Author's Notes: I've finally come back to Slayers! To be honest I kind of lost interest in the anime for a while, then Slayers Revolution and Evolution came out and sparked my interest once again. So… a few weeks of writing and this is what I came up with.
This is a post Try fic, but you will probably see some plot references from the new anime. There will be Lina/Gourry romance and implied Filia/Xellos and Dynast/Zelas romance. Sorry, but there won't be any Zelgadis/Amelia romance in this fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers.
Trapped Inside the Other
"Hmm… this is odd…"
The blond haired woman looked down at her gloved hands. She couldn't feel her astral body or her dark powers. Instead there was a strange lightness in her finger tips even though she felt like she weighed more than a house.
A shriek from an infant started her, and she turned to the building she guessed belonged to her since she was standing in front of it and the door was wide open. Curious, she walked up the porch steps and entered the house. She entered the room where the cries were coming from and found a baby dragon covered in downy black feathers.
"Are you the one making a fuss…?" she questioned crouching down and reaching out her hand to stroke it. "My my… you are a cute little creature. I suppose you're too young to tell me where I am hm?"
The baby dragon stopped crying and cooed in response. It recognized the voice and the face of its mother.
Oh well. I suppose I better get used to my new body. The woman stood up and grabbed a piece of her golden hair in her fingers. The power I feel… I'm trapped inside a dragon's body.
Her eyes slowly scanned the room. There was a comfy looking bed sitting by an open window, and there was a dresser and a cabinet standing against the wall on the left. She went to the mirror hanging above the dresser and took a good look at her reflection. Her soft blue eyes widened and she brought her hand to her pale cheek.
The surprise she felt didn't stay with her long. She knew she had been trapped in someone else's body when she couldn't feel herself on the astral plane or the power of Shabrinigdo. She smirked and turned away from the mirror, deciding that a tour of her new dwelling would be fitting for her current predicament. There wasn't much that could frazzle the Greater Beast Master; Zelas Metallium.
She started going through the cupboards in the kitchen. One of her eyes twitched a little in annoyance when she couldn't find any alcohol hidden anywhere. She sighed. What she wouldn't give for a cigarette right now.
"This is going to make a mess of things…" she murmured as she gingerly seated herself at the kitchen table. She needed time to think of a solution… It wouldn't be a surprise to discover that the person whose body she was currently inhabiting had possession of hers.
The baby dragon in the next room started yowling. Zelas cringed at the sound and bit her lip. "And here I was hoping to never deal with children…" she muttered getting to her feet and walking briskly to the room. "What do you want?"
This time her voice and touch didn't calm the little dragon, so she lifted him from his basket and held him in her arms. "There there… everything is alright. Mama is here."
She took the baby dragon into the kitchen and stared up at the cupboards. "Most of them are filled with tea…" she mused before returning her attention to the whimpering bundle in her arms. "I might not know very much about rearing young dragons, but I sincerely doubt something your age would drink tea."
"You 'ere big sis?" a voice called from the front door.
Zelas turned when she heard someone large and bulky coming down the hall. The creature standing there looked like a goblin of some kind, and she raised a brow.
"You left the door open," the repulsive creature said. A fox man peered around the bigger individual and grinned.
"Oy sis, is somethin' wrong? Ya never leave the door open like that…"
"Yes," Zelas replied holding out the baby dragon to them. "It's hungry. Take care of it."
Jillas carefully took the little bundle and held it out in front of him baffled. "Ya mean… ya want us to feed 'em?"
"Isn't that what I said?" Zelas questioned them moodily. "You may leave now," she spoke waving them off.
Jillas and Gravos gave each other a puzzled look before slowly retreating back down the hallway. The boss was sure acting weird today… normally she was very protective over Val.
__
She didn't remember falling asleep, but when she opened her eyes she knew she had to be dreaming. Why else would she be in a dimly lit room with walls made of stone?
"It feels like I hit my head…" she murmured carefully bringing a hand to her forehead. She gasped and brought her hand down for a better look when she realized it was different. Her nails were long and painted purple. Something was wrong… her body felt light as air, but there was something weighing her down.
I wish I had some tea, she thought, and she was surprised when a steaming cup of tea appeared. Instinctively she brought it to her lips, and she nearly gagged. This wasn't tea at all! She threw it to the floor, and she was startled when it vanished.
Now she knew this had to be a dream. She stood from her chair and looked down at the clothes she was wearing. The white dress fell low at the chest, and she was shocked to discover it only covered up to her knees. She frantically tried to pull the fabric down, but it wouldn't budge.
"If I can summon tea I should be able to summon better clothes," she told herself in frustration. "Stupid dream…" even her voice sounded different to her.
"Um…"
Her eyes shot towards the voice and she stumbled back when she saw that arrogant monster standing there looking… well… confused out of his mind would probably be the right way to describe Xellos' baffled expression.
"What do you think you're doing here!?" she snapped, recoiling in surprise and disgust. She couldn't believe she was dreaming about him of all people.
"Well uhh…" Xellos quickly dropped to one knee and bowed low in a respectful manner. "Forgive me Lord Beast Master… is this a bad time?"
"Lord what!?" Filia nearly had a heart-attack when she heard that horrible monster refer her to one of the Dark Lords. He was making fun of her temper again! Stupid no good Xellos! She wanted to bash him, but she didn't know where her mace was at the moment.
"Ahhh!" Xellos let out an anguished cry and dropped his staff. He collapsed face first onto the floor and stayed motionless once his screams had stopped.
Filia blinked. What just happened? "Xellos?" she called feeling confused over his strange behavior. "…What are you doing?"
"S…sorry Mistress…" the monster murmured as he slowly pulled himself back into a kneeling position.
"Do NOT call me that!" Filia snapped, and Xellos winced. He was at a loss on how to react. His master was usually very calm and collected… something horrible must have happened to make her act this way. He wanted to ask her if anything was wrong, but he knew from previous experiences that Lord Zelas valued her privacy above almost anything.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she questioned scowling.
"I came to give you my report my lord," Xellos replied inwardly sighing in relief. He always felt more comfortable when he was doing his job. "You were right Lord Beast Master. Lord Dynast does have a few theories about the strange energies you've been feeling around Wolf Pack Island."
"Wait…" Filia's eyes widened. "You think I'm…?" She wanted a mirror, and she glanced down at her right hand to discover she was holding one. Slowly she brought it up to her face. Her golden eyes widened and she gasped. She didn't recognize the face looking back at her.
"Lord Beast Master…?" Xellos questioned not daring to rise. "Are you alright?"
"How could I possibly be alright!?" Filia shouted and the mirror vanished in a puff of angry black smoke. I'm trapped in some horrible Dark Lord's body and Val is all alone at home! Or worse…maybe IT has my body! My poor baby… Oh Ceifeed I've got to get out of here!"
It took Filia a moment to realize she hadn't spoken all these thoughts out loud. Instead she had been staring off into space, and she quickly realized that Xellos was watching her with a worried expression.
A moment of silence past between them.
"Has something happened Lord Beast Master…?" Zelas' priest questioned softly, and he bowed his head to avoid any further eye-contact.
Filia rubbed her forehead and sighed. "More than you know stupid monster…"
"Whatever it is… I'll do my best to correct it," Xellos promised, ignoring her negative comment.
I really hope this is just a nightmare… Filia thought to herself. "Xellos?"
"Yes Lord Beast Master?"
She cringed at the title and ground her teeth. "Don't call me that."
"S…sorry," Xellos stammered nervously. "What would you like me to call you…?"
Filia tried to tell him her name, but her tongue froze. She tried thinking of another title that wouldn't sound awful coming from Xellos' mouth, but nothing came to her. Then it did. She snapped her fingers and the priest visibly flinched. He must have thought he was out of line to ask such a bold question.
"Call me by my first name," Filia told him.
"…I can't…"
"Yes you can!" she snapped.
Xellos bit his lip and wrung his hands nervously. "Yes… Lady Zelas… would you like to hear my report…?"
Filia pondered over this for a little while. Did she really want to hear a report about Dynast who was almost certainly a monster like Xellos? "I guess so," she replied sounding less than enthusiastic about the prospect. Dynast; the name did sound familiar. Maybe he was important or something.
"But first I really need to get myself some tea to calm my nerves… and stand up Xellos! You're making me uncomfortable."
"Not to be rude Lady Zelas… but isn't wine more to your liking?" Xellos questioned as he reached for his staff and rose to his feet.
"I only drink tea," Filia informed him irritably. Xellos can't honestly be this dense... doesn't he realize it's someone else in this body? "Now go away." I can figure this out on my own can't I?
"Is there anywhere you would like me to go Lady Zelas…?"
Filia turned her back to him and stared intently at the floor. She couldn't stop thinking of little Val. She was worried about him…
"Lady Zelas…?" Xellos questioned her carefully.
"Huh..? Why are you asking me? I don't care where you go."
"Then if I may…" Xellos said bowing low before phasing out of the room.
More Notes: It's a good thing Xellos is durable isn't it? Pain makes you stronger! Yeah, that's right. I don't mean to torture him every time I write a fanfic. It just kind of happens like that, but I think I like the way I had the Greater Beast Master react… in the form of not reacting at all. I always picture her as the calm and calculating type who isn't fazed by anything.
Filia didn't react too badly either considering where she is and who she's with, but she's also very confused and probably hasn't completely realized this isn't a dream yet.
By the by, you might have noticed the lack of any Japanese in the first chapter. Its my own personal preference considering I watch enough of the dubbed stuff to know the basics like 'Namagomi' 'baka' 'kawaii' 'sama' 'chan' ect ect…
Updates updates… I finished the fic all the way to the end, so not having material won't be problem. It's the cursed organizing and posting of the thing that always slows me down. I'll try to update once a week and see how that goes. It may change depending.