Zel climbed out of the bath and toweled off. He wrapped himself in the soft robe, but loosely. It was really time he got some sleep to get his strength back. He gathered up his clothes and cleaned up the bath a little. With a small smile, he pulled up the door to the hall.
Lina came to a dead stop in the hall as the door to the bath opened. There stood Zelgadis, wearing only a robe that hung a bit open, giving her a nice view of his chest. Her jaw dropped open and her fists clenched. He hadn't looked up yet. A small smile played on his lips as he pulled the door closed behind him, careful not to catch the clothes over his arm in the door. Then he looked up.
Lina was very aware that all she was wearing was a robe herself. She was even barefoot! This clearly registered on Zel's face as he took a step back, putting his back against the door, his eyes widening in shock. They stared at each other a moment.
"Oh, sh...." Zel muttered. "Now, Lina, don't go tossing off a Dil Brand or something, I had no idea, I thought you all were asleep..." He spoke quickly, trying to stop the inevitable mayhem that ensued whenever a male got 'too personal' according to Lina's wide definition.
Lina raised a hand to silence him. Oddly enough, Zel obediently shut up. She realized, sadly, that he really expected her to blast him. She smiled at him. "I thought you were asleep upstairs too. Relax, I'm not going to blast you."
The tension lessened noticably. Zel stepped out of his defencive position. "Thank the gods. I wouldn't want to see this place damamged."
Lina laughed quietly. "Me neither." She turned and headed up the stairs, as Zel fel into step beside her. She liked that he walked next to her. It gave her the chance to watch him out of the corner of her eye. Now, why am I doing THAT?!?
Zel was watching Lina himself. She seemed a lot more subdued than usual. She wasn't yelling, or hitting him, or doing anything that she'd normally do. Maybe she was sick. At the landing he asked, "Lina, are you OK? You seem a little...ummm..."
Lina blinked at Zel. Him at a loss for words? That was different. "I'm fine. Are you OK?"
Zel nodded. "Sure." He looked down the hall towards his room. "Well, good night."
"Zel, wait." Lina reached out and grabbed his arm. He stopped and looked at her expectantly. He's honestly waiting for me to speak, she thought. He cared about what I have to say. Lina cleared her throat. "I'm sorry about today. I mean, leaving you in the middle of the blast like that."
Zelgadis was amazed. She's apologizing to me? "It's all right, Lina. You were taking that guy on head to head. I could tell you were already into your next incantation."
Lina looked him right in the eye. "Why didn't you use Ray Wing?"
"Huh? Amelia was down, unable to cast her own, and we weren't close enough for me to get all three of us. The Protection is a larger barrier."
Lina nodded. He'd done it because it was the best way to save Amelia. "Well, I'm sure Amelia will thank you in her own way tomorrow." She let go of his arm, and turned to go.
This time, he stopped her, lightly touching her shoulder. "Lina, I didn't do it just to save Amelia. I did it because it was the best way to help us all. We're .... a team. I could no more let harm come to Amelia or Gourry than....than I could you."
Lina turned quickly to look at him. She thought she saw something in his eyes she'd never seen before. There was more than the usual intelligence and strength. There was caring. Compassion. And something in the way he'd said that last phrase....... Something told her that she was special to him. She saw it in his eyes.
Stepping closer, she held his eyes with her own. "Zelgadis. I never....that is....damn, I'm not good at this."
He frowned a little. "What is it, Lina?"
Lina took a deep breath. Her next words came out in a rush. "You ahve to know that you mean asmuch to me as Amelia and Gourry! I was afraid today that I'd lost you adn them all at once. And I want you to know that I..." She lost momentum. "I...."
What was she trying to say? Zel wondered. Was there hope? "Lina, you don't have to..."
"Yes I do!" she interrupted him. "Zel, I have to tell you." She looked up at him. How do I make this easier, she thought. Clear, but quickly. "Zel, I'm not in love with Gourry. I....I think I may be in love with you!"
He froze. It was as if his cool, logical hime suddenly took a holiday. He could only stare at her. She looked up at him, and he could see so much in those brilliant amber eyes, so much uncertainty and fear. Fear? Lina Inverse never showed fear. It wasn't in her nature. He realized that it was for his reaction. She was afraid of what he might do. Something rose up in him that he'd never felt before. He thought it might be called elation. A smile, the first genuinely happy smile in years, crossed his face.
He's going to laugh, Lina thought miserably. I just blew it. A sudden thumping sound startled her. Just as she recognised it as the sound of Zel dropping his boots and clothes, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Automatically, she hugged him back fiercely.
"Lina...." his breath was warm as he whispered into her hair. "I was so jealous of GOurry, and so ashamed that I didn't react fast enough when L-sama took you from us. My brain told me you were lost, and I felt so terrible I didn't think it was possible to bring you back. Then, he did just that, and I just...I buried everything because I thought...."
Lina rested her head against his collarbone. "At that time," she whispered back, "I thought that's what I wanted, but not anymore. You've been there all the time and I never noticed, I only teased you and took over everything, and when I stood before the Clair Bible I didn't even THINK...."
"Shhh," he hushed her, because her voice was rising in self-recrimination. "It's past, it's OK. I know I've been selfish and cruel and vain. You were the only one who drew me out, and I was being stupid."
She pulled away from him enough to look up into his eyes. "You're never stupid, Zel. Never. You're still the same powerful, intelligent, honorable, and impressive sorcerer I met in a room in that small town years ago." Her lips quirked in a mischievous smirk. "Though if I remember right, I owe you a Mono Volt!"
He laughed. He actually laughed out loud. "Fine, you can zap me tomorrow."
"No," she contradicted him, "I think I'll do it right now." And before he could react, she stood up on her toes and kissed him. She kissed him with all of her strength.
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