Disclaimer: Don't own slayers. I own my Oc's though.

Surprise. The food is poisoned?

The next morning Sylphiel woke up after an uneasy night. She had spent much of the night thinking. Eruk seemed really scared last night, otherwise he would never have charged in like he did. But why didn't he want to tell her anything? She knew he was hiding something, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure it out. She slipped out of her nightgown and started getting dressed. She was going to ask him about that episode last night over breakfast.

She went downstairs. Even before she entered the restaurant, she could hear Lina and Gourry eating as usual. "Hey, good morning sleepyhead, late as usual" Taki said. She was always in a good mood. Sylphiel sat down and started eating her breakfast. She was wondering a bit who had ordered food for her, but settled on thinking it had to be Lina. She couldn't help smiling at the scene unfolding around her. As usual Lina and Gourry were eating like the was no tomorrow, Amelia was next to them, trying to keep up. Zelgadis was staying at a distance, drinking a cup of tea.

Taki and Sylphiel was usually seated with Eruk. Only this morning he wasn't there. "Have you seen Eruk this morning?" Sylphiel asked. Taki shook her head "no, I haven't seen him since we parted yesterday. But unless he gets here fast, he's going to miss out on breakfast". She pointed to Lina, who was busy eating from Eruk's plate with one hand and keeping Gourry away from it with her other hand. "I think I'll go wake him up then" Sylphiel said and left the restaurant. This wasn't like him at all. Normally he was up by the first light. "Eruk are you awake?" she knocked on the door to his room. There was no response. She tried the door, it was not locked. She peeked inside. The room had no trace of use. She went inside looking around. The only sign of him, was his gear. She had placed it in the corner of his room the night before. "That's funny" she said out loud. She knew how protective he was of his gear, there was no way he would ever leave without it.

She started to walk back to the restaurant. Just as she entered, she was surprised by the chaos inside. It looked like someone was hurt. She ran up to the crowd that had gathered. Lina was lying on the floor, holding her stomach. "What has happened to miss Lina?" she asked. "I don't know" Amelia screamed "she just collapsed after she had eaten".

The sun rose above the treetops. Eruk started to wake up. He stood up and stretched. Man, it's been a while since I have slept this long he thought. I'd better get back before everyone starts to worry about me. He started to walk back to the inn, wondering if could avoid any questions about his behavior yesterday. He started running, he had missed out on his usual training, but at least he could have a nice run back to the inn. He ran pretty fast. He really liked the way the fresh morning air felt through his hair and against his face. It didn't take too long before he reached the inn. He stopped outside, to stretch and catch his breath.

He was really surprised when he entered the inn. Something was definitely wrong. He was stopped at the door by an employee "I'm sorry sir, but we're closed for the moment". Eruk pushed past him "I have a room here, and my friends are here too. Now let me pass" he said. He heard a lot of voices from the restaurant. He was surprised by the sight that met him inside. Lina was lying lifeless on the ground, with the others around her. He ran over to them "what has happened to miss Lina?" he asked. "We don't know" Zelgadis told him "She just finished your breakfast before collapsing". Eruk was shocked "could the food have been poisoned?" he suggested "I have been attacked by an assassin before". Zelgadis nodded "that's my theory as well, but it doesn't look like a regular anti toxin spell works". Eruk looked down at the young sorceress at his feet "this is terrible, isn't there anything we can do? And what about the one responsible for the poison?" he asked. Zelgadis frowned "I imagine that whoever's responsible for this is already far away. We should concentrate on Linas condition". Amelia looked up "I have heard of a herb that can cure most illnesses and poisons. It is supposedly grown in a monastery a few days travels from here. But the last I heard about it, was that it was completely shut of from the outside world. I don't even know if somebody still lives there".

Eruk nodded "I will go there then. I fell it's my responsibility". Zelgadis knelt down next to Lina and examined her face, "I'll come as well. This is really starting to get personal".

Eruk was relieved, he knew Zelgadis would be a valuable companion. "But I don't think the two of us are going to be enough" Zelgadis thought out loud "perhaps Amelia or Sylphiel should come along too, they are both shrinemaidens, their influence could be the thing we need to gain entry". The two shrinemaidens looked at each other. "I think you should stay here, miss Sylphiel" Amelia said "you are a much better healer than I am". Sylphiel looked away, her face was turning into a light shade of red "I… I can't do anything for her, not now. It's…" She stopped talking. Amelia quickly nodded "oh I see… I guess that means I stay, and you go". Eruk didn't quite understand why Sylphiel was so defensive, or why she thought Amelia was a better choice to stay behind.

He turned to Taki "what are you going to do?" he asked her. She looked deep in thought for a while, "I think it would be better if I stay here to help Amelia" she sighed. Gourry finally took his eyes away from Linas limp form "I really would like to come with you, but I just can't leave Lina like this". Zelgadis nodded, and turned to Amelia "We need to go pack a few items before we journey out, could you draw a map to this monastery while we pack?". She eagerly nodded and started scribbling on a piece of paper.

Eruk quickly finished packing the few belongings he would bring along. He went downstairs and waited for the others. The inn had mostly returned to normal. There was still some talking about the incident earlier. He was glad that the innkeeper had offered Amelia that those who stayed behind, could stay for free as long as they needed to. Sylphiel and Zelgadis joined him, and they took of.

They walked pretty fast, none of them wanted to waste more time than they had to. Eruk was walking next to Zelgadis, listening to him explaining the way he thought was the fastest. Eruk was listening carefully, it was incredible how much Zelgadis knew. He looked behind him, Sylphiel seemed to be somewhat uncomfortable. He slowed down a bit, allowing her to keep up with him. "Sylphiel, is there something wrong?" he asked. "No, not really" she snapped back. Eruk was surprised, she usually never acted like that. He looked away "well sorry to bother you then". He started walking a bit faster in order to catch up to Zelgadis once again. There wasn't much conversation the rest of the day.

They set up camp by a small lake in a forest. Zelgadis and Eruk were gathering firewood for the night. "Say Zelgadis, can I ask you a question?" Eruk asked, a bit hesitant. Zelgadis didn't bother to look in his direction "What?" he asked. "Well, it's about Sylphiel… I don't understand why she said she couldn't do anything for miss Lina. Do you have any idea why?" Zelgadis didn't respond at first. "I thought so" Eruk sighed, believing that the chimera had no intention of answering. "I was just thinking. Has she acted different somehow?". Eruk nodded "Yeah, she seemed to be in a really bad mood today". Zelgadis chuckled a bit "well, I would think that it's that time of the month" he answered.

Eruk was confused "I get that cranky part, but that doesn't explain why she couldn't help miss Lina does it?". This time Zelgadis actually looked at him "It does explain everything. I thought you could use magic. You should know about this thing". Eruk stared at him blankly "what thing?". Zelgadis stopped gathering wood and stretched his back "she didn't mention that little detail for you? Well I guess there never was any reason for you to know in the first place. You see, all female magic users loose all their power during that time of the month". They got back to the camp. Sylphiel had already started preparing their dinner. The light of day faded gradually, and the night silently came.

Eruk and Sylphiel went to sleep, leaving Zelgadis with the first watch. Sylphiel slept in a small tent, while Eruk had settled down under a tree.

Eruk was unable to sleep, he had this strange feeling once again, like somebody was watching him from the shadows. He had no idea how long he was sitting there, not sleeping and not awake either. He suddenly became aware of somebody standing next to him. "It's your shift" the voice belonged to Zelgadis. Eruk tried to hide his fears, and nodded. Zelgadis sat down under the same tree Eruk had been sitting under, and left him to the next watch. Eruk moved over to sit by the fire. The light made him feel better, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that somebody was out there in the dark. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a small light, he didn't know why, but somehow he felt drawn toward it. He got up.

Sylphiel was running away from somebody. She had no idea who was after her, she just knew she couldn't allow it to capture her. She looked behind her as she ran, she could vaguely she the one chasing her, it was a man, judging from his build. Even though he looked human, there was some evil, demonic power radiating from him. She could fell how it became more and more difficult to move. As she looked down at her feet, she could see shadows clinging to them, almost like thick mud. Her pace grew slower, and in the end she was unable to move. She just stood there, waiting. Her pursuer stopped, his face hidden in the shadows. From both his hands, she could see 3 shiny objects. She swallowed hard "Eruk?" she stuttered. The person emerged from the shadows, it was indeed Eruk, but a horrible demonic version of him. The creature advanced upon her. She closed her eyes, and waited for the creature to strike. Suddenly she felt a rush of wind in her hair. Cautiously she opened an eye. Eruk had come from behind, running past her to protect her. She watched in awe as Eruk was fighting…Eruk.

Sylphiel sat up with a gasp. "What a nightmare" she whispered to herself. She reached for her water canteen. It was empty. There was no way around it, if she wanted something to drink, she had to go out and refill by the lake. She sighed, and picked up her cape, hopefully it would keep her warm until she returned. She crawled out of her little tent, and looked around. The moon was still high in the sky "looks like it's still pretty early in the night, that means there's still plenty of time to sleep" she thought with a smile. She noticed Zelgadis sleeping under a tree. She scouted the area, trying to locate Eruk. She became a bit nervous when there was no sign of him, especially when she thought back to her nightmare.

She quietly walked down to the lake. She sat down dipping her water canteen in the cold, clear water. It didn't take long before the canteen was full. She took a sip, it felt nice. Her troath had been dry like a desert. She sat down on a log, sipping her water. It was a nice starry night, with just a bit of wind. She had always liked nights like this, just looking at the stars and listening to the waves. She looked around, still a bit concerned that she couldn't see Eruk anywhere. She looked towards the forest, in hope of seeing him somewhere. He had always liked the forest for some reason, a bit strange considering how he almost died in one. No matter how much she looked for him, she couldn't see him anywhere. She turned her attention back to the lake. "Eruk, where are you?" she thought.

She got a funny feeling, and turned her head back to the forest. Had she just seen something move? She stood up, and started to walk towards the place where she thought she saw something. It was probably nothing, so she didn't bother waking up Zelgadis. As she got closer to the wood, she could see a small light. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she sneaked even closer. She could hear vices now. One of them was definitely belonging to Eruk, she was not sure of the other, but somehow felt like she had heard it before. She hid behind a tree, listening.

"I'm telling you, I have no desire for anything you have to offer" Eruk was upset. Why did that mysterious character keep bothering him?. "Are you sure?" the voice came from all around him. He stood up "you are telling me to abandon everything I have!". "True" the voice admitted "that is an unfortunate side effect. But I am you best lead to your past, why keep searching when all the answers are right in front of you?". Eruk felt himself getting angry "you know who I am? Tell me" he demanded. "I thought I told you that it was a secret." The voice was clearly mocking him. "But I will tell you this, you are a special case, and therefore you are quite interesting for both myself and my superior". Eruk started getting angry "Just leave me alone" he shouted. "Then keep up your foolish quest" the voice turned serious again, "but when you find your answer, I'll be there, waiting".

Eruk was certain that he saw a man standing under a tree, but before he could react, he turned his back on him and disappeared. Eruk was sitting on the ground. Sylphiel wanted to go to him, but decided against it in the end. She had no right to be there in the first place, and it was obvious that she wasn't supposed to have heard anything. She quietly walked back to the camp. She was sure she had heard that other voice somewhere before, but she just couldn't put a face on it.

She sat down on the log by the lake, waiting for Eruk to come back. She didn't have to wait long, before he came out of the forest. "Oh good evening Eruk" she said with false surprise "where have you been?", she tried to sound as casual as possible. He sat down beside her "Oh nowhere special, I heard something in the forest, so I went to check it out, but it was just a badger". She looked down, surprised that he was sitting there lying to her "oh I see" was her only response.

They sat for awhile in silence. Eruk got a sad look in his eyes "you know, don't you?" he carefully asked. The shrinemaiden lowered her eyes "I came out in the forest to look for you. I didn't mean to hear anything". Eruk stood up, "I think you've made a serious mistake, Sylphiel. I don't know if you could make anything out of what he said to me, but I have a feeling he wasn't human".

A sparkle of recognition could be seen in her features "I think I know who he was". Eruk grabbed her shoulders "you know who he is? Tell me!" he demanded. She started to get scared of him "I only thought I could recognize his voice, It sounded like the general priest of the dark lord Zelas Metallium". Eruk took a step back, he remembered having read something about the dark lords "do you mean the monster race is after me as well?". She gave him a weak nod "I think so, but I have only met him briefly" He sat down next to her "I… I think I already knew that it was a mazuko. I have felt it, the taint, I mean. I think I'm a monster too".

She put her arm around him to offer comfort "you can't be a mazuko" she whispered to him. "And why? Can you tell me just why I can't be a monster?" there was a harsh tone in his voice. Her voice softened "I know because you care for others, I have seen you bleed, Monsters don't do that". He was still upset, but he started to calm down "are you sure Sylphiel?" he asked "do you really think I'm human?".

"I'm positive" she assured him. He started to relax "I hope you are right, Sylphiel, I really hope you are right".

They just sat there together for a while, Eruk had calmed down. It was funny how her mere being there, could calm him down. "you'd better go back to your tent and get some sleep" he finally said. She didn't find the thought of leaving him alone that appealing. He could see that she hesitated to move "go on, I feel better" he assured her "we both need to sleep, I'll go wake up Zelgadis, it's time for his shift. We can talk tomorrow, ok?" She removed the arm she had put around him "yes, I think you are right. Good night Eruk" she said and went back to her tent, just before she went inside she looked back at him. He was still siting on the log, but then he shook his head and walked over to Zelgadis.

After some time of silence, morning came. Sylphiel woke after an uneasy night. She quickly got dressed, and hurried out of her tent to check on Eruk. She was worried about him after the episode last night. He did say he felt fine, but she didn't believe him. He had just been too fast to come to terms with his feelings. Zelgadis turned his head in her direction, when she came out of her tent, he looked miserable. "Mister Zelgadis, is there something wrong?" she asked. "I was hoping you could tell me" he mumbled "but as far as I know someone cast a sleep spell on me last night, and as far as I can tell, it wasn't cast by some amateur". Sylphiel decided to play it innocent "A sleep spell? I have no idea. I was up to get a drink of water during the night, but I didn't see anything". Zelgadis turned back to his tea "so you weren't put under the spell. What about your friend?" She wanted to avoid that subject "I don't know. I talked to him when I went out to get some water" she looked around "by the way, I don't see him anywhere".

Zelgadis pointed toward the lake "he went over to get a bath, he should be back soon". She sat down next to the chimera, who handed her a cup of tea. She smiled at him "thanks". They heard something in the bushes, Zelgadis instinctively reached for his sword. "No need for that" it was Eruk voice. He came through the bushes. Zelgadis relaxed, then started to break camp. "We better get moving, the more time we waste here, the more Lina suffers. If we hurry we can get to the monastery by tonight". Eruk and Sylphiel went over and helped gather their stuff.

Zelgadis was walking fast. They had lost too much time camping. Sylphiel had trouble keeping up with this pace. "Come on Sylphiel, it's not that far now" Eruk tried to cheer her on. He was trying to keep her spirit high, and make her forget how tired she had become. Sylphiel did have more strength left, but used her being tired as an excuse to talk to Eruk privately. "Eruk?" she asked "about last night…". Eruk fell silent for a while "I have come to terms with it. I not sure if I'm human or mazuko, or something third. All that matters is, that I'm me, right?" She stopped him "Eruk", she tried to get in contact with him, but he walked on. "I have no need to talk more about that" he shot back to her. She was surprised, he had never talked to her like that. She was hurt, but decided not to give up on him. Instead she would remain by his side, in case he needed her help after all.

She hurried to keep up with Eruk and Zelgadis. In spite of the way he had snapped at her, she was still feeling a growing attraction to him. Just like herself, he was all alone too. Normal he was sweet and caring, just like Gourry always had been to her. She hoped he would remain that way, even though he was going through a difficult period right now. She looked forward to arrive at the monastery, maybe there they would find some time to talk about how things had developed. She followed in silence.

Authors notes:

You still with me, slayers otaku-girl? I'm impressed, I just want to let you (and everybody else who reads this) know, that by now we are through 1/3 of the story. You wanna know who I like better, Eruk or Xellos? That's a hard question… Even though Xellos is cool, I have to say I like Eruk better. This is not a self insert, but he does share some of my own personality. In other words, he's like another me.

Eruk, a mazuko? Is he right, or is Xellos just playing with his mind? (come on, it was easy to guess that the mysterious voice was Xellos, wasn't it?). You may have noticed that I use both the term Mazuko and monster. In my story, mazuko is what that race call themselves, and monster is the general term used by humans. Just to avoid confusion.