My second Slayers fic! I was just so happy with everyone's nice reviews that I couldn't resist writing another one! Yes, I know you're all groaning by now, but I never learn. Thanks to my ever-annoying 'Niisan, for helping me out with some things. And forget about the Bad Man shirt, already! -sigh-
Anyway, I do not own Slayers or any of these characters. This story is basically Sirius the Otherworlder and his thoughts on Anna, the little girl who first showed him kindness. If you don't like it, tough. I thought it'd be an original idea.
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Impatience is what killed Erulogos and Almayce, his mind whispered. And it was true. Erulogos had wanted Darkstar dead and had not had the patience to cooperate with the others, so close to the end of the final tumultuous battle. The same impatience was what had led to Almayce's unfortunate demise. Sirius still regretted not having done anything…he neither helped nor hindered. In a sense, he was Erulogos' lackey.
Impatience, regret…I have spent too much time in Ceiphied's world, he mused, a reproving frown crossing his pale pink face. Lina Inverse and her companions have changed me…
It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When they had first left Vorfeed's world to enter this one, both he and Erulogos had been quite full of themselves. They were gods, and as such, were to be given total authority over a planet that had never been their own. Or so they thought. Almayce had known better, sticking with their original plan: minimize their interference as much as possible, destroy Darkstar, and then go blithely home. Only it hadn't turned out that way-- and now, for reasons he could not comprehend, Sirius had returned to Ceiphied's world.
He looked down at his hands, his silvery-gray eyes narrowing slightly. He could have helped…he could have prevented Erulogos from killing Almayce…he could have done so much more. But he hadn't. These hands had been useless.
"What a big hand, but it's warm…"
Sirius gave an almost-visible start, jogged from his thoughts of ashamed guilt by the recollection of a little girl, with brown hair and soulful dark eyes. Without even realizing it ((A/N: And because the Author says so)), the Overworlder lapsed into a very-convenient flashback.---FLASHBACK ((Also because the Author says so))---The town was a desolate place, emptied of laughter and people. Or so it seemed. At any rate, Erulogos' weapon-detecting insects had let off a signal that there was something interesting here. So Erulogos had left Sirius to do his research--which he took very seriously.
But there had been someone else where he had first appeared. He felt their small presence and caught a glimpse of two dark brown eyes peering at him cautiously. They belonged to a little girl, pressed up against a crumbling stone wall, as if she were trying to hide herself. He favored her with a fleeting glance before moving on.
That was all he had expected to see of that human child--but, unexpectedly, he had seen her again.
Night had fallen and Sirius was standing silently in an abandoned alley, having frightened off any prospective witnesses. Foolish humans had freaked when all he had done was shown his aura. Impressive in mortal standards, to be sure, but after all, he WAS a god.
Satisfied that he was alone, Sirius concentrated his energy, sending some of the insects into the ground to investigate the power source he felt there. And then--he heard footsteps.
The Overworlder didn't move, only shifted his gaze and looked down into the same bright eyes that he had seen earlier. This time, the little girl didn't seem so bashful or frightened. Instead, she dipped into a neat curtsey, offering up a handful of bright yellow flowers that she clutched carefully in one fist. He stared down at her, wondering what she was doing, but his thoughts ceased as she spoke up, her small voice just as sweet as her smile.
"Mister Hero! I want to welcome you! Here!" She lifted the flowers higher, her smile never wavering.
For a moment, Sirius debated on whether or not he should take the flowers or just turn and go about his business. But then, he slowly reached down in a deliberate gesture, grasping the flowers.
"These are the prettiest flowers from my secret garden," she continued, beaming proudly.
The other didn't speak, merely starting to lift his hand back. However, the girl stepped forward, pressing her warm cheek to his hand.
Sirius froze.
"What a big hand," she whispered quietly, the expression on her face one of pure bliss. "But it's warm. Like my late father's hands were…"
The Overworlder couldn't seem to move. He tried to call words to his suddenly parched throat, but they wouldn't come. He'd just terrified several grown men just by showing off his aura--yet, this one little human seemed thrilled to be with him, complimenting his hand, which was more than twice the size of her own.
The girl gasped, her eyes lighting up as she released his hand and stepped back. So, now she was frightened, Sirius thought, with a trace of bitterness. What had he expected? That for once, no one was going to be repulsed by him, as they always were? No, once they caught a glimpse of him or felt his power, they all fled. It was inevitable.
"I'll be right back!" She promised, turning and skipping off until the darkness had swallowed her entirely.
Sirius slowly shook his head, unconsciously tightening his cloak around him. If she saw what he really looked like…she'd react just as everyone else had. That had to be it. He didn't want to wait for that moment. So he continued on, casting out his senses for the insects.
Less than twenty minutes later, the Overworlder figured he might have to concede defeat. For the very same little girl had now just presented him with a basket of food and was addressing him with sparkling eyes.
"I believed! I knew you'd come to save our town!"
Save her town from what? She considers me some sort of a hero, but I am not. What does she expect me to do?
"Well?" The child continued, gazing up at him trustingly. "Didn't you?"
To avoid replying, Sirius reached for the basket, but a voice cut through the action.
"Anna, look out!"
Within minutes, Lina Inverse and her strange posse had arrived, and now the sorceress was holding the little girl to her, glaring dangerously at him.
Sirius simply stood there, cogitating. The girl's name was Anna…so she knew Lina Inverse and co…the ones who had fought Erulogos. Had this all been a trap, to lower his guard? But that had been true franticness in Lina's tone--no, she had been genuinely worried for the girl's safety and surprised to find her in such unusual company.
Suddenly, Anna was standing in front of him, facing the others with her arms outstretched as if she alone could defend the Overworlder, defiance radiating off of her. "That's not true!" She shouted, apparently protesting the legitimacy of whatever one of the group had told her. "He's not an evil man! Because…he's a hero! Like my mother said! He's the legendary hero who's come to save this town!"
Before any of them could muster up a response, a light rained down from above, causing them to scatter. One of them, the dragon girl Filia, wrapped her arms around Anna and vanished.
Erulogos had grown impatient of waiting and had launched an attack. In the process, the town Sirius had searched was now on fire.
Unbidden, the image of Anna smiling at him crossed the god's mind.
"I believed! I knew you'd come to save our town."
His image flickered, wavered, and then vanished completely, reappearing near a large boulder where Filia was sheltering Anna in her arms. Spotting him, the Ryuuzoku tensed, her blue eyes flashing.
"Stay back!" She cried fiercely, pulling the girl closer to her. "Any closer and I'll attack!"
At the same time, Anna cried out, "Mister Hero! Please save our town!"
Sirius dismissed this warning and appeared not to have heard the child's plea, not halting his movements as he came closer.
"DIFLASHER!" A ball of golden light erupted from Filia's throat, but bounced harmlessly off of his body and disappeared. By the startled look of dismay in her eyes, he knew she didn't have anything else to throw at him. He continued on.
Two pairs of eyes followed his progress, one bright blue and worried and the other dark brown and hurt. "Why…?" Anna spoke again, sounding as if she were about to cry. "Mister Hero, why? Why won't you say anything?"
Sirius silently steeled himself for what he knew was coming.
"That's not a hero." Filia's tone was almost scornful. "He's here to destroy this world."
"That's not true!" Anna repeated her earlier statement, her voice growing stronger. "His hands are gentle like my father's were!"
The Overworlder paused, glancing down at the ground. The insects were reacting…and he knew what it was. "I see. So that's the reason."
With a regal gesture, he swung one arm in a wide, sweeping gesture. The air generated struck the flames and extinguished them upon contact. For a few minutes, he stood there, contemplating his work before disappearing once again, leaving a very stunned Ryuuzoku and an ecstatic child behind.
"Wh-why?" Filia questioned, looking somewhat faint. Anna was exactly the opposite, a beautiful smile wreathing her face and making her entire complexion glow like an angel.
"Mister Hero…I knew he'd save us!"
---End Flashback---
Sirius frowned, recalling the rest of the memory. He'd prevented Erulogos from destroying the humans and discovered where the final Darkstar weapon lay. Truly, this town had been most fortuitous in helping him confirm the location, but it had indeed helped. And now…
He stood in a town that had once been deserted and desolate, but with water flowing steadily throughout the entire land, it had changed quite a bit. How long had it been since he had left this place?
What called to me and brought me back? He thought with a trace of frustration as he walked through the cheery place, a few citizens giving him wary glances (despite his precautions to wear a cloak like before so as not to scare anyone). What is it that calls to me here?
Then he saw her, kneeling amongst her flowers and apparently by herself. She was no longer a child, but a young woman, although she still tended the flowers. The years had done her good, he observed, as she straightened up from picking a fragrant bouquet and turned, spotting him. She'd grown a great deal taller and filled out quite nicely, with her brown hair worn down, instead of those two pigtails she'd used to wear. Her dress was different too--no longer the short red dress over the creamy yellow blouse, but a light yellow one that clung to her body, accentuating her curves and flaring out past the waist. But the eyes…the eyes remained the same. That gentle warmth and kindness was still very much there.
"Mister…Hero?" She took a hesitant step forward, those dark eyes of hers wide with surprise. "You came back!"
Sirius hesitated, glancing around to make sure that they were alone. He removed his hood and let her look upon his face. "That is not my name," he told her, a bit more gruffly than he'd intended to sound.
Anna gazed up at him thoughtfully, at his pale pink skin, the four dots on his forehead that formed a square, the dark pink hair that defied gravity, and then lastly into his silvery eyes, the red lining the bottom of sides emphasizing the color.
"What's your name?" She whispered, hesitantly reaching up to touch his face.
"…Sirius." This time, he couldn't hide the note of astonishment in his response. No one had ever looked at him without fear or confusion, or dared touch him like this. She couldn't have been so naïve as to not notice the difference between her looks and his, could she? "Do I not frighten you?" He blurted out, regretting the question almost instantly at the startled look on her face.
"No, you don't…" She dropped her hand to grab his own, placing her palm and fingers against his. His hand was still much bigger, but she'd definitely grown. "Your hands are still gentle and pink is one of my favorite colors."
Without warning, Anna suddenly hugged him, wrapping her arms around his body. "You were always a hero to me and this town and your looks don't change that at all!"
Sirius was struck speechless. What was he supposed to do now?
Hug her back, his mind sternly ordered him. Always one to listen to his common sense, the god obeyed, tentatively placing his own arms around the girl as if afraid of hurting her.
It was then that he realized why he had returned to a world not his own. Because of a maiden's plea to save her town and her willingness to look past the outside and see the hero in someone, she had started the movement that had eventually freed him from his figurative chains. Lina Inverse and her friends had helped, but this little human had set things in motion. He could make his own decisions, instead of mindlessly following Erulogos like a simpering puppy and he could save both worlds, without sacrificing either one to Darkstar's greed. He could be a hero.
A genuine smile touched Sirius' face as he looked down at the one person who had done so much more than she would ever know.
"Thank you…"
Anna simply smiled, hugging her hero even more tightly. Perhaps she knew after all.
-OOC-
Well, that was fun! Sirius is uber-hard to write for…I'm not sure why, but hopefully I got his character down okay. Anyway, please review and yell at me if you must. I'm still getting used to Slayers fic-writing, so at least TRY to be nice. Thank you!