Synopsis: Lina and Gourry take a break from their travels and spend Yule with Amelia and Zelgadis in Seyruun. During their stay, Lina combats holiday drama amongst her friends and a particular swordsman only to reveal suppressed feelings she has always had. Will the magic of Yule help Lina keep her desires hidden? Or will the season of giving get the best of her? Post Evolution-R. Mainly L/G with a fair amount of A/Z.

Author's Note: Hello my dear readers! Just putting a little blurb out here that this is not only the first Slayers fanfic I have written from scratch in two or three years, but this is also my first fanfic solely centered around our main four characters in the franchise. I will do my best to stay true to these beloved characters and represent them well, but as I am new to writing for these couplings, please go easy on me. Hope you all enjoy this holiday themed fanfic! Oh, and as this world has no Jesus or Santa to truly speak of, rather than celebrating Christmas, I decided Yule would be the most compatible given the medieval-like setting.

PG-13 RATING: Rated T for crude humor, mild innuendo, and mild language. NO explicit themes though!

The Slayers and all its characters sadly do not belong to me. All characters and settings (c) Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, Central Park Media, Funimation Entertainment, Enoki Films, Software Sculptors, and J.C. Staff.

Tribulations and Mistletoe

by DaughterofPavlov

Chapter One

Gourry, It's Cold Outside

Ah, the winter holidays. A time of giving, joyous cheer, aiding one's fellow man, and stuffing one's face with many a delicacy. At that moment in time, it seemed as if the entire world was taking a part in all these flamboyant winter festivities.

That is, aside from two figures walking in the snow drifted woods which surrounded the white magic capital, Seyruun. Passing from town to town, it was evident that they had their minds set on that locality. Despite this determination though, it was clear that fatigue was overcoming them. With the snow packed up to their knees and the possibility of hypothermia looming over, the pair continued their trek. The one slightly at the lead was the infamous Lina Inverse, her auburn locks standing out in the blanket of white. The other was Gourry Gabriev, a swordsman with a mental capacity comparable to a jellyfish. The swordsman had stopped to rest for a moment when he happened to look ahead and see the subtle outlining of the city's enormous palace up ahead.

"Hey, it looks like Seyruun isn't much further Lina! Do you think we'll get there by tonight?" asked her blonde haired protector.

His female companion stopped and turned to face him, her arms clinging close to her rib cage and shivering slightly.

"Probably, that is, depending on if we want to set up camp for the night and just go in the morning or not. Honestly, it makes sense to stop and break camp considering how tenacious this storm is becoming. But..."

She became hesitant for a moment. So often she tried to appear strong and repel any weakness. Lina wasn't the type of woman to be a damsel in distress and she formulated her solutions. However, with an empty stomach, numbing legs, freezing body, and frost over her long eyelashes stinging her corneas, she gave one of her rare exasperated cries of defeat.

"I can't stand the thought of camping out for one more night without a decent meal! My body needs nourishment after all this walking we've been doing!"

Growling for a moment or two more, she continued, gaining her composure a bit and letting out a soft sigh.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered Amelia invited us to spend the holidays in Seyrunn with her, but could she have at least offered a carriage ride to the palace instead of making us trek all the way out here?!"

It was true that the journey was full of trepidation with the winter precipitation continually falling. Gourry knew Lina was tired without her having to tell him. He could tell in her fluttering eyes that she longed to sleep and the way she faltered when she walked was yet another indicator. Sometimes, he wished that the young woman would just tell him when she needed a break. Never would he think it to be a sign of weakness for her to admit any feelings she had, but rather a strength. Alas, with his red-headed comrade being as stubborn as a mule, he would have to take matters in his own hands. So being the noble swordsman that he was, Gourry did the only thing he could do in this situation.

"Hey! Gourry?! What do you think you're doing?!"

In a flash, Lina was in Gourry's muscular arms. He simply looked down at her and replied,

"You're tired and hungry Lina. As your protector, I feel it only to be right for me to carry you the rest of the way."

Lina's face was flushed in such a scarlet hue that it may have been difficult for the swordsman to distinguish if she was overcome by his act of kindness or the cold was causing her body to redden.

"Besides the sooner we get there, the sooner we can eat!"

The intensity in the sorceress's cheeks began to saturate back to her normal peachy hue and yet again, she hid her true feelings on the situation.

"I guess you have a point."

As rapidly as Gourry scooped her up, Lina yanked Gourry's blonde mane with ferocity.

"Alright then, giddy-up Gourry!" she exclaimed.

Exasperation and pain were obviously portrayed on the swordsman's face. Why did she always have to get so rough with him?

"Aw! Come on Lina! I'm not a horse!"

Lina simply snickered and replied, "With your hair, I'm surprised not to mistake it as a horse's mane! Now giddy up 'jingle horse'! Pick up your feet!"

Gourry, rightfully so in this situation, became perplexed.

"Huh, what's a 'jingle horse'?" he asked.

Unaware of the reference she made to a song evident in another world's popular holiday culture, Lina answered the best way she could.

"How should I know? Now move it! I wanna put my feet in front of a roaring fire and have a whole roasted chicken to myself!"

As the 'couple' continued to trek through the frightful weather, activity was abundant in the Seyruun castle foyer. Countless people were busily setting up for the annual Yule celebration and Princess Amelia was avidly supervising all preparations and was the sole decorator of the giant tree put on display in the entrance way.

It was a severe understatement to say that Amelia was over zealous about this time of year, getting wrapped up in the meaning and excitement that came with the holiday and going a little overboard on the decorations. Not that it caused any malicious altercations but rather every bit of the palace was engulfed in glitter, garland, tinsel, and pretty much everything glitzy and bombastic. Fortunately, the presence of a certain chimera helped curb some of this over the top decorating.

This year, Zelgadis joined her in the celebration begrudgingly, having returned from his trip across the sea and coming back at the time of year he hated the most. However, due to his prior obligations working for the Seyruun crown, he couldn't simply bail just because he hated the holidays. So on this evening, as he did the couple of other evenings prior to this date, Zelgadis aided in hanging garlands and such while also subtly asking Amelia if what she was putting up was a bit of an eye-sore. Despite the toning down of many of the decorations though. There was one item that Zelgadis would not and could not alter.

The tree in the foyer.

As mentioned previously, the tree at the main entrance was Amelia's magnum opus; the piece she took sole responsibility in bringing to existence. Down from picking the perfect tree, to constructing a team to bring it in, and to putting on the last bit of tinsel. This year proved to be her most ambitious with a thirty foot pine tree littered with everything colorful and bright imaginable. It was covered with glass colored ornaments of various sizes, paper garlands made by the local children, the longest gold garland probably in existence, an immense amount of tinsel, and the topper, a magnificent star echoing the outline of Seyruun.

Amelia, through levitation, had just put that very star on top of the tree and was descending back to the floor where her blue skinned companion was waiting hardly looking impressed, if not repulsed, by her creation. All the same, he knew how much this meant to Amelia so he did his best to hide his dislike.

The young white magic priestess landed next to him, stretched her arms behind her head and gleefully said, "There! It's perfect! What do you think Mister Zelgadis?"

Again, hiding any harsh critique, Zelgadis responded the best he could.

"It's- it's definitely... exuberant."

Amelia's eyes lit up almost as much as the decor on the tree and squealed, "Oh, thank you! I really hope Miss Lina and Mister Gourry like it as much as you!"

She then began to walk towards the foot of the tree, leaving the chimera standing alone. It was then Zelgadis was able to let his composure go a bit and shuddered a little from the sheer spectacle ahead of him.

"I'm sure they will."

Then he began to notice Amelia rummaging through the equally gaudy wrapped packages underneath the trees boughs. Perplexed, he motioned towards the princess and inquired, "What are you doing?"

She looked up towards her bodyguard and replied, "Just moving the presents around. We don't want Miss Lina and Mister Gourry peaking, do we?"

It was pretty obvious that the two Amelia mentioned would try to pull such a stunt. To both Zelgadis and the princess, it was almost unbelievable that two people so skilled in their given talents could be so childish at the same time. Then again, it was Lina and Gourry they were thinking about.

Abruptly Amelia rose from her crouched position, tool from her dress flying and she approached Zelgadis, extended her index finger and placed it on his stone cold nose.

"The same goes for you of course! You may say you 'hate' Yule, but I think you at least want to take a peak at your gift!"

Taken aback by her verbal and physical actions Zelgadis huffed, "I wouldn't partake in such a childish antic."

The princess tried to convey a different vantage point saying, "I just meant we all still have that little kid deep down in our hearts."

Her bodyguard's shoulders sank and he gave a painfully weary expression and uttered, "That little kid died a long time ago Amelia."

Heartache sat in Amelia's chest seeing and hearing the anguish her dear rock ridden chum bore so subtly on the exterior and imagining the demons he fought with internally on a daily basis. Still, she wanted so much to make him feel better and enjoy himself this holiday season; the first time in what she assumed to be a long time.

"Oh, Mister Zelgadis. I know things might have happened in the past to make you hate Yule, but you're with us now."

Perhaps not even realizing her inhibitions and actions, Amelia delicately clasped Zelgadis's clothed hands into her own and proposed, "We can make...new memories."

Zelgadis felt his supposedly small heart grow a couple sizes in that moment. The princess, despite her exuberance and immense zeal, brought great joy to his life and in that moment, he felt his past problems melt away like the snow engulfing the land. Small flowers would sprout in his soul and spring would make an early appearance.

Before he would say something a bit more warm and sincere though, winter returned as a large blast of cold air came into the palace knocking Amelia off of her feet and her hands left the comfort of Zelgadis's. Some of the decor, he, Amelia, and the other people had worked so hard on were flying from the sheer power of the gusts of snow and wind and blew all around enveloping everyone in the immediate area in a blend of the natural elements of the season and the artificial decor. Turning to face the storm, the chimera made out the shapes of two familiar people and the even more mundane shrilled voices that blasted from them.

"It's about time we got here Gourry!"

"Hey! It's freezing out there Lina, I'm did the best I could!"

"Oh, joy..." groaned Zelgadis placing a hand on his temple.

At last the door was closed and the wind was extinguished. Alas, some of the interior decorations didn't come out unscathed. There was tinsel abound on the floors and a portion of the garlands had fallen. Sure it would be cleaned up, but the fact that there was a mess that needed to be picked up was a bit of nuisance.

Amelia rose from underneath the great amount of tool and silk from her princess dress and with strands of hair in her face and sparkles in her locks as well, looked at Zelgadis, Lina, and Gourry in a huff.

"Oh, Miss Lina! Why do have to make such a dramatic entrance!"

"Oh? No, 'Hi Miss Lina, Mister Gourry it's so good to see you! Did you fare okay in that dreadful snowstorm that we made you walk through?' This coming from a princess snuggled up with her bodyguard drinking cocoa by the fire!"

Zelgadis's cheeks subtly became flushed with that illustration.

"Not to mention, that 'dramatic entrance' bit is rich coming from you!"

Lina stopped as the immense twinkling from the tree grabbed her attention. She turned to face the behemoth conifer.

"What the hell is that?"

A puzzled expression slowly crept onto Amelia's face. She didn't know how to respond. "My Yule tree. Don't you like it?"

The red-haired sorceress's eyebrows furrowed and her pupils shrunk showing a look of disgust. "Like it? It's God awful! Who the hell puts that much tinsel on a tree?"

Whether to stop further degradation of Amelia's hard work or it was his mere opinion on her work, Gourry had to interject. "I think it's pretty!"

Lina simply turned to face her dimwitted companion and muttered, "Of course you do Gourry."

Feeling hurt by her friend's disapproval and hurtful review, Amelia tried to hide her battered feelings. She turned to the side and closed her eyes to avoid Lina in her peripheral vision.

"Well at least Mister Gourry and Mister Zelgadis appreciate my work."

The last person Amelia mentioned caused Lina to shift her criticism to the chimera.

"Really? Zel, Mr.-I-hate-Yule loves this atrocity? C'mon Zel. We all know what you really like about this tree."

Zelgadis was silent. Finally, he used the same description he gave Amelia previously.

"It's exuberant."

A scoff spilled from Lina's mouth and she answered, "Same as the person who made it."

Growing hot with annoyance Zelgadis snarled, "Listen you! Amelia has put a lot of effort into this! The least you could do is tell her she did a good job in her work ethic."

Not threatened at all by her blue skinned friend, Lina shrugged off the threat and counteracted by replying, "Hey, the most you could do is help her off the ground. As for me, I'm gettin' some chicken. I'm starving!"

With that Lina began to exit the room and headed for the kitchen yelling out idle threats to anyone in her way. Gourry followed her with a quicker pace after realizing he was famished too.

"Hey Lina! Save some for me!"

As the two buffoons went to dine, Zelgadis returned his attention to Amelia struggling to get up thanks to the flamboyance of her dress. After finding her amongst the immense amount of fabric, the chimera helped her to her feet, albeit she felt a little shaky. Concerned for her well-being, he encouraged her to sit down to regain her composure.

"Thank you Mister Zelgadis. You are so kind to me."

Zelgadis became flustered once more and said nothing in reply.

Something still rattled the princess's brain though. Turning to look at her masterpiece one more she asked for Zegladis's honesty.

"Is it really that bad?"

Even though he hated the holiday, her bodyguard simply hated to see Amelia disappointed. Besides, if it made her happy, what harm was it causing? So he replied with his earnest reply.

"No. It's perfect."

As expected, it didn't take Lina and Gourry long to devour all the food that filled up the entire Seyruun palace dining table. After ingesting various roasted root vegetables, an ample amount of biscuits, mountains of mashed potatoes with cascading gravy, three roasted chickens, a few alcoholic beverages, and of course saving room for seven different kinds of desserts between the two of them, the sorceress and the swordsman were as stuffed as ticks. Their stomachs bulged from their excessive eating and the two partook in a brief series of belches to show their appreciation for the grub. In their company were Zelgadis and Amelia who didn't seem to be phased by the horror of their companions' dining. Perhaps they had become accustomed to this feeding ritual which was comparable to ravenous wolves. Then again, wolves seemed to have better etiquette than Lina and Gourry...

Feeling the need to end this frenzy and bad table manners, Zelgadis interjected, "Good to see that the two of you got here in one piece."

Gourry shook his head in acknowledgement and replied with a chortle, "Yeah, the weather was getting pretty bad and I think if we went another day without a decent meal, Lina was going to go crazy."

The red-haired woman merely grumbled a jumble of indistinguishable words and wiped off her greased lips and sides of her mouth haphazardly with the delicate cloth napkin supplied to her use. The first time she used it during the whole meal.

Still taken aback by Lina's sharp criticism of her tree decor, Amelia avoided conversation with her. Unbeknownst to the dark haired young woman, her fiery female companion caught on that she may have been a bit of a loose canon when they first came. Not to mention, she knew how sensitive Amelia was about certain things and never would intentionally hurt her feelings.

"Hey, Amelia?" Lina called.

Her counterpart continued to ignore her, almost acting impish by sticking her nose up in disgust. Rather than lose her temper again, Lina tried to speak again.

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I guess I said some hurtful things and I didn't mean to. Not to mention, my hunger was probably getting to my head. It's Yule season and of all the times of the year to get into a tiff, this is one of the worst ones to do that."

A smile crept on the red head's face, her eyes widening with the fervor they always had.

"So, whadda' 'ya say? Want to put that petty spat aside and have a great holiday?"

Amelia could simply not be mad at Lina for that long of a period. She was well accustomed to Lina's temper as it was, and perhaps she had gone a little over the top with the tree. She smiled and nodded her head replying, "Sure! Let's make this the best Yule we've ever had!"

"Now that's the spirit, Amelia!" cried Lina but in the process of applauding her friend's reconciliation, the sorceress found herself falling back in her chair landing on her back with a hard thud.

Her companions all jumped to their feet to aid her, but she assured she was fine. Then Lina began to think that the four of them were finally reunited again, and for the biggest shindig of the year on top of that.

Yep, this Yule was gonna be something.

The next morning after a good night's rest for all, the four friends gathered to the Seyruun dining hall once more to feast on an immense fare of breakfast dishes. Oven baked french toast with a maple and brown sugar butter topping, eggs prepared in every way imaginable, at least five pounds of bacon, sausage patties, rustic hashbrowns, and tons of coffee. As seen from the previous night's meal, it was necessary to have able amounts of sustenance given how much Lina and Gourry scarf down at a meal.

The group also began discussing plans for the day only to realize an itinerary was already in the works for them.

Prior to their arrival in Seyruun, Lina and Gourry had no idea what lay in store for them on this winter vacation. However, Lina had a foreboding feeling that Amelia would want to bombard them with a plethora of activities; enough to complete three Yules.

As it turned out, Lina was right on the money.

Their princess friend had already compiled an extensive list of plans for she and her pals to participate in. From the more jaunty, albeit childish, lore of building snowmen and having snowball fights, to a cultured night at a theater production of a famous Yule tale, Amelia covered all the bases. In regards to figure out which one to do first on the other hand, proved to be a bit strenuous. Especially all of her friends were on different ends of a tolerance and involvement spectrum. Lina was quick to criticize and try to change itineraries that best suited her, Amelia was adamant as it was in being definite in the activities she definitely favored over others, and Zelgadis, suffice it to say, was not the life of the party on any holiday, especially Yule. Thanks to his tumultuous and bittersweet past, the chimera was left deadened of practically any enjoyment that the season brought often wanting to brood by himself, furthering the segregation he already had with his friends. The only one pretty lenient with activity choice was Gourry with his chipper Golden Retriever disposition, always ready for fun and games.

"Come on guys. Why can't we just compromise to do something we ALL want to do?" the blonde swordsman

"Because they're being a bunch of stubborn idiots, that's why!" Lina shrieked more annoyed in not getting her way than reaching a compromise.

"Oh, Miss Lina! We always do what you want. I agree with Mister Gourry. We should do something we all enjoy!" cried the dark haired sorceress.

"Well, you can cross off watching icicles form with Zelgadis. Who would want to do something so boring?"

The chimera actually wasn't staring and focusing on the formation of the freezing water. Rather it was a jab Lina made to his stoic behavior and staring vacantly into the falling snow.

"And another thing, no one, except a little kid or Gourry wants to build snowmen. God, have you grown up at all?!"

Getting annoyed with Lina's defiance and the list getting shorter and shorter with every rebuttal, Amelia finally gave in to the sorceress's snide remarks, but with a twist.

"Fine. Maybe some of these ideas are a bit childish but we should do something. Will you at least compromise to go see a play this evening Miss Lina?"

She paused for a moment.

"What's the play about?"

Moaning from exasperation Amelia asked, "Why? So you can just say it's a stupid concept and that you won't want to go?"

"Well, I want to know what it's about before I invest in spending money to go see it."

Amelia mumbled, "Well, I already bought the tickets..."

"Whatever, just tell me already."

"It's a love story which tells the history of mistletoe."

Lina assumed as much. Leave it to Amelia to try to drag them to play full of as much fluff as half the melodramatic romance novels the princess adored. Suffice it say, the auburn haired sorceress did find the premise idiotic and mind-numbing. Nevertheless, she recalled the mentioning of making this Yule the best possible and it was Amelia that was letting them stay with her for the holidays and she already caused enough anguish when they arrived. So it was probably a good idea to go along with going to one thing Amelia wanted to go.

Besides, the sooner she saw the production, the sooner she could do something she wanted to do.

"Sounds like fun!"

Amelia was gobsmacked. To think Lina would find such a play fun, let alone intriguing was quite a striking change in character.

"Really? You want to go?"

"Sure! Why not! I guess I should do one cultured thing while I stay with you. Besides, everyone should get something out of it. I'll do something civilized, Gourry will like the pretty costumes, and Zel should like the educational stuff."

The chimera scoffed at the sorceress's remark replying, "I highly doubt there will be great historical accuracy, given the subject matter."

The princess fortunately didn't hear his remark and went on ahead in a joyous response.

"Great! I'll help you all with your evening wear and we'll leave at eight o'clock!"

Now was Lina's turn to be taken aback.

"What do you mean by 'evening wear'?"

Oh boy. Now was the time for another hurdle for Amelia had to maneuver. Her dear friend was hardly one that liked to get dolled up all that much with her rough and tumble tomboyish mannerisms and getting her to conform to dress like an elegant lady for an evening could prove to be a bit of stretch. Then again, Lina had moments when she liked something a bit more feminine once in while. The princess could only pray that this may be one of those instances.

Alas, from the body language Lina was giving off, that didn't seem to be the case.

"Now, Miss Lina. Please don't be difficult. It's only custom for someone attending a live production to dress up a little."

Growling at the prospects of wearing a dress already made Lina sizzle with mild anger. Still, she still tried to remember that previous thought she had.

"I promise it won't be anything too flamboyant!" cried Amelia crossing her heart and sweating a bit from the sheer nervousness of Lina's subtle but menacing reaction.

Keeping her composure all the same though, Lina just let out a small interjection.

"Just don't put me in anything green. I don't want to look like a leprechaun."

As predicted, it was a challenge to say the least to find a dress Lina could stomach. From having too much tool which she claimed made her butt enormous, too many pleats which the sorceress thought were just stupid, and the ever daunting task to find dresses that would accommodate to Lina's small chest without her blowing up the evening wear establishment they were in, Amelia had her hands full.

After trying on a slew full of dresses, Lina's paper thin patience that she normally had, was wearing to the point of non-existence.

"For crying out loud! Do I really need to wear a stupid get-up to see a freaking play?!" shrilled Lina scratching her head incessantly from frustration.

Rather than perpetuate her temper tantrum, the princess continued to distract her comrade.

"We will find a dress soon, Miss Lina. I promise."

Hurriedly she ran from the dressing room the two occupied and spoke to the manager in a hushed tone.

"Please, we need to find her a dress quickly or she may blow up the store!"

Already nervous about having Lina Inverse in her store, the middle aged owner gathered her small group of staff and instructed them to look for a dress throughout the establishment that suited Lina's needs. The task itself was arduous and Amelia began to fear the worst. Then, after a mere ten minutes, a staff member arrived with a dress that fit Lina's specifications. No added tool, no pleats, and the bust size would accommodate for Lina's underdeveloped breasts.

While it was miraculous for such a dress to be found, the only snag Amelia saw with it was the color and parts of its construction. As red as Lina's eyes it would compliment her physical features well, but it was such an intense color; full of vigor and passion. Would Lina find it too alluring or get the wrong impression? Furthermore, the neckline was a wee bit lower than Lina would probably like. Would it call too much attention to the area of her body she was most ashamed of?

Having no other options, Amelia scampered back to her friend with the dress in tow. While she approached her, she silently prayed to Cepheid that Lina would like it and everyone would get out in one piece.

"Here Miss Lina." she said to the sorceress shakily as her quivering hands reached out towards Lina's general direction.

Snatching the clothing from Amelia without taking a good look, Lina barked, "It took you long enough! I've been standing here forever!"

Already anxious Amelia put out a disclaimer for her friend hoping that a calamity would not occur in the next few minutes. All the same, she had already advised the owner and her staff out of the building.

"Now this was the best they could do, so please keep your cool."

Still not looking down to observe the item in her hand Lina went on with her rant.

"Yeah, the same people who brought me the God awful aqua dress with the tool, that lavender dress that made me look like an old hag, and all the other horrendous gowns. What could make this last one any better?"

At last she looked down at what she had in her clutched hand. She held the dress arms-length away from her witnessing the vibrant color and the near negligee appearance around the neckline.

Rather than scream at the dress she held, a great scarlet hue graced Lina's entire face comparable the color of the gown itself. Her complexion wasn't the result of anger though, but embarrassment.

"A-Amelia..." she stammered her hands now growing a bit shaky as well, "I-is this really the best they could do?"

Almost surprised that nothing was blown to smithereens her friend responded, "Well, yes. Given your specifications of what you didn't want, this was the only one that would suffice." A pause came between the two of them, and after a minute or so, Amelia questioned, "Do you hate it?"

Honestly, Lina didn't know what to say. It was a beautiful dress fit for a gorgeous woman. She found the color luxurious, the cut appealing and everything about it screamed amazing. It was a tad bit sensual with out looking kinky. It was dramatic, yet subtle. All in all, it was a wonderful find.

There was a catch though.

"I just don't think I can wear something this pretty." she finally admitted, her voice extremely soft, almost like she was shy, and the flushing of her cheeks getting deeper with every word she uttered.

Comfortingly, Amelia touched one of Lina's shoulders. While she was somewhat surprised that Lina would say that sort of thing, to another extent, it wasn't that big of a shocker. There were moments when Lina let her inhibitions show through, most often in Amelia's company and this happened to be one of those moments.

"Miss Lina, you are beautiful." assured her friend. "I know you would look wonderful in this dress."

Still hesitant Lina remained where she stood, looking down at the garment again and slightly trembling at the notion of wearing it. She had never worn a dress like this before and she wasn't sure what people would think seeing someone like herself in such a display. Would she be embarrassing herself? What would Amelia and Zelgadis really think of their rowdy Lina wearing such an outfit? On a more foreboding note, what would Gourry think of it?

Trying to prod her into at least putting on the gown, Amelia did her best to be encouraging and supportive.

"I know it might be scary Miss Lina, but you'll never know until you try it on. Please just try. I think you'll be very surprised. In a good way, of course!"

Instead of cracking one liners and getting abrasive, Lina quietly went into the changing room and began the process of putting the dress on. Pulling it over her head, she felt the soft fabric against her face and all the way down her body as the crimson cloth flowed down like a cascading pour of red wine. A sensation went through her veins. Never before had she felt almost attractive in putting on such a garb. The trick was, would she be able to pull it off and feel good in it?

When she finally had it on, Lina summed up the courage to step out and look at it in 360 degrees series of mirrors Amelia was waiting in. As she graced the princess with her presence, Amelia was flabbergasted by what her friend bore on her body. Sure she had already thought the outfit would look great on Lina, but seeing it actually on her was a different experience all together. She looked drop dead gorgeous!

"Oh, Miss Lina!" she squealed, trying to not freak out too much and make Lina more uncomfortable. "You look incredible."

It was then Lina took a good look at herself in the mirror. It was as if the skilled sorceress feared by so many had been transformed into an elegant lady. The dress fit her like a glove, not accentuating too much, but it was able to highlight her tiny waist and hips, giving her some definition. While her breasts still weren't a huge focal point, with the way the neckline was cut, it seemed to give the allusion that they were a little larger than Lina normally viewed them. For the first time in her life, Lina felt, well, beautiful.

"I-I don't know what to say," began the red head, her cheeks still a bit red. "I never thought that I could look-"

She cut herself off, rubbing her arms in slight discomfort but all the same enjoying her transformation.

"Do you think I can pull this look off Amelia?" asked Lina almost in a whimper.

Nodding her head with utmost certainty, Amelia said, "You will look smashing tonight, Miss Lina. Everyone will adore you!"

Finally baring a slight smile Lina chuckled and admitted, "Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to get dressed up for a change."

Perhaps not realizing what she was saying her friend added, "Yeah, and I'm sure Mister Gourry will love it!"

Adrenaline pulsed through Lina's spine and the red cheeks she once had from embarrassment and fear, turned into a combination of paralyzing fear and a wee bit of anger.

"Amelia- don't say stuff like that." snapped the red haired woman, feeling haughty about a topic she herself had been combating for years.

Perplexed by her friend's sudden change of attitude and the issue not dawning on her quite yet Amelia inquired, "Stuff like what?"

The frustration seeping more into her blood, Lina snarled back,"You know what I mean."

Then it dawned on the dark haired princess. The same old song and dance the smart-ass sorceress and idiot swordsman partook in everyday.

"Oh, Miss Lina! Please don't be difficult. You know as well as I do that you really care for Mister Gourry."

Lina sent back those words with a counter argument in an attempt to derail the issue being presented.

"Well, you care an awful lot about Zel! How would you like it if I shoved it down your throat!"

Now feeling flushed cheeks Amelia tried to bring the conversation back into focus.

"First of all, you do! And furthermore, don't turn the conversation around Miss Lina! You always have a habit of doing that!"

Realizing that she wouldn't get any further with her friend by arguing, Amelia calmed herself down by taking a deep breath and taking a pause.

"Miss Lina, please don't get mad at me. I know that you have special feelings for Mister Gourry. It's only natural considering you've traveled for a long time and you've been through a lot of trials and tribulations. Besides, I know those looks you give him."

A sharper spike of endorphins went up Lina's body with that last comment. She turned to her friend and said in a harsh tone, "Amelia, I don't know what you're talking about and I certainly don't want to get into such a conversation. Let's just buy the damn dress and get out of here."

With that she twirled herself away from Amelia's sight, walked into the dressing room and slammed the door with ferocity.

"That stupid Amelia!" she thought to herself as she slid out of her dress and reached for her traditional cape and various articles of clothing. "What does she know about anything?! She knows the looks I give Gourry, my ass! She hardly is aware of all the mindless and mushy stuff she does towards Zel! When did she become such an expert on romance?!"

After exiting the changing room, she shot a sharp glare to Amelia and she walked with the princess to the owner's counter.

After returning from outside the shop and feeling a sense of relief that nothing was demolished, there still hung a nervousness in the air with Lina's fuming facial expression, body language, and occasional vocalization. Being a good friend and knowing Lina would never pay even half price for an article of clothing, Amelia payed for both she and Lina's gowns without complaint though her father would later ask her why she made a big dent in her clothing funds. After writing the check, she handed it to the woman whom shakily accepted her payment still feeling unnerved by the princess's companion. As the two finally exited the store, it was apparent that a sigh of relief resonated throughout the shop.

The pair then encountered their male companions waiting outside, having finished their apparel shopping long before them. Rather than go back to the palace, they figured it would best to wait for their female friends. However, they seemed puzzled as they had bore witness to the previous events surrounding the owner and her staff leaving the building and waiting outside for a fashion.

"Did everything go okay? We noticed all the people outside and one of them said they were waiting to make sure the coast was clear." asked Gourry seeming especially concerned.

His chimera counterpart was not as sensitive saying with irritation, "It took you both long enough. I suppose you both found dresses that you approved of?"

"It went fine." growled Lina frustrated with the insensitivity she detected in Gourry's voice now heightened from her previous interaction with Amelia despite the lack of such connotations in the swordsman's voice. The hot headed sorceress then proceeded to storm off heading back to the palace without the company of her companions.

The two men slightly sweated from the bitter response.

"What's wrong with her?" questioned Zelgadis.

With a heavy sigh Amelia replied, "Oh, nothing different than usual."

To that, the chimera and the princess looked at the blonde swordsman to which Gourry was befuddled by their stares.

""Huh, what?"

A/N: Hello again my dear readers and thanks again for reading the first chapter. I do hope you all enjoyed it and that you will enjoy the other upcoming chapters.