Disclaimer ~ I don't own Slayers, nor am I claiming to. I own this version of Grau and Grou, the plot, etc. ^.^

Thank you reviewers for your support! You guys make me feel like writing! ^^ I'd have said a lot more a lot sooner, but I can't think in a straight line.

And thank you A-chan for pre-reading it and then telling me that this was perfect even though I know that that's impossible! ^o^

Author's notes: Here I am, chapter nine, and still in the exposition of this story. --;;;; Well, I'm going to introduce two rather important characters here. That's the basic point of this chapter. ^^; Sorry it took so long to update. I went through this thing where I didn't feel at all like writing. Then I wrote my first angst, that one-shot with Phibrizzo. Be afraid, be very afraid...

Anyway, onto Chapter 9!!!!! ^o^

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Late night was slowly melting into early morning. Snow continued to fall, blanketing the previous layer in the harsh whiteness. Not a sound could be heard aside from the wind. It beat ruthlessly against the dark citadel. Its occupants were unconcerned with the wind. It couldn't harm them. In one of the dark rooms, a figure moved restlessly beneath its heavy blanket. The figure was Sherra. She was having another nightmare, though she had no memory of the first. Her inability to completely retreat into the Astral Plane left her restless in her sleep and formulated cruel nightmares drawn from her deepest feelings, brought from her worst fears, woven by her most painful memory.

She strained against her imagined bindings as the sheets tightened around her slender figure. She turned over, tightening the sheets again. She was trapped in her dream, unable to retreat into the cold comfort of reality. Her form was soaked in a cold sweat and her breathing was labored.

She was fighting someone. She couldn't tell who it was. Just that she was fighting, and would die defending whatever it was she was fighting for. She would give her life for him. Him. Dynast-sama. That's who she was fighting for. The person wanted to hurt him. NO! Even as every thread of her being protested, she felt a searing pain slice through her. It was unlike anything else she had ever experienced. It enveloped her, went in her and through her.

With a cry, Sherra sat up sharply in the bed, swaying slightly. She was panting and was covered in a cold sweat. She looked down at her shaking hands and took a deep breath. Even now, she could feel her stronger Mazoku half taking over, suppressing her panic and calming her down. Her hair fell in front of her face, partially obscuring her view behind the azure curls that formed slightly once her hair was clear of her head. She raked her bangs back with one hand, but in vain. Her hair was wild and messy by nature; it just fell back into her face.

She chewed on her lower lip and fingered the hem of her right cuff as her thoughts began to analyze her...nightmare. Even now it was slipping away from her, like water between fingers. She shifted her position and found that she was entangled in her sheets from the waist down. She wriggled her way out of them and smoothed them out.

Sherra sighed and got up. She climbed up onto her windowsill and pulled one of the heavy curtains a little to the side so she could peek outside. There was snow swamping the bottom foot and a half of the window and the part that wasn't snowy was frosted over. She used the cuff of her sleeve to wipe at some of the frost and when it didn't work, her bare palm. That cleared some of the frost, and she could see a little. It was still dark, but the pale hues of dawn were just beginning to color the horizon. Snow fell still.

She slid around and hopped off the windowsill. She cast a glance at the fireplace; embers were smoldering in it, and grabbed Dolgoufa off her vanity. It muttered something about crazy mazoku halflings getting up at the crack of dawn before falling back asleep. Sherra cast her consciousness about, looking for her master. He was nowhere to be found. Nor were the twins. There was, however, a new presence that felt a lot like the twins. Sherra frowned and decided to investigate. She left her room despite Dolgoufa's protests and walked down the hall toward the library, to where the new presence waited.

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'Everything seems to happen in a library,' a young man mused to himself. He looked to be eighteen or nineteen, just a hair older than Dynast's human form. His dark blue hair was messy, and his green eyes were thoughtful as he regarded his cup of tea. It needed sugar. A lot of sugar. It was the bitterest cup of tea he had ever conjured up. He wrinkled his nose with disgust as a couple of sugar cubes appeared in his hand. He dropped them into his tea and watched them disintegrate. He stirred the hot drink with a silver spoon, delicately crafted. He felt his charge awaken. Now she is headed to him, with the sword. He smiled to himself. This was going to be fun. At least she has the sense to bring Dolgoufa with her. He leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea experimentally. It needs lemon now.

Sherra remembered the way to the library and pushed the heavy doors open. She slipped inside and looked around. There was a strange man sitting in one of the armchairs, squeezing lemon into a cup of tea. She approached him slowly. He finished squeezing his lemon before turning to her, teacup in hand, "Sherra-chan! Why aren't you asleep? Do you know what time it is?" Sherra frowned at the man and stopped walking. She was about eight feet away from him. "Where is Dynast-sama?" She demanded. The man chuckled at her, shaking his head slightly. "Don't you remember?" he replied, "Dynast-sama has to go and talk with Lord Beastmaster. He left hours ago."

The young man carefully placed his steaming cup of tea onto a coaster before standing up. He was in pajamas, the same style as Sherra's. Little snowflakes, smiling snowmen on skis. It looked quite ridiculous, actually. He strode forward and put a hand to Sherra's forehead. "Are you feeling alright, Sherra-chan?" He asked her, genuinely concerned. Sherra eyed him suspiciously. He seemed familiar somehow. She was trying to decide if she should back away from him or not when she felt him lead her back toward the table. She sat down, and he sat down across from her.

"Tea?" He asked her. Sherra blinked at him, and he took it as a "yes." A coaster appeared in front of her, shortly followed by a cup, then tea. He took a sip of his own. Sherra merely gazed at her reflection in the dark liquid. "Who are you?" She asked him. The man nearly choked on his tea. He recovered quickly and laughed, "Wow, that spell was worth nothing against your seal, wasn't it? You seriously don't know who I am?" Sherra shook her head slowly. The man regarded her silently, frowning. "I am Grau," he finally said. Sherra nearly fell out of her chair. "W-what?" She stammered. She had heard what he had said loud and clear, but there was no way he was who he claimed to be. Or was there? Grau was laughing again. He was really different from Dynast-sama. He stood up and said, "If you need proof, who else would wear these?" He made a gesture toward his pajamas. He had a point. No other guy she could think of would wear pajamas to match hers. Dolgoufa was laughing at her. Mentally, she scowled at it. How was she supposed to know that that was Grau? "Where's Grou?" Sherra asked him. "I am Grou," Grau replied nonchalantly. Sherra fell over. "WHAT?" "What?" Grau frowned. His tone was confused, but there was amusement dancing in his eyes. He extended a hand down to Sherra, and she took it. He pulled her back up, and they both stood silently. "I am Grau; I am Grou. What's so hard about that?" Sherra didn't have an answer for that one.

He sat back down at the table, and Sherra followed suit. "Well, it looks like you're not going back to bed, and I'm not tired either, so let's discuss our current position," Grau began as he slowly turned his teacup around a few times, slow rotations. He frowned, trying to figure out how to convey this mission's critical importance to Sherra. She was a child, there was no argument there, and didn't quite grasp what her significance in the scheme of things was. To her, her title, the General, was nothing more than a title. She had no idea what an incredible responsibility it was, no idea what horrors it hid. Idly, he wondered when they would get to show her Dirus III in the dungeon. He thought that his cursed form was amusing. Grau looked up at Sherra again, searching her face for an answer that wasn't there. She just blinked at him. He sighed. It had been so long since he had had to deal with a newborn he didn't remember how, and her being a halfling just complicated an already messy situation.

"Dynast-sama taught you the basics on swordplay, yes?" he began. This was as good a place to start as any. "Yes," Sherra said slowly. What was he getting at? "Alright. We are going to depart for Dilss shortly. We'll advance you're training there. We need to perfect your human façade, and the stupefaction spell in that city is so strong that the humans wouldn't notice if you sprouted purple tentacles and started singing a sonnet in B minor," Grau said with a shrug. Never having been trained in music, Sherra didn't follow what Grau was saying and instead of a comprehending nod, she opted for a sweatdrop. "Hmm...Yeah. Those were my orders: 'Advance her training on all angles.' We should leave soon. Go, get ready to go. Meet me in the throne room when you're ready, alright Sherra-chan?" Grau asked. Sherra nodded as she stood. She gave him a short bow as she phased out. Grau blinked, surprised that she remembered to teleport; she had walked to the library. At least Dynast-sama taught her some manners, unlike other....Grau's train of thought faded off as he phased out.

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"Do it again!"

The shout rang out through the training hall for seemingly the hundredth time that day. But this time the voice was tinged with impatience. A sort of an uneasy silence fell over the group of strapping young men as they put all of their attention to their training. It was a regiment of the vast army of Dilss. These were new recruits and had started their training only a week ago. When they had first met the General, many had thought that this training would be a pushover. They couldn't be more wrong. Though he looked young, the General was experienced, cold, and dispassionate toward his men. He wouldn't allow complaints. One man had wrought up the courage to challenge the general nearly a month ago. He had been killed in the swordfight that ensued. Judging by the rumors, the young soldier didn't stand a chance; the fight was over in a second. News flies quickly, and every man in this regiment was aware of the General's ability with the sword. They had had a short demonstration with a particularly difficult move, but the Lieutenant was mostly taking care of the training. He mirrored the General in disposition. It was the boot camp of all Boot Camps, and there was no backing out.

"No! You'll all do it perfectly, or you won't be dismissed! Do it AGAIN!"

And to think that this was one of his better moods. The General sighed and flipped his long, blue braid behind him. Again. One of the soldiers approached him from behind and gave a short bow before speaking, "Norst- sama, Minister Grau has returned and requires your presence." In truth, only about 85% of the troops were actually human. Dilss had a very high Mazoku concentration, not that the humans knew this. Norst turned his head slightly and glared at the servant, light glinting off his steel-rimmed specs. He turned his attention to the troops, and then to his Lieutenant, who was returning the gaze expectantly. "Keep them on schedule. I'll get back to you later," he said as he turned on one heel and walked smoothly out of the room. His Lieutenant didn't know what was going on, but didn't question Norst-sama's orders.

Norst walked quickly along the corridor. Grau had arrived an hour or so ago; he'd felt him phase in, but waited for a summons. After all, there was no point in trekking all the way down there only to find that he wasn't needed. Slowly, he let his façade slip. He didn't need his uptight General mask to talk to Grau. And Sherra-chan. He'd brought her along, too. Norst knew that his Lord had every intention of resurrecting Sherra, and he evidently had. He ignored the lesser Mazoku patrolling the halls as he passed. They all bowed respectfully to their superior, never once actually looking at him. It was the polite thing to do, and you don't want a Mazoku stronger than you ticked at you.

He always ignored them. Unless he needed them for something, they were worthless. Now that he thought about it, the humans were worthless as well. Their lives were so short, so pointless. They were created for no purpose. None whatsoever. In fact, the only thing they were good for was for manipulation and feeding purposes. Fodder. They were fodder, every last one. 'Yes,' Norst mentally resolved, 'that must be their purpose, then. Fodder for the Mazoku race.' He nodded to himself in self-agreement as he came upon the large, heavy double doors that marked Lord Dynast's private wing of the castle. Only Lord Dynast and his direct subordinates were allowed in, ever. No exceptions were ever made. If, say, the Lieutenant wanted something, he'd have to contact Norst and soon Sherra mentally and wait until they had time for him.

Of course, none of the humans were aware that their King was actually Dynast Grausherra. Norst opened the double doors and entered a hall. It was modeled after the halls in the Northern Base. The slam of the heavy doors behind Norst echoed heavily against the granite walls of the corridor.

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The slam was Sherra's first clue that someone was coming. Grau silently noted that she preferred to use her physical senses rather than her astral. That wasn't good. A sound means nothing. It doesn't tell whether friend or foe is approaching. Grau sighed and psyched himself up for what was about to transpire. Cold and ruthless in public, Norst was a completely different person with Mazoku he was comfortable with. Nearly a polar opposite to his façade, actually. Sherra was looking at him questioningly. He didn't respond to her.

It was at that moment that Norst strode into the room. His physical form was a modified male version of Sherra's. Today, anyway. Norst liked to change forms. This was his "general" form. He was a bit taller than Grau, with long blue hair swept neatly back into a braid. His bangs were parted at the center and his hair was generally longer than Sherra's. His hair was the same color as Sherra's, and his eyes were the same pale green, but his gaze was far colder than hers. He had on steel rimmed specs, and the uniform of the General. All in all, an impressive figure.

Sherra was watching this strange man guardedly. He seemed familiar, but judging by the way Grau was glaring at him, she shouldn't trust him. Grau spoke first.

"You're late."

"I'm not and you know it."

"Yes you are; you could've teleported!"

"How does that make me late?! I wasn't given a time limit!"

Norst turned away from the glowering Priest to Sherra and said brightly, "Sherra-chan! It's about time Dynast-sama brought you over! I was beginning to worry." He went up to her and hugged her as he said this. Sherra blinked twice and then...

WHAP!

"What the bloody hell is the matter with you?!"

Grau brandished his staff threateningly at Norst, "Don't play innocent!"

"What do you mean, 'don't play innocent!'? I didn't do anything!"

"You grabbed her butt!" Grau pointed accusingly at Norst, "I knew you were gonna try your hentai crap on her!"

"..I did not!"

"Yes you did!"

In her mind, Dolgoufa was cracking up. Sherra just blinked at the two of them. Grau was trying to hit Norst with his staff again. Her mind pretty much wiped clean of human society, she didn't quite understand what they were arguing over.

"ANYWAY," Norst said this pointedly, glancing over toward the thoroughly confused Sherra. Grau got the point and the two of them shelved this argument for later.

"Right, right. Our new assignment," Grau began, "We have to train Sherra and get her used to acting human."

"I already figured as much," Norst said boredly. He walked over to the window and looked out. It was summertime in Dilss, and though compared to the rest of the world the summers were cool, summertime as it is known doesn't exist in the Northern Footholds. It was a flat, boring, year-round winter. The window had exquisitely crafted stained glass near the top, in a geometric pattern. Dilss had prospered under their Master's care, surprising as it may seem. Dynast obviously knew what he was doing.

He tugged at a cuff of his heavy coat. He wasn't hot; he could regulate his body temperature. It was a habit, he had been doing this human charade for so long. Grau's voice came from behind him, crisp and matter-of-fact,

"You'll be doing swordplay and her defenses. Get her off her physical senses; they're useless to her. I'll be teaching teleportation and levitation and manipulation, stuff like that. We split human mannerisms. Lord Dynast will touch up her training in whatever area he deems necessary. Got it?"

"Mm-hmm..." Norst said as he turned to face his colleagues. Sherra had seated herself on a couch and Grau was glaring at him. "How old is she?" he asked. "Hmm.. about three days," came Grau's thoughtful answer. "That's it? Three days?!" What was Dynast-sama thinking, letting her out when she's that young?? No wonder she's so clueless. When he had first created Sherra, she wasn't allowed out of her chambers for a couple of months. Dynast had fed her and taught her in there, but he and Grau hadn't been allowed in until she was allowed out. Now he does this. Norst shook his head, slightly amused.

"I have to go and continue with my duties, whatever they may be this time," Norst sighed when the Lieutenant contacted him mentally, but not before experimentally prodding at Sherra in the Astral Plane. She had poked him back, and the Lieutenant recoiled and assumed a more respectful way to contact her when he figured out who she was.

Norst left the room, and Grau closed the door behind him before sighing, "That went better than expected." Sherra was silently watching him from her seat on the sofa. 'At least she has good posture,' Grau noted. She was sitting up, and her hands were neatly folded on her lap. She was watching him, her eyes full of inquisition. "Norst is the General under you, Sherra-chan," Grau explained, "He's always been older than you, but Dynast gave you more power, for whatever reason. He's in charge of the armies while you're in charge of our Lord's protection." Sherra nodded, still silent.

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Saying that he was exasperated was a serious understatement. Dynast Grausherra was bordering on being -angry-, something which rarely ever happened. He had been putting up with Zelas' excuses for Xelloss, and her constant hitting on him for several hours now. He glared at the Beastmaster and with an air of finality, he coldly stated, "Take care that you or yours does not interfere with my plans or with what's mine," his head raised a fraction of an inch before continuing, "Or you will have more dire consequences to deal with."

It wasn't a threat; it was a mere fact, at least, that's how Grausherra saw it. He teleported out. Zelas-Metallium stared thoughtfully at where her brother had been standing moments before. She re-crossed her legs and chewed on the end of her cigarette absentmindedly. So. He was going to be like -that-. She would have to change her strategy, then. And be careful about it. Dynast's patience with her was already precariously thin. Mentally, she summoned Xelloss.

`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` ::several hours later::

Sherra was sitting alone in the library, reading a book. It was in the written language of the Mazoku, so no human could read it. Her Lord, Grau had explained, had implanted the necessary information in her so she could read it without any lessons. She didn't understand how Lord Dynast had done that, but she accepted what Grau had said as truth. The book was going over some basic strategy principles and basic guidelines to how humans thought. She was completely engrossed in the book and had tuned out all outside stimuli.

She didn't notice when her master teleported into the room, nor did she notice the shing of the metal against its scabbard as he drew his sword. It wasn't until the cold point of the blade was against the back of her neck that she realized that she wasn't alone. She froze, and Grausherra removed his sword and returned it to its sheath. She turned to face him. "Pay attention to the things around you, Sherra. What would you have done if it hadn't been me wielding that blade?" he asked. She hung her head, her eyes obscured by her hair. "I will try to be more attentive, my Lord," she whispered. Grausherra nodded. "Use the Astral Plane to your advantage. Through it, you can distinguish friend from foe much more quickly," he advised. "Yes, my Lord," she said, looking up at him.

He seated himself on a couch across from where Sherra had been sitting. She shifted the huge tome off her lap. After minute or so of silence, she asked, "What's up with Grau..?" He looked up at her, "You mean how he can be two people at once? He has multiple personalities. The result is that he has two distinct physical forms when he's on the physical plane. If he concentrates hard enough, he can remain in a single adult form." Sherra nodded, sporting a slight sweatdrop.

Twilight was falling. Sherra watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon, coloring the sky with a fiery glow. She silently watched the fire in the sky recede, turning into a dim glow, and then nothing as night swept over the land. Her Lord had begun to sift through papers and sign this and discard that. Silently, she watched him. He had an odd way of teaching her. He used practical situations rather than to lecture. She could feel herself beginning to nod off.

"Shouldn't you be going to bed?"

That comment snapped Sherra out of her reverie. "Of course," she replied, standing.

"When you get into the hall, the first room to your left is where you'll be sleeping."

"Yes, my Lord," she said as she gave a little bow. Silently, she left the library.

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She stepped into the dark hall. It was completely silent. She was barefoot, but the icy cold floor didn't burn her feet. She went into the bedroom and found her pajamas already laid out on the bed. These were a bit different than the ones at home. They were a lot lighter, in fabric and in color. It was a light blue button-down front with short sleeves and matching shorts. She hopped into the bed. It was way bigger than the one at home. Three people could lay on their backs in a row and still have room to spare. There was a canopy over it, with thick black curtains falling around all four sides. With a slight sigh, she laid down on her side. She was asleep within minutes.

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Grau and Norst had settled out their differences as they always did. After all, a little sparring match never hurt anyone. Not lethally, anyway. They were in Grau's study playing chess. They'd felt their Lord's return, and were waiting to see if he needed them.

"Checkmate," Grau said smugly.

Norst glared at him, "Just you wait."

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Fin.

That's all for Chapter 9! ^^ Wow, I didn't have to confuse myself this time with Grau and Grou. If you were a bit attached to the child forms, don't worry; they'll be back. They always come back. Sorry it takes so long for me to update. I hope the length makes up for it a bit. So, what'd ya think? Love it or hate it, please give me some feedback. Remember, if you no review, I no update. Advice/suggestions that don't pertain to Grau using the Dynast Breath in chapter 2 (?) are most welcome. ^o^ Thanks for reading!