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

Wow, this story is weird.

Heh, yeah I hope you like, I... like it, I had a lot of odd influences in it this month and I wrote this chapter after ducking out of a Halloween party a little early.

I'm sure I'll look back at it in a month and go, huh, so that's what I was doing.

None the less. I hope you like it.

Happy Halloween!

Special thanks to the following:


Story Weaver1: Heh, glad you thought so. Poor Xelloss, and poor gang... (- -)

Rêisi: He gets better! I swear! (nn)

katanbuilder3: Thank you. I hope you like how I end it.

HieiWannabe: Thank you! I've only made it to book four, send me a link with the info. I'm always looking, it's just so hard to find real info and not rumors. (xX)

Thanks so much for sticking with this one guys, you rock. (nn)

Chapter Thirteen

Regrets…

Amelia watched Dade's carriage leave, turning away from the window to peer at the others.

The room was grim and cold, a stark contrast to the crisp mourning outside.

"He said he would keep all of this to himself..." She whispered, taking a seat at the table, not brave enough to do more than sneak a glance at the chimera beside her. "However, he really doesn't think a merger between our two kingdoms would be... in our... best interests..."

The princess cut off, dissolving into tears.

"What will daddy say when he wakes up?"

Zelgadiss stared at the weeping princess, holding an ice pack to his head morosely.

"I'm sorry, Amelia..." He murmured softly, braving a look at the nearly expressionless sorceress. "I suppose I'll stay here with her, it's the least I can do to atone from my actions, what about you Lina?"

Lina bit her lip and shook her head, the shock still not quite wearing off. "Um... well... I'm not sure really..."

Gourry said nothing, staring straight ahead, his own expression even more unreadable.

Filia watched them sadly, as the seconds on the clock ticked by, echoing around the silent room.

This wasn't like before. No, this time not only had bad things happened, but Lina and her friends had also behaved shamefully, and worse, they were all too smart to just excuse away their actions…

She didn't know what to do, so far her presence here had been completely useless.

She cast a wary glance at the equally expressionless mazoku beside her and closed her eyes with a wince.

Well, she had managed to commit what could easily be considered treason.

"But I'd do it again..." She whispered in realization.

"Come again, Filia?" Lina asked heavily, Amelia swallowed back a sob and lifted her head to look at the dragoness.

"Well, that's it, isn't it?" Filia asked aloud, standing to her feet and looking into their broken gazes. "That's how you forgive yourself after you've done something awful."

She looked over to Xelloss, something unreadable in her gaze. "You ask yourself if you'd do it again, if the answer is yes, then by your own morals you did nothing wrong, if the answer is no, you can be certain you won't do it again..."

She turned away, pointing commandingly at Lina. "Miss Lina! Do you still want to take over the world?"

"Are you kidding me?" Lina asked, genuinely disgusted at the thought. "I like my privacy. Hell, if Gourry wasn't so compliant I would have ditched him a long time ago. Being a leader is just too stressful."

"Thanks, Lina." Zelgadiss muttered, even despite his tone a bemused smile tugging at his lips. "Following you is no picnic either."

Lina grinned, sitting back down. "Good, glad that's out of the way. You know something Filia, I do feel better."

Filia giggled, turning to Amelia. "How about you, Amelia? I didn't really understand what your motivation was here..."

Amelia smiled sadly, looking to Zelgadiss. "I just wanted the power to finally make my own destiny..."

"The future I dream of has Justice and goodness..." She whispered sadly, smiling softly at the chimera. "And you, Mr. Zelgadiss, in the end those are the only things I suppose I truly care about..."

Zelgadiss smiled sadly back at her, unable to voice his thoughts and he hoped his smile would be enough.

Amelia looked back at the rest of them. "But I don't ever want to sacrifice anyone to get to that destiny."

"I just wanted to be... more..." Zelgadiss whispered, unable to take his eyes from her. "But not that,.. I'll never be that…"

I'll never be… Rezo… He thought darkly, his own actions far too close for comfort.

Lina smirked knowingly, smacking Gourry across the waist as Amelia placed a consoling hand on the chimera's shoulder. He squeezed it gratefully.

"How 'bout you, Gourry?" Lina asked curiously. "Would you do it again?"

Gourry looked down at her, something unreadable in his eyes. "Lina... when I'm with you..."

He sighed running a hand through his blond locks with a wary chuckle. "Well… just don't get possessed again, alright? Cause if they get you, they get both of us."

Lina flushed, sinking down in her chair. "Thanks, Gourry. I'll try and keep that in mind."

Filia smiled softly, sitting back down, pleased she could help. "Well, now that we know, perhaps we should discuss where we're all headed. Miss Lina?"

"Hold on, Filia." Lina cut in, raising a hand and turning towards the oddly silent mazoku. "I want to know if there was anything Xelloss would have done differently, you know, in case this happens again."

"Hm, no, Miss Lina." Xelloss spoke up easily, smiling tightly. "See the only thing I could have done differently is to have killed Amelia right from the beginning, and if I had wanted to do that, well… I would have."

He smiled tightly at his horrified audience, rubbing the back of his head warily. "You see, I do what I want, when I want. I'd really suggest you all do the same, but it's so hard for you mortals..."

He looked pointedly at each of them.

"You see..." He murmured softly, standing to his feet calmly. "None of you really seem to know what you want, that must be frustrating..."

He glanced at Filia's pensive face, waiting till she met his gaze. "Then again, perhaps you do, and you just don't want to admit it to yourself."

Filia swallowed dryly and he offered her a gloved hand. "May I escort you home, Miss Filia. Perhaps you can mull it over along the way. I have the time and I'm sure to find whatever conclusion you come to most amusing..."

He cracked an eye, the corners of his mouth tugging into an amused smirk. "I always do."

Filia swallowed again, aware of their eyes on her, the silence mocking.

She bit her lip and stood calmly, taking his hand. "I... yes... that would be fine..."

Lina arched a brow as Xelloss gave a mocking wave, accompanied by a short bow.

"Be seeing you, Lina." He stated snidely and Filia gave them a sad smile, as they faded away.

"Well, that was unexpected." Lina stated warily, crossing her arms. "But I guess that was Xelloss not having any regrets."

"I suspect Filia might regret her decision." Zelgadiss replied dryly, leaning back in his seat and smiling over at the princess. "But sometimes you have to throw yourself out there I suppose."

"Why, Zel!" Lina chided with a knowing grin. "I think Xelloss got to you there."

"More like this whole experience." He replied tiredly. "One thing is for sure..."

He looked at Amelia softly. "That night, in the desert, well you were the whole reason I came back."

He grinned in bemusement, taking her hand as she blushed shyly.

"Perhaps I'll end up calling Saillune home afterall." He murmured quietly, meeting those watery blue orbs.

"I'd like that..." She whispered softly.

Lina smirked, shaking her head. "Leave it to you two to take a terrible tragedy and turn it into a romance."

The duo laughed and she rolled her eyes turning to the door. "Come on, Gourry. It appears we have some bandits to go hunt down. I say we drag 'em back here and release 'em into the wild. We need to protect endangered bandits."

"Why's that, Lina?" Gourry asked, following her out the door.

"Because..." She replied warily, the tossing a wave over her shoulder as she headed out. "If I kill anymore monsters after this little ordeal, well they may just start hunting us."

"Just like the good old days, huh Lina?" He asked, holding open the door and casting a longing glance at the horizon.

"Hey!" She responded, poking him in the chest hard. "You heard Xelloss; these are the good old days."

Gourry blinked thoughtfully. "No regrets, huh..."

He looked down at her and she blinked warily as he picked her up.

"Gourry!" She yelped, looking from him to the ground in horror. "What are you..."

She paused mid yelp as he planted a kiss on her lips, making her blush scarlet.

He pulled away with a happy grin. "Wow, Lina... I..."

He trailed off at the look on her face, and quickly set her down, swallowing nervously.

"You... are... so... going... to... regret..." She glared up at him pointedly, pulling her hands back in rage. "THAT!!!"

Zelgadiss smirked, wrapping an arm around his princess as they watched Lina hurl a series of Fireballs at the poor swordsman.

Amelia smiled, looking from the window to him. "Do you think Miss Lina will ever admit how she feels about Mr. Gourry?"

Zelgadiss sighed, giving her a tired smiled, cupping her cheeks with his hand gently. "Oh, maybe after the next near death experience, or possession, or maybe on the next bandit hunt for all I know."

Amelia giggled, smiling up at him adoringly. "You don't care, do you?"

"Nope." He replied coolly, leaning down to meet her smiling lips.

"But I'll show you what I do care about..."

O O O

Filia stared up at him as they materialized into her bedroom.

"Do you really have no regrets?" She asked quietly.

"None at all." He replied simply, twirling some of her hair around his gloved finger. "Does that bother you?"

Filia blinked, biting her lip and turning away. "I... I don't know..."

Xelloss smirked coolly, tugging on the captured strands of hair to force her gaze back on him.

She gasped with a start, focusing her stunned blue eyes on his cold amethyst shards.

"Well let me ask you this, before you go all philosophical on me..." He muttered dryly. "If I were to leave now, would you regret it?"

Filia stared into those piercing depths and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Yes." She whispered softly, her voice breaking bitterly at the truth of that statement.

There were many things he could have said, the power she was giving him with that simple admission so easy to take advantage of.

But really...

"So would I..." He murmured coolly, waiting patiently as she opened her eyes once more.

He smirked coolly, leaning in softly.

It was time to close them again…

O O O

...You always end up doing exactly what I want in the end anyway...

O O O

… FINIRE ...

O O O

I had a hard time with this chapter because in the series, they always just defeated the Villain and then they could go away, but in this story, well they sort of ended up becoming the Villains themselves...

Heh... save the one who was already a Villain...

Nah, Xelloss is totally an Anti-Hero, well as long as he can use you anyway... (nn)

Still, it was hard to write, I don't think I ever want to write him quite like this again, but then again, he has a tendency to write himself.

Good times. See you on the next one!

- Nicci Rockdad