"Quick!" Lina gasped as she and Gourry ran up to Zelgadiss and Amelia. "I need you to distract the guards!!"

"So -that's- what the explosion was." Zelgadiss muttered, as if he should have known better. 

"Lina-san!" Amelia echoed, scolding the red head.

"How was I supposed to know it was a 'no smoking' zone?!" Lina shot back. 

"The signs?" Gourry helpfully supplied. Lina shot him a look that promised pain later. 

Amelia sighed as Zelgadiss shook his head in disbelief. "Fine." He said, motioning toward some barrels in the narrow alley they were standing in front of. "I'd rather leave the town intact, if possible. You two hide there, Amelia and I will distract the guards."

"Right! Thanks!" Lina grabbed Gourry and hauled him behind the afore mentioned barrels. 

Zelgadiss merely sighed, following them to lean against the wall, blocking the alley from view with his body. Amelia followed.

"Any ideas, Zelgadiss-san?" She asked. 

"Not really." He admitted, noticing the city guards running around the corner a couple of blocks back. "Deniability works."

"I have a better idea." Amelia said, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she stepped closer to the lounging chimera. 

He raised an eyebrow, noting their close proximity, and the proximity of the rapidly approaching guards. "Yes?"

She grinned, leaning up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Kiss me."

"Wha-." Amelia gleefully cut off his protests by pressing her lips against his. 

Zelgadiss froze for a moment, before the proverbial Lighting Spell clicked on in his head. He relaxed, wrapping his arms around her and leaning forward a bit, returning the kiss.

Several guards ran past them, a few pausing to look around. One of them noticed the lip-locked couple. "Oi!" He called, walking over. "Have you two noticed any suspicious looking people come running through here?"

Zelgadiss and Amelia pause, breaking off the lip lock long enough to give the man a fairly dazed look. "Huh?"

"Nevermind. Carry on." The guard turned away, obviously not able to get anything out of the couple. Amelia and Zelgadiss returned to their previously interrupted activity. 

"They're not this way!" The guard shouted, waving the other guards past the alley before joining his team mates and running off. 

A few minutes later, the last of the guards finished running by, none of them giving the kissing couple or the alley they were standing in a second glance.

Lina poked her head out once she was sure it was safe. "Good thinking guys!" She cheered. She paused, noticing that the princess and the chimera hadn't seemed to have noticed. "Guys?"

Gourry poked his head up as well. "Something wrong?" He asked innocently.

Lina simply sighed, putting her hands on her hips. " I think they distracted themselves..."

Fin.