DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from any of the Slayers. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a rabid Zel fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.

Chapter 4: Heat

"Poor thing," Nyla whispered, dabbing Zelgadis's forehead with a cool cloth, alleviating the heat that burned within him. "He must really be hurt bad for it to have given him a fever. I can't believe I didn't notice but… It's so hard to tell…" She gazed at the chimera, worry shining in her eyes. "Maybe that's why he was running."

Orly frowned, watching his daughter sitting and caring for the creature with its head resting in her lap. "You shouldn't get so attached to it Nyla,"

Nyla glanced up at her father, her eyes narrowing in anger, but she held her tongue. She hated what she thought was her father's callous disregard for Zelgadis, misinterpreting Orly's fatherly concern for her safety. Stubbornly ignoring her father's words, Nyla turned her attention back to Zelgadis.

When he had been unconscious before he had lain as quietly as the dead, but now the poor boy was restless. It was almost like he was having a horrible nightmare only he could see behind his closed eyes. As he stirred feverishly, Nyla wished desperately he would wake up so she could comfort him. She leaned forward, letting her brown hair spill onto his skin.

"Shh," she whispered, softly stroking his check with a gentle hand. "It's okay. You're safe." She didn't know if he could hear her or not, but somehow her words or simply her closeness and touch seemed to calm him.

"Poor boy," she murmured again more to herself then to anyone else as she dipped the cloth she held in the bowl of cold water sitting next to her, then wrung it out and brushing his hair back, placed it on his burning forehead again. "He cannot be much older than me."

"Nyla-"

"Hush," she chided her father quietly, but her eyes never left Zel's face. "I think he's waking up."

At his daughter's words, Orly turned his attention back to the creature. She was right. Zelgadis's breathing had changed and he was starting to stir. "Mmmnh," he shifted a little more, then his eyes blinked open.

"Hey there," Nyla said softly, taking the cooling cloth away and rested the back of her hand against his forehead. "I think your fever may have finally broken." She smiled down into his blue eyes. "I'm glad."

Zel's brow furrowed as he looked up at her, trying to remember. "You… you're that girl… Nyla….Where…?"

He pushed himself weakly up onto his elbows and away from her to look around. Fear returned to his eyes as he realized where he was. He looked sharply at her, panic starting to rise in him but he clenched hard down on it. Freaking out wouldn't help anything.

"Why am I here?" he demanded. "What did I do to deserve being locked up?" He tried to sit up with the words, but fell back again with a small whimper, clutching his side as pain shot threw his side again. He didn't understand why he hurt so much for a moment then he remembered his ribs. Dammit, he clenched his teeth, hissing out a pained breath. This really, really hurt.

"Whoa," Nyla moved to his side at the sight of his pain, desperate to help. She knelt by him but didn't touch him, worried she would just cause him more injury. "Take it easy okay? I don't know how badly your hurt but you need to be careful."

"Tell me why I'm here," Zel panted, not to be distracted from his current main concern.

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes truly full of sorrow and shook her head. "I do not know the answer to that. And I'm really sorry you're hurt. I think people are just scared."

Zel's eyes grew sad, tears gathering in their blue depths and he had to look away from her, determined not to let those tears fall. "Because I look like a monster," he said quietly.

Nyla saw his pain and felt it stab at her heart. "Zelgadis-"

His head snapped up, anger flashing in his eyes. "I demand to be released." He started to push himself up onto his feet, fury rising within him. He didn't ask for this. How dare they treat him like this!

"I-ah!" Zelgadis almost reached his feet, but the pain overcame his temper. He fell to his knees again, clutching his ribs, panting on all fours.

"Zelgadis you shouldn't move around so much!" Nyla said urgently. "Oh I wish I could help you."

The young chimera started at her words and looked up, awe creep into his gaze, chasing away his anger. "You don't fear me?"

She smiled and took his face gently in her hands. "I don't see anything to fear," she said softly, wiping a tear that had escaped him from his cheek with a thumb.

Zelgadis let his head drop into her hands, the fight running out of him. How could she be so nice to someone who looked like him? "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Here," she helped him sit against the wall then raised a canteen to his lips. "Drink. You must be thirsty." She helped him take several sips of water before he relaxed back against the wall again.

"Mmm," he rubbed his eyes with a palm. "I need to do a healing spell," he mumbled to himself.

She blinked, startled. "You can do magic?"

Orly's head shot up. "NO! You mustn't!"

"Oh father-" Nyla gave her father an exasperated look, knowing about his aversion to magic, but that wasn't the reason for Orly's objection. Unfortunately, Zel had already started the spell.

"Healing power, flowing whit- AH!" Zelgadis screamed as electricity shot through his body, feeling as if lava was suddenly surging through his veins. He fell forward on the ground, twitching as his muscles spasmed.

"Zelgadis!"

"What-what the hell?" Zel gasped out, hugging himself tightly against the pain even as the electricity stopped.

The guard, Turiks, came rushing back into the room at the scream. "What's going on in here? Nyla are you okay?"

The girl had gone pale. It took a moment for her to realize Turiks had spoken to her. "I'm fine but- " She leaned foreword, worrying about Zel again. "Zelgadis?"

"Get off me," Zel snarled at her in his pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, backing away to give him some room.

Turiks blinked, surprised the creature really could talk then looked at Orly knowing Nyla was too worried to give him any answers. "What happened?"

Orly leaned back against the wall with a sigh. "He tried to cast a spell," the big man frowned.

"Ah…" Turiks mentally winced and turned to face Zelgadis who was still panting and shivering on the floor. "Um Azke's collar we put around your neck will electrocute you if you try any magic so well… maybe you should… you know… not."

"Collar…?" Zelgadis said weakly, confused. He fumbled around feeling his neck. There was something there. It felt simply like a piece of cloth, but try as he might he couldn't get it off. He looked down trying to see what he was dealing with. Still it just looked like a black strip of clothe around his neck. How had he not felt it there before? He glanced up feeling fear starting to bubble up inside of him. There was no telling what other things this 'collar' could do to him. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" he coughed at Nyla, lashing out in his fear at whoever was closest.

The girls brow furrowed in concern. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

Under the circumstances, Turiks felt uncomfortably like the bad guy in the room. "We hoped it wouldn't be necessary," he tried to explain. "It won't hurt you if you don't use magic."

Nyla glared at the boy. "It was just a healing spell Turiks! Really! This is unnecessary. Zel-" she turned back to the chimera, a sympathetic tone leaking into her voice, but then a gasp cut off the rest of her words.

Zel's eyes had turned dangerous. Now he was just plain pissed. "Do you really think something like this would stop me?" he asked in a deadly whisper. "I'll show you," he spat. They had caught him off guard before, but this time he was ready. He slowly, steadily rose to his feet, ignoring how his ribs fierily protested and, raising his hands started a new incantation.

"East winds…" The corners of his mouth twitched down it a slight frown, but besides that he showed no indication he even noticed let alone felt the electric shocks that started to coarse through his body.

"… that blow have you as their source... " his voice grew tight as the voltage increased, but he kept going as magical energy began to gather in his hands.

"… Into my hands now ignite all their force!…" His voice rose with the spell as he gathered all his pain and used it to fuel his fury "… FLAREAR– "

"No stop!" Nyla grabbed him around the waist, wincing as a bit of electricity sparked off him and through her. She shook her head trying to clear it and looked up at the strange boy. "Zelgadis please stop," she begged, a tear falling from her eye. She could practically feel his pain. She knew this wasn't him. She knew he was just scared and tired and hurt and angry. She had to make him stop before he did something he would regret. "You're just hurting yourself Zelgadis. Please…."

"Nyla get back!"

The girl heard her father's shout but ignored it, refusing to break eye contact with the chimera and those beautiful blue eyes. This wasn't him. This wasn't Zelgadis. She knew it. "Please Zel..."

Zelgadis stared down at the girl, the spell all but complete in his hand as electricity crackled around him, searing through his aching body. She was crying and clinging to him but… she didn't fear him. Even now she didn't fear him.

Zel turned his eyes back to the spell in his hand. "FLOWBREAK," he whispered through clenched teeth trying to forget the pain and dispel the magic in his hand, but is was so hard. He couldn't concentrate.

"FLOWBREAK!" He shouted forcing more of his will into the dispelling, and making a motion with his hands as if to rip the spell apart. There was a pop and the flare arrow fizzled out. The presence of magic abruptly left the room and everyone suddenly felt as if they could breathe again.

Zel staggered as the electricity left his body with the casting of magic. He hurt. His whole body ached from the ravagings of the electricity. His legs felt like jelly. It was all he could do to stand. He swayed dangerously as his vision swam sickeningly before him. He felt like he was going to faint.

The girl was suddenly standing in front of him, resting her forehead against his and her soft hand touching his cheek. "Oh Zelgadis, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You should have been warned sooner. Please, please forgive us."

"Nyla I… uh." His legs collapsed before he could say another word and he fell into her arms. She tried to catch him, but he was far too heavy for her to hold. She lowered herself and him to the ground as gracefully as she could until she was sitting with his head in her lap again.

"Zelgadis?" she whispered, brushing a hand against his hair, but he was unconscious. She could feel his body shivering with pain. She bowed her head over him. "I'm sorry…"

"Damn Nyla," Turiks breathed, staring at Zelgadis's unconscious form. "I don't know if you are courageous or just plain stupid."

"Oh shut up," Nyla snapped, angered by the chimera's treatment and unnecessary pain.

"He's right child," Orly sighed, leaning against the doorframe of the jail cell. Although an outsider might have had trouble picking up on it, anyone who knew Orly could hear the relief in his voice. "You shouldn't take such risks." The big man might have looked fine at the moment, but seconds before it felt like he nearly had a heart attack when he had though his daughter was in danger. He had rushed to the cell, but he should have known Nyla would be able to take care of herself.

Nyla frowned at her father, but didn't say anything, instead turning her eyes back to Zelgadis."Poor boy," she whispered, brushing a lock of his silverish, metal hair out of his face. "He's been through so much."

"Well at least we know the collar works."

Nyla glared at Turiks, gritting her teeth, suddenly angry again. "I won't let him stay here another second. I won't!"

Turiks gulped at her furious gaze and shifted uncomfortably. Nyla wasn't known for being violent, but at that second the teen didn't feel like betting his life on that. Orly saw the look and sighed at her words. "Nyla…"

Nyla's glare jerked to her father. "And I won't have him wearing that stupid collar. It's cruel!"

Orly frowned crossing his arms. They didn't know enough about this creature to just let him run around free. "Nyla that's enough."

"No it's not!" she cried out. "How can you say that father? I know you don't like magic, but he's hurt and scared. How can you blame him for what he's done when he woke up like this, injured and chained to a wall like some criminal when he's done nothing wrong."

"Nyla-"

"No father," the girl shook her head stubbornly. "Can't you see? He is just a boy. A boy who is confused and angry and scared about a situation he has had no control over. Show me one person who hasn't felt something like that in their life and lashed out because of it. I won't let you leave him here any longer. It's inhuman!"

Orly sighed, rubbing his eyes. If there was one person who could get to him it was his daughter. "Fine. I'll ask the others. Stay with her Turik."

TBC…

A great big thank you to all my dear reviewers. They are the one keeping this fic afloat. I hope you guys are enjoying my little attempt at a Slayer fanfic. I would love a few (or a lot) more reviews pretty please?

Hey Sid, thanks for the review. Even though you are not a regular reviewer, I loved hearing from you. Thank you so much. Your feedback meant a lot to me.

P.S. Chapter Title: "Heat" from a lyric in the song "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston.