Title: Lina in Horrorland

Author: Yugure

Rating: R

Comments: HAH! I bet you all thought I'd forgotten about this fic, didn'tcha?! Nope! I just had an acute case of writer's block. But here you go, chapter 4, in all its repulsive glory!

Warnings: More scary and disturbing and horrific stuff. Blood, gore, mental insanity, yada yada yada. You should know the drill by now. If you don't like it, don't read it. L/Z bias is included in this story, as almost all my stories have. Other biases I don't really care about, so I'm not gonna bother mentioning them.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Slayers, I just like using them in my stories. The title for this chapter is from the song "Jaded" by Aerosmith, which I also don't own, but it's a snazzy song.

Chapter 4: Jaded

Someone knocked on the front door.

Curious as to who would be calling on him, Zelgadis gently shut the bedroom door and made his way to the front hall.

"Who is it?" Zelgadis asked before unbolting the heavy oak door.

"It's me, Zelgadis-sama!" came a high, friendly, and all-too familiar voice. Zelgadis groaned and leaned heavily on the wall. Impeccable timing, Amelia, he thought. Just my luck. Just my damn luck. Zelgadis counted to ten, slowly, and opened the door.

"Hello Amelia," Zelgadis muttered, his tone blasé and bored. "So nice of you to drop in-" Before Zel could properly finish his sentence, Amelia bounced into the house and began chattering happily.

"Zelgadis-sama, I brought you a cake that I baked this morning," she started. She held up the reeking pie to emphasize her statement. "It's raspberry flavored, your favorite kind! I even put little raspberries in the frosting, and Zelgadis-sama, you just have to try it! Zelgadis-sama, let's go into the kitchen so we can eat this together! Isn't that romantic, Zelgadis-sama? Two lovers eating raspberry cake in the kitchen? Zelgadis-sama!!"

"I don't even like raspberries," Zelgadis replied, but Amelia ignored him and pranced away into the kitchen. Zelgadis sighed. He had no choice but to follow.

"It's such a beautiful day, Zelgadis-sama! Isn't it lovely?" Amelia asked as she put the cake on the table and went about the kitchen looking for silverware. Zelgadis glanced out the window at the cloudy, gray morning sky. It was depressing just thinking about it.

"Sure is, Amelia," Zelgadis lied with false enthusiasm. I hope Lina doesn't wake up soon. I'd hate to see what Amelia would do…

Amelia hummed a silly little song as she made herself at home in Zelgadis's kitchen. Having obtained a knife and a fork, she sat down at the table and dug into the cake. She lifted the food-laden fork up to Zelgadis, who sat down in another chair, and smiled.

"Here! Isn't it yummy?" she proclaimed, nearly shoving the utensil in his face. Zelgadis obliged and tasted the cake.

"Indeed," he muttered as he forced his face muscles to stop twitching, trying not to retch, at all costs. When Amelia turned away to get more, Zelgadis spit the cake out into a napkin and threw the disgusting wad away. He silently prayed to whatever deity was listening that Amelia would feel an inexplicable need to leave.

Perhaps he should have been more precise, for the only deity that seemed to be listening was the one of irony.

"Zelgadis, where are you?" an uncertain voice called from the hallway. Amelia froze. The air temperature dropped several degrees. Lina suddenly appeared in the doorway, a blanket clutched tightly around her and a haunted look in her eyes. When she noticed Zelgadis, her expression relaxed into relief. "There you-"

"Who are you?!" Amelia demanded. She leapt to her feet and brandished the fork.

"Amelia?" Lina queried. She took a step forward, hesitant. The Amelia she knew would never threaten her with an eating utensil. The Amelia she knew also didn't have grotesque welts and scars crisscrossing her arms, spiraling up both limbs and across her neck. L-sama knew how many other wounds there were. Lina couldn't stop staring.

"Zelgadis-sama, who is this?! What is she doing in your house?!" Amelia shrieked. She spun to face Zelgadis, who was inching his way closer to Lina.

"This is Lina. I found her half dead in the Dark Forest. I couldn't just leave her there, Amelia. So I brought her here, and she's staying until we can find a way to get her home." Almost, Zelgadis thought. Almost close enough. If Amelia jumps now, Lina's dead meat, but maybe…

"Amelia, what happened to you?" Lina asked bluntly.

Three things happened at once. Amelia let out a bloodcurdling scream and lunged at Lina, and Zelgadis dove in between them.

The prongs of the fork embedded in Zelgadis's skin, sending blood dribbling down his pale white skin. Spasms gripped his arm as the fork jabbed at his muscles. Zelgadis gritted his teeth and reached for Amelia's hand.

Amelia, blinded by her rage, barely noticed Zelgadis in front of her. She ripped the fork out and pivoted on her feet, trying to get to Lina. Lina, on the other hand, didn't know what the hell to do. If she tried any spells, there was no way of avoiding Zelgadis. He remained firmly implanted between her and the raving madwoman.

"Amelia, STOP!" Zelgadis yelled. He clutched his arm, both slippery and sticky with blood, with his opposite hand. Amelia ignored him. Lina tried to step back, to get an open shot at Amelia, but she stumbled on her blanket. She fell, and was rewarded with a sickeningly familiar crack to the head, supplied by the hardwood floor beneath her. Salty tears burned her eyes as she cried out.

"Lina!" Zelgadis spun around and dropped to his knees beside her. "Amelia, look what you've done!" A shadow of doubt flickered across Amelia's eyes. She paused, only a foot away from Lina, the fork held out with blood slowly spattering the ground. Her face, contorted in a mask of fury, relaxed. The tenseness of her body ran out, and soon Amelia was left slumped against the wall. Her gaze flickered from Lina's wet face to Zelgadis's trembling arm.

"I… I…" Amelia stammered. She slid down the wall until she was sitting identical to Zelgadis. "I only wanted…. Zelgadis, I only wanted-"

"Lina, how bad are you hurt?" Zelgadis ignored the plaintive Amelia and cradled Lina's battered head on his lap.

"I'm okay, I guess," Lina replied through clenched teeth. She sat up, wincing. "Given the circumstances, I'd say I'm doing pretty good…" Lina smiled faintly. "Would it be too much to ask for a glass of water?"

"Of course not," Zelgadis smiled in relief. He helped Lina to her feet and together they walked back into the kitchen. Amelia watched them, her expression unreadable.

Lina took a sip of water and watched Zelgadis move about the room over the rim of her glass. Her line of sight roamed over the way his soft hair fell in his eyes, at his muscular upper body, and the bleeding wound on his left arm…

Lina choked on her water. Coughing and sputtering, she doubled over.

"Lina!" Zelgadis exclaimed, immediately rushing to her side.

"L-sama, did Amelia do that?!" Lina demanded, reaching out to lightly grasp Zelgadis's arm. Her fingers came in contact with the sticky blood, but she didn't recoil. "We need *cough* to bandage this, quickly!" Lina fussed over the arm, grabbing napkins and pressing them down. Suddenly, as though realizing something, she grabbed Zelgadis's other arm. Only a faded scar ran across his wrist. Lina turned back to the wounded arm and removed the surrogate bandages. Except for the stab wound, there were no other injuries. Lina slowly lifted her head to look Zelgadis in the face. "What happened to the other wound?" she asked softly.

"Didn't you know?" came a wry voice. Lina and Zelgadis turned to look at Amelia, who stood in the doorway. Her face held a small, sardonic smile. She glanced at Zelgadis, then back at Lina. "Don't you know Zelgadis's little problem?"

"Amelia, stop." The fear in Zelgadis's voice was nearly palpable.

"Just like me. Don't you know how he-"

"STOP!!" Zelgadis pulled away from Lina and in three giant strides had both Amelia's wrists trapped in his iron-tight grasp. "Shut up, Amelia! Shut up and go home!"

"You haven't told her?"

"Told me what?" Lina was on her feet, hands on her hips. She ignored the momentary dizziness. Amelia smiled at Lina over Zelgadis's shoulder. It was a genuine smile this time.

"I'm sorry for attacking you. I was way out of line. Forgive me?"

The apology was unexpected. Lina simply blinked. Zelgadis tightened his grip on Amelia's wrists, bring her attention back to him. She flinched a little, her smile fading, and gave a slight nod. Satisfied that he'd made his point, Zelgadis let go.

"Would you like some raspberry cake? There's plenty enough for all of us," Amelia said. She side-stepped around Zelgadis and began cutting up the cake again. The complete about-face left Lina a little stunned. Then again, she should be getting used to the strangeness of this world.

"What's her ailment?" Lina whispered to Zelgadis while Amelia was rummaging around in the pantry.

"She's homicidal. She has a tendency to kill people at the slightest provocation. Even her friends."

"So why are you still alive?" Lina snickered at the blush that rose to Zelgadis's cheeks.

"Uh… she likes me a lot… I guess…" he replied lamely.

"Riiight." Lina sighed. She was absolutely perplexed over what Amelia and Zelgadis had been talking about before and the mysterious disappearing wound, but she decided not to push it. She was too tired and hurt to argue much. And besides, if Zelgadis really wanted it to be kept secret, who was she to demand the truth?

Lina and Amelia ate the cake as Amelia chatted on happily about nothing in particular. Zelgadis fished out some bandages and wrapped the stab wound and politely declined the cake. Good thing for him that Lina liked raspberries…

Outside, a shadow peered in the window. Having seen enough to satisfy its master, it took flight and departed from the premises.