Author's Notes: Slayers is owned by many wonderful people, just not me ;_; Please read, review, and enjoy! ^^

Of Black Chains and Scarlet Letters

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Valterria adjusted the little black bow tie his mother insisted on him wearing. It matched the black graduation robe he was wearing as he finished putting his hair up in its trademark style. Jumping down the stairs, Val found his mother all dressed and ready to go in the kitchen. "You look so handsome Val," she said happily and adjusted his tie. "We better get going." Val grabbed at his neck for a moment and gasped. 'I must have left the pendant in my locker…. I should be able to get if before graduation starts…'

+++

Filia was sitting among the other parents and was hearing the speech of the headmaster. She had been looking for Val in the audience but couldn't seem to find him. It didn't worry her because all the seats reserved were full. 'He must be there….' The names were being called and she was surprised to hear them pass him and his friend's names near the end. 'They must be out of order! How could they forget my Val!'

When all the seats were empty, she ran up to the podium. "You didn't call my son's name or his friend's! What happened!" She nagged to the teachers.

"What's his name?" A man with short black hair said and opened up the list again.

"Valterria Ul Copt and Zelgadiss Graywords!" The man's eyes roamed over the list a few times and said they were not even on the list and he had never heard of them at this school. Filia snatched the list and looked it over herself. "I can't believe this," she said and stormed into the school.

+++

Valterria had run off before his mother sat down. He entered the school with his pass card and shredded it at the desk. 'Its too bad they don't let us keep these after graduation.' Running to his locker, he saw a flustered Zelgadiss banging at his own locker. "Hey Zel! What's wrong with your locker?"

Zelgadiss glared at his locker before looking up to see his best friend. "It's jammed again and I need to get my keys!" Val shrugged and walked over calmly to the locker. He slammed his fist on it once and it popped open. "I hate how you can do that sometimes! Thanks," his anger changing to a smile as he got out his keys.

Valterria ran a hand through his hair. "It's no problem as always. Maybe if you worked out a little, you wouldn't have this weakness problem," he said and smirked at his friend. Zelgadiss glared at him for a moment and then smiled. They always joked about how weak Zelgadiss was. It was because he was so thin and couldn't seem to build any muscle at all.

"What are you here for?" Zelgadiss asked his friend as Val opened his locker.

"I came to get my pendant. Stupid me left in there last week and forgot to get it during finals," he said and saw it hanging on the locker door. Removing it carefully, he put the red gem around his neck. A piece of paper was in his locker. He bent down and picked the paper up slowly.

"Baka no Terry! What's that?"

Valterria shrugged and showed it to Zelgadiss. "I don't know. It just a red 'D'… Probably nothing important," he said and crumpled it to the ground. "Let's get out of this hell hole! Race ya!" Val ran out of the school, leaving Zel eating his dust.

When he got outside, he found that there were only a few teachers left outside. Everyone was gone and his mother was sitting in his assigned seat, waiting for him. Ignoring Zel's cries to wait up, he ran over to her. "Mom? Where is everyone…. And why are you dressed like that?" His mother looked like the priestess in his dream. As Zel approached, the woman in the chair faded. He heard his real mother calling for him in the parking lot.

"Where is everyone? We weren't in there that long…." Zel said as he caught his breath next to Val. "Where are you going?"

Valterria was already running in the parking lot towards his mother. "Mom! How long was I in the school." Filia just looked up at him with wonder.

"Your name wasn't on the list," she said sadly.

"What do you mean my name wasn't on the list! I passed with high honors for goodness sake!" Val was entraged and tried to keep from ringing Zelgadiss's neck as he ran up to them.

"You and Zelgadiss… your names weren't on the list. They never even heard of you…. People looked at me like I was a lunatic." Filia was very disturbed as the words of the man were coming back to her.

"This child is cursed."

"This is an outrage! We were at the top of our class! How could they just forget us!" Zelgadiss started to rant as Val just glared at the school. He was so enraged that even his other friends didn't say anything for him. There were plenty of people who should have been asking why his name wasn't called. Sure, he beat up a few people now and then but they all respected him at least.

'They abandoned me….' He continued to glower at the school. His eyes darkened and the ground started to shake. Filia gasped and was caught by Zelgadiss as they lost their balance. Suddenly, the school burst into flames, and burned. It was an all concrete school with metal lining the walls to protect from bomb attacks. The concrete and metal melted until there was nothing but a smoldering mass of black and gray liquid. Val blinked out of his trance and screamed at the sight before him.

"WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS JUST HAPPENED!!!" Zelgadiss was histerical and ran over to the school. "Terry! Did you see that?" Valterria just nodded.

Val just stared at the burning mass before him. His anger and rage was completely gone and he felt drained somehow. 'Did I do that….' Filia came up to him and hugged his tightly. "Don't worry Val… we'll just move again… and everything will be ok…." He looked at her with wide eyes. 'Is that why we moved so much!?!! Do I destroy things?!?!