Don't own 'em, don't claim to, don't kill me! Mako and I having a spell of a distinct lack of inspiration. We cured this by picking names of chars out of a hat and writing a romantic fic about them. Guess who I got? . Wildly out of character and hastily written old fic, BTW
Not Only Human
"So you've caught me." Garv glowered at the lackey of Zelas that had been sent after him. If he'd still had his full Mazoku power it wouldn't have been a problem, but the fact was that he was part human now, and a good portion of his power was gone.
"It would seem that way."
He would have done anything to erase the smug grin he knew was on the idiot's face, but the fact was that he couldn't – he wasn't strong enough. If he had been attacking the other, it might have been easier; he would have had with him the aspect of surprise. As things stood, he had been hunted, cornered, and was now trapped.
He was helpless and his opponent knew it. "So now you kill me."
There had been no detail overlooked, he was backed into a cavern, the exit blocked, a strong blocking spell cast over the area to stop him from hopping to the Astral plain. The blocking spell was so strong that he could not sense the true power of his opponent, and could not use his remaining power to sense out even the least amount of his surroundings in the blackness of the cave.
How pitiful that the great Demon Dragon King would now be slaughtered, blinded and helpless as a kitten in the dark. He couldn't even call out to his allies for help past the blocked area.
"I could do that," the voice sounded almost thoughtful.
Damn him, he's toying with me, Garv growled deep in his throat in an attempt to seem more dangerous than he felt he was. "So do it now. If you can."
Anyone alive didn't especially want to die, and Garv was no exception. His opponent would call his bluff, he was sure, but he had to try to discourage the other in any way he could as a survival instinct.
"I'd rather give you a chance to appeal."
He didn't know what the other Mazoku referred to, but was willing to try anything at the time. He didn't like to feel helpless, and felt very much that way at the time. He was an expert in war – he wanted to die in battle, not just hunted down like a rabbit for sport. He would do many things that he would not have done as a full blood Mazoku to get out of the situation. But he wasn't going to let the other know that. People respected him, at very least for what he was – to know that his human side caused him fear would cause people to loose their opinions of him.
Still, it was a strange offer for a Mazoku to make – and he doubted that Zelas or Phibrizzo would give the order for him to be shown mercy. It was probably a defiance of some sort from the one that had captured him.
"Who are you?" he asked after a pause. He didn't know what the other meant by 'appeal', but he would understand better, he was sure, if he knew who had offered him the chance.
"If you don't know, I'd rather keep it a secret," the voice was laughing – and had good reason to be. Whoever he was, he obviously had a good amount of power to be able to catch the Chaos Dragon.
Garv cringed. He knew the powers of all the Mazoku strong enough to capture him very well, but due to the blocking, he couldn't sense the presence of the other, and therefore couldn't identify him.
"Fine," he growled, making it quite clear in his voice that he was not happy, "what do you mean by 'appeal'?"
The haunting laughter of the other echoed in the cavern – making Garv shiver at the grating sound from the one that could so easily take his life now.
"Follow Shabranigdo again, and I'll let you live. He needs your power."
Shabranigdo – the one who would bring an end to everything, given the chance. It was the human in him that had made him fully understand the idea of death. If Shabranigdo succeeded, everything would die, and the world would end. It was his human form that had corrupted him from this goal, understanding finally what it was to simply stop existing.
But if he died now, he would end even sooner. Anyone who lived would want to keep living – that was what he had learned as a human, and why he had defied the Mazoku. It seemed now that the best way to live on for a while longer was to follow Shabranigdo again. If he aided in the success of the Dark Lord it would bring an end to more than just himself, but he likewise suspected that it was not really his problem, either.
He chose his words carefully, clearing his throat before speaking, "I was wrong to turn against the Ruby-eyed Lord, and I acknowledge my error. If he will accept me, I wish to serve him again."
"Give your word."
His word – even as a Mazoku, and now even more as a human, he had his honor to dictate his actions. Perhaps it was honor on his own terms, but to give his word even at that would seal his fate to following Shabranigdo until either the Ruby-eyed Lord or Cepheed won the eternal struggle – and it would be his duty to serve Shabranigdo-sama until their goal was accomplished.
"I swear to follow Lord Shabranigdo until my death and beyond," the words stung – but he would not live without giving this vow.
"Good."
With that acknowledgement, the mist that covered his senses and blocked his abilities lifted, and he was again able to sense his surroundings. The area was still midnight black – but he was much more able to sense where in the blackness he was. The cavern was narrow where he had run to in it, barely a few feet across. He truly was cornered. He owed a great deal to the one who had let him live.
Thinking of that person, he sensed around him for the presence of other Mazoku – and found one that he would not have expected to have given him such a chance.
"Thank you, Xelloss," he hated that it would be one of the Beast Master's force that saved him – but was grateful to this one at very least.
"No a problem at all, my friend," the smiling trickster walked towards him, and Garv noticed where the other had been, not a hundred meters away in the cavern. "But if Lord Beast Master ever asks – it wasn't me that gave you that chance."
Garv smirked – he had been right about his assumption of subordination in being given that offer, "Of course."
"Good."
Xelloss seemed almost small next to him – looking weak to the eye, but Garv was well aware of the fact that the other Mazoku was almost his equal in a face-to-face battle. It was strange to think that the one standing in front of him had just spared his life – for a Mazoku, a creature so void of mercy for any other creature.
It was only right that he express his gratitude, "Thank you."
Xelloss' ever closed eyes opened then, looking into his soul – of all the time he had known the other Mazoku, he had never seen the other's eyes open – at least not in the physical form in which Xelloss actually had a face to mention.
"Don't mention it," Xelloss replied in the jovial tone that he always had when one was speaking to him. But with his eyes open he seemed so much more serious than one could ever imagine him capable of.
Not sure what to do about the situation past there, he looked expectantly at Xelloss for any leads as to what might happen next.
It was clear that he was again with the monster race – and for as long as he lived after that for that matter. His life at that point was all in debt to Xelloss, who had not killed him when he should have.
Now he would no longer be the great Mazoku general, not being in the place to retake that position after a disgrace such as defying the great Lord Shabranigdo, he would be lucky to retain any rank at all. "Now what?" he asked – now what indeed, what would happen within the next few seconds with Xelloss standing in front of him, what would happen in the next few minutes as word spread to the other Mazoku, including his servants, that he was back with the followers of Shabranigdo, what in the next few hours and days as the aftershock of the development took effect, what in the years to come as he fought on under Shabranigdo's lead once again.
"It doesn't matter that much," Xelloss said, meeting evenly the eyes of the one that had so long been his superior. No longer was the Demon Dragon King his superior in rank, and no longer did he have to take commands from him. Interesting how things turn out sometimes. Interesting indeed.
Garv winced a bit at that comment, "but it does." Xelloss didn't understand – he learned to respect the other Mazoku very much in the last few moments – but there were some things that the other could not understand without having the human side that the Chaos Dragon possessed.
Xelloss' eyes slid closed again then, hiding from view the glowing purple eyes that his humanoid appearance possessed. Although neither were in their true forms, they had both spent so long in the bodies that they had become one with the appearance and were so close to the forms that they might well have been their true ones. And because of this it was a loss for Garv to loose sight of Xelloss' eyes, as it was so rare an occasion that they were opened. But it wasn't his place to comment.
"Lord Beast Master will want to talk to you."
*
It hadn't gone that badly, he supposed. He had been demoted, but that was to be expected. Not many of his followers had cared – he'd had some trouble with a Dragon, but it had been quickly resolved as the other still wished to follow him despite his loss of rank.
The strangest thing was the fact that he hadn't been alone since his return, having always the one who had brought him back at his side, almost looking to be in a faithful manner.
"What do you want from me now, Xelloss?"
The other regarded him lightly, as if the question was idiotic – as if the answer should already be known, "to talk."
They were alone at that point, for the first time in hours. It seemed like so short a time to be accepted into the Mazoku society again – but then all that had to be done was talking, there was no need to travel or debate. Simply a matter of informing those who needed to be informed.
"There's been talking all day. Elaborate a bit," Garv snorted at the comment – he was too used to being in great power to accept a role of submission completely even if he perhaps should have.
"About why it matters what happens now," Xelloss approached him, stepping into a range of just a few feet away – to the point that Garv had to look down to face him – close enough to see every detail of the grinning face that had shown mercy on his life. The life he so cherished and had learned to appreciate as late. "I understand death too."
Garv narrowed his eyes at the other Mazoku – it insulted him that Xelloss assumed to know the reality of it as a mere Mazoku - no Mazoku seemed to have a proper grasp on the subject. But at the same time, if Xelloss had not known of the feelings towards the end of living, would he have predicted the Chaos Dragon's thoughts at all?
"I don't want to die either," the trickster confessed quietly, eyes meeting Garv's to prove his sincerity. "But eventually, it will happen anyway, be it by the hand of Shabranigdo's goal or Cepheid's."
"So why do you fight?" Garv answer him, questioning Xelloss' open eyes in the rare moment of being given access the others thoughts. It was a fair question to ask – if the other made the assumption to know why he didn't.
"Because I'm going to die whether or not I fight – and sitting around screaming 'oh shit, we're all going to die!' isn't going to get me anywhere," Xelloss shrugged, acting as nonchalant as the situation would allow. "Most Mazoku don't understand death – but most humans don't understand that it's inevitable."
As much as he felt that the comment should have insulted him, he took the words for their wisdom and nothing else, and nodded his agreement. But before he could add anything else to the conversation, Xelloss had stepped towards him, had a hand on his shoulder, was leaning against him.
Xelloss' eyes closed to view again, but not in his typical laughing manner, and Garv felt that he could easily see the other eyes through the covers over them. He was still looking into Xelloss' being as the Mazoku brushed his lips against the Chaos Dragon's – gently and almost timidly, as if ready to pull away if rejected.
Garv was stunned, unable to do anything in the odd situation, and although the action from the other was neither wanted nor unwanted, he was at a loss to do anything about it. He had been far from expecting Xelloss to kiss him, and just stared uselessly at the other's face that remained just a few inches from his own. Xelloss' gleaming violet eyes now questioning, "Just know that whenever death might come, I'll be here with you."
Garv, still a bit taken aback, just managed to place a hand on Xelloss' shoulder, "I wont forget."
End