As is true and right I acknowledge and affirm that the characters contained in this story do belong to:

Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi creators of SLAYERS

Any mess I make of them is entirely my own doing.

Simple Troubles or Educating Lina

Lina pushed the food around her plate, occasionally skewering a doomed piece to shove it in her mouth. The tines of Saillune's best silver forks wouldn't survive many more meals like this one. Lina contemplated picking up her share of the food and going back to the rooms allotted her. However, given the walk, it would be even colder and more tasteless than it was now.

For about the thousandth time her eyes betrayed her, streaking to Amelia who continued to smile. An inordinate amount of the time she was directing her smiles at Gourry. Gourry, at least, was attending mostly to his food. When not eating he could be observed winking . . . for gods' sakes, winking! At Amelia.

Lina reached for another piece of chicken and noted the platter was empty. That was very odd, chicken gone and she didn't know where it went. Since being invited to stay at the palace she, Gourry and Zelgadis had eaten at the family table. This meant beside Phil and Amelia and Christopher there were nearly a dozen high level functionaries and several distant relatives, to share their cozy meals. Today there was significantly less conversation, as if everyone were waiting for something. Amelia, of course, was the exception; she was chattering to her father and the rest of them (although only Phil had composed more than a two-word answer).

Lina glanced at Zelgadis. Usually he was watching her and Gourry eat with an air of amused horror or horrified amusement, whatever. Today he stared at his plate. No. Lina looked again. His eyes were following the same path as hers, from Gourry to Amelia, and back again.

Lina caught a movement as Gourry leaned over and offered Amelia one of the desserts just set before him. He offered her food! Lina stabbed the piece of cake in front of her and heard the plate crack. Phil didn't even react. Zelgadis shoved his meal, and the dessert, away from him and moved back, as if to stand.

"Hey, Zel," Gourry glanced up at Zelgadis and for a moment Lina would have thought his smile cagey, but now, it was a vague open look, true Gourry. "If you aren't interested, I'll just take it, OK? No need to waste something that fine." Gourry made no move, his eyes locked with Zel's, then he reached over and took the plate, his eyes moving to Amelia.

Lina noted the choking sound she heard was coming from her. Phil was coughing into his wineglass and Amelia had flushed bright red. Behind her Lina swore she heard the rustle of pencils on paper.

Zel froze. His eyes went blank then he looked at her. Lina suspected she appeared as just as stunned. After a second she shook her head at Zel. No way, she thought, no way did the blond swordsman mean anything. Gourry couldn't do a single entendre; there could be no double entendre in that statement. There just couldn't be.

She glanced at Gourry; who suddenly looked up and met her eyes. "Something wrong, Lina?" He tipped his head, smile warm, eyes vague.

"No. Yes." She stood up herself, shoving the last of the cake in her mouth. Things weren't that weird yet. "Bad day in the library. I'm going back to the shops. I never found the negus orchre I need."

"I'm going with you." Zel matched her strides out of the dining room. She was absolutely sure there were people writing, making notes on their exit? They walked through town in silence, after a half-mile Lina rounded on Zelgadis. "Stop staring and ducking already! I promised Phil no magical . . . outbursts in the city."

"I wasn't sure you remembered," he defended himself.

"Did you see . . ." Lina began.

"Do you suppose . . ." Zelgadis was saying.

"You first." They stated in unison.

"OK, first what's wrong with them?" Lina asked. "Second, what's wrong with us, that we care what's wrong with them?"

"I'm not sure it's WRONG with them." Zelgadis started walking, adamantly staring straight ahead. "And what's wrong with us is that it might not be wrong with them." He paused, then added more hopefully, "Or there are some obscure mold spores on those ancient books we're researching and we are suffering from some unknown poison."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day." She sighed and caught up with him.

"So what we . . . er . . . observed today? That thing with the cherries, them doing, aag. . .whatever . . . you think that might have been . . ?" She waved her hands vaguely.

"Yeah."

"Look, what are you saying? You've been throwing me at Gourry's head for years, now you say he's making up to Amelia?"

"The only man I ever threw you at was Rezo." Zelgadis looked down at her, then stopped. "And your nose was always that way."

For a second Lina maintained her rage-pose, then her shoulders dropped and her fangs withdrew. "I'd almost forgotten that."

"I usually can't." Zelgadis looked away then looked back. "I never did apologize."

"For throwing me at Rezo, or for letting me hit the tree?"

"Both, all of it." Zelgadis shrugged.

"Forget it. I mostly have. Except for the nose crack. That I remember." She sighed and slapped his shoulder. They both winced. "Let's go. Maybe we'll get that lettering readable, find something useful and get out of here. I think we are all suffering from an over-exposure to civilization."

"Funny, it's usually civilization that suffers from an over-exposure to you." He grinned down at her. Lina set her lips and stomped ahead. "If I hadn't promised Phil not blow anyone up. . . "

"I wouldn't have said it, " he called out as he caught up to her. Lina couldn't stop wondering the rest of the walk; did Zelgadis see the same thing she kept seeing?

Earlier that afternoon they'd gone to get Amelia and Gourry, to see if the others wanted to share a rare break from the new research. Lina remembered she'd been actually looking forward to spending time with Gou . . . without dusty books: she firmly directed her thoughts. Palace staff had sent them to check the enormous gardens. They'd found Amelia and Gourry easily enough; their laughter was fairly ringing off the walls. Lina remembered sharing a puzzled look with Zelgadis.

Lost in memory Lina didn't know her face had gone blank or that her pace had quickened, beside her Zelgadis marched on, his expression as dark as her thoughts.

She could still see it; Gourry had been laughing up at Amelia as she sat in a cherry tree. Lina and Zel had watched Amelia lean down and feed the swordsman a cherry. Lina had clearly heard Zelgadis choking while her own coughing gasp attempted to derail several disturbing and very unusual thoughts that ran through her mind. No symbolism there, just a bad day and too much time with bizarre old books.

Lina had exchanged a look with Zelgadis. He returned her stare, then, sounding grim: "Let's go say hello." She'd muttered something along the line of that not being what she wanted to say, but Zel hadn't been listening.

Gourry must have heard them; he gave a lazy glance over his shoulder. His smile changed for just a second, or maybe Lina had imagined it. "Hey. You want some more?" Amelia called down, then she noticed to new arrivals. "Hello Miss Lina, Mr. Zelgadis, did you need something?" She had shifted forward on the branch as if to make the easy jump to the ground.

Reality then took a brief hiatus. Even now Lina shook her head. She really hadn't seen that! Gourry reached up and caught the princess, very carefully, around her waist. Lina had time to think that if it were her he'd have been making sure no one was around to get hit, as he scrambled away. But it got worse. No brotherly swing to the ground, oh no! He, he did something. Lina wasn't sure exactly why it wasn't right, but it wasn't.

Amelia was way to close to his body as he lowered her, and instead of just letting go he'd… He'd let her sort of slide through his hands, slowly. Amelia was staring into his eyes. In letting her slip to the ground her body moved through his hands, up from her waist, granted along her sides, but there was plenty up there, even at her sides for his hands to run into.

Of course GOURRY couldn't figure that. Could he?

Snapping back to now, still confused, she turned on Zelgadis, who stumbled to keep from running her down. "Do you think . . . when he was helping her . . . that he meant ?. . . his hands? . . . did he know?"

"Whatever else he is, Gourry is a man. He knew." Zelgadis's voice was grim.

"Oh, Hell and damnation!" Lina stomped her foot. "Now what do we do?" They hadn't addressed the question when it first happened. They'd both been irritated, finding it difficult to carry on a conversation. Lina vaguely remembered Gourry suggesting they were getting as boring as their dusty books, and he and Amelia had plans. The princess had been given a new horse and they were going riding. Somehow it appeared Lina and Zel weren't invited. She ground her teeth as she remembered the two moving off, laughing. Then Gourry's arm around Amelia's shoulder, an action so often seen, but different this time, as he lifted his hand to stroke her hair.

She was brought back to the trail, and her companion.

"What do we do?" He repeated flatly. "You figure out if you're going to fight for him."

"Oh, don't start in on that Zel!" She glared back, forcing him to retreat a step. Old habits. "I'll give as good as I get from you, and I really don't think you want to hear about the colors you can turn despite your stone face. Especially when our darling young princess sat there feeding him HER CHERRIES."

"You're getting a dirty mind in your old age," Zelgadis growled at her. "I don't care to hear it. Phil didn't make me promise not to use any destructive spells."

"You were thinking the same things I was and you were turning colors then too! And if you start it I WILL finish it."

"All right, all right." Zelgadis held up his hand in a sign of cease-fire. "No use snipping at each other." They stared in silence, and then both shrugged and turned their attention back to the errand.

Several hours later Lina was frustrated (in any way the word could be taken; though she wouldn't/couldn't admit that). The pages in the old books they couldn't read were painted in negus orche. It would be several hours before they knew if the faded ink would respond to the compound and darken enough to allow them to read the lost material. So for now she and Zel were once again reading the old goat's journals.

He was the only mage she had ever encountered who treated his magic research and sexual adventures with the same reverence. Actually she had never read anything about any others' sex lives. She sort of assumed they didn't have them.

Old Aroc sure had one. Many. She swallowed and swung her legs carefully off the window seat to creep toward the lexicon. Of the last eleven words she had to look up only one had been in it. That one meant to blend blood of animals or humans with plant essence. The other ten had come from what she tended to think of as THE OTHER MATERIAL. She doubted Zel would notice as she made her way quietly to the table. He was in his "fire chair."

She hadn't perused the personal journals the first two days and it had taken another day to realize that Zel was stumbling over the same material she was. Had to be, there was no other reason for two people to look up from books, mumble guilty nonsense and duck back to the pages. She had noted he wasn't skipping parts, any more than she was. She'd then realized there were times he would suddenly get up from the table and move to an old padded chair. He'd sit there, his legs splayed out in front of him, and his back mostly toward the room, and her. He shifted a lot too. Now that was funny, because Zel could sit still better than any living person she'd ever met. (She wasn't too sure there weren't some corpses that fidgeted more then Zelgadis.) But when he was in that chair he fidgeted. Made her think his clothes, or at least his pants, were too tight.

She flipped the pages, pretty sure Zelgadis wouldn't notice her checking the lexicon. The word was there. She fairly choked. They had a word for THAT? People did THAT? She blinked. OK, maybe . . . Her face flamed red. Not good to have a visual imagination.

"What are you looking up?" For a rock Zelgadis could move damned quietly! It wasn't that she was distracted or anything! Lina slammed the book shut and jumped around. She probably couldn't look guiltier if she'd been caught in the royal treasure trove.

Zelgadis studied her face for an instant, then glanced at the table, then the window seat. He noted the marked journal on the cushion and nodded. "Never mind." He rubbed his face as if tired. "I really don't want to know."

Lina couldn't find her voice. She wasn't sure she could cast a spell if two Mazoku and a bandit gang rushed in. So she was as obvious as he was, after all? Of course. She had noticed the room always seemed to get much warmer when she hit those sections. It just made sense to move to the large window seat, open the window and let a breeze cool her cheeks, and the rest of her. Those dusty books would make anyone feel choked. A little fresh air was good for her she kept telling herself.

"The look is priceless Lina." Zel pulled himself up on the table and studied her face. His breath puffed out in a near laugh. "I can die happy, I've seen the great Lina Inverse at a loss for words, embarrassed, and in, shall we say, an awkward mood."

"And in good company!" She snapped back, finally finding her voice.

He conceded her point with a nod. "OK, so forget it. We've discovered porn in the journals. At least he was kind enough to randomly sprinkle important locations and names in his intimate encounters so we even have a reason to read it. We can assert we don't want to."

"I don't want to!" Lina bit the words off with all the fury she could muster.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever!" He waved his hand dismissively. They sat in silence for a moment then Zelgadis fell back so he lay on the table, his legs hanging off. Lina suddenly had to force her eyes to the ceiling.

'I didn't just look at his . . . I don't look . . . I. . .' She groaned herself and dropped to the table. She mimicked Zelgadis's position without thinking. She didn't realize that a lock of her hair brushed his face, or that instead of pushing it away he lifted it and absently rubbed it between his fingers.

After several minutes of focusing on anything but what she'd been reading Lina asked; "Do you think we were imagining what we saw? Making more out of it than there was because our thinking was . . . "

"Perverted? Dirty? Sexually Obsessed?" He supplied dryly.

"Tainted," she finished.

"Lina, subtlety doesn't suit you." Zelgadis sighed again. Lina began to sit up when she felt a tug on her hair. She turned her head and their eyes met over the strands of hair he'd wrapped around his fingers.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't have any fucking idea." He winced at his words. "That was not intentional."

"Maybe we better get out of this library." Lina suggested sitting up as Zel released her hair. Suddenly a thought struck her. "You don't think Amelia read some of those? And that's why she refused to help go through the journals?"

"I don't think so. When I discovered the more, err, unique aspects, of the journals, I looked over what she read. I suspect she was upset by a particularly detailed recounting of trying to resurrect the warriors of a battle."

"Oh, I read that one. In didn't see any smut in it." Lina sighed in relief. She wasn't sure she wanted the princess reading that sort of thing, then sliding along Gourry's body. The swordsman wouldn't have a clue what to do if she got . . . all wound up.

"We better get out of here for a while." Zelgadis sat up too. "Maybe we should find Amelia and Gourry." He shrugged, "We could go for ride, or go into town for dinner."

"And get the hell away from these books." They left, carefully dousing all sources of flame and locking, then magically sealing, the door. Some of the spells they were finding were not for the casual reader.

"Uhn, Zel." Lina began slowly.

"Yeah, Lina?"

"You been having any trouble sleeping lately?"

He glared down at her, "Don't go there, just don't Lina."

Two days later Gourry opened the library door carefully. Zelgadis was jealously guarding a small area of the table where he reviewed two dusty old books and made notes in a neat journal. Lina had the rest of the table. She appeared to be working on four or five books simultaneously. She also had three maps, one apparently drawn by Zelgadis. There were scraps of paper scattered about and a pen stuck in the front of her shirt. Gourry wasn't surprised that the only way she could get at everything she wanted was to climb up on the table and crawl around. She was on the edge of something and had wound herself up with nervous energy. Things wouldn't work out until she calmed down.

Glancing around Gourry saw several uncomfortable looking chairs. There was a nice chair over by the fire. Zelgadis's, the books were stacked neatly on the table next to another neat journal. The loose papers were also stacked and weighed down. Across from the door was a window seat the size of a small bed. Several books were scattered on the floor near by. There were at least three empty cups littered about. They kept company with several loose sheets of paper. Two ragged journals were propped against the window. Definitely Lina territory.

Figuring Lina was used to him taking over her space Gourry settled himself at the window seat. "Hey! Hey! Hey!" Zelgadis was growling, "Watch the ink. Keep yourself in your own space."

"Whatever." Lina scooted around and lowered her face to stare at a map. "I'm gonna' need another map."

"So draw one."

"You want to go creeping around the New World on a map I drew?" She glanced back. "You need something Gourry?"

"Nope," he grinned as Zelgadis looked up; obviously unaware he had entered. "I'm just enjoying the view."

"Most people look out the window." She returned to her books and Zelgadis shook his head at Gourry. Gourry sent back his best oblivious look. After watching Lina's backside wiggle around the table he glanced at the books she was reading. He was idly flipping through the pages when a picture caught his eye. He studied it for a minute, then glanced at Zel and Lina. They were ignoring him. He looked at the book again. So just how did that fit into magic? He started to read the text, and blinked. Oh ho, ho. So now a certain tension level began to make sense.

Glancing up to determine he was still ignorable he carefully picked up another book. It only took a few brief glances to determine that the vast majority of the ancient books were boring magic nonsense, but with a gratifying number of, side trips. He was going to have to find his way in here when they weren't in residence.

"Gourry, don't mess with anything," Lina admonished, automatically.

"Sure," he responded absently. Flipping through the book she was currently reading he removed a list of words. Notes, written in her casual hand. The same script that adorned the near unintelligible notes to him. Narrowing his eyes Gourry glanced at the list. His head jerked up to Lina, then to Zel, for a second he felt warm, and angry. Drawing in a breath he considered the rule to live by; 'Don't get mad at people you care about.'

"So what is this Lina? Your wish list?" He held up the paper, both glanced at him absently.

"Words she needs to look up . . ." Gourry grinned as Zelgadis realized the significance.

Lina just choked, sputtered. "Good-bye Gourry. Get out of here." She really lacked that intimidation factor, staring at him under her arm, her butt in the air. "Dammit! You're distracting me!"

"If you'd sit still you might figure out your problem." Carefully he picked up the list and two of the ancient books. Making his way to the table he glanced at Lina who was moving as quickly as she could on her hands and knees. She acted like she could figure out the solution if she just got all the information in her head at the same time.

Zelgadis was growling irritably at her when she moved too close to his books. Zel was also not looking at her butt, to the point Gourry figured Zel hadn't read anything in half an hour.

Gourry shook his head and circled the table. Nice to see life returning to normal. Sighing he reached over and snatched Zel's ink bottle before the other man could stab him with a pen. Zel was glaring at him when Lina settled to her elbows and knees.

"If you sit still," Gourry placed the ink bottle between her shoulders, "You'll figure it out."

"I hate it when you do that." She was careful to not even raise her voice as Gourry set the cork in front of her, a reminder. Zelgadis had been puzzled for a minute now he ducked his head in acknowledgment of Gourry's plan. "Just sit still and think, you're your own worst enemy." Gourry sat down opposite Zelgadis and placed the list on the table. Lina didn't know what he was doing, but Zel had developed a really interesting expression.

"Zel, Zel, Zel," Gourry shook his head. 'You couldn't help her with any of this?"

"Any of what? Gourry, don't mess with our stuff!" Lina couldn't see what he was doing.

"Just helping." Gourry took up Lina's pen as Zel was defending his guyness.

"She didn't show me the list!"

"What list? List? Gourry, what are you doing?" Lina couldn't turn her head enough to look.

"Focus on your problem Lina." He leaned over and angled his head under her face. "What do you need?" It wasn't the first time he'd restrained her that way to improve focus. He considered it a type of centering exercise. Generally Lina needed a lot of centering. "The book with the blue cover, and the loose pages next to it." She sighed in resignation as Gourry arranged the items requested. He resumed his seat and began to write. Every now and then he had to look at Lina, she really didn't know? MMM, he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, L-Sama, I've been. . ." Lina sounded annoyed. "Gourry, get this off me!" He absently complied and Lina began to write frantically with a pencil, making faint marks on the map. Gourry returned to what he was doing. With a satisfied grin he sanded the page. He'd used ink, in case she needed to keep the information.

"Here." Gourry carefully slid the completed page under Lina's nose. "There's actually three I didn't know. I'll check around the barracks and get back to you on those."

"Gourry?" She sat back staring at the page; Zelgadis glanced at the clear neat writing, then at Gourry. The larger man was carefully moving toward the door. Lina was stunned but in a moment he'd have to run.

Zelgadis was the trigger. "Does that say "see picture page 156, red book?"

"Yeah, the one on the table." Gourry ran, startling several of the aged and curious retainers who skulked outside the library. Turning the corner he banged into Amelia, literally. He was laughing as he pulled her, giggling, after him.

Lina walked into the library, saw Gourry's list and turned and walked out, straight into Zelgadis. "Forget something?" he asked, pushing her back on her feet. Again no delicate handling.

"Umm no."

"Ahh." He looked over her shoulder. "The umm, mold spores, getting to you?"

"Yeah."

"Let's find the others."

Lina sighed. "I swear to all the gods, if there is any fruit involved I'm fire balling the whole damn place. And Phil can just find me if he wants to talk about it."

"Yeah." Zelgadis shuddered. "Fruit," he whispered with a vague shudder. Lina really didn't want to know. Really.

They had to check in with several of the ubiquitous staff before being directed to something called the Blue Solarium. On the way Lina suddenly came to an abrupt stop. "Did you read anything about solariums?" She was trying to remember exactly. "Ugg."

"You need to have a really long cold bath." Zelgadis eyed her with a slightly stunned look.

"I'm sorry! I'm not Gourry, I don't empty my brain at the change of every hour!"

"Yeah well I wish you would." He pushed her onward, not very gently. Lina irritably wondered what it was with men that Amelia was treated like fine china and she, Lina Inverse, was tossed around like old boots.

They found the Blue Solarium, and there was music coming from it, slow and measured. Lina found herself once again exchanging a puzzled look with Zelgadis. "We don't want to go in there, do we?"

"No." He agreed. "But we have to." He made a mocking bow, "after you, my lady."

Lina approached the door, and over the sound of a band she heard Gourry laugh. It ran through her like a sword and her hand closed on the knob, but she couldn't open the door. After a second Zelgadis's hand covered hers. "Stop it, Lina." He spoke low in her ear. "You're really over-reacting." He pushed the door open and crowded her into the room.

Gourry and Amelia were sprawled on the wooden floor. Gourry lay on his side, and as Lina watched Amelia situated herself so she sat with her back braced against his. "I still don't think that's the way they mean the dance to go, Gourry!" Amelia appeared slightly sweaty and quite pleased. Looking up she saw Lina and Zelgadis in the doorway. Her smile faded and she started up.

"You guys going to learn to dance?" Gourry asked. He jumped up with a single, almost liquid, movement. "Watch." He caught Amelia around the waist and pulled her to him. They moved slowly in time to the music, eyes on one another. They were poorly matched in height, and should have looked ridiculous. They didn't.

After a few turns Gourry and Amelia stopped in front of them. The swordsman tipped his head and glanced first at Lina then Zelgadis. "Here, Zel." Gourry pressed Amelia's hand into Zelgadis's, who blinked and pulled back.

"I don't know how to dance."

"That's the whole point. Amelia's a really good teacher." Gourry smiled brightly. "Don't ya' want her to teach you to dance?"

Once again Lina suspected she was missing something. Zelgadis was blinking at Amelia and Gourry. "I don't think I need to learn to dance."

"Yeah, well I really think you do." Gourry's tone caused Lina and Zel to both gaze at him suspiciously. Gourry fairly shoved the other two onto the floor.

"What about you Lina?" She didn't have time to react before Gourry caught her around the waist and pulled her away from the door. She allowed herself to be towed along for an instant, then she realized Gourry's eyes weren't on her, they were on the pair in the doorway. Amelia was smiling at Zelgadis who stood impassive, her hand still in his. Lina's hands had gone to Gourry's arms and she felt the tension run through him. There was something watchful in his eyes. Jealousy? Protectiveness? Lina felt lost for a moment and he twirled her.

She hadn't danced in years, not really. It was easy to relax against Gourry's hands, to let him direct her movements. They danced for a few moments, but Gourry's attention seemed equally on Amelia and Zelgadis.

OK. So what was the plan here? If Gourry and Amelia were, being umm. . . agg… better friends; why would Gourry want Amelia to dance with Zelgadis? She missed a step and almost fell, Gourry caught her easily. "Are you OK?"

"No." She pulled away. Zelgadis was walking away from Amelia. Suddenly Gourry's eyes were on her. She had one of those unsettling moments when Gourry was really looking at her.

"Lina? What's wrong?" He didn't release her hand and actually pulled her closer. "What are you thinking?"

"That I don't really like to dance." He didn't try to hold her this time and she pulled away, her course intercepting Zelgadis's.

As they walked out the door she heard Amelia call; "Gourry?"

"So when did he become Gourry?" She didn't expect Zel to answer, and he didn't. They were moving down an unfamiliar hallway when Lina grabbed his arm. "What are we doing Zel?"

"Walking, down a hallway. I believe we are headed for the laundry."

"Why did he want you to dance with her?" She wasn't interested in the reason. She wasn't!

"I don't know. It's Gourry." Zelgadis moved his shoulders, as if his neck were sore. "I don't know why he does anything."

"It makes sense." She stopped, saying what she had been trying not to think.

Zelgadis stopped to stare at her. "Walking to the Laundry?"

She waved her hand. "Not the laundry. Them."

"I know." He started walking again.

"Do you know how to get to the library?"

"No we are going to wash sheets."

"They need clean sheets?" Lina realized what she was saying as it left her mouth and sighed. Zel snorted and shoved her, not gently.

"Umm can you find the way back to the library?" Her voice was meek.

"I can fake it." He sounded grim. Lina bit her lip, a completely inappropriate connection racing through her mind. She managed not to say anything, but her odd choking earned her another disgusted shove.

Thirty six hours of stewing later Lina was circling the library like trapped and extremely loud Mazoku. Zelgadis had fled the table to his fireside chair and appeared to be ducking each time her circuit crossed near him. "If you just give me a clear shot at the door, I'll leave." He called hopefully when she kicked a rather ornate and uncomfortable chair so hard that it scarred the flagstone wall before disintegrating.

"How does this happen?" She rounded on Zelgadis and he crouched, arms over head, eyes tightly shut. "And I'm not going to hit you."

After a long silence Zel unwound. He looked over to Lina and sighed. "Don't do that! Can't you fireball someone? Break something? Break someone? Get it all over at once?" He approached her cautiously as she slowed and finally stopped stomping and raging. Now she stood with her head hanging, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. He wasn't sure the stomping hadn't been better, this looked a little. . .defeated.

"It's going to be inconvenient, if they're off coupling all the time." She murmured abruptly. The visual image was an unforeseen assault and sent Zelgadis to the floor in a chaotic heap. Zel eventually got his limbs organized in a manner to rise.

"You want to rephrase that a little there, Lina? Not really the mental image I want right now."

"You know what I meant!"

"Yeah, well you said it!" He reached out, grasped her shoulders and shook her, very gently. "Lina. Don't. We can't change them. We shouldn't. You made a decision." He raised his hand to forestall her when she would have spoken. "We made a decision. If they are coming to care for one another; we choose to back out."

"How do they do that all of a sudden, after two years?" He suspected she wanted to sound angry or incredulous, instead she sounded afraid and hurt. "What is it? Sort of Dumdee Dumdee dum, bored, oh I'm so bored." Her voice was a bitter singsong tone. "Oh, there's my old friend Zel. Wonder what it would be like to kiss him?"

Before Zelgadis could recognize the danger Lina had grabbed his shirt, pulled him down to her level and kissed him firmly, if extremely awkwardly, on the lips. She retained her hold, only pushing him back a little as she continued to rant. "Oh, like that makes a lot of sense?"

"You are aware that I'm here? And you just kissed me?" Zelgadis's head was bobbing slightly as she continued shaking him. He was marginally worried about what other impulses she was going to ascribe to their newly smitten companions.

"Oh." She blinked. She looked at her hands on his shirt. "Oh, hee, hee, sorry Zelly. Not thinking. Really." She made a show of smoothing his shirt, and not meeting his eyes. The one time she glanced up Zelgadis felt his throat tighten. There was real pain under the embarrassment and anger. Pain that was the foundation of everything she said and did.

"Just checking." He caught her upper arms. "Oh, and Lina." He waited until she looked up. His hands slipped up to cup her shoulders. "I suspect it would go more like this." She didn't resist when he pulled her to him, instead she stepped up, lightly pressed against his body. She was still shaking with rage and hurt, and maybe a little fear. Her eyes drifted shut as he ducked his head. Their lips barely met when the library door banged open.

Zelgadis looked into her stunned gaze and decided laughing would get him killed. Might be worth it, but he'd wait. They first heard Amelia gasping. Lina seemed frozen. Gourry was laughing.

"OHH, Amelia," The bastard had to take a deep breath to keep talking! "Don't think they need dinner. Sorry." Gourry was difficult to understand as he laughed and tried talking. "We'll be going. Might want to use the lock on the door. Right. See you." The door slammed.

Lina, who had not pulled away, focused on Zelgadis. "Our life is a farce. Someone wrote the script and we are being dragged through this nightmare for the amusement of others."

"Gourry, apparently." Zelgadis moved back, as if retreating from a poisonous snake. They stood staring at one another, both nodding slightly. Simultaneously they found the floorboards of burning interest.

"I don't think we . . . " Zelgadis's voice was changing level and he found he couldn't look anywhere near Lina.

"Might be a good idea if . . ." Lina found she could talk if her eyes never moved more than 6 inches from the toe of her left boot. Useful information, that.

Each stopped and waited expectantly for the other to talk. "I got a map to review." Zelgadis was a drowning man thrown an anchor.

"I'm really close to a connection with that transformation spell." Lina would have claimed a recipe for laundry soap at the moment. Zel wouldn't have noticed anyway. Full retreat to opposite corners.

Lunch the next day was conducted in tangible silence. Only Gourry seemed to be acting as usual, eating everything that paused within reach, barely glancing at his companions, except to ask for food they didn't finish.

Amelia wore a bemused, watchful, look. She appeared to have developed a scanning pattern; Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry. And on and on and on and on. Lina located a clock and timed her, she seemed to make the circuit in 25 to 30 second intervals. She was probably too dizzy to eat.

Phil's cup suddenly struck the table with a resounding thud. "I have to admit the games have been amusing, and they give the staff something new to bet on, but once you affect my meals something has to give."

Lina was looking past his left ear, trying to feign puzzled interest. 'I don't have a clue what he means, I don't have a clue what he means.' She chanted to herself. Beside her Gourry looked up from his meal, smiled and put down his fork.

Gourry put down his fork? She had to look at him. The oblivious bastard grinned at her! She jerked her attention back to Phil, noting in passing that Amelia was flushing red and staring. Zelgadis was sitting in rigid disinterest.

"Now," Phil slowly caught each of their eyes in turn. Amelia blushed more, creating a whole new color of embarrassed. Zelgadis met and held the prince's gaze, his posture failing arrogant and sliding ignominiously to defiant. Gourry met Phil's look with an open grin.

When it was her turn for the royal glare Lina tried to stare him down, but her eyes danced away. She felt a flush creeping across her face. She wondered if there were formalized punishments for . . . umm . . . well . . . .kissing. 'Gods' her brain screamed what she had tried to forget. 'I kissed Zelgadis and Amelia saw me!' Lina wasn't at all sure that wasn't "unjust" and worthy of some long and protracted punishment.

Prince Phil interrupted her rampant and horrific visions. "All right, now you guys need to tell me what is going on. There are people dying of curiosity here! So far all I know is that Amelia was upset and she and Zelgadis ate in their respective rooms. Now three of you look as if . . ." Phil paused. "You know, it's so unique I really can't find a comparison." He continued to study them. "But whatever you three have done, Miss Lina skipped dinner." Phil rounded on her suddenly. "Do you know how much money I lost that you actually didn't eat?"

"Money?" Lina knew she was blinking stupidly. "Lost?"

"They're betting on us." Amelia explained in a low, resigned, voice. "Not much else for people to do around court during times of peace. They've run out of immediate family to attempt to usurp the throne, so we're the latest topic of interest. That and how much of the city Miss Lina will blow up before leaving."

"That was an accident!"

"I suppose yesterday was an accident, too?" Gourry's question, asked so innocently in her ear.

"I didn't blow anything up yesterday!" Lina shot back.

"That, Lina, is purely a matter of perspective." He nodded to Amelia and Zelgadis across from them.

"All of that aside, I can stand as much adolescent round abouting as the next father. It's what young people do for fun. Harmless flirtation and all that. . ." Phil resumed his diatribe.

"Adolescent . . ." Zelgadis muttered, leaning forward.

"What flirtation?" Lina jumped up, her hands on the table.

"He's talking about you and Zel, in the library." Gourry's hand on her shoulder forced Lina back into her seat. By accident Lina's eyes met Zel's. She suddenly found herself engulfed in her embarrassment and looking up from the puddle she had become on her chair. Under the table she noted Zel and Amelia were similarly discomfited. Only Gourry seemed unfazed by the discussion.

"And you and Amelia," Phil added to Gourry. The puddle of Amelia moaned in mortification. That was the best thing Lina had heard all day.

"Yeah, but we aren't nearly as fun as they are." Gourry was pointing out.

"And not worth anywhere near the kind of money." Phil agreed. Lina tried to flow off the chair and disappear into the crack in the floor. The Jellyfish was mocking them!

"But what happened?" Phil was asking.

"Well," Gourry peeked under the table and waved at Zel, Amelia, and then Lina. "It seems every once in a while the ones who know everything about everything, find out that they don't know themselves." He paused as if considering. "That and basically it appears that some who claim to be grown up adults haven't got the slightest clue about good old fashioned lust. That thing most of us discovered at oh," he looked under the table again, "13, 14." He patted the puddle of Lina on the head. "It's OK, it's never too late to learn."

"Oh." Phil seemed content. "Is that ALL? At least it's not anything significant." He called for the footman to bring the next course. Lina was sure a number of sheets of paper rattled, and she distinctly heard the clink of coins changing hands. It really wasn't fair, she was suffering humiliation and other people were making money off it. Other people. The Lina puddle arose in a full rage, flames, pointing teeth and demonic voice.

"Gourry are you doing some of this betting?"

"Only on you and Zel, wouldn't be sporting to bet about me and Amelia." He dodged her blows and when she would have prepared a spell Phil pointed his fork at her.

"Now, now, Miss Lina, you did promise." He smiled. "Now that everything's been explained why don't you just sit down and enjoy your lunch?"

"Explained! You are going to let this . . . this sneaking conniving . . .

Jellyfish . . ."

"Lina," Gourry spoke around a mouthful of some pork dish. "I don't think Jellyfish have the brains to connive. Either conniving or Jellyfish, but not both I don't think."

"I have to agree with Mr. Gourry." Amelia had emerged from her puddle, followed by Zelgadis who was striving to look enraged and had managed a sort of indignant sheepish. "Mr. Gourry isn't conniving when he's a Jellyfish." Her smile was suddenly wide and hinted at more then a little adoration. "And he isn't a Jellyfish when he's conniving."

"Well obviously you know his state of being, in all aspects, better then I." Lina turned and walked slowly and calmly from the dining room, down the hall to her apartments. She just pretended the 100's and 100's of people she passed weren't looking at her. Once in her room Lina didn't know what to do first. She could break something. She could cry or she could: "Get the Hell out of here." No way was she going to face any of them again!

Gourry had probably told every last retainer what he had seen in the library yesterday! Maybe he earned enough for a really fancy sword. He'd need it, the rumor mongering, Princess chasing, lying (what did he lie about? oh yeah "the rest of my life"), sneaking, fink! Lina flung the few things she owned in the bag. In a way she felt bad for Zel. They were finally on to something that might really make a difference for him. With her gone he'd have to read all the journals she had covered.

Lina shook her head. This morning had been bad enough with the two of them circling each other like proximity would lead to some form of tragedy (maybe it would have). Lina needed to get out. She needed to get away from the cherry trees that reminded her of Gourry's hands on Amelia, and she had to get away from that library and its suggestive books.

She swallowed. She had to get away from Gourry's truth. She'd run into feelings she never had before, and suddenly she. . . Lina sat on the bed. OK, simple, the books put thoughts in her head Lina had worked hard to keep out. She would have to admit her age and lack of experience probably did make her vulnerable, too. She'd been upset by the thought of Gourry and Amelia finding each other. Devastated by how much sense it made. She told herself it was because if they were a couple things would change. So in the interest of symmetry (and the driving curiosity of rampant hormones, let's be honest with ourselves) she'd . . . what? . . . accosted Zelgadis. The only thing that prevented her from dying of embarrassment was that he appeared to be participating as much as she was.

Lina tried not to think that all she learned was that she wasn't very good at kissing. Lina rose slowly, gathered her bag and reached for the door. As she turned the handle the door burst back and out of her hand. Jumping away Lina found herself steadied in a familiar grasp.

"Not this time, Lina." Gourry pulled the bag from her without effort and tossed it across the room. "You may have made it through life by running away from people whenever things get to have too much emotion for you; whenever you were in over your head. But you're not leaving us, we aren't your family, and we won't just let you go. Do you really want to get Amelia in trouble with her father because she has to go haring after you?"

"I don't remember inviting any of you."

"I have to go, I'm your guardian." He smiled at her then and all the censure and irritation left his expression. "So if you're set on going, you'll have to wait 5 while I get my stuff."

"What about . . . what about . . . Amelia?" Gourry opened his mouth as if to answer the hesitant question, then he sighed. "She can't leave with us. That was the point of us staying here through the end of the season, so she could participate in the big spring festival." He patted her head again. Lina hadn't noted him patting Amelia's head in a really long time. "Besides Lina. I'm your guardian. I have to go where you do. They don't."

The two stood in silence. Lina tried to think of something to say, to thank him for following her. To threaten him clearly with what would happen when they were out of the city. "What about Zel?" Gourry asked.

"What about him? He's not leaving until he's drained every bit of information out of those books."

"Won't you miss him?" Gourry seemed to really care about the answer. He stared at her, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"No more then usual, we get over it pretty fast. I figure you and I like to be on our own."

"You figured me right. Lina." Gourry stepped up to her suddenly, he didn't have to force her head up, her eyes rose to meet his look. "All jokes aside, do you need him?"

"Zel?" Lina blinked, there was an underlying message and she wasn't getting it. "Need him for what?"

"Umm, at the risk of being fried, all promises to Phil aside. Do you need him? Do you want him? Desire him?"

"UMMM," Lina knew she was blushing again. "No, no, uhn, uhn. That was, I don't know. A tantrum? I just sorta' I don't know, but I won't be doing anything like that again."

"YOU won't do anything like what?" Gourry leaned in, so close his features blurred and she began to feel short of breath. "When I walked in he was kissing you. So that was the second kiss? Did he actually kiss you? Did we barge in on the end, or the beginning?"

"Did you kiss Amelia?" She countered; the question surprised her more than it appeared to surprise him.

"You'll answer my question if I answer yours?" He pulled back as if considering.

"Sure." Lina shrugged, the answer to that question was an easy 'no' Zel hadn't really kissed her.

"Yes." Gourry answered her.

"Yes? Yes. Yes! Yes!" the flaming sharp toothed demon emerged in the elegant quarters. Gourry sat back, but displayed no real alarm. The demon was shrieking. "Yes! YOU KISSED AMELIA!"

"You kissed Zel. Now you have to tell me if he kissed back?"

"What the hell business is it of yours?"

"We could use the money, if we're going right away." He put his chin in his hand and grinned at her. "So did he kiss you? My guess was push, to shove, you'd kiss him, but he'd cut and run. His self preservation instincts are really quite good." Gourry appeared to be considering her, "But it looks like I guessed wrong."

"What the hell do you mean 'self preservation'? Like kissing me was some sort of fatal disease?"

"No, like Zel knows kissing you could be fatal."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She was raging at him, and he was completely unfazed. He knew she wouldn't actually damage him until she got all the answers she wanted. And that pissed her off.

"You might ask Zel. I know he knows. I doubt he's forgotten."

She glared at him, then answered; "No. He didn't kiss me. Not really."

"Kisses are sort of yes/no things. So not really is yes." Gourry stood up, his tone changed. "Are we leaving? Or are you grown up enough to realize that none of it means anything? Nothing's changed and we are all who we were two weeks ago?"

"Are you calling me immature?"

He glanced down her body, then back up to her eyes. "If the shirt fits, Lina."

"How dare you talk to me like that? You're turning into a real bastard!"

"Maybe you just bring that out in a man"

Lina took a step back. In two years Gourry had never been truly angry with her. Suddenly she had crossed an invisible line. She knew, with an absolute certainty, that Gourry would never, ever hurt her. But she still stepped back from whatever just flared in his eyes. What she didn't realize was that in her unrelenting retreat she had moved to the bed and suddenly she sprawled backwards across the tousled linens.

"Gourry?"

"You might want to think about what you just said." Now Gourry was looming over her. He stepped to the edge of the bed, nearly pinning her legs between his. He let his weight come down on his hands, braced on either side of her head. He lowered his face until he was so close she tried to turn aside. "Now, Lina. You've been sulking over a nothing flirtation. And I assure you a kiss on the cheek was infinitely tamer then what we walked in on yesterday." He stared. "But nothing's gone beyond kid stuff. Nothing life changing. You run now and you make it life changing. You make it mean something."

"What about when you were coping a feel the other day, getting her out of the tree?" Lina couldn't look at him.

"MMMM, noticed that did you?"

"You don't even deny it you perverted Jellyfish!"

"Conniving, perverted, Jellyfish. Am I improving with age?"

"Get off me!"

"Lina. I'm not on you. And you just have to move to get away." When she didn't respond to the suggestion he forced her head up with one hand and made her look at him. "It wasn't 'coping a feel'; though it is nice to see your vocabulary improving. Flirting. Common everyday flirting. Friends do it all of the time."

"I don't. Zelgadis doesn't, and I never saw you or Amelia do it before."

"You never noticed." He rubbed his finger down her nose. Like she was a tenacious puppy. "Interesting the things you choose to notice. You're right about Zel. That's how you and he go into trouble."

"We did not GET INTO TROUBLE!" She sat up, knocking his nose with her forehead. "How dare you even suggest. . ."

"OWWW, Lina, calm down. I meant with emotions. Gods, woman. Relax, we'll all live longer." He collapsed on the bed beside her. "I didn't think it went any further than a little slap and tickle. . ."

"I don't play slap and tickle."

"Right. You and Zel are too serious, and way too inexperienced. You both got all wound up because of those damned books. And 'trying to figure out what was going on with' Amelia and I. You both got confused because you guys couldn't understand. Things slipped out of that oh so iron control the two of you are so damned devoted to."

He rolled over, sliding his hand under her hair to pull her face toward his. "Just relax, come down here with us mortals once in a while. You might enjoy it." He moved forward then and Lina felt her breath catch. All the tension washed out of her and she let him hold her head, her eyes closed and she felt the softest touch on her cheek. His lips. "See, Lina, no big deal, a touch between friends. The world doesn't change."

The touch again and Lina thought that Gourry lied, because she was quite certain her world changed.

There was a clatter of crockery and then a knock. Lina tried to call out, but her voice was thin and strained. "Go away." There was silence for a moment then the determined voice of an older woman.

"Really Miss Lina, I just need to get in for a moment. I need to replace the water pitcher, it's cracked."

Lina shook her head. "Not now!" Silence then a knock. Gourry rolled away and sprawled across her bed.

"Phil sent her, go answer the door. Let her see you." He moved around and lay stretched across the entire bed. Shaking her head at him Lina got up and walked to the door. The anger and embarrassment were gone; she was just . . . bemused.

"What?" She pushed her hair out of her eyes, but didn't open the door wider then needed to talk. She didn't recognize the maid outside the door. "Well?" Lina grew irritated as the woman appeared to be studying her.

"Here, just leave the other one outside the door. Someone's always walking by." The woman smiled suddenly and stepped back. Holding the crockery Lina stared at the door. Definitely one of the weirder conversations she'd had.

"OK, why is Phil so interested in my water pitcher?" She stood by the bed, hands on her hips glaring at the man who had taken up the entire bed.

"It really isn't fair. A tiny kid like you doesn't need such a large bed. It's lots bigger then mine."

"Fine we'll trade rooms." She stomped her foot, "Why did Phil send someone here about a water pitcher?"

"Do you really think, after yesterday, it's a good idea if you and Zel sleep in adjoining rooms?"

"Ahh, never mind." She waved her hand and the color receded from her face. "About Phil and water pitchers?"

"MMM, that." He sat up on her bed, drawing his legs to his chest. He patted the mattress next to him and Lina sprawled across the bed. "You do realize everyone believes we're lovers?" She jack-knifed upright, all color drained from her face.

"Why . . . everyone. . .who?"

He sighed. "Think about it Lina. A man and woman, together, day and night, mostly alone. It just doesn't make sense to anyone that we aren't lovers." He smiled at her shock. "Even Amelia, Zel, everyone who knows us, stare at us when we meet up again. They are looking for signs that things have changed between us."

"Prince Phil?"

"He's trying to figure out if we lie, or if I've sworn some kind of pledge not to er, despoil you. Or if one of us is gay." When her mouth dropped open he grinned. "You know that one, anyway."

"OK, so if people think we. . . why did he send the maid here?"

"To make sure I wasn't hurting you."

"How could anyone believe you would hurt me?"

"For a smart woman you are very dumb." Gourry let his head fall. He looked like it was actually hurting, trying to work all of this through.

"OK, first accept that everyone thinks we are lovers." When she nodded curtly he continued. "Now figure that it appears you've been carrying on with Zel. Everyone saw Amelia yesterday. No one knows exactly what she saw, but I'm sure they were a lot more creative then you two were."

"Thanks, I think."

"So now you storm out of the dining room with me on your heels, I bust into your room and no one sees me for a while. The obvious conclusion is that I'm beating you for cheating on me."

"That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. Couldn't I be killing you for kissing Amelia?"

"Could be. Only every encounter between Amelia and I was conducted under the eyes of about 25 of Phil's personal guard. And Phil called me in regarding my intentions. I explained, I'm just keeping her company, while you and Zel skulk in the library." He brushed her hair back from her face. He rubbed her cheek, the one he kissed. "You have to understand. Lovers, passion, cheating, people get hurt, even killed over that sort of thing."

"How could anyone think that, about us?" Lina glared at him. "You sure let everyone know how you feel about me!" She was remembering all the comments, about her shape, her age, her shape, her temper, her SHAPE.

Gourry smiled at her very oddly, then he nodded. "You're right Lina. Everyone who has ever seen us together knows exactly how I feel about you."

Lina began to shift. He had been staring at her for so long she had started to wonder if he forgot what they were talking about. "I said I was your guardian. I'll protect you from everything, and everyone I can. Even yourself." He told her softly.

"OK Gourry, what is that supposed to mean?"

"It's not my business who you want to kiss, it's not my business who you want to take to your bed." He stopped and Lina just glared at him, snapping,

"Damn right it's none of your business. Ahh, I'm not taking anyone anywhere! If you don't stop I might be SENDING you somewhere!"

Gourry ignored her, something he was good at when he didn't think she'd fire ball him. "Someone has to make sure you know what you're doing, what you're playing with." She tried to interrupt but he covered her mouth, very gently. "If you're going to start something, you have to be sure where and how far you're willing to go." He traced her jaw and his fingers slid down her neck. Lina gasped, warm sparks shot through her body.

"When you let a man that close, one of you has to be sure it doesn't go any further than you want." He shook his head. "I'm not talking about force, I'm talking about emotions, and impulses taking over." Pulling her to her feet he shook his head at her. "Just be careful, the fire you're playing with can rage out of control, and if it does, we might have a really hard time putting it back together."

"What are babbling about? Are you an expert on impulses?" She tried to sneer but just her voice sounded squeaky.

"Nope, but I'm way ahead of you and I do notice things. And you need to figure out what you want. Not just pretend you don't want." He hadn't moved back, and Lina suddenly realized she hadn't moved either. She pushed against his hands, but not with any real force. He didn't release her, so she subsided.

"Everyone needs to be touched," Gourry continued, "but if you pretend you don't you leave yourself open to be taken over by feelings."

"I am not about to be taken over by anything," she snarled." She couldn't recognize her own voice.

"So sure?" He found her collarbone and traced it; Lina was mesmerized by the intensity in his eyes. "I'm not asking if you want to marry Zel, or move into his room. But do you want him even for a just moment?"

"Do I want a quick tumble with him? No." She shook her head. "I'm not going to hurt Amelia, so stop trying to protect her!"

"OK. I won't try and protect Amelia." She felt his hand shaking where his fingers danced on her collarbone. Strange, he was shaking and she felt - quiet, for the moment at peace.

Gourry stepped back, his eyes and voice suddenly familiar. "OK, so are we moving out? Or do we wait for our friends?"

"We'll wait. But I'm going for a walk. A long walk." She returned his narrow look. "I'll be back for dinner, two meals in two days is the most I can miss."

Lina was thrilled to finally be free of Saillune. She considered blasting something, just on the principle of things, but restrained herself. She wandered a short distance down the dusty road and found a nice place to sit. Good shade, cool breeze and no weird interpersonal conflicts.

Lina sat back, hands behind her head and glanced up and down the road. She looked around and wondered when it became weird to not have Gourry within shouting distance? "Oh well," she shrugged and closed her eyes. A nap might be a good start to getting things back on track.

When Zelgadis walked up quietly she didn't bother to open her eyes before demanding: "Why are you interrupting my nap?"

"I didn't mean to." Zelgadis sat down against the same tree.

Lina still declined to open her eyes. She was, however, incapable of remaining silent for any real amount of time, at least when conscious "Then what did you mean?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"No you don't." She shook her head, refusing to look at him. "We want to be Gourry and go on about our lives pretending that every uncomfortable event just didn't happen. We need to just go along and remember lunch had some nice soup with it."

"Can you?"

"You forget, I've been with Gourry for two years. I figure I should have picked up some oblivion skills somewhere."

"I figured it was those mold spores," Zelgadis suggested.

Lina laughed shortly then informed him; "Gourry suggested we're taking it all too seriously. He said he was just flirting. Did you know he kissed Amelia?"

"NO." She could hear the ice forming on his words.

"Yep." Lina sat in silence while Zel mulled that one around. She wasn't sure exactly why she had to tell him that. She guessed it was a congenital belief her suffering deserved company. "Umm, Zel?"

"What!"

"Don't snap at me! I didn't kiss Amelia!"

Zelgadis got up and carefully walked over. He lowered himself and stared at her. "Are you doing that on purpose?"

"What?" She asked, confused. He stared hard at her, then subsided with a sigh. "Doesn't look like you read that one. What did you want?"

"Go away." He blinked. "Umm, OK."

"Zel." Female perverse, she called him back as he started to stand. "You're one of my best friends." She laughed. "So why don't we just pretend to be Gourry and forget the library incident?"

"I'm not sure anyone else will let us."

"Never kept Gourry from peaceful oblivion."

Standing Zelgadis studied her. "You have a point." He waited a bit. "You gonna' be OK?"

"I'm fine." She didn't think she needed to tell him the incident in the library was a brief, mortifying, moment and amazingly forgettable. She was much more concerned about this afternoon, in her room.

"I meant what I said a few days ago." He smiled at her puzzled expression. "I'm sorry for what I did to you when I was trying to get that philosopher's stone."

"Forget it Zel, I kissed you, we're even."

He paused as if considering. "Yeah, guess you're right." He was fleeing before she said "Fire"

Lina walked into the sitting room shared by Zelgadis and Gourry. She glanced at Zelgadis, who was sprawled awkwardly on the couch. He started up. "You looking for me?"

"No, Gourry." She headed for Gourry's bedroom.

"Lina, you might want to. . ." She shoved the door open and heard Zelgadis sigh, "knock." Her eyes met Gourry's in the mirror and Lina's heart jumped. She had almost noticed he was wearing only his underwear. Now all she saw was his battered, bloody face.

"Dammit, Gourry, what the hell did you do to yourself?"

"Actually, you did it." He was holding a cloth to his swelling left eye.

"I did it?" She blinked, she really didn't remember doing anything.

"Zelgadis felt I was little old to be kissing Princess Amelia." He walked over and collapsed on the bed. "You didn't happen to mention I kissed her on the cheek." This last was said loudly, and directed over her shoulder.

"No." Zelgadis shouted back. Lina blinked. Zelgadis beat Gourry like that? Lina turned and Zelgadis must have realized the danger because when she got back he was already up.

"Lina. You promised the Prince." He was holding his hands out. His voice still sounded odd, forced through clenched teeth.

"He told me I could defend myself!" The fireball formed on her hand.

"I'm not doing anything to you!" Zel was trying to measure the distance to the door, but Lina knew he wouldn't get away. She feinted and when he jumped the couch and raced through the door she cast her spell after him.

Amelia shrieked; "Miss Lina!" just as the smell of very slightly scorched stone reached her. "Miss Lina what are you doing?" Amelia had stopped in the hall, but Zelgadis was trying to drag her after him, out of sight.

"He beat up Gourry." She let another spell form on her hand. All she could see was Gourry, his face swollen and bleeding. "He broke Gourry's nose."

"Miss Lina!" Amelia batted at her hands, causing the spell to disperse. "I'm sure if Mr. Zelgadis had to hit Mr. Gourry, it was justified."

"Nobody needs to hit Gourry!"

"You do it all of the time!" Zelgadis seemed torn between defending Amelia, and hiding behind her. Every time Lina tried to form a spell, Amelia batted at her hands.

"I don't hurt him. Not like that." Lina paused. She really wasn't sure what she wanted to do. And Gourry said it was her fault. She remembered the way Zel had sounded when she'd mentioned the kiss.

"Lina." Gourry, behind her. "Let it go. There were things to settle. It's over."

"It's not over." Her resolve and spine stiffened.

"Lina." His voice sounded odd. Needing to see him she angled herself to keep an eye on her prey, and glanced back. Gourry was sagging in the doorway.

"Damn you Zelgadis." She turned then and ran to Gourry's side. "Common', let me help you."

I can heal him." Amelia's voice was uncertain.

"No!" Lina took his weight and pulled Gourry back to his bedroom. "Just get that jerk out of here, before I finish what he started." As they made their way through the sitting room she heard Amelia's outraged;

"He hit you!"

"What did you two do?" Lina half carried him to the bed.

"We had a. . . discussion."

"With your face." She picked up his hand. "He hit you with his face? Broke your fingers?"

"Not in my sword hand. I only punched him once."

"How many times did he hit you?" She lifted his bare legs onto the bed. "Three he landed. A few others bounced off my arms. That hurt like hell." He closed his eyes as she brushed his hair away to get a better look at the battered flesh of his face.

"Shut up, Gourry. Don't you know better then to punch a stone golem?"

"It's a guy thing. And why do women always tell a guy to shut up, then ask a question?"

"To torture men." She nudged him over and sat next to him on the bed. Carefully she cradled his face and closed her eyes. She didn't have to touch him for the spell to work, but she liked the feel of his warm skin under her fingers. When the blood stopped flowing and the swelling receded she took up his hands. "They're really messed up too." She cradled his left hand and forearm and sent the healing magic through it. When he could open and close his fingers with a minimum of pain she climbed over him. He jumped as her leg brushed him. "Sorry, another sore spot?"

"He hit me in the stomach." Gourry's voice was odd, and he had shut his eyes very tightly. Lina glanced at him.

"I'll take care of that. I didn't think I was anywhere near your stomach?"

"Close enough." He kept his eyes tightly closed. Lina placed his right arm on his stomach and cast the heal again. Afterward she slumped a little.

"Are you that tired?" Gourry sounded puzzled.

"I wasted a lot of energy on spells Amelia was knocking out of my hand." She drew in a deep breath. "You look like you're still in pain."

"Just stiff." He moved on the blanket and drew in several deep breaths, to relax.

"Just ask, you big baby." She slapped his hip and Gourry rolled over. Lina put her hands on his shoulders and pressed down, rubbing his back, neck and shoulders. When Gourry began to relax she felt herself growing more tired.

"Why did Zelgadis hit you?"

"I told you. Because you told him I kissed Amelia."

"And that makes no sense."

"I tried to tell him that." Gourry sounded aggrieved.

"You guys have me confused."

"Why, cause he kisses you and hits me for kissing Amelia, on the cheek?" She didn't mean to press so hard. "Oww, Lina." He turned his head to glare at her. Then he grinned.

"What are you smirking about?" She slapped his back with her open palm. It made a satisfactory sound, but caused no real damage.

"I'm thinking they might have to talk now. I figure Amelia's gonna' wanna' know why he hit me." Lina's hands stilled on his back. She tried to analyze what he was saying.

"Did you and she . . .?" What was she trying to accuse them of? Amelia and Gourry plotting? Nope, no way! Plot and Amelia and Gourry just didn't fit together in a sentence.

"Sleeping?" His voice was teasing.

"No. Aren't you and Amelia. . .?"

"Friends. Good friends."

"So why'd Zel hit you?"

"He thought I was too old to be kissing Amelia."

"That doesn't make sense!" Lina slid over Gourry and dropped to the floor. She sat leaning up against his bed and yawned.

"Sure it does." Behind her Gourry rolled onto his side. His fingers tangled in her hair. She pulled it free and twisted it before tucking it behind her shoulder. Glancing back she looked at him.

"Get some sleep, Gourry. I'll deal with Zelgadis later."

"Lina." He propped himself up on one elbow and reclaimed her hair, pulling gently until she looked backward at him. "Let it go. It's settled. It's a guy thing. I know why he did it, and if he's really lucky, he'll figure it out why he did it."

"I don't understand you at all lately." She turned and laid her forearms on the bed and rested her head there.

"You haven't asked me why I hit him." Gourry released her hair and dropped his head to the pillow. Idly he spread the red curtain out on his bed, tracing his fingers through it. His eyes were closing.

"Because he was hitting you, of course." She let her own eyes close.

"MMM." She heard him yawn. "That's not why."

"So, why?" She lifted her head and stared at him. His lips were parted and he breathed softly and regularly.

"Good night, Gourry." No reason why the floor of his room should seem so comfortable. But for now there was no good reason to leave. She yawned again and let her eyes close.

Gourry woke a while later. He knew, before his eyes opened, Lina was still there. He glanced at her sleeping on the floor, her head on his bed. 'Silly girl' he thought, 'after all this time and she can't lie on the damned bed.

Zel and Amelia talking in the outer room interrupted his thoughts; they must have been what had awakened him. He sleepily studied Lina and shamelessly eavesdropped. He figured he earned it. "I still don't understand!" Amelia was speaking anxiously. "You and Mr. Gourry were friends!"

"We're still friends." Zelgadis answered, sounding tired. Like he'd been repeating himself. "It's a guy thing, Amelia." Gourry grinned to himself, the boy was learning!

"I think I have a right to know! And Daddy's going to want to know why Miss Lina broke her promise."

"I'll explain it." He was reassuring her.

"How? Are you going to say 'it's a guy thing'?"

"Actually, yes." Zelgadis was sounding panicked. It had taken a while for Gourry to realize Zel was laboring under a misunderstanding. No way was the chimera going to tell Princes Amelia he started swinging on Gourry because he was convinced there had been some, what was that word? Impromtu-ess? impropriatresses? Nah, it came down to Zel thinking Gourry had been coming on to their little Princess.

"Well, are you sure you should stay so close to him?" Gourry shook his head and began to trace his fingers through Lina's hair where it spilled on his bed. Zelgadis had proven over and over he could quell Amelia with one look. Didn't he know he could still do that? Well, obviously Zel knew it, but like everything else he wasn't admitting it. Silly kids.

Dismissing the two dancing around desire and fear in the other room he sighed and looked at the girl only half on the bed. Really, this was getting old. With the ease of experience he shifted enough to hook his arm under her thighs. It was easy to lift her slight weight to the bed. Note, wake up before Lina and dump her back on the floor.

Well, hell, he'd forgotten what he wasn't wearing. Oh well. As Lina cuddled in Gourry considered; he'd have some serious explaining to do in the morning. There was no way Phil wasn't going to hear where Lina slept. Ahh, but everyone would pretend to believe she was 'protecting' him from Zel.

He brushed his forehead against her cheek. Teasing himself. Gourry noted his own hair had tangled with Lina's, spread across his chest. He pushed his fingers through the combined strands of their hair, feeling the differences in texture. For a moment he lifted it to his face, his lips brushing the strands. He sighed, closed his eyes and let his fingers curl in red and gold. He really was a very patient man.