Disclaimer: Once more, with not much feeling - The Slayers are not mine, nor am I making profit from this.




Sideshow

--- A Slayers Fanfiction by Winged Dancer.





5.Slumber.




In olden times, the Seyrunn Estate was quite more lively than it was by then. When the family was whole, it was as if a happy aura covered the house - Mrs. Seyrunn was a well-known healer and a very kind woman, if a little extravagant. Mr. Seyrunn was as happy as any man could be, and the two girls lived happy in the big house, running around the gardens and mingling with the servants all around the place.

When a strange fever had befallen Mrs. Seyrunn, most people in town were concerned. Such an useful and recognized woman surely wouldn't leave just because of a fever, right? Besides, she was known for her White Magic talents - wouldn't she be able to heal herself?

Three months later, after much struggling, Ms. Seyrunn died and her thirteen years old daughter, Gracia, left the Estate angry at the world, declaring she'd live on her own as a mercenary sorcerer.

The Estate was then covered by grief for a few months; and it didn't matter that it was taken care of as it always was, it didn't matter that the house was as white as ever, the gardens full of life and that the sole reminder of the mourning the house was going through was a black bow on the main door - that single bow seemed to create a shadow that covered all of the house.

However, time went on and the mourning was forgotten, even if Mrs. Seyrunn was not. Young Amelia grew under her father's guidance and proved that she had inherited her mother's healing talents - something that soon proved to be quite handy, since the girl also developed the ability to climb things and then fall off them with not much grace…

Slowly, the Seyrunn Estate recovered part of it's life. Phil was known to be eccentric already, and while Amelia grew to be a lot like him, she was generally liked and somewhat understood around town…

And yet, seeing his daughter's friends walking into his house with an entourage made up of an one-eyed man, a half-naked girl, a dog, a mare, a rather big iguana and some other animals was something Phil hadn't been expecting to see in all of his life.

"Heya, Mr. Seyrunn!" A small redheaded he thought was named Lina greeted him from the lobby, while he stood at his study's door.

"Miss. Inverse! Would you care to explain what is this about?" He asked, trying not to get very angry at the group of young adults downstairs. They were known to have some destructive power, and he didn't want his house to become a victim.

"Why yes we can!" A boy with purple hair answered instead. "Your daughter very kindly instructed us to bring our new friends here! All your anger should be directed at her, thank you!"

"Amelia told you to -?!"

"Yes sir - please forgive Xelloss, he's not good at explaining." A blonde woman, the boy's fiancée if he remembered, interrupted. "Perhaps it would be better if Amelia herself explained, but seeing she hasn't arrived yet, I'll do my best." He started walking downstairs as the girl cleared her throat. " 'These persons and animals were victims to a great injustice! They had been trapped by a man who was using them for profit; kept in cages for years and treated as slaves - nay, as mere animals, or worse! Even the animals suffered under the reign of their master, a man whose heart had been corrupted by evil and didn't care for his kind any more! We felt it was our duty to save these poor souls from their entrapment and help that man return to the way of Justice!' "

All the people in the room eyed the girl weirdly. Except Phil, who was, truth to be told, a little moved by the speech.

Taking some air, the blonde continued. "So we need someplace to hide these people. And they need food. And a bath."

"Go ahead, go ahead!" He moved aside to allow passage to the refugees. "I can't explain how happy I am that my daughter conducted such a beautiful act!"

"And how d'you know it was Amelia?" The redheaded muttered as she passed by, but he ignored her.

"By the way, where's my daughter?" He stopped the last one of the group to pass by, Xelloss.

"Amelia? Oh, she was waiting for one of the other prisoners." The man grinned. "One of the most dangerous, I have to say - capable of killing with no remorse, and with such an ease as well! Ah, but don't preoccupy yourself, Mister - I'd say Amelia is quite capable of taming the beast." Smiling once more, Xelloss followed the others, leaving a now very worried Phillionel staring at the doorway.





"Good impersonation," Was the first comment Lina did once she was alone with Filia and the siren girl, Lizzie.

"Aw, hush." The blonde frowned, getting into the bathroom and starting to fill the tube with water. "You can't deny that delivering a speech was easier than to actually explain all and then explain why he himself shouldn't go punish the injustice."

"You still could give Amelia a run for her money." The redheaded kneeled in front of the third girl, who had said absolutely nothing since leaving her cage. "Hey, you alright?"

Hearing no answer, Filia walked close as well. "Are you OK honey? You went through a lot, didn't you? But don't worry, it's all gone now…"

The girl looked up at them with wide eyes and in a second, broke down crying in loud sobs. Filia enveloped her in a friendly hug, while Lina awkwardly patter her back.

"I'm sorry!!" The girl exclaimed in tears, "I - I'm just so happy…" It was hard to believe that though, given the fury her crying had. "I'm happy… happy…"

"Yes, yes…" Filia patted her head, not really sure if she should let her continue or not. "Now, why don't you go and get yourself clean? We'll get you some clothes meanwhile, fine?"

Wiping her nose with her bare arm, the girl nodded enthusiastically while smiling broadly, her tears apparently forgotten.

"Thank you! I don't think I could possibly thank you enough." She took hold of both of the other girl's hands.

"'S alright, really." Lina shook her hand, a little confused but basking in the compliment.

"Now get clean or you'll miss supper." Filia insisted, and both Lizzie and Lina's faces lit up at the mention of food.

The girl walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Soon, the sound of splashing water could be heard, and the two girls left the room to search for some clothes for her.

"Poor girl." Lina whispered, thinking of a topic that wasn't to be mentioned in normal volume.

"Yes. She must've suffered a lot…" Filia nodded, knowing what her friend was thinking. "I don't think we should ask her much about what happened during the time she was captive."

Lina shook her head, pensive. "No. Better to leave that alone, right? Let's hope she'll get over it some way or another."





"This one will be your room for as long as you stay here." The young woman was indicating, and he was doing his best not to fall asleep right on that spot. "Over here's the bathroom, if you want to uh… take a bath, or use the toilet. And here's the night-cloth closet, and you can call the maid with this bell if you need anything. Uh, I don't have any pajamas for you, but I'm sure my father can lend you one of his…"

"That - that's not necessary." He answered as quickly as he could. The girl - he was still having problems calling her 'Amelia' - had taken him to her house and, after introducing him to her father, taken him to an upper room.

It was only five o'clock and he was feeling terribly tired, more than he had in years.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" The girl tried again, straightening the sheets on the bed.

"Yes, I am. I'll eat later." He answered, trying his best not to snap at her - he was in her debt, after all, and for at least two reasons now. But he wanted to be left alone… to sleep, finally…

She looked up from the bed, smiling rather sweetly, and walked to the door. "Well then, rest for a while. I'll see you at dinner, Mr. Zelgadiss."

The door closed behind the girl and he left out a long sigh, half looking around the room but not really interested in what was in it.

Dragging his feet, he closed the curtains on the window opposite to his bed and then left himself fall on it.

His bed. The mere thought of something being his after those years was exhilarating, and made him chuckle a little. Gods, he was tired… later, he would explain himself that such want of sleep was caused by the sudden freedom, the sudden disappearance of stress and worry - in other words, when he suddenly relaxed, all the sleepless nights that he had spent during those two years came back in a rush, and his body claimed for sleep.

With what remained of strength, he yanked his old loincloth off and threw it across the room, covering himself with the bed sheets, and almost immediately drifting off to sleep.





"We shouldn't be here."

"But we have little time, Gourry! Most people are still scared of the magic display they saw, but they'll call the police sooner or later and then we wont be able to get anything."

"But what are we looking for, anyway?" The blonde complained as he and his companion neared to the Fair's Master trailer.

"You know already Gourry." The girl, Lina, smiled with a greedy glint in her eyes. "Money, of course! Sure, at only three pieces per person it can't be much, but still we can't leave all that money just laying there."

"Why not?"

"Because!"

"That's not a reason."

"Fine. Because we'll use a share of that money to help Lizzie and Mark and that other guy, Zelgadiss. And also because, if the police arrives and finds the money untouched, they'll have to think of a reason for all the creatures to 'escape', but if the money's not there, they'll simply think that the creatures-escaping bit was to distract the owner and get the money. Get it?"

Gourry took a hold of the trailer's door. "Not really, but if it'll help Mark and Lizzie and Zel, then I guess it's a good thing."

Lina patted his back (a little hard) while beaming at him. "And tell you what, with what remains of the money, the two of us could leave our houses and go search for fortune on our own."

Gourry's eyes lit up at that. "Really? How so?"

"My magic, your swordplay, I'm sure we can manage." The redheaded nodded, crossing her arms.

The sight that was before them once they managed to open the door wasn't exactly pretty. All four walls of the trailer were stained with blood, and the floor was no better; with not only blood but a corpse they recognized as the Fair owner's laying at the middle of it.

Lina turned around, not really liking what she saw. Gourry grimaced, but forced himself to stare - he'd have to get used to that if he was going to endure the world on his own, right?

The body showed signs of great violence. The shirt was torn and bloody on various parts, as if the torso had been kicked with violence and the very flesh had been ripped apart on one side, and the legs were twisted at abnormal angles - broken, at least one of them. The face was nearly completely disfigured - eyes open in a petrified, chilling stare; all of the skin bloodied and large parts of it torn apart. The mouth was open in an interrupted gasp of terror, saliva and blood leaving a trail down the man's cheek, and he noted, with disgust, that quite a few teeth were missing from their rightful places.

The wounds were too many to actually know the cause of death by simply staring, and he didn't feel like staring either. A little wooden chest was on top of a bookcase, thankfully not very close to the cadaver. Reaching out, he took the box and pushed Lina out of the trailer, closing the door behind him.

The two of them walked out of the campsite and towards the Seyrunn Estate in silence.

As the house appeared in front of them, Lina was the first to talk.

"That was… horrible."

"I know." Gourry nodded

"You think it was…?"

"The blue guy?"

"Yeah, him…"

The man looked up at the nearing house. "Yeah, I guess. After all, he was the one who was missing, and Amelia had said something about having to be careful with him."

"Yeah, but I assumed that was because he would try to attack some other people, but this…" Lina grimaced.

"I don't like it either, but…" Gourry shook his head. "I guess he had it coming."

"Maybe. But it was still horrible - I mean, his skin was falling off at some point! Y'really think Zel did it?"

"Who else then?"

"…y'know, I think we shouldn't tell all of them about this."

"Why? Shouldn't Lizzie and Mark be the first to know?"

"Yeah, but maybe Zel wants to tell them himself. Or maybe he doesn't. But hell, they'll read about it tomorrow in the news, so lets just allow time to do it's thing."

Again in silence, they entered the house. It was perhaps five and a half, but they felt somehow exhausted.





The first thing his brain registered was that, while the light that was filling the place was starting to become bothersome, it wasn't as bothersome as it was most of the time - in other words, he had fallen asleep while facing the sole solid cage wall; and therefore the sun's rays weren't hitting him straight on the face, but instead reflecting on the metallic surface he was facing.

That, however, didn't really explain why he didn't feel the cage's solid and cold floor - sure, his sense of touch was severely hindered by the fact that he was made of stone, but he still had some left; and right now it felt much more like he was surrounded by something soft and maybe a little warm instead of the cage's metallic floor.

He moved one of his hands slowly. There was something in between his head and his hand, soft as what was surrounding him as well. Opening his eyes, he saw a white wall and a wooden night-table in front of him, a glass with water on the table.

Slowly, his mind set things straight.

He was free. He had been freed by a group of weird saviors, seemingly commanded by a black-haired girl that looked to be sixteen at most.

The bastard was dead. He had made sure of that before leaving the trailer. He had washed the fat man's blood off his hands at a small stream before reaching the girl's house.

He was now resting in a bed inside the girl's house, and given the amount of light that was coming in, it was morning. So he had slept from late afternoon to mid-morning - that was a lot, for him. But then again, he hadn't slept well in two years.

He didn't want to move, though. He wasn't one to believe things were an illusion, of course - the sheets were real, the pillow was real too and so was the water glass he'd soon have to drink, since his mouth was parched. But he was just so damned comfortable in that position… he closed his eyes and felt himself fall into a half-conscious state in which he was only aware of the warmth that even with his rocky hide he could feel around him.

Not much time later, he was again woken by the creaking of a door and the soft sound of footsteps.

"He's still asleep." A female voice whispered. "Replace his water - I'll check if he's alright."

"Yes, Miss."

The two people got nearer, and yet he didn't move nor open his eyes. Someone took the glass from the table, to replace it, he guessed and then the other someone moved his hair away from his face and placed a hand on his forehead.

That got his eyes open, and he turned around rather brusquely in surprise.

With her hand still hovering over him was standing the girl who had gotten him free, with a shocked expression on her face.

"Mr. Zelgadiss!" She exclaimed, her hand falling to her side. "Did I wake you? Sorry, that was not my intention…"

"I was up already." He muttered, his vocal chords less awake than him.

"I see - Isa, give him the water." The girl indicated the other person in the room, a woman of perhaps twenty-and-something years in a maid's uniform, who smiled politely and gave him his glass back. Swiftly, he drank all of it's contents.

"Would you like anything else, Mister?" The maid asked as he gave her the empty glass back.

"More water. Please." He managed to get out.

"And fetch him something to eat as well, Isa, please."

"Sure, Miss." With a small bow, the maid left the room.

The girl - he was still trying to get her name back - smiled at him, and walked towards the widow to open the curtains.

"Slept well, Mr. Zelgadiss?"

He nodded, his old manners returning as an instinct. "Yes, thank you. Er - Amelia?" He added the last part only to see if he had gotten her name right. It was a little embarrassing to have forgotten the name of the one who had gotten him out of the cage, but he couldn't help it if all of his memories were hazy.

"Yes?" The girl answered. So the name was right.

"Eh - nothing."

"I found this the other night when I checked on you." Amelia walked to a desk (which he had just noticed was there) and showed him a dirty piece of cloth - his loincloth, he guessed. "I don't think you'll want to keep it…"

"Burn it for all I care." He groaned. And then he suddenly remembered that under the sheets he was, well, rather naked, and there was a woman in the room. He mentally wondered if his blush would be noticeable, what with his stone skin and all…

As if reading his mind (or perhaps because she was holding his loincloth) the girl continued: "I found some of my father's old clothes. They'll fit you well while I get some your own size - I'll have Isa bring them for you soon. Do you want to have breakfast now or will you wait for lunch with the others?"

"I - what's the time?"

"Around half past eleven." She smirked. "Tuesday morning, by the way."

"Wait - Tuesday? It can't be. We got here on Sunday."

"The doctor said it was natural that you slept that much, since your body needed to recover." The girl explained, "Miss Lizzie is still asleep, and truth to be told, I was expecting you to wake up tomorrow."

"…I slept an entire day?"

"And then some." At this point, the maid entered with a tray with some fresh fruit on it. "Ah well - here's an entrée. I'll be downstairs, Mr. Zelgadiss - search for me if you need anything, and Isa; please bring him the clothes I left at the study."

The two women left the room, thankfully leaving him and his nakedness alone. But, he had something else to think about at the moment: fruit. Fresh fruit, and clean water.

Life was just so much better out of the cage.





The clothing he had been given was definitely a little bit loose for him, gut Zelgadiss didn't feel like complaining. For the first time since he had been cursed, he felt tranquil, at ease, and while the hic curse and it's existence still weighed him down, at the moment he wasn't even thinking of it.

The girl had gotten him a pair of dark brown pants with suspenders and a white shirt that he had to tuck in. Even with a belt, he was almost floating inside the clothes - hadn't she said this used to be her father's? How could the clothes be so big, given the girl's small frame then?

It didn't matter, he thought as he left the room. He was fully clothed and inside a civilized house, the bastard was dead and he now had time to rest for a while and gather information before he continued with his search.

As he came downstairs, he couldn't help but to wonder if the girl's house was always that occupied - in front of him and at his sides, two doors were open; one revealing a very busy kitchen with three women running from the stove to the cabinet and so forth; and the behind the second door, a woman (Whom he recognized as the maid from before) and a man were reading the table for lunch.

"Hey, Zel!" Unaccustomed now to hearing his name, and much less to being called 'Zel', he didn't realize he was being called and instead walked over to the main door.

"Zel? Hey, I'm calling you here! Hey, Amelia said you shouldn't leave the house yet…" At the mention of a name he did recognize and a sentence involving 'shouldn't', he turned around.

"Finally got your attention, eh?" Behind him, at a room he hadn't noticed before, the group that had gotten him out of the cage was sitting at a small living room, a redheaded girl waving at him to come over.

"Awake now? Siddown." She pointed to a single-couch next to the one she was sitting at with a blonde. "Amelia and Filia went downtown to get some things. Clothes for the Lizzie girl, mainly."

The chimera nodded as he sat down. "How is she?"

The girl grimaced, the boy next to her frowned. "Well, she's fine… she's got a slight fever, and her wings need to be removed…"

"Yes, yes - seems that your master had some sort of spell on her, you see?" A man with purple hair sitting across the room in front of him explained, smiling in a way that really didn't fit the topic. "It prevented the wings from getting infected, in other words, it kept them fresh. But seems now that the spell is… gone." At this, the man's eyes, which he had kept semi-closed due to his grinning, opened to look at him. "I do wonder why… well, without this spell, the wings are quickly rotting and the infection will affect Miss Lizzie if not removed."

Zelgadiss frowned, shooting the man a icy glare. "That man was not my 'master'. I don't think Lizzie would appreciate being reminded of him, either."

"You think? And I thought he'd be such an interesting person to get acquainted with. Intelligent, in his own way, a true business man and with some magic aptitude, and quite unique methods."

"Of all the fair, he was the most monstrous one." He snapped in return, not caring that the purple-haired man seemed to be enjoying his anger. "And you -"

"Hey, don't mind Xelloss, really." The redheaded interrupted, waving her arms. "He just likes fooling people, and Filia's the only one who seemingly controls him… a little. Amelia also calms him, even if her methods aren't that conventional."

Crossing his arms, Zelgadiss slumped back into the couch, and a glacial silence ensued

"Anyway, I don't think I have introduced you to Gourry?" The girl started again, pointing to the man next to her.

"Hey!" The blonde got up, offering his hand for shake. "Gourry Gabriev. You are Zegaldiss, right?"

"Zelgadiss, and my skin is not the best for shaking hands."

"Aw c'mon, I've been working with the sword and the axe since little, I could shake hands with a rock and it'd be the same!" With no further advise, the man took his hand and shook it with a strong grip. "See? I think I just did that, and I'm fine!"

"…alright. So he's Gourry." With her thumb, the redheaded pointed at the other man. "You already met Xelloss, and once Amelia and Filia come over, I'll introduce them… you already know me."

He blinked. "No. I know Amelia, not you."

"What? Hey, I greeted you and all back at the Fair!" The girl exclaimed. "C'mon, how can you forget such a beauty like me? Most people are so impressed, they never forget my name!"

"Really?" Gourry commented at the side. "I thought they couldn't forget you because of how you threaten to blow their house up if they don't do what you say…"

The girl got a little red. "Shut up, Gourry… now, do you remember me or not?"

Zelgadiss sighed. "I remember a girl semi-explaining what would happen and making some smart-ass comments. I guess that was you."

"Smart… hey, why aren't you saying anything about his vocabulary? And yeah, that was me."

"…fine."

"Lina, alright? You'd better remember that. You don't want the wrath of the most powerful sorceress in the word to fall upon you!"

"Now that is unforgettable…"

"Now now, Mr. Gourry - remember what we said about mocking Miss Lina's lack of lady-likeness? Besides, I think I hear Filia and Amelia at the door. Perhaps it would be time for us to go to the dinning room." The purple-haired man commented as he got up and left the room.

"Food!" Lina followed, skipping happily. The chimera got up, and the blonde man walked with him towards the door.

"Hey, if you were wonderin'…" The man - Gourry? - started, "That other man, Mark, he's in the garden. He's the only one who didn't sleep so much, and he really gets along with the animals, so he's outside taking care of Cerberus and Fenrir."

Zelgadiss arched a rocky eyebrow in surprise. "Amelia allowed that giant of a dog and a wolf to stay in her garden?"

"Amelia? You haven't met Phil, have you? Well, they both decided that the animals had suffered just as much and therefore it wasn't just to kick them out at least until they had recovered. And they are pretty tame, too!"

"With the treatment we - they received, it's no wonder they are." The chimera muttered.

"And hey, Zegaldis - ?"

"Zelgadiss."

"Ah - Zel, that's fine, right? Anyway, were you the one to… y'know…"

"What?"

"Well, Lina and I went to see what was left of the fair, and we kind of stumbled into the master trailer and…"

Ah. So that's what they were worrying about. "Yes, that was my doing." He said, looking at the group that was now gathering at the dinning room.

The man nodded. "Alright. Asking 'why' is out of place, so I'll just hurry along before Lina eats my fill."

The blonde ran ahead to the dinning room just as a faint scent of something he had once known but now he couldn't distinguish filled the room, quickly followed by the noise of chairs moving and people sitting still in the middle of a conversation.

Surely he was meant to join them at the table… and while he still felt a little weird around those people; first because of his cure and then because of how they had found him, he entered the room and found the black haired girl had reserved a place for him next to her.

He sat down, the girl saying something about introducing him to her father, while he thought that maybe a week or two of vacation would do good for him.





Notes: If you've been reading this - sorry for the long wait! School's up, and now I have time. This'll be finished soon.

I liked how this chapter shaped up, except perhaps for the beginning. Otherwise… I just like it.

Thanks to Alea Seikou, Suisei Lady Dragon and Saki for your reviews; and to Ryo Hoshi for proof-reading and pointing out my bad grammar - would that be the same thing?

At any rate, I hope you'll all enjoy this more peaceful chapter.

WDR