AN: Well, another dawn, another day, and hey, lookie, another chapter!
Kaeru Shisho: bows low thnks so much for the warm praise as well as the many suggestions you made! I think you've really helped improve my stuff. Now I'm hoping to get into Zel's head, as well as Gourry's, in the next chapter or two... Hopefully I can pull that off without too much OOCness. Oh and I took your suggestion about rewatching the anime (I'd forgotten I'd stuck the {nearly}complete set into my moving boxes when I moved in with my hubby a couple of years ago! Damn it just made me feel like I don't have the characters in character much at all!! But I still hope everyone finds this interesting... well, entertaining at least!
Deep Sea: Thank you for your vote of confidence concerning keeping the cast in character! Muchly appreciated! As for Zel and Zellas... well... it ought to be fun, ne? I think I'm going to enjoy writing them... soon,too, I hope. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint you! I'm looking forward to more of "Darkness Rising" too!
Mala Darkling: The sweetness thing? Yup, absolutely! I'm a sap at heart and I can't resist although I hope that through the mushy feelings and such, I'm also helping round out the characters as I see them... as for the lemony goodness of chapter five, I'll send it out as soon as I get into the mood to rewrite the naughty bits! I'll leave an update message in my bio when I do! But it wont be fer a while, sorry to say. As for turning into a tomato... don't! hehehe, if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to keep the rating down on the fic 'cause I'm selfish and want more people to read it, I'd have posted the entire thing! Hell, I love a good lemon now and then, and I don't know too many people that don't! No need to be shy in my opinion!
Well, I'm done waggin' my jaw (figuratively of course) so now on to Chapter Six! Enjoy! (oh yeah, I don't think i said so at the beginning of the fic, but I don't own Slayers. I figured it wasn't needed as this is a fanfiction site and so everyone knows that the cast belongs to other people whos names I can't pronounce) ....
- - - -
"Look now."
Amelia obeyed the soft voice in her mind and glanced up to see Lina and Xelloss strolling casually along the winding garden paths, not far from where she stood observing. This was nothing new. The pair had done this on several occasions since they'd arrived nearly two months ago, but what held Amelia's attention was the way Xelloss smiled at Lina--soft and genuine, not the usual enigmatic false grin he granted everyone else. There was something different about their relationship from what she'd seen a few weeks before. Back then, the tentative couple might walk just as they were presently, but would have seemed a little more indifferent, Amelia thought. Now, she might catch Lina resting a hand on Xelloss' arm to get his attention or catch Xelloss tapping Lina on her opposite shoulder when she was engrossed in studying the flora, just to watch her turn the wrong way and make her laugh.
The young queen sighed softly, "Aww, they're just so cute!"
"Amelia!" a voice scoffed, sounding a little disgusted in her mind. "Must you always be such a hopelessly romantic dramatiser? I mean, seriously, you've known for literally months that she's pregnant and that it is supposed to be his child, why wouldn't they act more like the couple they are?"
"But," Amelia protested quietly, "when they came here-- and up till a few weeks ago-- they were just like they used to be, except that they actually are paying a little bit more attention to each other, which could be attributed to their spending that last two years together. Or maybe they are just more comfortable now that Gourry-san married Sylphiel-san, and have returned to Sairaag. All four of them seemed a bit tense around each other, to me, but they all said it was nothing… Besides, I'm not so sure that she is pregnant; she isn't showing at all and even by the third month you should be able to tell, and I figure she should be four, closer to five months along."
"Oh she's pregnant, just as much as you," the voice laughed. "You may be showing and she's not, but have no doubt, my dear, there's a bun in that oven."
Amelia rolled her eyes at the crude adage and continued collecting flowers for her bouquet, conversing softly with the voice whispering through her mind.
-
Lina laughed and elbowed the trickster as punishment for his comment. "Zel's not like that!"
"He is made of stone after all," Xelloss returned with a grin. "And what makes you so sure? Unless... there's something you haven't told me..."
Lina rolled her eyes before giving the priest a level look, though a grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Pu-leeze. I've gotta go or I'm going to be late for my appointment."
"Appointment?" the priest echoed curiously.
"To see the midwife again. It's just a routine check-up she said, just to make sure that the baby is growing healthily," she explained patting her stomach. So far she'd been lucky in that though she'd gained weight, it didn't show near as much as most others did and the fact that she'd been making sure to keep her wardrobe changing since she arrived helped keep the others from guessing, as far as she knew. "After I get back I'm gonna start packing."
"You were serious about leaving?" he asked quietly. A part of him was glad to see her getting back on the road and away from the stifling palace but another part, a larger part, was wondering if she shouldn't stay to ensure that she carried the child to full-term and gave birth successfully to a healthy baby. The last thing he wanted was for her to be out on her own when she went into labour, especially if there were complications.
"Yeah. I can't stand this place much longer. It's only been our walks and the odd quiet moment that has kept me sane," she laughed. "What are you going to do?"
The priest gave a small shrug. " Speak to my Mistress and see if she has any orders for me."
"Okay. But we'll talk about this later; gotta run!" With a smile and a pat on his arm in farewell, she was gone, jogging easily out of the garden and out of sight.
Smiling after her, Xelloss was glad she was careful to keep a close eye on her pregnancy. He turned on his heel and nearly ran straight into Zelgadis. Adopting his usual grin reserved for everyone, save Lina, he smiled at the chimera cheerfully. "Good afternoon, Zelgadis."
"Xelloss, you and I haven't always seen eye to eye," the younger man began with a grim look, although his dark eyes glittered brightly.
"I think that's putting it mildly, yes," he agreed, watching the other curiously through lidded eyes.
"I need you to do something."
"For you?"
The amusement in the Mazoku's voice didn't escape the youth, but he continued on, his tone even. "No, for Lina." A raised violet eyebrow was his only response urging him on. "I want you to keep her here."
"And why, pray tell, should I do that?"
"For the baby. No one knows what this pregnancy will do to her much less the birthing itself."
Xelloss' eyes slowly opened making his surprise clear. He wasn't aware that anyone besides Amelia and her husband even suspected about the baby on the way. I must be getting sloppy, he chided himself, mentally vowing to keep closer accounts of Lina's friends. "What makes you think that she's pregnant?" he chuckled, hoping to throw the young man off.
Zelgadis snorted softly. "I'm not blind, fruitcake. Besides, I just heard her mention having an appointment with the midwife which usually implies at least the suspicion of pregnancy. Now, I've done a little research of my own and I've discovered that most sorceresses are rendered barren by their power, if they are strong enough for the magic to… hinder their body's natural processes-- such as aging-- and Lina is by far the most powerful. She once told me that she never expected to be able to have children, partially because of that reason."
"Oh? And what was the other part of her reason?" Xelloss pressed, worry about the mother-to-be starting to creep over his flesh.
"That was due to the manner in which she was granted that power by L-sama," Zelgadis said after a long moment, as if he had debated whether or not to tell the trickster the confidential information. "She never gave me any details; you'll have to ask her that one yourself. Nevertheless, I want her kept here, in the white magic capital, just in case something goes wrong-- though I'm praying, for her sake, that nothing will."
"Why should I be the one to tell her?"
"Because it's you that she'll listen to," Zelgadis grumbled turning away slightly. "I don't know," or want to know, he added mentally, "all of the particulars of your relationship, but I can guess at least a few and despite everything I've read… I believe that you are the father. Only L-sama knows why Lina chose you, but she did. And…well, so be it."
Xelloss began to speak, but the chimera raised a hand to stall him, sighing before continuing, "Let me get this out because chances are that you'll never hear it from me again."
Xelloss remained silent, watching his old travelling companion patiently and noting the stiffness of his shoulders and the way his eyes seemed to flash as they glanced over the surrounding foliage while he formulated his thoughts. It must have taken a lot for Zelgadis to swallow his pride, the priest realised as he tested the emotions Zelgadis was giving off. Worry and traces of shame, jealousy, and desire. Jealousy and desire? For whom?
It was several moments before Zelgadis spoke again, his voice still calm and collected despite the thoughts rampaging erratically around his mind. "I never expected much of you after I found out what you were, Xelloss, and now I can see what made Lina so different from the rest of us, especially me. She always believed that people could change, no matter what she may have said during battles. "And it seems Lina can look inside everyone and know whether there is something that she can relate to or maybe draw out. For Amelia, it was her responsibility and power, to a degree that Lina helped strengthen. For Sylphiel, it was her confidence-- although she's still very shy, but that is part of who she is… I suppose. For Gourry, well, I'm not sure about him yet although he's become a lot more attentive than when we first met. Although it's hard to tell some days," he chuckled and saw the demon smile out of the corner of his eye.
"For Filia, she drew out her inner strength-- her ability to move beyond what she thought was wrong or right and past what she deemed her way of life. I know that you never liked the dragon, but she was still a friend..."
Xelloss gave a small quirk of an eyebrow but said nothing, allowing the youth to continue.
"For me, well… she showed me that I was not a freak and didn't need to dwell on my outward appearance in order to really live again. I haven't given up on my cure, but it's taken a step back from my immediate priorities for now. Lina revived what there is to my human side and for that I can never thank her enough-- although she'd likely just laugh it off saying that 'she didn't do anything and that I did it myself'. Or… that, 'of course, she did it. That she was the Mighty Lina Inverse.' But either way, it took someone other than her to finally drive the point into my head. The point which she had, without results, been trying to make all along; and that was that no matter who you are, you have the capacity to show a side of you that no one else sees, a side of you that you keep hidden from the prying eyes of everyone around you, and that, if the will is there, to change what others think of you completely, as long as they give you that chance.
"I... I never gave you that chance, Xelloss. I judged then dismissed you, and that was that. It took someone I'd least expected to clue me in. I've watched you with Lina over the last couple of months, and I've seen the way you look at her… and then at us. To you we are nuisances, but Lina's the hidden gem, the deus ex machina." She lights the world for everyone that gets to know her, as I'm sure you've noticed, and because of what it would mean to her, I want to say that although I am still surprised at her decision to love you, or in the very least give herself to you, I am not against it."
Xelloss stood in shocked silence for a time, his eyes open and startled. Had the chimera just consented to his relationship with the sorceress? Not that he needed it, but that was beside the point—it felt…nice. Perhaps he too had judged the youth too quickly. "Thank you, Zelgadis," he said quietly without any of his usual underlying sarcasm. A thought nagged him though; does he desire Lina for himself as Gourry once did? Is he jealous of… me? This is worth investigating…
"But do not doubt, fruitcake," Zelgadis said suddenly, turning on him and pointing an accusing finger at the priest, "if I ever find out that you've hurt her in any way, I promise you that you had better kill me first otherwise I will find a way not only to wipe that annoying little grin off of your face but hurt you far worse than you can ever imagine."
Xelloss nodded and smiled, a true smile. "Point taken."
"Good. Now... will you try and get Lina to stay?"
"I will try," Xelloss promised, "but I cannot guarantee. She does not always listen to me, you know."
Zelgadis grinned and turned back towards the palace, waiting until the priest had moved up beside him before he began walking. "Good enough."
Just as they were leaving the garden's gates, Xelloss turned to his shorter companion with a curious look. "Zelgadis, may I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Well, being that you're made of stone and all," he paused to make sure he had the shorter man's full attention. He did. "Does that mean that you're hard all of the time?"
The sound of a growled yell and the clear shing of a sword being unsheathed was heard above the cheerful sounds of the birds, and a violet-haired man wielding a staff was later seen being chased after by a blue-skinned, beige-clad humanoid with sword held high, a silly grin plastered on the staff bearer's face, with "FRUITCAKE!!" echoing through the afternoon air.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Lina... maybe you should stay here in the castle," Xelloss suggested tentatively. He sat cross-legged in the middle of Lina's bed, staff beside him, so he could watch the sorceress as she packed her things.
She paused in the middle of stuffing a couple of shirts into a pack and turned her head to look at him, an eyebrow rising curiously. "And why would I want to stay here and not only go insane with the boredom of palace life, but let everyone discover I'm pregnant before I'm ready to face them?!"
The priest smiled weakly, absently brushing his bangs out of his open eyes before he replied. "Well... I thought because that way you could have a midwife here, and all of your friends too... and isn't that what a woman needs at a time like that?"
"Well, most do, yes," the redhead agreed with a nod, even as she resumed her packing. "But I'm not most. I'm not staying. I'll be fine!"
But she did not feel 'fine' to him. He could detect her uneasiness, her indecisiveness, and pressed further. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I heard you say that you'd be fine, you were attacked by a Mazoku."
Lina shot a glare at her lover, her movements becoming rougher as she jammed a pair of leggings into the pack. "And I handled it just fine!"
"Yes, after I destroyed him," he pointed out quietly. Cocking his head slightly to the side, he continued to watch the sorceress, wondering if he was going about this the wrong way. "Look," he finally began, "I'm just... worried about possible complications that may arise. I'm new to the whole father-relationship situation, and as far as I am aware, you're similarly entering new territory… motherhood, that is!" he added swiftly, seeing her shoot him a quick, dark glance from the corner of her eye. "Don't you think that maybe you should stay here where it's safe for you and the baby? I just want my pet to be taken care of."
My pet? she repeated in her mind, a small flush staining her cheeks. He did care for her, obviously, if only in his own, twisted way... And he'd never faltered when it came to her baby, or baby-in-the-making as the case was… "Yesterday you didn't even breath a word of indecision," she said lightly, trying to make some sort of an argument rather than merely giving in like she wanted to; it wasn't her usual style. No wonder I always avoided getting involved with someone, she thought angrily, it's making me weak!
"I thought that it wouldn't worry me," he admitted with a rueful smile. "But it does. I do not want anything to happen to you, and nor do any of your friends. You can't argue that." Using her friends against her as well as revealing a few of his own concerns were the only ways he hoped might influence the quick-tempered teen into staying. He saw the logic in Zelgadis' request and agreed with him. Now it was up to him to talk her into it, if Lina was to believe the others were ignorant of her pregnancy.
"No. I can't," she admitted with a shake of her head, a smile tugging at her lips as her packing slowed to a halt. "You're right. I can't argue that my friends want me alive and well, just as much as I want the same for them, but," she turned her head towards him, her expression serious as she gazed at the young-looking man upon her bed. She hated agreeing with him; it only stressed her belief about becoming weak. She wanted to make up her own mind, make her own decisions, and how could she be strong if she began agreeing with him? But his request for her to remain in Seyruun only echoed her own doubt about leaving. She felt confined and was bored, but she was afraid of what was to come as well. But no one else knows about Baby, so why should I stay if I can't talk to anyone besides that midwife… and Xelloss? Even with that thought, doubt welled up anew. Turning back to her bag, she asked, "But don't you think that I should get back on the road, live a bit more before I'm tied down with a baby?"
"What makes you think that you'll be tied down?" Xelloss laughed freely, though careful to hide the sense of delight that filled him as he slid off the bed. Now he was getting somewhere; he felt he was getting past her mental barriers…that she had reservations as well… Wandering over to the table where Lina'd resumed her packing, he settled one hand over hers, the other coming up to her face to tip it up to his. "Knowing you, you'll be out bashing bandits again in no time, eating all the delicious cuisine you can find, and fireballing the nearest person who happens to speak his mind a little too quickly."
"All the while with a bunting bag of baby on my back?" she grunted though her eyes twinkled with humour.
"No, she'll be with me, watching from a safe distance until it's all clear and safe to return again," he teased, winking. The mild look of shock in her eyes was priceless! Smiling again, he lowered his head to hers, capturing her motionless lips with his own in a gentle kiss. "Would that suffice?"
"You'll be there?" she whispered against his mouth before leaning up and initiating her own, more demanding kiss; one which he returned with equal passion.
He suddenly realised the deeper sense of fear he'd felt emanating from the petite sorceress; she was afraid he'd leave. She wanted him… needed him with her. Lina was too much of a free spirit to swallow her pride enough to confide him that, not just yet, he recognized. "I'm here now, aren't I? I see no reason for things to change," he answered softly as they parted. "I may not be around one-hundred percent of the time since I still have my duties to perform, but I will be with you whenever…however I can."
Lina grinned and snaked her arms about the priest's neck, pulling them together as their mouths met again. Her heart leapt with relief and excitement; she'd been wondering what he was planning to do once their child was born, and now that she had his answer, she felt as if an invisible weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She suddenly pulled back, her expression one of surprise before a wide, delighted smile spread over her lips. "What is it?" Xelloss asked curiously.
"I'm being kicked!" she said brightly. She'd been feeling the barest of flutterings of movement within her belly recently, but this sudden bit of pressure from within was the strongest she'd felt to date.
"Pardon?"
Lina rolled her eyes slightly and grabbed one of his hands, settling it lightly over her stomach. "Just wait a sec... It might not happen again, though. There! Did you feel it?"
Xelloss' eyes widened slightly in amazement. It was strange to feel the movement beneath his hand, a movement of his child. It was kicking, weakly still, but it was enough to cause the last thread of realisation to sink in that there was truly another living individual being created within his Lina-chan. A small smile tugged at his lips as his eyes rose to hers.
"That's her? Our little one?" he breathed.
"Yeah," Lina giggled. She'd never seen the priest so speechless, so... in awe of something before. "She?" she repeated, cocking her head to the side in curiosity; they'd never discussed which gender they wanted, not that it mattered.
The Mazoku grinned sheepishly. "Um... yes."
"You're hoping that it's a girl?"
"Yes, but as long as it's healthy, it doesn't matter," he added quickly.
"That's good, 'cause you're gonna get what ever you're gonna get!" The sorceress winked playfully, leaning up again towards him as she whispered, "But the midwife guesses the same. And... I suppose another three or four months here won't kill me."
"Thank you."
He smiled as the baby kicked against his hand again, and he took the mother-to-be into his arms kissing her deeply.
-=-
Later that evening, Zelgadis and Zellas had retreated to one of the many studies to enjoy the quiet with tea and wine their respective drinks. Xelloss joined them soon after, supplying his own tea as he took a seat in the overstuffed chair across from the couch his mistress and companion occupied.
"You have gotten your way, Zelgadis," he said quietly. "She will stay."
"Good," Zellas quipped with a smile. She was becoming fond of the redhead and as grandparent-to-be, was also becoming protective of the girl. "At least now she'll have the best care the humans can supply."
"Yes, but I'm not sure that'll be enough," Zelgadis said, a little subdued. "I talked to the midwife Lina'd seen yesterday, and she told me that although Lina's doing all right now, she predicts that Lina may have serious complications at anytime. The birth may be quite…difficult. She's told Lina this, to give her time to prepare just in case."
"Isn't there a surgery they can do instead of birthing?"
Zelgadis raised his cerulean eyes to those of the priest across from him, surprised to find them open and beginning to cloud with worry. Perhaps he should not have said anything... "Yes, but despite the advances in science, much of it is still dependant on magic, and that may not be as effective depending on what complications occur."
Xelloss' eyes closed in thought. It was several moments before he answered, and he hesitated, taking a sip of his tea to quench his surprisingly dry throat. "I will see what I can do."
"What can you do?" the chimera inquired flatly. "Right now she is in the best care that can be offered."
"Not the best," Zellas corrected, having caught onto her minion's thoughts. "Have no fear, Zelgadis, he will do what he can. Lina will be fine, and L-sama willing, so will the child."
The two men nodded slowly. After a short while longer in the reigning silence, Xelloss drained his tea, settling the cup onto the table between the three of them, and stood. "Good night, Mistress… Zelgadis," he bade before vanishing.
"He's... upset," the chimera realised, glancing at his blonde companion.
"He's more than upset, my dear," she chuckled sadly.
Where Zelgadis may have seen the worry creeping into Xelloss' eyes, she saw the distress, determination, and something that she both feared and welcomed-- love. That one emotion had been the undoing of many of her minions, either by driving them insane or forcing her to destroy them when they no longer could be trusted to her orders. She'd always been ridiculed by the other Mazoku Lords because of her capacity to love her son, illegitimate though he was, and his father Lei. She'd been trying to set Xelloss up with the flame-tressed sorceress for years so that the girl may one day join Xelloss as her minion, and now that she'd succeeded in the first step, she was afraid of the consequences once he decided to take Lina's health into his own hands. It wasn't that the demons couldn't love, or that they weren't "supposed to", but that it was a fact that was kept hidden from the world to prevent exploitation by the dragons, in much the same way the Mazoku used the Dragon's hate against them.
No one was going to take Xelloss, or Lina, away from Beastmaster Zelas, not now. This little interference by L-sama, making the sorceress pregnant with Xelloss' seed, so to speak, had worked to her advantage in the beginning, but now, it possibly endangered not only the baby's life, but Lina's and therefore Xelloss' as well. And that was something that she would not take in stride. Zelas would see to that!
"What do you mean, more than upset?"
Zellas laughed bitterly, swirling her goblet between her fingers. "Truly Zelgadis, there are days you are more clueless than your blonde swordsman friend," she told him before she too disappeared, leaving the confused chimera alone in the study.
-
Later that night Xelloss moved from his room into Lina's with a thought and a pulse of power. She lay asleep on her bed, curled up on her side, facing the room, her face an expression of peace, her body completely relaxed beneath the covers. Smiling fondly, he shed his cloak and boots before he shifted his form again, this time onto the bed, stretching out slowly behind her. Readjusting the blankets over him to be more comfortable, he tentatively slid an arm about his lover's waist, his hand coming to caress lightly over her slightly distended stomach. She murmured something incoherently in her sleep and pressed back against him, curling herself into his growingly-familiar hold with a faint smile.
"Everything'll be alright, my pet. I promise."
"Hmm-hm," she sighed, still half asleep, her fingers twining with his over her stomach.
"I promise."
- - - - -
AN:
(…the hidden gem, the deus ex machina ." If you aren't familiar with the phrase, it is someone who inexplicably intervenes to change the course of events— like the Xelloss character in Slayers.) Thanks to Kaeru Shisho for the translation! I had NO idea what it meant. I'm going to leave this little tidbit here for any people like me and verbosely challenged!!
You all know the drill about the little blue button in the left corner... C'mon, don't be shy! I don't bite, really!