A/N: Gah! You people are too generous to me! I just hope I can keep the story as good as you're expecting. Tell me, does it need more action? I feel like maybe it's too bogged down with people thinking about stuff...Well, let me know if it does. As far as writing the story goes, I am usually about three chapters ahead of what's posted on ff.net, however, I consider fictions to be works of art so I usually proofread/revise each chapter about eight times before posting. That means, if you make a suggestion and I agree with it, it stands a good chance of being reflected as soon as in the next chapter.
Anyway, yes, I am planning on having Xelloss' sadistic streak start revealing itself. The problem is, since this fic is intended to be Xelloss' life as seen by others, we never get inside his head. I keep arguing with myself about whether I should write a chapter from his POV, but so far the No-you-shouldn't side has always won. Hopefully I will be able to adequately convey Xelloss' nature by just having people observe him.
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Kai-ou Deep Sea Dolphin watched thoughtfully as Kanbyoo's mutilated body was fed to the pair of sharks who guarded the physical entrance to her underwater palace. As the water around them turned red with blood, she had to to turn her head. True she was a mazoku lord, but she got no enjoyment from watching a body be torn into shreds by sharks, or any animal for that matter. After all, Kanbyoo was already dead, and there was no delicious pain to be found in his empty mind.
Dolphin shuddered again at the thought of his terrible death. She was certain that none of her servants had committed the crime. After all, like herself, all of her minions detested physical violence and gore. When it was necessary to kill a human, they always found clever ways to torment his mental state or fill him with negative emotion to the point of insanity or suicide. Never would they have attacked him so. Dolphin and her kind were not hunters by nature.
But she could think of someone who was: her damnable sister. Dolphin shook her head; surely Zelas had not found the courage to so boldly attack her. The sea queen was fairly certain she had Zelas under control. Ever since she had perceived the threat that Zelas posed to her, she had taken careful measures to ensure that Zelas never questioned her older sister's utter superiority. It had taken some time, but Zelas had been young then, and inexperienced. And now it was too late. Zelas was broken, insecure and full of doubt. She could never have worked up the strength to do this.
Weary of the whole mess, Dolphin turned and swam into her palace, retreating to her chambers where it was peaceful and quiet. Her priestess, Blue, came to report everything that had happened while she had been away. Dolphin regarded her servant, who had carefully made herself into the shape of a mermaid, although her composition remained gelatinous, blue-tinted and semi-transparent, but she couldn't focus on the priestess' words. Rather, all she could think about was the troubling revelation of Zelas' little general-priest.
More than anything, Dolphin had wanted to know how Zelas had accomplished it. She had been sure her younger sister was incapable of such reproduction. And yet, she could glean nothing of any worth from Zelas' mind, as usual. The problem was that Zelas *was* a hunter by nature. Her thoughts, her emotions, her very being were built along the base and primitive notions of the predator. Although Dolphin could read Zelas' mind as easily as she could the minds of the others, the images she received were always cryptic and undecipherable to her. Despite the control she exercised over the younger mazoku, she could not even begin to comprehend the primal urges that drove Zelas on, and thanks to that, she, for the most part, could not make head or tails of the information she stole. This was part of why she found Zelas so infuriating...and so frightening.
"I should have brought you along with me, to the North," Dolphin said absently, cutting off whatever Blue had been talking about. "Then, perhaps you could give me your opinion on that Xelloss character."
Blue considered for a moment. "When I felt your uneasiness, Kai-ou-sama, I reached out with my mind to see what was occurring in that frozen palace," she said. Blue had tremendous psychic powers which enabled her to have visions of far away occurrances, as well as telepathically link to her mistress at any time. "But I cannot say that I was able to make anything of the alien presence I found there. I tried to sense its intent, but I learned nothing."
Dolphin closed her eyes wearily for a moment. That was an idea. She had been concentrating so hard on reading Zelas, that she had not thought to enter the mind of the young priest. He had seemed so daft and worthless, that it hadn't occurred to her that he might know anything of importance. But suddenly an idea was dawning on her. That Xelloss might be a clown, but surely he had a connection to his mistress. Surely Zelas had imparted her knowledge and desires to her little attendant. And if that were so, perhaps Dolphin could merely use the boy as a means of getting to Zelas' intentions. He would be a spy for her by unknowingly providing the information she sought.
The more she thought about it, the more Dolphin was thrilled by her plan. It was the perfect solution. After all, every time she had successfully broken through the jungle of Zelas' outer thoughts, she had been afraid to delve deeper, afraid of what she might see or find in the dark recesses of Zelas' mind. But the priest Xelloss...from what she had seen he was far less predatory than his master. In fact, from what Sherra and Rashart had reported, he was simple-minded, childish, and disliked violence. If that was true, he would be a far easier target than Zelas and should fall prey to Dolphin's gentle advances in no time.
Smiling, Dolphin let her body relax, swaying to the gentle rhythms of the current, and set her mind to seeking the best way to ensure she had reason to pay Zelas a visit very soon. It was then that IT happened.
***
The moment the King of Beasts and her servant returned to Wolfpack Island, she set upon him.
"Fool!" she cried, and, with the mere flick of her wrist, she blasted him with powerful waves of magic that dropped him on all fours. "How dare you embarrass me in front of those I most wanted to impress?" The servants who had appeared to greet their master quickly backed away and retreated to the shadows at the sight of Xelloss convulsing with pain on the floor. "Well, answer me! What have you to say for yourself, servant?"
Xelloss raised his head a bit, panting, his face contorted with anguish. "I...d..did not betray you...Master." he gasped. He sounded rather confused, which only served to fuel her rancor.
"The hell you didn't! You made a fool of yourself and me! And you *knew* I wanted to impress those damnable siblings of mine! I see what's going on. Obviously one really can't trust anyone but oneself..."
"Master..." Xelloss tried several times to get the attention of his raving mistress. "...Juu-ou-sama..."
Finally she glanced back at his miserable, trembling form. "What do you want?" she spat.
"I brought you... a souvenir..."
Intrigued, Zelas composed herself and favored Xelloss with a sidelong glare. She ended the stream of destructive magic she had been channeling into his body. "Well...?"
Raising himself into a sitting position, Xelloss reclined, cross-legged, on the stone floor and caught his metaphorical breath. After a moment, he reached into a dimensional pocket and retrieved something which he held up to her, his head bowed reverently. Zelas knelt to get a better look, and gasped. The thing was a heart.
The heart looked human, and fresh. Little rivets of blood ran down its sides and fell to the floor with slight plopping noises. Some of the blood ran over Xelloss' fingers and down his arms, but he didn't move from his position. Slowly, Zelas took the heart from him and examined it. Without knowing how, she knew where it came from.
"This is Kanbyoo's heart..." she stated.
Xelloss looked up, brushing his bangs out of his eyes with one bloodied hand. "It seemed to me that Kanbyoo was having trouble deciding his loyalties. A good servant gives his entire heart and soul to his master and never wavers. That mortal didn't seem to have grasped that, so I decided to help him along a bit by giving his heart to you myself," he said, with a wink.
Zelas stared at him a moment. "*You* killed Kanbyoo...How did you know about him?"
Xelloss laughed and indicated his staff, which had fallen to the floor several feet away. "Remember, Juu-ou-sama, you gave me your power...and your knowledge."
Zelas wondered if she had given him more than she knew. She hadn't really expected him to know things about her past. Sensing her surprise, he continued, "And even had you not, I was *created* from your pain and tears. I know all about how you feel towards my lords, your siblings." He inched closer to her, leaning forward, and speaking in a low, conspiratorial voice. "I know your pain. And we will get our revenge."
Suddenly it occurred to Zelas what the creature was getting at. "Revenge? Against whom?" she asked sharply, drawing away from him.
"Why, against Kai-ou Deep Sea Dolphin, of course," he responded jovially, as though he were suggesting that they have a picnic, when, in fact, he was suggesting that they mount a campaign against one of the most powerful beings in the world. Zelas began to be filled with fear at her servant's rashness and initiative. For a minion, he did far too much independent thinking and decision-making. How dare he go behind her back this way?
"Were you planning to inform me of this, servant?" she hissed, suddenly incensed.
"Naturally, Master. I just did. I only didn't tell you the specifics so that Kai-ou-sama wouldn't be able to read your mind and get an idea of what I was planning. Besides, I thought you would figure it out. You're the one who wanted me to attack Kanbyoo."
"I did not! When did I ever say such a thing?" Zelas fumed.
"Well, you never said it," Xelloss admitted. "But I sensed your desire. I thought revenge was what you wanted."
"Well, I don't want it." As much as Zelas hated her sister, the thought of actually retaliating filled her with cold fear. She felt Dolphin's shadow looming over everything she did, and though she longed to be free of it, her mind refused to even consider the idea.
Xelloss looked up at her curiously. After a moment he insisted, "But...you do."
"Why, you!" Zelas struck him with long, clawed fingers. Fingers capable of ripping through astral matter. A wide gash was left in his cheek and she could see his astral body shimmering faintly behind the human projection.
Zelas was beside herself; Such a willful servant was a dangerous thing. He presumed to know her will, presumed to know it better than she herself did! And just because his assumptions about Kanbyoo had been right, didn't mean he would be right every time. And it would only take one devastating failure...
For a moment Zelas merely sat and tried to regain control of her temper. She reminded herself that he was very young and inexperienced, due to her having kept him hidden here on the Island with nothing but her bitterness and anger as company. It was really no surprise he had reacted as he did. She knew he was desperate to please her, and it must have killed him to have to sit here all these years and feel her pain and be unable to do anything about it. So he had jumped on the first chance that came his way...
The more she thought about it, the more Zelas felt uncomfortable. Why did she balk at his suggestion? Had she always been this timid, this subdued? Had there never been a time when she would have eagerly plotted Dolphin's demise with Xelloss? Dizzily, the Beastmaster let herself fall backwards into a sitting position, her arms shaking and her hair standing on end. She felt as though she were falling into an endless black chasm, and nobody was there to hear her screams...except Xelloss.
At last Zelas met Xelloss' gaze. He was hunched over on the floor still, one hand pressed to his slashed cheek. When she made eye contact, he dropped his gaze to the floor and bent all the way over in a position of utter humility. "Master, I have disappointed you," he said in a completely toneless voice. "Destroy me, if you will."
Zelas laughed lightly. "I don't wish to destroy you, servant." She sighed. "I only want you to understand that you must not hide things from *me*. You can never be sure that what you think I want is what I really want. And besides, Dolphin is far more powerful than either of us. You are going to have to learn to make correct assessments regarding your chances against certain enemies."
"But that's what I was doing, Master. When your enemies do not see you as a threat, they lower their guard and drop their pretenses. In this way, you can much more accurately evaluate their capabilities. I have been observing my lords and their servants carefully since I first met them, while they, on the other hand, dismissed me from the start, and therefore know nothing about me."
The intelligence of Xelloss' arguments was making Zelas' pride sting even more. Of course it was all obvious to her now what his intentions had been, and she was surprised she hadn't guessed it before. It all added to her growing impression that she no longer knew herself. At last she made a judgment. "You have done well, Xelloss. However, you must still be punished for being so presumptuous. Next time don't forget who is the boss around here."
Xelloss flashed her a sheepish grin. "Of course, Juu-ou-sama. I never presumed to be more all-knowing or all-powerful than you! I submit to your will!"
"Submit to my will...?" Zelas repeated thoughtfully. "That gives me an idea for your punishment. You've been a naughty boy, and I am in desperate need of some cheering up."
Xelloss raised his eyebrow warily. Before he could move, Zelas had materialized a spiked dog collar out of thin air and slapped it around his neck. Attached to it was a chain which she wrapped around her hand tightly. With a wink, her white gown changed into black leather lingerie and a whip appeared in her hand. "I know you've been getting practice," she purred evilly, "so you'd better be damn good!"
Xelloss' eyes widened for a moment, then he smiled slyly. "This isn't such a bad punishment..."
"And after this you're going to spend three years in a monastery under strict orders not to disturb, kill, or otherwise destroy anyone or anything."
Xelloss' expression drooped and little sweatdrops formed around his face. "Not the monastery with the monks who chant about eternal rewards coming to the meek and all that?" he moaned.
"The very same," Zelas gave him a wicked grin. "I hear they chant in shifts to make sure that someone is singing the praises of goodness and generosity 24 hours a day..."
The great, stone hall still rang with the echoes of Xelloss' screams long after he had been dragged off to the Master Bedchamber by his mistress.
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A/N: Heh heh. Well, Umi-chan, I guess you could say that I ADORE Zelas/Xelloss of any kind. It's my favorite Slayers pairing and the only Xelloss/anybody I officially support. I love to explore the possibilities, but I'm not totally decided on exactly how I view it. I guess you could say that I see them as a mixture of Master/Slave, Parent/Child, and Lover/Beloved all in one. Of course, I support the canon idea that mazoku can't love truly in the way we usually view love, but I think mazoku lords have a very special relationship with their servants. I have a whole theory on it, but I won't bore you by posting it here. Suffice to say that it involves the fact that the servants were created from the lords and my own definition of love. However, I am always open to new suggestions and I search out all the info or stories on them that I can in order to broaden my horizons. I just wish more people wrote about it. (I do collect Zelas/Xelloss doujinshi though. Have some new ones coming in the mail. Maybe they will give me new inspiration and insight to their relationship.) As for their physical relationship, as in this chapter, I have always sort of viewed them as lovers. I don't think incest has any application to mazoku at all, so I don't see a physical relationship as a problem, and since I consider them as both devoted to pleasure, there's not any reason why they wouldn't want to experiment at least. By bring back his heart, Xelloss is kind of symbolizing how he is taking Kanbyoo's place in Zelas' world. Anyway, yes, you could probably call this a Zelas/Xelloss fic, but please, please tell me if you think it gets too sappy, OOC, or unrealistic. I don't want it to ruin the story. I am just trying to write them how I see them in my mind.
(For the record, I officially support ONLY Zelas/Xelloss, Zelgadis/Amelia, Zangulus/Martina, Valgaav/Filia, and Gaav/Valgaav. I will actually also support Xelloss/Lina and Xelloss/Zelgadis as well as long as it doesn't involve Xelloss "loving" either one. I also have a long theory on mazoku/human love, but I won't go into that one here either. I see reason for both of them, especially Xel/Zel. There are certain points that could work there involving Xelloss abusing/using Zelgadis. However, I still don't officially support these. I see NO reason for Xelloss/Filia or Xelloss/Amelia at all. And while I think Lina and Gourry have a wonderful relationship, would probably die for each other, and are very cute together, I think that they make a terrible romantic couple in the sense L/G stories usually show them as. I support it on and off depending on the portrayal, but I don't consider it one of my favorite couplings. And back to Xelloss/Lina, although I DON'T officially support this, for some reason I have a terrible obsession with it. I read all sorts of fics/doujinshi concerning it and in an AU fic, I definitely support it. Go figure. I guess sometimes you have to indulge...
