Slayers belongs to Kadokawa Shoten.
NAGA: You know, I've never been accused of a crime I've never committed before. Usually, all
the crimes I'm accused of were actually committed by me!
SHADOW LINA: I don't REMEMBER pulling a dine and dash….Oh well! Whatever!
FILIA: "Whatever?!" How are we going to pay this bill!?
XELLOS: Did somebody say… "tango?!"
Faces: After!
Part 15
Contest!
Both of You Dance Like You Wanna Win!
"Saldellia!" Naga announced grandly, throwing her arms wide. "Vacation capital of the
world! Well…at least this part of it, anyway…"
The other Flaming Heroes ooh'd and ahh'd at the many luxury resorts up and down the main
thoroughfare.
"I don't care how wonderful it is," Filia said in exhaustion. "It took us a week to get here.
I just want a hot bath and a warm bed." She counted to three. "SHUT UP, NAMAGOMI!" she
screamed at the three count, pulling her mace. "Huh?" she asked blinking. She had mentioned a
bath and a bed, and Xellos HADN'T tried to weasel his way into either of them with what he liked
to call his 'charm?'
"Lord Xellos disappeared again," Amara commented, looking from side to side. "He's
been doing that a lot lately. I hope everything is all right."
Filia sniffed. "It just proves that all that stuff he said about wanting to be near me was just
another of his twisted little games! Maybe now he's finally gotten tired of it and gone to play
somewhere else."
"I hope he's okay. It can be dangerous all alone," Shadow Lina remarked.
"Xellos is fine!" Filia assured them. "He's probably out throwing kittens down a well or
something…"
"YOU!"
They all turned to see a man in a chef's hat pointing a rather large kitchen knife at Shadow
Lina.
"Um…Hi?" Shadow Lina tried with a short wave.
The chef was suddenly backed up by several men in waiter's uniforms, all brandishing a
rolling pin or some other form of make-shift weapon. The Flaming Heroes soon found themselves
surrounded.
"You red-headed eating machine of death!" the chef cried. "First you eat up my entire
inventory, then you run out on the check, NOW YOU HAVE THE GALL TO COME BACK?!"
Shadow Lina did what she usually did in cases like this.
She sniffled and started to cry.
"Now wait a second!" Amara cried. "What are you talking about?! We've never even
been to this town before!"
"Don't try to con your way out of it!" the chef screamed. "That little witch owes me three
hundred goldpieces!"
"WHAT?!"
"But how could that be!?" Filia asked.
Meanwhile…
As the group started down into the gully in an attempt to reach Carvalho before nightfall,
Gourry leaned over to Lina and whispered. "Oi, Lina…What about after we get there? How are
we going to pay for a place to stay?"
Lina waved the thought aside. "Don't worry. I still have some money left."
"I thought our stay at Saldellia wiped us out," Amelia remarked.
"Nah!" Lina said with a grin. "The chef tried to cheat me on the breakfast buffet!" Her face
grew serious. "Tried to make me pay DOUBLE! So on our last morning, I dashed on him…"
"YOU PULLED A DINE AND DASH?!" Amelia cried.
"THE SIGN SAID 'ALL YOU CAN EAT!'" Lina threw back. "He was just mad because I
took him up on it!"
"Oh, Miss Lina…" Sylphiel whispered, shaking her head.
Back in Saldellia…
As the angry inn staff closed in on the Flaming Heroes, Shadow Lina did the only thing she
could to defend herself…
She sniffled and started to cry.
Naga, however, had a better idea. "Jeffrey," she began, "The crazy, knife-wielding maniac
wants to hurt Lina. How does that make you feel?"
Jeffrey growled and drew Razor Blade. "YOU FOUL-HEARTED BEASTS!" he cried at
the wait staff. "FEEL THE WRATH OF RAZOR BLADE!!" He screamed and charged them,
taking a mighty swing at them!
At which point one of the waiters tripped him, knocked him to the ground, and began
pummeling Jeffrey with three of his buddies.
The fight lasted for more than a minute. Naga kept tapping her foot, her eye twitching.
"Where the Hell is Josephine?!" she cried finally.
"I don't think Miss Josephine is coming back," Shadow Lina remarked quietly.
Naga sighed. "Wonderful…"
Filia growled as she attacked the soaking plates before her. Dish washing…DISH
WASHING! She had gone from priestess of the Fire Dragon King to DISH WASHER! How
could this have happened?! HOW?! Why was SHE so unfortunate!?
AND WHY WASN'T NAGA WORKING WITH THEM?!
Of course, as usual, Amara was making things worse.
"And you scrub the dish!" Amara sang, "And you add some soap!" She dunked the plate in
the sink. "And then you washawashawashawasha!"
The younger dragon growled and smacked Amara in the back of the head! "Will you cut
that out!?" Filia demanded.
"And then you washawashawashawasha!" Shadow Lina sang from the other side of her.
"Great! Now you've got HER doing it!" Filia cried, pulling off her hairnet.
"Never fear! Naga is here!"
They all turned to see their employer's scantily clad form, complete with hairnet and dish
gloves standing at the kitchen entrance.
"Where have you been?" Filia asked irritably.
"I have been out finding our salvation!" Naga exclaimed. She pulled a folded piece of
paper from between her breasts and unfolded it, holding out to them.
"KARAOKE AND DANCE CONTEST?!" the Flaming Heroes asked in confusion,
reading the paper.
"The grand prize is five hundred gold coins!" Naga replied gleefully. "That's more than
enough to put us on top!"
"No! No way! Forget it!" Filia cried. "Let's just do our dishes and leave!"
"Fine," Naga said with a shrug. "But according to the chef, all five of us working here full
time will still take a week to earn enough to pay off that debt!"
"What did you eat, anyway?!" Filia asked Shadow Lina sharply. The shadow cringed.
"If we all enter, one of us is bound to win!"
"Well…" Filia began unsure of herself, "I guess I can sing…"
"So can I!" Shadow Lina replied, throwing her hand up excitedly.
"My Mommy taught me to dance!" Jeffrey said in support.
"I'll try!" Amara threw in.
"Then it's settled," Xellos spoke up from behind Naga.
"Lord Xellos!" Amara cried, stars dancing in her eyes. Filia just growled to herself, her
eye twitching spasmodically. "Where have you been?!" the older dragon asked worriedly. "We
fear for your safety!"
Xellos actually looked uncomfortable. "I had some thinking to do…" He looked up as
Filia started marching toward him, rage all over her face. "Ah! Filia chan! Going to give me a
welcome back kiss!?" He grinned.
She reached out suddenly and grabbed him by the ear, yanking him towards the sink. "Get
over here and do your part, namagomi!" she snarled at him. She put a hairnet over his head and
put a sponge in his hand.
"Yareyare…"
"Excellent!" Naga cried joyfully. "Tonight we end our indentured servitude and set back
upon our road to GLORY!!! OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!"
Wesley Gusher sat behind his little table and helped new contestants register for the
Karaoke and Dance contest. Every year it was the same old thing. The high-class, well-to-do
vacationers would sign up, stumble threw a few lines of "Give a Reason," then claim their five
hundred gold coin prize which usually went to tip the stable boy since the vacationers were usually
rich enough not to need it.
It was always so boring…
He looked up as a shadow fell over his table.
"Um…Is the circus in town or something?"
Naga smiled while the other Flaming Heroes sighed. "No," she said. "We're here to
register."
He looked over these new contestants. A scantily clad woman with giant breasts. A set of
blondes. A redhead. A creepy guy in black robes. And a man dressed like Prince Phil on a bad
day.
A smile spread across Wesley's face. "Of course!" he said brightly. "Just sign up here
and what you're going to perform! Please remember that you can sing and dance ONCE. No one
can sing twice or dance twice. Got it?"
"No problem!" Naga cried, grabbing a pen and signing up under the singing section along
with the name of the song she'd be performing. Shadow Lina was next, also signing up to sing.
Jeffrey signed up to dance. Filia and Amara were next, signing up to sing a duet.
That left Xellos.
The trickster priest took the clipboard and looked over it. "Hmmm…'Reflection,'" he
read. He mumbled over a few other titles and stifled a laugh.
"Will you just sign up for something!?" Filia demanded impatiently.
Xellos grinned. "Of course, Little Dragon." He clicked the pen and jotted down what he
would be doing. Signing his name with a flourish, he handed the clipboard back to Wesley.
"Now we're going to need costumes," Amara commented as the group started down the
hall. Xellos smiled and started after him when Wesley suddenly stopped him.
"Excuse me, Sir," the man said, holding up the clipboard. The others were already out of
earshot. "You forgot to put down your partner's name."
"Oh! Silly me!" Xellos cried. Taking the board and pen back he quickly jotted down the
name, 'Filia Ul Copt,' and handed it back to him.
"Which one was Miss Filia, if you don't mind my asking, Sir?" Wesley asked him.
"The blonde under the hat."
Wesley read over Xellos' entry again and swallowed, dabbing at his brow with a
handkerchief. "You're a lucky man, Sir," he commented.
"Yes! I suppose I am!" the priest remarked, whistling as he followed the others down the
hall.
Filia sat under a tree near the lake, watching quietly as Jeffrey helped Shadow Lina
rehearse. The redhead could actually SING. Filia never would've believed it if she hadn't heard
it herself. She watched as Shadow Lina started giggling at Jeffrey's attempt to dance. Apparently,
he was planning on doing some folk dance from his homeland…
Something about the river…
She sighed. Filia knew she would never have that kind of simple, pure relationship with a
man. Young love, for her, was over. She had baby Val to take care of and now Xellos to deal
with.
"Filia?"
Turning, she saw Amara approaching.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Filia told her. "Just depressed, I guess."
"Why?"
"You know," the dragon sighed, "I never really considered a love life. It wasn't until after
I left the temple and set up my shop that I began to realize that I could have one now." She
growled. "But why can't I attract NICE men!? Instead I get raw sewage like Xellos!"
"Lord Xellos would make a wonderful husband!" Amara retorted, coming to the Mazoku's
defense.
"Will you knock that off!?" Filia cried up at her angrily. "Dammit, Amara! Look past that
Amalgamationist brainwashing for a few seconds and see him for what he really is! He's a
monster!"
"I know he's a Mazoku," Amara told her calmly. "But I also know that they're the ideal
mates."
"You've really lost your mind," Filia growled.
"No! Seriously! I researched it!" Amara knelt on the ground next to Filia. "There's so
much you don't know about their race! Their culture!"
"They're incapable of love!"
"So what?!" Amara snapped angrily. Filia actually blinked in surprise at her tone.
"Love? LOVE?!" the older dragon demanded. "Love is a primitive chemical reaction that tricks
us into reproducing! It has no value!"
"How can you say that?" Filia whispered. "Love is…"
"What?!" Amara growled. "Beautiful? Wonderful? It's nothing more than a chain!
Mazoku are better off for not feeling it!"
Filia shook her head. "I refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe you could be in a
relationship without love! Let alone a marriage!"
Amara laughed.
LAUGHED.
Filia frowned. "You think Mazoku are so wonderful that you'd be willing to spend the rest
of your life with one!" she cried accusingly. "Why?! What could be so wonderful about
something so evil that you'd so willing throw yourself at one!"
"Because they are the PERFECT mates!" Amara hissed. Filia blinked. "A Mazoku male
is totally devoted to his mate because he views her as the means by which he becomes immortal!
The way that a piece of him will be present at the end of the world, what all Mazoku want! The
well being of the female SUPERCEDES his own! SHE becomes HIS life! A Mazoku male will
NEVER leave his mate! He will never put her at risk! He will never ignore her or betray her!"
Tears formed in the dragon's eyes and a sob crept up in her throat. "Never…never get angry and
hit her! Or tell her she's worthless!"
Filia's eyes were wide as she listened. "Amara…"
"And if protecting his mate means he has to die, he'll die!" Amara cried. "Because
SHE'S important to him! Important enough to…" The dragon broke off and jumped to her feet and
turned to leave.
"Amara! Wait!" Filia cried, reaching out to her sister.
"Love?!" Amara sobbed. She turned again and looked down at her sister, anger and pain
written all over her face. "Wake up, Filia! Love is just a dream!" With that, she started running
towards the inn.
Standing on a branch in the tree above them, Xellos watched Amara run off and sighed. He
could feel the feelings of pain emanating from the woman. He fed off them. Why not? They were
already there. He hadn't caused them or anything.
Xellos knew what he had just seen. The future. If he took Filia by force as Metallium
wanted, the dragon would feel the same anger, pain, and betrayal that Amara felt. And if he
didn't…
There were two rules in direct confrontation with one another in Xellos' mind, railing at
him to act as THEY dictated. One rule concerned a Mazoku's behavior toward his mate.
(Thou shalt not harm.)
Another concerned his relationship with his overlord, Metallium.
(Thou shalt not disobey.)
If only Filia were a Mazoku woman. It was EXPECTED of a male to be forced to take a
Mazoku mate by force. Necessary. Hell, vital to his survival!
But Filia wasn't a Mazoku. And if he took her as Metallium had ordered, he'd be violating
that first rule.
If he didn't, he would be violating the second.
So which came first?
It was close, but he knew which rule had to be obeyed above all others. The rule
Shabranigdo had etched into their very beings when he first created them.
If only he could delay a little longer. If only Filia would come to him willingly. If only…
If only he hadn't been stupid enough, arrogant enough, to make that damn promise…
It no longer mattered. He couldn't disobey Metallium. It was a concept as alien to him as
love.
And he could no longer delay.
Wesley stepped out on stage and basked in the spotlight. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he
called out to the vacationers sitting at the various tables spaced around the dance floor below.
"Welcome to the Sixth Annual Saldellia Karaoke and Dance Contest!"
Polite applause wafted up at him in the form of golf claps.
"This year we have several…er…interesting…contestants. It's going to be a wonderful
night as we watch contestants from all over the world sing or dance or sometimes both for the
fabulous prize of FIVE HUNDRED GOLDPIECES!"
More polite clapping. The crowd was hardly enthused.
"This crowd is hardly enthused," Amara pointed out from offstage. Her costume was
nothing more than red frilly dress. Filia wore an exact duplicate of it except that hers was powder
blue. It gave the two dragons a very adorable look.
"Who's going on first?" Shadow Lina asked. Her costume was….odd. She wore a dark
red dress with blue and pink leggings and bunny ears.
Filia looked at the outfit and shook her head with a blink. "Now I know what color a
hangover is," she muttered to herself.
Naga held her violet kimono to herself and smiled. "Why don't you go first, Lina chan?"
she asked.
Shadow Lina eep'd. "Me?!"
"Why not?"
"Well…" The shadow twiddled her thumbs nervously.
"Yeah, Lina!" Jeffrey threw in. He wasn't in costume yet since he wouldn't have to go on
for awhile yet. "You'll be great!"
The sorceress went starry eyed.
"What are you singing anyway?" Amara asked.
"Just a song I used to see Luna Oneechan perform at her diner on karaoke night."
"Did she dress like that?" Naga asked.
Shadow Lina nodded. "It's part of the act."
"Act?" Filia asked.
"Oh yeah!" the shadow said with a smile. "I spent the last two hours setting it all up!"
"Good!" Naga grinned. "Now get out there!" She grabbed the shadow by her bunny ears
and threw out on stage. "This is going to be GOOD," she muttered evilly.
Shadow Lina blinked at the bright lights and cleared her throat. "Um…Hi," she greeted the
crowd. "I…um…Would like to sing you a song my Luna Oneechan always liked to sing called
'Reflection'…." She cleared her throat again and began to sing softly…
"towaku chikaku naki kawasu toritatsu ga
mezame no asa o tsugeteiru
omoi tobira o ake hanatsu toki ga kita…"
That's when the fireworks went off, and suddenly the band's soft tune was replaced by
hard rock! Rockets burst bright pink in the air above the stage!
"Iku tabi tonaku kurikaesu tamashii no senritsu ni
katamukeru kokoro mo naku samayotteiru
nando tonaku otozureru kinou to asu no aida
kyou to iu hioki kisari ni mirai ni naiteru!"
The crowd was out of their seats, cheering. Backstage, Naga, Filia, and Amara's mouths
were hanging.
"Um…How are we supposed to top that?" Amara asked.
Naga growled. "Even her shadow is an overachiever hogging the spotlight…"
As Shadow Lina ended her song, she bowed. The crowd was applauding enthusiastically,
throwing flowers up on stage. The shadow giggled and waved as a giant hook reached out from
backstage and dragged her away.
"I think they really liked it!" Shadow Lina cried happily.
The three other women glared down at her.
"Um…" The shadow sighed. "I'm sorry."
Up next was a group of young girls wearing fukus singing something they called "Moonlight
Densetsu." They left the stage with just as much applause as Shadow Lina had.
"They were pretty good," Shadow Lina commented sadly.
"That's all right!" Jeffrey announced. He stepped forward and threw his tunic aside,
wrapping a red headband around his head. "I'm on now!"
Shadow Lina saw Jeffrey's bare chest and fainted away, a trace of blood on her nose. The
bare-chested man walked onto the stage to sound of bagpipes and flutes. Wesley's voice
introduced him.
"Next up is Jeffrey! He will be performing his country's ode to the river, the
RIVERDANCE!!!"
As the music started to play, Jeffrey placed his hands on his hips and began a complicated
movement with his feet, sometimes kicking out with them, other times merely tapping them against
the ground in a quick rhythm.
"This…is DANCING?" Filia asked, her eyebrow twitching.
"I don't feel so good," Amara commented, visibly pale.
Shadow Lina had a different view. "AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!" she screamed in her highest
pitch, her hands clasped in front of her in delight.
The music reached a more urgent pitch. Jeffrey's feet were flying, his hands still firmly on
his hips. Suddenly, the music stopped, and he bowed. The crowd was…awed…to say the least.
"Er…" Wesley's voice was heard. "Let's hear it for Jeffrey! Lord of the Dance!"
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" Shadow Lina squealed. "JEFFREY! JEFFREY! JEFFREY!"
She jumped up and down and cupped her hands around her mouth. "IF YOU LOVE JEFFREY,
SAY 'HEY-AY!'" She was finally silenced as Naga tied the belt of her kimono around her head
and gagged her.
"Well…We're next," Amara said with a smile.
Xellos suddenly appeared behind Filia. "Break a leg, Little Dragon!"
Filia growled and started out onstage. "I'll break a leg, alright," she muttered. "One of
YOUR legs…"
"Next up on our Talent Train," Wesley announced. "The Kawaii Dragon Sisters!"
The two blondes cleared their throats and started their duet.
"Somewhere in the world,
Somewhere in the dark,
I can hear the voice that calls my name,
Might be a memory,
Might be a future,
Might be a love waiting for me…"
"Wow! Miss Filia and Miss Amara are great!" Jeffrey commented.
"Yes, they certainly are," Xellos muttered in agreement, resisting the urge to toss a handful
of marbles out onto the stage. After a few minutes, the sisters finished to the applause of the
audience.
"You guys were great!" Shadow Lina cried as they came back stage.
"Thank you!" Filia and Amara replied happily, bowing to them.
They watched as several more contestants went on. Some were pretty good. Others just
stank. One of them, however, they thought might be competition.
Naga stalked onto the stage in her purple kimono. "Don't worry, I'll handle this!" she
assured them.
"What do you think Miss Naga is going to sing?" Shadow Lina asked them.
The others shrugged.
Standing up on stage, a serene look on her face, Naga held the clasp of her kimono, looking
very angelic and vulnerable. A soft melody started to play in the background. She stood there as
the audience waited.
Just like Shadow Lina, Naga had a surprise for the audience. The music suddenly took on a
faster tempo, and Naga acted! Ripping her violet kimono off, she revealed her usual tight, leather
outfit! Suddenly, there was a sharp *whi-CRACK!* as the coiled leather bullwhip in her hand
cracked resoundingly across the stage!
"Iya desu wa dame desu wa
anata to mo arou o-kata ga
BAKEMONO no yuuwaku ni
o-kokoro o midasareru nante!"
Her voice was sultry and alluring, but every so often, she would viciously crack the whip
over the heads of the audience!
The Flaming Heroes backstage were blinking in shock. "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF
SONG IS THAT?!" Filia cried.
Xellos was reading over a program he found. "'Ojou Sama To Oyoubi,'" he informed
them, reading from the pamphlet. He grinned at them. "'Call Me Princess!'"
The song ended with several cracks of the whip and Naga bowing. Although her
performance was flawless, only half of the audience stood up and applauded…The female half…
"What do you think?" Filia asked nervously. "Do you think one of us did it?" She did
NOT want to be stuck doing dishes for a whole week.
"It's close," Naga remarked quietly.
"Oh, what are we going to do if we lose?" Filia cried. "I HATE doing dishes!"
"Luckily for us, Filia chan, we still have one last shot!"
The dragon turned to Xellos and eyed him suspiciously.
"After all," Xellos said with a smile. "We haven't done OUR performance yet."
"You say 'we' pretty liberally, namagomi," Filia growled.
"Yes, well, there IS a reason for that…"
Before Filia could reply, Wesley's voice echoed through the auditorium. "Last but
certainly not least! Xellos Metallium and Filia Ul Copt shall be performing…THE BANGO
TANGO!!"
Filia turned to the priest, her face pale and sporting a look of abject terror. "What have
you done?!" she whispered in horror.
The audience was cheering and whistling. Naga smacked her fist into her palm. "Yes!
We can still win this! OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"No! No way!" Filia cried, backing herself into a corner and drawing her mace. "There
is no way I'm going to…to…" She dropped her voice to a whisper as if ashamed to say it out
loud. "Dirty dance!"
"Come on, Filia!" Naga urged. "Take one for the team!"
"NO! Not this time! I refuse to…to…subject myself to…TO THAT NAMAGOMI'S
TOUCH!"
"I'll do it."
They all turned to see Amara there, a determined look on her face. "Amara?!" Filia cried.
"I'll dance with Lord Xellos!" the older dragon assured them. "I can pass as Filia!"
"Forget it!" Filia growled. "I won't have you dance with that trash! Who knows what
kind of ideas you'll get!"
"But Filia chan," Xellos said with a grin, "If you're not going to do it, then we have no
choice but to accept Miss Amara's offer."
Filia grit her teeth. She glared at the Mazoku. "I hate you so very very much," she said
quietly.
Xellos smiled. "I know," he whispered.
"But it doesn't matter!" Filia cried triumphantly. "Because I don't know how to tango! So
there!" She stuck her nose into the air and hmmph'd.
Xellos grinned. "I know how."
"Then it's enough to fake," Naga said with a grin. She started towards Filia and cracked
her knuckles.
"Wh…What are you doing?!" Filia asked fearfully as Naga reached out and placed a hand
on the dragon's shoulder.
"LEVITATION!"
Filia eep'd as she found herself floating an inch above the ground.
"There!" Naga announced proudly. "Now all you have to do is let Xellos sweep you off
your feet!"
"This is insane!" Filia screamed. Xellos took her arm and started to pull her outside to the
dance floor. The dragon tried to struggle, but her feet wouldn't touch the ground, making it futile.
"Stop this!"
"Gambatte, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried after them.
The spot light struck them both, and Filia stopped fighting it. Making a scene wasn't going
to help. Xellos had a hold of her hand, pulling her to the dance floor. "Xellos," she said quietly,
"I hate you. I hate you so much, it physically hurts. As a matter of fact, my hatred of you is
probably the purest feeling I have."
Xellos smiled. "How wonderful of you to say, Filia chan!" He positioned her at the center
of the dance floor. Filia hmmph'd and stuck her nose into the air again. Her eyes snapped open as
she felt Xellos take her gloved hand. The music began to play, guitars strummed out a slow
melody. The Mazoku raised her hand and began to kiss it, moving up her arm. Filia recoiled and
tried to pull away, but with her feet still floating off the ground, she couldn't. The best she could
do was struggle.
The other Flaming Heroes, now sitting in the audience, watched this and sighed. "This
isn't going to work," Naga muttered. She snapped her fingers and ran up to the stage. Pushing
Wesley out of the way, she cleared her throat and held her hand out to the…"dancing"…couple.
"Behold!" she cried. "The story of the Demon and the Dragon as performed by Xellos
Metallica and Filia Ul Something! Narrated by Naga the White Serpent!
OOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"I can't believe Miss Naga actually found a way to make things worse," Amara uttered in
awe. Shadow Lina and Jeffrey nodded.
"Behold!" Naga cried again as Filia and Xellos struggled. The band was still playing. "It
twas one day that a Mazoku prince fell deeply in love with a Dragon princess!"
"I HATE YOU! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Filia cried, swatting at Xellos with her hands.
"The princess doth did need convincing!" Naga continued. Taking this as a cue, Xellos
pulled Filia close to him. The dragon eep'd in surprise. Xellos raised her hand and started
kissing it again, moving up her arm to her face. Filia spun in the air, trying to get away, but Xellos
caught her and kissed the nape of her neck, moving his kisses down her other arm.
"LET GO OF ME! STOP IT!"
The Mazoku twirled Filia around as the music took on a more urgent tempo. Catching her
and wrapping an arm around her waist while holding her hand with the other, he pressed himself
against her and walked her backwards.
"The dragon princess doth did blush girlishly!" Naga continued to narrate.
"I AM NOT!" Filia cried up at the stage despite the fact that she WAS blushing.
She eeked as Xellos spun her again and caught her, dipping her low and moving so that his
lips were an inch from her neck. Filia swallowed nervously as she felt his breath tickle her skin.
"And the dragon princess was doth impassioned!"
"STOP SAYING 'DOTH!!'" the remaining Flaming Heroes yelled at Naga from the
audience.
"I AM NOT IMPASSIONED!" Filia screamed up at her.
"Though the dragon princess did doth try to deny it!"
Filia screamed in frustration.
Suddenly, Xellos pulled her upright and spun her again. Without warning, Filia's tail
popped out from beneath her dress.
"EEP! My tail!" she cried.
"Don't worry, Little Dragon," Xellos whispered into her ear. "I'm very good at
improvisation…" He reached around and drummed his fingers up and down her tail. Filia gasped
and turned deep red.
"Oh my," Amara said from the stands, blushing and looking away modestly. "Lord Xellos
is a bold one…"
"What do you mean?" Shadow Lina asked.
"You…um…see," Amara said in embarrassment. "Um…The tail is…um…" She leaned
down and whispered to the shadow. "An erogenous zone."
Shadow Lina turned bright red and began to fidget.
Filia started to sweat. "Would…would you please stop that?" she asked quietly. She
eeped as he spun her around so that her back was to him. His hands grabbed her waist and pulled
her into him. She was mortified to feel him moving his hips behind her.
She felt the Mazoku's breath on her ear as he started whispering something to her. If she
was red before, she was glowing in the dark now.
"And…um…the Mazoku prince did doth whisper…sweet nothings…to the dragon
princess!" Naga narrated.
A second later, Filia's tail whipped up and wrapped around Xellos of its own accord,
pulling him closer. The audience cheered.
"My my, Filia chan," Xellos whispered.
Filia was mortified. "I…I just did it to keep my balance!"
"Of course," he said, dancing with her to the right.
"I DID DOTH DID IT TO KEEP MY BALANCE!" Filia screamed.
"The dragon princess cried with was doth deep passion!" Naga added.
Xellos moved his hands up from Filia's hips to her stomach. She eeped and swatted at
them with her hands. "Stop it!" she hissed.
"And still the dragon princess doth did resist the Mazoku prince's advances!"
The music reached a new urgency as Xellos continued to move his hands upward. Filia
ack'd and swatted at them again. "StopitStopitStopit!" she hissed. Suddenly she found herself
twirled around and dipped again, her golden hair scraping the ground. Xellos leaned down until
his lips were an inch from hers.
Filia's breath caught in her throat. She swallowed nervously as she stared into those deep
purple, predatory eyes, like a rabbit staring into the eyes of a hungry lynx. He moved closer…
"And the dragon princess doth did submit!"
She closed her eyes…
The music stopped.
The audience applauded.
And Filia opened her eyes again to find Xellos smiling at her. He pulled her upright and
took a step back, bowing deeply. Filia blushed and tried to hurry off the dance floor, but was still
levitating. Suddenly, Amara and Shadow Lina appeared and helped her away. She was still
breathing hard and sweating profusely.
The audience was still cheering. Naga was bowing from the stage, taking the majority of
the credit. "Thank you! Thank you!" she cried.
The audience was throwing roses at Xellos as he bowed to them from the center of the
dance floor. Amara helped Filia into a chair. The dragon was blinking as if coming to from a
severe blow to the head.
"Wow, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried. "That was great!"
Filia blinked. Suddenly she gasped and took Amara by the front of her dress. "Amara!
I…I didn't…Did I?! I didn't…kiss him….Did I!?"
Amara smiled. "Filia chan…"
"ANSWER ME!"
"No…No, you didn't," Amara told her in confusion. "But you wanted to." She grinned.
"I DID NOT!"
"Well, folks, I think it's easy to see the winner here!" Wesley announced from onstage.
"First place goes to Xellos Metallium and Filia Ul Copt!"
(I can't believe it!) Filia thought to herself. (I was about to…I wanted him to…) She
looked up and saw Xellos and Naga accept the award trophy and the money that went with it.
(How can this be?)
Filia put the brush down and looked at herself in the mirror. She took a breath as she
remembered what had transpired only a few hours before. How she had almost…wanted…to
kiss….
No! That wasn't possible! There was no way she could ever be attracted to a monster like
him!
She sighed and got up, preparing for bed. Trying to make sense of it when she was tired
wasn't going to help any.
Watching Filia from his perch in the tree, Xellos took a breath. Now. He had to do it now.
Dancing with her like that, being so close to her had aroused him more than anything else ever had.
Not death, not destruction, not the purest, blackest emotions had ever done this to him. Her scent
had nearly driven him over the edge. He wanted her. Zelas had ordered him to take her.
It was time. If he was going to do it, he'd have to do it now.
In a flash of darkness, he disappeared and reappeared unnoticed in a shadowed corner of
her room. She was pulling the blanket on her bed back, preparing to climb into it for the night.
Her scent filled his nostrils, even more potent than before.
Her back remained to him as he stepped quietly towards her. His every sensation now had
something to do with her. His focus was on her and her alone. He doubted that he could defend
himself right now if forced into a fight. It wouldn't surprise him if that naïve shadow could take
him if she chose.
He needed her. Period.
So enthralled with her, he didn't notice her hat lying on the floor until his foot brushed it.
The bangles on it jingled quietly, but it was enough. Filia started to turn, and Xellos pounced!
She tried to cry out as he embraced her, sealing his mouth over hers and kissing her. Her
scream for help became a muffled cry as her hands flailed about, unsure of what to do with
themselves.
A second later she was on her back on the bed. Their lips separated. She looked up at him
fearfully. "Xellos!" she gasped.
Whispering his name that way only fed his desire. She started to rise again, but he pinned
her hands above her head. He was practically shaking in want, but there was still something
wrong, something that made him pause.
She wasn't fighting. She was looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
"You promised," she whispered. An accusation. "You promised me."
Every tendril of astral energy in his being screamed for him to take her, to fuse with her
and take her as his mate. A thousand years of being a Mazoku had led him to this. He wanted
her…NEEDED her…
She didn't struggle. She stared.
(TAKE HER!) his mind and body screamed. (YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS! THERE'S
NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THEM! TAKE HER!)
Still she stared up at him. Her eyes boring into him.
He grit his teeth and growled in anger and frustration.
(TAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHER!!!!!)
With a scream of rage…
He disappeared.
Filia swallowed nervously and sighed in relief. She closed her eyes. He almost…He was
going to… She took a deep breath.
So what stopped him?
She heard something and turned. Amara was standing in the doorway, looking
embarrassed.
"It..It's not what you think!" Filia began immediately.
Amara turned and walked back down the hall. Filia watched her go and blinked.
He had come to her room to take her by force….So how come SHE felt as if she had done
something wrong?
She found him behind the inn near the hot springs. He was leaning against a boulder,
shaking.
"Lord Xellos?" she called out quietly.
Amara saw him straighten and try to compose himself. "M…Miss Amara…" he said in
greeting. He turned and smiled. "Is…there something I can do for you?"
She took a hesitant step forward. "I…saw what happened…In my sister's room," she
whispered.
Xellos smiled. "And you are here to avenge your sister's honor?" He sounded amused.
"You're in Peak, aren't you?" she asked suddenly.
His smile slipped. "There's no way you could know about that," he said quietly.
"The Amalgamationists," she began, "The Amalgamationists know much more than my
sister or the Mazoku are willing to give us credit for. But even if I had just guessed, you're
expression would have been enough to confirm it. You're in Peak."
He turned away from her. "Really, Miss Amara," he said in amusement. "Peak…is
nothing more than a story made up by mundanes to justify sappy fairy tales like the one Miss Naga
told tonight." He turned back to her and grinned.
"You've chosen my sister as a mate," she said, ignoring his obvious lie. "But…she
doesn't understand." She moved closer. "Allow me to be her surrogate," she whispered. "It's the
perfect arrangement. After all…I WANT a Mazoku husband…"
She reached out and touched his arm. Suddenly, her wrist was in his hand, being squeezed
viciously. She whimpered and looked up at him.
"Miss Amara," he said quietly, looking down at her with an angry frown. "I respect the
fact that you are more tolerant of our ways…But you…are NOT…my MATE!" He tossed her to
the ground and continued to glare. She looked up at him, trying to control her fear. "Betray Filia?"
he growled. "Betray my chosen mate? NEVER!" he hissed. "Do you hear me? NEVER!"
"Lord Xellos, I meant no disrespect!" Amara begged. "As much as we have learned of the
Mazoku, there are some things we are still unaware of! I did not mean to insult you!"
"I am hers!" he continued, hissing like an enraged snake. "HERS!" He was shaking in
rage now. "Hers," he said again, falling to his knees.
"Lord Xellos? Are you all right?"
He seemed to come to his senses a second later. "Miss Amara? Yes! Yes, of course! I'm
fine. I…apologize for my rudeness."
"It's all right," she told him sympathetically.
"Will…will you excuse me?" he begged in a haunted whisper. "I'm suddenly not feeling
like myself." He rose to his feet and started to walk away, leaning on his staff.
"I…I AM sorry, Lord Xellos!" she called after him. "I was…wrong…to try to place
myself between you and my sister. Forgive me, please!"
He didn't answer. Either he didn't hear her or he didn't care. Xellos half walked, half
stumbled out of the courtyard, past the inn, and into the street. He leaned against the outer wall of
the inn and tried to focus his eyes. This was more than he had counted on. It was getting worse.
Far worse.
Once reaching Peak, Mazoku were not supposed to go without a mate for this long. He
didn't know why this would weaken him. Perhaps it was something Shabranigdo had added to
each of them to make sure that only the strongest, that only the Mazoku worthy of reproducing
would survive.
His staff clicked on the cobblestone street as he hobbled down the road. She had done it.
She had beaten him.
He fell to his knees in the street. His vision was blurry. After surviving for so long,
defeating so many, destroying so many more…to be beaten now by her…
She really was worthy of his respect.
Caught in his own web. Sweet Ruby Eye, the irony was choking him.
"You're pretty pathetic, Xelly boy."
He looked up and found Metallium standing over him shaking her head. She wore a black
trench coat and a fedora, apparently enjoying the secret rendezvous act. His vision went in and out
of focus.
The Mazoku overlord knelt next to him. "You disobeyed me," she accused him quietly.
"Do you see now? Do you see what that causes?"
It dawned on him. Peak was what was affecting his emotional balance…but it was his
crime that was causing him to weaken.
He had broken the first law of being a Mazoku.
He had disobeyed his overlord.
"A thousand years, Xellos," she whispered to him. "A thousand years of perfect loyalty.
Perfect efficiency. You brought killing to new heights. Turned manipulation into a form of art."
He could barely make out her face.
She shook her head. "To be brought down by this," she whispered. "Here lies Xellos!"
she cried, standing up and throwing her hands into the air. "Destroyer of Dragons! Harbringer of
Death! General Priest of the Great Beastmaster Metallium!" She turned and knelt next to him
again. "Died for want of a fuck!" she hissed bitterly.
Xellos rolled onto his back, barely breathing. His astral form was beginning to seep away.
Metallium growled and stood up angrily. "Humans!" she cried. "It was your constant
contact with them! Your eccentric fascination that did this to you!" She shook her head bitterly as
he suffered on the street. "You disobeyed me," she hissed, pointing a finger at him. "You dug your
own grave! And for what!? Huh?! What was the prize!?"
"Re…"
She strained to listen as he gasped out a word.
"Re…spect…"
She snorted. He closed his eyes. "After all this time," she remarked. "For you to become
an embarrassment to me now." The Beastmaster shook her head. "I never would have
imagined…" She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
With a sharp crack, Xellos' staff broke in two.
He cried out in pain and curled up into a ball.
"You are no longer my vassal," she whispered. "I acknowledge no part of you. From this
time forward, you are NOTHING to me. You will have no support. No contact with me or my
Mazoku. You are a thing. Unworthy of seeing the end of everything. Live…Die…It's no longer
my concern."
She turned and started to walk away.
"Ma…jesty…" he whispered after her. "Please," he begged.
"Do yourself a favor, Xellos No Name," she told him without turning. "Die quickly."
In a flash of darkness, she was gone.
Lightning flashed overhead. Rain began to fall, and Xellos No Name, lay in the street as
the rain soaked him.
If anyone had been foolish enough to be out in a storm such as that, and if one's ears were
keen enough, one might have heard the sound of sobbing. But as no one was that foolish, or had
such keen hearing…
No one heard a sound.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
Okay, songs! Yes, I know they were in Japanese, and I'm sorry, but since music is such an integral
part of Slayers, and given that that music is almost always in Japanese, I just wouldn't have felt
right having them sing translations.
Shadow Lina sang "Reflection," by Megumi Hayashibara, the end song of my favorite Slayers
movie, "Slayers: Great!"
Jeffrey, of course, performed the River Dance.
The Kawaii Dragon Sisters performed, "Somewhere," the English version of Filia's image song.
Naga performed "Ojou Sama To Oyoubi," a song from Tenchi Muyo performed by Yumi Takada.
Special thanks goes out to the people at Anime Lyrics.com. http://www.animelyrics.com/ and my
prereaders, Fish chan, Sethra chan, and Cav. Thanks guys. ^_^
NAGA: You know, I've never been accused of a crime I've never committed before. Usually, all
the crimes I'm accused of were actually committed by me!
SHADOW LINA: I don't REMEMBER pulling a dine and dash….Oh well! Whatever!
FILIA: "Whatever?!" How are we going to pay this bill!?
XELLOS: Did somebody say… "tango?!"
Faces: After!
Part 15
Contest!
Both of You Dance Like You Wanna Win!
"Saldellia!" Naga announced grandly, throwing her arms wide. "Vacation capital of the
world! Well…at least this part of it, anyway…"
The other Flaming Heroes ooh'd and ahh'd at the many luxury resorts up and down the main
thoroughfare.
"I don't care how wonderful it is," Filia said in exhaustion. "It took us a week to get here.
I just want a hot bath and a warm bed." She counted to three. "SHUT UP, NAMAGOMI!" she
screamed at the three count, pulling her mace. "Huh?" she asked blinking. She had mentioned a
bath and a bed, and Xellos HADN'T tried to weasel his way into either of them with what he liked
to call his 'charm?'
"Lord Xellos disappeared again," Amara commented, looking from side to side. "He's
been doing that a lot lately. I hope everything is all right."
Filia sniffed. "It just proves that all that stuff he said about wanting to be near me was just
another of his twisted little games! Maybe now he's finally gotten tired of it and gone to play
somewhere else."
"I hope he's okay. It can be dangerous all alone," Shadow Lina remarked.
"Xellos is fine!" Filia assured them. "He's probably out throwing kittens down a well or
something…"
"YOU!"
They all turned to see a man in a chef's hat pointing a rather large kitchen knife at Shadow
Lina.
"Um…Hi?" Shadow Lina tried with a short wave.
The chef was suddenly backed up by several men in waiter's uniforms, all brandishing a
rolling pin or some other form of make-shift weapon. The Flaming Heroes soon found themselves
surrounded.
"You red-headed eating machine of death!" the chef cried. "First you eat up my entire
inventory, then you run out on the check, NOW YOU HAVE THE GALL TO COME BACK?!"
Shadow Lina did what she usually did in cases like this.
She sniffled and started to cry.
"Now wait a second!" Amara cried. "What are you talking about?! We've never even
been to this town before!"
"Don't try to con your way out of it!" the chef screamed. "That little witch owes me three
hundred goldpieces!"
"WHAT?!"
"But how could that be!?" Filia asked.
Meanwhile…
As the group started down into the gully in an attempt to reach Carvalho before nightfall,
Gourry leaned over to Lina and whispered. "Oi, Lina…What about after we get there? How are
we going to pay for a place to stay?"
Lina waved the thought aside. "Don't worry. I still have some money left."
"I thought our stay at Saldellia wiped us out," Amelia remarked.
"Nah!" Lina said with a grin. "The chef tried to cheat me on the breakfast buffet!" Her face
grew serious. "Tried to make me pay DOUBLE! So on our last morning, I dashed on him…"
"YOU PULLED A DINE AND DASH?!" Amelia cried.
"THE SIGN SAID 'ALL YOU CAN EAT!'" Lina threw back. "He was just mad because I
took him up on it!"
"Oh, Miss Lina…" Sylphiel whispered, shaking her head.
Back in Saldellia…
As the angry inn staff closed in on the Flaming Heroes, Shadow Lina did the only thing she
could to defend herself…
She sniffled and started to cry.
Naga, however, had a better idea. "Jeffrey," she began, "The crazy, knife-wielding maniac
wants to hurt Lina. How does that make you feel?"
Jeffrey growled and drew Razor Blade. "YOU FOUL-HEARTED BEASTS!" he cried at
the wait staff. "FEEL THE WRATH OF RAZOR BLADE!!" He screamed and charged them,
taking a mighty swing at them!
At which point one of the waiters tripped him, knocked him to the ground, and began
pummeling Jeffrey with three of his buddies.
The fight lasted for more than a minute. Naga kept tapping her foot, her eye twitching.
"Where the Hell is Josephine?!" she cried finally.
"I don't think Miss Josephine is coming back," Shadow Lina remarked quietly.
Naga sighed. "Wonderful…"
Filia growled as she attacked the soaking plates before her. Dish washing…DISH
WASHING! She had gone from priestess of the Fire Dragon King to DISH WASHER! How
could this have happened?! HOW?! Why was SHE so unfortunate!?
AND WHY WASN'T NAGA WORKING WITH THEM?!
Of course, as usual, Amara was making things worse.
"And you scrub the dish!" Amara sang, "And you add some soap!" She dunked the plate in
the sink. "And then you washawashawashawasha!"
The younger dragon growled and smacked Amara in the back of the head! "Will you cut
that out!?" Filia demanded.
"And then you washawashawashawasha!" Shadow Lina sang from the other side of her.
"Great! Now you've got HER doing it!" Filia cried, pulling off her hairnet.
"Never fear! Naga is here!"
They all turned to see their employer's scantily clad form, complete with hairnet and dish
gloves standing at the kitchen entrance.
"Where have you been?" Filia asked irritably.
"I have been out finding our salvation!" Naga exclaimed. She pulled a folded piece of
paper from between her breasts and unfolded it, holding out to them.
"KARAOKE AND DANCE CONTEST?!" the Flaming Heroes asked in confusion,
reading the paper.
"The grand prize is five hundred gold coins!" Naga replied gleefully. "That's more than
enough to put us on top!"
"No! No way! Forget it!" Filia cried. "Let's just do our dishes and leave!"
"Fine," Naga said with a shrug. "But according to the chef, all five of us working here full
time will still take a week to earn enough to pay off that debt!"
"What did you eat, anyway?!" Filia asked Shadow Lina sharply. The shadow cringed.
"If we all enter, one of us is bound to win!"
"Well…" Filia began unsure of herself, "I guess I can sing…"
"So can I!" Shadow Lina replied, throwing her hand up excitedly.
"My Mommy taught me to dance!" Jeffrey said in support.
"I'll try!" Amara threw in.
"Then it's settled," Xellos spoke up from behind Naga.
"Lord Xellos!" Amara cried, stars dancing in her eyes. Filia just growled to herself, her
eye twitching spasmodically. "Where have you been?!" the older dragon asked worriedly. "We
fear for your safety!"
Xellos actually looked uncomfortable. "I had some thinking to do…" He looked up as
Filia started marching toward him, rage all over her face. "Ah! Filia chan! Going to give me a
welcome back kiss!?" He grinned.
She reached out suddenly and grabbed him by the ear, yanking him towards the sink. "Get
over here and do your part, namagomi!" she snarled at him. She put a hairnet over his head and
put a sponge in his hand.
"Yareyare…"
"Excellent!" Naga cried joyfully. "Tonight we end our indentured servitude and set back
upon our road to GLORY!!! OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!"
Wesley Gusher sat behind his little table and helped new contestants register for the
Karaoke and Dance contest. Every year it was the same old thing. The high-class, well-to-do
vacationers would sign up, stumble threw a few lines of "Give a Reason," then claim their five
hundred gold coin prize which usually went to tip the stable boy since the vacationers were usually
rich enough not to need it.
It was always so boring…
He looked up as a shadow fell over his table.
"Um…Is the circus in town or something?"
Naga smiled while the other Flaming Heroes sighed. "No," she said. "We're here to
register."
He looked over these new contestants. A scantily clad woman with giant breasts. A set of
blondes. A redhead. A creepy guy in black robes. And a man dressed like Prince Phil on a bad
day.
A smile spread across Wesley's face. "Of course!" he said brightly. "Just sign up here
and what you're going to perform! Please remember that you can sing and dance ONCE. No one
can sing twice or dance twice. Got it?"
"No problem!" Naga cried, grabbing a pen and signing up under the singing section along
with the name of the song she'd be performing. Shadow Lina was next, also signing up to sing.
Jeffrey signed up to dance. Filia and Amara were next, signing up to sing a duet.
That left Xellos.
The trickster priest took the clipboard and looked over it. "Hmmm…'Reflection,'" he
read. He mumbled over a few other titles and stifled a laugh.
"Will you just sign up for something!?" Filia demanded impatiently.
Xellos grinned. "Of course, Little Dragon." He clicked the pen and jotted down what he
would be doing. Signing his name with a flourish, he handed the clipboard back to Wesley.
"Now we're going to need costumes," Amara commented as the group started down the
hall. Xellos smiled and started after him when Wesley suddenly stopped him.
"Excuse me, Sir," the man said, holding up the clipboard. The others were already out of
earshot. "You forgot to put down your partner's name."
"Oh! Silly me!" Xellos cried. Taking the board and pen back he quickly jotted down the
name, 'Filia Ul Copt,' and handed it back to him.
"Which one was Miss Filia, if you don't mind my asking, Sir?" Wesley asked him.
"The blonde under the hat."
Wesley read over Xellos' entry again and swallowed, dabbing at his brow with a
handkerchief. "You're a lucky man, Sir," he commented.
"Yes! I suppose I am!" the priest remarked, whistling as he followed the others down the
hall.
Filia sat under a tree near the lake, watching quietly as Jeffrey helped Shadow Lina
rehearse. The redhead could actually SING. Filia never would've believed it if she hadn't heard
it herself. She watched as Shadow Lina started giggling at Jeffrey's attempt to dance. Apparently,
he was planning on doing some folk dance from his homeland…
Something about the river…
She sighed. Filia knew she would never have that kind of simple, pure relationship with a
man. Young love, for her, was over. She had baby Val to take care of and now Xellos to deal
with.
"Filia?"
Turning, she saw Amara approaching.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Filia told her. "Just depressed, I guess."
"Why?"
"You know," the dragon sighed, "I never really considered a love life. It wasn't until after
I left the temple and set up my shop that I began to realize that I could have one now." She
growled. "But why can't I attract NICE men!? Instead I get raw sewage like Xellos!"
"Lord Xellos would make a wonderful husband!" Amara retorted, coming to the Mazoku's
defense.
"Will you knock that off!?" Filia cried up at her angrily. "Dammit, Amara! Look past that
Amalgamationist brainwashing for a few seconds and see him for what he really is! He's a
monster!"
"I know he's a Mazoku," Amara told her calmly. "But I also know that they're the ideal
mates."
"You've really lost your mind," Filia growled.
"No! Seriously! I researched it!" Amara knelt on the ground next to Filia. "There's so
much you don't know about their race! Their culture!"
"They're incapable of love!"
"So what?!" Amara snapped angrily. Filia actually blinked in surprise at her tone.
"Love? LOVE?!" the older dragon demanded. "Love is a primitive chemical reaction that tricks
us into reproducing! It has no value!"
"How can you say that?" Filia whispered. "Love is…"
"What?!" Amara growled. "Beautiful? Wonderful? It's nothing more than a chain!
Mazoku are better off for not feeling it!"
Filia shook her head. "I refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe you could be in a
relationship without love! Let alone a marriage!"
Amara laughed.
LAUGHED.
Filia frowned. "You think Mazoku are so wonderful that you'd be willing to spend the rest
of your life with one!" she cried accusingly. "Why?! What could be so wonderful about
something so evil that you'd so willing throw yourself at one!"
"Because they are the PERFECT mates!" Amara hissed. Filia blinked. "A Mazoku male
is totally devoted to his mate because he views her as the means by which he becomes immortal!
The way that a piece of him will be present at the end of the world, what all Mazoku want! The
well being of the female SUPERCEDES his own! SHE becomes HIS life! A Mazoku male will
NEVER leave his mate! He will never put her at risk! He will never ignore her or betray her!"
Tears formed in the dragon's eyes and a sob crept up in her throat. "Never…never get angry and
hit her! Or tell her she's worthless!"
Filia's eyes were wide as she listened. "Amara…"
"And if protecting his mate means he has to die, he'll die!" Amara cried. "Because
SHE'S important to him! Important enough to…" The dragon broke off and jumped to her feet and
turned to leave.
"Amara! Wait!" Filia cried, reaching out to her sister.
"Love?!" Amara sobbed. She turned again and looked down at her sister, anger and pain
written all over her face. "Wake up, Filia! Love is just a dream!" With that, she started running
towards the inn.
Standing on a branch in the tree above them, Xellos watched Amara run off and sighed. He
could feel the feelings of pain emanating from the woman. He fed off them. Why not? They were
already there. He hadn't caused them or anything.
Xellos knew what he had just seen. The future. If he took Filia by force as Metallium
wanted, the dragon would feel the same anger, pain, and betrayal that Amara felt. And if he
didn't…
There were two rules in direct confrontation with one another in Xellos' mind, railing at
him to act as THEY dictated. One rule concerned a Mazoku's behavior toward his mate.
(Thou shalt not harm.)
Another concerned his relationship with his overlord, Metallium.
(Thou shalt not disobey.)
If only Filia were a Mazoku woman. It was EXPECTED of a male to be forced to take a
Mazoku mate by force. Necessary. Hell, vital to his survival!
But Filia wasn't a Mazoku. And if he took her as Metallium had ordered, he'd be violating
that first rule.
If he didn't, he would be violating the second.
So which came first?
It was close, but he knew which rule had to be obeyed above all others. The rule
Shabranigdo had etched into their very beings when he first created them.
If only he could delay a little longer. If only Filia would come to him willingly. If only…
If only he hadn't been stupid enough, arrogant enough, to make that damn promise…
It no longer mattered. He couldn't disobey Metallium. It was a concept as alien to him as
love.
And he could no longer delay.
Wesley stepped out on stage and basked in the spotlight. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he
called out to the vacationers sitting at the various tables spaced around the dance floor below.
"Welcome to the Sixth Annual Saldellia Karaoke and Dance Contest!"
Polite applause wafted up at him in the form of golf claps.
"This year we have several…er…interesting…contestants. It's going to be a wonderful
night as we watch contestants from all over the world sing or dance or sometimes both for the
fabulous prize of FIVE HUNDRED GOLDPIECES!"
More polite clapping. The crowd was hardly enthused.
"This crowd is hardly enthused," Amara pointed out from offstage. Her costume was
nothing more than red frilly dress. Filia wore an exact duplicate of it except that hers was powder
blue. It gave the two dragons a very adorable look.
"Who's going on first?" Shadow Lina asked. Her costume was….odd. She wore a dark
red dress with blue and pink leggings and bunny ears.
Filia looked at the outfit and shook her head with a blink. "Now I know what color a
hangover is," she muttered to herself.
Naga held her violet kimono to herself and smiled. "Why don't you go first, Lina chan?"
she asked.
Shadow Lina eep'd. "Me?!"
"Why not?"
"Well…" The shadow twiddled her thumbs nervously.
"Yeah, Lina!" Jeffrey threw in. He wasn't in costume yet since he wouldn't have to go on
for awhile yet. "You'll be great!"
The sorceress went starry eyed.
"What are you singing anyway?" Amara asked.
"Just a song I used to see Luna Oneechan perform at her diner on karaoke night."
"Did she dress like that?" Naga asked.
Shadow Lina nodded. "It's part of the act."
"Act?" Filia asked.
"Oh yeah!" the shadow said with a smile. "I spent the last two hours setting it all up!"
"Good!" Naga grinned. "Now get out there!" She grabbed the shadow by her bunny ears
and threw out on stage. "This is going to be GOOD," she muttered evilly.
Shadow Lina blinked at the bright lights and cleared her throat. "Um…Hi," she greeted the
crowd. "I…um…Would like to sing you a song my Luna Oneechan always liked to sing called
'Reflection'…." She cleared her throat again and began to sing softly…
"towaku chikaku naki kawasu toritatsu ga
mezame no asa o tsugeteiru
omoi tobira o ake hanatsu toki ga kita…"
That's when the fireworks went off, and suddenly the band's soft tune was replaced by
hard rock! Rockets burst bright pink in the air above the stage!
"Iku tabi tonaku kurikaesu tamashii no senritsu ni
katamukeru kokoro mo naku samayotteiru
nando tonaku otozureru kinou to asu no aida
kyou to iu hioki kisari ni mirai ni naiteru!"
The crowd was out of their seats, cheering. Backstage, Naga, Filia, and Amara's mouths
were hanging.
"Um…How are we supposed to top that?" Amara asked.
Naga growled. "Even her shadow is an overachiever hogging the spotlight…"
As Shadow Lina ended her song, she bowed. The crowd was applauding enthusiastically,
throwing flowers up on stage. The shadow giggled and waved as a giant hook reached out from
backstage and dragged her away.
"I think they really liked it!" Shadow Lina cried happily.
The three other women glared down at her.
"Um…" The shadow sighed. "I'm sorry."
Up next was a group of young girls wearing fukus singing something they called "Moonlight
Densetsu." They left the stage with just as much applause as Shadow Lina had.
"They were pretty good," Shadow Lina commented sadly.
"That's all right!" Jeffrey announced. He stepped forward and threw his tunic aside,
wrapping a red headband around his head. "I'm on now!"
Shadow Lina saw Jeffrey's bare chest and fainted away, a trace of blood on her nose. The
bare-chested man walked onto the stage to sound of bagpipes and flutes. Wesley's voice
introduced him.
"Next up is Jeffrey! He will be performing his country's ode to the river, the
RIVERDANCE!!!"
As the music started to play, Jeffrey placed his hands on his hips and began a complicated
movement with his feet, sometimes kicking out with them, other times merely tapping them against
the ground in a quick rhythm.
"This…is DANCING?" Filia asked, her eyebrow twitching.
"I don't feel so good," Amara commented, visibly pale.
Shadow Lina had a different view. "AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!" she screamed in her highest
pitch, her hands clasped in front of her in delight.
The music reached a more urgent pitch. Jeffrey's feet were flying, his hands still firmly on
his hips. Suddenly, the music stopped, and he bowed. The crowd was…awed…to say the least.
"Er…" Wesley's voice was heard. "Let's hear it for Jeffrey! Lord of the Dance!"
"AIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!" Shadow Lina squealed. "JEFFREY! JEFFREY! JEFFREY!"
She jumped up and down and cupped her hands around her mouth. "IF YOU LOVE JEFFREY,
SAY 'HEY-AY!'" She was finally silenced as Naga tied the belt of her kimono around her head
and gagged her.
"Well…We're next," Amara said with a smile.
Xellos suddenly appeared behind Filia. "Break a leg, Little Dragon!"
Filia growled and started out onstage. "I'll break a leg, alright," she muttered. "One of
YOUR legs…"
"Next up on our Talent Train," Wesley announced. "The Kawaii Dragon Sisters!"
The two blondes cleared their throats and started their duet.
"Somewhere in the world,
Somewhere in the dark,
I can hear the voice that calls my name,
Might be a memory,
Might be a future,
Might be a love waiting for me…"
"Wow! Miss Filia and Miss Amara are great!" Jeffrey commented.
"Yes, they certainly are," Xellos muttered in agreement, resisting the urge to toss a handful
of marbles out onto the stage. After a few minutes, the sisters finished to the applause of the
audience.
"You guys were great!" Shadow Lina cried as they came back stage.
"Thank you!" Filia and Amara replied happily, bowing to them.
They watched as several more contestants went on. Some were pretty good. Others just
stank. One of them, however, they thought might be competition.
Naga stalked onto the stage in her purple kimono. "Don't worry, I'll handle this!" she
assured them.
"What do you think Miss Naga is going to sing?" Shadow Lina asked them.
The others shrugged.
Standing up on stage, a serene look on her face, Naga held the clasp of her kimono, looking
very angelic and vulnerable. A soft melody started to play in the background. She stood there as
the audience waited.
Just like Shadow Lina, Naga had a surprise for the audience. The music suddenly took on a
faster tempo, and Naga acted! Ripping her violet kimono off, she revealed her usual tight, leather
outfit! Suddenly, there was a sharp *whi-CRACK!* as the coiled leather bullwhip in her hand
cracked resoundingly across the stage!
"Iya desu wa dame desu wa
anata to mo arou o-kata ga
BAKEMONO no yuuwaku ni
o-kokoro o midasareru nante!"
Her voice was sultry and alluring, but every so often, she would viciously crack the whip
over the heads of the audience!
The Flaming Heroes backstage were blinking in shock. "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF
SONG IS THAT?!" Filia cried.
Xellos was reading over a program he found. "'Ojou Sama To Oyoubi,'" he informed
them, reading from the pamphlet. He grinned at them. "'Call Me Princess!'"
The song ended with several cracks of the whip and Naga bowing. Although her
performance was flawless, only half of the audience stood up and applauded…The female half…
"What do you think?" Filia asked nervously. "Do you think one of us did it?" She did
NOT want to be stuck doing dishes for a whole week.
"It's close," Naga remarked quietly.
"Oh, what are we going to do if we lose?" Filia cried. "I HATE doing dishes!"
"Luckily for us, Filia chan, we still have one last shot!"
The dragon turned to Xellos and eyed him suspiciously.
"After all," Xellos said with a smile. "We haven't done OUR performance yet."
"You say 'we' pretty liberally, namagomi," Filia growled.
"Yes, well, there IS a reason for that…"
Before Filia could reply, Wesley's voice echoed through the auditorium. "Last but
certainly not least! Xellos Metallium and Filia Ul Copt shall be performing…THE BANGO
TANGO!!"
Filia turned to the priest, her face pale and sporting a look of abject terror. "What have
you done?!" she whispered in horror.
The audience was cheering and whistling. Naga smacked her fist into her palm. "Yes!
We can still win this! OOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"No! No way!" Filia cried, backing herself into a corner and drawing her mace. "There
is no way I'm going to…to…" She dropped her voice to a whisper as if ashamed to say it out
loud. "Dirty dance!"
"Come on, Filia!" Naga urged. "Take one for the team!"
"NO! Not this time! I refuse to…to…subject myself to…TO THAT NAMAGOMI'S
TOUCH!"
"I'll do it."
They all turned to see Amara there, a determined look on her face. "Amara?!" Filia cried.
"I'll dance with Lord Xellos!" the older dragon assured them. "I can pass as Filia!"
"Forget it!" Filia growled. "I won't have you dance with that trash! Who knows what
kind of ideas you'll get!"
"But Filia chan," Xellos said with a grin, "If you're not going to do it, then we have no
choice but to accept Miss Amara's offer."
Filia grit her teeth. She glared at the Mazoku. "I hate you so very very much," she said
quietly.
Xellos smiled. "I know," he whispered.
"But it doesn't matter!" Filia cried triumphantly. "Because I don't know how to tango! So
there!" She stuck her nose into the air and hmmph'd.
Xellos grinned. "I know how."
"Then it's enough to fake," Naga said with a grin. She started towards Filia and cracked
her knuckles.
"Wh…What are you doing?!" Filia asked fearfully as Naga reached out and placed a hand
on the dragon's shoulder.
"LEVITATION!"
Filia eep'd as she found herself floating an inch above the ground.
"There!" Naga announced proudly. "Now all you have to do is let Xellos sweep you off
your feet!"
"This is insane!" Filia screamed. Xellos took her arm and started to pull her outside to the
dance floor. The dragon tried to struggle, but her feet wouldn't touch the ground, making it futile.
"Stop this!"
"Gambatte, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried after them.
The spot light struck them both, and Filia stopped fighting it. Making a scene wasn't going
to help. Xellos had a hold of her hand, pulling her to the dance floor. "Xellos," she said quietly,
"I hate you. I hate you so much, it physically hurts. As a matter of fact, my hatred of you is
probably the purest feeling I have."
Xellos smiled. "How wonderful of you to say, Filia chan!" He positioned her at the center
of the dance floor. Filia hmmph'd and stuck her nose into the air again. Her eyes snapped open as
she felt Xellos take her gloved hand. The music began to play, guitars strummed out a slow
melody. The Mazoku raised her hand and began to kiss it, moving up her arm. Filia recoiled and
tried to pull away, but with her feet still floating off the ground, she couldn't. The best she could
do was struggle.
The other Flaming Heroes, now sitting in the audience, watched this and sighed. "This
isn't going to work," Naga muttered. She snapped her fingers and ran up to the stage. Pushing
Wesley out of the way, she cleared her throat and held her hand out to the…"dancing"…couple.
"Behold!" she cried. "The story of the Demon and the Dragon as performed by Xellos
Metallica and Filia Ul Something! Narrated by Naga the White Serpent!
OOOOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"I can't believe Miss Naga actually found a way to make things worse," Amara uttered in
awe. Shadow Lina and Jeffrey nodded.
"Behold!" Naga cried again as Filia and Xellos struggled. The band was still playing. "It
twas one day that a Mazoku prince fell deeply in love with a Dragon princess!"
"I HATE YOU! DON'T TOUCH ME!" Filia cried, swatting at Xellos with her hands.
"The princess doth did need convincing!" Naga continued. Taking this as a cue, Xellos
pulled Filia close to him. The dragon eep'd in surprise. Xellos raised her hand and started
kissing it again, moving up her arm to her face. Filia spun in the air, trying to get away, but Xellos
caught her and kissed the nape of her neck, moving his kisses down her other arm.
"LET GO OF ME! STOP IT!"
The Mazoku twirled Filia around as the music took on a more urgent tempo. Catching her
and wrapping an arm around her waist while holding her hand with the other, he pressed himself
against her and walked her backwards.
"The dragon princess doth did blush girlishly!" Naga continued to narrate.
"I AM NOT!" Filia cried up at the stage despite the fact that she WAS blushing.
She eeked as Xellos spun her again and caught her, dipping her low and moving so that his
lips were an inch from her neck. Filia swallowed nervously as she felt his breath tickle her skin.
"And the dragon princess was doth impassioned!"
"STOP SAYING 'DOTH!!'" the remaining Flaming Heroes yelled at Naga from the
audience.
"I AM NOT IMPASSIONED!" Filia screamed up at her.
"Though the dragon princess did doth try to deny it!"
Filia screamed in frustration.
Suddenly, Xellos pulled her upright and spun her again. Without warning, Filia's tail
popped out from beneath her dress.
"EEP! My tail!" she cried.
"Don't worry, Little Dragon," Xellos whispered into her ear. "I'm very good at
improvisation…" He reached around and drummed his fingers up and down her tail. Filia gasped
and turned deep red.
"Oh my," Amara said from the stands, blushing and looking away modestly. "Lord Xellos
is a bold one…"
"What do you mean?" Shadow Lina asked.
"You…um…see," Amara said in embarrassment. "Um…The tail is…um…" She leaned
down and whispered to the shadow. "An erogenous zone."
Shadow Lina turned bright red and began to fidget.
Filia started to sweat. "Would…would you please stop that?" she asked quietly. She
eeped as he spun her around so that her back was to him. His hands grabbed her waist and pulled
her into him. She was mortified to feel him moving his hips behind her.
She felt the Mazoku's breath on her ear as he started whispering something to her. If she
was red before, she was glowing in the dark now.
"And…um…the Mazoku prince did doth whisper…sweet nothings…to the dragon
princess!" Naga narrated.
A second later, Filia's tail whipped up and wrapped around Xellos of its own accord,
pulling him closer. The audience cheered.
"My my, Filia chan," Xellos whispered.
Filia was mortified. "I…I just did it to keep my balance!"
"Of course," he said, dancing with her to the right.
"I DID DOTH DID IT TO KEEP MY BALANCE!" Filia screamed.
"The dragon princess cried with was doth deep passion!" Naga added.
Xellos moved his hands up from Filia's hips to her stomach. She eeped and swatted at
them with her hands. "Stop it!" she hissed.
"And still the dragon princess doth did resist the Mazoku prince's advances!"
The music reached a new urgency as Xellos continued to move his hands upward. Filia
ack'd and swatted at them again. "StopitStopitStopit!" she hissed. Suddenly she found herself
twirled around and dipped again, her golden hair scraping the ground. Xellos leaned down until
his lips were an inch from hers.
Filia's breath caught in her throat. She swallowed nervously as she stared into those deep
purple, predatory eyes, like a rabbit staring into the eyes of a hungry lynx. He moved closer…
"And the dragon princess doth did submit!"
She closed her eyes…
The music stopped.
The audience applauded.
And Filia opened her eyes again to find Xellos smiling at her. He pulled her upright and
took a step back, bowing deeply. Filia blushed and tried to hurry off the dance floor, but was still
levitating. Suddenly, Amara and Shadow Lina appeared and helped her away. She was still
breathing hard and sweating profusely.
The audience was still cheering. Naga was bowing from the stage, taking the majority of
the credit. "Thank you! Thank you!" she cried.
The audience was throwing roses at Xellos as he bowed to them from the center of the
dance floor. Amara helped Filia into a chair. The dragon was blinking as if coming to from a
severe blow to the head.
"Wow, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried. "That was great!"
Filia blinked. Suddenly she gasped and took Amara by the front of her dress. "Amara!
I…I didn't…Did I?! I didn't…kiss him….Did I!?"
Amara smiled. "Filia chan…"
"ANSWER ME!"
"No…No, you didn't," Amara told her in confusion. "But you wanted to." She grinned.
"I DID NOT!"
"Well, folks, I think it's easy to see the winner here!" Wesley announced from onstage.
"First place goes to Xellos Metallium and Filia Ul Copt!"
(I can't believe it!) Filia thought to herself. (I was about to…I wanted him to…) She
looked up and saw Xellos and Naga accept the award trophy and the money that went with it.
(How can this be?)
Filia put the brush down and looked at herself in the mirror. She took a breath as she
remembered what had transpired only a few hours before. How she had almost…wanted…to
kiss….
No! That wasn't possible! There was no way she could ever be attracted to a monster like
him!
She sighed and got up, preparing for bed. Trying to make sense of it when she was tired
wasn't going to help any.
Watching Filia from his perch in the tree, Xellos took a breath. Now. He had to do it now.
Dancing with her like that, being so close to her had aroused him more than anything else ever had.
Not death, not destruction, not the purest, blackest emotions had ever done this to him. Her scent
had nearly driven him over the edge. He wanted her. Zelas had ordered him to take her.
It was time. If he was going to do it, he'd have to do it now.
In a flash of darkness, he disappeared and reappeared unnoticed in a shadowed corner of
her room. She was pulling the blanket on her bed back, preparing to climb into it for the night.
Her scent filled his nostrils, even more potent than before.
Her back remained to him as he stepped quietly towards her. His every sensation now had
something to do with her. His focus was on her and her alone. He doubted that he could defend
himself right now if forced into a fight. It wouldn't surprise him if that naïve shadow could take
him if she chose.
He needed her. Period.
So enthralled with her, he didn't notice her hat lying on the floor until his foot brushed it.
The bangles on it jingled quietly, but it was enough. Filia started to turn, and Xellos pounced!
She tried to cry out as he embraced her, sealing his mouth over hers and kissing her. Her
scream for help became a muffled cry as her hands flailed about, unsure of what to do with
themselves.
A second later she was on her back on the bed. Their lips separated. She looked up at him
fearfully. "Xellos!" she gasped.
Whispering his name that way only fed his desire. She started to rise again, but he pinned
her hands above her head. He was practically shaking in want, but there was still something
wrong, something that made him pause.
She wasn't fighting. She was looking up at him with tears in her eyes.
"You promised," she whispered. An accusation. "You promised me."
Every tendril of astral energy in his being screamed for him to take her, to fuse with her
and take her as his mate. A thousand years of being a Mazoku had led him to this. He wanted
her…NEEDED her…
She didn't struggle. She stared.
(TAKE HER!) his mind and body screamed. (YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS! THERE'S
NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THEM! TAKE HER!)
Still she stared up at him. Her eyes boring into him.
He grit his teeth and growled in anger and frustration.
(TAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHERTAKEHER!!!!!)
With a scream of rage…
He disappeared.
Filia swallowed nervously and sighed in relief. She closed her eyes. He almost…He was
going to… She took a deep breath.
So what stopped him?
She heard something and turned. Amara was standing in the doorway, looking
embarrassed.
"It..It's not what you think!" Filia began immediately.
Amara turned and walked back down the hall. Filia watched her go and blinked.
He had come to her room to take her by force….So how come SHE felt as if she had done
something wrong?
She found him behind the inn near the hot springs. He was leaning against a boulder,
shaking.
"Lord Xellos?" she called out quietly.
Amara saw him straighten and try to compose himself. "M…Miss Amara…" he said in
greeting. He turned and smiled. "Is…there something I can do for you?"
She took a hesitant step forward. "I…saw what happened…In my sister's room," she
whispered.
Xellos smiled. "And you are here to avenge your sister's honor?" He sounded amused.
"You're in Peak, aren't you?" she asked suddenly.
His smile slipped. "There's no way you could know about that," he said quietly.
"The Amalgamationists," she began, "The Amalgamationists know much more than my
sister or the Mazoku are willing to give us credit for. But even if I had just guessed, you're
expression would have been enough to confirm it. You're in Peak."
He turned away from her. "Really, Miss Amara," he said in amusement. "Peak…is
nothing more than a story made up by mundanes to justify sappy fairy tales like the one Miss Naga
told tonight." He turned back to her and grinned.
"You've chosen my sister as a mate," she said, ignoring his obvious lie. "But…she
doesn't understand." She moved closer. "Allow me to be her surrogate," she whispered. "It's the
perfect arrangement. After all…I WANT a Mazoku husband…"
She reached out and touched his arm. Suddenly, her wrist was in his hand, being squeezed
viciously. She whimpered and looked up at him.
"Miss Amara," he said quietly, looking down at her with an angry frown. "I respect the
fact that you are more tolerant of our ways…But you…are NOT…my MATE!" He tossed her to
the ground and continued to glare. She looked up at him, trying to control her fear. "Betray Filia?"
he growled. "Betray my chosen mate? NEVER!" he hissed. "Do you hear me? NEVER!"
"Lord Xellos, I meant no disrespect!" Amara begged. "As much as we have learned of the
Mazoku, there are some things we are still unaware of! I did not mean to insult you!"
"I am hers!" he continued, hissing like an enraged snake. "HERS!" He was shaking in
rage now. "Hers," he said again, falling to his knees.
"Lord Xellos? Are you all right?"
He seemed to come to his senses a second later. "Miss Amara? Yes! Yes, of course! I'm
fine. I…apologize for my rudeness."
"It's all right," she told him sympathetically.
"Will…will you excuse me?" he begged in a haunted whisper. "I'm suddenly not feeling
like myself." He rose to his feet and started to walk away, leaning on his staff.
"I…I AM sorry, Lord Xellos!" she called after him. "I was…wrong…to try to place
myself between you and my sister. Forgive me, please!"
He didn't answer. Either he didn't hear her or he didn't care. Xellos half walked, half
stumbled out of the courtyard, past the inn, and into the street. He leaned against the outer wall of
the inn and tried to focus his eyes. This was more than he had counted on. It was getting worse.
Far worse.
Once reaching Peak, Mazoku were not supposed to go without a mate for this long. He
didn't know why this would weaken him. Perhaps it was something Shabranigdo had added to
each of them to make sure that only the strongest, that only the Mazoku worthy of reproducing
would survive.
His staff clicked on the cobblestone street as he hobbled down the road. She had done it.
She had beaten him.
He fell to his knees in the street. His vision was blurry. After surviving for so long,
defeating so many, destroying so many more…to be beaten now by her…
She really was worthy of his respect.
Caught in his own web. Sweet Ruby Eye, the irony was choking him.
"You're pretty pathetic, Xelly boy."
He looked up and found Metallium standing over him shaking her head. She wore a black
trench coat and a fedora, apparently enjoying the secret rendezvous act. His vision went in and out
of focus.
The Mazoku overlord knelt next to him. "You disobeyed me," she accused him quietly.
"Do you see now? Do you see what that causes?"
It dawned on him. Peak was what was affecting his emotional balance…but it was his
crime that was causing him to weaken.
He had broken the first law of being a Mazoku.
He had disobeyed his overlord.
"A thousand years, Xellos," she whispered to him. "A thousand years of perfect loyalty.
Perfect efficiency. You brought killing to new heights. Turned manipulation into a form of art."
He could barely make out her face.
She shook her head. "To be brought down by this," she whispered. "Here lies Xellos!"
she cried, standing up and throwing her hands into the air. "Destroyer of Dragons! Harbringer of
Death! General Priest of the Great Beastmaster Metallium!" She turned and knelt next to him
again. "Died for want of a fuck!" she hissed bitterly.
Xellos rolled onto his back, barely breathing. His astral form was beginning to seep away.
Metallium growled and stood up angrily. "Humans!" she cried. "It was your constant
contact with them! Your eccentric fascination that did this to you!" She shook her head bitterly as
he suffered on the street. "You disobeyed me," she hissed, pointing a finger at him. "You dug your
own grave! And for what!? Huh?! What was the prize!?"
"Re…"
She strained to listen as he gasped out a word.
"Re…spect…"
She snorted. He closed his eyes. "After all this time," she remarked. "For you to become
an embarrassment to me now." The Beastmaster shook her head. "I never would have
imagined…" She raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
With a sharp crack, Xellos' staff broke in two.
He cried out in pain and curled up into a ball.
"You are no longer my vassal," she whispered. "I acknowledge no part of you. From this
time forward, you are NOTHING to me. You will have no support. No contact with me or my
Mazoku. You are a thing. Unworthy of seeing the end of everything. Live…Die…It's no longer
my concern."
She turned and started to walk away.
"Ma…jesty…" he whispered after her. "Please," he begged.
"Do yourself a favor, Xellos No Name," she told him without turning. "Die quickly."
In a flash of darkness, she was gone.
Lightning flashed overhead. Rain began to fall, and Xellos No Name, lay in the street as
the rain soaked him.
If anyone had been foolish enough to be out in a storm such as that, and if one's ears were
keen enough, one might have heard the sound of sobbing. But as no one was that foolish, or had
such keen hearing…
No one heard a sound.
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
Okay, songs! Yes, I know they were in Japanese, and I'm sorry, but since music is such an integral
part of Slayers, and given that that music is almost always in Japanese, I just wouldn't have felt
right having them sing translations.
Shadow Lina sang "Reflection," by Megumi Hayashibara, the end song of my favorite Slayers
movie, "Slayers: Great!"
Jeffrey, of course, performed the River Dance.
The Kawaii Dragon Sisters performed, "Somewhere," the English version of Filia's image song.
Naga performed "Ojou Sama To Oyoubi," a song from Tenchi Muyo performed by Yumi Takada.
Special thanks goes out to the people at Anime Lyrics.com. http://www.animelyrics.com/ and my
prereaders, Fish chan, Sethra chan, and Cav. Thanks guys. ^_^