Zelgadis and Sylphiel: A strange pairing...but is it really THAT strange? ^_^ This rarely thought of pairing actually does make some sense when you start to think about it. Sure, they’re not the most compatible couple in Slayers, I’ll admit, but they certainly aren’t the most incompatible! ^_^ I've been a fan of the ZxS couple ever since I first became interested in Slayers. Even though there's absolutely no evidence for a romantic relationship between them, I still like ZxS a lot and think that, despite their differences in nature, they‘d be a fairly cute couple ^^ I know that, in terms of the canon series, they’ll never end up with one another, and I know they’re definitely NOT in love with each other--in fact, they barely even know one another! ^^;; BUT…I like the idea of them together ^_^;; It’s just “clicks.”

Usually, Zel is paired up with either Lina or Amelia, but rarely is he with Sylphiel. This is probably because Sylphiel isn’t around much; she only appears at the end of the first season and NEXT, and therefore her relationship with Zel, friendship-wise, is barely developed. But I don’t believe a lack of known interaction between the two deters the possibility of a romantic relationship ^_^ They clearly started off on the wrong foot (in the anime), Zelgadis practically yelling at Sylphiel just after she lost her home and father. But he made up for that afterwards, in his own way, by asking how she was and completely ignoring Lina--a hard thing to do XD As of NEXT, their relationship, though strained, seems to have improved, mostly because of Sylphiel’s growing maturity and Zel’s softening nature. They don’t hate one another--they’re just not that close of friends. Zelgadis has a much, much stronger friendship with Lina and Amelia so it’s easy to see why Sylphiel is often forgotten when it comes to pairing him up.

Without a strong friendship between them, knowing whether a romance is possible and just how that romance would turn out has to be sought solely by looking at their personalities and their relationships with others, especially romantic ones. It’s no big surprise that Zel and Sylphiel are almost complete opposites in personality. Just like Amelia, Sylphiel is a very romantic character. Her vision of “true love” is like a grand fairy tale where the gallant knight rescues the fair damsel in distress, and they ride off into the sunset where they will live happily ever after. To say that Sylphiel wears rose-colored glasses isn’t much of a stretch ^_^;; She has grown up with this classic perspective on love and it shows greatly in her feelings for Gourry. He saved her when she was in trouble and was always very kind to her. Though Gourry’s feelings are at best a big brother type of affection, Sylphiel’s feelings are clearly romantic. After NEXT, I think Sylphiel might have changed her view on love. She sees love, and a really crazy love at that, blossoming between Gourry and Lina and sees that true love is not always right out of the book. I think if Sylphiel looked deep down inside herself and searched carefully for the real meaning behind her love, she would discover it was not true love at all, but an over-embellished infatuation. Having lost her entire family and friends, she really needed someone to love and to help fill the lonely, black void in her heart. She just wanted her little fairy tale to be real...and who better to play the part of the handsome knight than Gourry? ^_^

From Sylphiel’s relationship with Gourry, we can safely assume that the type of guy she’s attracted to is one who could take care of her and rescue her once in a while: her prince charming, if you will. Now, Zelgadis is not a prince charming. He’s about as far from a prince charming as could be. He’s definitely not charming and he’s not drop dead gorgeous (speaking, of course, within the Slayers universe where he is viewed as a hideous monster ^_^;;)… so why could Sylphiel, who likes good-looking nice guys, fall for him? Well, despite his rough exterior, Zel’s actually a pretty good guy. He’s genuinely concerned about his friends’ safety and looks out for them when he can. He could easily become the protector/champion Sylphiel’s dreaming of ^_^ She needs someone to take care of her and protect her. Zelgadis could do this and much more. He’s the type of guy Sylphiel needs--someone smart, strong and independent. With his intelligence and logical nature, he could bring Sylphiel back down to earth when she gets a little too caught up in her daydreams and also protect her when needed, just like her dream prince charming. Zelgadis, in turn, needs someone whom he can protect and become the leader of in a relationship. Sylphiel would be perfect for this with her sweet, submissive nature. Though she does have a stubborn streak it’s not nearly as intense as Lina’s so arguments between them would be much more rare XD Zel and Sylphiel, therefore, “balance” one another out in this respect.

Sylphiel is a very kind, caring, and understanding individual. She’s a real goody-two-shoes with a the purest of hearts and a lovely soul. With her gentle and loving nature, she could really comfort Zelgadis. She has devoted her entire life to helping other people and easing their pain, and Zelgadis could really use the comfort she provides. He needs some true gentleness in his life; someone whose touch can sooth away his loneliness and hatred. Sylphiel, with her bright and kind ways, could provide great emotional support for him and improve his dreary disposition. Zelgadis, therefore, is someone who would benefit a lot from being loved; especially since he has such a horrible curse. He needs some reassurance, someone who will understand his “dark side” and be there to comfort him throughout even the most brutal of times. I think because of Sylphiel’s caring nature she could easily sooth Zelgadis‘ pain. Also, both are alone in world. They have no living family that we know of and no other friends or traveling companions besides Lina and the gang than we see. Moody and lonely in their own ways, Zelgadis and Sylphiel share a connection despite the fact that their relationship with one another is somewhat distant. Sylphiel can sometimes be characterized as being a little afraid of Zelgadis. He is, after all, a pretty dominant and aggressive man. This frightens the sensitive Sylphiel quite a bit. She is a very fragile, delicate person and is not used to men like Zelgadis. In the first season, it clearly shocked her when he, after being so incredibly heartless toward her, asked in a very concerned voice if she was all right. Sylphiel knows that beneath the bitter and sometimes unfeelingly cruel attitude, lies a kind man of great compassion. With Sylphiel’s tender love and her experience in loneliness, she and Zel could comfort one another so well.

I do not think Zelgadis knows exactly what to make of Sylphiel. She is very different from all the other girls he has known. With Lina and Amelia, he knows exactly what to except, but with Sylphiel, he really doesn't. There is just so much we don't know about sweet little Sylphiel. How could she not break down into tears during the fight with Hellmaster? Wasn’t she supposed to be weak? When did she learn the Dragon Slave? And how could she just stand by while the man of her dreams walked away from her...? Sylphiel hides behind a veil of kindness and courtesy, never showing her true personality until someone manages to lift that veil. She is even more of a mystery than Zelgadis himself, if you think about it. Upon first meeting her, Zelgadis sees a meek, overly sensitive girl who is hopelessly in love with a man she can never have...and then he sees a mature, courageous young woman with a forgiving heart and an affectionate soul; never asking for anything, but always giving. This both amazes and annoys Zelgadis, I think, for he has never known a woman quite like her before. The only person that even comes close to Sylphiel’s personality is Miwan. By the time Zelgadis meets Miwan, he has already experienced Sylphiel’s kind, naive nature. I believe that is one of the reasons why he was so sympathetic towards Miwan. He did not want to repeat what happened between him and Sylphiel.

Sylphiel is exactly the type of woman I would think Zelgadis is looking for. I think what he really wants is a mature, cultured young woman who is kind and very dedicated in her ways. He fell for Miwan in a heartbeat, didn’t he? :) Even though Miwan turned out to be a guy, Zelgadis was originally attracted to Miwan because of her/his calm and practical nature and the connection he felt between them: their loneliness. S/he opened him up and helped to reveal some of his hidden gentleness. Amelia is gradually doing this, but I think it takes someone more like Miwan...like Sylphiel...to fully get Zelgadis out of his shell. She is so sweet and understanding that, at times, it seems as if she’s not human. She looks deep within people upon even the first glance. She searches for the goodness in everyone and everything, no matter who or what they may appear to be. Even after Zelgadis yelled at her, she did not think anything less of him. She did not even retort back bitterly or say anything to argue with him. Some would view that as weak, but I view that as an understanding and respect for other people’s feelings and views.

Zel and Sylphiel, though sharing some similarities, have major differences. Zelgadis is a “bad boy” while Sylphiel is a “good girl”. This is basically the same with the Zel/Amelia couple except that Sylphiel isn’t prone to use violence unless severely provoked (i.e. scene in NEXT in which Sylphiel astonishes everyone with her famous line: “I’ll use anything to save Gourry dear! Violence, money...even sex appeal!”) Though she WILL take a course of action if necessary, Sylphiel would much rather prefer talking instead of fighting. Her oppression for bloodshed rivals even Amelia and Prince Phil’s ecstatic principals of justice! Zelgadis could find this both irritating AND attractive. You never know with him ^^;;

If Zelgadis and Sylphiel came together then maybe, just maybe, the utter loneliness and pain they both feel would be gone... Even if they are together for only a little while, it would be good for them to finally be loved by someone who understands what real loneliness is. Lina, Amelia, and Gourry do not understand this--they never will until they experience something as traumatizing as being turned into a monster or losing everything and everyone you’ve ever cared about. I know that Amelia has, indeed, experienced a type of tragedy with watching her mother die, but she is most certainly not alone. She still has her father to confide in. Sylphiel has no one; Zelgadis has no one. They could really help one another, provide genuine support and comfort...you know, “I’ll lean on you and you lean on me, and we’ll be okay”...that sort of thing ^_^

Plus it would be so adorable to hear Sylphiel call Zelgadis “Zelgadis dear”!!! XDD Wouldn’t you LOVE to hear that?!

...okay maybe not but I think it'd be cute. ^_^v