The Slayers: Lina Zelgadiss Xelloss Gourry Amelia Val Filia Sylphiel
~*~ Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special! ~*~
Part Seventeen
Bedtime arrived at last with everyone settled in with reasonable comfort.
"Hey…yeah…I know it's late. Been busy here, ya know. Ah, nothin'…water, sun, couple weird kids, more than the usual… Why did I call? I, um, wrote a poem tonight. Yeah, felt good, too. Nah, too personal…sometime, maybe I'll read it to ya but not over the phone. What'sup with you? Oh, yeah? Little brat misses me? Oh, yeah…he's gonna be a lady killer someday. How do I know? Huh, I dunno…just guessin'. So…I guess I'll letcher go back to bed, then, and um…I…um…missyougoodnightbye," Val hung up his cellphone in a rush of words and near panic. "Shit, I just don't know when ta keep my mouth shut anymore," he grumbled.
He opened his little notebook and reread his poem, scratched out the last line and made a few alterations, then satisfied, closed it, stuffed it into his shirt pocket and curled into his pillow to sleep.
Val's poem: Fire flames brilliant against the dark, damp sand at night,
But pale compared to my memories of your flashing smile.
The melody of your laughter,
A flicker of danger in your eyes the moment before
I have to catch myself from falling…
Too late, it seems, for me…
The fire dies to glowing embers here at my feet,
While inside, it burns into my soul…anew…
my memories of you,
Where they smolder…
Then, suddenly they ignite my heart
again in your absence.
Lined out- I don't know how I feel sometimes…-… then added:
I am yours—
But you know that already and remain aloof
so you won't get burned.
~*~
Filia hung up the phone and sighed. How unexpected that was! Val never just called up to say…what was it he'd said anyway? It had made her feel all warm and happy inside. She was so glad her friends hadn't forgotten her. It was good to be home and all, but…she wished she could get out to the beach and join him, er, them all. Ah yes, warmth long-distance works just so far, and for just so long.
~*~
Things were great in the girls' cabin. There had been an excess of beds there anyway, so adding a boarder was no trouble at all. Hokuto had one of Lina's extra-large sleeping T-shirts (having opted out of Xelloss' black mesh band-wear), and looked very much like a black-haired, more pixie-like Lina. They were both straight-figured and slender with legs that were long compared to petite bodies, and mischievous expressions even when they weren't actually plotting anything. The three girls set up bedding and toiletries when they realized that Hokuto didn't have anything!
"Not even a toothbrush!" she moaned. Lina thought.
"Well, I guess we'll have to go to town and hope there's a 24-hour convenience store, huh?" she sighed.
"We don't have to walk, do we?" Amelia whined. Lina and Hokuto shared her sentiments.
"Don't suppose you've got a license…?" Lina hoped.
Hokuto shook her head. "That's why Sei-chan drives us around all the time."
"Well, then. Guess we've got to go bug the boys," Lina said.
The boys were having problems of their own. Where the girls had two bedrooms, each with twin beds, and only three people to occupy them, the boys had the same arrangement—but with five people to cram in.
Gourry and Val had positioned themselves in defensive positions in front of two beds in one room, leaving the other designated the 'geek room,' as they had previously decided. However, there was now one more geek to add—and Zel made a silent vow to himself NOT to share a bed with either of the demented young psychopaths. He had thought he was safe—the dog would fend off any invading alien—but he was wrong.
Subaru had seen the dog and immediately glomped onto it. The love at first sight was mutual, and Beast happily yipped and licked the boy's face, wagging his tail madly. It was the most excited Zel had seen him in ages.
It was funny. Somehow, Zel had put the rather effeminate Subaru in the same category as Xelloss—finicky and hypersensitive. But he didn't seem to mind the unhygienic licks and drooling from the dog, nor its rancid breath. Dirty fur, doggy odor—none of it fazed him at all. That was something to his credit, at least.
In the meantime, while Zel was almost affectionately watching Subaru bond with his dog, Xelloss had claimed the other bed by lying spread-eagle on top of it and loudly declaring it his. Zel's spirits drooped.
"Oh!" Subaru looked up from his mushy interactions with Beast. "This is your bed, isn't it? I'm terribly sorry. I just saw the dog and wanted to make friends. Here," he made to slide off the bed in a hurry. "It's yours again—"
"No, no, its okay," Zel sighed. He couldn't deprive him of a bed. The only other choice was the floor, and he couldn't let their guest be confined to the floor—what kind of host would he be then? Damn his bloody inconsiderate friends… "Just gimme one of those pillows…I'll shake down Gourry for a blanket. Thanks…"
"But…where are you going to sleep?" Subaru asked, shakily.
'Not with you!' was the thought that came to mind. "The floor, in the front room. I'll be fine. I slept outside a few days ago…or was that yesterday?" Zel sighed. He couldn't even remember! And what house was that at? Did he even have a house these days? A year ago, this wouldn't have been a problem, would it have? Too tired…
"B-but I don't want to be any trouble…"
'Well, can't help that now, can we?' Zel thought. Aloud, he said, "It's all right. I don't mind. Really." Just take my dog and my bed and my dignity…
So saying, Zel quietly closed the bedroom door and padded down the hall, into the darkened front room to find a flat spread of floor to sleep on.
The door was open. A breeze was issuing from the blackness outside. And there was a shadowy figure standing in the doorway!!
"Gaaaaaaaa!"
"Gaaaaaaaa!"
After a moment of screaming, Zel recognized the voice as Lina's and leaned backwards, panting, and slammed his hand on the light switch.
"Damn it, Lina!" he moaned. "Don't just sneak in like a thief…"
"Well, who did you think it was?" she growled. "Old Tim? Dear gods, Zel…"
At this point, everyone else was filing in, carrying lamps and anything else that could pass as a weapon, ready to fend off whatever had made Zel scream. At the sight of Lina standing there, sloppy gray T-shirt and all, they relaxed. Behind her, Amelia and Hokuto emerged from outside of the doorway, looking embarrassed. They let Lina do the talking.
"Well, guys, I was about to try and bum a ride off of somebody with a license to go into town, but you all seem pretty psycho right now, and I'm not sure I'd trust you at the wheel," she appraised them.
"Even if that wasn't rude, I still wouldn't do it," Zel snorted. "If you want a midnight snack, you should learn to bring your own-"
"Don't jump to conclusions!" Lina growled. "And beside, it's nowhere near midnight yet. No, the twins don't have toothbrushes or nothin', so we were gonna see if there was a convenience store open or something…"
"Oh, well…"
"I'm not doing it," Xelloss declared. "I can't see very well with my glasses at night in the glare…"
"Not that we'd trust you driving at night anyway," Val grunted.
"That sounded like volunteering!" Lina looked at Val like he was a hamburger.
"Nuh-uh, Lina. My shoulder's dead and getting deader…remember all those friggin injuries I got? Well, your wrasslin' match didn't help them none," he winced.
"Sorry…" she admitted. "Gourry?"
"Yeah," Val said. "Gourry can go, and Zel can steal his bed!"
Gourry shook his head violently.
"Wait a minute here," Lina said. They did. "You're short a bed?"
"Y-yes," Subaru said. "It's my fault. I'm so sorry. It was rude for us to impose on you—"
"Naw, don't worry about it. So Zel the martyr let you have his bed, huh? Geez, guys, why don't you just share?"
The look Zel gave her made her raise her eyebrows in false shock.
"Where are you sleeping, then, Zel?" Lina wondered, vaguely.
"You're standing on it," Zel said, and dropped the bedding he'd been carrying on the floor.
"We have an extra bed," Hokuto said. "Subaru can share a room with me, just like we used to back at Grandma's—"
Zel couldn't help but notice that Subaru looked pretty crest-fallen at that idea, though he tried to cover it up. "Oh, no…don't—" he tried to stop her, but Xelloss interrupted.
"No, let him stay here with us. I'll bet he's never just hung out with 'the guys', before." Xelloss insisted.
Lina sighed loudly. "Okay, fine. Here's the deal: if Zel hauls us to the store, we'll haul the bed stuff from our spare into the living room for Zel to sleep on. Sound good?"
"Yes…" Zel sighed, and went to get his keys.
It was agreed that Hokuto could choose her brother's toothbrush and other personal items so that he could stay at the house and share a male bonding experience with the three other kids. Zel refused to 'go shopping', preferring to remain in the car.
"Just don't take all night, all right?"
"Hey, we're not here 'cause we want to be," Lina assured him, and departed with Hokuto and Amelia.
Back at the ranch, the boys, having realized there would be too much commotion soon to go to bed right then, were sitting around the living room, on chairs or the floor, staring at the walls.
Finally, Xelloss couldn't take the quiet any more. "Wasn't today fun?" he sighed. "We did so much crazy stuff…"
"My beautiful building…" Gourry lamented.
"My aching shoulder! Man, Lina's a wild animal, you know?" Val rubbed his injury.
"And that's why we love her, right?" Xelloss grinned. "Because she's tougher than any of us, and she knows it."
"I dunno about that," Gourry started.
"Yeah, Xelloss," Val said, looking surprised. "You're still here, after all the unholy shit life's slung at you."
"Why, Val, that was almost poetic!" Xelloss giggled. "Yes, I'm still here. But I'm not stronger than Lina. Remember, I did crack up before. I spent middle school in the nuthouse," he said, and looked at Subaru for a moment, a challenge to him, he thought. See if you can top that, spirit-boy!
"Yes…" Subaru looked at him. "You've been in too much pain. For a while, you had to escape it somehow… I think it was the right choice-–not that I should have an opinion, but…" He swallowed. "I've seen it before…I've seen people never recover, become demons, almost. But you," he smiled warmly at him, if a little shakily, "you're still human."
"…let's see...toothbrushes, right here," Amelia found the appropriate rack and led the two other girls to it.
"Righty-o…here we go, red and blue, small ones. We both have such little jaws! We had to wear intense braces when we were preteens, because our teeth were too crowded." Hokuto shared.
"Me, too!" Amelia said. "It was just awful, wasn't it!"
"I have perfect teeth!" Lina grinned to show them off, "and I'll never need to mess with 'em again, since I got my wisdom teeth out in freshman year."
"Lucky! But you're small, like me! How come you get perfect teeth?" Hokuto complained.
"Because she has such a big mouth!" Amelia said.
Lina threatened her with a tube of toothpaste.
"Oh, right, guess we need one of those, too!" Hokuto picked one out.
"Now," Lina grinned, "time for snacks!"
"Oh, they even have little bags of flour and sugar and stuff!" Hokuto noticed. "I should make something for you guys to repay your kindness! Zel has been so sweet."
"I'm not one to turn down food," Lina shrugged. "Whatever you wanna do's fine. I'm going for fruit pies, myself!"
"Oh, Lina! Those are terrible for you!" Amelia warned.
"Maybe for you!" Lina laughed. "But I'm the mighty Lina Inverse, and even goddesses envy my beauty, brains, voice, and metabolism! I can eat anything."
"Not fair!" Hokuto whined. "I have to watch what I eat and count calories and diet and everything to maintain my figure!"
"What about your brother? His looks about the same," Lina snorted.
Hokuto frowned. "He doesn't take very good care of himself. He doesn't eat or sleep enough, and he works way too much. I'm surprised he hasn't just keeled over from exhaustion already! I'm surprised he hasn't gone gray with stress!" she ranted.
"Isn't he too young to work?" Amelia asked.
"Probably, but it's all shrine stuff, so it's exempt. Well, that and practicing with the band. And they're all nice people, but its still stress he doesn't need!" she sighed. "I worry about him sooo much! I mean, there's only so much I can do for him, and he's so stubborn!"
"Stubborn?" Amelia asked. "I didn't see that in him at all."
"He's the worst! He doesn't listen to anything I tell him—especially not when it's for his own good. And he won't admit that he's special! There's no one in the country who can do some of the things he can, but he insists that he's just an ordinary spiritualist! As if there's such a thing as an ordinary spiritualist!"
"He's just very shy. He isn't as social as you are," Amelia pointed out. "I have a friend like that…"
"You mean elfy, out in the car?" Hokuto giggled. "But my Subaru's worse than that. I mean, he can talk to complete strangers when its work, but the only people he talks to of his own free will are Grandmother, me, and Seishirou, and even then, only when Seishirou talks first! He's a recluse!"
They bought their supplies and returned to the car.
"Lina--!!"
"Oh, come on!" Lina said, munching on a greasy, fruit-filled treat. "You think I was gonna go on this trip fer nothing!"
Zel sighed. But with Lina's mouth full, he might be able to have a conversation… "Hokuto, about your brother…"
Xelloss looked darkly at his hands for a moment. Then he looked up at Subaru. "So, what's your story? Nothing we've said has surprised you, and you're sure a piece of work yourself. You're so polite your obsequious, and so shy you're like a shadow. You know about me—abused, used, been through death and pain—what's up with you?"
"I-I don't know what you mean—"
Gourry stood up. "Xelloss, that was—"
"You gay?"
All eyes were on Val.
"I mean, it's not like I'm a-cyuse-ing you of a crime or nothin'," Val clarified. "But…"
They looked back at Subaru. He was very red, and almost shaking, looking down at his gloved hands. "N-no…nothing like that."
"Pretty much," Hokuto said. "I mean, it's just so cute how he pines away after Sei-chan! He's way too shy to really do anything about it, though, so it hardly counts."
"I…I don't really think about…that kind of stuff…" Subaru stuttered.
"Then that's yer problem," Val threw up his hands.
"Val!" Gourry warned him. "You guys are…really going low. If he doesn't wanna talk about stuff, it's not fair to make him. You said stuff 'cause you wanted to—he doesn't owe you anything."
Subaru looked at him. "It's okay. Thank you for defending me…you're good at that. But don't cause a rift between you and your friends on my account. I'm…I'm sorry. In a way, I feel like I do owe you something, a story to satisfy your curiosity or make you feel better about yourselves or something. But I don't really have one."
Xelloss sighed. "Look, I'm sorry…I didn't mean it all like that. I…actually kinda do want to know what's up with you—and I don't need to feel better about myself," he added, bitterly. He had a sudden thought and smiled evilly, "Besides…It's usually me that gets asked that question. Feelings are complicated. Not too long ago I was called 'gorgeous' by a guy. It was most surprising at the time, considering the source…"
Did Val remember? Yes, Xelloss noted with satisfaction. He may have been delirious with a fever and drugged, but he remembered. Val glared, but said nothing.
Subaru blushed again. "O-occupational hazard, if you're a rock star?" he offered them a solution.
Xelloss actually laughed. "There we go!"
"B-but I'm…I'm really just…just…"
"It's okay. We can drop it for now. Why don't you tell us…"
"My parents died when we were little. My grandmother raised us—and raised me to take over for her as the priest head of the family. I guess it's supposed to be an honor, but it's really not that big of a deal. But I've…had to see a lot of bad things because of that position…" he looked distant. "Not to complain."
"Bad things?" Xelloss wondered.
"Yes…help people pass on. Help people…find peace in their last days, while they may not be in the best…state of mind. And to comfort people who have lost so much more than kind words can ever cover…" he swallowed again. "And…there are other things. But I…I still have my sister, and my grandmother is in good health. And there's Seishirou. He's very supportive."
"He called himself a 'long-term part of the family,'" Val noted. "What does that mean?"
"We've really only known him for a while, since the bands formed. You see, the lead singers for the two bands are buddies, so we see each other a lot, and Seishirou found out that Subaru was a priest like him, and we talked a bunch and became friends!" Hokuto explained. "He's sooo cool! And he's been helping us out a whole bunch."
Subaru blushed. "Oh…He's going to be watching out for us a lot here. He helped arrange for us to go to school here and found us a place to live and all."
"So you're not living with him?" Gourry wondered.
"N-no… just Hokuto and I live together. We have a nice apartment…it won't be any trouble to take care of."
Val shook his head. Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "You're living alone, working at the shrine, and going to school for the first time? That's a lot of changes."
"It's not so much. We'll be fine."
"'We'. How about you?" Xelloss looked at him pointedly.
"W-what do you mean?"
"You and your sister are different people," Gourry pointed out.
"Y-yes, we certainly are," he smiled a little. "She's very wild, and very strong—like your Lina."
"Yeah, and I bet everyone in her band is secretly in love with her, too!" Xelloss remarked. Oopsie! Too many comparisons going here…
Subaru blushed and smiled, "She's not in a band. Seishirou is. She just supports us both, though she does have a few admirers…"
"What about you? You got anybody hounding you?" Val laughed.
"Actually," Hokuto smiled at Zel in the rear-view mirror, "I think that Sei-chan likes him, too! He's so sweet to him."
"But—don't YOU like Seishirou?" Amelia gasped.
"Huh? Well, of course! I love them both! But that doesn't mean I wanna marry them!" she laughed. "However…" her emerald eyes went a little dark, "if he ever makes Subaru sad, I'll…"
"N-no! Nobody," Subaru exclaimed.
"Suuure," Val grinned. "That's what Zel would say, but he's got squads of squealing fans."
"Occupational hazard," Subaru said again, with a slight smile. "But there are a lot of people in my band, and I don't stand out so much—"
Xelloss cracked up. The thought of this kid not sticking out like a sore thumb was unbelievable, even to the unusual Xelloss himself!
Around then, the car pulled up and Zel and the girls trundled over to the girl's house to struggle with the bed. Zel agreed that if the mattress made it over, he'd be perfectly happy. He took one end, Lina the other, and Hokuto the middle. Amelia tottered along with a bundle of sheets, blankets and pillows. To anyone happening by, this would have been an awfully funny sight at nearly midnight. Zelgadiss, party animal…
Bang, Bang!
"Open up you cretins!" Lina yelled at the closed and locked door to Zel's place, then set down her end of the mattress. "What'sa matter with ya? Scared the bogeyman's gonna getcher?"
Gourry opened the door, "Um…I didn't know it was locked…"
"I probably locked it out of habit on my way out," Zel sighed. "Um…this is getting heavy…" Zel meant for Gourry to move away from the door, but instead, Gourry grabbed hold of the mattress and carried it effortlessly over to an open spot on the floor away from the traffic. "This okay fer ya?"
"Yes," Zel nodded feeling approximately twelve years old.
"I'll get it all made up in no time!" Amelia cheerfully said.
Zel was about to stop her. He wasn't helpless! But he was just too tired to fight. "Thank you," he mumbled.
Hokuto cupped her hand to her mouth and leaned into Lina, asking, "The minions?"
"On rare occasions I lend them out," Lina smirked. "Normally they just do my bidding." She looked around at her friends and smiled. "Now everyone go away and give him some space. Zel needs his rest so he can cook breakfast in the morning, right kiddo?"
Zel sighed, "Of course, Lina…"
Lina tossed Hokuto a smile 'Mine'!
"That goes for you, too, Subaru!" Hokuto said.
"Y-yes! Of course! G-Good-night!" the nervous boy stuttered and scrambled off of the floor and out of the room.
Hokuto returned Lina's smile "Mine'!
~*~
Zel sighed and found a pair of sweats that he'd packed for the next night's wear. Oh, well, it wasn't as if he was taking anyone to bed with him—no one would ever know or care if he wore the same clothes to bed twice in a row. He picked them up and stumbled into the other room.
"Here," he tossed them to Subaru, who'd been patiently waiting in his ridiculous black jumpsuit, petting the grateful Beast.
"Th-thanks! I'm so sorry to be a burden on you like this…"
"Don't worry. We're teenagers. We're always a burden on somebody. That's what being a kid's all about."
Subaru smiled. "Where'd you hear that?'
"Lina, probably. That's the kinda thing she'd tell me. It's true, though, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but…" Subaru looked distant. "But you all…you're all pretty self-sufficient. You have money and talents that don't require an adult around to lead you through everything. And me and Hokuto…we live alone, working, too."
"Not exactly. I mean, we don't need adults for money, true," Zel said, "but we need them for other things. Emotional support. To learn from—examples, you know? We have Gourry's parents and Filia's, and Rezo…to look up to. Like you have Seishirou."
"I guess you're right. Funny, I don't really think of Seishirou as being an adult—at least, no more so than we are. I guess it comes of being around all adults, all the time."
"Yeah. I know. I hung around at the University too much last summer…forgot how to talk to kids. Oh, well."
Xelloss emerged from the bathroom, leaving it vacant for Subaru.
"Hey, don't forget your toothbrush."
"Oh, yes! Thanks!" he smiled and disappeared into the bathroom.
Beast whined when his nice new boy left, but he picked up Zel's scent immediately and happily followed him back to his make-shift bed in the living room.
"Oh, good. You're taking THE DOG with you. I was afraid that I'd have to sleep in a room with both the puppy and THE DOG."
"Oh, go to hell, Xelloss. And be nice to that kid. He's like you, but without the annoying habits—and Beast's better then both of you—he doesn't talk.
"Glad to know I haven't been replaced in your doggy heart, Beast," Zel smiled and ruffled his ears. "Good night, boy."
"Hey, you said good-night to THE DOG before me!" Xelloss whined.
"Damn straight. Good night, Xelloss."
"Good night, Zelgadiss."
~*~
Waking up to the smell of frying bacon and cinnamon rolls was…not like anything he'd ever experienced before! Xelloss sat up with a start. Where was he? For a few minutes he just sat and stared. Across from him was another bed, occupied. There wasn't another bed in his loft, or the inside room, or the one at Rezo's… And who was that? Only Zelgadiss had ever shared a room with him…and that delicate boy with black hair wasn't Zelgadiss, even if he was wearing his clothes! This wasn't his place, and that wasn't his best friend!
"M-Mr. Xelloss? Is something the matter?" the not-Zel kid stuttered with alarm, blinking his emerald-green eyes groggily and rubbing them with gloved fingers.
"Huh?" Who the hell are you? OH… Xelloss smiled with enlightenment as it all rushed back. "I forgot where I was. I woke up and had no idea where I was. Soooooo weird. Guess it's because we've been transplanted so many times the past few months. But my stomach says 'home is where the food is'!" He rolled onto his back and giggled at his own joke.
Subaru smiled, too. "Someone's been up awhile already."
Xelloss caught his breath and sat up again. He yanked on a long-sleeved sweatshirt over his t-shirt and stepped into a pair of sweatpants. Dressed, Zel-style, he bounded out of the room chortling, "Zellll-gaaaa-diiiiiiiss!"
Zel looked up from the layers of eggs and buttered white bread and greeted his best friend. "Get out. Scoot, go!"
Xelloss smiled, ignored him, and dipped his finger into the egg mixture, "What's this?"
"Strata. It has to bake yet," Zel snapped. He snatched a piece of bacon out of Xelloss' hand. "Put that down, too!"
"Coffee? Ewwww… Is there any juice?" Xelloss whined.
"Did you buy any?" Zel retorted. "You have two useless hands, you open the refrigerator and look! I'm busy."
"Bitchy Zelgadiss," Xelloss sniggered. "Ouch!" He looked around to see what Zel had thrown at him. "You hit me with an apple!"
"Yeah, what a waste of a good apple," Zel sighed. "Listen, if you're determined to mess about in the kitchen, peel these for me."
Xelloss perched himself on the table and picked up an apple and a knife. "Zelgadiss?"
"Xel-loss?"
"Nothing…"
Zel shoved the strata into the oven and started a pastry dough. Now what was on his friend's mind?
"Good. I'm too busy to debate or tackle any major problems right now," Zel said.
"Oh…"
Zel finished the dough and measured sugar and cinnamon into a large bowl, "You have those apples peeled yet?"
"O-one," Xelloss sang, turning the one syllable word into two.
Zel sighed, "It will take all day at that rate." He picked up another knife and began paring an apple. "You're thinking. I can hear the sound of little hamsters running on a wheel inside your scull."
"Ewwwww!" Xelloss made a face and jumped up. "Mice!"
Sure enough, a mouse skittered across the floor away from the oven, dipping into a crevice under the sink.
"Mouse," Zel corrected him. "Only one. I heard it scampering around all night. I got up and jammed everything remotely edible onto the table or in the refrigerator or we'd have nothing edible to eat this morning. What's your problem? I've seen you handling lab rats before."
But instead of answering, Xelloss simply shrugged and started another apple. "What's this for?"
"Apple cobbler."
"We should have ice cream to go on it," Xelloss announced. "I'll go get some!"
"Be my guest…" Zel said, a little rankled. Xelloss was entering his annoying goofy persona, one Zel in particular had not missed recently. It was a signal that all was not well in Xelloss-land.
"Can I have the keys to the car?" Xelloss said in a simpering tone of voice.
Zel glared at him a second, "By the door on your way out. Do you know where the market is?"
"Nope!" Xelloss smiled sweetly. "But if you found it in the dark last night, I'm sure I'll have no problem finding it on my own." He danced to the door, found the keys, and skipped out to the car.
"Subaru!" Zel called from the kitchen.
"Y-yes?" the kid crept into the room and looked around.
"There's a knife. I need all the apples peeled," Zel said in his no-nonsense way.
"Oh, y-yes! I-I can do that! Hokuto has me help her in the kitchen many times. Oh, look at the cute face someone carved in this apple!" Subaru turned the first one Xelloss had peeled, face-forward to Zel.
Zel looked up briefly. "Cute. Now, see if you can finish the last two while I start slicing these others. Lina will be up pretty soon and everything should be ready."
"I see, then I'd better hurry up, right?"
"Right."
Subaru focused all of his will and energy on peeling those apples. Zel sneaked a peak over his shoulder, only to see him working intently on one, carefully sliding the knife around the apple so that he completely stripped it of skin. It would have taken half the time for Zel to do them himself, but the poor kid was so proud of having helped that Zel hadn't the heart to discourage him. Something about Subaru always sapped him of his cynical strength, as if the boy's seriousness and sensitivity were just too pure to be touched by his own bitter sarcasm. Zel sighed. The worst thing was that he'd probably be stuck shepherding this kid around all year like a poor lost lamb, making sure no big, bad bullies ate him…
"A-are these all right?" he asked, timidly.
"Perfect. Thanks. Okay, now can you slice them like these?"
"Sure! Where's a cutting board—okay, we'll switch places. Thank you!"
Zel tossed the apple slices with the sugar and while they were 'juicing up', rolled out the pastry to fit the cake pan. "Um, open the oven and see if the…USE THE MITT!" Idiot…he muttered under his breath. "Is the strata browned on top?"
"Yes! Shall I take it out, Mr. Zelgadiss?"
"Sure, and put it on the counter. Oh, and…just call me Zel, all right? Amelia already bugs me with the 'Mr.' crap and Xelloss…well, there just no end to his vexatious conduct." Zel lined the cake pan with half the pastry, poured the apple slices in the center, then spread them out and topped it off with the other sheet of pastry. "All right. This goes in while I check the sausages over here…" he said more to himself than to the other boy.
"S-Someone must have told you about H-Hokuto's appetite…Z-Zel."
Zel shoved the links around on the pan and looked over at the wide-eyed smiling face. "Ah, no. Does she like to eat, too? I wasn't paying attention around the campfire."
"That's right, you were having some time alone after Miss Lina took your food. Well, Hokuto loves to eat. I think half our money goes into our food budget!" Subaru revealed.
"Wonderful. Then I guess Lina, Gourry, Val, Amelia and Hokuto can fight it out for supremacy over breakfast." He looked over at the bright green eyes scanning the different dishes. "Why don't you and I have ours now, while its quiet?"
Scandalized by the notion of eating before his sister, Subaru started stuttering madly, "I-I-I d-don't know…" But when he saw Zel help himself to a small plateful, he demurred, "W-well, I guess a little wouldn't hurt…"
Zel smiled, "Well, it could if Lina found out… No, I was just joking, Subaru. She's not up yet. I can hear her from here when she starts up." He pointed to his unusual ear, "Mutant hearing."
"That must come in handy sometimes," Subaru smiled back. "Oh, this is good, mmmm…Zel."
"There's some platters in one of the cabinets," Zel said. Lina was up so it was time to get the food out on the table. "Not…" His voice was drowned out by the cacophony of falling baking pans from atop the refrigerator.
"Sorry!" Subaru wailed over the din.
That woke up Val and Gourry. Gourry stumbled out to see what catastrophe had occurred. Val, however, came out spouting a string of explicatives at whomever it was created the noise that WOKE HIM UP!
Subaru blushed to his roots. Zel folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "Val, that's not necessary. A couple baking pans fell, that's all. It's time to get up anyway. Lina's on her way over any minute now, and Subaru here tells me that his sister is a glutton as well, so if you want to eat, shut up and get dressed."
Val blinked. Zel rarely strung together that much information at one time and loaded it on him first thing in the morning. "Lina, huh? Oh, shit…"
Gourry, having satisfied himself early on that all was well, had beat Val into the bathroom, leading to another round of cursing by Val.
Zel sighed. "Val grew up with one of the offensive stepfathers possible. His shoulder was dislocated and a couple ribs broken in aaaaa rock climbing accident a week ago so he's probably hurting from that too."
Subaru nodded, then brightened up, "Mr. Val? I have something that can help you!"
Val stopped in his tracks, "Huh?" Oh, the kid…
"I-I have some aspirin S-Seishirou p-packed for me. See? A little emergency supply. I'll get you some water, if you would wait right there."
Zel hid a smile. Val's expression was somewhere between astonishment and horror. He was frozen in his tracks as the boy passed him a glass of water with one trembling hand and a pair of pills in his other outstretched hand.
"Uh, thanks, kid," Val muttered, taking the offerings. He swallowed the pills and all eight ounces of water in three gulps. "I shouldn'ta got in that fight with Lina. All my ribs are burnin' again."
Subaru blushed, "Y-you are welc-come."
Val chuckled and mussed the shorter kids hair, "Yer all right! Here, give this to Zel to wash up fer me, 'kay?"
"Wash your own glass!" Zel yelled. "Asshole!" he added as Val's laughter shook the hall.
The girls arrived and the noise level increased by tens of decibels.
"This is sooooo good! You did this all by yourself?" Hokuto gushed.
"I had help…Subaru here…" Zel began.
"Did you help?" Hokuto interrupted. "He helps me at home, too! This stuff is terrific! What did you call it? STRA-ta? I'd like to make this sometime."
"I'll send you the recipe," Zel said and sipped his coffee in a leisurely manner.
"Aren't you going to eat, Zelgadiss?" Amelia asked, again dropping the 'Mr.' honorific.
"I'm fine, Amelia."
"Where's Xelloss?" Gourry asked before gobbling up a pair of bacon strips sandwiched between hunks of cinnamon roll.
Lina looked up, surfacing for the first time since settling in at the table. "Oh yeah…he's not here," she remarked unconcernedly.
"He's out shopping for ice cream," Zel said.
Val's eyes shot up. He chewed and swallowed. "You let Xelloss take my car?"
"Well, I wasn't about to stop him. I was preparing breakfast and had my hands full. Besides, he drives safely."
"He know where he's goin'?" Val asked.
"Does he ever?" Lina quipped.
Ignoring her, Val asked a different question, "How long's he been gone?"
Bang!
Right on cue, Xelloss shoved the door open his shoulder, both arms loaded with sacks. "Hel-l—ooooo!" he sang.
"Not long enough," Zel muttered under his breath. "If you really bought ice cream, it's probably all melted by now!" he said to Xelloss standing beside him.
"Oh…that's right! I forgot that! We-ell, it's not really breakfast food anyway. What were you thinking, Zelgadiss!" he smiled.
"Me?! I didn't tell you to go out for ice cream!" Zel said. He was getting all defensive now!
"No? Well, don't get all snippy with me, Zel-gaaa-diss. Look at all the cool stuff I got, though!" Xelloss smiled down at Zel who was glaring back up at him.
"I'm not interested. Go bother someone else."
Subaru sensed an undercurrent of unrest. "I-I'm curious. Can I see what you got?"
Xelloss bent down and whispered in Zel's ear, "You're no fun today. I guess it's gonna be me and your little puppy, bitchy boy."
Zel lashed out with one arm, but Xelloss avoided the fist, and giggling, settled over beside Subaru. He set down the bags on the floor and started pulling things out for show-and-tell time.
"First…new swimwear!" Xelloss snickered. He withdrew a skimpy bit of men's swimwear for competitive racing.
"Speedos?" Lina choked. "Gods, Xelloss not while I'm eating!"
"There's not much to those, Mr. Xelloss," Amelia said, blushing.
"More than what we were wearing in the water yesterday, right Zelly?" Xelloss grinned.
Zel blushed and cleared his throat. "Drop it, Xelloss."
Xelloss dropped the swimwear onto the table.
"Ahhhhh!" screamed a chorus of voices. Someone flung the garment away with a fork, sending it flying into Lina's hair.
"Nice hat!" Hokuto laughed.
Lina felt the heat rising to her face. Xelloss noticed the danger signs and moved quickly to make amends.
"That…wasn't my fault!" Xelloss said. He swiped the suit and stuffed it back into his bag.
"What else did you get?" Hokuto asked. This was fun!
"Don't encourage him…." Zel muttered.
"Shampoo…Mine got used up…suspiciously…"
"I didn't see no names on it!" Val grumbled.
"I thought it smelled familiar," Amelia said. "I just love the scent of lavender. I hope to visit Kiki someday and walk through the lavender fields of Provence with her. Did you know that her family owns thousands of acres of old vineyards? Her mother and father teach in universities—I'm not sure what…history or something—but she's heir to all of it! Isn't that something? All that time she was here and she never said a thing to me about it, but we've been e-mailing each other back and forth and she's been telling me all kinds of things. You should try and send her a message, too, Mr. Xelloss. She's always asking about you…"
Xelloss' smiled faded temporarily, "I don't have a computer, Amelia, anymore. But if you give me her address, I can use the one back at the shrine."
"Shrine?" Hokuto asked warily, looking back and forth from Xelloss to Subaru.
Amelia, feeling bad for reminding Xelloss of his losses, supplied the information for him. He seemed to have clamed up. "Mr. Xelloss is a priest in the largest White Shrine in Seyruun. He's their computer expert."
"Priest? You don't seem…the type," Hokuto said.
"Really? Am I too…devious and evil?" he smiled villainously.
"Naw, funny! You don't seem to be the serious type," Hokuto laughed.
"I can be," he smiled. "And…right now I'm seriously in need of a dance!" He swept Hokuto out of her chair and waltzed around the house, her squeals and peals of laughter filling the rooms.
Minutes later he raced her back to the table, where he dove into her empty seat, "Mine! Pass me a plate, would you Subaru? Amelia, is there still a sausage?" he smiled her way.
"If you pass me that plate, Subaru," Amelia said. "I'll fill it for him."
It was the just thing to do, considering how she'd managed to bring up Kiki, his lost computer, and the shrine (Sylphiel, oh no…) in one blow. So for the duration of the meal, Amelia catered to his every eating whim, much to his satisfaction. She was a wee bit too goody-goody for his tastes, but she was a girl, cute, well-endowed, smart, and present, especially present. Not to mention Zelgadiss was watching him like a hawk, perched on his chair and peering over his coffee cup.
Teasing Zelgadiss. He could make a profession of it! Xelloss engaged Amelia in a deep conversation of interest to her. Her eyes sparkled. She was proud to have everyone's undivided attention for a change. Not everyone was interested in knowing the ins and outs of Seyruun politics, but there she was, the center of attention. Xelloss fed her cues masterfully controlling the entire discussion.
"Wow!" Hokuto exclaimed. "You know everything! You've got to run for office, sometime! I'll be your…campaign manager or money raiser or anything, okay?"
Amelia beamed. "Well, I've got to grow up a bit more first. I won't be fifteen until December, but thank you." She turned toward Xelloss and smiled a special 'thank you, too' to him as well.
"Fifteen…" Val groaned. "I'm feelin' old…"
Gourry smiled, "Yeah…"
Amelia turned back to Hokuto. "Mr. Val, Mr. Gourry, and Mr. Xelloss are all over 18 and Zelgadiss turns 18 this November," she informed her. "Lina is 16 and Filia is turning 17 this month. Filia's the other band member who couldn't come to the beach with us."
"Well, everyone but Amelia and Lina has us beat!" Hokuto laughed. "We're sweet sixteen, like you, Lina," she winked.
"I always forget," Subaru sighed.
"Yeah, me, too. Everyone treats us like we're whatever age they are—whether that's fourteen or sixty-four!"
"High school's kinda like that," Lina put in, "unless you act really childish or really stuck up, in which case everyone will think you're a Frosh or a Senior, respectively. Hey, what grade are you entering at, anyway?"
"Junior, which is a little ahead of ourselves, but we tested really high. Betcha couldn't tell we're smart by looking at us!" Hokuto giggled.
"You should never judge people by appearances!" Amelia declared. "However, I must admit, I would have thought you would be a less academic type, Miss Hokuto."
"Oh, I am, but I'm just naturally smart, I guess."
"That makes two of us," Lina flipped her hair in a glamour-pose. "My school policy is to put the least amount of effort I can into everything and still ace it. Leaves me plenty of time to do the stuff I want to—like singing and writing. It pays to be a genius sometimes," she then burst out laughing.
"W-well, I'll have to study and work hard," Subaru said, shakily, "if I want to keep up."
"I can't get 'A's even when I DO study and work hard," Gourry groaned. "The stuff just doesn't stick, you know," he patted his head. "Names and dates and theories…I dunno how anybody can remember that junk!"
"I hear ya, man," Val high-fived him, massive hand against massive hand. "But, hey, you've gotta sweet business to inherit, and I've got money in the bank, so we're safe anyway."
"A business—would it be construction, by any chance?" Subaru wondered.
"Yeah, my dad owns Gabriev Construction and I'm apprenticing…"
"I can tell! You had an incredible structure going yesterday."
"Um, thanks…it coulda stood the test of time, if I'd gotten it done," Gourry answered.
Several guilty parties mumbled their 'sorry 'bout that's', then Xelloss jumped up, "I don't want to even think about school! Subaru, let's go check out your kelp shrine and see if it's still standing!"
"Oh!" he hopped to his feet then remembered he was only wearing sweats. "M-My clothes…"
Xelloss smiled a goofy smile, "Silly me, the other bag…" he dove into the other sack with a theatrical flourish, and pulled out some clothes. "Here, trunks and a t-shirt for the gentleman…and a bathing suit and t-shirt for the young lady…and sunscreen for both!"
Subaru turned crimson.
"Nice bathing suit," Hokuto giggled. "It's even the right size. How didya guess?"
"Hmmm, you look the same shape and size as Lina and…" Xelloss paused as one of Lina's evil-eye arrows pierced through to his brain. "The rest is a secret!" Wisely, he bounded out of range of Lina's fist aimed for his gut.
When he started rolling on the floor of the front room in a fit of giggles, Lina growled, "Quit geeking around, Xelloss, or else I'll have to tie you up and shove you in a closet somewhere!"
"Time to wash up and go outside for some fresh air!" Amelia declared.
Hokuto demanded that Zelgadiss go walk his dog or something and take a break. He did. It wasn't his kitchen, after all, and Hokuto seemed both competent enough to handle the cleaning up job and the recalcitrant help. Moreover, he really need time and space apart from Xelloss. Xelloss, what had happened to set him off? He'd been so normal of late. Zel was getting used to him that way. Well, he was bound to crack eventually, and Zelgadiss hoped that they could resolve the problem here and now with the large support group to stabilize him. Oh, joy…he sighed. "Beast? Stay at the house. I'm going to run faster than you can."
The skinny kid did a couple stretches, patted the dog's head, and was about to take off for the hard sand and a long run when he noticed that all was not quite as well as he'd thought.
Subaru still stood at the door, looking flushed and embarrassed about something. "Um—excuse me…?"
"What?"
"Am I…am I supposed to wear these? Will Xelloss be…very hurt if I…?"
'These' were the clothes Xelloss had picked up—swimwear, which did not seem very Subaru-friendly, despite even his strange tastes.
Zel sighed, and looked down at his dog's expectant face, then up at the boy's. "No, I don't think he'll be terribly put out…but then, he's been a little weird lately. Why don't you borrow something else of mine and…" Zel closed his eyes and tried to pretend it wasn't him saying it, "and we'll all go out shopping later, okay?"
"Shopping? Did I hear shopping?" Amelia somehow heard the fateful word from her former position in a far-off locale.
"Really? Where?" Hokuto popped up next to her like a mushroom, still holding soapy dishes.
Zel looked at his dog, took a deep breath, and set out on a demonic-powered sprint off towards the beach—as far away from them as possible.
~*~ End, Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special, Part Seventeen. ~*~
