Lina slowed to a walk beside him and confessed herself to be worried. Out of the hearing of the more lighthearted members of their party, of course.

"So am I," he agreed. "Who knows what trouble he could be starting?"

She looked at him as though he had dyed his wire hair orange and bleached his flinty skin alabaster white. "Amelia, Zel.'

"Oh," he returned, noncommittal, feeling his shoulders hike up a notch. He had, against all expectation, gotten rather fond of the little bundle of royal energy since they'd landed on the other continent and she'd calmed down a little. Except, that is, when everyone decided that Their Love Was Meant To Be. Everyone needed to Mind Their Own Business. And possibly cut down on the Zephilian red.

"She hasn't made a single justice speech in three days. I think something may be wrong."

He tried to raise an eyebrow, remembered that he didn't have one, and settled for humming wisely instead of scowling about it. "You know, I'm worried about Gourry, too. He hasn't made a single comment about your figure in nearly a week. I think something may be wrong."

"What's wrong with my figure?" she cried defensively, turning almost as red as she had when Xellos had kissed her at Artemay Tower. Which he shouldn't have done.

"What's wrong with a little peace and quiet?" he retorted.

She glowered at him, but walked along quietly for a while. Finally she asked, "Zel? When was the last time we saved the world?"

"Dark Star."

"Fought bandits?"

"Sailoon Harvest Festival."

"Put Gourry in a pink dress?"

"Also the Harvest Festival."

"Found a lead on your cure?"

"Ditto."

"Fought a dragon?"

"Filia's birthday. But that was all Xellos."

"Had anything exciting happen?"

"The party," he said, and wondered why immediately afterwards. After all, the harvest festival had been a couple of weeks after Filia's birthday.

Lina didn't notice. She nodded gloomily, as though he had confirmed her worst fears, and announced, "We're about to be ambushed."

Zelgadis's eyes widened, and he looked around. They were cutting though a long field of short grass with silky little purple flowers all over. They seemed to be peacefully coexisting with a hearty tribe of golden dandelions, but were probably engaged in a no-holds-barred battle royale, botany being deceptive that way. Aside from the retreating backs of Amelia and Gourry, no one was in sight.

A rolling tumbleweed ambled by.

"I don't think so, Lina," he said, almost kindly.

"Why not?" she whined beseechingly. "I'm bored!"

Adopting a tone more patient than he felt, Zelgadis told her, "This situation is entirely your fault for frightening all the bandits away."

Then, of course, he had to run very fast for a very long time. At least chasing him furiously kept her happily occupied for a few hours, though. They were both good at running. He was good at it because the aspects of his body that he hadn't been born with and wanted to get rid of were golem and demon, infamous for endurance and speed. She'd just had a lot of practice, although being the one doing the chasing might have been a new experience for her.

Gourry had hoisted Amelia onto his shoulders and loped after them, so they'd made a lot of progress that day. The Terrible Table Trio were ravenous afterwards, but that was only to be expected. Zelgadis himself even unbent so far as to eat a piece of fruit along with his chicken sandwich and coffee.

He had to drink out of his spare mug now. It was cracked around the rim, and unreliable. Only stone skin kept him from burning his fingers, which was doubly annoying because he hated being grateful to his skin, and he was constantly having to soak coffee stains out of his clothing.

He cursed Xellos's name under his breath every time he poured a cup for and on himself, and usually several times afterwards. Which had probably been the mazoku's intent. He could probably feel Zelgadis being angry with him all the way from wherever he was. He was probably getting lots of free monster-meals off of it. How selfish of him!

But efficient, too, now that Zelgadis came to think of it. And of course Xellos was mazoku. Consideration for others was not part of his nature, so selfishness was to be expected. And if feeding off Zelgadis from a distance was easing the unspeakable torment-or-irritation of whoever Xellos was dealing with personally at the moment, he was welcome to whatever he was getting.

Zelgadis finished his dripping mug in the beneficent glow of satisfaction that forgiveness brings, and stood to go up to bed.

Lina made a face at him. "How can you drink that and go right to bed, Zelgadis? Doesn't it keep you up?"

"No."

Amelia leaped up and spun around, blue eyes flashing brightly, black hair and white cape tossing and swirling. "Poor Zelgadis-san is addicted to coffee!" she announced passionately. "We must wean him off of it! Then he can have the sleep of the just at night and not wake up grumpy and snarling at everybody in the morning! Yes, this we must do in the name of Justice!" She posed proudly, pointing at the sky with stars in her eyes.

"No, we mustn't!" Zelgadis exclaimed, alarmed. He clutched his leaky cup to him protectively, cursing Xellos to himself automatically, and almost with affection. Xellos at least didn't shriek.

She crashed down from her inspiring pose and pouted at him. "But Zelgadis-saaaan!"

"I said no. I like my coffee. --And stop sneaking sips when my back is turned!"

"You're no fun at all anymore," she complained, making a face at him.

"I was never any fun," he glowered darkly, and she giggled. Satisfied, he smirked back at her.

"You know, he's right, Amelia," Gourry said thoughtfully. "My mother always said that coffee stops children growing. That's why I've never had any! Maybe if you don't drink it, you won't have to be as short as Lina!"

"Why, you...!" Lina growled, and thrashed him soundly.

"Lina-san, don't--"

"Don't get in my way!"

"Ow! Lina-san, you're being really mean--ow!"

When the ninnies, feeling much put-upon, had sulked their way into their bedrolls, Zelgadis asked Lina, "Feel better?"

"Yes," she sighed, "but all this walking isn't filling my pockets or my stomach. If we went to a city instead of just wandering around maybe we'd hear about something interesting. What's the nearest town, Zel?"

"When did I become this joke of an expedition's walking library and atlas?" he asked the stars.

"When Xellos left, so spill it. Anyway," she added, batting her eyes in that dangerous way she had, "you're much more reliable than he is."

He sighed. Less charmed than uninterested in getting his clothes scorched, he took a map out of an astral pocket--his own map, which Lina hadn't yet felt the need to mark up for the edification of sieve-brained mercenaries. She wasn't getting her hands on this one. Of course, he'd said that about the last one.

"Unfortunately," he intoned dolefully after a few calculations. "Sairaag. If you can still call it a city. It's only a few days northwest."

"Okay!" she beamed, rubbing her hands together, and jumped into her bedroll with a flash of red hair. Clearly she didn't share his reservations about returning to Hellsville. "Night, Zel!"

"Good night, Lina," he sighed, realizing that he'd been left first watch by default. Again. Didn't they realize that, if he took last watch, by the time anyone else woke up he'd already be fully caffeinated and less inclined to bite heads off? Oh, well. Logic was not this expedition's strong point.

He made himself another cup of coffee. And spilled it.

"Bastard."

@@@

They made their way to Sairaag in a leisurely fashion, which meant that they walked at their habitual pace and took long lunch breaks. This kept everyone in a good mood. The only period of excitement was when Amelia tripped on a patch of dandelions and landed with her nose in a patch of the little purple flowers and they realized it was a kind of plant none of them had seen before.

This made Lina extremely happy, and she insisted that they stop to name it immediately. After one look at the delicate filaments on top, hanging limply to just below the pale mound they were attached to, the dark petals around its base, the dark leaves with their suggestion of red veins, and the nearly black stem with its soft, vestigial thorns, Zelgadis knew at once what its name must inevitably be.

He waited through a few names like Purple String, Jellyfish Flower, and Justice Star Thistle, in the hope that they would think of something better. He didn't want to speak up. When Lina suggested that they call it the Inversed Daisy, though, he knew he could no longer keep silent.

"Tricksterhair," he sighed glumly.

And, after Gourry had puzzled that he didn't think Xellos had one of those fake bald spots monks gave themselves and Lina had nearly choked on the apple she was guzzling, that was that. And when they passed through a town the next day they found, to Amelia's awe and Zelgadis's fury, that it was the flower's real name. He took a lot of flak from Lina about that at dinner, up until Gourry surfaced from the feeding frenzy for long enough to ask where they were going.

"Sairaag!" cheered Amelia, who had only been there once and neither understood that nothing good ever happened in Sairaag nor, apparently, remembered that it was in ruins again.

Under the weight of a rare flash of memory, Gourry's brows creased. "Isn't that where Lina got stolen by that yellow lady?" Zelgadis nodded, and sipped while everyone twitched. Gourry's eyes widened in alarm. "That's not a good place. Why are we going there?"

"Gourry," Lina interrupted him slyly from around a huge mouthful of chicken, "don't you want to taste Sylphiel's great cooking?"

He thought about it for a moment, then dived happily back into his plate. Lina winked at Zelgadis and smirked broadly. He tilted his head at her in acknowledgement and took another sip of coffee.

This wasn't his spare mug; it was a nice earthenware one that belonged to the inn they were terrorizing. He thought about buying it from them, but then he thought about whatever poor soul was at Xellos's mercy, and decided not to. Besides, what if he were tormenting Zelgadis like this because he'd known he was going out into the middle of nowhere with no one to tease? He would starve, and then Zelgadis would never get his mug back!

He was getting really upset over the prospect when Lina pushed back her chair, yawned, and asked the traumatized innkeeper for the room keys. It was probably just as well; a little adrenaline lingering in his system wouldn't hurt tomorrow. Sairaag waited.

He could probably feel Zelgadis being angry with him all the way from wherever he was. He was probably getting lots of free monster-meals off of it.
back to story

---

Back | Back to ToC | Next

Feedback Enshrined Here

---

updates | room | shrine | litmus test | slayers | saiyuki | misc | links