Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers For the Future: The Prophecy of Inverse ❯ Divine Intervention! Adieu “That Time of the Month.” ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "The Slayers."

Chapter 2

Divine Intervention! Adieu "That Time of the Month."

(Note: Chapter 2 through 3 contain song lyrics from Xenogears, the song "Small of Two Pieces." Two lyrics were changes to fit the birth of Lina's child. The songfic starts towards the end of Chapter 2.)

Lina was floating in a nice warm silky pool of water, soaking her every naked pore up with loving caresses. She liked this dream, so nice, so tranquil, and it was all hers. All hers until her fantasies worked up a lot of courage, letting her mental defenses down to make her secret desires please her. She never told anyone about these, they'd only embarrass her and everyone else would have laughed and teased her.

'Amelia, well she might have freaked out and really attacked Zelgadis with her silly crush….who am I kidding? We both have crushes on him, I know I still do. Who really knows with Amelia, all I know is she was better at expressing her feelings for him that I ever was. I couldn't even get the word love out of my mouth around him. Why would he wanted someone like me, I don't even look like a woman and don't even have the kind of refinement and manners as him and Amelia. Who'd even want me? Oh shut up and dream….dream about what you can never have….' Her mind wept, falling back into the tranquil scene of her in a nice, cerulean lake, the warm hands drawing her near.

She was against Zelgadis, leaning against his strong body in the cool waters, as naked as she was. Her dream never showed her much more of his body than she'd already seen, which was plenty. She'd seen him in his dark bikini underwear once, in the town of Femile, very tight underwear. If the situation had been different, she'd have said a lot more when she'd seen that, but it wasn't exactly a very flattering or dignified place to make a lot of anything except humiliation and blushing.

The thoughts passed, the memory locked inside her head of his well-sculpted torso, littered with a few dark pebbles across his sleek, blue skin, the water at his hips. She couldn't see what the water was hiding, but she had a pretty good idea, lazily her dream form reaching down and stroking his large manhood. Zel moaned slightly, deep in his throat, making it sound like he was purring like a large cat, a smile forming on his lips as he tilted his face upwards and shut his eyes gently.

She stood up before him, feeling his hands cup her breasts lightly, the smooth stone skin softer than it looked as he rubbed them all over her chest. She felt his manhood brush against her inner thigh, lifting upwards slightly to slide against her private, sending sparks of tingling and erotic energy pulsing throughout her entire body. "Oh Zel….I love you." She whispered, moving herself closer to him, his manhood, poking through her barrier just slightly.

"I love you too, my precious Lina-chan. Always…." He whispered, taking her lips in his hungrily with a deep and probing kiss. 'Oh Zel….why can't this be real?' She thought, pain filling her mind as they made love in her dream, the silent tears bursting through her happiness.

~

"Oh….Zel….why can't this be real?" Lina mumbled in her sleep, startling Zel in his chair. He had been sitting by her side for an hour since he'd walked into town, the innkeeper stalling him when he saw all the blood. Zel went on asking for a room for his injured friend until the man finally stopped bothering him about what had happened. The pain in Zel's eyes saying it all. Now she was talking in her sleep, saying his name.

"What's she dreaming about?" he said aloud, and gave her a light shake, peering closely at her face. "Lina? Lina, are you all right?" he asked her, lifting her up to lean her upper body against his, his face filled with worry.

When she started to wake up, he attempted to smile, or he would have if his mouth wasn't so close to her face. Lina seemed to be all right, blinking slightly, her eyes softening in a very affectionate way. "Oh Zel….my love…."she said, making him go bright red. He went several hundred shades of red when she kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a loving embrace.

At first, he was startled, then it moved to total shock and fear. 'When she finds out this is not a dream, I can start kissing her Dragon Slave, but….enjoy your first and last kiss while it lasts. Its pretty much the last thing you'll ever enjoy, Zel.' He told himself, gulping quickly before kissing Lina back, shutting his eyes gently.

He squirmed a bit when he felt her touching him, so he naturally pushed her hands away with restraint, so as not to bruise her. When he felt her little, soft tongue pressing against his lips, he got warm all over. He was pushing his luck if he let her in, really pushing it when she'd find out she was not dreaming. 'Die with a smile….it'd be ironic for me.' He thought, letting her tongue in and pushed his own tongue to hers, wrapping about hers passionately. They were busy jamming each other's tongue down the other's throat when Zel felt her grab between his legs, startling him so bad he fell off the bed and onto the floor. The kiss froze at that moment.

"Wait a minute, how can we hit land when we're in the water? Uh-oh…."Lina was mumbling against his mouth, ending up giving him multiple kisses that made him blush again and again. 'Time to die….was an interesting life while it lasted.' He thought, not moving as she felt Lina pull back, sitting on his chest. She was staring at him with wide, panicked eyes, the look Gourry had when she was about to fireball him. Then she began to cry, ramming her beet-red face onto his shoulder.

To say he was puzzled was an understatement, he was downright confused. Lina never cried, never. Not when Gourry was taken hostage, not in being thrown against Valgaav, Phibrizo and Shabranigdo, none of them made her flinch with fear or terror. No tears stained her face in all those life-threatening and heartbreaking situations. She was crying in front of him for kissing him, for HIM!

"Lina….please don't….don't cry." He managed out, his tongue twisted in knots with great nervousness as he tried to pat her on the back. Hugging her might things worse. The patting didn't seem to do much for her either, a loud sob erupting near his ear. He sat up, hugging her close to his body and tried rocking her in his arms.

"Shh, Lina please, its not like you to cry….please, tell me what's wrong? Did I make you unhappy? Please Lina, you can tell me." He tried, making his voice softer as the sniffling on his shoulder began to lessen.

"No….its not you, its me. Its all my fault….the only person I have left in my life that doesn't hate me or want to avoid me….Oh L-sama, I totally humiliated myself in front of you. Acting like some desperate little girl wanting affection….what you must think of me!" she wailed, the sobs returning.

Zelgadis held her tighter, not believing what he was hearing. "No, you didn't humiliate yourself. I….I went too far with that. I should have tried to rouse you from what was happening….but I got….well….I mean you kissed me. No one has ever kissed me. I didn't react properly enough to stop it. I don't hate you because of this. Please Lina." He coaxed, getting her to stop bawling again to look him in the eyes.

"You….you think this is your fault?" she said stupidly, hating herself for backing out again. Zel could see the self-loathing in her eyes, on the verge of tears again. 'Say it….say it, you damn stupid chimera….this is the best time. Maybe, no, what if she was dreaming of Xellos or Gourry and mistook me for them? No, why would Lina dream about Gourry after he broke her heart and say my name in her sleep? I doubt it was the fruitcake either, he nearly got us killed numerous times…should I? I'm so confused.' He thought, a tear shattering down his cheek.

Lina saw it and caught to crystal tear, holding it gently in her palm. "Zel?" she said. "I….Lina….I….I didn't mind it…not at all. It surprised me….that's true, but I'm ashamed to say I gave into my….my desires and didn't bother to think about your state of confusion, what you'd think of yourself when you got your senses back. I'm sorry." He said hollowly, another tear slipping out of his sapphire eyes.

"What are you saying? Zel, you're crying! Huh? Desires….for me? Me?" she said, almost anxious, as if the words moved her heart.

'Say it now! Stop being such a jerk and say it….what have you got to lose….but everything. She's everything to me….more than my cure. She keeps me going….say it!' a voice inside him screamed, making him shed a few more tears as he bit down on his lips, shutting his eyes tightly as he struggled to speak.

"I love you, Lina! I've loved you ever since I met you….ahhhh…." he breathed out, every inch of him stiff and clenched tightly, bracing himself for heartbreak. He waited for what seemed like an eternity, the silence actually getting to him for once.

He peeked open one eye, looking right at a smiling Lina, her features soft and happy. "You love me….you actually love me, Zelgadis Greywords?" she said, her voice getting very giddy.

He nodded, his lips smiling sheepishly. "Oh….Zel!" she yelped, launching herself right into him and tackling him to the floor in a huge hug. "Oh Lina!" Zel breathed as she nearly knocked his breath out, cuddling her face up to his with a happy smile. "I thought you could never love a person like me. I'm not exactly all busty and tall and stuff like normal women. This is like a dream come true….uh, that is to say…..oh, hee, hee." She giggled out, kissing his cheek.

Zel couldn't help but blush as she did that, the two of them laying on the floor in a sweet embrace. "So I was in the dream like you were mumbling earlier. Lina….heh, that's…..kind of cute." He sputtered, very sure his blue face was blood red with shyness.

"I'll….uh, tell you about it later. Us like this on the floor, I might be tempted to make it come true. We look pretty indecent right about now, Zel-sama." She said with yet another cute giggle.

Zel knew that was true enough, his hands were already dangerous close to her rear and only one of Lina's hands was idling on his leg, brushing gently against his thigh. 'If we stay like this much longer, I might not be such a gentleman. She loves me, I love her….L-sama, thank you, but I have to do what's right. Control is essential.' He mused, sitting then standing up to place Lina back on the bed.

"You should get some rest, Lina-chan, it's a few hours till morning and you'll want be fully rested when we leave….uh, after breakfast. I made sure to, um, tell them to have a lot of food ready for you. You've had a rough month, it's the least I can do for nearly….getting you killed you back there." He apologized, but she gripped one of his hands tightly.

"No, you were trying to save me. I wasn't paying attention and you were angry. It was just an accident," she said, then flashed him an evil grin," But you throw a tantrum in another group of sleeping creeps before I can catch up and I'll Dragon Slave your ass."

He smiled at her, nodding nonchalantly. "I know….trust me….things just got a whole lot better in this life, my Lina-chan, my love." He said sweetly, capturing her lips in a soft, delicate kiss.

'And a bath, we both smell terrible….funny how romance makes you forget the little things.' She thought, letting the kiss take her.

~

After cleaning themselves up and cleaning out the entire inn's food supply, with a decent helping of coffee for Zel, the two travelers left the now irate village that threatened to officially banning Lina Inverse from ever eating there again. When she fireballed the owner, they dropped the policy and mumbled nasty names behind her and Zel's backs.

Lina and Zel walked through open plains for a days before they found a forest grove, a lovely and secluded patch of emerald colored canopy trees and wildflowers growing at their roots. Upon going in further, they found a small pond of clean and pure water was in its very center, surround by several discarded stones.

"Its feels like a good place, perhaps it was used often a long time ago. I guess its too far away from any villages to be useful, or to be ruined by development." Zel was saying, looking down at the water peacefully. Then his brow furrowed and he walked away from it, leaning against a nearby tree.

'His face, he hates being a chimera….but I think he looks gorgeous, not matter what he is. Why can't he see that? I love him for both who and what he is. Being a chimera doesn't matter to me, he's beautiful. Oh Zel, yeah, tell him what you think. You told him you loved him and so did he, go for it, Lina' she told herself, walking right up to Zelgadis. He was looking up at the full moon, a look of disdain overtaking his delicate features.

"Zelgadis…." She said, waiting for him to stop staring upwards. He did with a slight "Hmm?" and she leapt up at his face and kissed him. He seemed a bit shocked initially, then softened a bit, kissing her back. After several minutes, they broke for air. Zelgadis was left speechless. "I think you're gorgeous," She said plainly, Zel's eyes widening a bit, then wider and she stroked his stone cheek with a seductive look on her face," Very handsome, beautiful, whatever you want to call great beauty in a man. I think you're drop dead gorgeous, Zel, I've always thought that. You shouldn't hate yourself for the way you look. It'll only make you feel bad."

Zelgadis looked at her thoughtfully as she spoke, as if considering ever syllable of her speech, his lips twitching as she went on stroking his skin. "You really find me attractive?" he said at last.

"I wouldn't have said all that to you if I didn't think that, Zel-sama. I love you with all my heart, silly, no matter what you look like. Stop beating yourself up over being a chimera. I think you're pretty damn cute, Zel." She smiled, wagging her finger at him. He blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "You're so beautiful, Lina, so accepting….so perfect. That's what I love most about you. You're so perfect in every way." He said, his voice like liquid velvet pouring across her, drowning her in his seductive tenor.

"Oh….Zel…stop it." She blushed, grabbing at her blushing cheeks with her gloved hands. Then she felt his hands touch hers, his pure, sapphire eyes gazing dead into hers with nothing but love.

"Gourry was so wrong, you're not flat-chested or little kid….you're a wonderful and lovely young woman. A young woman I love, hair like liquid rubies and eyes like flaming jewels, your skin alive with the scent of sakura blossoms and fresh embers. Every single part of you is beautiful, don't let anyone else tell you otherwise, my lovely Lina. Never. I won't hear of it." He told her, sliding his cool, smooth finger down her cheeks and as soft as a breath went under her chin.

'Looks so hard, but it's so soft and smooth, like he's human. Oh, he'll always be my only love. He's still Zelgadis Greywords, the man I love. My man….my love.' Her mind soothed, and she tilted her face down to his hands kissing them lightly. He made a slight chuckle under his breath, running his fingers along her perfect jawbone, back and forth as gently as possible. Lina let a breathy moan, pleasure filled to urge Zelgadis on.

It had the right effect, one of his strong hands slipping under her chin and tilting her face up to meet his kiss, deep and soothing as he pulled her deeper inside the passion he'd held back for so long. She was against him now, their lips pulling at each other's like starved animals. She felt his hands unfasten her cloak deftly, then they began to run up her spine with deliberate slowness. It made her skin tingle all over, feeling his other hand run through her hair smoothly, the kiss deepening with every second that passed.

She finally remembered that her arms worked and undid his cloak, leading him away from the tree so it would fall soundlessly to the dark, green ground. Lina got bolder with every second their lips were locked together, Zelgadis soft, warm breath licking at her face, making her heart hammer in her chest.

'Some dreams can come true….Oh L-sama….' She silently praised, her fingers tugging at Zel's belts all the while. He didn't notice this was happened, he was took busy concentrating on kissing her, and she found it so very innocent and cute when he gasped as they fell off of his waist, his tunic blowing freely in the warm summer breeze.

"Its ok, Zel, I don't bite….its just, I can't help it. I love you. You're….you're just driving me wild." She whispered, kissing him softly, then deepened it slowly to calm the nervous Zelgadis.

He seemed to relax again, his arms going back around her waist, drifting from her spine to the belts about her tiny waist, but he didn't seem to be brave enough to loosen them. 'Gotta get him to feel bolder….take it slow or he might have a heart attack from all this affection, Lina.' She told herself, lifting one of her hands up his shirt and ran her warm and slim fingers across his stony chest. He moaned softly, his mouth pressing harder against hers as she lowered her strokes to his hips, playing with the sides of his pants.

"Lina…..Lina. Oh, Lina…." He was saying, his lips trailing down her chin and to the nape of her neck, his fingers finding her belt buckles again and undid them. They fell with a jingling flop on the soft grass, but Lina didn't care if they sounded like grouchy spirits, all she wanted to pay any attention to was Zelgadis and where his hands were going. Right up her tunic and shirt to her chest, he was lifting off her shirt in the movement, the summer breeze wafting up her bare chest as her shirt and tunic hit the grass.

His hands were stuck on her breasts, both fitting perfectly in his hands. His fingers were teasing at her nipples and the bottoms of her breasts, making her quiver with pleasure. His moves were shaky though, like he was nervous. She sighed against his mouth and pulled back slightly, pulling his shirt over his head and tossed it by hers, then pressed her chest against his, an innocent smile on his face.

"Its me, Zel, not anyone else. No ones judging you….relax." she coaxed, running her tongue and hot little mouth along his chest deftly, eliciting several shocked and pleased moans from Zel's mouth.

The longer she touched and tasted him like that, the louder his moaning got, then she felt his hands push her hair aside, his warm mouth sampling her skin. He took a gentle lick at her spine before his hands went over her shoulder, now nibbling on the crook of her neck. He lifted her back up to stand straight and leaned down himself to take her right breast in his mouth, his tiny fangs nipping against her tender flesh.

Zel was licking and suckling on her breasts within his mouth, breathing gently as it was Lina's turn to moan. She let out a loud one when Zel's hands drifted past her hips, pushing down her tights to pool at her ankles. "Oh….Zelgadis! Zel! Ah!" she crowed, her hands clasping at the back of his head to force more suckling.

His cheek leaned against her as he took a breath, taking in her left breast to give it similar treatment as Lina tired taking her boots off. Zel was awkwardly trying to help, his motions making Lina start to teeter. She moved her legs, which was her first mistake in making this a graceful act. She toppled backwards, her bare backside landing with a soft thump on the ground, Zel losing his hold on her chest, but one of his hands was tangling in her tightly and dragged him down with her.

They looked at each other a moment, both half-naked and on the grass in a tangled heap. Zelgadis started chuckling, blushing at the same time, getting Lina to join him. He was still chuckling as she yanked her boots and tights off, shaking his head in the most amused manner.

"You're really cute, you know that Lina?" he chuckled, his sapphire eyes simply sparkling at her as he started taking his own pants off. Lina giggled at him, admiring his muscles, even if they were stone, they were worth looking at. 'With a body like that, why did he ever think he wasn't strong enough? He's so much more than he says he is.' She thought with a tender smiling, her eyes looking around their surroundings a moment. The trees let enough moonlight down upon the grove for them to be able to see, the dark green leaves of the trees blowing gently in the warm breeze, making ripples go across the pond water.

"The pond….hmmm…." she said wickedly, her smile getting more mischievous when Zel wrapped his arms about her. "What about the pond, love?" he asked, kissing the side of her neck gently, looking at her from the side. She looked at him with her wicked grin, angling her head towards the pond. "Make my dream come true a little more, Zel. Its…well, my first time and all, but it was such a nice dream. I know, I sound pretty corny….but….oh." she was taking, then he silenced her with a kiss.

"I'd love to Lina, it's my first time too. I really wasn't….eh heh, thinking much about dating and falling in love before Rezo turned me into a chimera. I probably wouldn't have considered love after that….if I'd never met you. I'm glad I did. You really helped me have hope, to fall in love with you. You always had a way of making me feel better. Even if I'd screw it up by being all serious…." He told her, smiling as she shushed him and began to slip into the pond.

"That's all in the past, Zel, let's concentrate on the now….as in I want you right now, cutie." She cooed, gripping his hands tightly. He nodded, a blush creeping up his cheeks as she led him into the water. It went up to their waists, cool and soothing to their skin. Zelgadis was leaned up against the bank, some of the grass hanging off the shore into the water hugging his hips. The moonlight made his entire body shine like he was a living jewel, heightening his great looks a ten fold.

"It might hurt, Lina. I'm made of stone, remember that. I promise I'll try and be as careful as possible." He told her, drawing her close to his body, his manhood scraping against her inner thigh. 'Feels even better in real life….oh Zel, I love you.' She thought happily, pressing herself forward, her private clutching his manhood in a hot kiss.

She felt it stiffen further under her, poking at her barriers, the hard tip slipping through an inch. She shuddered with pleasure, the feeling down there getting hotter that her most rage filled fireball.

Before she could voice her pleasure, Zel yanked her down hard, thrusting his manhood hard past her virgin barrier. It only hurt for a fleeting moment, Zelgadis searching her eyes nervously. She answered him by moving herself up and down his shaft gently, picking the pace up evenly to show him it was all right. They only uttered each other's names in exhausted breaths after that, panting and moaning all the while.

Lina's entire body was alive with fiery energy, pumping herself harder and faster into Zelgadis' hard flesh, breaking down her virginity to nothing but wet, searing passion. The water was splashing about them perilously, mostly from their flailing wet legs as Lina's thrusts were pushing them backward up the grass. They reached their climax when only their feet were touching the water, feeling like a bolt of lighting was exploding inside their bodies as they emptied their boiling nectar into one another.

Lina collapsed again blissfully against Zel's stone body, relishing the last few moments his flesh was within her, then rolled off of him slowly, clutching his hand as she lay beside him. "So that's sex, huh? It was worth all this waiting to tell you how I felt, Zel. Mmm….I feel like a whole new woman." Lina gasped, her chest still heaving as she turned to look at him. He was staring right back at her with a pleased smiled. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Lina. You're always the most wonderful woman in the world to me…." He grinned, gripping her hand tighter.

"I guess in a way, we do attract trouble sometimes, but we attract each other too. I get us into trouble and you get me out. I call that an even trade, huh, cutie pie?" Lina purred, snuggling up close to him. He held her closes, letting out a contented sigh as he nuzzled his cheek against her hair. "I like trouble….especially when it brings me to you. I'll always be there for you, lovely Lina, my love. Always." He said softly, sitting up with her to place her on his bare lap, then stood up to carry her back to their clothing.

"It may be warm right now, but it won't be all night. I don't want my beautiful love to get a frozen rear end." He chuckled, patting her gently on that very spot. She smiled brightly at him, giving him a final tight hug before he set her down.

They dressed rather slowly, keeping their eyes on each other and poking at one another, resulting in a few more passionate kisses before they were finally fully clothed, locked in a tight embrace on the ground, fast asleep.

If either of them had been paying attention to the sky while they had been making love in the water, they would have seen a bubble of blue energy shooting at Lina's back. Yet their climaxes dulled the sensation of the bubble melding into Lina's body, the soft little bubble merging with Zel and Lina's fluids on impact.

~ One Month Later ~

"Huahhhh!!" Lina gagged, throwing up once more her very large breakfast. She was glad Zelgadis was still downstairs sipping his coffee. He'd bought her excuse about forgetting her money for the fifth time, but she was beginning to run out of excuses about her rushing from most meals. At first she thought she was getting sick, then she missed her period, which hadn't bothered her until she started throwing up her meals more frequently. She'd made it a habit to eat before Zel was due to come out of his room or before he woke up when they were camped out. She'd never felt so miserable in all her life, she knew she had to be really ill to be throwing up so much.

'Its not like I'm pregnant or anything. I assured Zel, I practically swore on L-sama herself that female Nightmare mages can't have babies. Its just not something the we can do….that's the way it is. Maybe its something I ate or maybe I have food poisoning. Oh, I can't worry Zel, another cure lead has already surfaced and if I am sick now it will only slow him down. I'll see priestess while he goes out interrogating people. I'll pretend I'm doing the same and get checked out….yeah. Oh L-sama, here comes those 12 plates of fried eggs…and bacon!' she thought, vomiting again and again into the bucket she'd swiped from the closet.

She kept dumping it out the window, praying it wouldn't hit anyone, not because she was worried about the person it hit. She was worried they'd complain to the innkeeper about the room and he'd tell Zel she was throwing her puke out the window.

'Shallow…but I don't want to worry Zel. He's got enough to think about. Oh, damn….the buttered rolls and fish cakes!' she thought, throwing up once more, filling the bucket with the last of her half-digested and foul smelling breakfast. She peeked out the window one last time before tossing it down, throwing the bucket down with it when she was sure she wasn't going to heave anything else up.

Lina Inverse promptly stuffed her face in the waiting basin of water she'd had brought up, washing her teary eyed and sick looking face off, then swishing some water in her mouth to kill the vomit smell.

"Lina? Lina, they want their money now. Lina, are you ok? Where are you?" Zel's voice came out from the bedroom, startling Lina for a second. "I….I'm in the bathroom, washing my face. I got some egg stuck to my lips and all. Don't want to smell like a chicken's butt all day, now do I?" she chuckled, chucking the water out the window and shutting the window quickly.

She heard someone yelp outside about dirty water, but ignored it, rushing into the bedroom. "I got the money right on my belt, let's go pay and search the town for more on this temple lead, ok?" she said, a bit too quickly.

Zel noticed it and grimaced a bit. "Ok….Lina-chan, are you sure you're all right? You look a little pale." He said, putting his hand to her head. She brushed it off with her hearty laugh, smiling at him. "No way, Zel-sama, I'm great. It's just that the food wasn't all they said it was. Maybe it gave me a bad taste in my mouth after a while. Let's never come here again, the food could kill us." She chuckled.

"You had twelve helpings of all the breakfast menu items and half of the lunch items. Oh, don't give me the pout, Lina, stop….Lina." Zel said, her best pouty lip making him melt," Oh fine, it's not like you ever get sick from eating too much. Let's go pay the waiter and get going."

'Whew, that was close….sorry Zel, but no worries for you. You'll thank me in the long run if I am well for this trip.' She thought, following him briskly out the door.

~ Holy Shrine of Rishna Village ~

"Hold still, Miss….uh, what did you say your name was again?" the white-robed priestess spouted, chanting something over Lina. "Serene….Akoushi, priestess. What's verdict?" Lina lied.

"If you'd be patient….I could tell you that, Miss Akoushi. Give my spell a few minutes, and my hands. This could be anything from pregnancy to a stomach infection. Please be still." The priestess spouted, her finger pressing against Lina's stomach, then her thighs, the spell brimming off her fingers like misty tendrils. After a few minutes, the priestess was smiling, her hands clasped together below her own stomach.

"What?" Lina asked, the priestess still smiling. "Congratulations. You're pregnant, Miss Akoushi." The priestess beamed. Lina balked at first, then started hiccuping and giggling at the same time. "Me? P….p….Pregnant? That can't be….I'm not supposed to be able to get pregnant. I'm not….how?" Lina stuttered dumbly. "No offense, but if you don't know how pregnancy is caused, you need help." The priestess tittered.

Lina gave her a death look, making her choke on her noises. "Shove it, girl….I know how pregnancy gets caused….I just…..By L-sama….what's going on? Oh….I have to leave, right now." Lina sputtered, bolting out of the temple at top speed.

~ 2 Days Later ~

"Sorry." Zelgadis was saying over dinner, fried fish over an open campfire. Lina started when he finally said something, nearly making her drop her food. "Uh, about what?" she asked, coyly.

"For this being another dead end. Seems like all my cure leads turn out to be nothing more than pointless wastes of time. Yet I jump at the chance to be human. I guess everyone needs a quest in life. The rumors I heard from the town might be fruitful, but very dangerous. You might want to hang back if those leads actually hold water."

"What about holding water? Oh….well yeah, some of them are such a labor….I mean, we put too much labor and effort into false leads. But yeah, everyone needs a goal in life….even ones that seem….so far away. Not like I'd ever try and stray you. You want this cure so badly, Zel. I'd hate to hinder your progress. Not that good adventure is something I'd stray from." She mumbled, getting a slight nod from Zel.

"I'd just die if anything happened to you, Lina, you keep me going. I'm happy that you're finally listening to some reason. Just this once, Lina, next time you can Dragon Slave a million Mazuko to hell and back every hour of the day if you want." Zelgadis chuckled out, eating the last of his dinner before getting up and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Run through the cold of the night
As passion burns in your heart
Ready to fight, a knife held close by your side
Like a proud wolf alone in the dark
With eyes that watch the world
And my name like a shadow on the face of the moon….

"Pleasant dreams, Lina….see you in the morning." He added, walking over to his bedroll and getting side it. After a few minutes of her nervously chewing the last of her food down, she heard Zel's gentle breaths. She turned around slowly to find him fast asleep, smiling contently on his back. She waited several more minutes before standing up, pulling a note out of her shirt and placed a rock on it as she set it a foot away from his head.

'I'm so sorry, Zel, I'm just so scared for us. I can't be burden to you, not now. Just stay alive for me, find your cure, my only love. Please….please, by L-sama, please Zel, never give up on yourself.' She wept inside before turning around and quietly walking away from the camp, casting Levitation after she got at least mile away from it.

~ Morning ~

Zelgadis woke up rather slowly that morning, the light hurting his sensitive eyes for a moment before their adjusted. As he sat up, the first thing he was aware of was that the sun was rather high in the sky, so he supposed he'd overslept a couple hours, very unlike him. The next thing he noticed was that Lina and her bedroll were nowhere in sight.

'Maybe she's going to the bathroom….or she got hungry and went fishing….huh?' he thought, then saw a stone atop a small piece of paper. He picked it up and flipped the note open, reading:

My Dearest Zelgadis,

I know this is very sudden and its nothing you did, really. I am just so scared right now. Something has happened to me that I can't explain, something I don't even understand myself. I don't want to be a burden to you, so I have left. By the time you read this note, I'll be very far away. I don't want to hinder your quest for a cure, it's the only other thing you care about in this world and you'll never get it if you keep worrying about my safety. I'm slowing you down, so please, don't try to find me. Its all right, I can take care of myself. You find your cure, Zel-kun, find it and be happy.

Love Forever,

Lina Inverse

Zelgadis twitched as he read the note, his heart shattered repeatedly as he read it over and over again, trying to fathom it all. "I….I….Lina. I drove her away. Its….I did this to her. She's gone because I cared more about my cure than her….when she loves me so much. My Lina, Lina…..NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I won't lose you, not this time! Lina!" he shouted, cramming the note in his pants pocket.

Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I
Can find the answer. And then,
We can run to the end of the world….
We can run to the end of the world….

He ran away from the campsite, his demon speed carrying him through the forest as fast as he could manage. 'Forget my cure….Lina's the best thing to ever happen to me! No, I will find you. I will find you and help you, like you helped me. For love, for us! My Lina, I will find you!' his mind screamed as he rocketed over the horizon.

To Be Continued….