelia, I don't know my own strength sometimes. My skin is abrasive, and just look at you, I could never touch you again knowing that this would be the result!"

"We'll just be more careful..." Amelia began, but Zelgadis interrupted her.

"No, I can't do that to you. I'm going out to look for a cure again, but this time it's for you, too. I'm going to triple my efforts so I can return to you as a man you deserve."

Silent tears fell freely from the princess' eyes as she said, "But I deserve you, just you, the way you are now. None of that matters to me!"

Zelgadis considered the princess for a long time, then finally reached into his pack for something. He pulled out a small feminine belt with a black pouch inlaid with gold designs and gems carved with magical hexagrams in the center. At the end of the pouch was a little pink poof similar to the pouch Amelia had always carried at her waist during their past adventures.

"I saw this at a small store while I was wandering, and thought of you. I thought it would look nice on you."

He handed the belt to Amelia, who couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you," she said. "It's beautiful, I'll wear it from now on."

Zelgadis gave her a crooked little smile and said, "As soon as I'm gone, please look inside the pouch. I have another gift for you in there. I picked it up on a whim after we beat Hellmaster Phibrizzo, but I haven't had a chance to give it to you."

Amelia looked confused. "Really? Since then? You've had plenty of chances..."

He cut off her train of thought by leaning over and indulging himself in one final kiss, making sure to barely brush her lips with his own.

"I'll be seeing you again soon. Hopefully as a human. Don't forget, you're mine now. So even if I'm far away, I'm still thinking of you and loving you."

"Oh, wait, that reminds me! I have something for you, too!" Amelia jumped up and ran to her nightstand. When she returned, she revealed one of the enchanted bracelets she always wore.

Handing the bracelet to Zelgadis, she explained, "This has the Vision spell cast on it, so I will always know if you're safe, and we can communicate with it in short spurts over great distances."

Zelgadis took the bracelet and looped it around the mouth of his canteen, where it would always be visible.

"Thank you, Amelia. I..." His thought trailed off and he leaned over to brush his thumb carefully across her full pink lips.

"I'll see you soon."

Then he let himself out via the balcony and with the use of a Ray Wing, he was gone.

The fourth time he had left her was far less dramatic, but just as hard.

They had restored the kingdom of Taforashia and beaten back the ghost of Shabranigdo, including what remained of Rezo's soul. When Amelia had summoned Zelgadis back to Seyruun before their adventure had begun, he was a bit nervous. They had kept in touch, of course, but it had been a little over a year since he'd seen her. He desperately wanted to walk through the palace gates as a human, because he didn't want to disappoint her. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her up in his arms and kiss her until her head was spinning. But, unfortunately, his search wasn't going well and she said she needed him urgently.

After a bit of explanation from Amelia's father, Phil, who was acting as King in the wake of his own father's health taking a turn for the worst, he retired to the library with Amelia.

Her own private greeting had been a passionate kiss, which Zelgadis returned out of instinct before realizing that he was probably bruising her lips. He pulled away.

"Sorry, I know how sensitive you are about me hurting myself," Amelia said with a wry grin. Zelgadis couldn't help but smile back. Somehow, even though their relationship had been long-distance, they had grown together over the past year. Amelia was not the same girl she had been the last time he had left. She had matured, and he felt like he had relaxed a little bit. They had been good for each other. She was awakening inside of him the idealistic young man he had once been, the young man who fought for what was right and was determined to protect those weaker than him for no other reason than it was the right thing to do.

"Amelia," Zelgadis said, wanting to voice something that had been bothering him for a year. "Did you ever open that pouch I gave you?"

Her smile could have lit up all of Seyruun. "I certainly did. But...I decided to put it away safely. I didn't want to stir up a lot of questions by wearing it while you were so far away."

"I understand," he said, relief flooding through him. "So does that mean the answer is yes?"

"Of course it's yes!" Amelia exclaimed. "I don't agree with your condition, though."

"Amelia," Zelgadis warned. "You know my feelings on this. We'll be together once I'm human again. Please be patient with me for just a little while longer."

And because she loved him more than she could possibly express, she was patient.

During their most recent adventure with Lina and Gourry and their new friend Pokota, the prince of Taforashia, the princess and the chimera had obviously seemed very comfortable around each other. They fought together with a closeness that their friends had never seen before, and even performed the moves to a Pacifist Crush without speaking a single word to each other. Communication without words during a fight had once been reserved for only Lina and Gourry, and it was the observant swordsman who was the first to notice that now Zelgadis and Amelia seemed to share that trait.

Wandering up to the chimera one night, Gourry quietly said, "Hey, Zel, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Gourry," Zelgadis answered, not looking up from tending the fire he had set up for their camp.

"When were you gonna tell me and Lina about you and Amelia?"

With a sputter, Zelgadis did look up at his friend, dropping the stick he had been poking into the fire.

"What do you mean?" he asked in what he thought was a casual way.

"I mean," Gourry went on, either oblivious to or ignoring his friend's discomfort. "You and Amelia have gotten even closer since that time we fought Bark Tar."

"Dark Star," Zelgadis quietly corrected.

"And it's almost like me and Lina, how the two of you know what the other one is thinking without having to say anything. And you let her touch you a lot more than you used to, and you even let her boss you around sometimes."

Zelgadis had to laugh at that part. "You let Lina boss you around all the time!"

"I know," Gourry said. "But that's because I love her. So I figure it must be the same for you."

Zelgadis stared at the fire for a long time, and Gourry said no more. Finally, Zelgadis spoke.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Gourry. I love Amelia, and she loves me, and we plan to be together. But right now we're keeping it quiet because I won't agree to settle down officially until I'm human again."

"That's stupid," Gourry said, very matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?"

"That's stupid," the swordsman repeated. "You love each other, so who cares if you're a chimera? I know it bothers you, but can't you learn to let it go now that you have someone who sees who you are underneath it all?"

Zelgadis let out a long-suffering sigh and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Gourry was the last person he wanted relationship advice from.

"Look, Gourry, I appreciate the concern. But this is how it has to be. I've...hurt her. Physically. With my body."

"Ah," Gourry said, understanding dawning on him. "But Amelia is a strong girl..."

"I know that!" Zelgadis snapped at his friend, then regained control and lowered his voice. "But that doesn't change the fact that she shouldn't have to deal with the repercussions of me being a monster. It's not fair to her."

"Neither is you leaving again."

Zelgadis stood and twirled on the swordsman, anger clouding his eyes. "How dare you lecture me when you and Lina skirt around your feelings even now! Until you face up to your own issues, you have no right to judge me!"

With that, he stormed off into the nearby woods to cool down.

Gourry was left looking after his friend, then gave a shrug and went to go lay down beside Lina and get some rest. Zelgadis would figure it out when he was ready.

The next morning, they finalized their plans to part ways once again.

Zelgadis pulled Amelia aside and whispered, "Hey, I was wondering if you would do one last thing for me?"

"Anything," Amelia answered, standing on the tips of her toes to brush a light kiss over his chin while no one was around.

"I'd like you to wear it while I'm gone. When you get home, will you wear it?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she said, "Of course I will. But what will I tell people when they ask about the huge diamond on my wedding finger?"

"Tell them the truth," Zelgadis answered, rubbing his hands lightly down her arms. "Tell them that you belong to a man who wants nothing more than to be there by your side, but who is out fighting a long, hard battle."

"You know, you don't have to fight," Amelia said, her smile fading a bit.

Zelgadis kissed the top of her head and said, "Yes, I do. But I promise it won't be much longer now. I won't make you wait for me, and I'm much too selfish to let you go. So if this last expedition leaves me empty handed, I promise I'll come back to you even if I still look like this."

"Oh, Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed happily and threw her arms around his neck in a very enthusiastic hug.

After another moment together, the chimera reluctantly released the princess and headed toward the local ship docking area. He had rented a small boat, and with little more than two months worth of supplies and a prayer, he was off on his last lead for a cure.

**

A few weeks later, back in Seyruun, Amelia could be seen giving a royal decree regarding her engagement. The bright sunlight caught the many facets of the diamond she proudly wore, and it glittered for all to see.

**

Zelgadis was a very patient man. Considering everything he had put up with since being transformed, and all the dead ends and heartache that came with his search, he felt he practically had the patience of a saint.

But now, with a timeline looming over his head, he found himself completely unable to relax.

He approached his destination with a heavy heart, because years of disappointment had made it difficult for him to think positively. Still, he trudged ahead. His destination this time was a temple rarely visited due to the dense fog and dangerous thunderstorms that seemed to plague the mountain on which it sat. Zelgadis had no fear of the odd weather, because his chimera body provided him extra protection that a normal human would not have had. He did have to admit that his body had gotten him out of a few tough spots, and utterly saved his life on at least two occasions, but unfortunately it was simply not suited for loving a woman. And he desperately wanted to love her.

It took him an hour through the fog, heavy winds and rain, but he finally reached the old and crumbling temple.

Upon entering, he removed his soaked cloak and mantle. He tossed the items upon a nearby rock to air dry, and continued into the temple to search for clues.

What he found was a bit more than a clue, and definitely more than he had bargained for.

"You, boy," the voice was like a wind chime, beautiful and feminine in its high pitched tinkling. "Come before me and serve my tea."

Zelgadis whirled and was faced with a woman even more beautiful than the voice which came from her. In fact, now that he could see her face, her voice didn't seem nearly beautiful enough to match it.

"Your...tea?" He repeated, confusion turning it into a question rather than a statement.

"Yes, boy. My tea."

He could not look away from her. His eyes were glued to her lips as she spoke, and he was mesmerized by the movement.

Her skin was pale, nearly translucent, but her high cheekbones held a bit of color. Her hair was so blonde it was white, and it hung in waves down her back, nearly to the floor. Her eyes were a deep burgundy.

"Who are you?" Zelgadis finally managed to choke out, but made no move to get any closer to the beautiful woman. Every human instinct in his body was telling him to run, yet a very small part in the back of his mind, a part he had always identified as his "demon part" willed him closer.

"I am everything and nothing. I am one who fought against the Flare Lord and lost. I am the harbinger of doom and the vessel of a god."

"Vessel of a..." And then it finally clicked for Zelgadis. "Are you saying you house a fragment of the dark lord, Ruby Eye Shabranigdo?"

She smiled, and his blood nearly boiled. Somewhere in the distance his heart was screaming at him that Amelia would be devastated if she knew the kinds of things he was thinking about this strange woman.

"That is exactly what I'm saying, child. However, unlike the other weaklings who came before me, including Lei Magnus, I have conquered the will of the dark one and become One with Him, completely. We are the entirety of darkness which shall soon consume the world."

"I...see," Zelgadis muttered, lamely. "May I ask why you're hiding out in this temple?"

"I am not hiding. I am living here for the time being, as my time on this Orb is infinite, and those who seek to destroy me are mortal. Only the very brave and the very foolish dare come to this temple. Among those are the men who dream of catching a glimpse of me, which is why they usually do my bidding without pause. You, however, are different. You have not yet served me."

Zelgadis felt his eyes narrow a bit at the woman's attitude. Whether or not she had a symbiotic relationship with the lord of Mazoku, she was awfully brazen and full of herself, which were two personality traits Zelgadis was not particularly fond of in women. His friendship with Lina Inverse notwithstanding.

"So tell me, strange one, what have you come here for?"

Zelgadis knew he should have turned and walked away. But some tiny part of him that garnered hope forced him to answer her truthfully.

"I've come looking for a cure for my condition. I was turned into a chimera by an unknown spell, or perhaps a set of spells, but I wish to regain my human form."

"I see," the woman said, not the least bit surprised. "I could help you with that, of course."

"You...wait, you could?" Zelgadis was absolutely taken aback. His mouth hung open limply as she stared at the confident woman. She grinned and slowly rose from the spot where she lounged, like a very lovely and dangerous jungle cat.

"Of course I could, silly chimera. I have power you can't even begin to comprehend. Because I have accepted the dark lord as part of myself, I have some freedom of will that allows me to wield that power as I choose."

As she drew closer to Zelgadis, he found himself slowly backing away. The thin gown the woman wore was so white it was almost sheer. He could see every curve on her frame. He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

"And why would you help me?" he finally managed.

With that, she stopped her advance. She started at him with her strange red eyes for a long time. He dared not move.

Finally, she spoke.

"Because we are connected. By blood. You are a child of the dark lord."

"I'm a WHAT?" Zelgadis could feel his temper flaring up. There were few subjects he was very sensitive about, and she was treading very close to one of them.

"You are a child of the dark lord," she repeated. "At some point in time, someone in your family line contained a piece of Him. I am correct, am I not?"

After a moment, Zelgadis breathed, "Yes." It was barely above a whisper.

"Poor thing, how unfortunate that it was not you. Oh, well. I still feel a certain connection between us, not to mention you came all the way here. I suppose you deserve at least this much."

**

When Zelgadis opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he was outside. The second thing he noticed was that he was freezing.

As he reached blindly around him for his cloak or something with which to protect himself from the elements, the third thing he noticed was that he was human.

As the cold wind whipped around his body, making him numb from his eyeballs to his toes, he could no longer bring himself to care.

His frozen fingers were pink and fleshy, not blue stone. He could feel the ice cold wind slapping him in the face, and it had been years since he'd felt anything so strongly.

Somehow, he was undeniably human again.

And he had to get back to Seyruun.

**

Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun gave a long, loud sigh and indulged in her immature desire to storm upstairs to her room and slam the door.

The High Council had not been pleased by her engagement decree. Her father had seemed both happy and unsurprised by her choice, but the old Council members hadn't even cracked a smile at her obvious joy.

One of the older men had even gone so far as to say he would set his own son up with her, in hopes that perhaps there would be a spark and she would "end up with a human."

That unjust remark was what had sent her sprinting to her room.

The princess leaned back against the heavy wooden door and looked up at the ceiling.

"Where are you?" She whispered.

**

Zelgadis wasn't used to feeling the kind of exhaustion that took over his entire being to the point where he would have laid down in the middle of an avalanche just for the chance to close his eyes. But his human body was weaker than his chimera body had been, and he was almost at the end of his rope.

It would have normally taken him less than two weeks to get back to Seyruun, because he would rarely have to stop for rest, and he was able to use Ray Wing for longer than a normal magic-using human. But he was human now and therefore needed to sleep longer, stop to relieve himself more often, and he could only use Ray Wing for short spurts before having to stop and regain his energy. He also couldn't run as fast, or as far.

So far, being a human was a real fun-sucker.

But Zelgadis still smiled to himself, because he knew it would all be worth it once he got back to Seyruun and was reunited with Amelia.

Unfortunately, it had taken him nearly a month to get back to her. And a lot can happen in a month.

**

Nevin Morthos Günther Parsnickle III, Duke of Larken, had sent yet another bouquet of yellow roses to the princess of Seyruun.

Amelia loved yellow roses, true. But she was becoming increasingly annoyed by the Duke's advances. Word had gotten out that, despite her engagement announcement, her fiancé was far away and did not have the approval of the Council, so technically she was still fair game until the vows were read.

Amelia would have loved nothing more than to punch those smarmy old Council members in the face, because it was their fault Nevin Morthos-whatever-his-name-was kept sending gifts and calling on her.

In fact, he was supposed to be at dinner that very night. Amelia's father could not turn down someone like Nevin, no matter how distasteful Amelia found him to be. So Phil had asked his daughter to just grin and bear it, the way she was raised to do. Amelia took pride in being tougher than most princesses, but she had still been taught etiquette and diplomacy.

The princess dressed herself in one of her frumpier gowns (on purpose, of course), mussed her hair a bit, and headed downstairs for dinner.

**

"Ah, Princess Amelia! Nevin rose to greet her, then cupped her elbow and lead her to her seat at the large formal dining table. "You are even more beautiful than the last time I saw you!"

Amelia rolled her eyes at the remark but outwardly said, "Thank you, Sir Parsnickle. That's very kind of you."

"Nonesense!" he said, pulling Amelia's chair out for her and seating her. "And please call me Nevin!"

Amelia forced a smile. "Of course, Nevin-san."

They all took their seats and Phil stood, wine glass raised.

"I propose a toast...to my daughter's continued happiness, and the safe return of her fiancé!"

"Cheers!" Everyone at the table recited, including a beaming Amelia and a less-than-enthusiastic Nevin.

Amelia kept grinning as dinner proceeded as normal. Leave it to her daddy to take the wind out of Nevin's sails in a completely diplomatic way!

Things were going fine until halfway through dessert. The enchanted bracelet Amelia wore, her half of the set containing the Vision spell she shared with Zelgadis, began to glow. Startled, Amelia held it up and stared at it, which caught Nevin's attention.

"What is that, Princess Amelia?" He asked, sincerely curious.

"It's a talisman I wear...my fiancé has the other one and we use them to communicate. They're connected by magic and bonded by our feelings for each other. The stronger our feelings, the stronger the connection. The connection has grown very strong over the past year and a half, but it's never glowed before..."

Suddenly, the bracelet began to burn Amelia's wrist, causing her to yelp and tear it off.

The entire dining room had gone silent, watching the princess.

"Something's wrong," Amelia said, more to herself than to the room. Her eyes were empty and stared at the back wall, as if seeing something no one else could see. The bracelet lay, still glowing brightly, in the middle of the table.

"Princess...?" Nevin began, placing a hand gently on her arm. His eyebrows were knitted together in a worried grimace.

"I have to go!" Amelia suddenly announced, then took off from the dining room before anyone could even process what had happened.

**

Up in her room, Amelia haphazardly began throwing some things into a pack, not even knowing where it was, exactly, she was going.

Phil entered a few minutes later, concern written on his face. He noticed that Amelia had already changed into her traveling clothes.

"Amelia, what's happened?"

"It's Zelgadis!" She exclaimed, hurriedly. "Something has happened to him and he needs my help!"

"Do you even know where he is?" Her father questioned.

"Not yet," Amelia admitted, tying the strings of her pack. "But once I get out there I think I will be able to find him. We're connected, and with my priestess training I think I'll have a pretty good idea which way to go."

Phil's mouth was set in a thin straight line, but he said nothing. The fatherly part of him wanted to forbid Amelia to go, but the part of him that had once been deeply in love with Amelia's mother (and still was) wanted her to go bring Zelgadis home. He had gone through the pain of losing the person he loved, and he would never allow his youngest daughter to experience that. Not if he could help it, anyway.

Giving Amelia a quick hug, Phil said, "Be careful, my daughter. I hope you find your young man. I quite like him, you know."

A few stray tears leaked from Amelia's eyes and she whispered. "I know you do, daddy. Me too."

**

Amelia switched between walking and using Ray Wing to travel, until she had covered quite a bit of ground in a fairly short amount of time.

She kept the enchanted bracelet hanging loosely from the pouch Zelgadis had given her. It was still burning hot so she couldn't wear it on her wrist, but she wanted it someplace where she could see it. Somehow, she knew it would act as a beacon to wherever Zelgadis was. She would just have to trust their bond, and her instincts.

It was almost dusk when Amelia felt a strong pull to the northwest. She gave in to the sensation, and followed the sinking feeling in her gut to a deep ravine which lay nestled in the middle of a wood, complete with a cliché rickety rope bridge strung from one end to the other.

Amelia lowered herself from her magical flight and landed on the eastern side of the bridge.

Snow had fallen in the area, and the white fluff coated everything in sight. Amelia was sure it had made the bridge impassable, and probably deadly. One could never tell when a patch of snow would be pure ice, not to mention that it had to be weighing down the ancient bridge.

But of course it was then that she noticed the heap of beige clothes covered in snow, huddled in the middle of the bridge. It was as if someone had been walking across and simply collapsed.

Then she noticed the tuft of lavender hair sticking out against the all-encompassing white.

"ZELGADIS!" She screamed, taking off across the bridge without another thought.

She was soon reminded of her predicament as the bridge began to buckle and sway dangerously under her weight.

"Levitation!" She cried out, and allowed the spell to take her a short distance into the air, relieving the bridge of one of its burdens.

She floated to where Zelgadis lay, and finally had to dissolve the levitation spell in order to cast a healing spell on him. The question in her mind was whether it would have to be Recovery or Resurrection.

Kneeling down, she carefully brushed the snow from the immobile form. It was then that she noticed something unusual.

Leaning down to whisper in his ear, she noticed that it was a human ear tinged red from the cold. Not the blue pointed ear she was used to.

Afraid she had found the wrong person, she gently turned his face to her.

He was beautiful, with fine-boned features and hair that certainly looked like Zelgadis', in the same messy style and in the same color, though soft and fluffy instead of hard and wiry.

But it wasn't until he slowly opened his eyes that Amelia was sure. He looked up at her slowly and warily, as if confused, and it was his light blue eyes that finally put Amelia's heart at ease.

"Zelgadis," she said, her voice barely audible.

"Amelia," he choked out, weakly. "Are you really here or am I dreaming?"

She smiled. "I'm really here. But maybe I should ask you the same thing. Is this really real? Did you finally do it?"

A fit of coughs suddenly wracked the Shaman's body before he could answer. Amelia clutched him tightly.

"Forget it," She said, "You can tell me all about it later. We have to get you off this bridge and healed immediately."

She moved to stand, pulling her fiancé with her, but a loud ripping sound from the western side of the bridge made her freeze.

Eyes wide with fear, Amelia saw one of the large ropes holding up one side of the bridge begin to snap and unravel.

"Come on," she said, her voice taking on a new urgency. "You have to get up, we have to go NOW!"

Zelgadis attempted to get to his feet, but almost immediately collapsed back onto the bridge.

"Amelia, go on without me. I'm too weak to stand, and much too weak to use magic. Save yourself."

"You can just forget that!" She snapped at him, terror getting the better of her. "I came to find you, and I'm not leaving without you!"

Zelgadis could see the fire of determination burning in Amelia's eyes, and he knew there was no reasoning with her. He attempted to stand again, and grimaced in pain.

"That's it," Amelia tried to soothe him, placing herself underneath his left arm so that he could place some of his weight on her.

They finally began walking, and Amelia tried to ignore the painful snapping sound still coming from the opposite end of the bridge.

It was then that Zelgadis slipped on a patch of ice, and completely lost his footing.

Tumbling over the side of the bridge, his shoulder was nearly wrenched from the socket as Amelia grabbed his forearm and held him in place. She was precariously hanging half over the side of the bridge, herself, on her stomach in the snow.

"Levitation!" She yelled, but it was no use. The spell was nothing but a useless word uttered into the sky. She had already used too much energy getting there, and now she was still using up her physical energy by holding all of Zelgadis' weight. He was not a large man and was thankfully no longer made of stone, but he was still quite a bit bigger than her.

"Amelia," Zelgadis' eyes were pleading. "Please, just let me go."

"NO!" She screeched, but her fiancé's words were punctuated by the rope bridge finally snapping completely.

The damaged end separated completely from the rock face and sent the two plummeting further down into the ravine. Pain greeted Amelia as the bit of bridge she was clutching bounced with great force against the opposite rock face. A jagged piece of stone jammed into her side as they hit, causing her breath to hiss from her lungs and a pool of blood to taint her white tunic. Still, she did not let go of Zelgadis.

They hung there, Amelia gripping a piece of rope from the section of bridge which remained hanging down the side of the ravine's rock wall with her right hand, while she held onto Zelgadis with all her might with her left hand. Zelgadis couldn't help but notice her engagement ring, the promise he had given her, reflecting the light from the sun and bouncing that light off the snow like a beacon.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis now screamed, frantic. "Please, I'm begging you! Let me go and save yourself!"

Tears ran down the princess' cheeks and nearly froze in place. Her grip on the rope bridge was weakening, and they both knew it. Her strength was fading fast, and the rough rope burned her hand. She kept slipping little by little, and soon it felt like her hand was on fire.

Finally, Zelgadis could take no more. He could see Amelia about to lose her grip, and refused to allow her to die with him. She had to live on, he had already hurt her too much, too many times.

"Amelia," he said her name for what felt like the millionth time since he'd known her. "I love you."

Then, he let go of her hand and flung himself away from her.

"NO!" The harsh scream ripped from the princess, sounding almost like a wild animal.

As she watched, the love of her life who had finally regained the one thing he wanted most in the world plummeted into the deep narrow ravine below.

**

Amelia spent days wandering the bottom of the ravine that had taken Zelgadis. She hoped and prayed that he had survived, but after two days of searching and not even finding his body, she prayed to just be able to bring his remains back to Seyruun for a proper burial.

After the third day passed, Deputy King Phil sent a search party after her. Nevin, still staying in Seyruun until the princess returned, led the party.

They found her covered in dirty snow, suffering from hypothermia, and nearly comatose.

**

When Amelia opened her eyes, she noticed that she was back in Seyruun. More specifically, the hospital wing of the palace. She had only ever been there a few times in her life, but she still recognized it immediately.

Then she noticed the red haired person standing over her, and the blonde haired person standing over the red haired person.

"Finally, you're awake!" Lina Inverse exclaimed, sounding more relieved than angry. "You had us really worried, Amelia!"

"Yeah," Gourry Gabriev added from his position behind the sorceress, "We were afraid you wouldn't make it, especially since..."

The swordsman was cut off by Lina elbowing him in the gut.

But he had already said enough. Memories of what had happened flooded back to the princess, and she let out a gasp as if they had literally slapped her in the face.

"Zelgadis is..."

"We don't know for sure!" Lina was quick to point out. "No one ever found his...body."

"Were they looking for a chimera or a human?"

Lina looked at her, puzzled. "A chimera, obviously. The Seyruun guards know what Zel looks like."

Amelia shook her head, which made her quite dizzy.

"No, you have it all wrong! They need to look for a human! Zelgadis finally found his cure, somehow! We...we were going to be together..."

And then everything hit, and Amelia collapsed into hysterical sobs.

Gourry quietly left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Lina sat down on the edge of the bed next to Amelia and pulled her into a tight hug. They sat like that for a long time, and the only sound that broke the silence was the sound of Amelia's crying. But that finally began to fade until it disappeared completely.

Lina thought Amelia had fallen asleep because she was so quiet and her breathing was so deep and even. But just as she moved to get up, she felt Amelia cling to her.

"Please, Lina-san, don't go."

"Sure, Amelia. Whatever you want."

"I...need to ask you something."

Lina was a bit puzzled, but wanted nothing more than to comfort her friend.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia finally looked up into Lina's eyes. Lina was shocked at how red and swollen Amelia's eyes were, and how the tears made them an even darker blue than normal.

"Lina-san...when we die, we are all returned to the Sea of Chaos, right?"

"So they say," Lina said, confusion apparent in her voice.

"But you've been there," Amelia continued. "You know it's true. You joined once with the Lord of Nightmares and she almost took you...you almost died. But Gourry-san...he went in after you. He saved you."

Lina felt her cheeks flush a bit at the memory but said, "You're right, that's how it was...but what does it matter? Where are you going with this?"

"Well," Amelia continued, her eyes set with determination. "I really shouldn't tell you because you'll try to stop me. But let's just say if it worked once, it'll work again."

Lina's blood ran cold and she sputtered, "Amelia, you can't be serious!"

"But I am, Lina-san." Amelia's expression softened and she even smiled.

"I'm going to do the Giga Slave. I'm going in after him."

**

Lina burst out of the hospital wing at full force and grabbed Gourry by his collar, dragging him along behind her.

"Whoa, Lina, what's going on?!" Gourry choked out.

"Amelia's lost her damn mind, that's what!" Lina screamed, causing everyone they passed in the palace halls to stare at her.

"We're going to find Phil RIGHT NOW and have this taken care of!"

"Wait, what did Amelia say?!" Gourry demanded, finally pulling himself free of Lina's death grip.

"She said, and I quote, 'I'm going to do the Giga Slave.' She thinks she can go after Zel and bring him back!"

"Oh," Gourry said, thoughtfully, "Like that thing I did for you that time."

"JELLYFISH!" Lina barked. "That was a fluke! I can barely pull off a controlled Giga Slave, think what will happen if a white magic priestess attempts it!"

"What's all this talk of Giga Slaves and world destruction?" Phil appeared from his study and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Phil-san, it's Amelia!" Lina exclaimed. "She's planning to do something terrible"

"Nonsense!" Phil said. "My Amelia has a heart filled with love and justice! She's grieving now, but just give her time."

Lina sputtered and began to try and explain the severity of what Amelia was planning to Phil, but was interrupted by a well-dressed young man with sandy brown hair and green eyes.

"Is Princess Amelia awake? Could I possibly see her now?" The young man addressed Phil. Lina couldn't help but note that he was good looking, if you liked those royal-looking types. She found she preferred a guy with muscles.

"Of course, Nevin-dono," Phil addressed the man very formally, or at least with the politeness he showed Lina and her group.

"We will talk about this later, Lina-dono," Phil said over his shoulder as he led Nevin into the hospital wing.

"There might not BE a later," Lina said too softly for anyone else to hear.

**

Amelia suffered through a visit from Nevin, which wouldn't have been so bad except she got the feeling he was sincerely sorry for her loss. For some reason, she almost wished he had been lying.

"Zelgadis," Amelia whispered to the empty room. "There are so many things here I love. My daddy, Uncle Christopher, Lina-san, Gourry-san and all our other friends. Even my sister, though I haven't seen her since I was little."

She paused and took a deep breath.

"Do I endanger them all for one person? Do I let the good of the one outweigh the good of the many?"

The room did not answer her, except with silence.

"I suppose I already know the answer," she continued. "I knew it almost from the moment we met. Our hearts are connected, so without you here, there is nothing left for me. When we did that Ra Tilt against Kopii Rezo together, I could have sworn the blue flames appeared in the shape of a heart. Isn't that funny? As long ago as that, the two of us shared one heart."

She paused and choked on the next words.

"I pray that I'm successful, but in case I'm not, I guess I'll see everyone again in the afterlife."

Then she rose from her hospital bed, and with cold bare feet she made her way out into the palace hall.

**

Lina Inverse sat straight up in bed, covered in sweat.

She flung herself out of bed, not bothering to change out of her nightclothes, and ran from her room at the palace. She didn't know where she was going, but she followed the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

**

It was an old magic training room in the depths of the Seyruun royal palace. It was a room even below the dungeon level, and very few people knew of its existence. Amelia recalled that her older sister and their mother used to practice there, back before Amelia was even old enough to use magic.

She had vague foggy memories of watching them. But her mother had been dead for close to 15 years, and her sister had been gone for just as long. No one had used the room since then.

In the center of the round room was a magical hexagram, carved into the stone floor.

Amelia stood in the center and raised her arms above her head as she had seen Lina do. From the depths of her soul she summoned all her strength, all her love for Zelgadis, and all the magical power she could muster.

She felt her hands growing hot as brimstone as she chanted the words seared into her memory.

"Darkness beyond blackest pitch. Deeper than the deepest night. King of darkness, who shines like gold upon the sea of chaos..."

Lina and Gourry came bursting into the room and Lina's shrill scream echoed off the walls of the round chamber.

"AMELIA, STOP!"

"...I call upon thee, and swear myself to thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I posses..."

"AMELIA, THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" Gourry's cries rang out, but Amelia did not hear him.

The crown princess of Seyruun took one final breath and shouted, "GIGA SLAVE!"

The world went dark.

**

Who are you?

The words were harsh. Amelia found the woman to be quite rude.

"I'm Amelia," she answered.

What do you want?

"I want my heart back," Amelia answered quickly, not caring if it made no sense to anyone but her.

At what cost?

"My life."

What is your life to me? Just another mortal, no different than any other.

Amelia frowned. This woman was beginning to get on her nerves.

"Are you the Lord of Nightmares?"

That is what you call me.

Suddenly, everything went from the deepest black to the brightest white.

Amelia shielded her eyes, but it did little good.

Before her suddenly appeared a round wooden dining table, and seated around it were two people. One was the most beautiful woman Amelia had ever seen. She had long wavy platinum blonde hair almost to the floor, and the oddest burgundy eyes. In contrast, the other woman at the table had short hair almost the same color as the other woman's eyes, with straight cropped bangs that seemed to cast her face in shadows. She appeared to be wearing the uniform of a waitress, though Amelia couldn't be sure.

"What do you think?" The fair-haired woman said to the red-head.

The red-head gave a scowl that sent a shiver through Amelia. Scary woman.

"I really can't overlook someone so inexperienced using the Giga Slave. It's bad enough when Lina does it."

The mention of Lina's name startled Amelia. Who were these people?

"Indeed," agreed the blonde woman. "However, this is partly my own fault."

"Agreed," said the waitress, with a slight hint of humor.

"Um, excuse me," Amelia said, politely. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't really matter," said the blonde woman, indignantly. "I carry a fragment of the Dark Lord, Ruby Eye Shabranigdo. My friend here is a Knight of Ceiphied, one who is the vessel for a piece of the Flare Lord's will. The Mother of All Things has asked us here to help decide your fate."

"And why is that?" Amelia figured she might as well play along, since she had obviously either died or gone completely mad.

"Because," said the scary red-haired woman who reminded her oddly of Lina. "It would only be a fair decision if it's the two of us making it. The Lord of Nightmares is an all-powerful being, but she believes in a bit of a democracy. Why do you think there are Mazoku AND Ryuzoku? It's a balance thing."

"That...makes sense," Amelia said, though she seemed unwilling to admit it.

"Back to the point!" Said the blonde woman. "What do you think? She committed a great sin by attempting to command that spell, even knowing she would probably fail and destroy the world. That task exists for Mazoku, so it is quite offensive for a mere human to attempt it."

"True," said the Knight of Ceiphied. "But the love in her heart drove her to do it, and her thoughts and feelings for that man are strong and true. It's a very pure love."

"Hmmm," said the beautiful vessel of evil. "I suppose that should account for something."

Then she snapped her fingers, and a very human Zelgadis appeared at the table with them.

"Amelia!" He exclaimed when he saw his princess. "What...what are you doing here? What did you do?!" For a moment, fear flooded his features.

It took a moment for Amelia to realize what Zelgadis had assumed. He thought she had died, possibly even killed herself.

"It's not what you think!" She assured him. "I'm not dead...I don't think. Not yet. I did the Giga Slave."

"You did WHAT?!" He bellowed, a bit of the old Zelgadis returning. The look on his face was priceless, and Amelia couldn't help but giggle. It all seemed so ridiculous.

"She did it for YOU, idiot," said the red-haired Knight. "It's all because of that noble sacrifice crap you pulled."

Zelgadis' face flushed red at the comment, and he slumped down in his chair.

"I did it so she could live, not do something stupid like cast the Giga Slave..." He mumbled.

Suddenly, a bright yellow light began to invade the open white space they occupied. The light manifested itself in a being who appeared standing behind Zelgadis at the table.

The being looked exactly like Lina Inverse, down to even the clothes she wore, except she was glowing gold and looking more serene and serious than Lina ever had.

Amelia was dumbfounded. There was no doubt the Lord of Nightmares was standing before her, but why did it look like Lina?

Unless it had chosen that form, having once inhabited Lina's body, because it was the only human form it knew how to manifest.

"What have you decided?" She sounded a lot like Lina, too.

"Please," Zelgadis interrupted. "I don't care what happens to me, but please send Amelia back and make it so this never happened. It was a silly mistake caused by grief."

"SILLY MISTAKE?!" Amelia screamed in a manner very unlike her. But then again, this whole situation was so far removed from normal that it didn't seem to matter.

"When you died, a part of me died, too! " She continued shouting at the man she loved. "I had spent so many years loving you from afar, only to find out you returned my feelings just before you left me AGAIN! Do you have any idea what it was like for me?! First, it was hard enough shoving my feelings for you deep down because I didn't think you felt the same way...but then I found the courage to tell you and you kissed me! YOU KISSED ME! And then you left me a beautiful diamond ring without a single word of explanation and simply expected me to read your mind and wait for you to come back! I did it all without a single complaint, because I felt so honored just to have you love me that I wanted to shout it from the tallest tower in Seyruun! Then you finally found your cure, which was the biggest obstacle in our future together, and then you KILL YOURSELF! You have NO IDEA what I've been through for you, and you have no idea what I would continue to go through for you! So don't you DARE call what I did a 'silly mistake!'"

Her tirade finished, Amelia stood seething as Zelgadis and the three somewhat ethereal beings stared at her.

Finally, the red-haired waitress broke the silence.

"I think we'll let them off easy this time," said the Knight of Ceiphied. "But next time their asses are toast. I'm missing work for this!"

The mysterious blonde woman simply nodded her agreement.

"Let them be together. And this handsome young man can finally enjoy the benefits of the gift I've given him."

And then the world went dark...again.

**

Never let you fall apart
Together we'll dance in the dark...

When Amelia opened her eyes, she noticed a warm and heavy weight laying on top of her, squeezing the air from her lungs.

"Get off," she mumbled without really thinking, absently pushing at the weight.

"Sorry," came the reply from right by her ear, and she froze.

It was his voice. Was she finally really dead?

The weight removed itself and Amelia sat straight up.

She came face-to-face with Zelgadis, and he was still human. They were both pink and sweaty and alive.

Zelgadis barely had time to brace himself as Amelia flung herself into his arms.

"YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE, ZELGADIS GREYWORDS!" Amelia yelled as she continued to crush him in a painful bear hug.

"Nice to see you, too," Zelgadis managed to squeak out.

"Amelia...and Zel?!" Came a high-pitched shriek from somewhere else in the room.

It was then that Zelgadis realized they were embracing on a very dirty and crumbly stone floor in what looked like a magically enhanced room of some kind.

Lina and Gourry ran over and added their own arms to the hug pile, not even commenting on the fact that Zelgadis was a lot more pink and squishy than normal.

"Don't you EVER do anything like that again!" Amelia was still raging a bit as she pulled away from her fiancé. He saw the tears in her eyes and brushed a droplet off her cheek with his thumb.

"I promise, I will never hurt you ever again," He swore, quietly. "But please promise me you'll never endanger the entire world just for me again."

Amelia couldn't help but smile at how weird it sounded. "I promise," she said.

They stood up and, hand-in-hand, left the training room and the fate of the world behind them.

**

"Clean bill of health!" Sylphiel Nels Lahda announced, smiling happily at Zelgadis. "I've run every test and performed every spell I can think of, but you seem to be a perfectly normal and healthy young man!"

He jumped down from the examining table Sylphiel was using to conduct her white magic tests, and clapped his hands together.

"Did you hear that, Amelia?"

Amelia smiled at him and Sylphiel couldn't help but be a bit jealous of the love the two shared. She had only seen such a relationship once before, but she would rather not think about that...

"Excuse me, Princess Amelia?" Came a voice from the hall, and Amelia opened the door to let in a young brunette man with striking green eyes.

"Nevin-san!" The princess exclaimed. "I would have thought you'd left by now!"

"I was just on my way out, but I wanted to congratulate you on your engagement and finally meet this famous fiancé of yours."

Still smiling, Amelia motioned toward a thin young man with messy lavender hair and light blue eyes. "Nevin Morthos Günther Parsnickle III, allow me to introduce you to my fiancé, Zelgadis Greywords."

Zelgadis reached out and politely shook hands with the Duke.

"And this is our dear friend, Sylphiel Nels Lahda," Amelia added, motioning towards the quiet priestess. "She's Seyruun's head healer now!"

When Sylphiel and Nevin made eye contact, they stood there for a moment saying nothing. There was an awkward silence that was only punctuated by their mouths hanging open and their shallow breathing.

Amelia and Zelgadis exchanged a look and then Zelgadis said, "Well, it was very nice to meet you, Nevin. Look at the time, Amelia has a meeting to go to! Come on, Amelia!"

With that, he dragged the princess out of the room.

"Um," Sylphiel began, blushing. "I'm sorry to hear you're leaving so soon, Nevin-san."

The Duke smiled at the healer and said, "Actually, maybe I'll stay a bit longer..."

**

"Well, that was something! Who would have thought she had it in her?"

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"...What would that be, Mistress?"

"Now you have to keep an eye on the Seyruun princess, as well as Lina Inverse."

There was a long melodramatic sigh.

"I suppose there are worse things."

**

"I wish I was a bride..."

"I thought you wanted to be a hero of justice?"

"I want to be a hero of justice AND a bride!"

Amelia had no idea how she'd gotten so lucky, but as the carriage with the banner stating "Just Married" carried her and her new husband away, she sunk into his arms and mumbled to the heavens, "Thank you."

THE END