Disclaimer: I really want to own Slayers, but I don't.

Death and rebirth

The beast inside

A light wind blew through the forest. It gently caressed the sobbing waitress. She was lying on the forest floor, with her head on her dead friends chest. "No, you can't die!" she kept repeating this over and over in a hopeless attempt to deny the fact. She didn't know however, that just below her head, a strange process had started. Her body stiffened when she felt something move below her. Carefully she sat up and looked at the body in front of her. "This can't be happening" she whispered. His right hand had begun twitching. In the beginning she was barely able to tell, but the twitching continued to grow in strength. She took a few steps away, as his body was lifted into the air "Wh… what's going on" she stuttered. Eruk's body was hovering above the ground, and was now covered in a strange red light. Taki pressed against a tree, unable to move from the spot. She could only watch as his wounds started healing at an amazing rate, strangely enough it even fixed those parts of his clothes that had been destroyed by Filia and Ascard.

Gradually the light faded. Taki stared at the man in front of her. He was Eruk, but not the one she knew. His face was twisted in anger and pain. Slowly he raised his head. She felt like his red eyes was staring right through her. Had she had the time, she would probably have wondered why the color of his eyes had changed, but the situation left her with no such luxury. With a roar Eruk charged forward, his wristblades ready to make the kill.

It was only through luck that Taki dodged his attack. His left claw had sunk deep into the tree she stood against. Moving at her top speed, Taki scrambled away from the enraged monster in front of her. She watched as the creature tried of free his hand. his red eyes kept following her every move very carefully. Taki covered her ears as he let out a loud scream of rage, when he found that he couldn't pull his hand free. With another scream he spun around, cutting the tree down with a powerful backhand slash. Taki went pale, through the sound of the falling tree, came the sound of Eruk's bones breaking. He looked down at his left arm, that hung lifeless down at his side, but he didn't even seem to care.

He smiled as he picked the waitress up from the ground "Human…." He hissed. Though his body was the same as before, it was easy to hear that his voice was very different. He pulled her closer, his face only inches away from hers. He started smiling "die…". He tossed her away. She hit the ground hard. She turned her head and stared at her attacker. He stood still savoring her fear and pain. He let loose another howl and his broken arm started shaking violently. Slowly his arm started glowing, and when the light faded, it was completely healed.

Taki tried to edge away when her hand stumbled across something on the ground. Carefully she picked up the guns that she had dropped on the ground. She turned to face him "don't come closer! I wont hesitate to shoot!" she warned. Not even paying attention to her warning, he charged forward, pushing her up against another tree. She screamed and closed her eyes. Two small explosions were heard.

Eruk stopped his attack and looked down, two streams of blood had started flowing down his shirt. He let go of her and stumbled a few steps backward, away from the smoking guns. "T… Taki?" he whispered. She took a step forward, but he stumbled away "go… " he whispered, before he crouched down. "What happened to you Eruk?" she asked as she took a step forward. "Taki… run… get others…." He whispered "losing control… go away". Even though her morals was against it, she turned and ran away. Behind her, she could hear him screaming, as he once again lost control of his body.

"What do you mean *Kinda hurt him?*" Sylphiel asked the blonde priestess. Filia nervously stirred her tea "Well… he attacked me, and he talked about Xellos… and evil dragons… and I just lost my temper". Amelia came up to the two shrinemaidens "come on now, miss Sylphiel. I'm sure that Mr. Eruk is able to handle something like that, he is pretty tough after all". Suddenly the door to the restaurant flew open, and Taki ran in, looking scared out of her mind. "Someone help me!" she cried "it's Eruk… he's…". Amelia rushed to her side "What is wrong, you look like you have seen a ghost?". She collapsed on the floor "It's Eruk…". Sylphiels eyes went wide "what has happened? Is there something wrong with him?" fear filled her. Taki sobbed uncontrolled "He died…". All of them stopped what they where doing. "Come again?" Lina cried "waddaya mean * died*?". Taki was still sobbing "I don't know!! One minute he was dead, the next he tried to kill me!"

"So that's what happened?" Lina asked in disbelief after Taki finished her story. She shot a glance at Sylphiel who looked miserable. "You ok over there?" She asked carefully. The shrinemaiden nodded " I… I'll be ok. If only I had…." her voice trailed off. "Sylphiel stop that" Zelgadis got up from his chair, "there was noting that could be done. He probably didn't know himself". Sylphiel was on the verge of tears "But he did!". All of them looked at her in surprise "he what?" they asked in unison. "He told me, that he was afraid of himself. He didn't remember, but he did suspect that something like this could happen".

Lina was practically assaulting her "you knew, and didn't bother to tell?"

"But but miss L.. Lina…" Sylphiel tried to speak while Lina shook her violently. Without warning Zel grabbed her from behind "Lina, that's enough! It's obvious that Sylphiel had her reasons for not telling. But now we need to figure out what we can do about it".

Ascard stopped dead in his tracks "He's out there…" he whispered "And he has lost control". Neela looked at him "who's close? And how has he lost control? Can I have some candy now? And some for Nimph too!"

Ascard desperately tried to remain calm. "I don't know what that crazy old wizard were smoking when they created you, but I sure hope they had fun". Neela started doing another funny dance "Fun, fun fun!!!" she sang.

Ascard groaned. He was a hunter. To him life only consisted of the hunt and the killing. He tensed as a man crashed through the bushes a short distance away. With a smile he drew his sword "This is getting old" he smirked "I've killed you two times already! What makes you think a third time would matter much to me?". With a cry, Eruk charged forward. Under normal circumstances, he would have looked for the best escape route, instead of fighting. But now the only thing on his mind was to cause pain and death.

The sound of metal against metal resounded through the forest. Some distance away, the sound reached Zelgadis' sensitive ears. "Lina" he whispered, reached out and brought the sorceress to a hold. "There is something up ahead" he told her plainly "judging from the sound, I'll say there is some sort of trouble". Lina blinked in wonder "you sure Zel? I don't hear anything".

"I'm sure" he nodded "there is somebody fighting up ahead".

A smile grew on her face "finally we get some action, this journey has been way to boring." Without warning Lina charged forward, dragging Gourry along with her. Zelgadis sighed, why wasn't he surprised? "Filia, you stay here and take care of Sylphiel and Taki. Amelia come with me" he ordered before he chased after the others. "But I can fight too…" Sylphiel whispered, and started following the chimera and the princess. She had only taken a few steps before she was pushed over. Taki was desperately clinging to her waist "Please stay here" she begged the older girl. Sylphiel was struggling to break free " I can't… I have to go…". The shrinemaidens struggling only made Taki hold her even tighter "Miss Sylphiel please!" she cried "I know how much you like him, but you don't wanna see him like this. "

The sound of battle became louder and louder as Lina approached the source. Readying a fireball, she crashed through a thick shrubbery. She stopped dead in her tracks, confused by the scenery in front of her. Ascard were desperately trying to hold of an enraged Eruk. "Umm Lina?" Gourry asked as he emerged behind her "what's going on here?". Lina kept on staring at the battle for a few seconds, before she could answer "Honestly? I'm not sure" she admitted. "Isn't it obvious? Mr. Eruk is being attacked by the forces of evil!" Amelia declared loudly, and let her gaze wander of in search of high places, from where she could perform one of her (in)famous speeches.

Eruk made a wild attack that shattered Ascards breastplate. The blackclad warrior backed away "This is impossible! How can you be that strong?" His question was never answered, instead Eruk charged forward to deliver the finishing blow. Just as he was about to strike, a powerful explosion blew him away. Ascard turned his attention to his bluehaired aide. Even though she was hiding behind a large tree, it was pretty obvious that she was the one responsible for saving his life. "oh mistress" Nimph squealed "I think you hurt him!" Neela looked at the fairy with wide eyes "You think so?". Nimph nodded "I think so, but I'd better go check on him.

As she left her usual spot on Neelas shoulder pads, Ascard noticed the four people that had entered the clearing. Summoning the last of his strength, he got on his feet, and started running towards Neelas hiding place. Even though he was an extremely skilled fighter and a descent sorcerer, he knew when he was beaten. "Neela! We are leaving!" he shouted. "But Nimph…." She protested. If he had had the time to think about her words, as he forced her with him into the astral plane, he would most likely feel relieved to leave the annoying fairy behind. But given the situation, time was a luxury he couldn't allow himself to have.

"What? He ran away?" Lina was furious "I wanted to get back at him SOOO bad!". Zelgadis stepped up beside her "Lina, stay focused! He may be gone, but our troubles are far from over. Look." He pointed towards the pillar of smoke that rose from the crater Neelas fireball had made. "I don't see anything Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia wondered. "Take another look" the chimera hissed, as he reached for his sword. Through the smoke they could see two red lights slowly advancing on them. "Miss Lina?" Amelia whispered "What is that?". She got her answer a few seconds later, as Eruk emerged from the smoke, his eyes was still glowing.

"Oh there you are!" Gourry exclaimed, as he started walking towards him "You know, Sylphiel was worried about you. And uhh that other girl said you died". He slapped Eruk on the back "but here you are, all well and safe". Eruk stared at the blonde swordsman in disbelief, but then proceeded to smile evilly. "Gourry! Quick, get away…." Zel's warning was cut of by a powerful explosion that sent Gourry flying back. "Wha..? how did he do that?" He coughed, as he struggled to get back on his feet.

Zelgadis drew his sword "it would seem that Taki was right, something has happened to him." Amelia took a step back "He looks scary". Zel ignored her "I just wish I knew what was wrong with him, but it's pretty obvious that he has become our enemy". Eruk let loose another inhuman scream, and charged forward at incredible speed. He was heading straight for Lina. Just before his wristblades could connect with her soft body, he was blocked by Gourry's sword. "Lina! Use your magic" The swordsman shouted, while he struggled to keep Eruk away from her. "You don't have to tell me that" the petite sorceress shouted "FIREBALL!!". The spell made a direct impact on Eruks body, blasting him away. "Sorry, I had to do that" she said, while straightening her outfit.

"Lina, stay alert" Zel warned "there is something very wrong with him, like he's possessed or something". Eruk attacked Gourry again. "So you have any good ideas, Mr. Genius?" Lina shouted. Zelgadis nodded " I might have, just keep him occupied for a while". Gourry skillfully blocked another of Eruks attacks "Keep him occupied? That's easy for you to say!" he complained "I never knew that Eruk was this strong". Lina drew her dagger and ran forward to help Gourry "I don't know what you are planing Zel, but you'd better hurry".

"Do you really know what's wrong with him?" Taki carefully asked. Sylphiel hadn't spoken a word since the others left, and it was beginning to bother the younger girl. "I…. I really don't know for sure…." The shrinemaiden whispered, so low that the others could barely hear it. "If you know anything, please tell us. Maybe we can find a way to help him?" Filia urged. "Well.." Sylphiel hesitated "Some time ago he started talking about him being a mazuko, but…". Taki gasped "A mazuko? You mean like that Xellos guy?" her voice trailed off as her eyes wandered to the blond dragon girl. But instead of the fit of anger that she usually threw when the talk fell on her lifelong enemies, she too was deep in thought "So that explains it…" she wondered out loud. The two others looked at her in amazement. "What do you mean miss Filia?" Taki asked. "What I mean is…" Filia started explaining about the first time she met Eruk. "But since I haven't felt a thing from him." She concluded. "So what you are saying, is that even though he may not be all human….?". Filia nodded "As far as I can tell, he definitely has a human side too. We simply just need to find it!". Sylphiel stood up "We'd better get going, before miss Lina decides to hurt him!".

"Say Lina, where did Zel and Amelia go?" Gourry asked, while dodging a blast of pure energy. "Don't know! But stoneboy said he had a plan, that's what we're waiting for. Fireball!". Once again Eruk took a direct hit by one of Linas famous fireballs. "How does he do that?!" Lina cried, as Eruk got back on his feet. "It would seem, that he possesses quite a few of our races special abilities". Lina spun around "Xellos! Where'd you come from, and what do you mean by *our race*?". Xellos scratched the back of his head "you mean you don't know? Well it's quite simple really…" Lina eyed him suspiciously "Well….?". Xellos smiled "but of course, it's a secret!" He teleported a short distance away, and pointed at a large tree "Oh, and I believe that Zelgadis wanted you to press him up against that tree over there. Bye!" and in an instant, he was gone. "Typically useless" Lina muttered, "Gourry, drive him towards that tree over there!".

Gourry faked a strike, and planted a punch in Eruk's chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Before he could recover, Amelia jumped from the tree and Zelgadis jumped out from behind the trunk "Ra Tilt!" both of them shouted.

Sylphiel came into the clearing just as the two spells engulfed her friend in a blue blaze. When the dazzling energies faded, Eruk was lying on the ground. "Zel? Amelia? What the hell did you guys do to him?" Lina shouted " That spell don't work on humans!". Zel pushed past the redhead and made his way to the man on the ground. "Like I said, he seemed to be possessed. This was the only way I could avoid hurting him, if I was wrong that is". He knelt down "Hey Sylphiel, get over here, NOW!". Sylphiel snapped out of the shock-like state that she had been standing in "Huh? What?". Zel took a few steps away "He's alive, and we need you to heal him." Sylphiel quickly hurried to her friend, and started chanting a resurrection spell. "Are you sure this is a good idea Zel?" Lina asked " I mean, the guy tried to kill us for crying out loud!". Zelgadis nodded "I'm quite sure. In cases like this, the strongest part of his spirit, is the one in control. And I would say that whatever it was possessing him, it has been greatly weakened and therefore he should be able to regain control".

Amelia looked at him in admiration "wow, you sure knows a lot about this". Zelgadis lowered his head "Yeah, I do…" he whispered bitterly. They were interrupted by a weak cough. Eruk slowly opened his eyes "where am I?" he whispered. Sylphiel wrapped her arms around him "Thank god you are ok" she sobbed. He turned to look her in the eyes "S…Sylphiel? What happened to me?" he whispered. Lina and the others relaxed, seeing that he was back to normal. He let himself relax "I feel so weak…". Sylphiel was still holding him when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. "Shouldn't you let go of loverboy here, so we can get him to an inn or something?" Lina asked casually. Sylphiel blushed deeply, but allowed Gourry and Zelgadis to pick him up. "Amelia, you go get the others" Lina ordered.

As the group slowly made their way back to the inn, none of them noticed the tiny shadow that followed them.

Authors notes:

Wow. That was pretty intense, wasn't it? I guess I have made it pretty obvious by now, that Eruk isn't all human? For the moment it would seem that he's back to normal, but how long is it going to last? And finally, who's following them?