Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Birth Rite ❯ 11 ( Chapter 11 )

Title: Birth Rite 11/?

Author: Tsutsuji

Date written: final draft 8/3/06

Warnings: Yaoi. Annoying original characters. More UST between an irritable chimera and a mischievous mazoku. Oh, and - lemon.

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyright to the characters of Xelloss and Zelgadis or anything else from Slayers, and I'm making no profit from this fic and intend no copyright infringement.

Spell-checked and self-beta'd. Anyone who reads this is welcome to consider him or herself a beta reader and inform me of any errors.

 

~ I really, really thank those of you who review, and all the readers who are patiently staying along with this awesomely slow-moving story! Special thanks to the awesome Kaworu, who has taken on the task of translating this story and Poison into Russian! That is so cool! ~

 

Summary: Xelloss comes up with something of a plan to keep Zelgadis' attention off that darn Claire Bible, and after an unsettling first meal at the Temple, Zelgadis does a little personal research on Xelloss.

 

 

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Birth Rite Chapter 11

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When Zelgadis' hard body and burst of anger slammed him back against the stone wall, Xelloss finally fell out of the cloud of distraction he'd been in ever since he'd heard Kemara's voice at the gate. The awesome implications of a Temple dedicated to the Golden Lord, the growing realization of what Zelgadis might discover here, the strange aura of the place, and finally the potent offering from Kemara's young brother, all had combined to do what nothing else had been able to do for weeks: divert his attention away from Zelgadis. With the chimera's arousal and emotion assaulting his senses, even those distractions completely lost their grip.

 

He was an idiot indeed, he thought, as Zelgadis' mouth descended forcefully onto his. Myona's greeting had been a surprise, but it wasn't really the first time he'd been offered such a feast. He'd insulted Zelgadis by saying it was, when Zel had been freely offering him dark emotions ever since the night he'd been wounded in Shimeria. Well, he could try to make up for that insult right now and show his appreciation, as strange as it might be to appreciate a human's gift.

 

Anyway, the offering was irresistible now. Especially after their discussion earlier that morning, he had no intention of pulling away, and he didn't think he could if he wanted to. Zelgadis had managed to recall some of the fury and bloodlust he'd felt when he'd attacked Marcus earlier, creating a surge of dark emotion that made Xelloss moan with pleasure. The probing tongue in his mouth and the firm weight of Zel's stone body leaning into his were just as arousing to his physical senses as the emotions were to his spirit.

 

Zel's rough fingers released their hold on his shirt and scrambled to get to his skin instead. Xelloss tried to return the favor, reaching up to tug at Zel's clothes, but he only got as far as pushing the chimera's mantle off his shoulders. With a snarl, Zelgadis grabbed his wrists and pushed them back against the stone. At the same time, he ground his hips against Xelloss, and forced Xelloss' legs apart by thrusting his own between them.

 

Xelloss gasped. Zelgadis hit him with a blast of raw emotion, desire edged with fury, possessive anger and need.... He moaned again. The emotion was real, not simply conjured for his benefit, but it was far more than irritation at a little insult. He suddenly wondered: could Zelgadis actually be jealous of the attention he'd given Myona? Not that he had any need to be jealous. Especially not when Zelgadis also had this...

 

He shifted his attention to the astral side and found Zelgadis' spirit waiting there. Unformed by any thought but desire, Zelgadis clawed at him as if trying to bind him. It was a feeble variation on his own smothering attack of the night before, he realized. Zel's power was still so much smaller than his, it would never be strong enough to hold him or hurt him. The mere fact that Zel wanted to hold onto him - well, that was danger enough, in a way. But Xelloss ignored that thought and let Zel's spirit form wrap around as much of him as he could grasp on the astral side.

 

On the physical side, he squirmed against Zelgadis' grasp, but it was more to feel the friction than to try to escape. For a moment, Zel's kiss became savage, tearing at his lip with sharp demon teeth, but then it broke off suddenly. He pulled away for a second, just long enough for Xelloss to see the blue fire in his eyes, and then he dove down to press his teeth into Xelloss' shoulder. He knew Zelgadis couldn't really hurt him, but he was startled enough to gasp and stop struggling even so.

 

"Zel-san," he whispered, half plea and half moan.

 

"I told you, Xelloss," Zelgadis growled with his face against Xelloss' neck. "I told you I can hate you if that's what you enjoy. Or did you prefer my fear?"

 

"That's..." Xelloss began. He couldn't think what to say. The fear Zelgadis had felt the night before had been genuine, and with good reason, but even that he'd offered up to Xelloss knowingly. And like the stories of the ancient rituals, that offering had been enough to keep the human alive. What Mazoku could resist such a feast?

 

"This is - exquisite," he murmured, struggling for an adequate word. He thought of a better way to answer the question: he twisted his body and spirit within Zel's grasp, making it clear how strongly Zelgadis emotional onslaught affected him.

 

Zelgadis laughed, low and lustful, and pressed Xelloss against the rock wall more firmly.

 

At that moment, the sound of a bell rang out clearly through the sound of falling water and echoed off the rocky hill behind them. The dinner bell was magically amplified to reach every corner of the Temple grounds. For a long moment after its deep voice faded, neither of them moved.

 

"Damn," Zel sighed at last. He pushed himself back and started to tuck Xelloss' shirt back into place. "I suppose we don't want to offend the High Priestess by not showing up for our first meal here, do we?"

 

Xelloss sighed even more deeply. Curiosity and his sense of propriety were almost evenly matched by his desire to get the rest of the clothes and the mud off Zelgadis, very slowly and carefully. Of course, as far as meals went, he'd rather feast on what was in front of him, but unfortunately Zelgadis needed to eat like any other human.

 

Now that his attention had been so forcefully returned to the chimera, though, he decided would like to keep it there quite a while longer. While Zelgadis stepped back and grimaced down at his own mussed and muddy tunic, it occurred to Xelloss that he would rather keep Zel's attention on him as well. That would be much better than letting the single-minded shaman think too much about Claire Bible manuscripts and other troublesome matters, at least until Xelloss had a chance to find out more about the Temple. That might even be a good enough excuse to skip dinner after all...

 

He shifted them around so that Zel's back was to the rock wall, leaving his legs tangled around and between Zel's. The chimera's blue-tinted skin was slick with rain, and his clothes were still muddy and wet. Looking him up and down, Xelloss licked his lips, and decided it was in his best interest all around to try to distract Zelgadis so thoroughly that he'd give up this troublesome quest to get his human body back.

 

"I don't think Kemara would take offense," he said, leaning in closer.

 

"But our absence might be a bit awkward for her, since so many people expect to see us at the meal," Zelgadis said, breathless but doubtful. He licked his lips, too, as he tried to keep his eyes on Xelloss' face instead of letting them stray lower. "She might send Marcus or someone to look for us to see if we got lost," he muttered.

 

"She might," Xelloss agreed. "On the other hand, they're such an insightful group, they might even guess why we've become too busy to put in an appearance at dinner... !"

 

As soon as the words left his lips, Xelloss knew it was the wrong thing to say if he really didn't want to go to dinner. A look of horror broke out on Zel's face as he imagined the temple residents imaging what they would be doing.

 

"Damn!" he said, much more forcefully this time. He pushed Xelloss back. "I don't want to give them that much to think about!"

 

Disappointed but not surprised, Xelloss moved back a little, but he dropped his hand casually to brush across Zelgadis' crotch. Even the thought of having other people guess what he was up to hadn't completely defeated the chimera's arousal, which was barely hidden by his trousers and tunic. Grimacing, Zelgadis tried to push his hand away, but Xelloss grinned.

 

"I believe I'll have to make you jealous more often, Zel-san!" he said, leering in closer.

 

Zel's eyes flew wide open; for a second he glared at Xelloss, and then abruptly shoved him back a step.

 

"Jealous! You think I'm -?" he sputtered, then he laughed sharply. "Don't be stupid, Xelloss! I'm not jealous of Myona, if that's what you're thinking. That is...." He eyed Xelloss suspiciously. "I don't need to be jealous of some trembling little kid like him, do I?"

 

Of course, he didn't need to be jealous of anyone at all, but saying so wouldn't be any fun. Xelloss simply smiled. Zelgadis glared at him a moment longer, then huffed irritably.

 

"Obviously, Myona's imaginary friend was right," he said. "You're trying to piss me off again already, aren't you?"

 

"Hm, now that you mention it," Xelloss said. "Well, I suppose that will have to wait until after dinner, now. But what you offered so insistently a moment ago still sounds good to me, so while you enjoy your meal, I'll be thinking ahead to having more of you and your luscious dark emotions for dessert!"

 

Zelgadis tried to stifle his irritation and arousal, only half successfully. He was still glaring when Xelloss turned away and stepped back toward the entrance to the alcove.

 

"Hm, now, how did Marcus make this work?" he said.

 

Just as Zelgadis stepped forward into the center of the alcove, Xelloss found and pulled the rope that moved the sluice. A torrent of cold water poured down onto the chimera's silvery head.

 

"XELLOSS!!"

 

---

 

Fortunately, Kervan's shower arrangement did turn out to be a very efficient way to wash off mud and dirt, and also fortunately, Zelgadis was able to dry his clothes afterward with a quick spell. Only a few minutes after the bell sounded they were flying over the compound under darkening skies. Xelloss led the way, guided to the dining hall by the glimmering of torches and Lighting spells, as well as by the odor of food and the concentrated miasma of a crowd. Zelgadis followed silently, still trying to gain control of his emotions and his body. Xelloss smiled to himself when he noticed that the chimera's Levitation spell was a little unsteady.

 

They landed on another covered veranda and entered the crowded dining hall. The noise level dropped briefly as more than fifty humans and beast folk seated at four long tables all turned to look at them. Most smiled, some frowned, but a second later they were all talking together again at a more hushed level. At least they weren't late enough to have offended anyone, Xelloss thought. Kemara smiled as she stood up and waved them over to take seats next to hers at the head of the center table.

 

The aura of the Temple still tugged at Xelloss' senses, but he was much more interested in watching Zelgadis' reaction to their surroundings now. In fact, he was so busy wondering what Zelgadis was thinking that when Kemara quickly introduced several scholars, acolytes and loremasters, most of their names went flying past his ears uncaught. Zelgadis looked overwhelmed by them all as well, and barely acknowledged the introductions as Kemara made them.

 

Impressed but certainly not shy of meeting a famous shaman-swordsman-chimera and a high-ranking Mazoku, the people at Kemara's table all began talking at once, hardly giving either of the guests a chance to speak up anyway. While Zelgadis grew increasingly uncomfortable under the barrage and tried to concetrate on his smoked fish and vegetable stew, Xelloss looked them over out of the corner of his eye, wondering which of them had knowledge he might need to be concerned about.

 

To his relief, none of them seemed ready to start reciting passages from the Claire Bible at the dinner table, anyway. They were all much more intent on asking him and Zelgadis questions, which fortunately came too thick and fast for either of them to answer. Kemara tried to reign in their rampant curiousity, but Xelloss soon realized that she was distracted by something else in the room. Her eyes wandered away from them frequently, while she nodded absently at whatever was being said. At first he thought she was only concerned about the general behavior of the Temple residents and the impression they were all making on her honored guests. Then he followed her frowning gaze across the room toward the kitchens, and discovered that one of the servers was Myona.

 

Dressed in a clean black tunic, trousers and boots, Myona shuffled between the tables with a heavily loaded tray. His lips pursed and he frowned in concentration as he set dishes down in front of people who talked and gestured while they ate, making him dart between waving arms, antennae, wings, and other appendages. Unlike every other person in the room, he barely raised his head to look over at him and Zelgadis sitting in the place of honor next to his sister.

 

Myona's emotions were subdued, so much so that Xelloss hardly would have noticed him at all among the crowd. Even so, just from watching him, Xelloss could see that he was every bit as uneasy in a room full of people as Zelgadis was. He seemed competent enough in spite of his teenage awkwardness, and more careful than the other servers who were too busy gawking at the new guests and whispering together to pay attention to what they were doing. In spite of that, Kemara's brows knitted with worry as she watched him, as if he was performing a delicate and dangerous trick for the first time.

 

He sensed a flutter of familiar irritation near at hand. Zelgadis was watching him with a raised eyebrow and a curled lip. He glanced across the room at Myona and back to Xelloss again meaningfully.

 

"You're being obvious again," he muttered so quietly that only Xelloss could have heard him.

 

Xelloss grinned but said nothing. He hadn't been watching Myona just to make Zelgadis jealous, but there was no harm in letting Zelgadis think he was.

 

However, at that moment his view across the room was blocked as a plump woman with unnaturally shiny blond hair leaned forward to catch his eye. Dressed in the midnight blue robes of a Temple Loremaster, she sat two seats past Kemara, but she leaned right across her neighbor's plate and fluttered her heavily lined eyelashes as she smiled at him.

 

"Xelloss-sama," she began, in a falsely casual tone, "some of us have wondered why your people have shown so much interest in a human sorcerer like Lina Inverse. Could it mean the rumors that she recently destroyed a portion of Shabranigdu are actually true?"

 

Kemara reached over and tapped the back of the woman's hand.

 

"Erta-san, remember the Rule of Respect! Curiosity is no excuse to speak so casually of Lord Ruby Eye, or to badger Xelloss-sama for a story when he's just arrived! I know you're anxious to hear all about Xelloss-sama's and Zelgadis-san's adventures with the great Sorcerer Lina Inverse, but just as you loremasters say, 'All tales will be told in time.' "

 

At the mention of the Sorcerer, Xelloss realized that Erta was doing no more or less than fishing for hints about the outcome of the Princess of Fate books. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or glare menacingly at her as she babbled on about Lina and about Shabrinigdu's rumored defeat, while Kemara tried to wave her away from the subject. Undaunted, Erta turned to the High Priestess, although she kept her eye on Xelloss for his reaction as she continued.

 

"I meant no disrespect, Kemara-sama, but you must admit it is curious that such high ranking Mazoku Lords as Phibrizo and Gaav also showed so much interest in an outlaw sorcerer like Lina Inverse..."

 

Xelloss frowned; he hardly cared about her lack of respectful titles for the late Mazoku lords, but he certainly didn't want to discuss Hellmaster's folly with this woman. However, he missed hearing the rest of Erta's questions and theories when another blast of irritation hit him. It was unmistakably from Zelgadis, but it was deeper and darker than a moment ago. He glanced over, expecting to find Zel glaring at the Loremaster for mentioning Martina's book.

 

To his surprise, Zelgadis wasn't even listening to her at all. He was staring with narrowed eyes across the room, toward the swinging doors that led to the kitchen. Myona stood there just inside the dining hall with his head bowed. It took Xelloss a moment to realize he was staring down at the fresh coating of gravy that covered the entire front of his tunic, right up to his chin. It appeared that he'd come through the door too quickly and let it swing back to knock his tray against himself.

 

Xelloss sensed the slightest flutter of emotion from Myona, but it passed so quickly he couldn't have named it. Then, without raising his head, Myona simply turned and went back into the kitchen.

 

Zelgadis continued to glare, however, and if anything his irritation grew sharper. Following his gaze again, Xelloss saw two of the other servers standing near the door, a tall, thin boy and a pretty young woman with small bat wings and far too much makeup. They nudged each other and grinned conspiratorially, and the boy gave the girl a quick thumbs up. A second later they split up and went about their work as if nothing had happened.

 

Kemara had been too busy trying to block Erta's barrage of curiosity to notice the incident. Zelgadis, on the other hand, stared at the closed door to the kitchen with blue sparks in his eyes for a moment longer, before returning his attention to his dinner plate.

 

"No wonder he spends all his time out on the cliffs alone," Zel muttered as he stabbed a piece of potato with his fork.

 

Xelloss raised his eyebrow but said nothing. Zelgadis quickly quelled his emotions again. Xelloss wasn't sure Zelgadis knew or cared that he'd noticed his reaction.

 

Kemara finally managed to fend off Erta with the help of another Loremaster sitting across the table. The older man had black eyes and shiny, dark hair slicked back in a way that reminded Xelloss of the folded wings of a crow. He had drawn Erta into an esoteric discussion about the archetype of the rebellious female sorcerer in old stories and lore. While she sputtered, he managed a sly wink at Kemara, who dropped out of the conversation with relief and turned to Xelloss apologetically.

 

"I'm sorry, Xelloss-sama," she said quietly, "but I'm afraid you'll be getting quite a lot of questions like that while you're here. Of course, such stories are your own to tell, if you wish to. The same is true for you as well, Zelgadis-san," she added.

 

"Yes?" Zelgadis said absently. Obviously, his thoughts had continued on in some other direction after witnessing the incident with Myona. "I see... Kemara," he said suddenly, as if he'd just remembered she was sitting there, "Speaking of those cliffs, what can you tell us about those ruins out on the point? They look quite ancient. You must have stories about them."

 

Kemara blinked in surprise. No one had mentioned the cliffs, but Xelloss guessed that the thought of Myona wandering alone outside the village had led Zel's thoughts back to the them and the ruins. Xelloss remembered that he was curious about those ruins as well, and he leaned forward to catch Kemara's answer.

 

She bit her lip for a second, then looked at them, Xelloss thought, reproachfully. Several of the people sitting near enough to hear stopped talking and exchanged quick, uncomfortable glances.

 

"Yes, the Shrine of the Ancient Ones," the crow man spoke up after a moment's awkward silence. "A perfect example of how tales grow like weeds where no fact is planted."

 

"You mean, no one knows what the ruins really are?" Zelgadis asked.

 

"Oh, yes," the crow man said cheerfully, "A lot of people know perfectly well, but the trouble is, they all know different things! For example, information in the Mikoto's family library states quite clearly that the ruins are no less than the remains of a landing place for the ships fleeing the Lost City of Skye. Miki-sama himself, the last son of the family, would tell you this is true without a doubt - if you could get him to speak of it, that is!"

 

"Naturally, he's reluctant to talk about the family heritage these days, since he's failed to live up to it so spectacularly," Erta said bluntly.

 

"On the other hand," the crow man went on, ignoring her, "Spearos-sama can point to numerous sources that clearly indicate the site is simply an old magical laboratory where an experimental spell went terribly wrong."

 

"A much more likely story," Erta declared. "Experimental sorcerers are all so horribly irresponsible!"

 

"Indeed," the crow man said placidly. "Of course, we'd all rather think that the original village of Wyndcliff was only destroyed by a failed experiment in weather control, rather than believing the much darker tales that have arisen about the place."

 

Erta laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, for those - "she began, but then she caught herself and stopped. She'd been completely unaffected by Kemara's scolding earlier, but now she flashed a guilty glance at the High Priestess. A second later she tried to hide it with an exaggerated laugh. "That is, there are those who are interested in those kinds of stories, quite, ah, naturally...."

 

"What Erta-san means to say," Kemara said in a very calm voice, "is that if you wish to know all the different stories about the ruins, the best one to ask is my brother Myona. He knows them all - the dark, the bright, and the enigmatic. Of course, whether that will take you any closer to the truth about the ruins is very unlikely. For that, you must ask the Loremasters to tell you what they know."

 

Xelloss cocked his head, catching Zel's curious frown. The others sitting nearby shifted in their seats and smiled nervously, but he wasn't sure they were only concerned with Kemara's reaction to Erta's tactless blunder. He was sure he sensed real fear under their smiles.

 

"And we'll be happy to tell you all that we can," the crow man said. "Isn't that so, Erta-san?"

 

"I'm afraid I know very little of the matter," she said quickly, with a sharp, dismissive shrug of her shoulder. She turned her too-bright smile on Xelloss again. "But if there's anything else you wish to ask, Xelloss-sama, I'm at your service! I look forward to assisting you in your research as well, Zelgadis-san."

 

She didn't seem to notice how Zelgadis recoiled from her and her offer, although her fellow Loremaster touched his finger to his lip to hide his smile.

 

The awkward moment passed, and talk moved away from the stories of the ruins and on to other things. Zelgadis gave no more than the briefest possible answer to any question after that, and Xelloss was even less helpful. By the time the meal was over, even Erta had given up on trying to get them to talk.

 

Thoroughly out of sorts by now, Zelgadis glared at a serving girl as she took his plate away, but she hardly noticed; she blushed and couldn't seem to raise her eyes to look directly at either of them. The two that they had seen teasing Myona were busy clearing tables at the far end of the room. Myona had disappeared completely.

 

"Let's get out of here," Zelgadis muttered so only Xelloss could hear. "Before they start telling stories - or ask us for one!"

 

"I quite agree," Xelloss said cheerfully. "I haven't had my dinner yet, and I'm getting hungry!"

 

Zel made a brief choking sound and hid his suddenly flushed face behind his hand. Apparently he'd forgotten what Xelloss had said earlier. After a moment, though, Xelloss saw his lips curl up in a smile.

 

They took their leave of Kemara and the rest as soon and as gracefully as possible, claiming weariness due to the journey from Mystport through the storm. Kemara said she'd send word to Marcus that they didn't need him that evening, but that he would be ready to guide them first thing in the morning when he would show them around and take them to meet Spearos, the head archivist. Zelgadis grimaced a little when she mentioned Marcus, but he managed to smile and and make a decently polite bow to her and the others before practically dashing from the room.

 

When Xelloss followed him outside, they found that the drizzle had turned to a hard rain again, which gusts of ocean-scented wind blew in under the porch roof. Other diners were leaving drifting out of the dining hall and heading off in various directions on foot or on the wing, while he and Zelgadis stood at the edge of the porch preparing to Levitate back to their cottage. Xelloss heard Zel begin to chant, but then he paused and looked back. Kemara had just come out of the dining hall, and had stopped by the door to wave goodnight to them. Zelgadis hesitated a moment, then turned to Xelloss.

 

"Wait here; I want to ask Kemara something," he said, and walked away.

 

Xelloss watched him curiously. He thought of following; it would be hard to listen in from here with the sound of the rain and so many other people passing between them.

 

However, something else caught his eye instead. The covered porch continued around the corner of the building, and far along the side he saw a couple of figures come out of a lighted doorway. A puff of steam and the smell of food and wood fires followed them outside, and Xelloss realized it must be an outside door into the kitchen. One of the two was the girl with bat wings sprouting from her shoulders.

 

After a quick glance back to where Zelgadis stood with his head bent to talk to Kemara, Xelloss strolled around the corner. Stopping near a pillar, hidden from their view by the darkness and the rain, he watched the two of them scrape food off plates into a bin by the door and listened for what he could hear of their conversation.

 

"I can't believe how many people where here tonight! We should have had more help," the bat girl complained.

 

"We would have had enough, if you hadn't given Myona an excuse to disappear halfway through the meal," the other serving girl said. She sounded more amused than annoyed. "I wasn't surprised, though. I mean, the little dreamhead's a good worker, when he bothers to show up, but he's just so weird! He never said a word to anyone the whole time he was here, I swear. Honestly, he gets away with everything around here. If I left halfway through a big dinner like that, I'd be grounded for a week."

 

" 'Course he does, the little freak," the bat girl said dismissively. "That's the point! Nobody else saw me do it, though, did they? If it gets back to the High Priestess, I'll be a lot worse than grounded."

 

"No, I didn't even see you do it - I wish I had!" the other girl laughed. "Amado told me about it. Nobody else knows, and of course Myona won't say anything. He never does."

 

"He wouldn't dare," the bat girl said darkly.

 

At that point the tall boy Xelloss had seen earlier came out, carrying a huge pan of dirty dishes. The two girls groaned.

 

"Gee, thanks, Amado!" the other girl said sarcastically. "So, you got stuck with cleanup duty too?"

 

"Sorry," he said with a shrug. "The cooks are giving me dirty looks already, like they think I did something to make a mess or freak out little Myona or something, so I couldn't argue about it. Too bad, 'cause it wasn't me - this time!"

 

They all laughed as they began to scrape food off the new load of dirty plates.

 

Smiling, Xelloss stepped back toward the front of the building. Just before he reached the corner, he turned and made a little gesture with his hand, like a sign of priestly blessing, but none of them saw it.

 

When he turned back around, he found himself face to face with Zelgadis.

 

"What are you doing?" Zel said as Xelloss took his arm and pulled him around the corner.

 

"Nothing! What did you need to talk to Kemara about?"

 

"I asked her if Myona could be our guide around the place, instead of Marcus or - "

 

He broke off. Shouts of surprise sprinkled with some very rude words suddenly burst out from behind them, in the direction of the outer door to the kitchen. They distinctly heard something go "splat," followed by a squeal of disgust and the crash of a dropped plate.

 

Frowning suspiciously at him, Zelgadis stepped back and peered around the corner. Xelloss tucked his head around to look as well.

 

Chunks of vegetables and smoked fish and blobs of gravy were exploding from the bin like little fireworks, shooting up toward the ceiling and then showering down on the three servers. Steaming hot chunks, in some cases, as they could see by the way the three frantically tried to shake off any bits that landed on them. A couple of cooks came out from the kitchen and added to the confusion, yelling at the servers to stop making a mess. Oddly enough, most of the exploding food missed them.

 

After a moment, Zelgadis stepped back and turned away. Without a word, he walked to the edge of the porch and prepared to cast his spell again. He paused, though, and without looking at Xelloss, he grinned.

 

"You'll have to teach me that one someday, Xelloss," he said.

 

Xelloss smiled and stepped up behind him. Snaking his arm around Zel's waist, he spoke quietly in his ear.

 

"Oh, but I have so many more interesting things to teach you than that, Zel-san!"

 

To his delight, Zelgadis' Levitation spell was even more unsteady on the way back to their cottage, and Xelloss didn't think it was just from trying to find his way through heavy rain in the dark.

 

They were in the bedroom and half undressed before either of them spoke again. Xelloss felt Zelgadis' spirit quivering, as if he was the one trying to hold back this time. He was about to make a very definitive move of his own when Zelgadis slipped behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Zel lifted the hair from his neck and placed his lips there, and his other hand fell low on Xelloss' hip, tantalizingly close to his groin. His spirit touched Xelloss lightly, and his emotions flickered. Xelloss could feel him smiling against his skin. He turned his head a little.

 

"What lesson would you like me to teach you tonight, Zelgadis?" he said.

 

"Tonight, I'm doing my own research," Zelgadis answered cryptically.

 

Xelloss started to turn to face him and tried to sense his feelings, but the shaman was keeping his emotions veiled. Xelloss could barely sense them swirling just beyond his reach, flickers of dark energy teasing him the way Zelgadis' fingers and lips were starting to tease his body.

 

Zelgadis was getting very good at keeping his emotions under control like this, at least at certain times - much less so in battle where it would really count against a Mazoku, as Xelloss pointed out whenever they practiced. But his control had never been as frustrating as it was at time moment. From the smile on Zel's lips and the trembling edges of his spirit form, Xelloss guessed he was banking some potent emotional energy, waiting for the right moment to unleash it - or perhaps, he was waiting for Xelloss to ask for it.

 

He decided he could play along with that, for awhile, at least. He teased Zelgadis in turn with his own hands and his mouth, finally twisting around so they were face to face and lightly pressed together from chest to thigh. It wasn't clear which of them was becoming more desperately aroused, until finally Zelgadis groaned and pulled him down onto the bed on top of himself.

 

Xelloss grinned triumphantly as he gazed down at Zel's slightly flushed face and parted lips. A little burst of fear hit him, and Zelgadis trembled beneath him, although he was the one holding Xelloss' body pressed down tight against his. But then, just as Xelloss smiled and sighed to drink in the offering of fear, Zelgadis snarled angrily instead. Xelloss' sigh turned into a questioning sound. Zelgadis withdrew the anger as well, and simply pulled his head down for a kiss.

 

Xelloss almost fell for it. For a second he clamped his mouth onto Zel's and twisted his astral form around the shaman's spirit, demanding more, but then he caught himself.

 

"Where did you ever learn to be such a tease, Zel-san?" he said reproachfully.

 

"From you, of course," Zelgadis said with a puff of laughter. "But I'm not teasing you, Xel-san," he continued in a very teasing tone. "I'm only trying to find out what you like. I already know you like this..."

 

He shifted his legs so that his rocky thigh rubbed against Xelloss' erection, and at the same time, ran his tongue around Xelloss' lips - both moves that he knew from past experience would make Xelloss moan out loud and squirm against him. But as soon as Xelloss lunged into him in response, he let out a gasp of fear.

 

"But what about this?" he asked in a frightened whisper.

 

Xelloss paused as if to catch his own startled breath. Fear; yes, fear was very sweet. The sudden quick rise and fall of Zelgadis' chest, the flicker in his crystalline eyes, made Xelloss lick his lips. He lowered his head to flick at Zel's parted lips with his tongue.

 

"Fear is very tasty, but it doesn't rntirely suite you, my heartless sorcerer-swordsman," he said, caressing Zel's face. "In fact, seeing you tremble like this only reminds me of the lovely and delicate Miss Lulu!" he added with a wicked grin.

 

Predictably - or rather, right on cue - Zelgadis stopped trembling, blushed instead, and then glared. Without moving, he slammed Xelloss with a shaft of irritation.

 

"Clearly," he said through clenched teeth, "you do prefer my anger, you damn pervert!"

 

Zelgadis clawed at him, all the more ineffectually as his burst of anger gave Xelloss a rush of energy. Xelloss laughed and let him struggle for a few seconds, until Zelgadis was panting with frustration - and arousal. All of his twisting around only increased the friction between their bodies, while Xelloss let most of the energy Zel gave him manifest in his physical form in the most appropriate fashion. He pressed his full hardness against Zel's, and that effectively stopped the struggles.

 

Zelgadis closed his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to bring himself back under control.

 

"How does it feel for you, Xelloss?" he asked in a whisper. He raised his head to nuzzle Xelloss' face, wrapping his legs and arms around him, while his spirit form twined around what it could catch of Xelloss on the astral side. "Anger, fear, sadness... do you really have a preference? Or does it matter at all, as long as it's dark, and strong?"

 

He let it out then. The wave broke and washed over Xelloss, the potent, exquisite blend that was purely Zelgadis, as much as the scent and feel of his stone skin or the flash of his eyes. Even though Xelloss had been half expecting it, the force of it nearly swept him under. He responded as he'd grown accustomed to respond, by pressing around Zelgadis on both the physical and astral sides, stimulating his body and spirit in return. Zelgadis arched and gasped, then threw his head back and grabbed onto Xelloss to get more.

 

But Zel didn't quite lose control entirely. Panting for breath, he managed a low chuckle, and shakily stilled his emotions once more.

 

"Zelgadis!" Xelloss whined. "You are teasing me! Clever, but very cruel of you. I can't let you get away with it, you know. I want to taste you, all of you...."

 

He lowered his head to lick Zelgadis' collarbone, then lower still to suck and nip at the rocky patches on his chest. He let energy leak from his fingertips, creating heat that Zel's thick stone skin could feel.

 

Zelgadis shivered with pleasure and began to play his emotions, sending mingled waves of fear, anger, lust, sorrow, and hate - although his control finally wavered when Xelloss went lower. Occasionally a bright flash of unbridled pleasure burst through before he could stop it, but Xelloss didn't mind. In fact, it made him realize how precise Zelgadis' control had become, and how the power of his emotions gave form to his astral body as well - form that clawed at Xelloss' spirit in an echo of his need on the physical plane.

 

But just as Xelloss expected, all of the emotions coalesced into desperate need, tinged with fear and helpless, aimless anger, when he took Zelgadis in his mouth. It was the perfect feast, as far as he was concerned, the ultimate, irisistable offering - to taste Zelgadis like this, body and soul, and drink him in with all of his senses.

 

Zelgadis' stone fingers tangled in his hair, his nimble legs hooked around Xelloss' body, but Xelloss was the one in control now, although he was barely in control of himself. He pressed his fingers inside Zelgadis, who thrust jerkily onto him and into his mouth. With his free hand, Xelloss reached up under and around Zel to trail burning fingertips over his chest. Zelgadis whimpered his name, while his spirit writhed in Xelloss' caress. His emotions broke in a blinding wave just before he came, and Xelloss swallowed it all.

 

"Delicious," Xelloss said a moment later, as he crawled up and nudged Zel over onto his side so he could wrap arms and legs around him from behind.

 

Zelgadis had gone blank to his Mazoku senses, as he usually did for a minute or two after he climaxed. There was only the slightest flicker of any emotion at all, but even that was so distinctly Zelgadis that Xelloss lapped it up. His stone clad limbs were limp, but Xelloss was still hard and the energy of his desire crackled through his skin.

 

Zelgadis fluttered back to consciousness. At first he was puzzled, but then quickly became both alarmed and aroused when he found Xelloss pressed up behind him. Obligingly, he rolled over onto his stomach and shifted his legs so that Xelloss slipped between his thighs. But when Xelloss' hardness prodded him, he shivered with a little thrill of fear that made Xelloss sigh happily.

 

"Zel-san," he whispered, flicking the tip of Zel's pointed ear with his tongue. "Are you really afraid of me? Do you think I'm going to hurt you?"

 

"Yes," Zel whispered back, but from the tone of his voice and the twist of his emotions, Xelloss wasn't sure if that as an answer or a plea.

 

"But you know..." Xelloss said, as he slowly pressed into Zel's yielding body, "I have to... hurt you... like this."

 

He did, but Zelgadis let him do it, and let himself feel the pain for Xelloss' sake. In return - without stopping to think of how strange it was - Xelloss quickly found the place where pain burst into pleasure inside Zelgadis. But then, because Zelgadis simply couldn't hate or fear or regret when he thrust against that place again and again, Xelloss seared his skin with his fingers, and lapped at his neck with his tongue like a live flame.

 

This time, he was the one playing Zelgadis, giving pain and pleasure in rising waves of intensity. He was just barely patient enough to bring Zelgadis to full arousal again before he finally gave in to his own intense need.

 

When Zelgadis screamed into the pillow and scrabbled his fingers like claws in the bedsheets, Xelloss gave in to the pure bliss of body and spirit. A portion of the power it gave him burst from him in physical form, released within Zelgadis, while his astral body swelled with pleasure to absorb the rest.

 

Satiated on both levels after the rush of power, Xelloss slowly refocused on the physical plane - the sound of rain on the shingled roof, the scent of Zelgadis skin, and his own body's weight. He wasn't even sure if Zelgadis had come again until he slid his hand underneath and found the evidence. Zelgadis hissed and squirmed, still sensitive where Xelloss' hand was cupping him. He pressed back against Xelloss who was still lying half on top of him.

 

"My, my," Xelloss sighed. "Does that answer your question, Zelgadis-san?"

 

"Hm?" Zel muttered sleepily against the pillow. "What question?"

 

"Never mind," Xelloss answered softly, because the chimera had already fallen asleep.

 

He smiled in the dark. So far, it seemed, his plan to distract Zelgadis was working quite well.

 

----

 

(Coming up: Zelgadis and Xelloss settle in for some serious magical research at the Temple of the Golden Lord, where they find Myona isn't the only fan of Mazoku, and Xelloss hears a most interesting theory about the ancient ruins. But when the Claire Bible fragments turn out to be remarkably uninspiring, other sources take Zel's research in a whole new direction. )

 

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out - blame Xelloss, because we had a little disagreement. He wanted a particular lemon scene at the start of the chapter, and I tried it his way but it just didn't work. So we compromised: he let me write the story my way, but there's a lemon at the end instead, and I still owe him (and a few other people) a seme-Zelgadis story. ((grin))