Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ To Be Human ❯ Epilogue

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Epilogue

Amelia's Denouement

"You lost Mister Zelgadis?" I paced in front of a sheepish looking Miss Lina and Mister Gourry.

Miss Lina grinned uneasily. "Not exactly lost..."

"He wandered off..." Mister Gourry pointed out.

"He'll turn up sooner or later," Miss Lina tried to reassure me. "You still have his stuff."

"Why did he 'wander off' anyway?" I asked them. "He was still recovering."

"Um..." Miss Lina sweatdropped. "He and I were talking and I guess I was a little insulting..."

"You called him a moron," Mister Gourry said.

"Miss Lina!"

"Well, look at the time... the all-you-can-eat-for-a-silver-piece restaurant is opening. And Gourry and I haven't been there yet! Come on, Jellyfish Brains!" Miss Lina dashed out the door, practically dragging Mister Gourry behind her.

"Miss Lina, get back here!" When yelling after her proved fruitless, I sighed. I was worried about Zelgadis. He had been so depressed recently. And he had been willing to give up his life just yesterday -- even if it was to prevent a war and my death. I really didn't want to think about him being alone out there in the world, especially after a fight with Miss Lina. I had been walking aimlessly though the palace. I stopped, hearing the faint strains of music... Who could be playing? I followed the sounds, pausing at intersections to divine which way to go.

It led me to one of the gardens, the one Zelgadis and I had worked in on his second day here. And whom did I find there but Zelgadis himself? He was seated on a bench, a guitar resting on his lap. His hands danced over the strings, producing the music I had heard.

"Zelgadis? How did you get in here?"

Hr looked up "Servants' entrance in the back. Most people don't think about it, and most of the staff recognizes me on sight. Benefit of being a chimera, I guess."

"Oh... you worried me. Miss Lina said she lost track of you and I wasn't sure you were coming back."

He looked down. "Sorry..." he muttered.

"So..." I sat down next to him. "I don't really have anything planned for your sensitivity training tomorrow, but..."

"That's all right, Amelia. I'm done with it."

"You are?" I asked, disappointed. Would he be leaving again, then? I didn't want him to leave. In truth, I had been having fun spending time with him, and I thought he had too. "But we were making so much progress! You're not giving up, are you?"

"I'm not giving up," Zelgadis confirmed. "Amelia... answer honestly... do you really think I need it?"

"Well..." I paused, thinking about how to answer him. "I really liked spending time with you, Zelgadis, but..."

"You don't think so, do you?"

I shook my head. "I never noticed what you were so worried about... if anything, I think you've gotten better since I've met you. You might act cold to people who don't know you, but you're a wonderful friend, Zelgadis."

He nodded. "I see..."

"I'm sorry... am I missing the point again?"

"No, I don't think you are. Lina and Gourry said much the same thing... though much less tactfully. Apparently the only one who thought I has a problem was me..." he paused, a reflective look on his face.

"So... if you're done with this, what are you going to do now?' He's going to leave, he's going to look for his cure.

"Well..." Zelgadis still was looking thoughtful. "I still haven't checked out all of the libraries here..."

"And then?"

He was silent for a while. "Well... I've been travelling for a while... Come to think about it, I can't remember when I lived in one place..."

I listened, curious to where he was going with this. "Go on."

"Well... I was thinking... people will do anything for a large amount of money... and I have a decent amount saved up from all of the ruins I've explored. Maybe I could offer a reward for information about my cure... get people besides my friends and myself keeping an eye out. I'd have to stay in one place for that, though..."

"Like in Sailoon?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded. "Where else would someone like me actually be able to make friends with the neighbors?"

"That's wonderful news, Zelgadis!" I threw my arms around him in a hug.

"You're not calling me Mister Zelgadis any more," he noted.

"Oh, well..." I stared at the ground a bit uncomfortably. "Well, I just assumed since you..."

"Since I kissed you, we were beyond the formality stage," he finished. I nodded.

"So... where does that leave us, if you're staying here for a while?"

"I don't know how long I'm staying... I don't know if this will really work."

"Living in Sailoon or... us?"

"Both. But I'm willing to give them a shot."

"That's all I needed to hear, Zelgadis."