Fairy Tale
Chapter 2
Bed...
warm...
soft...
comfy...
light...
owwww...
Lina threw her pillow over her eyes to try to block out the blazing sunlight that streamed through the window. 'Sheesh, what a nightmare. Imagine Xelloss and sis getting together and having a kid. SCARY!' She started to fall back asleep, but was interrupted by the sound of tea simmering away. Her stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead. Luckily, there wasn't a cemetery nearby, so she wouldn't have to worry about any grumpy zombies. Sitting up, she tried to recall when she last ate. "Let's see... I had a meal at the inn around noon, then I went to a bandit cave where..." Lina's eyes widened and she quickly hopped out of the bed and pushed aside the door flap that separated her room from the outside. Her nightmare was reality. Sitting around a small fire were Xelloss and Xelona, eating some fish while tea heated by the fire. Hearing a noise, Xelona turned around and said "Morning! Want some fish?" She held out a fish, foolish enough to offer food to Lina, who nearly took off Xelona's hand as she grabbed the fish, gulping it down in an instant. Then Lina gagged. "Ak! Raw fish! How can you eat raw fish!" She grabbed the tea pot and poured the warm water down her throat. Xelona and Xelloss chuckled. "Cooking ruins the flavor." they chorused, as if they'd said it many times before. They grinned at each other, eyes completely invisible. Lina grabbed some of the fish and stuck them on sticks, which she put by the fire. She then sat by Xelloss and grabbed him in a headlock. "Ok, Xelloss, start talking! How did sis and you get together and why are you running a bandit gang? Well?!" He chuckled and replied "Well... That's a secret!" Lina tightened her grasp. "Ok, ok, I'll talk! Let me breathe!!" Xelona laughed out loud at the sight of her father being forced to talk. "You're the first person I've seen who's been able to get him to talk! Other than Mom and myself, of course." Lina glared at her, but allowed Xelloss some air.
After taking a deep breath, he began. "Well, I guess I'll have to start right after we split up after getting rid of Valgaav. I went to report to Mistress Beastmaster and she decided to set me to watching the Knight of Cephied, who you know is your sister Luna. I think she just wanted to get back at me for going off and doing so much to save the world that she decided to put me on that boring and useless job. Anyway, I was just sitting in a tree outside the inn Luna works in when all of a sudden my mazoku powers were cut off without a trace, jolting me as if-" "What!? But that's impossible! Even if you lost your powers, you still can tell that you have them, you just can't use them! And you can't tell that you lost them until you try to use them!" Lina interrupted. Xelloss just smiled. "It's true, as impossible as it might seem. Mazoku powers are so tied into us that the loss is physical, mental and magical. That sharp jolt of losing my powers sent me tumbling out of the tree even as the shock sent me into deep unconsciousness. I woke up to find myself in a bed, arms hurting excruciatingly, though wrapped up in casts. I just laid there, adjusting to the pain of the arms and to the pain that seemed to infuse my entire being. Losing my powers basically made me too close to mortal for my liking. Anyway, after some time, a doctor came into the room. He started re-bandaging me while babbling away, talking about how lucky I was that I only broke my arms and that Miss Luna found me. He soon left, leaving me even more confused then I was when I woke up. Soon Luna came in and said "Well, you're finally awake. Luckily for you I saw you under that tree. Poor boy, breaking your arms from falling out of a tree. Must have given you quite a shock. You've been asleep for two whole days. Now stop smiling at me and tell me who you are and what's your name." She glared at me, so I said "Me name's John Doe and I wes jest looking fer apples up in that there tree." and smiled. She smiled back and replied "Ok, "John", how about giving me your real name and why a mazoku like you have been sitting in that tree for three weeks?" She glared and I replied "Watching your beautiful face." She gave me a death glare and said "Your name?" Laughing, I said "Ok, ok, don't kill me. It's..." She looked on expectantly, so I continued with "A secret!" and wagged my finger at you. She sat back and laughed. "Why am I not surprised YOU would end up falling out of my tree, Xelloss Metallium." Turns out she had been keeping an eye on you and looked up your companions. Oh well, that's what I get for being predictable. Anyway, we hit it off and ended up 'ahem' with Xelona here. I've been out here training her by forming bandit groups and having her attack them. That was Luna-chan's idea. She figured you would be out adventuring again sooner or later and thought the best place to meet up with you was in a bandit group, making trouble. And that's my tale. Any questions?"
Lina just blinked as he pulled himself out of her loose grasp. "But... how did you lose your powers? Do you have them now?" He sat back chagrined. "Nope! Only powers I have are some human ones. I can handle a Dragon Slave but not much stronger. No clue how I lost them, either. It's been 30 years since I lost my powers and I spent the first ten looking for clues and also for any other mazoku who lost their powers. There has been no sign of any mazoku, powerless or not. Then I kind of got caught up in romance and then marriage and, of course, fatherhood. Had barely even a minute to look. But now that I'm on the road again, I'll have to ask around. So what have you been up to?" Lina, completely poleaxed, just stared for a few seconds, then said "Oh! I've just been working on the farm with Gourry ever since we got married. Our oldest boy and his family are running it now, so I'm off adventuring again. Thought I'd go see how Sylphiel has been doing, then head to Sairuun to see the ruling family. Wanna come? It'd be nice to travel with people again." Xelloss and Xelona, who had just been sitting there enjoying the tale of how her parents met both agreed and they picked up the camp and got on the road again.
---------
Author's Note:
Slayers don't belong to me and that's what I have to say. Lots of background this time, more action next time.
Chapter 2
Bed...
warm...
soft...
comfy...
light...
owwww...
Lina threw her pillow over her eyes to try to block out the blazing sunlight that streamed through the window. 'Sheesh, what a nightmare. Imagine Xelloss and sis getting together and having a kid. SCARY!' She started to fall back asleep, but was interrupted by the sound of tea simmering away. Her stomach growled loud enough to wake the dead. Luckily, there wasn't a cemetery nearby, so she wouldn't have to worry about any grumpy zombies. Sitting up, she tried to recall when she last ate. "Let's see... I had a meal at the inn around noon, then I went to a bandit cave where..." Lina's eyes widened and she quickly hopped out of the bed and pushed aside the door flap that separated her room from the outside. Her nightmare was reality. Sitting around a small fire were Xelloss and Xelona, eating some fish while tea heated by the fire. Hearing a noise, Xelona turned around and said "Morning! Want some fish?" She held out a fish, foolish enough to offer food to Lina, who nearly took off Xelona's hand as she grabbed the fish, gulping it down in an instant. Then Lina gagged. "Ak! Raw fish! How can you eat raw fish!" She grabbed the tea pot and poured the warm water down her throat. Xelona and Xelloss chuckled. "Cooking ruins the flavor." they chorused, as if they'd said it many times before. They grinned at each other, eyes completely invisible. Lina grabbed some of the fish and stuck them on sticks, which she put by the fire. She then sat by Xelloss and grabbed him in a headlock. "Ok, Xelloss, start talking! How did sis and you get together and why are you running a bandit gang? Well?!" He chuckled and replied "Well... That's a secret!" Lina tightened her grasp. "Ok, ok, I'll talk! Let me breathe!!" Xelona laughed out loud at the sight of her father being forced to talk. "You're the first person I've seen who's been able to get him to talk! Other than Mom and myself, of course." Lina glared at her, but allowed Xelloss some air.
After taking a deep breath, he began. "Well, I guess I'll have to start right after we split up after getting rid of Valgaav. I went to report to Mistress Beastmaster and she decided to set me to watching the Knight of Cephied, who you know is your sister Luna. I think she just wanted to get back at me for going off and doing so much to save the world that she decided to put me on that boring and useless job. Anyway, I was just sitting in a tree outside the inn Luna works in when all of a sudden my mazoku powers were cut off without a trace, jolting me as if-" "What!? But that's impossible! Even if you lost your powers, you still can tell that you have them, you just can't use them! And you can't tell that you lost them until you try to use them!" Lina interrupted. Xelloss just smiled. "It's true, as impossible as it might seem. Mazoku powers are so tied into us that the loss is physical, mental and magical. That sharp jolt of losing my powers sent me tumbling out of the tree even as the shock sent me into deep unconsciousness. I woke up to find myself in a bed, arms hurting excruciatingly, though wrapped up in casts. I just laid there, adjusting to the pain of the arms and to the pain that seemed to infuse my entire being. Losing my powers basically made me too close to mortal for my liking. Anyway, after some time, a doctor came into the room. He started re-bandaging me while babbling away, talking about how lucky I was that I only broke my arms and that Miss Luna found me. He soon left, leaving me even more confused then I was when I woke up. Soon Luna came in and said "Well, you're finally awake. Luckily for you I saw you under that tree. Poor boy, breaking your arms from falling out of a tree. Must have given you quite a shock. You've been asleep for two whole days. Now stop smiling at me and tell me who you are and what's your name." She glared at me, so I said "Me name's John Doe and I wes jest looking fer apples up in that there tree." and smiled. She smiled back and replied "Ok, "John", how about giving me your real name and why a mazoku like you have been sitting in that tree for three weeks?" She glared and I replied "Watching your beautiful face." She gave me a death glare and said "Your name?" Laughing, I said "Ok, ok, don't kill me. It's..." She looked on expectantly, so I continued with "A secret!" and wagged my finger at you. She sat back and laughed. "Why am I not surprised YOU would end up falling out of my tree, Xelloss Metallium." Turns out she had been keeping an eye on you and looked up your companions. Oh well, that's what I get for being predictable. Anyway, we hit it off and ended up 'ahem' with Xelona here. I've been out here training her by forming bandit groups and having her attack them. That was Luna-chan's idea. She figured you would be out adventuring again sooner or later and thought the best place to meet up with you was in a bandit group, making trouble. And that's my tale. Any questions?"
Lina just blinked as he pulled himself out of her loose grasp. "But... how did you lose your powers? Do you have them now?" He sat back chagrined. "Nope! Only powers I have are some human ones. I can handle a Dragon Slave but not much stronger. No clue how I lost them, either. It's been 30 years since I lost my powers and I spent the first ten looking for clues and also for any other mazoku who lost their powers. There has been no sign of any mazoku, powerless or not. Then I kind of got caught up in romance and then marriage and, of course, fatherhood. Had barely even a minute to look. But now that I'm on the road again, I'll have to ask around. So what have you been up to?" Lina, completely poleaxed, just stared for a few seconds, then said "Oh! I've just been working on the farm with Gourry ever since we got married. Our oldest boy and his family are running it now, so I'm off adventuring again. Thought I'd go see how Sylphiel has been doing, then head to Sairuun to see the ruling family. Wanna come? It'd be nice to travel with people again." Xelloss and Xelona, who had just been sitting there enjoying the tale of how her parents met both agreed and they picked up the camp and got on the road again.
---------
Author's Note:
Slayers don't belong to me and that's what I have to say. Lots of background this time, more action next time.
