Title: The Human Ingredient
Pairing: Eventual Zelgadis/Xelloss
Rating: M
Summery: All mazoku servants receive their power from their creators, but for Beast Master Zelas, she decided to give her servant a little more...Over a thousand years later the piece that made Xelloss the most feared and powerful of all mozuku servants has been cast aside to the mortal world below to be left in the charge of a unpredictable comrade. In such dangerous company, will this 'human' ingredient find the will to live in the mortal world, or return to his Master?

Authors Notes: Oh My Goth! A fanfic outside of Naruto? EXPLODES (I actually started writing Gundam Wing and Slayers fanfics to begin with!) This is a very old story of mine that I've had an urge to rewrite and finally share with the world. Thanks for reading!

WARNING! This story is full of yoainess, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Flames will only be pointed and laughed at for my own amusement by me and my buddy Captain Cutlas, so don't bother. There's lots of angst and darkness ahead!

The Human Ingredient

Ch.1 The Medallion

Autumn was creeping into the land. The most obvious signs of summer's end could be witnessed in the mountainous forests far north of the city of Saillune. It was within the mountain range that the most vibrant foliage could be found due to the increasingly frigid nights, where the most beautiful of the color changing leaves could be found on the birch and oak specimens. Scattered among the dark pines, the leafy trees exploded with brilliant hues of gold and red, prompting anyone traveling through the mountain pass to pause and marvel at nature's beauty. It was a clearing consisting of such trees that motivated a particular traveling party to set up camp for the night.

The air was crisp with the promise of rain, which prompted the party to set up thick canvases above their crude beds as a precaution. Fortunately for the four travelers, it had not rained during the night, so they did not have to get up early to dry out their belongings. Instead they slept on, enjoying the fresh mountain air heavy with the scent of rain and earth to carry into their dreams.

Whether it had rained or not would have made little difference to the physical comfort of the creature that watched the travelers from the trees.

Xelloss, the General and Priest of his lord and mistress Beastmaster Zellas Metallium, waited patiently for the mortals below to arise from their sleep. As he waited, his feet kicked playfully from the oak branch he perched upon, and he hummed a nameless tune to amuse himself.

Ignoring the slumbering travelers, Xelloss allowed himself the indulgence of watching the sun rise gloriously to greet the new day. Contrary to what many mortals believe, mozoku were not monsters without appreciation of all sorts of natural beauty. Xelloss was most particular towards sunrises, especially if it were closely followed by a hearty breakfast.

At the thought of food, the mazoku drifted his gaze downward to look upon his prospective meals: The party of four mortals –two men and two women-- of which he was well acquainted with.

Mazoku do not feed upon the flesh of their prey, their immortal bodies held no use for the organic matter animals or humans provided (though sampling a little blood or raw meat was not unheard of). Being creatures of the Astral plane, mazoku required strong mental energy for nourishment. Humans are flighty idealist creatures that prefer to think that positive energy ruled their world. The truth is, the majority of its population was overrun by hardships and strife, and quite often their mortal lives are tragically and if not violently cut short. The Mazoku race had learned to cultivate that energy, encouraging its crop to flourish to expel humanity's great variety of delicacies. Hate, despair, rage, frustration...all negative emotions retain a certain flavor and texture. As with the fancy of human taste buds vary from person to person, mazoku shared as complex of pallet as any human tongue.

As for Xelloss, he enjoyed variety.

From his branch, he watched with little interest as the traveling party below him stirred from their blankets and began their morning routine. He would wait until they broke camp before he would confront them. Xelloss was well known to be a patient sort, allowing his prey to feel deceptively at ease made the meal all the more enjoyable once he began take his fill.

When the party did break camp, they continued their journey northbound through the woods. The mazoku followed from above the treetops, and did not descend until the leader of the little party, Lina Inverse started to argue with her companions over the value of some petty bauble. The wisps of the squabble, however minor reached Xelloss like the tantalizing smell of a well cooked meal. The temptation was too much. Xelloss dematerialized from above the trees...

…and reappeared behind Lina Inverse. Xelloss could sense the party's shock and sudden uneasiness, but took some amusement in the effort they showed in trying to appear unaffected by his presence.

"Goooooood morning!" Xelloss beamed at the travelers, inhaling deeply to suck in the crisp autumn air. "Fancy finding you four here so far out in the wilderness!"

Lina Inverse scowled at the Mazoku floating behind her. "What do you want, Xelloss?" she drawled.

"Oh, nothing..." The Mazoku shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "I thought that I may enjoy your pleasurable company on this fine morning. You don't mind, do you?"

Lina rolled her eyes at the trickster, she knew better than to play into his hand. "Do whatever you like. As long as you keep it at that: just a walk. And no funny business if you know what's good for you!"

"Parish the thought!" Xelloss continued to float behind Lina as she started walking. "I do hope that you slept well in this cold weather?"

"Nothing that a fireball couldn't cure." Lina growled, refusing to turn around.

Xelloss soaked in Lina's negative emotions: The sour taste of anxiety, coupled with a healthy dose of uneasy respect of the dangers of a more powerful foe. Lina's taste was uncommon only for her resolute stubbornness, and for that it had enduring texture.

"Aren't you cold Xelloss?" The tall blonde swordsman named Gourry enquired. He pointed at Xelloss in question. "I don't see you carrying any blankets for sleeping in cold weather."

"You idiot." Lina grounded out, rubbing her temples in annoyance. "Mazoku do not possess real organic bodies." It was too cold and too early in the morning to reeducate Gourry on the biological aspects of a Mazoku form. "They don't feel cold or heat like we do."

"They don't?" Gourry's eyes widened with disbelief. The swordsman was well known for his ignorance, and for his ability to allow incoming information to depart from the other ear. "Then what do they feel?"

"What do we indeed?" A dark chuckle arose from Xelloss in answer.

Gourry instinctively gripped the handle of his sword. As dumb as he was, he recognized a threat when he heard one.

Lina shot a warning glance at Gourry to calm him from further actions that might endanger the party. The swordsman's hand slipped from the handle and he continued walking, no longer interested in conversation with the Mazoku.

The taste Gourry emitted was a common one found among many humans, spurned by stories of demon brutality and a fear for the dark unknown. Even so, ignorance came with its own variety of garnish: distrust, confusion, paranoia. A somewhat unexciting flavor, but a staple observed by all Mazoku.

"My heart leaps with joy at witnessing the birth of such a beautiful day!" Having traveled further ahead, Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune had missed the little interval between Gourry and Xelloss. The perky princess stretched her arms above her head. "Nothing like a little exercise to get the blood pumping first thing in the morning! Who wants to run with me?"

Xelloss felt his meal suddenly turn bitter at the princess's disgusting optimism. Amelia's overenthusiastic efforts to 'save' him from his natural demonic ways was very amusing, and for that was the only reason he tolerated her behavior.

"Amelia, can it wait until spring, when it's warm?" Lina grumbled.

The princess performed a few arm flexes and beamed. "A true servant of justice must have a strong body to combat the forces of evil, Miss Lina!"

Xelloss smiled at the impulsive statement. "Oh? Does that mean you would want to combat me Amelia-san?"

"I-uh..." Amelia gulped, her optimism faltering considerably under Xelloss's toothy grin. Underneath all the bravado, Amelia was just as uneasy as the rest of the humans, and buried her fear with over the top theatrics and loud noises.

Lina Inverse waggled a stern finger at the smiling mazoku. "What did I say about 'funny' business? Hm?"

"Ah, it was just a question!" Xelloss chuckled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I had no intention of acting upon it. You have such little faith in me Lina-san."

"Hmph." was Lina's neutral reply. The sorceress turned around in a blatant display of ignoring the Mazoku.

Xelloss was about to provoke Lina further when he heard a gruff voice growl at him from behind. "Why do you find so much amusement in bothering us? Don't you have other things to do, Mozoku?" The last word was spat out.

Ah, the main course: Zelgadis Greywords. Xelloss immediately set his attentions upon the chimera. His special blend consisted of a hatred born upon a deep seeded dislike for the Mazoku that would most satisfy Xelloss' pallet. That, and Zelgadis was an endless source of amusement.

The chimera had been lagging far behind the traveling party, no doubt in an attempt to separate himself from the Mazoku as far as possible.Xelloss drifted away from the main group until he was floating directly in front of his prey. "Is there's anything that I can do to improve your mood Zelgadis-san?" Xelloss smiled.

Zelgadis was not amused by the mischievous smirk on the trickster's face. "I will not have anything to do with your games."

"Oh?" Xelloss pouted. "If you don't prefer my company, perhaps I can introduce you to a few of my Mazoku friends who might want to obtain such an unusual treasure such as yourself." Xelloss smirked when Zelgadis tensed with anger. Encouraged by this, Xelloss continued: "It is a morbid fascination those Mazoku have, even among those of their own kind; To be intrigued by beings such as yourself that are neither fully human nor Mazoku, but are something else entirely..."

"ENOUGH!" Zelgadis swung around to deal a blow to Xelloss' face, but the Mazoku priest merely dematerialized to a different spot.

The chimera seethed with murderous rage, a primal growl stirred deep within his throat. Xelloss laughed mockingly.

Surprisingly, Zelgadis composed himself. Though he kept his temper in check, delightful pools of frustration and hate seeped through the cracks. The chimera gave the mazoku a look of disdain. "You are a pest Xelloss." he spat, and turned away.

"Zel!" Lina cried. "Where are you going?"

Zelgadis continued to storm off. "I'm going back to check the libraries" he huffed. "I will meet up with you in a couple of days at Levanwurth."

"He's going all the way back to Delmaar?" Gourry scratched his head. "That's over a day away!"

"Ohh! There he goes again!" Lina stomped her foot in frustration. "That jerk just does whatever he pleases!"

"Zelgadis-san..." Amelia watched the sorcerer disappear around a bend of pine trees, she was obviously contemplating on joining him.

"He'd want to be alone, he's in one of those moods again." Lina pushed Amelia non to gently forward to keep her moving. "Besides, I want to get this medallion appraised as soon as possible in Levanwurth, the sooner I sell it, the sooner we eat Levanwurth's world famous quadruple seven layer cheese and sausage quiche!"

Xelloss' interest piqued. "A medallion, Miss Lina?"

"Yeah, I found it in some ruins along the coast a while back." From her pocket, Lina pulled forth a flat yellow metallic disk with symbols engraved into its surface. "I didn't think much about it at first, other than it is in remarkable condition for being buried near the beach." She shrugged. "By the structure of the ruins where this was found, I guess that it predates the war of the monster's fall, or even further back."

"Hm." Xelloss tapped a finger to his chin, and gestured towards the medallion. "May I?"

Lina tossed the medallion over to the mazoku. "Don't go running off with it. That thing's gonna be our meal ticket."

"Do not fret yourself Lina-san." Xelloss' fingers traced the grooves set into the medallion's smooth surface. On both sides of the medallion were identical images of an open eye, the pupil representing a moon and jagged teeth outlining the outer rim of the bottom eyelid.

"It does not look like any royal crest that I have ever seen." Amelia chewed the bottom of her lip in thought. "Or from any temple, for that matter."

"I think I know what this is." Xelloss held the medallion up to the sunlight. "If I am correct–of that I'm sure, than this medallion is very, very old."

Lina raised her eyebrows. "Pre-monster war?"

Xelloss nodded sagely. "During that time, the Mazoku were gathering their forces for the war. The humans meanwhile, were collecting resources in preparation of the war as well, though their objective was to survive being in the front lines." Xelloss flipped the medallion in the air, watching the early morning sunlight catch in its polished surface.

Somewhere in the recesses of far memory, a flutter of familiarity stirred. The hands of a child emerge from the dark corners of faded memory, a candle grasped in one pale hand to guide his way through the dark.

Xelloss shook his head slightly to rid himself of the strange vision, a mazoku as old as he sometimes had memories or visions surface sporadically from his long existence. He ignored the uneasy feeling and continued with his history lesson. "As with any nation or temple hard pressed for followers, 'missionaries' were deployed to fill in the ranks."

"Yes, yes, but what was that for?" Lina pressed, pointing to the medallion.

"My guess, is that this particular medallion belonged to one of those temple sects. The priests would wear these around their neck as a symbol of the temple they served."

"An ancient sect!" Lina's eyes glittered with dreams of gold. "How valuable is it?"

The mazoku's brows furrowed in deep thought. "I believe that it is worth..." Xelloss paused to calculate on his fingers, his face brightened once he reached an estimate. "Absolutely nothing!"

"Gah!" Lina nearly tripped over her feet, her face aghast. "Are you sure about that?"

Xelloss' smile beamed. "This medallion is so old that any records about the temple have crumbled to dust. All that is left of the temple and its faith resides in this picture." He pointed to the symbol engraved.

The hands place the candle down in front of an alter. The tiny flame illuminates the silver crest of a giant eye set with jagged teeth and a crescent moon for a pupil. Through the orange glow of the candle, the child peers at his reflection through one of the jagged teeth jutting from the eye. And what the child saw was...

Xelloss shuddered, his physical form grasped at his staff for support. His entire astral body shook as a wave of memory poured forth like water from a broken dam to beat upon his psyche. 'I remember.' He thought as another wave of memory racked him. 'The temple, the island…the wolves. I remember all of it.'

"Are you alright?" Lina was baffled by the sudden odd behavior in Xelloss, but was hesitant in aiding a distressed Mazoku.

-Xelloss-

Xelloss stiffened at the voice he heard in his head. 'My Mistress summons me?' the connection between Master and Servant was a bond that permanently bound his consciousness to her mind. He was made from Zellas, she was both his creator and god. Xelloss can no more defy a request from his Mistress than a pebble could stop a tide.

With his feet planted firmly on the ground, Xelloss straightened up to meet Lina's inquisitive face. "I...must not keep her waiting." And with those cryptic words, Xelloss disappeared.

"What was that all about?" Gourry wondered. "He looked really upset."

Lina shrugged. "Who knows? All mazoku, especially Xelloss are finicky." Lina spun on her heels to walk towards the source of Levanwurth quiche. "No matter what Xelloss says, I can still sell the medallion to some rich collector chump! Something that old has got to be worth something!"

"Um, how are you going to do that Lina-san?" Amelia pointed to the spot Xelloss disappeared from. "I think Xelloss-san took it with him."

Lina's jaw dropped. "Why that double crossing butt kissing...DAMMIT Xelloss!" Lina's eyes bulged with rage as she cursed the heavens vehemently at the elusive mazoku who was no longer present in the human dimension.

Xelloss knelt before the elegant feet of his master. "You summoned me, my mistress?"

-Might you suspect my reasoning for thy summoning?- Greater Beast Zellas Metalliam sat upon her throne of bones and pelts, gold bracelets jingled musically as one well manicured finger tapped the cigarette stick. Her face was obscured by decorative drapery and shadow.

Xelloss knew better than to deceive his creator. Swallowing, he opened his palm to expose the weathered medallion.

-I thought so.- Zellas' remark was smug, she lifted the stick and inhaled a long dreg. -I always suspected that this would happen someday, that thy particular element might awaken to distract thee from thine duties.- A small sigh escaped her lips, followed by smoke which curled up the draperies. -I pity thee, my one and only beloved.-

Xelloss had a feeling on what his Mistress might be hinting. "Will you...cleanse me?" he gulped.

Zellas laughed, a light melodious voice that carried the sound of her jingling gold jewelry. -I could do that, destroy thy very essence that granted thee so much power oh so long ago. However...- In the shadows, Zellas' yellow eyes glittered like sparkling jewels. -'It' was an essential ingredient at the time, but also a nuisance. Perhaps my retainer no longer requires thine service?- She sucked her cigarette in thought, contemplating on the fate of her only mazoku servant.

Through the dark curtains of his bangs, Xelloss watched the ashes from the cigarette fall to the floor. If he had possessed a human body, it would have been trembling with apprehension. Such was the fear and respect he reserved only for his mistress. He closed his eyes, sensing that his Mistress had reached a conclusion.

-I have decided, rather then destroy that which has served both thou and mine faithfully for so long, I shall be merciful and allow 'it' to walk freely once again.-

Xelloss' eyes snapped opened, he stared with wide eyed shock at his creator. "Mistress! You can't mean-"

-Aye, my beloved. I shall cleanse thee!- Beams of white light surrounded Xelloss. His bind forbade him to fight back against his Master, but left him free to plead. "Mistress! I beg of you! Please!"

From the shadows, Zellas watched unmoving as her former servant let out a final shriek before he was engulfed entirely by the blinding white light. Following the silence, the light contracted in on itself to form a long pillar. Inside it, a young man floated within the light. All over his naked flesh and unnaturally twisted limbs, dark bruises and deep bloody cuts laid all evidence of a brutal beating.

-Hmph. I forgot how pathetic thine state was in when I found ye.- Zellas leaned back on her soft pelts, regarding the unconscious body within the pillar. -No matter, I am kind enough to clean thou up and dispose ye where one of thy mortal friends will find ye. Though, I think thee shall wish that I had taken thine life.- Cigarette smoke streamed from her nostrils as she watched the body disappear from her sight. -Farewell, my defect.-

Long ago...

It was a cold black night. Rain drizzled through the branches to fall mercilessly upon the back of a small frightened child.

"Momma? Papa? Wake up, the wolves are coming!" The child could not be more than four. Terrified by the distant howls of wolves, he sat weeping next to the charred bodies of his parents. A red light had come from the distance, striking them dead before the boy's eyes. The child was too young to fully understand the concept of death, but he continued to feebly beg the corpses to rise to his aid.

A figure emerged from the mist; a bearded old man clad in the white robes of a priest approached the corpses and child.

As exhausted as he was, the child could not fight back when the stranger gathered him into his long arms, though he did whimper when the priest began to walk away from the bodies. "They have gone into the Passing." The priest murmured. "Their bodies will provide nourishment to the Goddess' servants. It is an honor."

The child received little comfort from these words, but remained silently chewing on his thumb as the distant howls of the wolves gradually neared the site of fresh meat.

The priest took the child to a vast temple made of white stone. There, dozens of other similarly dressed priests crowded around the bearded priest as he set the child down in the main hall.

"The Goddess' Oracle has been fulfilled!" The bearded priest declared, he wore the purple insignias that ranked him as the head priest of the temple. Smiling in triumph, he placed a hand on the child's head, his nails dug into the boy's scalp as he continued to roar his announcement. "Indeed this is the child of prophesy! He shall be the one to lead us unto greatness of a new era governed by the lordship of the Goddess herself!"

Below, the child feebly struggled against the old man's grasp, the blunt nails dug down more painfully to hold him still.

"As ordained by our Goddess, we shall baptize him with a name worthy of greatness, a name created by the Goddess herself! This child shall be named Xelloss!"

Terrified of both the priests and surroundings, the boy now named Xelloss could not resist as several white clad hands reached out to pull him further into the realms of his strange new world.

Please Please Please R/R!