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Zelgadis grumbled when he looked out the flap of his tent and beheld a world of white. He had hoped that the intense cold would prevent snow from falling, but that wasn't the case.
"No ice fishing today," he thought to himself. "If it was warm enough to snow, then the ice has probably melted to where it's really thin in areas."
He was standing there with his arms crossed, a rather disgruntled look on his face, when a small, compact ball of snow flew through the air and smashed into his face.
"'Morning Zelgadis!" Amelia giggled while forming another snowball.
"What are you doing, Amelia?" Zelgadis demanded, brushing snow off of his face.
"Throwing snowballs," Amelia answered and flung the one she had just formed at the chimera.
Zel dodged the incoming projectile, and gazed at the laughing Saillune Princess. The cold brought a rosy flush to her cheeks, and her eyes shone with happiness. A sudden gust of wind caused her outfit to mold itself to her body, and Zel gave a start when he felt his body react. In order to take his mind off of his body's unexpected reaction, he asked, "Where are Lina and Gourry?"
"They went off to see if they could find a town nearby. Lina said that it wouldn't be wise for all of us to head off in case she didn't find one, because of the snow," Amelia explained scooping up more snow.
Zel dodged that projectile as well, trying not to notice how the light dusting of snow on Amelia's hair caused it to look like it was coated with fairy dust. His body still wasn't under his control, and to distract himself, Zel bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, forming a compact ball.
"Well, Miss Snowball," Zel said, giving her a wicked grin. "How about a taste of your own medicine?"
Amelia grinned back at him, and tossed her snowball from hand to hand. "Bring it on," she said, and launched her snowball.
Zel dodged, and threw his at Amelia, smacking her in the face.
"COLD!" Amelia shrieked, and began laughing as she threw another snowball at Zel, this time managing to smack him in the face.
Zel laughed, and watched Amelia move around for a moment before an idea popped into his head. He faked a throw at Amelia, then used his chimera speed to blur around behind her when she dodged. He caught the back of her outfit, and stuffed the snowball in, causing Amelia to scream as the cold snow melted and trickled down her back. She stumbled backwards, and crashed into Zelgadis, causing both of them to fall down into the snow, laughing.
"That was a dirty trick, Zelgadis," Amelia giggled, twisting around to face him.
Zelgadis grinned up at her, trying to ignore the stirring he felt as Amelia squirmed around on top of him. "May have been dirty, but it worked," he replied, and made a move to get up.
Amelia blushed a fiery red when she realized she was straddling Zel in a most undignified way, and scrambled off of him, stuttering, "S-sorry about that, Zelgadis!" before zooming into the tent that Lina and she shared.
Zel lay in the snow, gazed up at the cloudless blue sky, and wondered what had just happened. He had never had a problem controlling his body, so what was different now? Why Amelia? He snorted and slowly climbed to his feet, and made his way to Gourry and his tent. Not much one could do now that the snowball fight was over and Gourry and Lina were out. So he might as well try to get some sleep.
Amelia cautiously moved along the layer of ice that coated the lake the group had made their camp near, being careful to avoid places where the ice appeared to be thinner than usual. She knew it was dangerous for her to be out here, but with Lina and Gourry gone, and Zel not needing to eat like normal people, Amelia figured she would provide breakfast for herself, so as not to bother Zelgadis. The only breakfast that she knew how to cook safely was fish, which was why she was out here, dodging thin ice and hoping that the rest of the ice would hold.
A faint creaking was the only warning she had, before the area she was standing on suddenly gave out from underneath her, and she found herself plunging into ice cold water that was over her head. She clawed her way back to the surface, and swam over to the edge of the hole she had fallen through, every gasp of breath dragging in cold air and burning her lungs. Her teeth had already started to chatter as she grasped the edge of the ice and tried to lever herself back onto the surface, only to have the edge break off, sending her back under. She thrashed up to the surface again, and again tried to climb out onto the ice, without success. By this time her body felt like it had gone numb, and when she tried to cast a spell her voice was shaking so badly that the words weren't recognizable. With her strength waning, Amelia clung to the ice edge, desperate to keep her head above water. Her vision began to get blurry, and her grip on the edge began to slip as her eye lids grew heavy and began to close.
Zelgadis gazed at the roof of his tent, trying to sort out his body's earlier reaction to seeing Amelia's body outlined by her outfit, but so far he had been unsuccessful. He sighed, and had turned onto his side, when the sound of breaking ice reached his sensitive ears. Ice must have been thinner than he had thought, if it was breaking up already. He frowned when more sounds of ice breaking reached him, and a sudden suspicion caused his blood to turn cold. He leapt to his feet and ran out of his tent over to the one that Amelia and Lina shared, only to have his suspicion confirmed when he looked inside the tent and found Amelia gone. Knowing that the ice wouldn't hold his weight, he cast a Ray Wing bubble and flew over the surface of the ice, looking for Amelia's dark head. He found her just as her hold on the ice edge gave way, and she sank beneath the surface.
"Amelia!" Zelgadis yelled, and directed the Ray Wing bubble down into the water, where he soon came across Amelia's limp body. Focusing his power, he caused the bubble to expand and drew Amelia into it's safe fold, fear curdling in his belly when he saw how pale her face was. He gathered her to him, and directed the spell back to the shore, where he quickly placed Amelia on the floor of his tent and began to strip off her wet clothing.
"I'm sorry, Amelia," Zel said, as he stripped her down to the bare essentials, namely her bra and underwear, and began to dry her off with his spare cape, trying to rub some warmth back into her too cold body. "But this is the only way I can keep you from freezing."
Once he had her relatively dry, he placed her into his goose down sleeping bag, and zipped her up. He watched her face closely for several minutes, but there was no change in her coloring, and Zel resisted the urge to panic at the thought that he might have been to late. He forced himself to calm down and think rationally.
"Body heat," he muttered to himself, and promptly stripped down to his boxers, then stopped. His stone skin was cooler than it would be if he had still been human, and he needed a way to raise it to a level that would be beneficial to Amelia in her current condition.
Sighing in resignation, Zel concentrated a small fire spell in his hand, and then passed it over his body, instantly heating his stone hide to a temperature just slightly below a normal human's. Before his stone skin had a chance to cool off again, Zel slipped into the sleeping bag next to Amelia, and gathered her to him, making sure to press her cold body against his fire heated one. He was shocked at how cold she actually was, and tried to keep up a light friction by rubbing his hands up and down her back and arms.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief as Amelia's body began to slowly heat up, and color returned to her cheeks. He settled back and now that the immediant emergency was past, another one was raising it's head, and it was taking everything Zel had to not concentrate on the weight of Amelia's breasts against his chest, or her legs which were stretched out along side his.
"Idiot," Zel muttered to himself.
Amelia slowly became aware of the fact that she was warm, and for a moment she was confused. Hadn't she been freezing to death in the frozen lake just a few moments ago? She stirred slightly, and felt a pair of strong arms tighten around her. For a moment, Amelia fought the urge to panic, until she realized that Zelgadis must have somehow found out that she had been in trouble, and pulled her out. She stirred again, and slowly lifted her eye lids, finding her face just bare inches away from Zel's.
"Z-Zelgadis?" she asked, her voice sounding feathery.
"Shhhh, you're safe now, Amelia," Zel whispered.
"How did you know?" she asked, feeling a little drowsy.
"I heard the ice breaking, and when I didn't find you in your tent, I figured that you were in trouble. Why did you risk going out onto the ice when it's thinned out so much?"
"I was hungry," Amelia answered, her lids drooping again.
"Hungry?"
"Yeah. With Lina and Gourry gone, there was no way to get anything to eat other than to go fishing," Amelia said, and then dropped off to sleep again, her breathing evening out.
"She was hungry," Zel mused, then realized that because he didn't need to eat like a normal human, Amelia had felt like she had to get herself something to eat, and had gone to the only source of food she knew how to get, and that was fish. He gazed at her peaceful features for a few moments, then realized that he was starting to feel a little drowsy, as well, due to the trapped warmth of their two bodies inside his sleeping bag. He smiled softly, and let his mind drift off.
Zel wasn't sure where he was when he woke up, nor why there was a soft, warm body pressed up against his side. He opened his eyes and saw Amelia's peacefully sleeping face, and memory returned. So did his problem, and he grumbled softly under his breath. Somehow, Amelia had kicked off the top of the sleeping bag, and had rolled slightly onto her back. Against his better judgment, Zel allowed his eyes to roam over Amelia's body, noting how her arms and legs were well muscled without being too large, giving her a strong, yet fragile look because she was so petite. Her full breasts rose and fell with every breath she took, and her eye lashes were thick and black. Zel gently ran a finger along Amelia's jaw line, smiling softly when she sighed and turned her head into his touch. Growing a little bolder, Zel moved his finger from her jaw line down to her collarbone, gently stroking it against her skin. Amelia's sigh turned into a soft moan, and Zel quickly removed his hand, wondering just what had gotten into him. Amelia was warm now, so he really didn't need to be in the same tent as her, and if she were awake, she would most likely have slapped him across the face by now. He sighed, and made a move to get up, when Amelia suddenly rolled over and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head in his chest. Zel blinked, not sure if she were awake or asleep, and made another tentative move to get up, only to feel her arms tighten around him like bands of steel.
Amelia had been awake for some time, but hadn't wanted to move because she had dreamed of Zel holding her like this for so long that she wasn't ready to give it up yet. She was quite surprised when Zel had reached out and stroked her jaw, and knew that if he knew she were awake, then he would stop for fear that she would reject him. So when he made a move to leave, she had acted on instinct, and grabbed a hold of him, burying her face into his bare chest and breathing in the unique, sun warmed rock smell that was Zelgadis. Zel made another move to get up, and Amelia tightened her arms around him.
"Zelgadis?" Amelia asked softly, her emotions making her bold.
"What?" Zel whispered, only now realizing that Amelia was awake.
"Don't go."
"I have to," Zel replied.
"Why?" Amelia asked, still not looking up.
"Because . . . I don't quite trust myself at the moment," Zel said truthfully, deciding to be frank.
Amelia pulled her head away from his chest, and tipped her face up to his, her blue eyes large and full of an emotion that Zel couldn't put his finger on.
"Don't . . . trust yourself?" Amelia asked, genuinely confused.
Zel closed his eyes as her innocent question added fuel to his desire, and to answer her question, he ran a hand down her back and pressed her to him. Amelia's eyes became impossibly wide as she became aware of just what Zel was talking about, and several thoughts ran through her mind at the same time. There were only two she paid attention to. One of them said that she should ask him to leave before something happened. The other said to kick common sense good-bye and act on her feelings. The latter won.
Zel's eyes widened when he felt Amelia's soft hands move from his back to his front, and come to rest on his shoulders. She then pressed her body more fully against his, until every curve was matched up with every plane of his body.
"Amelia, what?" Zel asked, only to be silenced by one of Amelia's fingers against his lips.
"Zelgadis, listen to me, please. I'm going to be honest with you. I've dreamt of being in your arms like this ever since we first met. I know that our initial meeting wasn't that wonderful, but the only thing I can say in my defense is that I was very young. Over the years, I've come to care for you very deeply. And no, it's not pity that I feel," she added, when Zel opened his mouth. He blinked, startled, and asked, "How did you know that was what I was going to say?"
"Because I know you. Like I said, it's not pity that I feel. How can I pity you when at times I find myself envious of you?"
"Envious of . . . me?" Zel asked, totally floored by this point.
"Yes," Amelia answered, her blue eyes totally serious. "You're very good looking, Zelgadis, whether or not you believe me is up to you. However, that is not why I'm envious of you. I'm envious because you are always so cool and level headed in the face of whatever opposes you. I'm envious of the way you can move freely about the world without having to constantly worry that your actions might cause a war. I'm also envious because you're strong enough to be able to continue on with your life despite what Rezo did to you. My sister . . . . couldn't do that."
"What do you mean?" Zel asked, gently rubbing a hand up and down Amelia's back.
"You said once that you had heard about the loss of my sister, but I'm sure you didn't hear all the details," Amelia said quietly. "My sister killed herself shortly after the death of our mother, because she couldn't live with the fact that she was going to have to take our mother's place as the Crown Princess of Saillune, and stand at our father's side. She wasn't strong enough to be there when Daddy and I needed her the most. I found her body hanging in her room, a note on her bed saying simply, 'I'm sorry.'"
Amelia took a deep, shuddering breath, and then released it. "It was your strength that drew me to you in the first place, and the more time I got to spend with you, the more I got to know the intelligent, thoughtful, caring, and sensitive person that you try so hard to hide. I love you, Zelgadis."
Zel retreated into thoughtful silence, his hand still gently stroking up and down Amelia's back as he sorted through and digested what he had just heard. It was while he was sorting through Amelia's words, that he came to the realization that he loved her, too, and the unfamiliar emotion soared through his veins. All this time, he had thought that he was immune to such feelings; that the body Rezo had given him had also encased his heart with stone, making him as unfeeling as the rocks that lined his skin. This young girl, more woman than girl now, had just broken through every single barrier he had erected in self defense, and had done so with an honest innocence that told him she believed and felt everything that she said she did. It was now his turn to either accept the precious gift that was being offered to him, or to crush it underneath his cold heel.
"Amelia," Zel whispered, his voice sounding hoarse even to his ears. "I-I love you, too."
Amelia stared up at him, her eyes wide with shock, hope, and amazement.
"Y-you mean that?" she asked, hardly trusting her ears.
"I love you, Amelia. I don't know how or when you managed to do it, but you've stolen my heart," Zel said, and watched as Amelia's eyes filled with happiness, causing them to shine.
Amelia opened her mouth to say something, anything, but was stopped by Zel's lips on her own. "No more talking," Zel whispered hoarsely, bringing a hand up to gently trace the contours of Amelia's face.
Amelia brought up her own hand, and ran it along the chimera's jaw line, delighting in the feel of his skin, somehow both hard and soft at the same time. Zel cupped her chin, and brought his mouth down onto hers once again, and she sighed as a gentle languidness began to fill her veins. She felt his tongue probing against her lips, and opened them, moaning softly as his tongue made a thorough sweep of the inside of her mouth.
Amelia tasted like sweet sunshine. That was the ruling thought inside Zel's head as he explored the inside of her mouth. He deepened the kiss, and groaned slightly as Amelia responded, pressing her tongue against his in a sweet duel where they both would wind up the winners. Zel nipped her lower lip gently, and then kissed her once again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth with a little more fervor as his passions began to rise.
Wanting desperately to feel her skin, he gently moved his hand from her jaw and traced it down her neck to her side, where he stopped, not sure if she wanted to go further than kissing or not. Amelia pulled away and looked up at him, her blue eyes alight with heat and the desire that was starting to course through her veins.
"Why are you stopping?" she asked, her voice husky.
"I wasn't sure," Zel began, but didn't get any further as Amelia smiled up at him, took his left hand in hers, and brought it to her lips. She gently kissed the back of his hand, and then placed it against her right breast, letting out a soft moan as she did so. She then looked at him, and the look in her eyes drove all doubts out of his mind.
"Answer your question?" she teased lightly, and Zel gently squeezed her flesh, eliciting another low moan from her throat.
Zel brought his mouth to Amelia's once again in a passionate kiss that made the others look like mere child's play, while his hands roamed up and down Amelia's body, tracing curves and hollows while she gently nipped at his neck between hot, steamy kisses. Zel skimmed his hands to the back of Amelia's bra, and undid the clasp. He then leaned back as he removed the offending garment from her chest, baring her breasts to his eyes.
Amelia flushed as he continued to stare at her, and made a small move as if to cover herself, but Zel's hand stopped her. Gazing into her eyes, he laced his fingers through hers, and slowly lowered his head to her chest, nuzzling her breasts in a way that caused the small stones that were embedded along his jaw line to rub across her nipples, bringing them to aching hardness within moments.
"Zel, please," Amelia whispered, not knowing what she was asking for, while her back arched in response to Zel's movements.
Zel's fingers tightened on hers for a moment, before he removed his hand from hers and brought it up to knead one breast, while he slowly kissed his way up towards the peak of the other one. His other hand came up to trace her facial features, gently memorizing each bone and muscle in her face. When his fingers passed over her lips, she opened her mouth and drew her tongue along his finger tips, causing him to moan slightly.
Amelia's hands roamed up and down Zel's back for a few moments, before she brought them up to his head, and began running her fingers through his hair. Her hands suddenly clenched in his hair as Zel's warm mouth closed gently over the nipple of her right breast, and he began to suckle, causing her back to arch up of it's own accord as tongues of flame licked their way through her body, and she pressed his head harder against her breast. Zel stopped suckling and began to worry the tight nub with his teeth, feeling a small spurt of satisfaction as Amelia gasped, her hands clenching in his hair once again.
Amelia tried to keep a grip on sanity as her entire body became awash with pleasure. She felt Zel's hand slid down her stomach and dance along the tops of her thighs, his fingers playing with the elastic bands of her panties. Amelia slid her hands up to Zel's ears, and began to massage them.
Zel was surprised by the intense feelings that flooded his senses as Amelia massaged his ears. He never knew that his ears were this sensitive. He began nibbling his way back up to Amelia's mouth, where he kissed her, hard, while his hand slipped inside the waist band of her underwear. Amelia cried out and nearly came off of the sleeping bag as Zel's gentle fingers touched the most sensitive area of her body. Feeling emboldened by the sensations that were dancing along her nerve endings, Amelia slowly slid her hands down Zel's chest, over his abdomen, and slipped them into his boxers. Zel's entire body jerked as her soft hands encircled him, testing and teasing his length.
"I think," Amelia whispered, pulling one hand out to pluck at his elastic waistband, "That we're a little over dressed."
"I agree," Zel replied huskily, and carefully slipped Amelia's panties down over her legs, where he tossed them aside, not caring where they landed. Wanting to try something, he stopped Amelia's hands from returning the favor, and grinned when she moaned with disappointment. He began stroking her body, all the while easing himself slowly down across her chest and stomach, dropping little kisses as he went. He then rocked back onto his knees, his hand grasping Amelia's knees, and grinned at her.
"Zel . . wha?" Amelia asked as Zel pulled her knees up and over his shoulders, never taking his eyes off hers.
Amelia's eyes widened with shock, and her hands dropped down beside her. Before she could say a word to stop him, Zel brought his mouth down onto her, teasing her with this teeth and tongue. Amelia gave a little shocked scream of pleasure, and her hands clenched the fabric of the sleeping bag. "Zel, I want. . .," she groaned, not knowing how to ask for release from this sweet torment. Zel smiled softly and slowly lowered her until her back was again resting against the ground, and in a swift movement, he pulled off his boxers, and laid down on top of Amelia, his pelvis cradled between her thighs.
Amelia brought her hands up to frame his face, and leaned up to give him a passionate kiss. Zel reached between their bodies and positioned himself, then slowly began to push into her small passage.
Amelia couldn't contain a small gasp of pain as Zel slid into her, making her feel as if he were tearing her in half. She clenched her eyes shut and turned her face to the side, trying to hide the tears of pain as he slid all the way into her, filling her with an aching sensation. Zel leaned back, and blinked when he saw the silvery streaks that gleamed against Amelia's cheeks.
"Amelia! Did I hurt you?" he asked, fear causing his voice to sound harsh.
Amelia met his eyes, her own swimming with tears, and raised a shaking hand to his face, tracing it's beloved contours.
"I'm alright, Zelgadis," she whispered. "It hurts a little, but it's starting to fade away."
Zel stayed frozen in place for a few moments, wanting to give her a little more time to adjust to the feeling of him inside of her, before he leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Amelia began to relax as the burning pain was slowly replaced by another feeling, one that caused her to shift her hips slightly, causing Zel to groan. He then began to slowly move, gently sliding in and out of her tight passage, and as the sensations began to lick along her nerve endings, she began to move with him, meeting his every forward thrust with one of her own. Zel began to move faster, and Amelia lifted her legs and locked her ankles around his waist, drawing him deeper into her as every thrust began to come harder and faster, causing her to gasp for breath as a strong, overwhelming feeling began to make itself known.
Zel knew they were both near the edge, it was only a matter of seconds. Wanting Amelia to reach that edge before him, he reached between their bodies and touched her. Amelia screamed as her muscles suddenly locked up, and wave after wave of raw pleasure pounded through her body. A split second later, she felt Zel's back go rigid, and then he collapsed on top of her, their ragged breathing the only sound inside the tent.
After a few moments, Zel rolled onto his side, easing himself out of her, then gathered her limp body to him, pressing her against him. Amelia sighed with contentment, and wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head underneath his chin.
"Amelia, I . .," Zel began to say, when Amelia's head slammed into his chin.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry," she said, glaring at him. "There is nothing to be sorry about. I love you, I wanted this more than anything, and I'm not sorry."
Zel rubbed his chin where she had whapped him, and said, "I was going to apologize for hurting you, nothing else."
"Oops, um, sorry," Amelia stammered. "It's alright. From what I've heard from the way the maids talk, the first time is always painful. It doesn't hurt after the first time."
Zel stroked his hand through Amelia's silky hair, and smiled. "It doesn't, huh? We'll have to test that claim out later."
Amelia giggled softly, and tucked her head back underneath his chin, the comforting feeling of his hand stroking through her hair lulling her into a blissful sleep. Zel smiled as Amelia's breathing evened out, and he pulled the top cover of the sleeping bag back over their nude forms. Didn't do any good to catch cold, he figured, then slowly closed his eyes, savoring the feel of the warm woman who was now sleeping in his arms. He had never felt such contentment since the moment that Rezo had turned him into a chimera, and he had this gold hearted young woman to thank for giving him this precious gift. Zel fell asleep with a smile on his lips, not noticing the opening and quick closing of the tent flap.
"Well? Are Zel and Amelia alright?" Lina asked Gourry, as he walked up to her.
"Um, yeah, they're fine," Gourry stammered, a funny look on his face.
"What is it, Gourry? And why aren't they with you? I would have thought that they would have wanted to head to the town for a good meal and some warm beds," Lina remarked, eying the tall swordsman.
"They're pretty warm where they are," Gourry replied, flushing a bit.
"What are you talking about?" Lina demanded, getting fed up with Gourry's remarks.
"Um. . . ," Gourry said, and leaned down to whisper into her ear.
"What?!" Lina asked, her face flushing red as she abruptly sat down in the snow, ignoring the cold that seeped through her clothing.
"Yeah," Gourry answered, holding a hand out to the small sorceress.
"I guess it's about time," Lina said, taking Gourry's hand and letting him help her up. "Still it's . . . surprising. Guess we can't head back to the town now."
"Why is that?" Gourry asked, looking a little nervous.
"Because they're not going to be up to walking for a while, and darkness will be falling shortly. Looks like we'll have to camp out again tonight," Lina said, and set off towards their campsite, with Gourry in tow.
If Zel and Amelia were going to be sharing a tent tonight, then that meant either one of two things, Gourry reasoned. Either he was going to be sleeping outside, or he was going to be sharing a tent with Lina tonight. Gourry glanced at Lina's profile out of the corner of his eye, and smiled. He hoped it would be the latter.