Zelgadis, lying on the bed, thought she looked like she needed her rest. And what luck, to be able to see her sitting there without her knowing he watched. He wondered how long he'd been out. He couldn't remember much of the experiment, only that he'd started to loose his precious control. He vaguely remembered a moment when he'd looked at Lina, and she seemed to look back like she'd seen something completely different than him. That's the last thing he remembered.
Maybe he'd gone berserk. What if she saw him, and saw what a true monster he was. Maybe her look had meant that she'd been horrified and disgusted. But then, who would she be sitting in his room if that were the case? Was she guarding him? Zelgadis groaned weakly. That's it, they're afraid he'd gone mad.
Lina opened her eyes. Some small sound must have awakened her. She shouldn't have been asleep in the first place. Zel! She quickly jumped up to go to the bed, afraid that she'd heard a death rattle. But.... his eyes were open!
"Zel?"
Hoarsly, he said, ".....lina...."
"Zel! How are you? How do you feel? You remember me - us? Are you OK?" She rushed to the bedside.
"Ughnnnnn....easy....." Zelgadis protested weakly. Her movements seemed so fast, his eyes nearly crossed trying to keep track of her. He tried to raise a hand to keep her back, but to his surprise, she grabbed the hand and held it tight.
"Oh, Zel, I was afraid you wouldn't wake up again! Aoife couldn't tell us what was wrong, and she didn't know if you'd still be... you if you did wake up...." Lina closed her eyes briefly, and a single tear ran down her cheek. "Gourry! Gourry, he's awake!" she called.
The door immediately opened, and the big swordsman came in. Zelgadis didn't even look up. He was too busy watching that tear. As it dripped off Lina's chin, it splashed onto his hand. I felt that! he thought wildly. Then Gourry was next to the bed. He reached down and grasped Zelgadis's shoulder.
"Hey, you OK, man?" Gourry asked.
Zelgadis tried to look up at him. "No, I feel like hell."
Gourry grinned, and Lina gave a small hysterical giggle. Zelgadis's eyes dropped to Lina's again. It was hard, this having to THINK about keeping his eyes straight. But once they locked onto Lina's red ones, his eyes seemed to steady. "I .... I feel that."
"Huh?" Lina seemed confused.
"Your hand. I can FEEL you holding my hand. Did it work?" Zelgadis asked.
Lina nodded. "The berserker is gone. The thread disappeared in my hand. And Aoife was able to change the golem...."
Zelgadis sighed. He looked up at the ceiling, then shut his eyes.
"Zel? ZEL?!?" Lina's voice sounded worried.
"I'm OK, Lina. I think I need..."
"More sleep." Gourry finished for him. Gourry put his hand on Lina's head. "Let him sleep, Lina."
Zelgadis felt Lina let go of his hand. He didn't open his eyes. He heard Gourry shuffle out of the room, and waited to hear Lina leave. She sighed, then he felt her touch his arm lightly, gently.
"Zel," she whispered, "you should know -- your hand felt like regular skin..." Footsteps told him that she'd left.
A slow smile spread across his face. I may still LOOK like a monster, he thought, but maybe, maybe THAT quest won't be so hard to take anymore.
The next thing Zelgadis thought about was food. Opening his eyes, he still saw light, but the tone and angle told him he'd slept another few hours. As soon as his brain seemed to work again, his stomach announced that he'd better put SOMETHING into it. How long have I been out? I only need to eat every few days....
The door swung open, and Gourry stuck his head in. "I know I heard that! You awake? Hungry?"
"Yeah," Zelgadis replied. Taking a big chance, he struggled to sit up. Gourry immediately came over and helped hin get into a sitting position.
"Aoife's up. She and Lina are cooking." Gourry told him.
"Lina cooks?" Zelgadis blinked in surprise.
"Yeah! And she's pretty good. Nowhere near Sylphiel, but OK."
Zelgadis looked a question at Gourry. To Zelgadis's amazement, Gourry sighed heavily and sat in the chair. "Look, Zel. I know I'm not the swiftest guy, OK? But I do know that as soon as Lina can take care of herself, I'm headed for New Sairaag." Zelgadis's jaw dropped, and Gourry smiled. "Hey, I'm not a TOTAL moron. I know you only ever travelled with us because of Lina. And I know I have no claim on her. Maybe I might have..... once, but not anymore."
"I .... I have no idea what to say."
"Don't say anything. I'm her protector. And as soon as I think she's gonna stop being so reckless, I can go. After all," and Gourry laughed, "I only said I'd stay with her to Atlas City. Then it was the Sword of Light. Then I kinda took on being her bodyguard or guardian or whatever. Well, she's gotta grow up eventually."
"Gourry," said Zelgadis solemnly, "I take back anything bad I may have ever said about your intelligence."
"Really? That's great! You wanna eat now?" Gourry beamed like a young child, but somehow, Zel now knew it was a bit of an act.
"Yeah, sure."
"OK, I'll go tell the girls to get a tray." Gourry left.
Everything is changed now, Zelgadis thought. I'm changed, Gourry has changed in my eyes, and Lina..... Lina was actually worried about me. Some feeling Zelgadis couldn't put a finger on swelled up in him, and just as he tried to suppress it, he remembered he didn't have to. That's when Aoife tapped on the door and walked in.
"Och, a smile!" She grinned at him. She had a tray of food in her hands. It had plenty on it, but not nearly as much as one would need ot serve Gourry or Lina. "Now, I wonder, what can this mean?" she continued in a teasing voice.
Zelgadis rolled his eyes and said, "I wonder. Maybe you could tell me?"
"Tis the smile of a man who sees moe possible than he thought yesterday." She settled the tray on his lap and pulled up a chair. "Tis mostly Lina's work, the food, but is maith an t-anlann an t-ocras."
"'Iss moih an tannlann untuckrass'?" Zelgadis tried to mimic her language.
"'Hunger is a good sauce!' Now, eat up!" Aoife put the fork in his hand, and Zelgadis obediently began to eat. "I've got two more words to teach ya. Ye've been out for a day and a half...."
"A day and a half?!"
"Aye, twas near to forty hours ago we finished. Now, pay attention. Ye've got to learn the words and way to change the density of yer skin."
Zelgadis paused in his eating and stared at his hand. He opened and closed his fingers a few times, then said, "It doesn't feel any different to me."
"Aye, but then ye've always had somewhat of the sence of touch through the stone. One of the few details Rezo bothered to give you. But now, ya can control how it feels to another. The change in density does that, makes yer skin hard or soft to a body's touch. BUT! Ye CANNOT forget to keep yerself stone if ye may come across trouble. I leave meself stone mostly. Tis simpler that way. Ya may only want to change it if...." She let the sentence die out, and blushed a little. Zelgadis caught her drift and blushed a bit himself.
"But, right now it's.... Lina said..."
"The change in the spell set it that way. Twas more reassuring to yer friends that I dinna harm ya." Aoife shook her head, then sat up straighter. "Enough gossip. Repeat after me: An Cloch."
"'In clock,'" Zelgadis mimicked.
"An Abhainn."
"'In owen.'"
"Excellent. Ye've got it. The first is 'the stone', the second, 'the river'. The trick is that ya tap into yer Astral strength as ye say it. Give it a whirl."
Zelgadis nodded, made the link with the Astral in himself, and said, "An Cloch!"
Aoife tapped the back of his wrist with her fingernail. It made a slight clicking sound, though it felt normal to him. She gestured, and he repeated the process, saying this time, "An Abhainn!"
Again she tapped him, but there was no sound, and when she pressed her finger against the skin, it make a slight depression like normal skin would. Zelgadis sighed, pleased but still slightly unhappy.
"Thank you. But I still LOOK like a monster."
"Och, yer the utter end, ye ken?" Aoife threw up her hands. "Yer free of the beserker, ye can hug a friend without them bruises, and ye still complain!" She stood. "Eat yer meal!" And she stormed out.
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