Intimate Stranger

by Handsome Puppy

Disclaimer:
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title "Intimate Stranger" is taken from the song of the same name in the delirious? album "Glo". This story and all the original characters are mine.


So far so good. Xelloss thought as he sat on a tree branch and leaned against the main trunk. Five months had passed without any incidents. If everything went as planned, he and the girl would be free in another month.

He had sneaked into the girl's room the night she arrived and left a letter and a ring on the pillow beside her. From what Xenid told him, the girl, Filia Inverse, didn't want to get married either, so it wasn't difficult to get her to cooperate.

His plan was simple. She would stay on Wolf Pack Island as his fiancee for six months. She was free to do anything she wanted, as long as she didn't mind the wolves following her. They weren't there to restrict her, but only to protect her from his 'evil cousin' Meiron. The ring was actually a part of himself, allowing him to sense her whereabouts without even trying to.

The only drawback of the whole plan was that she wasn't as ugly as he would like her to be. In fact, she was downright beautiful and innocent. Just the type of prey Meiron liked. Xenid usually accompanied Filia when she was outside the safety boundary, namely the private quarters of the island reserved for members of the Metallium family only. If Meiron was sensed nearby or approaching, Xenid led the girl away before they could meet.

Truth be told, he didn't expect the girl to be so defenseless, having coming from the same family as Luna Inverse, the Knight of Cepheid. He couldn't help but suspect it was one of the reasons why his mother chose the Inverse family in the first place. She probably thought that Luna would at least teach her sister some magic or special attacks. But Filia was as ordinary as the next girl, though she seemed to handle weapons, especially the heavy ones, with some ease.

Sensing the subject of his musing, Xelloss sat up straight and frowned a little. What was she doing here, all alone? He looked down from his vintage point amidst the tree branches. Filia didn't notice him and walked past the tree he was on. She stopped a short distance from him and looked up at the starlit sky, a small smile upon her face.

Filia gazed into the brilliant night, mesmerized by the twinkling display. She loved the fresh scent of the evening air, and Wolf Pack Island, if one overlooked the fact that it was a Mazoku territory, was a very beautiful place indeed. Here, away from the grand palace, was peaceful and quiet. It was such a great place to think.

How was her dear adopted family doing? Did Lina get together with Gourry yet? When were they getting married? Would they also have a six-month engagement period- No, of course not. They didn't need some kind of trial period to confirm their love, and she bet the mistress of the Metallium family set up the six months to entertain herself. That letter she got when she woke up on the first morning told her that the young master of the house didn't want to get married as well.

She had agreed to go with his plan so she could go home freely afterward. It had been five months now, and she had yet to see her fiance. She saw him a few times talking to Zellas from a distance, but that didn't really count. She didn't even know what he sounded like. All she could gather was that he was tall and medium built, with shoulder-length purple hair. Well, she supposed that she'd get to meet him on the day of her departure.

Filia was deep in thought and didn't notice another figure approaching, but Xelloss did. He growled silently as his cousin walked past the tree and made it toward the girl.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" Meiron commented softly, startling Filia out of her reverie.

"Umm, yes." She answered nervously. The man was tall and medium built all right, but he had long silver hair that reached down to his waist. It must be the 'evil cousin' Xelloss and Xenid refered to.

"At last, I meet you in person, fair lady." Meiron gave her a charming smile. "I've heard so much about your stunning beauty and grace, but they don't do you justice. I am Meiron, Xelloss' cousin. May I have the honour of knowing your name, my lady?"

"Filia Inverse." Filia replied, keeping a safe distance from him.

"Inverse?" Meiron was surprised. "You wouldn't happen to know a Luna Inverse, would you?"

"She's my older sister."

"Ah." Meiron smiled at her disarmingly. "A story goes like this. Once an angel came down from Heaven and hid her wings so humans wouldn't know her true identity. When she was ready to go back home, she couldn't find her wings. Without her wings, the angel couldn't return."

"That's sad." Filia replied politely, not trusting his smile one bit.

"There's more to the story. A man took the angel into his home and cared for her. The angel eventually fell in love with him. When they got married, the man confessed that he was the one who took her wings. He was so attracted to her at first sight that he couldn't bear to let her leave. That was the reason why he stole her wings. Because of her love for him, the angel didn't want her wings back anymore and decided to stay with the man." Meiron recounted the story with a gentle tone, all the while looking at Filia with desire in his eyes. "You are like an angel, fair Filia. Pure, innocent, and beautiful. I wonder... if you don't have your wings, would you let me take care of you and stay with me?"

Filia panicked. This 'evil cousin' sure was making a fast move on his cousin's fiancee! Should she scream and run for it? Why didn't she just stay in the safety of her room? And where were those wolves when she needed them?

She backed up a few steps and held up her right hand, showing the engagement ring. "I am engaged to Xelloss. Don't you try anything funny!"

"Well said, Filia." Xelloss decided that it was time for him to make an entrance. He teleported behind her and gently held her right hand from behind with his own, which also sported the same engagement ring.

"Xelloss!"

Meiron had an annoyed look on his face, while Filia was completely taken off guard by his first and sudden appearance.

"If we are not cousins, I'd say that you were trying to hit on my fiancee, Meiron." Xelloss smiled meaningfully. He released his hold of Filia's hand and placed it around her waist instead. Filia blushed furiously.

"Ah, I was just giving Filia some personal attention, seeing how you've neglected her for the past five months, Xelloss." Meiron smiled back, his sweet tone dripping with venom.

"Oh, am I neglecting you, my dear Filia?" Xelloss, as if surprised by the accusation, turned to look at her.

"Of course not, Xelloss." Filia replied sweetly with a small blush, fully aware of the arm around her waist and the closeness of their bodies.

"Well, in that case, I wouldn't want to intrude upon your time together. Just let me see you to your chamber. It's the least this cousin can do for you." Meiron said through gritted teeth. The girl had obviously only just met Xelloss for the first time, yet she was already trusting him and playing along with his act?

"Why, thank you, Meiron." Xelloss smiled and teleported away with Filia before the girl could react.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

"Urr.. my head hurts..." Filia held her head in attempt to stop it from spinning.

"You're just dizzy from the teleport. It should clear in a few seconds." Xelloss walked over to the mini-bar in the corner of his room. "Let me give you something to drink. You'll feel much better."

Filia shook her head a few times. "That's ok. I'm feeling fine now." She got up and started toward the door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Meiron is probably outside, waiting for you to walk right into him." Xelloss warned casually, pouring wine into two crystal goblets.

Filia's hand froze on the doorknob. She considered for a second and stepped away from the door. "I'll take your words. I wouldn't want to risk that." She sighed and walked back to sit down on the couch.

"I usually have to deal with outsiders a lot, so my room is located outside the private quarters. He can't get in, though, because of the seal I have around the room." Xelloss walked over to sit near her and hand her the glass of wine. "We might as well get acquainted with each other. Here, it's Zephilian wine, from your home town!"

Filia hesitated a moment before accepting the glass. "Thank you." She tentatively sipped a little of the clear dark red liquid.

"Don't tell me you've never drank before." Xelloss observed.

"Actually, no. Luna never allowed me to drink." Filia smiled shyly.

"That's a shame. Zephilia produced the best wine around this part of the world." Xelloss said, noticing the slight flush on the girl's face. "Hey, you're not drunk from just that one little sip, are you?"

"No, I'm just a little nervous." Filia blushed and half-lied. She did feel a little lightheaded, but she dismissed it as being the side effect from the teleport earlier. The blush, however, crept up to her face when she had a good look at him. He was very attractive, and his every move spoke of grace and elegance. Even though he was a member of the Mazoku clan, she felt oddly safe around him.

"Nervous?" Xelloss chuckled softly. "Well then, to ease your anxiety, my lady, let me introduce myself so you are not in a room with a total stranger." He opened his eyes to grin at her, his amethyst eyes mysterious and deep. "I am Xelloss Metallium, your fiance and ally in this little game of my mother's. I'm the only son in the family, but I have quite a number of cousins, and few of them are nice. Meiron is the worse of the lot. I've just turned 700 this year."

"I guess it's my turn now. I am Filia Inverse, the youngest daughter in the family besides Luna and Lina. I'm 25 years old." Filia laughed. "You're old, Xelloss."

Xelloss closed his eyes and shrugged. "That's why I couldn't understand why mother got me a human girl. It'll never work out."

"Why are you still single after 700 years? You're not bad looking at all." Filia took another sip of her wine. The taste was sweet, and she actually found it pleasant. She wondered why Luna always forbade her to drink.

"Three reasons." Xelloss held up three fingers. "One, I have yet to meet any girl that interests me. Two, Meiron makes it his personal life goal to annoy me. He lures women away from me, which isn't very difficult since I don't really care for them." He paused. "Three, they're afraid of me and my power."

"Are you very strong?" Filia asked, though she knew the answer well. Being a Ryuuzoku, she had the natural ability to detect Mazoku power to a certain degree, yet she was unable to sense Xelloss' level, which meant that he was strong enough to hide his true strength.

"Enough to send fear through one's body when one hears my name." Xelloss smiled menacingly and looked at the girl intently for a reaction.

"I've heard of you when I was little." Filia said, not bothered by the Mazoku's disturbing smile. "Luna used to tell me and Lina bed time stories of you."

"Oh?" Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "What did the Knight of Cepheid say of me?"

He had met the woman a number of times during his seven hundreds years of existance. Being the Knight of Cepheid, Luna was granted eternal life. However, it was not a long and never ending life, but continuous and perpetual cycles of life. She would be born into a young woman of 28 with memories of all previous lives, and she would remain like that for fifty years before being reborn again.

"Cunning, clever, manipulative, and dangerous. One to be reckoned with, and never one to be ignored or underestimated. A Mazoku among Mazoku." Filia recited.

"Are you afraid?"

"I was a little scared when I first came here." Filia admitted. "But the letter and the ring gave me assurance that you won't harm me, at least for the duration of my stay here. That's all I need."

Xelloss stared at her before his expression relaxed. "I wouldn't recommend you do this often. You're far too trusting for your own good. I am a Mazoku, after all."

And I am a Ryuuzoku, Filia thought to herself as she nodded. "I know."

"What were you doing out there in the field by yourself? Why wasn't Xenid with you?"

"I go to the field every night to look at the stars and think." Filia finished her glass of wine. "Xenid usually go with me, but he was summoned by your mother this morning and never returned."

"He was?" Xelloss frowned. It wasn't like the lesser wolf to leave his assigned task without at least telling him, unless Zellas gave him a mission. Suspicious. Why wasn't he the one given the mission? His gaze trailed to the girl sitting not far from him. Of course. Xenid was sent away so HE had to stay with her instead.

"I was worried when Xenid didn't come back for me, but your mother said that it's all right for me to be by myself. I didn't know I was spotted and followed." Filia stifled a small yawn.

"What would you have done if I didn't happen to be there to help?" Xelloss asked.

"I don't know... I'd probably try to hit him and run for it and scream your name until you come..." Filia said with an embarrassed smile, her voice trailing off. She was feeling sleepy for some reason.

"Scream my name? Why?" Xelloss seemed curious by her answer. If that was the case, he would in fact hear her and get there because he was connected to her through the engagement ring he gave her. Not that she needed to know.

"You are my fiance, after all, even it's only a pretense." Filia closed her eyes slowly.

Xelloss blinked. The girl was definitely too trusting for her own good. He sighed and poured more wine into his empty glass. "Well, it's a good thing that you're not afraid of me. Since Meiron met you in person, it'll be easier for him to find you again. I'll have to stay with you until Xenid returns."

"That's fine." Came Filia's murmured reply.

"Filia?" Xelloss called softly when he noticed her silence. He took a closer look and found her peacefully asleep. "She's drunk... And here I thought the Gold Dragons had the worst tolerance for alcohol."

He considered letting her sleep in his room but decided not to. He wouldn't want the Beastmaster to get any wrong idea. Xelloss gently picked up the sleeping beauty and teleported to her room. He removed her boots and placed her on the bed. A sapphire pendant from inside her collar rolled out in the process. It emitted a mysterious radiance and when one inspected closer, the mark of Luna Inverse was on it.

"A gift from your sister? Isn't that nice." Xelloss tucked Filia in. "Sweet dream, my dear fiancee." He grinned and teleported out.

to be continued


Author's Note:
I warned you of the fluff level of this story, and there're plenty more to come. XD
Since the story is already complete and I just need to review it, I'll probably post a chapter every few days. Even though this story was written a long time ago, please let me know what you think of it:)