Game
I call it a game. My race calls a game. There was once something in me that thought
this was more serious. But it was never like you. You experience this in a thousand ways.
There is one game
that is older than the others. We all
know the rules. We all know there is no
score. A demon cannot cheat, an angel
cannot excel, and only two play. Some play it to eat. We play it to live.
You are a chimera looking at your
slim blue form, unreal, constructed for marble beauty. Your fingers cause the water to ripple,
across your sweet face and your lips (that are soft still) and your blue eyes.
You are lovely because someone made you strong and the lovely side of
vicious. They could have made you an
ugly thing, but that would have weakened you too. Your beauty is a power too, that you didn't have in flesh and
hair and soft eyelashes.
I hear your
hair rustle, tinkling softly like bone chimes.
The water splashes against your face, down forever hard and smooth
skin. It will never change. Your eyes gaze off. What are you thinking about? Are you
thinking about that vile curse that will change this form? Are you thinking about what it means to be
alone? No you are thinking about
something different as the much warm water touches you the way I want too. I can hear you now. The Mazoku know when they are summoned. That is why we are dangerous. We know when we are desired, when a mortal
cries to us or calls us. You are more
human than you can imagine. You are
thinking about me.
You are
blushing as you see me. But you know
you can't fight, you called me in your mind, like some animal wanting to be
free. We are standing there.
Naked. I'm looking at you. I am what you wanted. Now we will play.
"You go
first." I say. "Choose your form."
"What?" You
say," Get out of my bath." You toss your sponge so hard it stings my skin.
"You want
me here. Chose your form."
Zelgadis
takes a step back.
You are a
human. Your hair is dark and
curly. Your skin is white. Your eyes are the same.
"Oh
my. I'm human." Zelgadis looks at
himself.
I grasp
onto you tightly. And kiss those lips.
"Now it is
my turn."
And I back
away from the lovely human.
I am a
monster. My wolf head is upon a spider
body, each leg as tall as a man. I walk
towards you and spit my web around your feet.
You trip.
Your human
flesh would taste good but you wriggle free.
"What is
going on?"
I roar and
on spindly legs descend to catch him.
I grab you
again.
"What is
this? Xellos what is going on?"
But you
know. They truth sparkles behind the
fear in your eyes, as this dream of your old flesh makes you weak and
vulnerable to me. That broke a small
part of you when I burned the Claire Bible, an uneven pebble of your beauty
that shed away. Your human form is
nothing to me. Now I can eat it without
a thought.
I am a fierce, as my mandibles break your white
flesh.
Then you know you can't hide the game. You cannot
stop it. You cannot run from it. It
will not feed you, but you play it to live.
You change into a form you recognize. You are a garou, a werewolf of long fang and
black claw. Like your Dilgear, a face
and a form you saw a hundred times. You
remember how to play. Your claws slash
through my thin spindly legs. Your
teeth wound me.
I grab you by your neck and toss you
about. Trying to destroy you.
You are
an elephant. You are larger than even
me. You can crush this form. But you
are not a hunter yet. You are slow. You
are vulnerable
I am a
dragon with dusky mane. I lunge at your
throat.
You blink
and turn into a grey weasel I cannot hold you.
You slink into the grass. I slam
my paws trying to find you. This is a
strange stratagem. Not my style. But you are clever. So I follow your lead.
I am a
violet mole with tiny eyes that glisten like stars. Maybe like the form you know me in. Small eyes. I dig after you. My smell is keener. I will find you and sneak up on you.
But you
read me. Your turn. You look at me.
You are a
wild dog. You pounce upon me. I dodge. You could have won this game if I
had never played, and it wasn't my turn.
I turn
into a Vulture with cloudy black wings.
You turn
into a hyena. You are a canine
person. I see. You return to these creatures.
I turn
into your enemy, a lion with dusky mane.
Your large paws are smaller than mine.
Your deadly jaws are no avail. I
swipe a lion's paw across your nose.
You retreat back. I've beaten
you.
But it is
your turn, and you will not admit it.
You go
for speed. You slough your bulk for the
form of a bearded lizard.
I will
not be outrun. You might dart
along. But there are faster animals.
I
sacrifice my strength for a smaller cat. A cheetah gold and black descending
upon the lizard like a bolt of lightning.
I pounce
and you duck once.
You go
back to your human form. You grab a branch
to club me with.
"Alright
Xellos I win. Now what do you
want? What have we been doing? Why am I human?"
I blink
once and turn to an old stratagem.
I turn
into a gladfly and fly towards him.
It takes
one swat of the hand. Bulk does help.
You know
that my pride would lead to the cheetah.
You know the curse of the cheetah their short stamina. I'm curled into a heaving pile of fur and
spots, trying to breath again. You know I don't do
well as a cat.
You go back
to your human form. You grab a branch
and hold it at my throat.
"Alright
Xellos I win."
I blink
once and turn to an old stratagem.
I turn into
a gadfly and fly towards you.
It takes
one swat of the hand. Bulk does help.
You know
that my pride would lead to the cheetah.
I have one
last form. I have not worn in three
thousand years. I am a wolf, my fur is
black it has flecks of violet and looks like starlight. I am large and sleek from the fat of weak
and lazy men and their silly sheep. It's hard to wear an old skin.
I look at you.
We are both in the skins we were born in.
You look at me coldly.
"I'm going
to win." Zelgadis says.
He is
strong. And I am strong. But he knows
why I will not win. I am a lone wolf,
and I prayed like wolves can not to be strong enough to live. Prayers were answered by ancient
Mazoku. But this is my last skin. Never ever did I ever think to ask for
another by my side. I never prayed for a pack to run with me. My dark body
cannot hide. And I never asked for anything except for myself. And now I'm looking at you. I never asked for a mate. You who share my
lonliness and never sought anyone.
You step
back. Then forward.
"I knew you
weren't human."
I approach
him.
"I could
beat you just as easily as you beat me."
We stare
with our forever eyes buried and hooked into each other.
"You make a
lovely wolf Xellos." You kneel.
I feel you
lips against my mouth, against my wolf's face.
Your hands carress and comb through my fur. You lie me against the ground and kiss my body. I can feel the game end. And my human form returning and the warm
flesh of you fading and cooling into stone.
I touch you with my arms, my hands
grasp back at you.
There is one game that is older
than the others. We all know the
rules. We all know there is no
score. A demon cannot cheat, an angel
cannot excell, only two play. Some play it to eat. We play it to live.
You are my
mate. I cannot leave my mate. I will stay with you till I am dead and my
body rots. I love you. Game over.
***
Zelgadis woke up next to Xellos and
they were both naked.
"Oi Zelgadis. You have to be more gentle. I think you could have damaged me."
"Oh god."
"I'm lucky I'm still alive you
freak." Xellos wrapped his arms around his neck.
"What did you do to me? You
complete-"
Zelgadis stood up.
"We made
love."
"What?"
"We made
love. And it was perfect. It was better
than I imagined."
Zelgadis
was frozen long enough for Xellos to kiss him.
"What?"
"Thank
you." Xellos smiled.
"No
no. I'm not… You… You…" Zelgadis didn't think of the word yet. "Not you.
I won't let you have this from me.
You with your stupid games. I'm
not your game. I won't … You won't play
me. I won't be another creature you
destroy.
"Zelgadis."
"Don't say
anything."
"Don't you
remember what you said to me? Even if
you don't remember the words. Don't
you feel it?" Xellos held his hand.
Zelgadis
looked at how their hands hooked.
Zelgadis
let go of his hand.
"You can't
trick me. You can't make me believe… I
think I would remember if we…" Zelgadis pushed him away.
"You can't
remember what we did? You can't
remember what you told me?"
Zelgadis
turned around. "I'd remember if someone
took my virginity Xellos. I'm not
stupid."
"Zelgadis
here I thought you were an all day sucker."
"What?"
"You are
smart. If I am going to trick that fine
chimera ass into my bed I'm going to have to try a lot harder."
"I would
never do that. How dare you try
that? As if I felt something?"
"oh
that. Sore wa himitsu desu."
"When will
you leave me be?"
Xellos
turned around.
"You know
Zel-chan you'd be great in the sack. I bet you're a real animal…"