Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Finally! ❯ A Cure?! ( Chapter 9 )

A Cure?!

It was later that evening, right after Lina had ordered the meal through room service that Amelia finally gathered the courage. She knew everyone was going to be surprised by her gift to Zelgadis, but she just had to give it to him now. Besides, it was better if she gave him the gift first. That way he wouldn't be too surprised when she told him how she felt about him. She had always blushed around him and been overly affectionate, but she had never really gone and told him seriously about her feelings. This was her chance. Filia and Lina gave her winks and thumbs up of encouragement when they saw her get up and head to Zelgadis.

Zelgadis blinked when he saw Amelia standing beside him blushing up a storm and staring down at her feet. He smiled. Damn, she was beautiful. His body reacted to her. He never thought he'd ever feel this way toward Amelia. But after having that dream about her and then seeing her…well, full grown…he had to say she was breathtaking. He wondered what she was thinking. She would turn so many different shades of red if she knew what he was thinking. He shook his head. He had better snap out of it. Despite what the woman had told him…he still didn't think he could love anyone or be loved in his present form. Amelia gave a small cough and finally looked up into his eyes gaining his attention. The last thing he expected to see within the dark depths was the firm determination.

"Zelgadis? I have a surprise for you."

Zelgadis blinked. "A surprise? What could that be, Amelia?"

She smiled up at him and then took a few steps back. She took a deep breath and began to gather power. No one was really expecting something like this. What was Amelia going to do?

The last thing they all expected was to hear her begin performing a spell.

Light beyond Healing

Spirit beyond Light

I call forth your power Essence of Life

Draw forth from the Heavens.

I grant you my Body.

I grant you my Soul.

Let your Healing Holy Light come forth

And Bless this Wounded Soul

From the Darkness that Shrouds his Spirit.

"What on earth kind of spell is that?! I've never heard of it!" Lina shouted over the wild winds that had suddenly burst through the room throughout Amelia's casting. Along with the wind, came blasts of light that were emanating out of Amelia's body and into her hands. Lina had never seen any kind of spell do that before. Gourry was gripping onto Lina, and Xellos was holding onto Havran and Val. Filia's eyes widened as Amelia continued the spell until she finally realized what was happening.

"Oh my god! No, Miss Amelia! Don't cast that spell! Don't cast it!"

Lina turned to Filia with a lifted eyebrow. "But why not, Filia? What is it going to do?"

"Holy Spirit Cleansing!"

"What the hell?!"

The blasts of wind and light suddenly exploded forward toward Zelgadis and swallowed him up in a blaze. The group heard Zelgadis' cry of surprise and saw Amelia collapse in exhaustion. But no one really noticed but Filia. Everyone else was focused of Zelgadis. What had Amelia done?

And as abruptly as the lights and winds had appeared they vanished from the room, leaving a very startled Zelgadis on the floor and a very shocked group.

Zelgadis was…human.

He blinked in confusion and shook his head, wondering what the hell had happened when Lina gave a shout.

"By the gods! I didn't know that was the present Amelia was going to give Zelgadis!"

Zelgadis lifted himself off the floor to gaze at the group of shocked friends. But it was Gourry who pointed out the obvious. "Hey…Where is Zel? There's a guy over there that kind of has his do and his clothes, but he's human and Zel isn't. Where the heck did Zel go?"

Zelgadis' eyes widened in shock and he looked at his own hands.

They were the soft yet powerful hands of a human man.

He ran as quickly as possible to the nearest mirror and the face that stared back at him was his own human one. His eyes shook. It was his dark hair, his normal skin. He wasn't made of rock. His ears were back to normal. How…how…how could this be?

"No! Miss Amelia!"

His eyes widened. Amelia!

Filia was hovering over Amelia, trying desperately to cast a Recovery spell. Zelgadis rushed over to them as quickly as possible just in time to hear Filia say, "You idiot! Didn't you hear me, Miss Amelia?! Didn't you hear me?! I told you not to cast that spell! I told you not to! Why didn't you listen to me?"

Lina looked at Filia and saw the tears in her eyes. Oh, damn. This isn't good. "Filia? What's wrong? Why couldn't Amelia cast that spell? It finally cured Zelgadis! I'm sure that was the present she was going to give him. So she's a little worn out. That was a pretty powerful spell she tossed."

Filia looked at Lina desperately. "Of course! It was too powerful for her! I don't know where she found it, nor how she found it translated, but the spell she cast is an Ancient Holy spell. Even I, if I had known the spell, wouldn't have been able to cast it. Holy spells require the use of some of the caster's soul that is what made the spells so powerful. The Ancient Holy Spells were used by only the most skilled and powerful of sorcerers because they required too much soul energy. In fact, it is said only the descendants of the gods could have cast those spells effectively and even then they usually left the caster exhausted! After that the Ancient Holy Spells were practically never used except to nullify really powerful black magic…like the kind of black magic that Rezo the Red Priest with the power of Shabranigdo fueling him cast upon Zelgadis."

"So I over did myself, huh?"

Everyone's eyes widened and turned to Amelia. Filia closed her eyes and turned away. "I'm sorry, Miss Amelia. If I had known what you were going to do, I would have stopped you. But now…"

Gourry blinked. "Are you saying that because Amelia turned Zelgadis back into a human, she's going to die?"

It was Xellos who replied. "Simply speaking, yes."

"WHAT?!"

Everyone turned to Zelgadis who was gathering Amelia in his arms. "I don't believe it! Filia, isn't there anything you can do to heal her? Anything at all? After all you know Holy Magic as well. Isn't there anything you can do?"

Filia shook her head. "Amelia has no training in Holy Magic, her body could never have handled even an ordinary Holy spell without being trained to endure it. But just casting an all out Ancient Holy spell like that…" Tears slipped from her eyes and she buried her face against Xellos' chest. "If there were something I could do!"

Lina shook her head. This can't be happening! This was supposed to be a reunion! This was supposed to fun and…and… "Amelia!"

Zelgadis gazed down at the woman in his arms and his eyes widened as he gazed into her eyes. His heart clenched as he saw the light slowly fading away from them. "Amelia, damn it! Don't you dare die! Amelia!"

"It's…all…r…ight…" She took a gasping breath and her hand clenched onto Zelgadis' shirt. "I'm…ju…st…ha…ppy…I…could… make…Zel…"

"Amelia, don't speak! Save your strength! Prove Filia wrong! You have to survive, Amelia! You have to!" Zelgadis bellowed at her, his hand closing over her suddenly cold one. His eyes widened. No…this couldn't be happening.

"I'm…glad…I…made…Zel…ga…dis&h ellip;ha…ppy…" she gasped. "That's…all…I…" she let out a ragged breath, "wanted…"

Zelgadis shook his head the tears streaming from his eyes as he remembered the spirit of the woman he had seen earlier. He remembered her words. Oh, please… If there were any gods… Let Amelia live!

Amelia let out a tortured smile, using up the last bit of her strength. Tears ran down her cheeks. "At…lea…st…I…got…to…see…yo ur…hu…man…form…once…"

"No… Oh, please, no… Amelia! Hang on, Amelia! Please, Amelia!"

She only smiled up at him as her last breath expelled from her body.

"I love you."

Zelgadis shook his head as he saw the last bit of life leave her eyes and he howled her name in anguish. He clutched her to his body, murmuring her name over and over. He couldn't believe it. This couldn't be happening. Filia was pressed against Xellos' chest, weeping out her heart as he comforted her. Lina shook her head in disbelief as tears streamed down her cheeks…she turned to Gourry and saw his tears. She let out a pained moan and threw herself into his arms, disbelieving of what had happened.

"You little fool! How could you just die without a fight? Just to make sure I was happy in my human form? Damn it, Amelia!" His eyes blazed as he gazed into her suddenly pale face. "Damn it! What good is it being human if I have no one to share my humanity with?!"

And with those words a blast of light erupted from Zelgadis' hands, surrounding him and Amelia's body. Everyone turned to him in shock, but his eyes were full of determination.

"Astro-Plane… Come forth!"

"What?!" was Lina's cry as the light blasted into a wall that complete surrounded both Amelia and Zelgadis.

"What is going on, Lina?!" Gourry shouted over the blast.

It was Xellos who answered. "Zelgadis called forth the Astro-Plane to surround him and Amelia. That opens a direct passage into the world of the Astro-Plane, where Amelia's soul will go before she enters infinity. I suppose he's trying to call back her soul using his own."

Filia turned to Xellos. "If he fails he will die, won't he? But if he succeeds…won't that nullify the Holy spell she cast upon him, Xellos?"

He stared intently into the blazing wall. "I don't think that matters anymore to Zelgadis."

Inside the Astro-Plane…

"Amelia! Damn it, Amelia! Where the devil are you?! Answer me! Amelia!" Zelgadis shouted as he traveled up the plane of the dead. He had to find Amelia's soul and return it to her body. He wasn't going to let her leave him! He wasn't going to be left alone! What kind of stupid way is this for her to die!

"Damn it, Amelia! I thought you wanted to die like a Hero of Justice! In battle, fighting monsters! I thought you wanted to be a bride! You had so many dreams! Don't cast them away! Amelia! Where the hell are you!"

"Zelgadis?"

He moved to the side and saw the fragile spirit of Amelia floating silently. She was practically transparent, unlike the other spirits. There wasn't much left of her soul indeed. There wasn't enough to maintain her body. He quickly moved toward her and grasped her arms.

"What the hell are you doing, Amelia?! Get yourself back down there! This isn't your time to die, and I'm not going to let you. I refuse to let you die!"

She moved her head to the side and smiled. "I'm happy you came back for me, Zelgadis, but it really doesn't matter. My soul is too weak to continue within my own body. I can't survive. Just let me go. I'm happy that at least I granted your one wish."

Zelgadis shook his head. "You little idiot! You think I would wish to be human at the cost of your life?! Never! Amelia…" he lifted his hand to her face. "Take back your soul. What you used to make me human…take it back. I want you to live."

"But, Zelgadis… If I do that you won't be human anymore! And that's what you wanted more than anything, right? To be human again?"

"Not at the cost of your life!" Amelia started at his bellow. He gripped her close to him and placed his face into her hair. "What is the point of being human, if I can't spend the rest of my life with you, Amelia?"

Her eyes widened as he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. Her eyes were shining as she looked at him. She never thought… "Are you sure, Zelgadis? Are you sure you would exchange the humanity you wanted so much for me?"

He smiled at her disbelief. "In a heartbeat, Amelia. Without you, there is no reason for me to become human."

Her eyes began to tremble as he smiled down at her and bent his head toward hers. His lips touched hers and he gave her back everything she had given him. She trembled as his arms wrapped around her and held her close to him, basking the warmth of his spirit into her. His kiss consumed her and she was lost into him. Amelia threw her entire being into him and was overwhelmed by her love for him and the desire she felt for him. She had loved him for so long. She would never leave him again and she would always make him happy. He parted her lips and kissed her with all the longing for her inside of him. He never thought Amelia could be so important to him. Never thought that he could want her like that, like a woman. But the thought of losing her before he had had a chance to be with her tore at him, making the kiss desperate and wild. I will not let her die. Her kiss burned into him and Zelgadis was lost into her giving spirit, and need, desire and love blazed through him. She belonged to him. She was the only one who could give the joy his life needed so badly. She was his.

He pulled away from the kiss for a moment to look into her dazed eyes.

"You told me you loved me with your last breath," he said quietly, his voice hoarse as Amelia lifted her hand to his human face, caressing his skin, her eyes glowing with an emotion he couldn't believe he saw within those dark blue depths. He kissed her with the blaze of his need and his unvoiced love for her once more, making her clutch onto him as he burned her spirit with his own.

The group blinked in surprise as the Astro Plane wall Zelgadis had formed finally began to dissipate. They were all on edge, wondering if Zelgadis had failed or triumphed. Every person was praying for the latter. Let him have been able to save Amelia. Please.

Well…their hearts were immediately put to rest, for the moment the wall completely vanished, the group could see Zelgadis kissing Amelia quite enthusiastically, the princess of Saillune quite pink and completely engrossed in the kiss as well. Lina and Gourry gave whoops of joy as Filia leaned back against Xellos in relief. Zelgadis and Amelia were oblivious to them for a few more moments until they could hear Lina bellowing their names.

They pulled away from each other to gaze at her and they each promptly blushed to their roots. Everyone but Xellos gave a holler of joy and headed straight for them. Lina began to tease Amelia and Zelgadis unmercifully about the kiss they had just finished sharing, Filia was lecturing Amelia on using that kind of spell, and Gourry just slapped Zelgadis on the back in relief. Xellos stayed back with the confused children. They were still wondering why the adults were making such a fuss. But it was then, as everyone was bounding on them that they realized something different about Zelgadis. True, he wasn't human anymore, but there was something else…

"Zel! You're not part Golem! Your rock body is gone!"

"What?" Zelgadis turned to his blue skin and noticed immediately what Lina had meant. He still had blue skin and the light lavender-silver hair, but they weren't… Filia promptly pinched him just to be sure.

"Ouch!"

Everyone's eyes widened. "ALL RIGHT!" Zelgadis' rock body was gone. So part of the spell had stayed in place. Even though he was still part demon and part human, he was no longer a chimera. He was just a little bit more human.

"But, Filia, how did that happen? I thought that giving back Amelia's soul would turn him back to the way he was before the spell was cast," Lina asked.

"Well, I thought so too, Miss Lina, but I guess that the power of Amelia's love for Zelgadis helped fuel the spell with something other than her soul, so part of the enchantment remained!" Filia shrugged as Amelia turned an even darker shade of red. "At least that's the best I could come up with."

Lina just shook her head. "I guess it doesn't really matter. Amelia is back from the dead and at least she gave Zelgadis part of her present…which reminds me!" Lina turned her gaze to Amelia. "Where on earth did you find that spell?"

"Yeah," Filia muttered turning to Amelia as well. "Where did you find that kind of spell, Miss Amelia? I didn't think any of the Ancient Holy Spells had been translated."

Amelia blinked. "Well, while sneaking out of Saillune, I passed by this old lady who told me she'd help me get my heart's desire. I figured she was just a fortuneteller, but her crystal ball told me where a particular book was that had all kinds of spells like this one. They were all healing spells. I didn't realize that some of them were Ancient Holy Spells. They were all translated, so I assumed they were just healing spells. That was the detour I made before I came here. I had to get the book with the spell to cure Zelgadis in it."

They nodded in understanding, but Gourry blinked in confusion. "Uh…Amelia?"

She smiled and turned to him. "Yes, Mr. Gourry?"

"How come you had to sneak out of Saillune?"

Lina gave an exasperated cry. "You're still back there?!" Lina suddenly paused. "But then again that is a pretty good question. Why did you have to sneak out of Saillune, Amelia?" Lina eyed her suspiciously.

A sweat drop formed on her brow and gave a little laugh. She tried turning to Zelgadis for help but he appeared curious too. No way around it. "I sneaked out because if I hadn't…uh…" her eyes lit up. "Daddy would have wanted to come too! And I didn't want him to come! This was just supposed to be our reunion and you all know how annoying Daddy can be."

Lina grinned. "Wise decision, Amelia! Thank goodness you sneaked out!"

Everyone burst out laughing. Amelia sighed internally. Whoa. That was too close!

Suddenly the door burst open, startling everyone in the room.

"WE'RE HERE!"