Warnings: Slash - Lime, Het - Lime, Violence, some non-consensual stuff but it won't go very far (no rape).

Disclaimer: I do not own the Slayers or Xellos or Zelgadis.

Chaos Principle

By Xellas M.

Chapter 2

"Finally awake?"

It was a good question. Zelgadis opened his eyes slowly, moving carefully to avoid pain he eventually realized he wasn't feeling. He was in a bed, a nice bed with fluffy pillows and clean white sheets. His naked arms were folded at his stomach on top of those sheets. Without so much as a bruise or a mark on them.

The smiling purple-haired Mazoku sat above a chair next to the bed. Literally above it, by a good three feet or so. Without waiting for his patient to respond, the monster continued. "You're the strongest and most beautiful kimera I've ever seen. You'll be just fine, probably…as long as you tell me to whom you belong."

None of this made any sense. At all. Except that the strange being with those incredible eyes and that idiot's grin seemed to have the information for which Zelgadis had spent his entire life searching. Best to make sure, though. It could all be a case of mistaken identity. "What did you call me?"

"Kimera. You haven't bothered to tell me your name yet. Very rude of you, I'm sure, but I suppose that is excusable under the circumstances. I am Xellos, the Mysterious Priest."

"Zelgadis."

"Charmed, I'm sure. Now, you'll forgive me, but I've got a thousand things to attend to, middle management being what it is, and I've already wasted enough time waiting for you to wake up. Who is your Master?"

"I don't have a Master. Why would I? What is a kimera?" The questions left the alien's mouth before he could stop them. He had read enough to know better than to take anything a Mazoku said on faith, but he was not willing to wholly believe everything he had read, either. All the ancient texts Zelgadis had seen on the subject had been written by Ryuzoku and were therefore biased. As for Xellos himself…on one hand the self-declared priest's actions in breaking up that riot had been excessively brutal; on the other hand, the alien wasn't exactly in a position to complain about them. And there was something about the monster's voice…

The alien's confusion rapidly changed to fear as the Mazoku opened his eyes and floated down until their faces were barely inches apart. That slitted purple gaze promised something very intimate and very painful. "You don't look like a stupid creature, but then it's always the pretty ones. So depressing. Breaking you would be like destroying a beautiful piece of art. Some would say that only increases the pleasure, but I think that's terribly short sighted, don't you?"

Zelgadis swallowed, hard. "Look, I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh well, that's really too bad, isn't it? At least I'll get to have a nice time playing with you." As he spoke, the threat in Xellos' purple eyes became darker. The priest quickly reached down with a gloved hand and pulled the sheets back, exposing a lithe and very nicely built blue chest.

The alien tried to hit his attacker but found himself completely unable to move. Blue eyes widened in surprise and growing fear. Then the monster was on him, stroking the newly exposed rocklike skin.

That's when things became very strange.

Zelgadis, who had never wanted anyone before, never felt even the faintest stirring of lust, found himself twisting and straining, desperately trying to get closer to the creature that was molesting him. The Mazoku leaned in and kissed him passionately. It was ecstasy. The taste of the monster, the sublimely sensual way their tongues entwined and the warmth of the larger man's body awoke in Zelgadis the desire to which he had believed himself completely immune.

A few minutes of this heat burning through him passed before the alien realized that whatever had prevented him from moving was gone. Gladly, he wrapped his arms around Xellos, crushing their bodies closer still.

Then it was over. An incredibly strong hand pushed Zelgadis down into the softness of the sheets, then the monster floated out of reach. The alien actually started to cry as he struggled to get that warmth back, to have those hands back on his body. Eventually he settled, glaring balefully at the once again smiling Mazoku.

"Shinjirarenai2. You were telling the truth, weren't you, Zelgadis-san?"

"What did you do to me, you asshole!" Eventually the immediacy of his need wore off and Zelgadis was able to be angry.

"Nothing. For which you should be thanking me, by the way."

"Thanking you! You threaten me, then you force me and I'm supposed to thank you for it?"

Xellos wagged a finger at the kimera, amused. "Force you? That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago, Zelgadis-san."

The alien blushed, ashamed of his actions, of his need. "You did something to me. I'd never -"

"Yes, you would. With me or any other Mazoku that happened along. It's in your nature. Like the birds and the bees. Take morning glories, for example, just fascinating -"

This all was too much for the confused kimera to take. "What the *hell* are you talking about?" He yelled, cutting into the purple-haired man's speech. His voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, "What am I?"

Xellos floated closer again, too close. Zelgadis could feel the warmth rising from the other's body and felt himself beginning to react once more. The priest's lips were scarcely an inch away from the alien's face as he whispered his response, breath tickling the skin. "You are a kimera. You will belong to the first Mazoku you mate with. I'd be very, very careful of whom I allow to touch me, especially around here…Zelgadis-san." He concluded this speech by placing a light, chaste kiss on the kimera's delightfully flushed cheek.

The alien was having a hard time remembering to breathe properly. He had something now; he had a name for what he was. Still, the answers just raised bigger questions. The only one who could answer those questions was a being he obviously couldn't trust. That same creature had massacred a crowd effortlessly because it was in his way; that same creature had just threatened and then attacked him. Xellos was violent, obnoxious, and Zelgadis knew he wasn't getting the whole story. "If that's the case, why did you stop?"

The Mazoku's grin widened. "Sore wa himitsu desu. Now, I'm sorry but I really must be going for awhile. Have a look around, explore, make yourself comfortable."

"What the hell does that mean? And what's to prevent me from simply walking out?"

"You're welcome to leave anytime you like, but I might not be there the next time the locals get angry and now that I know you aren't a threat, I might not bother to patch you up again. Not to mention that there were at least a couple people in that crowd who were not exactly your average riff raff. You shot with at least two different energy weapons, non-vital shots that were extremely difficult to make. Someone wants you dead and my guess is that it isn't one of the local shopkeepers.

"And to answer your other question…well, that's a secret." And just like that, the Mazoku vanished.

* * * * *

Grumpily, the kimera concluded that his host was right. It was probably safer for Zelgadis to remain here - wherever here was - than to try to go off on his own. At the very least he might be able to gather some information or supplies that would help him survive should it become necessary to leave.

Exploration decided upon, the alien rose and began dressing in the soft white clothing that had been set out for him. It was similar in size and cut to his old outfit, although made of much finer materials. To his amazement, every single one of the kimera's weapons was waiting there, intact.

What kind of a creature first rescued someone by slaughtering a crowd, then threatened and attacked that person, then casually returned his weapons? Despite himself, Zelgadis was intrigued. Annoyed and irritated, certainly, but definitely intrigued.

Confidence somewhat restored with his weapons, the alien set out to explore.

* * * * *

Days passed. Zelgadis had seen enough to determine that Xellos had taken residence in one of the largest Ryuzoku temples. That alone was a good argument for the purple-haired priest's importance, but the terrified reaction of the human servants' whenever the kimera mentioned his host's name made any arguments unnecessary. Whoever the strange Mazoku was, he was someone to be feared.

As if the blue-eyed man hadn't figured that out already. He sighed, selecting a new corridor to explore from the seemingly endless possibilities. Maybe this one would hold some new snippet of information. Anything had to be better than sitting in his room waiting for Xellos to return and finish what they had started. And no matter how hard Zelgadis tried to deny it, a small portion of him actually wanted the monster to return. To feel like that, desiring and desired, was something the alien had never experienced. He hadn't seen the purple-haired priest since their first encounter, anyway. Even if it were safe to get involved with a monster, it seemed that the monster had no interest in the kimera.

Almost robotically, the kimera opened a random door along the passageway. He tried to stir up some curiosity, any at all, about what lay beyond the door but failed completely. He had been searching this temple for days and so far all he had to show for it were a few tracts of Ryuzoku religious propaganda. Sheer stubbornness was the only thing that kept him going.

Zelgadis was so lost in his thoughts that it actually took a few moments for it to register that he had finally hit paydirt. This room contained mostly shelves, filled from floor to ceiling with books. There were old books, strangely-shaped books and some that still looked as new as the day they had been printed. The sweet scents of paper, binding glue and learning filled the air. Against one wall, a row of terminals flickered enticingly, softly humming a seductive siren song, promising nearly limitless knowledge. He had found the Mazoku library.

Without hesitation, the kimera crossed the room and sat before one of the terminals. He switched on the display and was relieved to note that in addition to a language consisting of strange characters, ostensibly the native Mazoku tongue, he could select Ryuzoku or Human for his research.

With the intuitive ease of one accustomed to working with this type of system, Zelgadis quickly set up a query that would return data on the subject "kimera". He waited. After a few seconds that could easily have passed for years, the system fed back a single response:

Data Encrypted. Enter Passcode:>

Zelgadis groaned. He really should have known better. Still, there was no reason to give up hope. Given time any password could be cracked and the one thing the kimera had plenty of was time.

* * * * *

Ten days passed. The alien did not leave the Mazoku library. He did not eat, and only slept when exhaustion overcame him, slumped over right at the terminal. He probably would have become seriously ill had not a couple of janitors entered the library for a routine clean-up. Kind souls, they saw to it that the strange being was left food and water even though they were only snarled at in thanks.

On the tenth day, Zelgadis was running the 352nd type of codebreaking software on the terminal. He twitched nervously, lack of sleep undermining his control over basic motor functions, as he waited for the output.

He never saw the result. A voice, that voice, suddenly sounded in his ear. As it spoke, his screen went completely blank.

"Konban-wa, Zelgadis-san."

"You…" The kimera was not pleased.

"I've been watching you. Are you aware that most rational creatures would have given up by now?"

"So I'm not rational. Turn it back on. Please." The alien forced the last word out between clenched teeth.

"I don't think so, Zelgadis-san. This is not good for you and it's important to me that you stay healthy. But I will give you the information you want - for a price, of course."

For some reason, this made the alien extremely nervous. "What price?"

"Another kiss. Nothing more."

"You disgust me."

The Mazoku's smile turned into a sulky frown. He made a careless slicing gesture, and every single terminal in the room imploded.

"You bastard!" Exhausted and faced with total loss, the alien's hold on reality snapped. He grabbed the still smiling priest by the throat and began to shake. One level of the kimera's awareness was registering the feeling of the purple-haired man's soft skin. Yet another level noted with satisfaction when what felt like bones beneath his fingers began to give. Zelgadis' conscious, however, only saw red.

After a few minutes of being throttled, the monster casually pointed to each of his attacker's hands, lightly touching the joints between thumb and index finger.

It was as though a jolt of electricity shot through the alien's body. His grip on Xellos' throat relaxed and, once he blinked the spots away from his blue eyes, he was in control of himself once more.

The monster had regained his false smile, although the slightly husky note in his voice betrayed him as he spoke. "That was very good. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask your intentions, Zelgadis-san. It isn't nice to tease."

The alien gaped, the shock of realization drowning out the seductive effect of the priest's voice almost as effectively as a cold shower. He had heard of some humans who got off on pain and degradation, but it was something only spoken of in whispers, something no person in their right mind could understand. There were clinics for people like that.

And now this pervert, this freak, wanted those things from him! It was totally disgusting. Revolting. The kimera's stomach churned. Deep down, he was afraid. Deeper still, he knew that he had enjoyed it too. He stared, silent, torn between revulsion and something he refused to acknowledge, as Xellos turned slightly and addressed thin air.

"Kanzel! Mazenda!"

A male and female Mazoku, the first Zelgadis had seen other than Xellos, blinked into existence. Although attractive enough, neither looked quite as…human…as the purple-haired priest. What exactly was different was subtle, hard to pin down. Was it that the texture of their skin wasn't quite right somehow, or maybe that their arms were slightly long for their bodies? What were the Mazoku, really?

"Take these books to Mistress Xellas. I want this place cleared out completely. And this one -" he gestured offhandedly to the bemused kimera - "is not allowed any 'souvenirs'. Understand?"

As one, the pair bowed. "Hai, Xellos-sama."

Xellos turned to Zelgadis. "Now, you go and find yourself a healthy hobby. Go kill things with that great big phallic sword of yours or something. Or don't. I'll be back. Ja ne!"

Just like that, the purple-haired monster vanished.

Upset and worried, Zelgadis tried to remember the path through the labyrinthine corridors that would take him back to his bed.

* * * * *

Upon waking, the alien decided that he had no better choice than to try and at least look at some of the books before they were all gone. Xellos hadn't told his underlings that his guest wasn't allowed to look, and the kimera was blessed with a near photographic memory.

Quickly, he dressed, cursing himself for not having thought of that the night before. But the effects of lack of sleep coupled with the disturbing presence of Xellos were almost enough self-justification for even the over-sensitive kimera. And it really would take those two monsters a considerable amount of time to move all those books, given the apparent age and delicacy of many of the tomes.

* * * *

After a couple of wrong turns, Zelgadis located the stone hallway that led to the library. Not wasting any time, he stepped inside. To his dismay, three-quarters of the books had already been removed.

There was no sign of the two Mazoku Xellos had summoned to remove the literature, so the kimera quickly began walking through the rows of books, pulling out items at random, hoping to find something, anything of interest. Quickly he collected a stack of the most likely candidates. He took them over to one of the comfortable, leather chairs strategically located throughout the room and began quickly skimming their contents.

He had only been at this task for a half hour or so when a change in the air behind him told him he was not alone. Before he could turn around to investigate, a hand fell lightly on his shoulder.

"Xellos-sama would hardly approve of this, now would he?" It was the female, Mazenda. She tossed her long red hair to one side and gave the kimera a smile that would have been coy if it weren't for the unspoken threat that darkened its edges. "But then, we don't need to tell him, do we?"

The hand began massaging his shoulder, its touch disturbingly erotic. The Mazoku moved in closer and brought her other hand to the kimera's neck. Her fingers danced lightly upwards to the alien's pointed ear, which she stroked gently as she leaned in to whisper, "Is it true? No one has taken you yet?"

Zelgadis whimpered. His body was reacting to the touch, but the sensation wasn't anywhere near as overwhelming as it had been with Xellos. This time, he was able to fight it. He grabbed Mazenda's wrists and pulled her hands away from his body. No sooner had he done so, however, than the female disappeared…

…only to reappear, right on his lap. She twisted to face the frightened kimera, pinning him in place with her legs and body. It was at this point that her human disguise began to slip. Her milky skin took on a purple tinge, her eyes looked as though they were filled with blood. The nightmare creature began gently stroking his face. She leaned in closer, carefully avoiding stabbing him with her razor-sharp claws as she tilted his chin upwards for a kiss that he couldn't help but return.

* * * * *

End Chapter 2

~To Be Continued

Unbelievable

* * * * *