Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or any of the characters therein. So nyaa.
Author's Note: Well, of course this story is longer than that! I couldn't end like that. Although with the characters I've chosen, I'm afraid I'll have to end on a sad note eventually. I'll probably let the series pick up where I leave off. Any idea of how much time has passed in the story so far? I keep saying that time has passed, but I'm not sure how long it's been. Judging by Lina's age at the beginning, I'll have to keep the time frame to about 2 years. Short chapter today! Yay for me, sorry to you. But anyway, thanks for the reviews. Keep sending them! And please, please, please give me suggestions. I finished chapter 9 the other day, but now I'm stuck. So any and all ideas would be GREATLY appreciated. Please!
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 8: Identity Crisis
Much to his surprise, when he got back to his tower and put Zelgadis away for further manipulation, Rezo found that he was back in control of his body. He immediately began to do some work on a different subject. He was fairly sure that the evil presence taking over his mind, giving him headaches, and maybe even preventing him from seeing, was none other than Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdu. Maybe the Mazoku just didn't have as strong a hold over him as he had thought. It seemed like the presence was a lot weaker than it had been recently. But Rezo was not so naive as to think that he had beaten it. So he had decided that he would have to summon the Dark Lord's physical body and kill him. It would have to be at a time like this, after Shabranigdu had possessed him and he was weakened. In fact, right now would be perfect, but Rezo knew that he was nowhere near being ready to kill THE Dark Lord on a moment's notice. He would need time to plan and prepare. So Rezo set out to find a way to summon and slay a god, leaving Zelgadis's training to some lesser servants. Rodimus could work on the boy's swordsmanship with the help of Dilgear and the other animal-like chimeras he had created. And Zolf could teach him black magic. The boy had been dabbling in shamanistic magic also, but that and the white magic would have to wait until Rezo had time to teach them himself.
* * *
Rezo went back to Sairaag to pick up some important books and supplies. On his way, he ran into Eris, who was out shopping.
"Rezo-sama!?" Eris exclaimed, overjoyed to see him again.
Rezo turned towards her, startled. He had not expected to have to deal with her right now. Even now, he could feel the evil stirring inside himself. She would be hurt if she stayed near him. He would have to push her away.
"Get away from me," he said coldly, frowning in disapproval but aching inside. "I don't want you to ever come near me again. Do you understand?" Then he walked off before she could say anything, or before he lost his nerve and apologized.
Eris stood there, shocked, for a moment. Then she burst into tears and ran home, not caring that she had neglected to buy eggs. She hoped Rezo might be there, and that he would apologize, explain his harsh words, and promise never to leave her again.
Kopii heard the door open and slam shut, and he heard Eris sobbing as she threw down her shopping bags. She ran ran around the upper parts of the house hoping to see Rezo-sama there. After a short while, she came down the steps, trying to hide her tears. Dozens of little kopiis trailed after her, chattering. Kopii looked at her questioningly.
"H – has Rezo-sama been here?" she asked him piteously.
Kopii shook his head. "Not since he left. Why would he come back and not tell you?" In actuality, Rezo had used a summoning spell to take the items he needed from his house. He hadn't wanted to face Eris again, or Kopii either.
It was an innocent question, but it caused Eris to burst into tears again and run back upstairs. Kopii listened as she ran all the way up to her attic room and slammed the door shut.
"Something must really be wrong," Kopii said to the other kopiis. "And it has something to do with Rezo. I wonder what it is."
After a few minutes, Kopii stood up and let himself out of the cage. He went upstairs and silently put away the groceries. Then he fixed himself some ramen noodles and sat down to eat. When he was finished, he put the dishes in the sink and started back downstairs. Halfway down, he changed his mind and headed back up to the kitchen. He fixed a second bowl of ramen noodles and made a cup of tea with sugar in it. He quietly took them both up to the attic on a small tray. He knocked softly, and since she didn't say anything, he opened the door. Eris was sitting on her bed, hurriedly wiping her eyes. She brightened up for a moment until she realized it was only Kopii. "What do you want?" she snapped.
"I… thought you might want some lunch," Kopii said.
Eris looked confused. "Oh… well… Leave it here, then."
Kopii nodded, set the tray on her desk, plucked a kopii off of the tray, and left silently. He really didn't like Eris at all, but because of a combination of Rezo's altruism and his own kindness, he really couldn't help being nice to her. Besides, maybe if he was nice to her, she would be nicer to him.
* * *
The next few days went on in much the same way. Eris stayed in her room and Kopii brought her food. He complied with her request that he keep his eyes closed when he was around her. Since Rezo had been so good at moving around sightless, Kopii had no problem with this. He knew that she just wanted to see her Rezo-sama in him, but he didn't know what else he could do. He wasn't a mean person, after all.
One day, Eris surprised him by coming down to the kitchen with an armload of red cloth. "Here Kopii, put these on. The other shoulder guards should still be down in the basement." Kopii was surprised, but he did what she asked. Now if he closed his eyes, he looked exactly like Rezo. When he came back upstairs, he saw a strange glimmer in Eris's eyes.
"Come on," she said, beckoning him towards the door. "The townspeople are starting to think Rezo-sama is gone forever. You have to make an appearance and heal someone. Just keep your eyes closed and follow my lead."
"Oh… um, all right. I suppose," said Kopii as he was dragged out the door.
Eris led him all over town healing people until he was so exhausted that he could barely walk. So she walked and he staggered back home. She seemed pleased with his performance. Kopii somehow managed to get down the steps without falling flat on his face, and literally passed out in the cage. Eris went out once more and made an appointment with a nearby artist before getting a bowl of rice and going to bed herself.
* * *
In the morning, Kopii awoke to the sound of Eris yelling down the steps that he should wake up. He yawned and went up the stairs. Eris barely gave him time to grab a bite to eat before dragging him to a painter's studio. He had to stand still in a set of Rezo's robes with his eyes closed for a couple of hours while his image was painted on a life-sized canvas. He was very stiff after this, and went right home after healing the painter's wife's broken leg in payment.
"Oh Rezo-sama, the painting's a masterpiece! A perfect likeness," Eris said when they were back at home.
"Umm… Eris," Kopii said uncomfortably, "You don't have to call me Rezo-sama when no one else is around."
"But why not, Rezo-sama?" Eris asked. "I missed you so much. I love just saying your name!"
Kopii recoiled slightly. He didn't like the odd gleam in her eyes. "Excuse me a minute, I think I'd better go change my robes." He fled to the basement and put on his own white robe with the red over it and the big round shoulder guards instead of the double pointed ones. The kopiis chattered at him, but he ignored them and shut himself back in the cage. He appreciated being treated better, but the way she acted as if he was the real Rezo disturbed him.
Eris came down the stairs holding a silvery white headband. Kopii watched her suspiciously. She walked up to him, opened the cage door, and trapped him in a corner of the cage. He was really starting to panic now. "Here, let me put this on you," she said in a sweet, gentle voice. Before he knew it, the band was around his head. He felt something hard press into his forehead, and it seemed to embed itself into him. He felt it, and realized that it was one of her small rounded control gems. He tried to pry it off with his fingernails, but he couldn't.
"Now you'll be Rezo-sama," Eris said quietly but fiercely. "I'll make sure of it!" She went off to the far side of the lab to work on her chimeras for a while.
Kopii spent a good deal of time trying to remove the jewel from his head, but he finally gave up. It was one of the weaker ones, and it would only control him at close range when Eris was there to direct him, so he wasn't too worried right now.
Before giving up entirely, he called to Eris, "Listen Eris. You know I'm really not Rezo, right? So why are you doing this to me?"
"You may not be Rezo-sama now," Eris said from across the lab, "and you may never be as perfect as he is, but I'll make sure you get as close as you can being him. Now go to sleep, Rezo-sama. We have a busy day tomorrow."
Kopii sighed in frustration, but he did lie down and the little kopiis gathered around him. He would keep trying, although it seemed hopeless. The man whose image he had been created in was starting to become a hateful figure to him.
There wasn't much Japanese in this chapter. What little there was you should know by now.
Author's Note: Well, of course this story is longer than that! I couldn't end like that. Although with the characters I've chosen, I'm afraid I'll have to end on a sad note eventually. I'll probably let the series pick up where I leave off. Any idea of how much time has passed in the story so far? I keep saying that time has passed, but I'm not sure how long it's been. Judging by Lina's age at the beginning, I'll have to keep the time frame to about 2 years. Short chapter today! Yay for me, sorry to you. But anyway, thanks for the reviews. Keep sending them! And please, please, please give me suggestions. I finished chapter 9 the other day, but now I'm stuck. So any and all ideas would be GREATLY appreciated. Please!
Ramblings of the Doomed
Chapter 8: Identity Crisis
Much to his surprise, when he got back to his tower and put Zelgadis away for further manipulation, Rezo found that he was back in control of his body. He immediately began to do some work on a different subject. He was fairly sure that the evil presence taking over his mind, giving him headaches, and maybe even preventing him from seeing, was none other than Ruby-Eyed Shabranigdu. Maybe the Mazoku just didn't have as strong a hold over him as he had thought. It seemed like the presence was a lot weaker than it had been recently. But Rezo was not so naive as to think that he had beaten it. So he had decided that he would have to summon the Dark Lord's physical body and kill him. It would have to be at a time like this, after Shabranigdu had possessed him and he was weakened. In fact, right now would be perfect, but Rezo knew that he was nowhere near being ready to kill THE Dark Lord on a moment's notice. He would need time to plan and prepare. So Rezo set out to find a way to summon and slay a god, leaving Zelgadis's training to some lesser servants. Rodimus could work on the boy's swordsmanship with the help of Dilgear and the other animal-like chimeras he had created. And Zolf could teach him black magic. The boy had been dabbling in shamanistic magic also, but that and the white magic would have to wait until Rezo had time to teach them himself.
* * *
Rezo went back to Sairaag to pick up some important books and supplies. On his way, he ran into Eris, who was out shopping.
"Rezo-sama!?" Eris exclaimed, overjoyed to see him again.
Rezo turned towards her, startled. He had not expected to have to deal with her right now. Even now, he could feel the evil stirring inside himself. She would be hurt if she stayed near him. He would have to push her away.
"Get away from me," he said coldly, frowning in disapproval but aching inside. "I don't want you to ever come near me again. Do you understand?" Then he walked off before she could say anything, or before he lost his nerve and apologized.
Eris stood there, shocked, for a moment. Then she burst into tears and ran home, not caring that she had neglected to buy eggs. She hoped Rezo might be there, and that he would apologize, explain his harsh words, and promise never to leave her again.
Kopii heard the door open and slam shut, and he heard Eris sobbing as she threw down her shopping bags. She ran ran around the upper parts of the house hoping to see Rezo-sama there. After a short while, she came down the steps, trying to hide her tears. Dozens of little kopiis trailed after her, chattering. Kopii looked at her questioningly.
"H – has Rezo-sama been here?" she asked him piteously.
Kopii shook his head. "Not since he left. Why would he come back and not tell you?" In actuality, Rezo had used a summoning spell to take the items he needed from his house. He hadn't wanted to face Eris again, or Kopii either.
It was an innocent question, but it caused Eris to burst into tears again and run back upstairs. Kopii listened as she ran all the way up to her attic room and slammed the door shut.
"Something must really be wrong," Kopii said to the other kopiis. "And it has something to do with Rezo. I wonder what it is."
After a few minutes, Kopii stood up and let himself out of the cage. He went upstairs and silently put away the groceries. Then he fixed himself some ramen noodles and sat down to eat. When he was finished, he put the dishes in the sink and started back downstairs. Halfway down, he changed his mind and headed back up to the kitchen. He fixed a second bowl of ramen noodles and made a cup of tea with sugar in it. He quietly took them both up to the attic on a small tray. He knocked softly, and since she didn't say anything, he opened the door. Eris was sitting on her bed, hurriedly wiping her eyes. She brightened up for a moment until she realized it was only Kopii. "What do you want?" she snapped.
"I… thought you might want some lunch," Kopii said.
Eris looked confused. "Oh… well… Leave it here, then."
Kopii nodded, set the tray on her desk, plucked a kopii off of the tray, and left silently. He really didn't like Eris at all, but because of a combination of Rezo's altruism and his own kindness, he really couldn't help being nice to her. Besides, maybe if he was nice to her, she would be nicer to him.
* * *
The next few days went on in much the same way. Eris stayed in her room and Kopii brought her food. He complied with her request that he keep his eyes closed when he was around her. Since Rezo had been so good at moving around sightless, Kopii had no problem with this. He knew that she just wanted to see her Rezo-sama in him, but he didn't know what else he could do. He wasn't a mean person, after all.
One day, Eris surprised him by coming down to the kitchen with an armload of red cloth. "Here Kopii, put these on. The other shoulder guards should still be down in the basement." Kopii was surprised, but he did what she asked. Now if he closed his eyes, he looked exactly like Rezo. When he came back upstairs, he saw a strange glimmer in Eris's eyes.
"Come on," she said, beckoning him towards the door. "The townspeople are starting to think Rezo-sama is gone forever. You have to make an appearance and heal someone. Just keep your eyes closed and follow my lead."
"Oh… um, all right. I suppose," said Kopii as he was dragged out the door.
Eris led him all over town healing people until he was so exhausted that he could barely walk. So she walked and he staggered back home. She seemed pleased with his performance. Kopii somehow managed to get down the steps without falling flat on his face, and literally passed out in the cage. Eris went out once more and made an appointment with a nearby artist before getting a bowl of rice and going to bed herself.
* * *
In the morning, Kopii awoke to the sound of Eris yelling down the steps that he should wake up. He yawned and went up the stairs. Eris barely gave him time to grab a bite to eat before dragging him to a painter's studio. He had to stand still in a set of Rezo's robes with his eyes closed for a couple of hours while his image was painted on a life-sized canvas. He was very stiff after this, and went right home after healing the painter's wife's broken leg in payment.
"Oh Rezo-sama, the painting's a masterpiece! A perfect likeness," Eris said when they were back at home.
"Umm… Eris," Kopii said uncomfortably, "You don't have to call me Rezo-sama when no one else is around."
"But why not, Rezo-sama?" Eris asked. "I missed you so much. I love just saying your name!"
Kopii recoiled slightly. He didn't like the odd gleam in her eyes. "Excuse me a minute, I think I'd better go change my robes." He fled to the basement and put on his own white robe with the red over it and the big round shoulder guards instead of the double pointed ones. The kopiis chattered at him, but he ignored them and shut himself back in the cage. He appreciated being treated better, but the way she acted as if he was the real Rezo disturbed him.
Eris came down the stairs holding a silvery white headband. Kopii watched her suspiciously. She walked up to him, opened the cage door, and trapped him in a corner of the cage. He was really starting to panic now. "Here, let me put this on you," she said in a sweet, gentle voice. Before he knew it, the band was around his head. He felt something hard press into his forehead, and it seemed to embed itself into him. He felt it, and realized that it was one of her small rounded control gems. He tried to pry it off with his fingernails, but he couldn't.
"Now you'll be Rezo-sama," Eris said quietly but fiercely. "I'll make sure of it!" She went off to the far side of the lab to work on her chimeras for a while.
Kopii spent a good deal of time trying to remove the jewel from his head, but he finally gave up. It was one of the weaker ones, and it would only control him at close range when Eris was there to direct him, so he wasn't too worried right now.
Before giving up entirely, he called to Eris, "Listen Eris. You know I'm really not Rezo, right? So why are you doing this to me?"
"You may not be Rezo-sama now," Eris said from across the lab, "and you may never be as perfect as he is, but I'll make sure you get as close as you can being him. Now go to sleep, Rezo-sama. We have a busy day tomorrow."
Kopii sighed in frustration, but he did lie down and the little kopiis gathered around him. He would keep trying, although it seemed hopeless. The man whose image he had been created in was starting to become a hateful figure to him.
There wasn't much Japanese in this chapter. What little there was you should know by now.