*Disclaimers* All SLayers characters are property of Kamisaka Hajime and T.V.Tokyo

Chapter 4:

"Lina-san, are you REALLY okay?" Shilfiel asks. She had on a light pink top with a long strait pink skirt with flowers on, her long hair was in a braid, probably so that she won’t get too hot by having it plastered about her neck.

"Why do you says so?" I ask back as I take a bite of my cereal. Today, I wasn’t in the mood to make breakfast, so we all decided to have some cereal.

"You don’t look well, like you didn’t get any sleep? Are you sure you aren’t sick." Shilfiel asks, worry evident in her voice.

"Yes, I’m sure I’m not sick. I didn’t get any sleep though." I reply. "besides, I can’t fall behind in school." I tell her and smile. "Come on, Amelia, let’s go." I stand up from my chair and push my hair(Which is up in a pony tail and has the black scrunchy) off my shoulder.

Amelia looks up warily at me. She was wearing the standard school uniform as well, but her hair, which usually sticks out to the sides, were in a strait line today. I recall her telling me that that only happens when she is depressed.

"Amelia something wrong?" I ask looking into her. Amelia looks up and shakes her head trying to smile, but her eyes can’t lie. She’s scared, probably of me. I guess I scared her more than I intended to last night.

"Lina-san.. you can go on ahead with out me.. I still need to… put together my things…. I also want to check my e-mail so… please go on with out me." She smiles once again, a very tired smile though.

"…okay, but hurry up." I say and grab my bag and leave. If I just stayed there, it would make her even more scared.

I walk down the streets to school, and wonder what I should do first. Go and find Gaury and talk to him, or go and find Xelloss and ask what his intentions really were. I don’t know, and second of all, do I care that much to do so? Why?

I was about to scream when that word came up again. I’m starting to hate that word. Why? I don’t know, too many ‘I don’t know’s’ in this thing! I hate life when it’s complicated!!

Life should be like…. Like Neechan’s!! Filled with fun and laughter!! Yes, exactly, or Tougo’s where it’s all fun and games!!

"Lina.. something wrong?" A deep voice asks. I turn around and find Zel standing there.

Zelgadiss Graywords, one of Gaury’s room mates and the person Amelia likes. He is 1/3rd of all human, ryu, and mazoku, could be because of that but he has pointed ears. His skin color is always a little pale to add to that. Today, he was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

"Nothing Zel." I reply. Zel is my nickname for him. "What gives you that idea anyways?" I ask and try to laugh.

"Just that…YOU look tired and Xelloss looked depressed." I nearly jumped as Zel mentioned Xelloss’s name.

"So, I didn’t get any sleep last night, of course I look tired, and why would Xelloss looking depressed have anything to do with if I feel bad or not?" I try to state it rationally, but my tongue will go against my will, it’s going to ask about Xelloss. "what was wrong with Xelloss though?"

"……….you care for him don’t you Lina?"

"NO!!!" I deny it like I denied it to Kaoru. "I mean yes, I mean…." I scratched my head in frustration. "He took care of me for two years of my life, I’m grateful for that, and it wouldn’t be a nice sight to see him hurt."

"….I didn’t mean… that kind of care." Zel adds. "Lina, it might be hard to admit but you have to."

"Admit what?!" I ask. "I’m not denying anything. Or at the least anything that’s true to my feelings!"

"Lina.." Zel says that much and then curses under his breath, "Nothing wrong with Xelloss, to be exact, he just doesn’t seem to be his usual self, it’s like somethings on his mind. I don’t know how to put it, but he seems to have something to worry about."

"Worry?" I ask. What could Xelloss have to worry about? "Zel, have any clue on what could be wrong?"

"No, I don’t… wait. Could it be… I doubt though….. but maybe…. No Xelloss said he threw it out….. but still it’s…. yet…… maybe…. But no…… then again.." Zel starts rambling on and on about something.

Sigh. "Fire Ball". Zel receives a vast amount of fire. Victory.

ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!! I scratched my head again. NO! NO! NO!! I am not working in sorcery class right now, concentrate on what Zel meant to say!!

"So Zel, what’s this all about?" I ask crouching down next to him. He was in a very strange position, kept on twitching. "Zel? Hear me?"

"Don’t you have any better way of trying to get someone to stop rambling?" He asks sitting back up. I shake my head and smile. Zel sighs and looks down. Then, I turn serious.

"So, what’s up with Xelloss?"

"A week or so ago, he got a letter from his family… Not Xelas, but… do you know that Xelloss’s ancestor was from the Chinese royal family?" I nod. "Well, he got a letter from them, it was some documentation papers, saying that his family can be allowed to enter the royal family again under one condition." Zel stops there and then looks at me straight in the eyes. "That condition, is that Xelloss marries the first daughter, Mumilei."

"…..Wha-what?" I manage out after a long moment of silence. "What are you saying? Mumilei, you don’t mean ‘The’ Mumilei of China?" Zel nods his head and looks at me. "But, but Xelloss… Mumilei? I mean… marry? I mean… he… no, she… no his…. No Xelas… but.. no. No, no, no, no, no….."

"Lina, calm down. Xelloss said he didn’t take the offer. He says there’s no point in him returning right now, or in him marring Mumilei."

I stood up though, nothing Zel said would calm me down. I felt like someone had just dug a hole in me, that I didn’t function right.

"Zel… it’s Mumilei, MUMILEI!! The ruthless, vicious… she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants! You’ve heard about her!! ZEL!!!"

"Lina, I’ve heard about Mumilei but that doesn’t mean that she’s the one after Xelloss.."

"SHE IS!! Why else would they ask Xelloss to come back!! It’s all just so that Mumilei can get him!!" I grab his collar and make him look in at me.

"Lina…… don’t cry." He says and wipes off the tear that I didn’t even know I shed. His blue eyes, usually intense and cold like a winter’s ocean, were now warm and gentle like a summer’s sky. "Shh, don’t worry. It’s going to be okay. You haven’t even heard what Xelloss says about this"

I nodded as Zel stoked my hair. His hand was so warm, so comfortable. "Sorry…" I choked out after a while. Zel just shook his head.

"Why don’t you go talk to Xelloss, sitting here and worrying does you nothing." He advises and smiles.

I smile back. Amelia would kill me if she heard that Zel patted my head and that he smiled at me.

"Thanks Zel.. I think I might as well go do that."

"So you do care about him." He teases.

"I do not!" I reply and walk toward the high school building.

"Yes you do."

"No I don’t."

"Yes you do."

"No I don’t!" I chuckled. "I’m going to go ask him myself. And no I don’t care about him!"

"Yes you do!"

"No I don’t." Zelgadiss laughed out loud and shooed me to leave. I smiled and walked down the rest of the path. At least I got the last word.

"Xelloss, you in there?" I knock on the door to the biology room. After a while, I heard someone come to the door.

"Lina-san.. what a pleasant surprise." He smiled down at me. He was wearing a regular shirt with some jeans. "Anything you don’t understand?"

"……yes… not in biology though." I enter the room and close the door with my back hand. I look straight at him. "…Xelloss.. what am I to you? A student? A sister? A friend? All or none?"

"Lina-san.." He looks at me, his eyes opened, sending intense glares at me. No, not glares but….. very sad… accusing? No, anger? No, worry..?

"Xelloss… is it so much to ask just one question? Ask you to answer at least one? I never asked you unnecessary questions."

"……that is true…" He said after a while. Then he takes his hand and brushes right under my eye. "Please don’t cry.. Lina-san, I can not stand to see you sad." He then wipes off the tear that even I did not know I shed. He sighs and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Lina-san.. you are.." He moves his hand to my face and caresses it. Soft touches, sending shivers down my spine.

He sighs again and looks at me. His intense eyes digging daggers into me.

Before I know what I’m doing, I’m holding him in embrace. I enjoy his warmth more than anything at that moment.

‘Anyone can tell you care about Xelloss-Sensei but you and him’

‘You do care about him don’t you’

Kaoru and Zel’s words echo in my head. I don’t know. I didn’t care for him THAT way, but do I still not, or do I do now?

"Xelloss" I whisper out his name. And suddenly, I feel something hot against my ear, and something enfold it. My blood rushes through me, making me hot suddenly, when I feel something wet on my ear. A moan escaped my mouth as his tongue touched my ear.

"Lina.." He whispers my name. It feels strange to hear his voice say my name with out the formal use of the -san. It… makes me feel.. strange.

Suddenly, he moves his mouth from my ear, making his face stare into mine. I look at it, something, some feeling coming through me… taking over my thoughts, my rationality.

I stood slightly taller so that I could reach him, closing my eyes, anticipating something… I felt something warm and soft press against my lips… and then it left. I just kissed Xelloss.

The moment it dawned on me, I moved my hands to my mouth and left from Xelloss’s hold. Blood rushed to my face. I can tell I must look like a tomato.

After my initial shock was gone, I turned to look at Xelloss who was smiling at me. I turned to look away from him again. My blood turned around inside me. I…….. I…… I…..

"Xelloss…suki." I blurted out before noticing.