Author's Note:
In case you haven't noticed, this story doesn't follow the Slayers canon. Filia is the only Gold Dragon still living on the whole planet, and Valgarv doesn't exist. The hierarchy of power is also different from what you are normally familiar with. Everything will be cleared soon (I hope) so please bare with me. Don't forget, this is an ongoing story, and all comments and inputs are welcome and loved! Also a special thank you to Miss Fi for being my beta reader!:) Enjoy!
Disclaimer:
Slayers belongs to Hajime Kanzaka/Rui Araizumi/Kadokawa Shoten/TV TOKYO/SOFTX/Marubeni. The title of Gundam SEED belongs to Sunrise/Bandai. This story and all the original characters are mine, by the way.
The customers of a local restaurant stared with absolute amazement at a table near the centre. The people seated at the table appeared to be ordinary humans, one being a short girl with raging orange hair, the other being a tall blond man. What really caught people's attention was the amount of food being brought to the table, as well as the height of the plates that had piled up.
"Umh, these are really good! Aren't you guys going to try some, too?" Lina managed to say through her mouthful of food, her head turned slightly to look at her companions at the table next to hers.
"We've had enough." Zelgadiss replied as politely as he could under the circumstance. "How long are you going to keep on stuffing food into your bottomless stomach, Lina?"
"Just a couple more dishes and we'll be done!" Lina grinned as she grabbed a hold of a waitress and ordered, again.
"How can you fit all this food in your stomach?" The young woman with long, golden hair sighed.
"Yeah, and still be so little and underdeveloped." The person sitting opposite from her followed up with a grin on his face, his eyes only visible as narrow slits.
"What was that you said?" Lina jerked toward his direction and warned in a low and dangerous tone.
"Be so little and under..." The smiling face was met with a ball of fury fire.
"Consider yourself lucky because I'm VERY occupied at the moment." Lina glared hard before returning to devouring her food.
"Huh, serves you right." The blond girl snorted.
"Aw, you're mean, Filia-chan." The priest's characteristic smile remained on his face.
Veins popped up on her forehead as she shot him a death glare and bared her fangs. "Don't you dare ever calling me that, you filthy Mazoku!!"
"Ah, but I was merely showing my affection, Filia-chan. It's a practice common among humans when they talk to their friends, you see."
A tail sporting a pink ribbon appeared from under her dress as Filia whipped out a mace and held it up, ready to strike. "We are NOT friends, and we will NEVER be friends!!!"
"Tsk, tsk. Always the hot-tempered one, aren't we?" Xelloss continued to smile. "Of all the people in this little group, YOU are the one who feeds me the most. Not to mention, that you are the tastiest."
Anger boiled up in Filia and she stood up abruptly. She stalked around the table and fisted the grinning priest by the collar. "You are enjoying every moment of this, aren't you, Namagomi? Always getting me worked up just so you can feed!"
"Of course. You're an easy target."
"That's it! You're really going to get it this time!" Filia growled in his cheery face.
"You'll just end up harming other unrelated people here. Why don't we take this outside?" Xelloss vanished with a grin, leaving Filia's hand grasping thin air.
"Why that Namagomi Mazoku-!!" Filia spun around and stormed out the restaurant.
"That's odd. Xelloss never agreed to fight Filia openly..." Zelgadiss frowned slightly, wondering whether he should follow them to see what that Trickster Priest was up to this time.
In fact, he would follow them, if he wasn't knocked out by the tall pile of plates crashing onto him when he accidentally bumped a chair into the table. The sounds of breaking glasses echoed loudly, and even Lina and Gourry had to pause to check if the chimera was still breathing.
Filia dashed from the restaurant and found the street empty. Her target was not in sight either. Frustrated, she searched left and right, trying to find some hints that would reveal Xelloss' whereabouts. A whistle caught her attention. When she turned to look, she found him waving at her near the entrance of the town. Angry with the little prank, Filia teleported to where the Trickster Priest stood.
"Not so fast." Xelloss held up a finger as the Gold Dragon readied her mace. "Let's go a little farther out."
Frowning slightly, Filia agreed and reluctantly followed him out the town to a little grass mound. As soon as she stopped on the top of the small hillock, however, her sharp senses picked up an unusual aura. An evil and menacing aura, and it was not from the smiling priest.
Filia narrowed her eyes and followed Xelloss' gaze toward the west sky. A figure suddenly appeared, looking directly at them.
"So it is you, Meiron." Xelloss started. "You've been following us the whole day. What do you want?"
"Ah, if it isn't the All Mighty Xelloss-sama!" Meiron mocked as he touched down on the ground. "I can't say it's expected, but it is not an altogether unpleasant discovery."
Filia tensed at the presence of another Mazoku. The two seemed to know each other, though not on very good terms as far as she could tell.
"And look, what's this? A Gold Dragon!" Meiron said in a mockingly dramatic tone. "I thought you wiped out the Gold Dragon race a millennium ago, Xelloss. Did you fall for the little beauty here, or did you simply lose your edge? Either way, shame on you, Xelloss!"
Filia felt a surge of anger and hatred welling up in her. She knew that Xelloss had single-handedly killed off many of her race in the Kouma War, but she didn't need to be reminded. Besides, anything a Mazoku said about her, even if it was a 'little beauty' in this case, was utter insult to her ears, but she was not about to let him taste her hatred. It was bad enough that she had an annoying Mazoku around her as it was! It was widely known that Mazoku fed on other's negative emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, etc. Xelloss had confirmed that on countless occasions. If she had learned anything from interacting with the Trickster Priest, it was how to control her temper around OTHER Mazoku.
Xelloss sensed her emotions threatening to break through the floodgate, but as quickly as these feelings of anger rose, they disappeared almost as fast. He could tell that she was making an effort not to fall prey to Meiron. Clever girl. Xelloss smirked to himself.
Without turning to look at the woman behind him, Xelloss shrugged casually. "I killed the ones taking part in the war. Those that weren't there were never my concern. Besides, she wasn't even hatched then."
Meiron was taken off guard. Not by Xelloss' reply, but by the amount of control the dragon had over her anger. He had originally planned to get a taste of the Gold Dragon and see what she was made of, but it failed rather miserably. Whatever. It wasn't part of his order anyway.
"Which tribe of the Gold Dragon race are you from, girl?" Meiron smiled, nearly identical to Xelloss' face whenever he pulled one of his tricks.
"I'm not telling, you filthy, evil, lowly Mazoku!" Filia retorted.
"Ho, is that how you see us? Then why are you with Xelloss?" Meiron readied his bait.
"I didn't choose to!! If it wasn't for..." Filia found a gloved hand muffling her mouth, preventing her from completing her retort. She shot an angry look at Xelloss, who ignored it plainly.
"That, Meiron, is a secret." Xelloss smirked, a finger of his free hand wriggling with one eye opened.
"You're no fun, Xelloss." Meiron snorted. "Judging from your aura, I say you're a low-ranking priestess apprentice, right?"
"Wrong!" Filia pulled the hand away from her face and yelled. "How dare you utter such rubbish! I am the highest ranking priestess of Ryuuzoku!!"
"Hmph, so that's what you are." Meiron smirked. "That makes it a lot more interesting now."
"What are you talking about?" Filia glared at him.
"Caiza-sama ordered you to check us out, didn't he?" Xelloss opened both eyes slightly, which gave him a menacing look. "Why not Lina Inverse, or someone else?"
"I'm just following my orders, Xelloss, like you are." Meiron replied lazily, but his aura suddenly flared as he fired on Filia.
Filia had kept her guard up since the moment Meiron appeared, and her alertness paid off. She vanished from the spot before the blast could hit her then re-appeared some distance away.
"Not bad. It's not very common for Ryuuzoku to master the teleport skill." Meiron's smirk faded away as his figure vanished. "We'll meet again..."
"Un??" Filia's eyebrows creased a little as she sensed that the Mazoku had indeed left. "What was that all about...?"
Xelloss frowned slightly with his eyes closed. Whatever Caiza was planning, he didn't think he liked it. Maybe it was time he discussed the matter with his mistress...
"Do you know who that was?" Filia's voice brought him out of his thoughts.
"That was a Mazoku. Can't you tell, Filia-san?" Xelloss donned his smiling mask.
Filia surpressed her rising ire with some effort. "I know that was a Mazoku. I'm asking you about his identity!"
"Oh, that is a secret." Xelloss wriggled his finger at her.
"Namagomi!" Filia called angrily.
"Don't tell Lina-san and the others about this yet. I'll be back." Xelloss got serious for one second before returning to his usual grin and vanishing in front of her eyes.
Filia wanted to yell at him, but that would just be a waste of time and energy. Stomping the ground twice, she started back to town.
"Geez, I told you not to worry about them, Zel. See? Isn't that Filia at the entrance there?" Lina patted the back of the chimera, only to freeze her action in mid-air. "Ah? Only one?"
"Where is Xelloss?" Gourry inquired once Filia joined them.
"He disappeared. Said that he'll be back." Filia said half-heartedly.
"Nothing else happened?" Zelgadiss asked coolly.
"Other than me really wanting to kill him? No." Filia lied. She wasn't lying because Xelloss told her to but because, Xelloss had confirmed that Meiron was checking them out specifically, meaning that they alone were the targets. There was no need to involve Lina-san and the others if it didn't concern them.
"Should we wait until Xelloss return?" Gourry asked.
"Nah, that guy can find us easy enough." Lina shook her head. "Let's go."
A beautiful female leaned leisurely on the large fur-covered armchair, though her eyes were anything but lazy.
"So Caiza is back in action, huh?" She studied her most trusted servant. "That might create some problems."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he is looking for the same thing as we are."
"Hmph! It seems that he still hasn't given up trying to destroy the world." The Beastmaster snorted. "Being a Lord simply isn't enough for him. He just has to screw with MY plans, doesn't he?"
"From what I've gathered so far, this particular manuscript that Lina-tachi has set their eyes on is THE one. With the little group beside me, not even Meiron would stand a chance of getting it before me."
"Well, you can take Caiza's minions by yourself anytime, anyway." Beastmaster crossed her legs. "There is, however, something fishy going on here. You said that Meiron specifically checked you and the Gold Dragon out?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... I'll have to look into that." Beastmaster mused. "Stick around until I find out more, Xelloss."
"Yes, Beastmaster-sama." Xelloss bowed and vanished.
~to be continued