Here's the next chapter.

I don't own Slayers!

Dark Past, Light Future

As they journeyed onward, Zelgadis still thought about what Scarlet said to him earlier. "Scarlet, can I talk to you for a second?"

"huh?" she was walking with Lina and stopped to walk in the same pace with Zel. "What's up?"

"About what you said to me earlier? How did you know I was different when you never seen me before?"

            She giggled. "I've seen similar to your kind in books. I assumed you were a golem/chimera/rock creature by the way you covered yourself. It's as simple as that."

"I see. And what were you talking about my cure? You know something?"

            "I do. I know of a remedy. El Firm de Alimablo. 'Openness of the Heart'. "

"And how exactly is that supposed to cure me?"

"There's ancient cave at my birthplace of Filitoraso. Ancient carvings are on there. One who can open their heart to anything can receive what they're looking for," but she grunted later. "But assuming you have a cold heart accessorizing your wicked body, you won't be able to turn back to normal."

"Openness of the Heart, huh?" Zel thought to himself.

            "That's what I said. You heard it straight from my mouth."

"So...what' your story." He looked at her. "IF you don't mind me asking."

"Sure, why not? I could tell you. You're probably wondering in your mind how a person like Xellos became my brother huh?" she startled chuckling embarrassingly but then sighed, "I was actually born  during the War of the Monster's Fall. Our father was of course a monster but my mother was the princess of the Kirosians. Just like Golden Dragons and Monsters detesting each other, Kirosians hated the monster race as well but it didn't bother my parents. Once they had me, my father betrayed his race and fought on the Kirosian side with me unaware on what's going on. Xellos was already how he is today and he...he..."

"He what?"

"He killed my parents."

(Big dramatic music)

            "He did what?!"

"Hey, don't worry about it. He had to."

"What do you mean he had to?! He killed your parents! His own father?!"

"It's father's price for betraying his people. Anyway, knowing they died, Xellos's master ordered him to kill me as I was still a baby but sometimes as much as Xellos acts on thinking about himself or his master, that monster brother of mine does have a heart because if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be alive as of right now. "

            "Why didn't he kill you? It's because he had sympathy for you?" Zelgadis wondered on what he must've been feeling at the time.

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FLASHBACK~many thousands of years ago.

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            The fires were up roaring as the kirosians and monsters were still going at it. The bodies of Xellos's and Scarlet's father and her mother lay lifeless before baby Scarlet as she was crying because no one was there to tend for her. A man walked up. He pointed his staff and a red staticky energy wave appeared on top of it when she looked up and saw him for the first time.

Sympathy?(Scarlet's narrating)Sort of. Xellos shows little sympathy. He did cared because I did have some of his blood yet I was yet blood of his enemy. He didn't want me to die because what harm would done if a helpless little baby would have died for nothing? He also believed that I had potential. I would become something great someday, so he only believed what was right. The Dragon Elder heard of my mother dying and it was just for that brief moment that Xellos gave me to the Golden Dragon people so they could halt my aging and freeze me until the time was right.

(this is Zelgadis talking)

So you were frozen for thousands of years?

Of course. Xellos thought I would be out of danger. Yet, he was the one to suffer all these years from his master because he didn't really obey the orders to kill me. But then, just 17 years ago, he took me back from the dragons and decided to put me to a family that could take the best care of me.

            It was a normal day in the Kingdom of Norweina and Queen Normana(she's Yuffie's mother ) came out to the garden to smell the flowers. As she was doing that, Xellos appeared holding a baby trying to see who would be the perfect family to host his little sister. He saw Normana and smiled.

            He disappeared and reappeared again below and tree and put the sleeping baby down. He honked her nose one last time and put a crystal necklace around her neck and disappeared. That moment, the baby started waking up and noticed she was alone. There, she started to cry which caught Normana's attention.

            "A baby? Where?" She got up and walked over to the peach tree. "Oh, you poor thing!" She picked it up. "Who would leave you here all alone? Really, how could anyone get over the castle gates? Oh calm down dearie!" She rocked the small baby girl side to side as the crying ceased a little. "There we go. "

            The baby smiled. Normana thought she was smiling at her but what she was really smiling at was Xellos was floating all the way above them staring down at them. You could really see the expression in his eyes but he slightly smiled and disappeared.

He left me with her and the kingdom to live with the family there so basically Yuffie could be my little adoptive sister if you call it.

Didn't he ever come to visit?

Not really, the only visit was when he came to see me 10 years ago when I was only 7 and that's when he told me everything.

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            "He does pop in now and then to watch over me when I don't know so that's basically why I have a grudge on him all these years. He only visited one that one time because his master wanted me to join them."

            "Xellos's master wanted you to join the monster race? And what exactly did you say?"

Scarlet put her hands behind her back. "I didn't say anything, Xellos suffered because he I was still so young. Sometimes I even think that he didn't really care about me ever since he's basically my only family I have left."

            "You know, he spends most of his time disappearing."

"So I've heard. That's him. Always disappearing when things looked tough. Bah..."

            "You still haven't explained one thing, " he told her.

"What's that?"

"Why is Moritango after you? What made him so dead-set?"

"It's his hatred towards Kirosians. But it is true. Every Kiros person he kills with his own hands, he gets stronger making only 2 of us left in the world. Going to my birth place will make everything better because it's a holy place that will protect me from danger. " She sighed. "I grow powerful day by day. Learning new tricks and all that. If I become too powerful, Moritango's afraid of another creature being stronger than him. Or that's what at least my brother told me."

            Zelgadis looked at her as if he's been through what she's been through. "So that's all and all what I've been through. Now you know about me!"

            "Yes, I know."

"I just hope for a lighter future ahead then having a dark past haunt you all the time."

            "Scarlet...I-"

Scarlet couldn't answer him because obviously she was stuck. IN MUD!

            He gasped. "Scarlet!"

The others turned.

            It looked like mud but she was sinking like quicksand!

"What's this?!"

            A monstrous laugh echoed everyone's ears as they all looked to see who it was.

"Valgaav?!" shouted Lina.

"That's not Valgavv, Ms. Lina!" Filia shouted. "It's...it's..."

            Yuffie got on guard. "Ramesel!"

The dark dragon helper laughed maliciously as everyone stared deep into him.

            "Besides with all the staring, will somebody please get me out of this mud? XELLOS! GET YOUR BIG BROTHER BUTT OUT HERE, YOUR SISTER NEEDS HELP!"

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Eros: Who is this Ramesel? Find out in next chapter!