Slayers Pentasama
A stab at Slayers fanfic writing by Xelan
(xelan@tokyo.com) - email c&c to me.
Xelan's Archive:
(http://xelan.virtualave.net) - Popup free web page.
(http://www.xelan.cjb.net) - Permanent web page with Pop-ups.
(Certain characters copyright H. Kanzaka / R. Araizumi, as all fans
well know. Original characters belong to me. No copyright infringement
intended. Remember: suing people is a bad thing.) ^_^
(pardon the grammar mistakes)
Chapter 2: Bedside Manner
----------
Xelloss sat up. His first thought as his mind roused itself
from slumber was that sitting up was a bad, extremely stupid and
horrible idea. His back felt like he had gone ten rounds against a
mazoku lord and lost. As a matter of fact, he'd done that once and it
had never hurt like this, before. Actually, he now began to realize
that it wasn't just his back that hurt. His entire being was in agony.
A new sensation for him and one that Xel was not quite up to dealing
with at the moment. With a slight whimper, he collapsed back down onto
the feather bed.
"Okay, I am in a great deal of pain, and I can barely move.
Where am I and what do I do now?" mused Xelloss through a haze of
pain.
A snore to his right brought Xelloss out of his introspective
moment and a shock of red, poofy hair caused his eyes to open fully in
surprise.
"Lina..." the injured priest half gasped under his breath. He
searched his hazy memory to try and piece together what had happened.
He finally remembered. He had been hurt, probably dying, but Lina gave
of herself to save him. He knew that he was undeserving of her help,
but if his current condition was as serious as he suspected, then he
could not afford to be without it for the time being.
"Feeling better, Xelloss?" asked the red-haired girl beside him. He
hadn't even noticed that she had woken up.
"Better than I was, Lina, and thank you. I'm not entirely sure
what happened to me, but I do remember that I wasn't in good shape,"
He winced as his shoulder spasmed briefly, "and I'm still not, but I'm
getting there."
"That's for sure. You had me worried, Xel. I turned around and
I saw you leaning against a wall, blood dripping off of you and your
skin was so pale I thought maybe you were some vengeful spirit."
Xelloss just turned to face her and adopted his best
improvised, quizzical expression.
"Oh yeah, you're a Mazoku. You _are_ a vengeful spirit. Oops,
sorry about that..." Lina apologized.
Xelloss couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that comment. It
wasn't often that someone forgot that he was a mazoku, especially
someone who already knew. It helped that he was also one of the most
powerful beings on the planet, but then again, Lina was no slouch in
terms of power, either.
Before he could continue on that tangent any further, Lina
abruptly interrupted his train of thought.
"So, why do you have blood?" asked Lina in a very serious
voice. "Mazoku don't have blood like humans or elves or dragons do.
I've seen you almost cut in half and then you're fully healed a few
minutes later" what gives?
Xelloss winced as he readjusted himself so he could sit up
without his muscles screaming at him. He had been trying to avoid that
particular avenue of questions. Why was he feeling pain? Why hadn't he
regenerated immediately? Why had Lina been able to use White Magic on
him successfully, and why couldn't he sense the presence of his astral
self as he usually could? He had a feeling that any answer he could
give to any one of his own mental questions would not be to his
liking.
"I am not entirely sure as to why, but right now, I don't
think _am_ a mazoku. You are entirely correct, I shouldn't have blood
and I should have been able to shrug off a physical injury like this
with no problem. However, I currently am in a great deal of pain and I
can't seem to use any of my mazoku abilities."
Despite the eerie calm of Xelloss' voice, Lina had known Xelloss
long enough to know that he was actually worried. His tone may have sounded
calm, but for Xelloss, this was the same as a normal person panicking.
Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but a reasonable comparison.
"Oh! That's right, I didn't finish healing all of your
injuries before I... um ... _fell_ asleep. We'll just keep that incident
our little a secret, shall we? I can finish healing you if that's
the case."
"Ah, don't worry. It will be our little secret, and you know
how well I keep secrets. Now, I hate to rush you, but would you please
cast your healing spell before I black out. I've wasted entirely too
much time being unconscious."
"Right! Hold still, this might sting a little."
At that, Lina raised her right hand back and a glowing orb of
white energy began to form. The brilliant white light began to shimmer
and roll as Lina mentally recited the spell to draw in the necessary
power to supercharge Xelloss' natural healing abilities. It was a
common spell that relied primarily on boosting the bodies own
recuperative abilities. Though there were other more powerful spells
that would have done a more thorough job, Recovery was the extent of
Lina's white mage training.
"RECOVERY!"
And having said that, the orb of white power was shoved
gracefully into Xelloss' chest. It is useful to note that the feeling
of being healed by recovery is not unlike the tingly feeling that
occurs when feeling returns to a sleepy foot after it has fallen
asleep. Unfortunately for Xelloss, he had never experienced either
sensation before today and the body-wide shock flattened him against
the bed, even as the last traces of his injuries faded from sight.
"I think I preferred being injured..." moaned Xelloss as his
eyes continued to spin around the room.
"Oh don't be a baby. It was just a little recovery spell.
White magic is the safest type of magic on the planet"
"Easy for you to say. I never had need of it before, but I
will admit, I feel better now that I'm whole again. And, speaking of
"holes" my clothes are ruined. Do you know any good tailor shops in
the area?"
Lina looked at the outwardly, tattered, but now whole priest and
was a little surprised that he could go from whining about his
injuries to worrying about his appearance. She shrugged. 'Oh well',
she though. I guess even priests worry about their appearance.
"We should be able to find something suitable for you, but
first I want to know what exactly happened to you.
Xelloss tilted his head slightly and his matted and blood
encrusted bangs swayed gently as he seemed to take in what Lina had
just said. Though his eyes were still closed, Lina thought she could
almost hear the gears grinding away in Xelloss' sneaky head.
"I am not really sure what exactly happened..." admitted the
rather somber priest.
"Let me get this straight. The one guy who always seems to
know what is going on, who is always keeping secrets, manipulating his
friends, and toying with peoples' lives, doesn't know how he became a
bloody mess and ended up in the very same inn as me? Am I
understanding you right, Xelloss?
When Xelloss didn't reply immediately, Lina's posture slumped.
She honestly cared for Xelloss as a friend, but it was more than that.
He wasn't just any friend. Lina knew she loved Gourry, but there was
something about Xel. He was close to her heart, yet distant. A total
stranger and yet sometimes, when she was alone and the dark thoughts
came, her mind always drifted to thoughts of Xelloss. At times he felt
like family and it hurt a lot whenever he wasn't honest with her.
"I can't really say, Lina."
He was trying to do it again! Xelloss was actually trying to
keep from answering her question. Lina felt a slow burn begin. It rose
from the depths of her being and attempted to expand throughout her
mind. But, no. Lina wouldn't led some damn Mazoku priest manipulate
her emotions. No more toying with petty secrets and hiding behind
masks and smiles. She had nearly collapsed in horror at seeing him so
near death and the jerk had the gall to try his "that is a secret"
routine on her? On her - of all people. The one who had SAVED HIS
GODDAMN LIFE!
In a cold but calm voice Lina said, "Can't or won't Xelloss?
Can't or won't..." and with that, Lina slowly slid off of the bed and
headed for the door.
"Lina, you have to listen..."
"NO! Xel, you listen to me! I thought that despite the demon
lords, the mayhem, destruction, life or death battles, betrayal and
back stabbing, that we were at least good enough friends that you could
be honest with _ME_. But I guess I was mistaken. I healed you and I
paid for the room in advance, so feel free to stay, but if you don't
consider me worthy of knowing what's really going on, then I don't
consider it necessary to stay here and be toyed with. Good bye Mister
Trickster Priest!"
Lina turned and resumed her walk toward the door. The door
slammed shut and the sound it made echoed through the room. On the
bed, Xelloss allowed himself to fall back against the feather pillow
and at that moment the tired, old seems of that pillow saw fit to
burst from the many years of abuse. The flurry of feathers blanketed
the room and in Xelloss' thoughts, three things stood out quite
prominently. One, I'm an idiot; two, I must consider a suitable way of
"repaying" the owner of this inn for his "spectacular" accommodations;
and three, I still need a new suit.
----------
Tsuzuku (to be continued)
(If you want to read more, e-mail me and encourage)
*Note: this has not been pre-read yet by anyone other than me, so
expect more errors than usual. They shall be rectified as soon as
possible.
A stab at Slayers fanfic writing by Xelan
(xelan@tokyo.com) - email c&c to me.
Xelan's Archive:
(http://xelan.virtualave.net) - Popup free web page.
(http://www.xelan.cjb.net) - Permanent web page with Pop-ups.
(Certain characters copyright H. Kanzaka / R. Araizumi, as all fans
well know. Original characters belong to me. No copyright infringement
intended. Remember: suing people is a bad thing.) ^_^
(pardon the grammar mistakes)
Chapter 2: Bedside Manner
----------
Xelloss sat up. His first thought as his mind roused itself
from slumber was that sitting up was a bad, extremely stupid and
horrible idea. His back felt like he had gone ten rounds against a
mazoku lord and lost. As a matter of fact, he'd done that once and it
had never hurt like this, before. Actually, he now began to realize
that it wasn't just his back that hurt. His entire being was in agony.
A new sensation for him and one that Xel was not quite up to dealing
with at the moment. With a slight whimper, he collapsed back down onto
the feather bed.
"Okay, I am in a great deal of pain, and I can barely move.
Where am I and what do I do now?" mused Xelloss through a haze of
pain.
A snore to his right brought Xelloss out of his introspective
moment and a shock of red, poofy hair caused his eyes to open fully in
surprise.
"Lina..." the injured priest half gasped under his breath. He
searched his hazy memory to try and piece together what had happened.
He finally remembered. He had been hurt, probably dying, but Lina gave
of herself to save him. He knew that he was undeserving of her help,
but if his current condition was as serious as he suspected, then he
could not afford to be without it for the time being.
"Feeling better, Xelloss?" asked the red-haired girl beside him. He
hadn't even noticed that she had woken up.
"Better than I was, Lina, and thank you. I'm not entirely sure
what happened to me, but I do remember that I wasn't in good shape,"
He winced as his shoulder spasmed briefly, "and I'm still not, but I'm
getting there."
"That's for sure. You had me worried, Xel. I turned around and
I saw you leaning against a wall, blood dripping off of you and your
skin was so pale I thought maybe you were some vengeful spirit."
Xelloss just turned to face her and adopted his best
improvised, quizzical expression.
"Oh yeah, you're a Mazoku. You _are_ a vengeful spirit. Oops,
sorry about that..." Lina apologized.
Xelloss couldn't help but chuckle slightly at that comment. It
wasn't often that someone forgot that he was a mazoku, especially
someone who already knew. It helped that he was also one of the most
powerful beings on the planet, but then again, Lina was no slouch in
terms of power, either.
Before he could continue on that tangent any further, Lina
abruptly interrupted his train of thought.
"So, why do you have blood?" asked Lina in a very serious
voice. "Mazoku don't have blood like humans or elves or dragons do.
I've seen you almost cut in half and then you're fully healed a few
minutes later" what gives?
Xelloss winced as he readjusted himself so he could sit up
without his muscles screaming at him. He had been trying to avoid that
particular avenue of questions. Why was he feeling pain? Why hadn't he
regenerated immediately? Why had Lina been able to use White Magic on
him successfully, and why couldn't he sense the presence of his astral
self as he usually could? He had a feeling that any answer he could
give to any one of his own mental questions would not be to his
liking.
"I am not entirely sure as to why, but right now, I don't
think _am_ a mazoku. You are entirely correct, I shouldn't have blood
and I should have been able to shrug off a physical injury like this
with no problem. However, I currently am in a great deal of pain and I
can't seem to use any of my mazoku abilities."
Despite the eerie calm of Xelloss' voice, Lina had known Xelloss
long enough to know that he was actually worried. His tone may have sounded
calm, but for Xelloss, this was the same as a normal person panicking.
Well, maybe not quite that extreme, but a reasonable comparison.
"Oh! That's right, I didn't finish healing all of your
injuries before I... um ... _fell_ asleep. We'll just keep that incident
our little a secret, shall we? I can finish healing you if that's
the case."
"Ah, don't worry. It will be our little secret, and you know
how well I keep secrets. Now, I hate to rush you, but would you please
cast your healing spell before I black out. I've wasted entirely too
much time being unconscious."
"Right! Hold still, this might sting a little."
At that, Lina raised her right hand back and a glowing orb of
white energy began to form. The brilliant white light began to shimmer
and roll as Lina mentally recited the spell to draw in the necessary
power to supercharge Xelloss' natural healing abilities. It was a
common spell that relied primarily on boosting the bodies own
recuperative abilities. Though there were other more powerful spells
that would have done a more thorough job, Recovery was the extent of
Lina's white mage training.
"RECOVERY!"
And having said that, the orb of white power was shoved
gracefully into Xelloss' chest. It is useful to note that the feeling
of being healed by recovery is not unlike the tingly feeling that
occurs when feeling returns to a sleepy foot after it has fallen
asleep. Unfortunately for Xelloss, he had never experienced either
sensation before today and the body-wide shock flattened him against
the bed, even as the last traces of his injuries faded from sight.
"I think I preferred being injured..." moaned Xelloss as his
eyes continued to spin around the room.
"Oh don't be a baby. It was just a little recovery spell.
White magic is the safest type of magic on the planet"
"Easy for you to say. I never had need of it before, but I
will admit, I feel better now that I'm whole again. And, speaking of
"holes" my clothes are ruined. Do you know any good tailor shops in
the area?"
Lina looked at the outwardly, tattered, but now whole priest and
was a little surprised that he could go from whining about his
injuries to worrying about his appearance. She shrugged. 'Oh well',
she though. I guess even priests worry about their appearance.
"We should be able to find something suitable for you, but
first I want to know what exactly happened to you.
Xelloss tilted his head slightly and his matted and blood
encrusted bangs swayed gently as he seemed to take in what Lina had
just said. Though his eyes were still closed, Lina thought she could
almost hear the gears grinding away in Xelloss' sneaky head.
"I am not really sure what exactly happened..." admitted the
rather somber priest.
"Let me get this straight. The one guy who always seems to
know what is going on, who is always keeping secrets, manipulating his
friends, and toying with peoples' lives, doesn't know how he became a
bloody mess and ended up in the very same inn as me? Am I
understanding you right, Xelloss?
When Xelloss didn't reply immediately, Lina's posture slumped.
She honestly cared for Xelloss as a friend, but it was more than that.
He wasn't just any friend. Lina knew she loved Gourry, but there was
something about Xel. He was close to her heart, yet distant. A total
stranger and yet sometimes, when she was alone and the dark thoughts
came, her mind always drifted to thoughts of Xelloss. At times he felt
like family and it hurt a lot whenever he wasn't honest with her.
"I can't really say, Lina."
He was trying to do it again! Xelloss was actually trying to
keep from answering her question. Lina felt a slow burn begin. It rose
from the depths of her being and attempted to expand throughout her
mind. But, no. Lina wouldn't led some damn Mazoku priest manipulate
her emotions. No more toying with petty secrets and hiding behind
masks and smiles. She had nearly collapsed in horror at seeing him so
near death and the jerk had the gall to try his "that is a secret"
routine on her? On her - of all people. The one who had SAVED HIS
GODDAMN LIFE!
In a cold but calm voice Lina said, "Can't or won't Xelloss?
Can't or won't..." and with that, Lina slowly slid off of the bed and
headed for the door.
"Lina, you have to listen..."
"NO! Xel, you listen to me! I thought that despite the demon
lords, the mayhem, destruction, life or death battles, betrayal and
back stabbing, that we were at least good enough friends that you could
be honest with _ME_. But I guess I was mistaken. I healed you and I
paid for the room in advance, so feel free to stay, but if you don't
consider me worthy of knowing what's really going on, then I don't
consider it necessary to stay here and be toyed with. Good bye Mister
Trickster Priest!"
Lina turned and resumed her walk toward the door. The door
slammed shut and the sound it made echoed through the room. On the
bed, Xelloss allowed himself to fall back against the feather pillow
and at that moment the tired, old seems of that pillow saw fit to
burst from the many years of abuse. The flurry of feathers blanketed
the room and in Xelloss' thoughts, three things stood out quite
prominently. One, I'm an idiot; two, I must consider a suitable way of
"repaying" the owner of this inn for his "spectacular" accommodations;
and three, I still need a new suit.
----------
Tsuzuku (to be continued)
(If you want to read more, e-mail me and encourage)
*Note: this has not been pre-read yet by anyone other than me, so
expect more errors than usual. They shall be rectified as soon as
possible.