~Megalomaniac Says: (and I quote): "Sherra-sama does not own Slayers. In
fact, she owns nothing. For all that she owns is really mine! And all I
own is also mine. And Shinkohyou's got bad fashion sense! Mwa ha ha!!"
::Sherra-sama comes up and smacks the megalomaniac upside the head. Sherra-
sama then takes out Shinkohyou's Raikouben and zaps the megalomaniac (aka T-
sama).::
T-sama's shameless plug: "Read Houshin Engi (Soul Hunters) or DIE!!
We will now bring you back to your regular Author's Notes."
Author's Notes: O.O Gomen. T-sama didn't say that right. ::hides Raikouben behind her back:: I don't own Slayers, but DO own this version of Grau and Grou, so don't steal them. And she doesn't have my soul. (T-sama: "Are you sure?") Yes. I am. Dynast owns my soul, because he stole it from Phibby. And now, the fic, because I am sure you are bored of my rambling.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` (::pokes at pattern:: this means a scene change, okay?)
Grau and Grou returned to the castle later that evening. Everything had gone as planned during the meeting and everything was set for the humans. Nothing worthy of noting had happened; Queen Amelia had nearly killed Grau and Grou with her overly potent aura of happiness and her justice speeches, but she did that every time they had seen her.
They appeared in the throne room, expecting the Dynast to be there to "happily" greet them. Much to their surprise, he wasn't in the throne room. They decided to check his bedchambers. They teleported outside his door.
"Open it," Grou whispered to Grau. "No!!! I don't wanna die today!" They looked at the door. They weren't allowed into Grausherra's bedchambers, ever. "Why don't we just find his astral presence?" Grau whispered. Grou nodded, in complete agreement. This was much better for their health. They concentrated for a moment, and found their master's signature in the courtyard, along with Sherra's.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` Sherra was tired. Snow was billowing around her; she was freezing. Grausherra was trying to teach her how to levitate, but they weren't getting very far. Grausherra was sitting in the snow about twenty feet below her and off to the side, lazily watching her slow progress. She was supposed to go up, and then fly somewhere, anywhere. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay up for long enough to fly anywhere. She was getting better, though; her airborne time was gradually getting longer.
Grausherra looked up when he heard Sherra cry out. Grau and Grou had teleported in next to her, startling her. Her concentration broke and her spell dissipated. She fell down to the snow below her. Grausherra cast a spell that manipulated the winds and slowed her fall, hoping that she'd think to teleport. She didn't, and she landed in the snow. It stung her face. Grau and Grou floated over to her form. They landed as she sat up.
"Sherra-chan!!!!!!!!!!" They cried happily as they flung themselves onto her. She blinked uncomfortably as she looked at the two children who were latched onto her. "We're happy that you're okay!!!! We were afraid that Lord Dynast would overdo the training and kill you while we were gone!!" Grau said, his voice muffled because he had buried his face in her shoulder. Grou let go of Sherra and sat down next to her. The cold didn't bother him. He rather liked sitting in the snow, unlike his brother, who had stayed firmly latched onto Sherra.
"Give your report," Grausherra ordered the twins. "Everything has gone according to plan; no one suspects that we still have control over Dilss, especially after that little incident with Miss Inverse. They have decided to beef up their military, so all we have to do is call more humans in for training to defend their country." Grou said. "Excellent," Grausherra said as he stood. He had been sitting for so long that he was dusted with a layer of snow about two millimeters thick. He could sense another storm swiftly approaching, as well.
Grausherra kept a carefully stoic face as he studied his priests and general. They were getting along fine, just as he had expected. Sherra still needed to learn Levitation, but now that Grau and Grou had returned, they could work on perfecting it with her. Nor was this the weather to be outside, what with yet another snowstorm coming. Maybe ten minutes, and a blizzard would be there, full force. "We're going inside," Dynast said before teleporting inside the castle. He reappeared in his throne room and seated himself. Sherra soon followed. He felt Grau and Grou in the library, no doubt looking for another experiment to perform in their lab.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Not sure of what to do with herself, Sherra had followed her master back into the throne room. She was standing in front of the throne, maybe ten feet away. He was gazing at her intently, trying to decide if whether or not it was a good idea to continue her training or to call it a day. She was tired, there was no denying that, but this would be a good opportunity for him to begin her sword training. The very basics were stances and how to hold the sword; it didn't take that much energy at all.
Sherra was absently studying the throne room from where she stood when Grausherra began to speak. "Unsheathe Dolgoufa," he ordered as he stood and walked to within arm's length of her. Sherra blinked a few times before she realized that he was talking about the sword he had given her. She grasped the sword's hilt and awkwardly pulled it out of its sheathe. Its weight nearly threw her off balance, but she felt the sword suddenly begin to support itself. She quickly regained her composure. Dolgoufa let its full weight back into Sherra's hands, but this time she knew how heavy it was and was able to hold it.
For the next two hours, Sherra learned how to hold the sword in either hand, how to how to deliver basic blows and how to block them. She was drilled on different stances, all for one-on-one fighting. Then she and Grausherra began to spar, slowly. He wouldn't let her use Dolgoufa for this part; he could move on his own, and Grausherra didn't want Sherra to become dependent on his help. They were using wooden practice blades. He was moving very slowly so Sherra could remember how to hold the sword to block, and then "return" the blow. After the first ten minutes, she was starting to remember what she was supposed to do and was responding more and more quickly. They were gradually moving faster and faster, and Sherra was really getting into the swordplay.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded from elsewhere in the castle, shaking the ground. Startled, Sherra lost her balance in the middle of a thrust and fell over. "The priests," Grausherra explained when he saw Sherra's bewildered expression, "They are experimenting in their lab again," "That was them just now?" Sherra asked as she stood up. "Yes, they to like to blow up their lab; they tend to do it often. You'll get used to it," Grausherra explained as his practice blade disintegrated in his hand, shortly followed by Sherra's. "That's enough for today," Grausherra said as he went and sat back down on his throne. "You may do whatever you please for the rest of the day," he said.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Grau and Grou were having a -great- time in their lab. They had been happily mixing chemicals, and had discovered three new ways to make poisonous fumes, and they found this thing that made the greatest explosion! Their ten-year-old mentalities were in their prime. They had just restored their lab to the condition it had been in before the experiments, and were happily recording how to replicate them for future references.
They had bored of the explosions for the moment, however, and were trying to decide what to do when they felt Sherra wander away from the Dynast's presence.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Sherra had just teleported back into her room, and threw herself over her bed. She just laid there on her stomach, utterly exhausted from the training. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard her door open. "Sherra-chan, you shouldn't go to sleep with your sword still belted onto you," said Grou. Sherra pushed herself up with a little effort and sat on the bed. She blinked sleepily at the twins. Grau stepped forward and unhooked Dolgoufa. He put the sword on the bed before climbing up onto it himself. Grou settled for sitting on the floor.
The twins were gazing at her intently, and she could feel their probing. Grau and Grou were meticulously inspecting her on the Astral Plane. Their astral bodies acted as one, Sherra noticed. They were checking her mood, how healthy she was, how hungry, etc. As the priests, it was their job to make sure that their Lord and the general stayed in good health. It was an important part of their jobs.
She knew that the Astral Plane was there; she had been actively scanning it and probing things since she had awakened. The first thing she had recognized on the Astral Plan had been her master, and she had cuddled up next to him immediately. Though she had moved around quite a bit on the physical plane that the humans inhabited, her astral presence hadn't moved much from its warm and safe spot next to the Dynast. It really bothered her that she couldn't just drop her physical form and sleep next to him, completely in the Astral Plane. She was really tired, and she didn't feel as safe when a portion of her was in the physical plane while she was asleep, even if Master was right there.
"Sherra-chan, you really should go to sleep," Grau said. Sherra looked at him. "That's all anyone has been saying to me lately," she said as she tried to stifle a yawn. "That's because you're a newborn halfling and need a ton of sleep," Grou stated plainly from his spot on the floor. "Halfling...?" Sherra asked. "Yeah, you know, half Mazoku, half human," Grou explained. "I'm part human?" Sherra said, surprised. Grausherra-sama had told her that she was half Mazoku, but she had never stopped to consider what the other half was. She tried to delve into her foggier memories, tried to remember something, anything, from when she was human, but failed. Her memories beyond waking up in the citadel were a foggy miasma. "Sherra-chan, you should go to sleep," Grau repeated, shooting Grou a "we-aren't-supposed-to-mention-that" look. "We'll leave the room; put your pajamas on and go to bed. It's late now." Grou said hurriedly as he got up and left, Grau at his heels.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Several hours later, however, Sherra was not asleep. She had put her nightdress on and gone to bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. What Grau and Grou had said was eating away at her. Was her being half human stopping her from going over to the Astral Plane completely? She wanted to go over there and stay with her master, completely over, but she couldn't. She really wanted to, she needed to, and she couldn't. Therefore, she was lying anxiously in bed. She shifted, changed her position, but to no avail. She couldn't sleep. With a sigh that sounded slightly like a stressed sob, she sat up. She shivered. She didn't like this. It was cold. It was no use; she couldn't sleep.
She got out of bed and left her room. She stood alone in the dark hall for a minute, shivering. Her nightdress went down only to about mid-thigh, and the neck was low cut. The back scooped down fairly low, as well. It was made with the assumption that she would be under a heavy comforter while she slept, not that she'd be walking around an unheated citadel in the frozen wastelands of the far north. Her legs and feet were bare, but she didn't want to go back into her room, so she picked a direction and started walking that way.
She walked for a long while, or at least it seemed so to her. The halls were all of black stone, marble being the most commonly seen. The ceilings were high, and so were the windows. There was one every so often, maybe about eighty feet apart. The drapes were white as the snow outside, with a golden stripe about nine inches from the bottom. All the halls were decorated in this manner, so it wasn't long before she was lost. She didn't care, though. She couldn't sleep, so what was the sense in returning to her room? The halls were all dark. There was no way a normal human could see in them. Sherra wasn't a normal human, however; she was half mazoku, and her senses were considerably heightened. The halls were merely uncomfortably dim to her. After a while, she saw a flickering light in the hall ahead of her. It was coming from a door.
The light was very dim, and was wavering about as though only a few candles were lit. Sherra frowned, wondering who else was up at this insanely late hour. Silently, she approached the door and peeked inside. It was the library that her master had taken her to when he taught her about the Mazoku history. She scanned the Astral Plane, and found that it was Grausherra-sama who was up at this late hour. Her probing caught his attention on the Astral Plane, and she felt his influence wash over her. She found herself walking into the library. She stopped a few feet from his physical form. His Astral presence still had a firm grip on her.
He was seated comfortably on a sofa. He had a little tea table in front and to the right of him. Documents in an ornate calligraphy were scattered across its surface, along with a glass half filled with wine the color of fresh blood. He hadn't changed into pajamas; he was wearing his normal outfit; tunic and pants, sans the cloak. Instead, he had a large blanket draped over his lap. It ran off the sofa and pooled in a soft heap at his feet. The Dynast was scanning her intently in both planes, trying to figure out why she was up. She wasn't hurt, and she wasn't that hungry, either. Insomnia, perhaps? His gaze met hers, and he recognized the troubled look in her eyes. Silently, he motioned for her to seat herself next to him. She complied and sat down. He shifted his blanket so that it covered both of them. Sherra shivered and pulled the blanket up so that it covered her shoulders as well. Grausherra shifted his position so that he was facing her on an angle, and his weight on the cushions made her slide right up next to him. She blushed. She still wasn't used to her master's touch.
"What's the matter?" Grausherra asked. He didn't like his general's mood at all. She was very upset, and he wanted to know why. There were other emotions mixed in the fray, but his main concern was her anxiety. Sherra allowed her stiff body to relax and she leaned into him as she began to speak. "Why can't I come over completely?" she asked. The Dynast was silent for a moment before flatly replying, "I already told you, you are only half Mazoku; you have a physical body. You can't come over to the Astral Plane completely." Her gaze saddened as she processed what she had just been told. She felt like she was going to start crying.
Grausherra noticed this and frowned. It was because she was half-human that she was emotional like this. That and the fact that as a newborn Mazoku, it was natural that she would want to spend as much time with her creator as possible. He understood that she wasn't comfortable sleeping when she was in the physical plane, but nothing could be done about that until he tore the human part out of her. She was far too weak for that now. He had raised servants before, not to mention that he had raised her before, and he knew her better than she knew herself. He knew how to deal with her emotional ups and downs; after all, she was eternally a teenager, and any female teenager, even a Mazoku one, has mood swings. She never felt any sort of self doubt before and she certainly wasn't feeling it now, but her moods were like a roller coaster ride. They were more severe than before because of her half-human spirit, but they were still there and Grausherra had become an expert at dealing with them. Silently, he strengthened his hold on her astral presence and reassured her. Sherra calmed when she felt her master's presence strengthen all around her.
Grausherra smiled to himself. That had done the trick. It usually did, actually. Sherra's anxiety quieted considerably, and he felt her become drowsy. That was good. Sleepily, Sherra nuzzled closer to her master for warmth. In a few minutes time, she was fast asleep. Careful not to disturb the girl snuggled up next to him, Grausherra retrieved the papers that he had been inspecting before. Grau and Grou had brought them back from the meeting in Dilss. They were documents stating just how much military resistance should be built up, treaties, etc.
Grausherra frowned when that brought another thought to mind. His "sisters" were going to want to know what's up with the kingdoms. They were going to be sending messengers for the news in the next few days. He hadn't mentioned Sherra's return to either of them. Dolphin would probably send a low-level Mazoku to retrieve the information, but Zelas would probably send Xelloss. Grausherra groaned at the thought of that impending headache. He stilled when he felt Sherra stir, but she did not wake.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
The first thing that Sherra felt when she woke up was extreme contentment. She was warm and comfortable. She could still feel her master's presence. Her happy thoughts came to a screeching halt. He had stayed with her? Sherra opened her eyes. She and Grausherra were still on the couch. He had shifted his position slightly so that her head was resting on his chest, and his arm was draped over her. Her face heated into a blush, which reddened when she noticed that she had him in a sort of a half-hug. Sherra sat up. She was still cuddled up to Grausherra, but at least now she wasn't hugging him. As she sat up, Grausherra's arm slid down and came to rest on her back. He smirked at his general's blush. He didn't know why, but he liked making her blush. He got a sort of satisfaction when he made her do it.
A servant suddenly entered the room and bowed to its master. It stayed in the bowed position, its eyes closed in respect. It was humanoid, but was too weak to take on an actual human form. "What is it?" Grausherra asked the servant as he took a sip of his wine. "My Lord, Lord Beastmaster's second is here," it said in a slightly warped voice, "It wishes to see you; its master wishes for a synopsis on what happened yesterday." "Send him in," Grausherra ordered. The servant bowed and vanished. Confused, Sherra looked at her lord questioningly. He absently rubbed her back, his gaze on the door that lead into the library.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Xelloss was Beastmaster's second, of course. He had gotten up bright and early just so he could get the report on what the verdict was on what to do about the invasions. Although it didn't really concern the Mazoku, it was nice to know what happened so that they would have more information with which they may manipulate a human or even an entire government in human society should the need arise. Contrary to human and Ryuzoku beliefs, the Dark Lords kept each other up to date on what was happening with each other.
Xelloss was mildly surprised to find that he was meeting Lord Dynast in the main library rather than the throne room. He shrugged it off, and followed the lesser demon's teleport. Xelloss got a big surprise when he arrived in the library, however. When he was rising out of his automatic bow he actually looked at the Dynast. If Xelloss were human, he would have had a heart attack, figuratively speaking, of course. Not only was Lord Dynast on a couch with a blanket-he hadn't even dressed yet- but Sherra was there too. Xelloss actually opened his eyes as he took in the scene. Lord Dynast was a dignified and regal looking as ever, but it was strange to see him with a dead Mazoku cuddled up next to him. If Sherra hadn't died before, then maybe he wouldn't have been so surprised, but Gourry had killed her.
Sherra stiffened when she felt this newcomer suddenly begin to poke and prod at her in the Astral Plane. He seemed shocked to see her and she didn't understand why. He apparently found his answer, because he ceased his probing, but he eyed her suspiciously for a moment before closing his eyes in an overly happy smile. Sherra snuggled protectively closer to Dynast. "Lord Dynast," the newcomer was saying, "As I am sure you know, Lord Beastmaster sent me to receive a report on yesterday's goings on in the meetings in Dilss." "Yes, I expected as much, Xelloss," Grausherra said, "I, however, was not the one who went. As you can see, I have revived Sherra. I began her training yesterday. I sent Grau and Grou to Dilss to take care of business." Xelloss kept his happy countenance. It wasn't really surprising. It was natural for Lord Dynast to devote most, if not all, of his time to Sherra and her training. Apparently, he was devoting all his time.
Xelloss felt the Dynast summon his priests. After a few moments, Grau and Grou appeared. They both bowed to their lord before turning to Xelloss. "Come into our study, and we'll brief you on what happened so you can tell Lord Beastmaster," Grau said. Xelloss nodded and the three of them teleported away.
After they left, Sherra raised her questioning gaze to her master. "We had a meeting in Dilss yesterday. I was training you, so I didn't go. Grau and Grou went in my stead. Now my "sisters" want to know what happened. That was Xelloss, Beastmaster Zelas-Metallium's general/priest," Grausherra explained. Sherra nodded, still rather distracted by the fact that he had stayed with her last night. She thought that he would have put her to bed after she fell asleep. He stood up. He looked down at Sherra, saying, "We have to continue your training. Go, take a bath and get dressed. We will resume training where we left off yesterday. He teleported away, and Sherra returned to her bedchambers a moment later. She had a sinking feeling that the training was going to get a lot more difficult very, very quickly.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` End of chapter 7.
What a wonderfully long chapter, ne? ^^ I'm proud, two chapters in a row that are 8 pages long...
Phibby: Actually, it's more like seven and a quarter, but who's counting?
::glares at Phibby::
I have a fanart of Sherra that my friends should scan for me within a few days' time. If you would like it, say so in a review and I'll E-mail it to you as an attachment. If it doesn't come within a few days' time, I haven't forgotton; there's just been an unexpected problem. I'll post in my bio any changes. If you have never ventured into my bio, I have my fanfic update status in it too, so if you want to see if I'm going to update anytime soon, check it.
So, what'd you think? I appreciate feedback, in fact, I thrive on it. Suggestions are most welcome. Remember, constructive criticism is welcome as well. If I don't get any reviews, I'm not going to post any more, so please review!!
You know you want to........
T-sama's shameless plug: "Read Houshin Engi (Soul Hunters) or DIE!!
We will now bring you back to your regular Author's Notes."
Author's Notes: O.O Gomen. T-sama didn't say that right. ::hides Raikouben behind her back:: I don't own Slayers, but DO own this version of Grau and Grou, so don't steal them. And she doesn't have my soul. (T-sama: "Are you sure?") Yes. I am. Dynast owns my soul, because he stole it from Phibby. And now, the fic, because I am sure you are bored of my rambling.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` (::pokes at pattern:: this means a scene change, okay?)
Grau and Grou returned to the castle later that evening. Everything had gone as planned during the meeting and everything was set for the humans. Nothing worthy of noting had happened; Queen Amelia had nearly killed Grau and Grou with her overly potent aura of happiness and her justice speeches, but she did that every time they had seen her.
They appeared in the throne room, expecting the Dynast to be there to "happily" greet them. Much to their surprise, he wasn't in the throne room. They decided to check his bedchambers. They teleported outside his door.
"Open it," Grou whispered to Grau. "No!!! I don't wanna die today!" They looked at the door. They weren't allowed into Grausherra's bedchambers, ever. "Why don't we just find his astral presence?" Grau whispered. Grou nodded, in complete agreement. This was much better for their health. They concentrated for a moment, and found their master's signature in the courtyard, along with Sherra's.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` Sherra was tired. Snow was billowing around her; she was freezing. Grausherra was trying to teach her how to levitate, but they weren't getting very far. Grausherra was sitting in the snow about twenty feet below her and off to the side, lazily watching her slow progress. She was supposed to go up, and then fly somewhere, anywhere. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay up for long enough to fly anywhere. She was getting better, though; her airborne time was gradually getting longer.
Grausherra looked up when he heard Sherra cry out. Grau and Grou had teleported in next to her, startling her. Her concentration broke and her spell dissipated. She fell down to the snow below her. Grausherra cast a spell that manipulated the winds and slowed her fall, hoping that she'd think to teleport. She didn't, and she landed in the snow. It stung her face. Grau and Grou floated over to her form. They landed as she sat up.
"Sherra-chan!!!!!!!!!!" They cried happily as they flung themselves onto her. She blinked uncomfortably as she looked at the two children who were latched onto her. "We're happy that you're okay!!!! We were afraid that Lord Dynast would overdo the training and kill you while we were gone!!" Grau said, his voice muffled because he had buried his face in her shoulder. Grou let go of Sherra and sat down next to her. The cold didn't bother him. He rather liked sitting in the snow, unlike his brother, who had stayed firmly latched onto Sherra.
"Give your report," Grausherra ordered the twins. "Everything has gone according to plan; no one suspects that we still have control over Dilss, especially after that little incident with Miss Inverse. They have decided to beef up their military, so all we have to do is call more humans in for training to defend their country." Grou said. "Excellent," Grausherra said as he stood. He had been sitting for so long that he was dusted with a layer of snow about two millimeters thick. He could sense another storm swiftly approaching, as well.
Grausherra kept a carefully stoic face as he studied his priests and general. They were getting along fine, just as he had expected. Sherra still needed to learn Levitation, but now that Grau and Grou had returned, they could work on perfecting it with her. Nor was this the weather to be outside, what with yet another snowstorm coming. Maybe ten minutes, and a blizzard would be there, full force. "We're going inside," Dynast said before teleporting inside the castle. He reappeared in his throne room and seated himself. Sherra soon followed. He felt Grau and Grou in the library, no doubt looking for another experiment to perform in their lab.
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Not sure of what to do with herself, Sherra had followed her master back into the throne room. She was standing in front of the throne, maybe ten feet away. He was gazing at her intently, trying to decide if whether or not it was a good idea to continue her training or to call it a day. She was tired, there was no denying that, but this would be a good opportunity for him to begin her sword training. The very basics were stances and how to hold the sword; it didn't take that much energy at all.
Sherra was absently studying the throne room from where she stood when Grausherra began to speak. "Unsheathe Dolgoufa," he ordered as he stood and walked to within arm's length of her. Sherra blinked a few times before she realized that he was talking about the sword he had given her. She grasped the sword's hilt and awkwardly pulled it out of its sheathe. Its weight nearly threw her off balance, but she felt the sword suddenly begin to support itself. She quickly regained her composure. Dolgoufa let its full weight back into Sherra's hands, but this time she knew how heavy it was and was able to hold it.
For the next two hours, Sherra learned how to hold the sword in either hand, how to how to deliver basic blows and how to block them. She was drilled on different stances, all for one-on-one fighting. Then she and Grausherra began to spar, slowly. He wouldn't let her use Dolgoufa for this part; he could move on his own, and Grausherra didn't want Sherra to become dependent on his help. They were using wooden practice blades. He was moving very slowly so Sherra could remember how to hold the sword to block, and then "return" the blow. After the first ten minutes, she was starting to remember what she was supposed to do and was responding more and more quickly. They were gradually moving faster and faster, and Sherra was really getting into the swordplay.
Suddenly, an explosion sounded from elsewhere in the castle, shaking the ground. Startled, Sherra lost her balance in the middle of a thrust and fell over. "The priests," Grausherra explained when he saw Sherra's bewildered expression, "They are experimenting in their lab again," "That was them just now?" Sherra asked as she stood up. "Yes, they to like to blow up their lab; they tend to do it often. You'll get used to it," Grausherra explained as his practice blade disintegrated in his hand, shortly followed by Sherra's. "That's enough for today," Grausherra said as he went and sat back down on his throne. "You may do whatever you please for the rest of the day," he said.
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Grau and Grou were having a -great- time in their lab. They had been happily mixing chemicals, and had discovered three new ways to make poisonous fumes, and they found this thing that made the greatest explosion! Their ten-year-old mentalities were in their prime. They had just restored their lab to the condition it had been in before the experiments, and were happily recording how to replicate them for future references.
They had bored of the explosions for the moment, however, and were trying to decide what to do when they felt Sherra wander away from the Dynast's presence.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Sherra had just teleported back into her room, and threw herself over her bed. She just laid there on her stomach, utterly exhausted from the training. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard her door open. "Sherra-chan, you shouldn't go to sleep with your sword still belted onto you," said Grou. Sherra pushed herself up with a little effort and sat on the bed. She blinked sleepily at the twins. Grau stepped forward and unhooked Dolgoufa. He put the sword on the bed before climbing up onto it himself. Grou settled for sitting on the floor.
The twins were gazing at her intently, and she could feel their probing. Grau and Grou were meticulously inspecting her on the Astral Plane. Their astral bodies acted as one, Sherra noticed. They were checking her mood, how healthy she was, how hungry, etc. As the priests, it was their job to make sure that their Lord and the general stayed in good health. It was an important part of their jobs.
She knew that the Astral Plane was there; she had been actively scanning it and probing things since she had awakened. The first thing she had recognized on the Astral Plan had been her master, and she had cuddled up next to him immediately. Though she had moved around quite a bit on the physical plane that the humans inhabited, her astral presence hadn't moved much from its warm and safe spot next to the Dynast. It really bothered her that she couldn't just drop her physical form and sleep next to him, completely in the Astral Plane. She was really tired, and she didn't feel as safe when a portion of her was in the physical plane while she was asleep, even if Master was right there.
"Sherra-chan, you really should go to sleep," Grau said. Sherra looked at him. "That's all anyone has been saying to me lately," she said as she tried to stifle a yawn. "That's because you're a newborn halfling and need a ton of sleep," Grou stated plainly from his spot on the floor. "Halfling...?" Sherra asked. "Yeah, you know, half Mazoku, half human," Grou explained. "I'm part human?" Sherra said, surprised. Grausherra-sama had told her that she was half Mazoku, but she had never stopped to consider what the other half was. She tried to delve into her foggier memories, tried to remember something, anything, from when she was human, but failed. Her memories beyond waking up in the citadel were a foggy miasma. "Sherra-chan, you should go to sleep," Grau repeated, shooting Grou a "we-aren't-supposed-to-mention-that" look. "We'll leave the room; put your pajamas on and go to bed. It's late now." Grou said hurriedly as he got up and left, Grau at his heels.
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Several hours later, however, Sherra was not asleep. She had put her nightdress on and gone to bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. What Grau and Grou had said was eating away at her. Was her being half human stopping her from going over to the Astral Plane completely? She wanted to go over there and stay with her master, completely over, but she couldn't. She really wanted to, she needed to, and she couldn't. Therefore, she was lying anxiously in bed. She shifted, changed her position, but to no avail. She couldn't sleep. With a sigh that sounded slightly like a stressed sob, she sat up. She shivered. She didn't like this. It was cold. It was no use; she couldn't sleep.
She got out of bed and left her room. She stood alone in the dark hall for a minute, shivering. Her nightdress went down only to about mid-thigh, and the neck was low cut. The back scooped down fairly low, as well. It was made with the assumption that she would be under a heavy comforter while she slept, not that she'd be walking around an unheated citadel in the frozen wastelands of the far north. Her legs and feet were bare, but she didn't want to go back into her room, so she picked a direction and started walking that way.
She walked for a long while, or at least it seemed so to her. The halls were all of black stone, marble being the most commonly seen. The ceilings were high, and so were the windows. There was one every so often, maybe about eighty feet apart. The drapes were white as the snow outside, with a golden stripe about nine inches from the bottom. All the halls were decorated in this manner, so it wasn't long before she was lost. She didn't care, though. She couldn't sleep, so what was the sense in returning to her room? The halls were all dark. There was no way a normal human could see in them. Sherra wasn't a normal human, however; she was half mazoku, and her senses were considerably heightened. The halls were merely uncomfortably dim to her. After a while, she saw a flickering light in the hall ahead of her. It was coming from a door.
The light was very dim, and was wavering about as though only a few candles were lit. Sherra frowned, wondering who else was up at this insanely late hour. Silently, she approached the door and peeked inside. It was the library that her master had taken her to when he taught her about the Mazoku history. She scanned the Astral Plane, and found that it was Grausherra-sama who was up at this late hour. Her probing caught his attention on the Astral Plane, and she felt his influence wash over her. She found herself walking into the library. She stopped a few feet from his physical form. His Astral presence still had a firm grip on her.
He was seated comfortably on a sofa. He had a little tea table in front and to the right of him. Documents in an ornate calligraphy were scattered across its surface, along with a glass half filled with wine the color of fresh blood. He hadn't changed into pajamas; he was wearing his normal outfit; tunic and pants, sans the cloak. Instead, he had a large blanket draped over his lap. It ran off the sofa and pooled in a soft heap at his feet. The Dynast was scanning her intently in both planes, trying to figure out why she was up. She wasn't hurt, and she wasn't that hungry, either. Insomnia, perhaps? His gaze met hers, and he recognized the troubled look in her eyes. Silently, he motioned for her to seat herself next to him. She complied and sat down. He shifted his blanket so that it covered both of them. Sherra shivered and pulled the blanket up so that it covered her shoulders as well. Grausherra shifted his position so that he was facing her on an angle, and his weight on the cushions made her slide right up next to him. She blushed. She still wasn't used to her master's touch.
"What's the matter?" Grausherra asked. He didn't like his general's mood at all. She was very upset, and he wanted to know why. There were other emotions mixed in the fray, but his main concern was her anxiety. Sherra allowed her stiff body to relax and she leaned into him as she began to speak. "Why can't I come over completely?" she asked. The Dynast was silent for a moment before flatly replying, "I already told you, you are only half Mazoku; you have a physical body. You can't come over to the Astral Plane completely." Her gaze saddened as she processed what she had just been told. She felt like she was going to start crying.
Grausherra noticed this and frowned. It was because she was half-human that she was emotional like this. That and the fact that as a newborn Mazoku, it was natural that she would want to spend as much time with her creator as possible. He understood that she wasn't comfortable sleeping when she was in the physical plane, but nothing could be done about that until he tore the human part out of her. She was far too weak for that now. He had raised servants before, not to mention that he had raised her before, and he knew her better than she knew herself. He knew how to deal with her emotional ups and downs; after all, she was eternally a teenager, and any female teenager, even a Mazoku one, has mood swings. She never felt any sort of self doubt before and she certainly wasn't feeling it now, but her moods were like a roller coaster ride. They were more severe than before because of her half-human spirit, but they were still there and Grausherra had become an expert at dealing with them. Silently, he strengthened his hold on her astral presence and reassured her. Sherra calmed when she felt her master's presence strengthen all around her.
Grausherra smiled to himself. That had done the trick. It usually did, actually. Sherra's anxiety quieted considerably, and he felt her become drowsy. That was good. Sleepily, Sherra nuzzled closer to her master for warmth. In a few minutes time, she was fast asleep. Careful not to disturb the girl snuggled up next to him, Grausherra retrieved the papers that he had been inspecting before. Grau and Grou had brought them back from the meeting in Dilss. They were documents stating just how much military resistance should be built up, treaties, etc.
Grausherra frowned when that brought another thought to mind. His "sisters" were going to want to know what's up with the kingdoms. They were going to be sending messengers for the news in the next few days. He hadn't mentioned Sherra's return to either of them. Dolphin would probably send a low-level Mazoku to retrieve the information, but Zelas would probably send Xelloss. Grausherra groaned at the thought of that impending headache. He stilled when he felt Sherra stir, but she did not wake.
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The first thing that Sherra felt when she woke up was extreme contentment. She was warm and comfortable. She could still feel her master's presence. Her happy thoughts came to a screeching halt. He had stayed with her? Sherra opened her eyes. She and Grausherra were still on the couch. He had shifted his position slightly so that her head was resting on his chest, and his arm was draped over her. Her face heated into a blush, which reddened when she noticed that she had him in a sort of a half-hug. Sherra sat up. She was still cuddled up to Grausherra, but at least now she wasn't hugging him. As she sat up, Grausherra's arm slid down and came to rest on her back. He smirked at his general's blush. He didn't know why, but he liked making her blush. He got a sort of satisfaction when he made her do it.
A servant suddenly entered the room and bowed to its master. It stayed in the bowed position, its eyes closed in respect. It was humanoid, but was too weak to take on an actual human form. "What is it?" Grausherra asked the servant as he took a sip of his wine. "My Lord, Lord Beastmaster's second is here," it said in a slightly warped voice, "It wishes to see you; its master wishes for a synopsis on what happened yesterday." "Send him in," Grausherra ordered. The servant bowed and vanished. Confused, Sherra looked at her lord questioningly. He absently rubbed her back, his gaze on the door that lead into the library.
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Xelloss was Beastmaster's second, of course. He had gotten up bright and early just so he could get the report on what the verdict was on what to do about the invasions. Although it didn't really concern the Mazoku, it was nice to know what happened so that they would have more information with which they may manipulate a human or even an entire government in human society should the need arise. Contrary to human and Ryuzoku beliefs, the Dark Lords kept each other up to date on what was happening with each other.
Xelloss was mildly surprised to find that he was meeting Lord Dynast in the main library rather than the throne room. He shrugged it off, and followed the lesser demon's teleport. Xelloss got a big surprise when he arrived in the library, however. When he was rising out of his automatic bow he actually looked at the Dynast. If Xelloss were human, he would have had a heart attack, figuratively speaking, of course. Not only was Lord Dynast on a couch with a blanket-he hadn't even dressed yet- but Sherra was there too. Xelloss actually opened his eyes as he took in the scene. Lord Dynast was a dignified and regal looking as ever, but it was strange to see him with a dead Mazoku cuddled up next to him. If Sherra hadn't died before, then maybe he wouldn't have been so surprised, but Gourry had killed her.
Sherra stiffened when she felt this newcomer suddenly begin to poke and prod at her in the Astral Plane. He seemed shocked to see her and she didn't understand why. He apparently found his answer, because he ceased his probing, but he eyed her suspiciously for a moment before closing his eyes in an overly happy smile. Sherra snuggled protectively closer to Dynast. "Lord Dynast," the newcomer was saying, "As I am sure you know, Lord Beastmaster sent me to receive a report on yesterday's goings on in the meetings in Dilss." "Yes, I expected as much, Xelloss," Grausherra said, "I, however, was not the one who went. As you can see, I have revived Sherra. I began her training yesterday. I sent Grau and Grou to Dilss to take care of business." Xelloss kept his happy countenance. It wasn't really surprising. It was natural for Lord Dynast to devote most, if not all, of his time to Sherra and her training. Apparently, he was devoting all his time.
Xelloss felt the Dynast summon his priests. After a few moments, Grau and Grou appeared. They both bowed to their lord before turning to Xelloss. "Come into our study, and we'll brief you on what happened so you can tell Lord Beastmaster," Grau said. Xelloss nodded and the three of them teleported away.
After they left, Sherra raised her questioning gaze to her master. "We had a meeting in Dilss yesterday. I was training you, so I didn't go. Grau and Grou went in my stead. Now my "sisters" want to know what happened. That was Xelloss, Beastmaster Zelas-Metallium's general/priest," Grausherra explained. Sherra nodded, still rather distracted by the fact that he had stayed with her last night. She thought that he would have put her to bed after she fell asleep. He stood up. He looked down at Sherra, saying, "We have to continue your training. Go, take a bath and get dressed. We will resume training where we left off yesterday. He teleported away, and Sherra returned to her bedchambers a moment later. She had a sinking feeling that the training was going to get a lot more difficult very, very quickly.
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What a wonderfully long chapter, ne? ^^ I'm proud, two chapters in a row that are 8 pages long...
Phibby: Actually, it's more like seven and a quarter, but who's counting?
::glares at Phibby::
I have a fanart of Sherra that my friends should scan for me within a few days' time. If you would like it, say so in a review and I'll E-mail it to you as an attachment. If it doesn't come within a few days' time, I haven't forgotton; there's just been an unexpected problem. I'll post in my bio any changes. If you have never ventured into my bio, I have my fanfic update status in it too, so if you want to see if I'm going to update anytime soon, check it.
So, what'd you think? I appreciate feedback, in fact, I thrive on it. Suggestions are most welcome. Remember, constructive criticism is welcome as well. If I don't get any reviews, I'm not going to post any more, so please review!!
You know you want to........
