Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers

A/N: I figured out how to start it off better! Everyone cheer for me! I shall give warnings now to...so any flames mean naught

Warning: No Amelia/Zelgadis pairing

Warning: Fluff

Warning: No Lina/Zelgadis pairing

Warning: Stupidity and cheesiness Mmm...cheese

Warning: OC

Warning: May be taken as Amelia bashing (But I'm TRYING to avoid that)

Warning: If you don't like Japanese names, deal. My story, I'll do what I like thank you!

Warning: Maybe a little OOCness

Okay, does that clear everything up for this? Can I continue now and say you were warned?

Chapter 1: Village

Sometime in the past

"Hey, Dawn!" Maru called out to me, "What's going on?"

"Don't you mean what's up?" I asked, "I'm heading out on another trading venture."

"Can I come?" she asked and looked up at me with her bright eyes.

"You know I won't allow it until you're much older," I said with a grin.

"Aww..." she said, "And you'll want me to be better trained too, right?"

"You're a dragon; you'll be fine in no time!" I said and ruffled her hair, "Have you begun to breathe fire yet at all?" Breathing fire was something all dragon clan members learned how to do, and it was one of a few abilities they learned how to use when not in their dragon form. We weren't gold dragons, black dragons, or anything of that sort. The dragon clan was something really different. If we had to have a name we were Ancient Dragons, the oldest of the races. The village I stayed in wasn't our only village, but it was one of the biggest. We were in a sense trying to remain hidden from the rest of the world, no one knew this village held members of the dragon clan, save for a few.

"I haven't even had my first time of the month yet!" she exclaimed, "Mama said she won't let me practice trying to breathe fire until then!"

"I learned that when I was younger than you were!" I exclaimed with a laugh, "But some parents can be protective." I was only about 20, and the leader of a clan, go figure.

"But you're special!" she said, "You're our leader, not just a normal dragon!"

"And that makes me special?" I asked and she pulled me down and I leaned in close.

"Yes it does!" she said, "And I heard you have really pretty wings, but you don't like to show them..."

"No, I don't because they aren't white wings," I replied.

"But any sort of wings are pretty!" she said.

"It all depends on who sees them," I said with a sigh.

"Can I see them please?" she asked and I smiled at her sadly, giving in.

"Tell you what; if you behave yourself while I'm gone I might just give you a little peek at my wings..." I said. The wings weren't visible unless I technically 'spread them' which consisted of me bringing them out of my body. It wasn't a bloody or painful experience; it was just sometimes frightening to those that had never seen me spread my wings before to see them just suddenly appear.

"Okay then," she said, sounding slightly disappointed. I tickled her a little and she giggled.

"Don't be depressed!" I said, "C'mon, cheer up Maru!"

"Okay then...you bring me back something from your trading, okay?" she asked and I nodded, "Cool!" I stood up and brushed some dirt off of my pants and headed off out of town. Maru and some of the other children followed for a while and then left by the time I reached the edge of the forest.

"Hey sissy, wait up!" a familiar voice called and I looked around until Piers, my brother greeted me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you have any special orders you want me to take care of while you're gone?" he asked and I smiled at him and nodded.

"Like always, just protect our people...my clan..." I said and he placed his hand on my shoulder before pulling me into a hug.

"I always have and I always will," he said. We had this conversation every time I was about to leave.

"Take care big brother," I said and began to break the hug.

"Stay safe sissy," he said, "Stay safe Dawn. Don't worry; I will protect our people..."

"I know..." I said and then headed off into the woods, "Keep the fires burning!" It was a bit of a sarcastic remark that I left him with, considering he was born under the element of water. Everyone is born under an element in our clan and our abilities and our dragon forms seem to represent that element. I was born of the wind and water, but my dragon form looked like that of a larger dragon that didn't seem to fit either of those categories. My brother told me that was probably because I wasn't 'just a regular dragon'. Oh well.

"I'll put them out before you get back!" he joked back and I smiled. I should have known that when I returned things would be different, but I didn't know, I hadn't realized at the time... I didn't know I should've skipped this trip...

Returning

Destruction

"What has happened here?" I asked, running forward. All the houses, destroyed. There wasn't a building left standing. I ran to the town center and saw only destruction. The fountain in the middle of the town squirted water in every direction, and on the ground, the dirt and what was left of the grass were stained crimson. I felt anger and frustration and confusion and hatred. What had happened in the time I was gone? All of this destruction looked fresh! If I hadn't taken my time getting back home... Where was Piers? Where was my brother...oh god, my people, they were all...dead?

Frustration

Death

"Sissy!" a weak voice called out, "Sissy!" I followed the voice, so faint and so distant, thanking god my hearing was sharp. My house, in the rubble of my house, I saw a form, it looked...oh my god!

"Piers!" I cried and ran forward and began to pull him out of the rubble. He was bloody all over and I began to cast as many healing spells as I could. I would not loose him too, not him too!

"I'm sorry," he said, "Couldn't...protect...them...Mazoku..."

"A Mazoku?" I asked, "Did a Mazoku attack our village? Why?"

"..." he shook his head to say he didn't know why. My people...destroyed...I wasn't able to protect them!

Regret

Anger

"Don't...cry..." Piers murmured, "Don't...let them...feed...off of you..."

"I know I shouldn't...they aren't here now though!" I exclaimed and with a rush of anger my black wings stretched above all and I let the tears fall, all my people, and all the clan in this village, murdered.

"Sissy," Piers murmured before he blacked out.

Desolation

Fear

I don't know how long it took me to bury all the dead that I found as the fires died out. Piers couldn't do much, being as injured as he was. I made a sort of tent out of scraps of wood and let him rest in it. I made sure he rested and made sure the bandages and healing spells had worked as they should have. He slowly regained his appetite and never once I asked him for details on what had happened, not once. I knew he knew I wouldn't ask and I didn't want him to suffer having to tell it to me, telling what he saw. All I heard him mention was in his sleep, he said the Mazoku forced him to watch, watch as our people were murdered and then he let Piers live, just because Piers had tried to stand up to him, to protect our people. He muttered in his sleep if he had only been stronger...

Emptiness

Loneliness

After Piers recovered, he went to a town, one of our towns, a smaller one though, very small. It was past the dark forest and he said he'd go around that. I believed him. I offered to go with him too, but he said that I should stay behind. Just for a little while he had said, just to let him go on alone. He'd take all the things in the cart with him, the things I had traded for but he wanted to be by himself for a while. I knew he'd be alright, I knew he would. My wings remained spread; I wore black like always, looking like some dark angel. I was nicknamed the Black Winged Angel by some, by those that had seen these wings.

Loss

Hardship

I stopped crying after the first day, my people...sure I had to mourn them, but I didn't feel like I could yet...I didn't feel like I could...

Broken

Despair

I couldn't cry for them as I wished I could. I wanted revenge...I wanted to find who had killed, who had murdered my people and show them what it was like to feel pain. I stayed behind for a time when Piers left and built a monument in the town square, and made it so it could never be destroyed.

Annihilation

Forgetting

I could never forget. I was cursed so I could never forget, and I lived with it, hating it at times like these, wishing it could disappear for one moment...only one moment and then I would be back. Wishing for the release of death, to join Maru and the others, to not feel so alone... Even with my brother, even with my clan, I still felt alone...

Revenge

Resolution

I gathered flowers the day before I left. I scattered the around the dead town. I scattered so many and blanketed the town in them. For a moment, the air smelled sweet to me, but even that faded away. I shouldn't be so depressed...I shouldn't let it get to me...I had to be strong, for our clan, I had to be. I had to seek out the one who had murdered my clan, I couldn't cry now, I couldn't shed a tear. I had to mask the pain, like I had done so many other times...I had to mask it up and no one should know!

Faint song

Faint Hope

I set out, seeking what fortune may bring and blow my way. I would find my revenge, it would come to me in time, and I shouldn't go searching for it. That would be foolish, and I wasn't a fool. I was not a fool!

"I will avenge you..." I murmured and headed into the forest, finding the path miles inward and starting my travels. So many times I had traveled this road; so many times I had forged a path along this dusty track. So many memories that were my own. I was only 20, but I have seen much in my time, and now I had more time than ever to do what I wanted, to wait for the evil that struck down my village to come to me. I couldn't go searching for it; the Mazoku had left no trace, no way to track it. I would become smarter, stronger, and finally when the day came I would face the Mazoku and win. I would avenge my people and be able to cry.

Wishing

Zelgadis

"Amelia, wait up for the rest of us!" I called out.

"Mr. Zelgadis, I see something though!" she cried and pointed over the edge of a nearby cliff, "I think someone's badly hurt down there!" I ran forward and I knew Lina and Gourry were following close behind. I peered over the edge and saw a beat up body at the bottom. Had we just discovered a dead body?

"I see it!" Lina said, "Hello down there?" I wasn't about to go shouting to someone who could be dead. I jumped down, sliding against the hillside until I jumped and landed in front of the body. Turning around I knelt beside it to check for a pulse. The body was female and she was still alive!

"She's still alive!" I called up to the group and everyone began to slide down.

"We're going to help someone?" Lina asked, "It's not like it is our problem!"

"Miss Lina, I don't think that's right! Justice won't allow it if I leave someone to this terrible fate! If we can help this person than we must!" Amelia said proudly and arriving at the bottom she came over and started to cast some healing spells on the wounds she could see.

"She's pretty bloody; we should take her to a stream or something and clean those wounds..." I said and Amelia nodded.

"I agree with you entirely!" she said.

"It's a female?" Gourry asked, "Doesn't look pretty enough, ow!" He sank to the ground and massaged his head from the bump Lina had just given him.

"Gourry she's badly injured don't be dumb!" Lina exclaimed and I sighed.

"Do you think she's safe enough to be moved?" Amelia asked, changing the subject from the fight back to the injured.

"I'll carry her," I offered and checked to make sure I wouldn't be breaking anything, or making things worse. I didn't know why I was suddenly being so helpful...so...caring but I felt something...at the precise moment I noticed this girl lying here. Suffering, I felt a sense of deep suffering emitting from her, I had felt that as well sometimes.

Lina and Amelia were the ones that were tending to the girl, whatever her name was supposed to be which left Gourry and me to collect firewood. It was getting darker out and cold as well. I made sure the fire was big enough to keep us all warm and Amelia called for me to come and bring the girl over to the fire so she could keep warm.

Dawn

I woke up, or snapped out of unconscious, feeling clean and warm. Where was I? I noticed a fire that was being restocked by someone and I wondered what had happened to me. The last thing I remember was that my time of the month had started and I was walking along anyways...was I ambushed or something? I just don't remember.

"Wa...water?" I asked weakly through my lips, maybe someone would hear me.

"You're awake?" a voice asked, "Don't move, I'll get you some water..." It sounded like a female's voice.

The person, who I guessed was a woman, helped me to drink a little bit of water.

"Thanks..." I murmured.

"No problem," she replied, "You better rest, and you're still recovering. Things will be better in the morning. Promise." Who was it that was talking to me? Their voice sounded so far away.

"Who?" I asked.

"My name is Amelia," she said, "Now please just get some sleep. Don't worry, I'm watching over you."

She was watching over me? I lowered my head back down onto the ground and felt my eyes close. I felt for a moment safe, like she was my mother or something. I had never known my mother. Nor had I known my father. Piers had...he would tell me stories about them all the time. Where was I? Was Piers alright? Would I ever see him again? I guess this was where my newest adventure would begin, I wondered what would be in store now...

TBC

A/N: I did it; I made it better, didn't I? Well, read it, review it, flames roast my marshmallows, and let it be known I like this beginning a whole lot better than the other one, I hope you think so too!

Note: I renamed her Dawn. IF anyone sees it mentioned in this fixed chapter she's called Cat, tell me so I can fix it.
Note 2: I got rid of the tri-clan now. If you see it mentioned...tell me in a NICE way and I'll fix it.