(Disclaimer: Slayers and all it's characters belong to Hajime Kanzaka and the publishers, not us. Fanfic idea belongs to AniDragon and TheLostZelda.)
(Warnings: Mild language)
To Love a Monster (part 1)
~The Birthday Gift~
by: AniDragon and TheLostZelda
Wandering through another nameless desert town, following the rumour of another Claire Bible Manuscript, Zelgadis found himself in a market place. With his face and hair concealed it was easy enough to manoeuvre around the busy shoppers, trying the find an inn as soon as possible to rest.
It was as he passed by a jewellery merchant that he saw it. It wasn't big, but it was too good to pass up: a small gold ring with a grove around it, and a spherical blue sapphire sitting on the top.
The resemblance to Amelia's bracelet was striking. He unconsciously moved a hand to his water flask where he had once kept it. He'd returned it to her when he'd gone back to Seyruun as her bodyguard, of course. When he'd left again after the battle with Shabranigdu, she hadn't passed it back to him. He took it as a sign that she trusted him to return, even without it.
I've done a great job of that so far, he thought to himself bitterly. It had been almost a year since he'd seen her. Perhaps he should visit once his business was done in this town. He ran a hand over the glass case where the ring was displayed. Would it be too forward for him to buy it for her as a gift?
It was simple and beautiful, just like her. The merchant caught his eyes and offered him a closer look. Upon inspection he could see a small five-point star in the center. It really was a perfect match.
"This ring was sold to me by a sorceress who had a knack for protection spells, or at least, that's what she said", The merchant told him, probably trying to inflate the price. Zelgadis cocked an eyebrow, and the merchant continued: "Because your interested, and I can't for the life of me tell if she was lying or not, I'll let you have it for the price of a normal ring, how does that sound?"
Zelgadis thought about it for a moment. If it were enchanted with a protection spell, it would be even better. He did sense a spell on it, though he couldn't tell what it was. He'd have to take it to a magic shop later to make sure it wasn't cursed or something.
"Sure, I'll take it," he agreed, dropping a small pouch of gold that he had earned while in Prince Phil's service.
"Excellent," smiled the merchant, handing over the ring, "If you ever come across the sorceress: a short, flat-chested girl with red hair, thank her for me."
Zelgadis sighed, and tried not to laugh, Naturally, it would have to be Lina. It was just like her to put an enchantment on something to get more money out of it.
Nearby, a strange, purple haired priest stood in the shadows, watching the transaction unfold. He chuckled, a plot hatching in his head: One that could lead to much chaos. With a smirk, he vanished.
~*~
Amelia sank onto her bed, exhausted after a day of festivities.
The Princess had just turned 18, and naturally Prince Phil and the rest of the court had decided that this was something to be celebrated. The past few weeks had been full of planning for the party, and the day itself had lasted from dawn to well after dusk.
If I have to deal with another prince trying to court me, I'll go insane, she thought to herself.
"What a coincidence," A voice piped up from behind her, "Insanity is one of my favourite dishes!"
Amelia gave a small yelp and jumped off the bed, spinning around only to see Xellos hovering in the air just behind where she had been sitting.
"Xellos-san," She furrowed her brow, "How rude, to come into a lady's room unannounced! What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just taking a break from hounding our favourite little chimera," He said, off-handed, "And I couldn't pass up the offer of insanity."
Amelia blinked at the information, and felt a tug at her heart, "You've been following Zelgadis-san?"
"Naturally, since he's after the Claire Bible," Xellos answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"So you know what he's up to?" Amelia climbed back on the bed, approaching the grinning Mazoku, "Can you tell me?"
"That would be a secret," He answered, bringing a finger up to his lips.
"Ah," A heavy weight seemed to settle on the Princess, "I see..."
She sighed and lay back on the mound of pillows, her thoughts settling on the chimera. She'd be lying if she'd said that he hadn't been on her thoughts all day. Every time a new prince or noble came to introduce himself to her, she'd wish that it was Zelgadis there in his place. But no, he was off Cepheid-knows where, and hadn't even thought to write to her for her birthday.
"You've been thinking of him a lot, lately, ne?" Xellos asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Amelia jumped a bit at his voice. She'd almost forgotten that he was there.
That's dangerous, she chided herself, I shouldn't let my guard down around Xellos-san…
He didn't seem very threatening just then, but she knew that that was when he was at his most dangerous. Although she supposed that if he did want her dead, there would be little that she could do to defend herself.
Maybe he'd sensed her loneliness and wanted to feed on it… Well, it was likely…
"If you're here for a meal, you can forget it!" Amelia put on a brave face, "You know that the light of justice burns brightly in my heart!"
"Is that so?" Xellos asked, opening one eye, "Despite your words, I don't sense much light in you right now. If anything, you seem downright depressed, Amelia-san."
She had to laugh at his words, though she did hear a ring of truth to them, "Depressed? Don't be ridiculous! I miss Zelgadis-san, I'll admit it, but I'm hardly depressed about it. I'm just tired."
There, that was believable, even to her. It had been a long week, and she really just wanted to sleep. Xellos was just trying to provoke her.
She got up off her bed and headed to the dressing screen in the corner of her room, "If you'll excuse me, Xellos-san, I need to change."
"Take your time," He said, though she still felt his presence in the room. Well, at least he still seemed to be in the same spot, and wasn't trying to peak or anything.
"If what you say is true," He continued as she changed, "Then why do I sense this sadness off of you?"
Amelia bit her lip at his words as she struggled out of her dress. She considered calling a maid in to help her. If nothing else, it would probably make the irritating Mazoku leave.
Or he might stay just to spite her… Better to just ask him directly, then, "Please just go away, Xellos-san!"
She heard him chuckle, "Getting a bit defensive, aren't we? Is that because you know I'm right?"
She flushed brightly, embarrassed at being so easy to read, "I… er…" she finally managed to slip out of her dress, and grabbed her pyjamas from the shelf where her maids had left them, "Well, that's not important!"
"Amelia-san," He said, then sighed in exasperation, "You know you're not fooling anyone, least of all me."
Amelia slipped the nightgown over her head and, after a quick check in the mirror to make sure she was decent, stepped out from behind the dressing screen, "So what of it? Why are you even here? Or was I right in that you were just looking for a meal?"
Xellos was still hovering just a few inches above her bed, his legs crossed, and his staff resting on his lap. The look on his face could only be described as devious.
But then again, didn't Xellos always look devious?
"Of course you were right," He admitted, and then opened both eyes, sending shivers down her back, "Well, that, among other things."
Amelia brought her hands up to hug herself, rubbing the goose bumps off her arms nervously, "Other things? What do you mean? What do the Mazoku want with me?"
"Who said anything about the Mazoku?" He grinned, eyes closing once again right before he phased out, then reappeared standing right in front of her, "I came here with my own little plot."
Amelia leaned back a bit uncomfortably, but refused to back off due to stubborn bravery, "Which is?"
Xellos brought a finger up to his lips, "Ah, that would be…"
"A secret," She finished for him, rolling her eyes.
He laughed and patted her head, which made her take a tentative step back, "Good girl. But what I will tell you is that this plot can easily become beneficial to you as well. You needn't worry yourself too much."
Those words made her frown, "How can I trust anything you say, Xellos-san?"
The corners of the Mazoku's mouth tugged downwards, and his eyebrows creased as he mirrored her frown, almost mockingly, "I'm hurt," He said, his tone clearly suggesting that he really wasn't, "You know that I never lie."
"But you do hide the truth," Amelia countered.
Xellos chuckled, "And knowing that about me, my dear, should make it easier for you to figure things out."
She sighed impatiently, tired of his games, "I know better than to make a deal with a Mazoku. Even if I benefit, someone else will probably suffer! At whose expense am I to gain?"
"No one's," He answered, then added slyly, "Depending on which scenario turns out, anyway… And really, I wouldn't even call this a deal. There's no contract. You aren't signing in blood. Think of this more as… entertainment."
"Just what are you…" Amelia didn't get to finish her sentence, as she was suddenly interrupted by Xellos leaning over and kissing her.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she felt frozen in place as he pulled away and brought a finger up, "Leave everything to me."
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared, leaving Amelia standing dumbfounded and blushing in the middle of her bedroom. After a moment, the only response she could come up with for the situation at large was: "What?"
~End of part 1~
(A/N: This fanfic is the result of too much pizza. No, really. We plotted most of this at the pizza place downtown. We even have an official "plotting booth". XD We hope you like the fic, and apologize if we break your brain with it.)