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.


"Happy 2000, Zellas!" Dolphin hugged her sister happily like a little girl.

Zellas was glad to see the Seamaster, but she couldn't help but grimace a little. "Do you have to hug me so tightly, Dolphin?"

"Dolphin misses you a lot, Zellas! That's why I invited Xenid to stay at the Deep Sea Palace so he could tell me everything that's happened on Wolf Pack Island!" Dolphin smiled and released her sister. She glanced at the young man standing humbly a few paces away and pouted. "Xenid didn't really want to stay with us. Doesn't he like us?"

Zellas laughed and waved at the lesser wolf to give him leave. "It's nothing like that. Xelloss wanted Xenid to stay on the island, that's all."

The young woman's eyes shone suddenly as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "That's right! Dolphin wants to see Xel's bride!"

"It's fiancee, Dolphin. They are only engaged." Zellas corrected. "I think they're greeting Dynast and Phibrizo over there." Dolphin followed her gaze and saw a group of people gathering in the garden.

"Let's go meet them!" Dolphin cried happily and dragged her sister along.

"Filia Inverse, eh? Cute." Hellmaster Phibrizo grinned childishly.

"Thank you." Filia was getting more nervous by the second. Not only was she face to face with two Mazoku Lords, Meiron was there with Phibrizo as well.

"So how's everything in Hell, uncle Phibrizo?" Xelloss inquired politely, holding Filia from behind to ease her anxiety.

"The usual. Nothing much and boring." Phibrizo snorted.

"And you, uncle Dynast?" Xelloss turned to the formidable figure towering over the child form of the Hellmaster. "You came by yourself. Where are Grau and Sherra?"

"They're enjoying their married lives." Dynast rolled his eyes. "I don't even get to see them except during family reunions at the end of each month."

"Xel!"

Xelloss mentally winced when he heard the voice. "Aunt Dolphin."

"Ooh! Xel's bride is beautiful!" Dolphin took off a string of pearls from her wavy blue hair and put it into Filia's golden hair. "Perfect! Isn't Filia pretty, Xel?" She turned the girl around to let Xelloss get a good look.

Filia's face was painted pink with a faint blush, and with the sun shining brightly on her, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Xelloss was speechless for a moment before he found his tongue and smiled tenderly at his fiancee. "She is." Filia blushed deeper at his words and smiled back shyly.

All this did not go unnoticed by a furious Meiron. He stood behind his master silently and glared at the smiling girl. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly as a plan slowly formed in his mind.

"Ah, has it already begun?" A loud voice said from the entrance of the garden. Everyone turned and saw the Demon Dragon King Garv entering with his heir Valgarv.

"Garv! I thought you're not coming! You even sent Valgarv to tell me." Zellas blinked in surprise.

The big man laughed heartily. "Well, I didn't plan to come because of some business I need to attend to, but Valgarv told me about Xelloss' fiancee and I just have to come and see her for myself!"

"So you're here to see Filia, not me." Zellas pouted.

"That, too." Garv scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Happy 2000, Zellas!" He turned his focus on the blond girl beside Xelloss. "Filia, right? Valgarv said all those good things about you. He doesn't compliment lightly, so you must be a special girl."

"Thank you for your kind words, Sir Garv." Filia smiled at him. Xelloss told her about Garv before, so she knew that the Demon Dragon King wasn't one to be hostile to Ryuuzoku. Not that he was aware of her identity...

"Am I the only one who still bring my son everywhere I go?" Garv noted that only Meiron was present out of the younger generation.

"No, but only unmarried children go out with their masters." Dynast grunted.

"Well, how about we get the party started?" Phibrizo said. "I've been looking forward to the celebration for a year!"

"Is Hell that boring, Phibi?" Dolphin asked innocently.

"Don't even mention that place." Phibrizo held up a hand in defeat. "I don't want to be reminded of all those stupid and boring paper works. The dead have been way too obedient and quiet for my liking."

Zellas chuckled. "As fun loving as ever, eh? If there's still any wine left by the end of the party, you can bring a few bottles back to wreak some hovac, Phibrizo. Zephilian wine always produces the best effects."

"Splendid idea, Zellas! Let's get the show on the road!"

Beastmaster Zellas Metallium led the group out the garden and toward the grand palace on the top of the highest mountain on the island. When the palace was in sight, Garv suddenly stopped.

"You guys go ahead. I want to talk to Xelloss for a bit." Zellas nodded and ushered the rest up the hill. No body saw the strange gleam in Meiron's eyes.

"Yes, uncle Garv?" Xelloss asked, his eyes followed his fiancee and saw Dolphin walking beside her.

"This martial contract you have with Filia is good for six months, right?" Garv started.

"Yes."

"Zellas said that you don't want to get married, so I guess it's all right..." Garv mused.

"What's all right?" Xelloss was starting to get impatient. He didn't want to leave Filia alone with all his relatives. The Demon Dragon King was quite powerful even among the Mazoku Lords, but he was also known to not talk straight.

"You aren't going to marry Filia and she will be free to go next week when the trial period ends." Garv said, not noticing the stiff expression on Xelloss' face. "Valgarv mentioned something about adopting Filia into the family. I think he really likes her."

"And?" Xelloss' eyes narrowed.

"I like the girl, too. I'm considering Valgarv's suggestion of adopting her."

"Filia loves her family very much so I don't think she'll agree. Besides, she is still MY fiancee right now." Xelloss stressed.

"I'm talking about after her family passes away. You know how short those humans live."

"Filia IS human. She's not going to outlive her family by much." Xelloss said and felt something sting inside. She only had a couple more decades to go, while he still had many millenia...

"The Knight of Cepheid will be reborn within thirty years. Who knows where she'd be in her next life? Filia will be all alone by herself." Garv continued.

Xelloss' face twitched. Didn't he hear anything he said? "Filia is only one year younger than her sister Lina. She will NOT be all alone by herself."

"Valgarv said he wanted a little sister like Filia. I'm sure he'll be a good brother."

"Uncle Garv!" Xelloss raised his voice to call the Demon Dragon King back from his own reverie. "Filia is human and will stay with the humans until she dies. She wasn't supposed to associate with us Mazoku in the first place. Stop saying that please!"

"She's human?" Garv blinked as if just waking up from a dream. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! She doesn't even know any spells. A plain and ordinary human girl." It would simply be wrong for a Mazoku and a human to be together. The human would age and grow weak, while the Mazoku could only watch and wait for her end to come helplessly. Xelloss shook his head violently in an attempt to erase the images.

"Oh..." Garv looked disappointed. "Valgarv was so excited when he talked so I forgot that she's human."

"Excited?" Xelloss felt depressed the more he thought about it. He had been enjoying his life for the past three weeks so much, he had forgotten that Filia wouldn't be there forever.

"Well, let's go. They're probably wondering what's taking us." Garv sighed and led the way. Xelloss followed silently with a heavy heart.

When they were at the gate of the palace, an acute pain suddenly shot through Xelloss' body as he lost his senses on Filia. Without further hesitation, he teleported into the hall.

"Where's Filia! What happened?" Xelloss demanded as soon as he re-appeared in the hall.

"Valgarv went down to the cellar to fetch more wine for us, and Meiron took the chance to grab Filia. He muffled her with one hand and jerked the engagement ring off with the other." Dynast said and pointed to a crumbled object on the floor. "He teleported out with her before we could act."

"WHAT!" Xelloss almost yelled. "Where is he taking Filia?"

"Calm down, Xelloss. I am trying to link up with Xenid." Zellas spoke up.

"Xenid?"

"Xenid jumped into the teleport before they disappeared." Dolphin said. She gestured at a sleeping Hellmaster. "Too bad Phibi got drunk. Otherwise he could find out where Meiron is easily."

Zellas stood up and walked to the centre of the hall. "The signal is weak but I found them. Dolphin, you stay here in case Phibrizo wakes up." The rest of the group, including Valgarv, got into position around the Beastmaster to be teleported.

+ - + - + - + - + - +

The first thing Meiron did when he re-appeared on one of the hundreds of small and deserted islands around Wolf Pack Island, was raising his aura and sending the lesser wolf flying and crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

"Xenid!" Filia cried, still struggling against Meiron's grasp.

"Hmph! That'll tell you not to interfere with me, scum!" Meiron spat.

Xenid's power level was no match for the heir of Hellmaster and he knew it, but he couldn't just let Meiron take Filia. "Let... her go..." He managed to stand up, though it seemed that he would fall any time.

"Ho? You wish to fight me, little one?" Meiron laughed madly and set Filia down on the ground. "Very well! I'll end your miserable life here and now!" He started gathering energy in both his hands.

"NO! STOP IT!" Filia yelled. She hurriedly reached for the sapphire pendant she wore around her neck and quickly whispered something inaudible.

"DIE!" Meiron threw the energy blasts at the defenceless Mazoku.

The blasts almost hit Xenid when a burst of light appeared between him and the fatal attacks. Huge explosions followed and the entire area was covered with the smoke resulted from the explosions. That's what greeted the group when Zellas teleported them to the cliff overlooking the small island.

When the smoke cleared, everyone was shocked to see Filia lying on top of Xenid, who was in his wolf form now due to his much weakened condition, and shielding him. The grass under and around the two were stained red with their blood.

"Filia! Xenid!" Xelloss took off immediately, but he was prevented further advance by an invisible barrier. "A ward! Meiron's?"

"It doesn't feel like a Mazoku ward." Zellas noted.

"It's Filia's." Valgarv spoke up quietly.

"What did you say!" Everyone turned to look at the Ancient-Mazoku in surprise.

"Why did you do that, my Filia?" Meiron's eyes widened at the sight. He quickly ran toward the wounded girl.

"Don't you... come any closer!" Filia warned in a low voice through her heavy breathing. She struggled up and took a few steps forward. "We'll end everything... here and now."

The lesser wolf tried to get up and help, but Filia signalled him to remain still. "Don't leave the barrier, Xenid... You'll die." It was then that the group above them noticed a second and much smaller barrier erected inside the ward, protecting the severely injured wolf.

"What are you doing, Filia?" Meiron asked. "Why are you trying to fight me? Why can't you see my love for you?"

"Shut up!" Filia hissed. "I will end the curse today... I will kill you, Meiron!"

"Curse?" Everyone, except Valgarv, was taken off guard. Xelloss was hit with a sudden and horrible realisation. "The last Ryuuzoku!"

Down below, Filia started to chant in a language so ancient that none of them could understand. Her body shone violently and emitted a white light. The light grew brighter and increased in its dimension. The Mazoku watched stunned as the entire ward was filled by the blinding light.

"CHAOTIC DISINTEGRATE!"

"FILIA!" For some reason, Xelloss was suddenly afraid and fearful. He felt as if he lost something very dear right at that moment.

The scream of Meiron was heard through the sea of light. When the light faded away, the Mazoku was nowhere to be seen. The ward and the small barrier inside disappeared as Filia collapsed.

"Filia!" Xelloss was the first to teleport and touch down on the surface of the small island, but a whip of fire blocked him before he could reach her. He looked up to see the Knight of Cepheid riding on an armoured drake, with Filia in her arms. "Luna!" The other Mazoku had also teleported down by this time.

"I was hoping this wouldn't happen." Luna said sadly. She searched for the face of her friend. "Zellas, I take it the martial contract is off now?"

"Yes." Zellas answered quietly.

"Then I'm taking Filia." Luna said and was ready to leave.

"Wait!" Xelloss called out desperately. "Let me see Filia! How is she!"

Luna looked at him with an abnormal calmness, her tone even but barely masking the frustration and exasperation. "She broke the seal I had on her with force and got hurt; she took the blasts for Xenid; she left Xenid inside the barrier and exposed herself to the Chaotic Disintegrate in the space enclosed by the ward. She's never used her power and the first time she used it, she did all the suicidal things. She is dying, Xelloss. What more do you need to see?"

"No, wait! You can't take her away-"

"If she stay here any longer, she'll die for sure." Luna shook her head firmly. "I'm re-sealing her back to the egg. It's the only way she'll survive."

"She'll lose every memory she has about this life." Valgarv said with a low voice and looked down. Xelloss turned to him in shock.

"Yes, but it's better than losing her life." Luna nodded.

She won't remember me... Xelloss watched the girl in Luna's arms, blood dripping down from her body. He could only watch helplessly.

Filia stirred a little and, slowly and painfully, opened her eyes. Luna was the first one that came into sight. "Luna... Sorry I broke the seal..."

"Hush, don't try to talk, Filia. I'm taking you home." Luna pressed a hand on her forehead gently.

Filia turned her head with great effort and saw the group of people down below. Her eyes rested on the purple-haired Mazoku. "Xelloss... Sorry... I lied to you..."

"Filia..." Xelloss strained his neck to see her. He saw Filia's eyes closed and felt a tear landing on his face.

When Filia lost consciousness again, Luna knew she didn't have much time. She gave the group one final look and steered the drake away.

Xelloss followed them with his eyes until he couldn't see them anymore. His head hung low as he stared at a broken string of pearls stained with blood lying on the red grass before him, his fists clenched tight until his knuckles turned white. It was better this way. He couldn't let Filia die. As long as she was alive somewhere, he could live with the pain.

"Good bye... Filia."

to be continued


Author's Note:
I planned to post this chapter last week and finish the story on Valentine's Day but kept forgetting... I'm really bad with keeping time.

Yeah, I know it's not much of a battle, but I tried. Action scenes aren't my forte at all. How did I do with the Mazoku Lords? I never finished the whole of TRY and saw part of NEXT so I hope they were passable (within the allowed limit of an AU, that is); I apologise if they were way too out of character. As promised, this is the only angst in the story. I always do happy endings. Please look forward to the epilogue! XD