DISCALIMER: I still do not own The Slayers...

"Come one come all to this tragic affair..."- MCR The End...

Now it's time to get serious, and to set up some dark TRAD and XelFi action...

Enjoy!

Special Thanks To:

Rêisi: Heh, close enough, close enough. (nn) You know, I was told never to run in street because you could slip on gravel and get hit by a car. My elementary school teachers were unique to say the least. So, I guess the point of that is to look out for gravel! Especially when on the buddy system... (oO) (nn) (n-) (xX)

Story Weaver1: Hee, all will be revealed soon. You've figured out so much, but I'm glad you don't have it all yet. that'd be boring, ne? (nn) Heh, bravo though, you're dead on so far.

Raywing: Hee, Sore wa himitsu desu! (n-)

Chapter Nine

Thrall…

Filia sighed heavily, taking in the sight of the solemn breakfast table and sat down tiredly.

Xelloss arched a brow, noting the absences of Lina, Amelia, and the ever-so-dull Lord Dade.

"So Filia..." He mused dryly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Lina never stopped by your room, last night, did she?"

Filia shook her head tiredly, pouring herself a glass as well. "I waited up all night, I nearly left and went to find her, but I had no idea where to begin..."

"You were just afraid she'd Dragon Slave you if you woke her up, weren't you?" Zelgadiss countered and she nodded wearily.

Xelloss smirked at this. "A healthy fear, indeed... "

"Lina never came back..." Gourry murmured quietly, examining a waffle carefully. "I thought she had gone to see you, but if she didn't..."

There came a yawn at the door and Lina wandered in, Amelia and Dade in tow. "Hm, it's far too early for this..."

She smiled coyly at Gourry. "Say, Gourry… Why don't we go into town for a little while? Brunch sounds far more interesting than breakfast right now, plus we can shop for the ball."

"The Ball?" Filia asked curiously and Amelia smiled merrily.

"Yes." She replied easily. "The Harvest Ball, it's tonight. You can borrow some of my sister's old things if you'd like. But Miss Lina isn't quite tall enough I'm afraid."

Lina snarled at her haughtily and muttered under her breath. "I wouldn't want to wear any of those skimpy old things anyway..."

"What was that?" Amelia and Filia asked in unison and Lina blanched, irritated with her lack of control.

"Nothing." She muttered darkly, turning her attention back to Gourry. "Well? You coming or not?"

Gourry stared at her pensively and then gave a brief nod. "You know I'll follow you anywhere, Lina."

Lina smirked softly.

That's what I'm counting on...

O O O

Xelloss smirked, holding up a gloved hand to knock at the door.

His smirk widened as he thought better of it and simply phased into the room.

Filia yelped with a start, turning from viewing her reflection in the mirror and holding a hand to her chest in fright.

"Oh!" She gasped. "Xelloss! It's just you... wait a second…"

She snarled in rage, picking up her mace in a dash and pointing it at his nose. "What are you trying to pull, Xelloss? Get out of my room!"

"Why, Filia…" He protested, raising his hands up with a sweatdrop. "I was just trying to surprise you."

"Surprise me?!" She yelled, pointing it closer and he grinned widely. "How... how dare you! I was getting dressed!"

He cracked an eye with a smug smile. "Why yes. That was the idea."

"OUT!!!" She roared, swinging her mace wildly and he dodged easily.

"Wait!" He protested, unable to contain his glee. "I really did have a good reason for coming here."

"I DON"T CARE!!!" She roared, her mace demolishing the vanity. "OUT!!!"

"But I need your help." He whined. "Please?"

Filia groaned, slumping onto her bed, knowing she couldn't land a hit on him anyway.

"What do you want..."

"Really? Giving in so easily?" Xelloss murmured in surprise, giving a slight shrug. "Alright then..."

Filia blinked as he sat down on the bed beside her, she blinked again and then pushed him hard, attempting to knock him to the floor, instead she found he didn't budge easy.

"Finished?" He asked coolly and she blanched, turning away in embarrassment.

"Right. Well, now that we've decided to act our respective ages..." He muttered calmly, earning a snort from the dragoness.

He twitched dryly, but decided to overlook it for now. "I need you to distract Mr. Prince tonight, so I can find out what's going down here."

"How are you going to do that?" Filia asked curiously and he grinned, arching a finger.

"By finding and inspecting a certain shipment." He replied confidently, cracking an eye pointedly. "Are you with me?"

Filia swallowed, noting the unwritten contract spoken in that one eye and nodded determinedly. "For now..."

Xelloss grinned in bemusement. "An excellent answer, you'll never trust me, will you?"

"Should I?" Filia countered, genuinely curious as to what his response would be.

He looked into those wary, pressing blue orbs and smirked, snapping the open eye shut.

"I like that you don't." He replied, standing to his feet. "It's make things far more interesting. Besides..."

He opened his eyes, the rest of him fading away dramatically. "You always end up doing exactly what I want in the end anyway..."

Filia watched him go in shock, his word echoing in her mind.

She was beginning to fear he might be right...

He's always right...

O O O

"Lina?" Gourry asked, following the sorceress down the darkened hall. "Where are we going?"

"Oh… You didn't really want to go to a ball, did you Gourry?" She replied coyly, not bothering to turn around as she led him deeper into the darkness. "I certainly didn't. You know how I feel about dresses..."

Gourry would have laughed at that if it weren't for her tone.

Lina was normally fire and sunlight to him, warm but it could easily burn you if you stood too close. He liked that about her, and he could always take the heat, but now... she was a cold version of the sun, white and only warm enough to mock those beneath it.

He stared calmly at her back and murmured in reply. "No, I didn't really want to go to a ball."

Lina smirked in the darkness, placing a hand on the door knob and finally turning back to appraise him. "But you'd go, wouldn't you? You'd go for me."

Gourry nodded solemnly. "I told you, Lina. I'll follow you anywhere you have to go."

He narrowed his gaze coolly. "And if any thing tries to take you from me, I'll take you back, no matter what."

Lina smirked, letting go of the handle and tilting her head coolly. "You sure would. That's why I have to take you first..."

"What?" He asked, confused for the first time, the dread he'd felt shocked into fear. "Lina, what are you saying?"

"Poor dumb, Gourry..." She murmured walking over to him as though floating. "Look at me; I'll explain everything you need to know..."

She slipped a hand under his chin, having him meet her hallow ruby gaze, it glowing in the darkness.

"I always do..."

O O O

The Ballroom was lit with red candles, their gold flames bathing the room in the color of a dying sunset.

Filia gasped at the beauty of it as she entered the room.

"It's beautiful..." She breathed in awe.

"Hmm... I've always been more partial to gold rather than red..." Xelloss replied calmly from her right, causing her to jump with a start. "However, that dress you are wearing makes me think you'd look lovely covered in blood..."

Filia caught sight of her long red gown in the gold tinted mirror across from them and glared piercingly at his reflection.

"You're incapable of saying anything truly complementary." She hissed bitterly. "Aren't you, Xelloss?"

"Not at all." He replied easily, with a pointed smirk. "We just have a difference of agreement on the term complementary."

"Oooh!" She hissed, clenching her fists. "Go away, I have one creep to deal already, I don't need two."

Xelloss twitched. "Fine. Good luck, Miss Filia."

"You too, Xelloss." She replied disdainfully and they both stalked off in separate directions, her to Zelgadiss and he to the banquet table.

Zelgadiss smirked at the irritated dragoness, crossing his arms as he peered at her knowingly.

"You really shouldn't let him get to you like that." He advised and she growled at him.

"It's just that he's so..." She searched for an adjective fitting and sighed in defeat. "Xelloss..."

Zelgadiss chuckled easily. "Yes. That sums it up pretty well, doesn't it?"

Filia smiled weakly, giving him a kind smile. "How are you holding up?"

The chimera was saved having to answer as the door opened with a creak, revealing the Prince and Princess...

Zelgadiss' breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of her.

"Hmm..." Xelloss muttered darkly, pouring himself a glass of wine for show. "It seems red is in this year..."

He smirked coolly, taking a sip from the glass. "I wonder what Filia would look like in something so low cut?"

Filia's dress had revealed only one leg. She had of course chosen the least revealing item in Amelia's sister's closet, so while her gown as sleeveless, it covered everything of importance.

The Princess' however had a low, v-cut design, tying off behind her neck; the talisman clasped pointedly at her bosom.

Xelloss down the glass calmly. He now had no doubt in his mind that the real Amelia was gone forever. He'd act on whatever he found tonight, and think nothing of the consequences.

"Oh dear..." He spoke up embarrassedly, setting the glass on the table smoothly. "I appear to have forgotten something in my room, but please go ahead and start without me. Five's such an odd number anyway."

Filia glared at him, and turned away haughtily. "Don't bother hurrying on my account, Xelloss..."

"Oh, I wasn't planning to, Miss Filia." He muttered coolly, secretly amused at her aid in buying him extra time. He'd have to thank her later. "I assure you."

"Save a dance for me." He stated wanly, and phased away.

Amelia blinked and turned to Zelgadiss with a small smile. "Well, this really isn't turning out to be much of a ball, is it Mr. Zelgadiss?"

Zelgadiss swallowed, unable to take his eyes off of her, the talisman at her breast pulling him in like a magnet.

"No." He murmured softly in response. "It's certainly isn't looking that way."

"Why don't we go for a walk and catch up?" She offered easily. "I feel as though I haven't had a chance to talk to you at all since you've been here."

"Talking is good..." He murmured, following her out into the hall.

Filia watched them go perplexed and looked up at Dade warily.

"Um..." She offered meekly. "Would you like to dance?"

Dade smiled in bemusement, peering into her innocent blue orbs with his hallow hazel ones. "Well, as it is a Ball... One dance couldn't hurt..."

"No..." She agreed with a whisper, taking his hand as she lost herself in his hallow depths. "One dance would be... just fine..."

O O O

Xelloss stared long and hard at the picture of the squid and the shark, its true meaning not lost on him.

"Only a squid can kill a shark..." He murmured dryly, touching the painting with a tired hand, closing his eyes wearily. "You didn't listen to me, did you Dara? No. You never did."

"Why do women never trust me?" He muttered, continuing down the hall. "Well save, Lord Beastmaster of course... and Lina... well sort of, and Amelia, and Martina... hmm... apparently only the ones that I'm attracted too don't trust me. Perhaps that's part of the attraction..."

He grinned wanly. "Perhaps at the end of the day if they don't know how evil I am, it just annoys me..."

... Or maybe I just feel the need to be punished...

He shrugged continuing down the hall. "Questions without answers, how boring."

The door at the hall's end stared at him ominously and he paused, fading into the room discreetly.

The sight that met in on the other side was horrible and beautiful to behold.

There, in the midst of the darkness lay Lina and Gourry, their bodies nearly submerged by the torrents of chaos purging from the crater in the meek and crying Dara's chest.

He stared in awe and horror and she met his gaze weakly, attempting to cry out for help...

He closed his eyes and phased away quickly to avoid being discovered.

Things were getting out of hand, he had to act soon.

... Oh Dira, Dara... you poor fools… my toys always protect themselves...

How unfortunate…

boogie oogie oogie... Get down... Heh, see ya on Wednesday! ...boogie oogie oogie...Get down...Hmm... Still stuck in my head... you know why... (nn)... boogie oogie oogie... Get down