.....Chapter One

Zelgadiss Greywers sighed heavily as he stared out of the window of the old inn where he and his companions were planning to stay at for the night. He watched as fat raindrops pelted on the window, obscuring his view. It didn't matter though, for there wasn't much to see. A muddy road, an age-old forest, a path leading to only-god-knows-where.

As he stared out the window, lost in his own thoughts, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia were waiting impatiently for a waitress to come over, and were arguing about what to order.
"Fried chicken!" he heard Lina say.

"Soup is better!" Gourry argued.

"I agree with Gourry!"
"But I want fried chicken! What do ya say, Zel?"
He just ignored her; he wasn't hungry, and he didn't really care what they ordered for themselves as long as they would leave him in peace. Seeing someone outside, he leaned toward the window, and tried to study the unfortunate person.

Suddenly, the cheerful voice of a girl with an accent broke into his thoughts. " 'ello. I be Gwin. May I take ye order, please?" Frowning, he turned to see the person the voice with a calming tone belonged to. From the looks of her, she was about Lina's age. Red hair flew about her head wildly, and if she stood just right in the light coming from the nearby lamp, it shone like fire. Shockingly green eyes seemed to dance with life, but they carried a hint of sadness. He could sense it. It shone plain as day in the swirl of emotions she did not try to conceal.

He watched her as she scribbled hastily onto a pad of paper, writing down what was thrown at her in a jumble of words. She had a nice figure, and something that made Lina jealous. Big breasts. Once again, her gentle voice broke into his thoughts. "Will you be 'avin anything, Milord..?" Turning his gaze to her face, he pulled at the hood of his tanned cloak, pondering her accent. "Black coffee, please."

With a nod, and a glance around at his companions, the young girl was walking towards the bar, her hips swaying slightly. He noted that Lina watched Gwin closely with a thoughtful look on her face. She didn't seem to hear what Gourry said about how big Gwin's chest was, fortunate for him. Sometimes Gourry did the dumbest things, al though when he did it wasn't very surprising.

"Hey Lina What's up..?" Gourry asked.

Zelgadiss watched as Lina slowly turned to look at Gourry and Amelia. "I just have a strange feeling about her. She seems.. I don't know.. I just have a bad feeling about her." Lina turned back to watch the girl, but by that time, she had already disappeared into the kitchen area.

**********

Many hours later, Zelgadiss still sat at the table, grasping a cold coffee mug in his hands. By that time, more than half of the patrons had left, or went to their rooms to sleep. Only a small handful stayed up, and most of them were drunks.

Zelgadiss' thoughts were on Gwin, the young waitress he had met earlier. Several times he had heard the name "Medb" shouted out, and she had replied with "Aye?" He wondered who she was, and frowned heavily. He had to agree with what Lina said about her. He had a bad feeling about this girl himself, and everytime he saw her glance his way, he became suspicious of her.

His thoughts turned from Gwin to the cure he was searching for. The cure he feared he'd never find; the cure that would make him human once more. His blue stone hands gripped the coffee cup tightly as he thought of Rezo, and what he had done to him. His eyes narrowed as he stared down into the cold black brew. He'd never forgive Rezo. Never.

"Ye are up late, Milord." The calm voice startled him from his thoughts, and he glared up at the speaker as he tugged at the hood of his cloak in an effort to hide his hair. His facemask was already pulled over his mouth. It was Gwin.

"Good evening", he replied coldly. He was not in the mood to deal with silly barmaids such as her. "Maybe", he thought, "she'll get the hint and go away.." She didn't.

Instead she sat down in one of the vacant chairs and offered him a confused smile. Frowning slightly, he studied her over the rim of his cup. Her red hair was pulled back into a braid that started at the top of her head and ended at a strip of simple leather. He could clearly see the pointed ears that stuck out of her head. Strange, he had never seen them before. "Like mine", he thought.

Her lively eyes didn't hold the spark they had earlier. Instead, they held a sad, faraway look. He took a deep breath. She smelled of ale, and something else. He couldn't quite place the scent. Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

"What is your real name?" He regarded her with narrowed eyes.

"Why..? Oh, you 'eard people calling me Medb? 'Tis me name, as well as Gwin. I 'ave two names." She pronounced her name Medhv, and he silently repeated it, liking the sound that echoed through his head. It sounded much more beautiful than the name Gwin. He decided it best not to tell her so.

"Ah.. I see.."

The air between them grew into an uncomfortable silence. Medb, he preferred thinking of her as such, stared out the window, watching the rain as it continued to fall. He too looked out at the dreary outside, his frown deepening. He did not want to stay at this old inn longer than necessary, but it looked like they would be forced to stay longer than they intended.

"It's going to snow soon.. 'ow long will ye and ye friends be staying?"
"I'm not sure.. We will find out when the time comes."

"Oh, by the way, I be Medb Morrigan."
"Zelgadiss Greywers."
As he shared his name with her, her eyes grew large, and she turned to him, mouth agape. The terror on her beautiful face made him cringe.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Medb Morrigan stared at the 'hidden' young man seated across from her. She saw the hurt look that had appeared in his eyes. She realized she wounded him, but there was nothing she could do about it now. "This is Zelgadiss Greywers", she thought. Inwardly, she shivered. Zelgadiss turned his face from her, and stared out the window.

"So, Zelgadiss. We meet at last Pray, tell me, what do ye want with me?" Even to herself, her voice sounded scared, shaky.

Confused, Zelgadiss turned on her quickly, his eyes narrowed. She shrank from him, chewing on her bottom lip. He calmly placed the coffee cup down upon the table, and managed to hide his emotions from her. But the coldness he felt toward the young barmaid pushed through. "I want nothing from you."
His gaze went to the cold liquid in the cup, then to her face. He regarded her carefully through narrow eyes, and nodded, as if affirming something. "You are drunk. I could smell the ale on you." His head bowed, and he did not meet her gaze again. "Goodnight, Miss Morrigan."

After a moment of silence, she realized he had dismissed her. Slowly, she rose to her feet, and took a few small steps away. She looked back to see if he was watching her; he was not. Bowing her head, she slowly made her way towards the door, her skirts swishing about her feet.

She was wearing one of her best dresses, the emerald green one that matched her eyes. It was trimmed with delicate black lace, and the bodice was low cut. It had been especially made for her figure, and she felt so beautiful when she was wearing it; she almost felt as beautiful as the ladies that occasionally showed up at the inn looked.

Quietly, she stepped out of the inn, carefully shutting the door behind her. She had just encountered Zelgadiss Greywers, the man that she had dreamed of for about a year. The man whose name who was whispered to her in her mind over and over by another man she did not know at all, though she felt she knew him well.

Running her small, slender hand over her braided hair, she leaned against the doorframe and watched the raindrops as they fell upon the ground near her bare feet. Her face tilted upward, she narrowed her eyes as rain fell down upon her face, mingling with the tears already there. "Oh, Rezo.. Where are ye?"