4To Kiss Or Not To Kiss
Somewhere deep in a moist and dark cavern, a figure was kneeling in the middle of a large hand made magic circle. Sweat glistened her creamy complexion as she gasped for breath. Although she seems breathless, the woman manages to crack a sinister smile.
"Finally! I've finished my ultimate curse!" the woman laughed weakly as she tightened her hold on the object in her hand, "Lina Inverse, with this you're future with Gourry will be over! And then he will be mine to take! I promise you in the name of Zoamelgustar-sama!
"Hahahahaha! Ha…cough cough….,"
"L-Lina…."
"Gourry..?"
"I-I know that you would be self conscious about them….Yes, they are small but," The blonde swordsman softly spoke as he stare longingly at the round objects in front of him, making Lina blush.
The sorceress gulped as she waited eagerly for his thoughts, "B-but..?"
"They're the most perkiest round morsels I have ever seen!" he continued in ragged breath as a tremble hand made its way to touch them. Lina's eyes widen as she let out a screech of delight, knowing where her companion was going with his action.
"And it taste great!" he exclaimed in a cheerful manner as he popped one of the round object into his mouth.
"See, I told you so! Sylphiel is not the only one who can cook you know!" Lina stated in a smug look, feeling quiet proud of herself right now.
"Hei, Zel? Wanna taste?" Gourry offered Lina's rounded dish to his chimera friend beside him. One quick jump and Zelgadis was a mile away from the swordsman.
"Hell no! It looks disgusting!" he replied far away in a panic voice. Truth enough, in contrary of what Gourry had said, the 'food' that Lina had made was down right awful looking. They were round alright but they were also sickeningly black in color and 'stuff' was oozing from the inside. Miraculously, it didn't emit any foul stench but yeah, they look nasty!
"Hey, at least I tried cooking us something! We have no other food, the next town is still million miles away and this place has nothing to offer us!" the sorceress yelled in anger as she shook her angry fist in the air. She was correct though. There were no animals to hunt, no eatable berries to eat and no river to fish.
"Which brings me to another question…..what did you use to make THAT?" the chimera interrupted her as he pointed a shaky finger towards the 'black thingies' that Gourry was currently consuming.
A sweat made its way down her cheek as Lina laughed nervously, "Y-you know….Stuff…," she smiled sweetly at him.
Zelgadis peered suspiciously at her, "Uh-huh….Then why don't you eat it?"
"Like HELL I'm going to eat that! I'll probably DIE! ….umm, I mean….ehehe," the sorceress scratched the back of her head, taking a couple of steps away from the shocked swordsman.
"DIE?" The swordsman instantly throws the 'thingies' away from him and threw up the disgusting stuff out of his system before running after the retreating sorceress.
Seeing that the cost is now safe and clear, Zelgadis reluctantly walked back towards their camp spot, "What's taking Amelia so long? How long does a woman need when 'nature's call'?" he asked to no one in particular when the thought had hit him. A blush crept to his cheek.
As if on cue, a loud explosion erupted near their camp site, startling the three of them.
"W-was that…Amelia?" And with that they rushed towards the direction of the explosion.
Somewhere in the forest….
"Haa…." Amelia let out a sigh of relief as she dropped to her knees. Her eyes rested on the object beside her.
"Amelia!" It was Zelgadis.
"Lina-san! Zelgadis-san! Gourry-san!" Amelia yelled out in delight as the other three stopped beside her.
"What happened?" Lina asked as she glanced at the surrounding. The ground was scorched a bit but other than that everything looks normal.
The princess' cheeks turned pink, "S-someone was spying on me when I was doing my um, 'business'…" she quietly explained in embarrassment as the trio gasped in horror.
"Did you get him?" Lina asked when she recovered from the shock as she punched her other hand.
Amelia's eyes switched glances nervously, "Actually, it was a 'her',"
"EH?"
"But I didn't think she meant on spying me…She was saying something about giving an object to Zelgadis-san. I think she meant that object," she concluded as she pointed to the object beside her or precisely, a simple necklace
"But you impaled her with a spell out of reflex. I understand how you must have felt Amelia. We helpless girls must be strong in this cruel, wicked world," Lina gave her speech as she puts an understandinghand on Amelia's shoulder.
"….oi..," both Gourry and Zelgadis mumbled, feeling quiet displeased for some reason.
"But who could that girl be…I would have been able to recognize her if she wasn't wearing a suspiciously heavy cloak and had suspiciously covered her face with her cloak's hood," the princess pondered out loud.
The sorceress picked up and examined the necklace, "It looks so plain. I bet it must have been cheap!" The others looked at her in disbelief, "Hei, this must be one of those secret present from those secret admires thing!" Lina exclaimed as a wide grin crossed her lips.
Gourry let out an amused 'You think?', Zelgadis looked shock out of his mind while Amelia let out an alarm 'What?'
"Ne, Zel-chan. Why don't you try your present on?" Lina asked slyly as she tried to hover menacingly above the chimera.
"Hmph, I don't think so!" Was the reply as Zelgadis crossed his arms against his chest and turned his head away from the sorceress.
"Too bad!" Lina said cheerfully as she already equipped the necklace around the chimera's neck.
"Hei! Lina! I told you that….I…uhhhh," he mumbled incoherently for a while before his eyes drooped lower and lower. Seconds later he was lying on the ground, snoring softly.
"O-oi, Zel?"
"He fell...asleep..?" What the hell happened.
"Ahaha! You felt for it Lina Inverse!" a voice echoed through out the forest.
Chills ran through the sorceress body, "I know that stuck up laughter nowhere! Show yourself Martina!" Lina commanded in a harsh tone.
A figure appeared from behind the trees.
"Martina!" both Gourry and Amelia exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right! And you fell for my plan!" Martina smugly said as she puts a hand on her hip.
"What are you talking about?" Lina yelled back.
"You carelessly put the cursed necklace right where I wanted!"
"Ah!" Amelia yelped as she remembered something, "the woman who was spying on me, it was you!"
"Why would I spy on you! Anyway, you're right where I wanted, Lina," Martina grinned evilly at the sorceress.
"What are you talking about?" Lina was getting annoyed.
"That necklace will make anyone who wears it falls asleep,"
Lina raised an eyebrow, "So? All I have to do is.."
"Tsk, tsk, stk. Such naïve, flat chested simpleton," Lina automatically shoots multiple insults at her but was simply ignored, "If you remove the necklace, you're chimera friend will fall asleep forever! The only way to save him is to break the curse!"
"And how do I break the curse, Martina-san?" Lina asked sarcastically.
"You, Lina Inverse….you! You will have to," Lina managed to gulped, "KISS HIM!" Martina ended with another round of laughter.
"WHAT?" both Lina and Amelia exclaimed in panic.
"Ohh!" Gourry didn't found it disturbing at all. In fact, he seems to be enjoying himself.
"Why me? Why can't Amelia do it!" both girls were now blushing madly. The swordsman nodded at her suggestion.
"Zzzzzz," Zelgadis continues to be oblivious to the situation.
"Oh no, it'll only work if you kiss him Lina! This, this will be the beginning of the destruction of yours and Gourry's relationship!" Lina's face was now completely red.
"Who says we are in a relationship?" She was denying it again while Gourry just looked at both girls in amusement.
"You can deny all you want! But if you kiss your chimera friend which I know you will, I know that the memory will haunt you and it will make you feel uncomfortable with Gourry, won't they?" Martina asked teasingly.
The sorceress secretly glanced at the swordsman and as usual he just gave her that clueless look of his. But for some reason, at that moment, looking at her blonde companion made her heart starts to thumped violently. Amelia kept switching glances from Zelgadis to Lina to Gourry and to Martina.
Oh, what mess they were all in!
"So, what are you waiting for Lina? Don't you want to save your friend or do you want to save your relationship with Gourry?" Martina was enjoying herself. Enjoying too much that is as her grin grew ever so wider.
"I…I," Lina was in a dead end as she watched the sleeping figure of Zelgadis. I can't just leave him like this…..but I can't kiss him! Oh, the horror! …Uh, no offense Zel…
"Gourry?" the swordsman looked at the troubled sorceress, I don't know why I'm asking for his permission…., "It's okay if I kiss Zel to save him, right?" her voice holds her feeling of unsure.
"Of course it is, Lina," Gourry replied with a gentle voice as he smiles at her. Which only made the situation even worse for the sorceress.
Gaaaah! That shows me how dense he is on this relationship matter! She didn't know why she was mad at him. Maybe because he was letting her kiss another guy than him….Where did that thought come from….Oh, crap! I'm losing it as well!
"Lina-san," the sorceress couldn't guess if Amelia was pleading to her. But, it did tell her something though. She has to do something!
With a huge gulp, Lina shortens the distance between her and the chimera, much to Amelia's discomfort.
Her shaky hands moved slowly to his face, lifting his chin. The chimera continues to snore softly. Unconsciously, she looked at her protector for the second time hoping for….for anything! But, no. He just smiled that idiotic smile of his. She could swear that she heard her heart beating wildly and then heard the vein on her forehead popped.
Little by little, her face moved closer to Zelgadis'.
"Lina-san! Maybe there's spell to undo this! Like those legendary spells contain only in the Claire Bible!" Amelia shouted beside the sorceress as her last attempt to stop the kissing madness.
"CLAIRE BIBLE? WHERE?" The chimera suddenly shouted as his eyes snapped open, shocking the hell out of the sorceress as she jump away from him out of reflex while clutching her beating heart.
"ZEL?"
"Z-Zelgadis-san..?" the wide eyed princess called out his name, totally confuse by the turn of event. But the chimera ignored them all as he frantically searches for the invinsible Claire Bible.
"Wow, it seems that his obsess in finding his cure had break the spell," Gourry stated in a matter-of-fact manner, his smile never fading.
How can he be so blasé about it! Lina gritted her teeth as she glared dangerously at the swordsman when she saw Martina's retreating figure.
"Oh no you don't, Martina! Darkness beyond twilight, crimson blood that flows…oh, whatever!"
"No! Not that!" Martina yelled, frightened by the wild sorceress.
"Woi! What are you doing Lina! You can't just blow us up with her!" Gourry yelled out in panic as he tries futilely to immobilize her while Amelia could only sigh in relief as everything returns to normal. Zelgadis was, oh never mind him….
"I can do whatever I want Gourry! Dragu Slave!"
A mixed scream from Gourry and Martina could be heard before a huge explosion erupted, burning a part of the forest. There was silence after that...
"Yare yare, all's well that ends well, is it?" Xellos smiled at the charcoaled figures on the ground before disappearing into thin matter.
"So Gourry, if you had to kiss Amelia, you would do it EH!"
"What are you talking about Lina!"
One thing is for sure, they'll never change….
Oshimai…