Zangulus let his head fall back against the headrest of the car, the rythmic sound of the music coming from the speakers helping to stifle any conversation that may have followed the two short statements.

He chanced a glance towards Vrumugun, finding his face frozen in that perfect emotionless mask. Even without any outward displays of emotion, he could tell that he was upset, most likely sulking over something he had apparently done wrong.

He was glad the music was so loud, that way he wouldn't have an excuse to break the silence.

He hated it when he acted like this. He always got this way after he talked to someone else. Vrumugun had to be one of the most possessive people he had ever known. This time he actually had a motive for leaving him on the dance floor, which in retrospect may not have been such a good idea. He doubted that Vrumugun would be interested, but he decided he would try and explain it to him when they got back home. He'd let him sulk through the car ride since he seemed to want to do it so much.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget about the problem of Vrumugun and how he would deal with that in favor of the more recent memories he had just attained.

He had spent enough time on the scene to know who was there for the right reasons and who was there for the wrong. He could spot people going for fashion, for pressure, for friends, and for drugs easily.

He could also see people who went for loneliness. That he had problems classifying as either right or wrong, and he decided it deserved a special category by itself.

Zangulus had been dancing with Vrumugun, enjoying himself, without another thought entering his mind save the beat of the music, until he caught a glimpse of blond hair through the crowd. His eye instinctually followed it, and then he was able to see the face of the person the hair belonged to, and he could see behind the smile terrible, crippling sadness. His movements were jerky, unfamiliar, and longing, and it was obvious in his closed eyes that he was trying to forget something, although it wasn't clear what it was. It had shocked and surprised him, but the crowd moved and obscured his view.

He had to know what was wrong, or at least try to help in some way. He didn't like watching people struggling to feel the same happiness that came so easily for others. He felt that was unfair, and more often then not he was concerned with helping those who were new or unfamiliar with the scene acclimate until they too, could enjoy the emotion and joy of it all.

He knew he couldn't talk to Vrumugun with the music so loud, and he also knew how much he hated it when he left him alone on the floor, but this time there were extentuating circumstances and he hoped that he would understand.

Zangulus felt a sharp twinge of bitterness. Of course, Vrumugun never understood. But that was beside the point.

He had made his way through the crowd and stood next to him, watching as the blonde man opened his eyes in what seemed to be surprise, before smiling and waving at him. Zangulus watched as he tried to speak to him, or at least try and introduce himself. That quickly marked him as someone who had never been in the scene before, as it was common knowledge that dance partners do not last very long, and it is rare you ever see one again. Zangulus nodded to whatever it was he said, which seemed to please him, and danced along with him.

This seemed to make him very happy.

Zangulus could understand why, having known the feeling of being surrounded by hundreds of people and still being utterly alone, which is what he guessed correctly was bothering him.

Gourry...the name came back to him. Gourry Gabriev. Another odd thing about him...it was rare that someone on the scene would ever give their last name as well as their first, just because of how fleeting almost all the relationships were. When he first came he made the same mistake, assuming there was some kind of permanence in the scene, but he soon found out that was not the case. In a way, that had to be part of the allure, the fact it was all so fleeting, so temporary, no hassles, nothing. Just dance, that was all.

He glanced sidelong at Vrumugun for a moment, who had his eyes fixated steadily on the road ahead. He knew all too well the baggage that came with knowing someone too well could bring.

He gave his first name in response, which he could almost visibly see Gourry make a mental note of. He must have honestly thought that he would see Zangulus again. That kind of faith and innocence was something that Zangulus was not normally familiar with, and unlike with many other new dancers at the scene, it wasn't irritating. Most of the time he found the wide-eyed naivete of most new people, particularly the candys, extremely irritating, but something about that seemed to quell that feeling. It was the simple honesty around him. Nothing about him seemed fake. He was almost positive that he had dressed this way not only so that he would not stand out, but also because it was comfortable.

Something about him resonated that kind of emotion, that kind of sad, pleading "please like me" feeling that was so much more honest then the fake facade of non-chalance that so many hid behind. So many people could not admit that they needed the approval or guidance of others to guide their actions and tried to hide it, and that was what truly irritated Zangulus. But with Gourry...there was nothing. None of that at all. Gourry just wanted Zangulus to like him, honestly and openly. That was enough to capture his interest and keep by him.

He was sure by this time that Vrumugun would have gone off somewhere in confusion or off to sulk, upset that he had been left for two seconds by himself. He must have had a terrible fear of being abandoned or forgotten, because he made it clear all too often that he was sure that was what Zangulus was going to do. They had been friends for so long, they even lived together, but Vrumugun was still frightened of abandonment or insanely possessive, although either fault the silent, emotionless man would never admit to. It drove Zangulus crazy, and he kept that no secret.

He and Gourry had found their way eventually to one of the nearby walls where they managed to have a semi-conversation through shouting and hand-gestures. When he asked Gourry why he had decided to come to the scene, he somewhat avoided the question, instead asking Zangulus what he did, or what he liked with genuine interest. Zangulus didn't press the issue and continued to speak with him on other, easier topics. Assuming that he was searching for some kind of guidance, Zangulus subtly gave him advice on how he should be acting and the like, because it was obvious that he was desperatly trying not to stand out. Zangulus didn't know him well enough to attempt to read more into it then that.

He knew that Vrumugun hated it when he tried to make new friends or even have a romantic life of any sort. In a way he was extremely selfish, concerned about how any prospective friend of Zangulus would affect how he lived and how he had to deal with it and how it would affect their friendship, and he never seemed to take into consideration Zangulus' feelings on the matter. More then one of any of those he had brought home had been greatly put-off and even somewhat frightened by Vrumugun's cold, detached manner, and he was almost positive that Vrumugun knew about it and did it on purpose.

Although most people would have been angry or put a stop to what could be seen as an over-possessive friendship, he knew he was happier with Vrumugun then without and knew it was the same for him. Despite all the things that bothered him about Vrumugun, he was glad to know him. And he was glad that he had managed to get Vrumugun out into the scene in the first place. He knew enough about him to know that he had a lot he needed to get out, a lot of very strong pent-up emotions, and he was glad that he had somewhere to vent them.

Something about Gourry captured his interest. Maybe it was how he was trying to forget something, or the sadness in his eyes, or the fact that the two of them were alike, yet so different. He couldn't place what made him so interesting, but he decided he may as well go along with it while he had the chance. He decided, although he knew Vrumugun would not be pleased, to try and introduce Gourry to him, considering that if he would accept his eventual invitation to his place, Vrumugun would meet up with him eventually, so he might as well go through the polite motions of it all.

Gourry apparently could not read the dripping sarcasm in Vrumugun's one word response, but Zangulus easily could. Knowing that arguing here (considering the volume of the music and other factors) was nearly impossible, he led Gourry away, not letting him know just how upset Vrumugun was. He'd leave that for a later time.

Gourry asked him who Vrumugun was in relation to him, and Zangulus explained to him that they shared an apartment together and were friends. Most of the time when he explained the situation he got bizarre looks and the slight inching away of someone who read too deeply into it, but Gourry nodded and apparently took it completely at face value. That was interesting and unfamiliar to him...Zangulus had been with Vrumugun so long that he read deeply into everything that was done or said.

They returned to the dance floor to enjoy the music once again, Gourry matching Zangulus in terms of stamina, although he tried very hard to mimic Zangulus' maneuvers. This threw him off a few times, because although he was a master of adapting to other people, he had never had someone actually try to copy him. He had mastered the ability to dance with someone who he had never danced with before. But when he did a swooping bow with his arms, he could see Gourry following his movements. When he spun, he could feel the brush of his skin following the same direction. It confused him, and he lost some of the natural smoothness that he had while dancing, but it presented him with a challenge, and he took it up readily. He never backed down from a challenge.

When he would chance a look at Gourry's face, he'd find him positively lit up, a smile on bright, happy features, the painful sadness that had been there before gone, apparently vanished. Was it because of him? Or was it just his imagination? Gourry was viewing the entire dance something like a game...and although there was no way to declare a winner, Zangulus decided that he would play as well.

The two of them danced for a long time, minutes and hours slipping by without any sign of either of them tiring, before Gourry stopped short, looking panicked for a moment. The fear on his face startled Zangulus to a stand-still, and he stared at him in confusion.

He managed to make out the question Gourry was shouting over the music.

"What time is it?"

Zangulus never wore a watch.

Gourry was promptly seized by a sudden surge of panic, hyperventilating and trembling. Extremely confused, Zangulus managed to grab Gourry's arms before he toppled over onto the floor from oxygen deprivation. Some around him gave him advice that Zangulus was a little too busy to listen to at the moment as he slung Gourry's arm across his shoulder and dragged him out of the crowd. There were a few helping hands and concerned glances, but in the end there was nothing the rest of those present could really do. Zangulus managed to drag Gourry free and pulled him outside, kicking the door open roughly while trying to support his weight. He had never been accustomed to someone who was roughly the same size as he was before...Gourry was heavier then he expected.

He leaned Gourry against a wall, watching as he slowly sunk downwards to his knees, a slight crunching sound emitting from the gravel. Zangulus knelt beside him, a hand on his shoulder, while Gourry continued to shake, his breath coming in rapidly and quick. He put a hand to his chest for a few moments, his face masked by a veil of bright, blonde hair.

"Gourry, Gourry, are you okay? What happened in there?"

Gourry continued shaking for a few moments, struggling to keep his breathing under control, before he finally turned his head towards Zangulus, his hair sliding back enough to reveal his face. He was smiling in a pained and frightened way.

"S-sorry, that happens sometimes...what time is it? Do you know?"

"No, I don't." Zangulus watched Gourry's head again turn away from him, his hair again sliding to obscure him from view. "Dude, what's wrong? Do you need to go somewhere? You really freaked out."

It took Gourry a few minutes to respond, his breathing finally slowing. The hand he had pressed to his chest joined it's companion on the gravel, shaking terribly. "Yeah...kind of..."

"Here, lean back." Zangulus pushed Gourry back until he was no longer bent over his knees. His hair slid back again, revealing him still smiling in that pained way. He leaned against the wall gratefully, breathing quickly and deep. "Need some water or something?"

Gourry paused for a second, his breathing stopping shortly and a brief expression of pain crossing his face before it passed, almost as quickly as it had come. He took a few deep breaths after that and looked at Zangulus with the same smile he had seen at first, the empty shell. It was painful in so many ways. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

Zangulus stared at him in worry. He knew that many newcomers got dehydrated when they first went out, but this didn't seem like dehydration...Gourry just seemed scared.

"I'll be right back." Zangulus stood, listening to the gravel crunch beneath his feet as he walked away, checking in one of his deep, large pockets for the empty bottle of water he carried in there. He swore at himself for drinking it all earlier, but he knew where a water fountain was, so that wouldn't be much of a problem. He glanced back at Gourry, who was leaning his head against the wall, his eyes closed.

That guy's got some major demons after him if he's THAT scared...

He continued walking, pulling the bottle out and uncapping it far before he reached the fountain itself. Maybe he wasn't supposed to be there...but what could hold so much power over such a big guy? Family? Friends? Girlfriend? Boyfriend?

Zangulus was confused and worried. He had known Gourry for such a short time, but he already felt mildly concerned for him, a slight amplification of the feeling that had made him approach him in the first place. Whatever it was that scared him, he didn't want it to hurt him. Gourry didn't deserve to be hurt...something about him...something about him made that very clear.

Zangulus tried to sort out of his feelings as he guided water into the narrow neck of the bottle. He definitly wanted to talk with Gourry further and get to know him better. He'd have to get his phone number. Those were permanent.

But what was it that frightened him? Would it cause problems for him? Would it approve of a friendship?

Zangulus narrowed his eyes as he capped the bottle and slid it back into his pocket, heading backwards with a quick, crisp step. He would be friends with Gourry on principle alone, on the fact that when he was with him, he had stopped being so sad for just those precious moments. Gourry liked to be with him and liked him, and he wanted to be his friend. There was nothing wrong with that, and Zangulus wasn't about to let anyone stop him, whether it be Gourry's fear or Vrumugun's emotionless paranoia.

When he got within viewing distance of Gourry, still sitting against the wall, someone else was there. Worried and frightened, he almost broke into a run until he saw Gourry smile and put up a hand, almost as if to ward them off playfully.

He slowed his pace, walking towards Gourry and whoever it was cautiously, trying to understand what was going on.

The shorter girl had her hands on her hips, her wrists covered with thick, spiked bracelets which matched the one around her neck. Her hair was firey red and wild, obviously unbrushed, and it fell past her waist. He could see a black stripe painted over her left eye and streaks or slashes running down her arms, running into the black shirt she was wearing, the only thing breaking the solid color being the presence of another necklace, this one longer then the collar and decorated with shiny white fangs. She wore large black jeans, torn at the bottoms, and big, thick boots.

Zangulus knew her type well and avoided them on purpose...punks of that caliber often picked arguments and fights for no reason, and in particular he could recall hearing of a certain red-headed one that had a nasty reputation of incapacitating everyone she ran across...

He finally came close enough to hear some snippets of conversation, his pace getting slower and slower.

"...to god! You didn't even tell me where you were going! And so I find you here in all this weird makeup dancing with them?" Zangulus didn't like her tone. "You know they hate us! And you're just sitting here trying to look like one of them!"

Gourry had his hand behind his head and was trying desperatly to pacify her, his tone calm and reassuring. "Aw Lina, you know it's nothing like that, I was just curious, that's all..."

"Curious!? God, you know we hate them! It's for a reason!" She clenched her fist, visibly enraged. "I can't believe this! We had plans tonight and you blow them off to play raver! Of all things! Don't you know what effect that'll have on our reputation?"

"I think you're overreacting. No one knows me here Lina, honest. They wouldn't recognize me anyway..."

"Oh c'mon, Gourry!" She moved forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him up without much effort. Zangulus wasn't sure whether it was her decision or Gourry had decided to just follow her directions. "I can't believe you're wasting time with those drugged-up glow-stickers. We've got stuff to do."

The two of them began walking away, and Zangulus stared after them silently, feeling slight beads of perspiration building on the bottle he still held in his hand.

"I didn't see any glow-sticks..."

Lina clenched a fist and struck Gourry across the head, causing him to flinch away sharply. "Stupid!"

"Ow!"

Zangulus felt burning rage filling him without warning. A fierce protectiveness had apparently risen within him for the blonde and the sight of him being struck, although it was obvious it couldn't have caused any damage, was enough to make him furious. He forced his hands to let go of the bottle before he crushed the plastic, not even noticing that he had been gripping it tighter as his thoughts progressed. He debated running up and giving Gourry the bottle, but in the end he decided it would be better if he let them go.

He couldn't move for several minutes after they had left though, still running over what had just happened in his mind and forcing himself to calm down.

So...he was a punk...one of them...but why?

Why did he come here? What was he trying to do?

Zangulus didn't understand. He hated that.

He opened the cap, took a quick drink, and then replaced it back in his pocket, dissatisfied with the entire outcome of the night. His evening pretty much soured, he went in search of the car, guessing correctly that Vrumugun would be there, sulking with his arms crossed.

Although he was correct as to the location, he was not correct in his action, and came to see Vrumugun asleep, his head tilted back against his headrest, his mouth slightly open. His arms rested across his lap, and he was leaning just slightly to his right, a few strands of limp brown hair resting across his face. He couldn't help a small smile at that...he always looked so peaceful as he slept. But the memory of what he had just seen stained his emotions, and he could feel deep bitterness, not necessarily at Vrumugun but rather at Gourry and Lina in a subtle way, overcoming any desire to reconciliate with his friend. He tapped on the glass quickly, eager to leave and try and forget.

When Vrumugun woke, he immediately cast his eyes to Zangulus' side, and was almost visibly surprised when he found no one there. Zangulus bit down a wave of anger at Vrumugun, indirectly blaming him, unfairly, for what had happened, and went around to the other side of the car.

He could hear the hatred and bitterness underneath Vrumugun's tone as he asked him the question, contemptous.

"Where is Gourry?"

I bet you're happy I'm alone, aren't you? Happy you got me all to yourself to ignore. Zangulus found himself channeling his anger at Gourry's situation towards Vrumugun, and then, just barely, managed to stop himself. I'm sure not.
"He's taken."
By the wrong person...