You're mother's child,

But night lays you down

Hair aflame, wild look in your eyes,

Naked belly to the ground.

A forest fire,

Nibbles at your veins

Crawls up your arm,

Runs away with your mind,

And burns dry thoughts like leaves

A~me~n…

Eyes stare up

But something's in the way,

In the bible, only angels have wings,

And the rest must wait to be saved.

A dry tongue

Screams at the sky,

But the wind just breathes words in,

As a strange bird tries to fly.

A~me~n…

Pieces of us die every day,

And though our flesh were hell,

Such an injustice, as children we are told that

From god we fell.

Where are my angels?

Where's my golden one?

And where is my hope

Now that my heroes are gone?

Some are being beaten,

Some are being born,

And some can't tell

The difference anymore.

A~me~n…

Ha~le~lu~ia…

~Jewel "Amen".

Lina slipped and a shot of pain arced through her ankle. She hissed and dropped to the ground in agony.

I must have twisted it when the horse threw me, She thought, clutching at it to stop the pain. Too bad it wasn't my neck…

Then again, I wouldn't de from a sprained neck… She sighed and tried to get up.

A sound off in the trees caught her attention, and she jumped to a tree and turned her back to it, facing the sound. That shot off the pain in her ankle gain, but she couldn't show that to an enemy.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She yelled at whatever it was. Must not show pain must not show pain must not god it hurts,

"Highness?"

Relief and annoyance swept over her. "GOURRY! What did I tell you? I told you to go back to the palace!" She snarled. "You've been following me, haven't you? You didn't leave, did you?"

He stepped sheepishly out of the shadows. "Well…yeah." He looked at her badly swollen ankle. "But I don't think now is the right time to be berating me about that. Don't walk any further, we don't want permanent damage."

"What if I want permanent damage?" She shot back before she thought, and then realized how utterly stupid that must sound.

He made no motion to show he found anything stupid in it. "Come, Highness." He lifted her gently, taking care not to hurt her foot. "We need to get you a doctor."

"I'm FINE!" She replied politely, smacking him. He didn't move.

"We're getting you to a doctor."

"The others who were wounded need a doctor more than I!"

"Maybe so, but if it's really unimportant, it shouldn't take too long, should it?"

"I am your queen, and I ORDER you to put me down!"

"Now what kind of loyal soldier would I be if I did that?"

"…"

"Right." Gourry shifted her weight, and continued carrying her to the castle.

Lina looked over his shoulder and thought she saw two glowing red eyes, drenched in jealousy and anger, in the darkness. She shivered and pulled closer to Gourry.

* * *

The troops were overjoyed to see their queen in good condition. After telling Gourry for the eighteenth time that she did NOT need a doctor, she gave up and made him watch her heal it. He shrugged and carried her into the castle.

"H-hey! Hold it! I'm healed now, see?" She kicked her before injured foot. He shook his head.

"You need rest, your highness. And in your emotional state, I don't think you ought to be doing anything."

"EMOTIONAL STATE??" She shrieked. Several passing servants turned and stared at their hysterical queen. She blushed and glared. "Well? Don't you all have something to do?" They all turned to the wonderfully amazing chores they had been assigned to and tried not to pay attention to their queen.

"See what I mean?" Gourry continued. "You're worked up over something. And it has to do with this demon. And I'm taking charge of helping you."

"It's none of your business!"

"I'm making it my business, highness, so shut up and deal with it before I knock you unconscious to get you to sleep."

Lina shut up. Gourry continued carrying her to her room and set her on her bed. He then pulled the chair from in front of the fire and over to side of the bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to talk to you, of course."

"I don't need to be talked to." Lina rolled over and tried to pretend he wasn't there.

"What do you know him from?"

Lina's eyes snapped open. She glared at the window, but didn't roll over to look at him.

Sitting there smugly in the chair…"I saw him at the circus and took pity on him."

"Liar."

"What??" Lina flipped over and grabbed his shirt collar. He merely looked at her. "What did you say?"

"Liar."

"I am not! And how would you know, anyway? You weren't even born when--" Lina snapped her mouth shut and glared balefully at him. "That was cheating."

"I didn't do anything."

"Shut up."

"Come on, highness. I talk to my dogs. It helps me. Maybe it would help you to talk to me. I may not understand, but I'll listen." He looked at her with big, dumb blue eyes, and she felt her resolution give the tiniest bit.

"It's not important now."

"It is to you. It is to me. That makes it important enough."

Lina stared at him, and felt it give a bit more.

"You really cared about him, didn't you?"

Lina snapped. Before she knew what was happening, she was pouring out her life's story to him. He probably didn't understand half of it, but that was okay, because he was there, listening.

She told him about her life as an assassin, about killing for a living and not having anything to call her back from the edge. She told him how it froze her soul a bit every time she killed someone, because she didn't want to think about it. She told him how she was nothing but a highly programmed robot, dancing to her master's every move, but frozen cold inside.

She told him how when she met Zelgadis, the cold melted and her heart was filled with a fire of anger, resentment, and annoyance. How he was the reason she broke her strings, leaving them dangling in Xellos' hands. How she's planned on killing him on her own, not being told to by anyone else.

She told him how she'd been saved when Xellos noticed the strings weren't attached anymore. She told him how the hate slowly ebbed away to show what was hidden beneath it. She told him--

How much she'd loved Zelgadis…

Sometime during her soliloquy Gourry had pulled her into his lap and started stoking her hair like a child. Sometime during her outpouring she'd broke into tears and cried into his shoulder. Sometime during her life story she'd found someone who cared…who would listen…

She fell asleep in his arms, not lovers, but friends.

Gourry looked at the window, where two red-hued eyes glared balefully at the blonde with the old, but somehow still incredibly young, redhead nestled in his lap. Gourry glared back.

"I know you heard all of it."

The eyes didn't waver.

"Doesn't it hurt you, too? Why are you like this?" Gourry set Lina on her bed and stood between it and the window. The eyes didn't move.

Gourry must have stood there for nearly half an hour, glaring right back.

"What are you looking at, idiot?" Came a soft, smooth voice behind him. He spun to look at Zelgadis, shirt ripped and tattered, making him look even more the part of the animal he'd become. Gourry glanced back at the window where the red eyes glowed dully.

"It's a light spell, you moron." Gourry looked back at the demon.

"What do you want?"

"Why, my Lina, of course." Zelgadis slunk towards the bed. Gourry put on a burst of speed and put himself between the coming Zelgadis and Lina. "Out of my way, pest, unless you wish to be hurt."

"I'm not moving for anyone. Doesn't this hurt you at all, Delzigas?"

"Zelgadis."

"Right. Doesn't it hurt?"

Zelgadis looked a bit confused. "Doesn't what hurt?"

"This." Gourry held out his hand to him. Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow. "What you've become. Have you ever, in your entire life, wanted Lina to look at you with fear in her eyes? To cry or hide tears when she head your name? To try to destroy you for the safety of her people, when all she wanted to do was hide under the covers and cry?"

Zelgadis snorted. "Whatever. Your words aren't going to move me. Stand aside."

Gourry, not taking his eyes off of Zelgadis, leant down and picked up the slumbering Lina.

"I said--"

"I know what you said." Gourry glared. "And I'm ignoring you. Don't you still feel anything? Deep inside, don't try to tell me you don't still love her."

"No. I don't."

"Liar."

"Shut up!" Zelgadis said in a dangerous tone. "I don't have time for your games. Give me back my Lina."

"Isn't that what Xellos said?"

Zelgadis stepped back. "What?"

"You're just like him, you know that?"

"I am not! I am not Xellos!"

"You are. Only worse, because you just kill for the hell of it."

"You think I want to? You think I have a choice?" He snorted. "I loose control at the sight of blood."

"You don't seem too in control now, either." Gourry leant down and picked up the slumbering Lina.

Zelgadis' eyes suddenly snapped to slits. "Drop her." He whispered.

Gourry stood and glared at him. "I won't."

"Drop her." Zelgadis said, advancing.

"I won't."

"Drop. Her."

"No!"

Zelgadis Seemed to move back a bit, and then--

Gourry fell to the floor, still holding Lina, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Zelgadis dropped his upraised fist.

"Drop her."

"I won't!" Gourry shook Lina. "Lina, Highness, wake up! Wake up!" He glared at Zelgadis. "What have you done to her?"

"A minor sleep spell. Don't worry about her. It's you own hide that's in peril." Zelgadis stepped over and kicked Gourry. "Drop her!"

Gourry winced. "I won't!" He stood slowly, and glared balefully at Zel.

"Doesn't it strike you oddly that I have to protect her? From YOU?" Gourry snorted. "and to think, she trusted you."

"She never trusted me. Drop her."

"No."

"Drop her."

"I won't."

"DROP HER!"

"Never!"

Zelgadis threw a dagger. It hit Gourry in the right leg. Gourry stumbled, but held on to Lina.

He threw another dagger. It hit Gourry's left leg. He fell to the floor, but kept a death grip on Lina.

Zelgadis threw the third dagger. It hit Gourry's right arm. Still he held on to Lina.

He threw his fourth Dagger. Gourry slumped to the ground, but kept over Lina.

Zelgadis kicked Gourry. He just stayed over Lina.

"I tire of this." Zelgadis said quietly. "Your heroics are impressive, but it's time to end this game."

Gourry screamed as electricity surged through his body. Zelgadis grinned and pulled Lina from him.

Gourry struggled to move. "No! Give her back!"

"She's mine, hero-boy. Go protect a sheep or something." Zelgadis turned and leapt silently through the window.

"Li…na…"

* * *