Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers For the Future: The Prophecy of Inverse ❯ Dream Warriors….And Their Baggage ( Chapter 16 )

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Chapter 16

Dream Warriors….And Their Baggage

"HIERO! What are you doing!?" Lina screeched, her son looking a bit innocent by the fruit stand. The owner of it rapped him on the head for it, thinking the young man had stolen something.

"Ow! Watch it, chunky! I didn't touch your crummy fruit. I pinched your daughter." Hiero snapped, getting hit on the head by his mother's fist and then slapped by the shocked blonde young lady. He smiled at the slap, but annoyance took over at being publicly disciplined.

His father was soon grabbing him by the ear and dragging him along with the group. Val was pushing at his back to ensure his ear wasn't ripped off. "Ow! What? What did I do?" Hiero whined, smacking at his father's hand, actually making the chimera wince.

Zelgadis looked back at him a moment, releasing ear with a sigh. While Hiero rubbed his ear and covered the other one, Zelgadis just stared him down. "You're a priest, and holy men do not pinch young women's rear ends. Or look down their shirts or make them faint. Why are you being difficult about what you are?" Zelgadis snapped.

Hiero just smirked. "Technically according to my vows, I serve the sect until the day of my death. And the tombstone you made for my 'remains' said Hiero Inverse instead of my legal last name Greywords. So in that, Hiero Inverse the Priest is dead, my vows ended the moment of death. I am Hiero Greywords now, so I'm no longer their priest. And even if you can deny me that, I'll just quit. I never liked being a priest."

"That's a sickening excuse. You'll be safer as a priest from Xellos and other Mazuko." Lina hissed out. Zelgadis had to agree with her. Hiero was acting like a fool and even more stubborn than before.

"Mom, I'm over 100 years old, and I may be a lot younger than you and Dad, but I can make my own decisions. I will not serve the cloth and I can very well take care of myself. I beat Xellos three times already, what more proof do you need? You want me to decapitate Xellas and bring her head back to prove I don't need religion to keep me alive. I'm not a little kid anymore, I'm a man. I can take care of my damn self." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and got a stern look on his angelic face.

"We don't want you to prove anything, Hiero, we just want you to stay alive. You're our child, you'll always be that to us, our only child. None of us want to lose you again." Lina replied hotly, matching his angry look. 'And she says he and I look alike. Only Hiero and his mother can mirror each other's emotions perfectly.' Zelgadis thought with a sudden smile.

Hiero caught it and grinned. "See, Dad agrees. He's smiling. I'm allowed to live my own life, but it doesn't mean I love you both any less than I did decades ago. Just because I have a mind of my own doesn't mean I'll get killed or desert you. You have to a little more faith in your child than that, Mom."

Lina sighed heavily, rolling her eyes at him as she placed her hands on her hips. "We'll see. Just stop pinching girls. You're being as sneaky as Xellos."

Hiero made a disgusted face, but took it as a draw. He shrugged and started walking ahead of them before speeding to the next street. "Wait up, Hiero!" Val called, running as fast as he could to keep up. Justin followed them both, but not as quickly, he was only human after all. All he did was pant and trip as he tried to keep Val in sight.

"He's right you know." Zelgadis said quietly. Lina and Filia gaped at him. "What?!" Lina cried. He offered and apologetic smile, raising his hands up in defense.

"Hear me out, Lina-chan. Filia. He is a grown man and he did beat Xellos by himself. He even utterly destroyed Luna with no help from us, and blind. He's survived almost a century on his own with just himself and some birds to guide him through the day. I'd have to agree a bit with Hiero, he's old enough to care for himself. Maybe he needs an eye to be kept on him, but I think he doesn't need to be a priest to be safe. It's just my opinion, but in a way, I trust him."

"Mm, if you can't trust your own child or husband, who can you trust? Fine Zel-sama, but I'm not taking his antics if they prove to make all of us look like even bigger masters of disaster than we used to be labeled as."

"Agreed. Now let's find those three before something…." Zel began, but was cut off by explosions and screaming," happens…."

"Hiero….," Lina groaned and ran off in the direction of the screams. Filia and Val raced after her, skidding to a dead halt as the scene met with their eyes.

Hiero and Val were watching Justin get pummeled with spell after spell by a young raven-haired mage, her lavender eyes ablaze with anger and loathing. The two young men looked very pleased with themselves at the prince's plight, snickering and elbowing each other as a few more fireballs slammed into Justin's rear end.

"How dare you grope me, you heathen! Knight or not, suffer my wrath! I'm a married woman!!" the mage was screaming. Justin was screaming too, leaping here and there to avoid getting hit with any more spells. He was practically covered in char and crying, not getting any sympathy from either Val or Hiero, who were both laughing hysterically about the entire thing.

"I am a Champion….YOW!….of justice, madam! The man in black groped you, not I! OW! Please! Oh, this is no way to treat a man of justice! Hiero Greywords, accept your fate for the villain you are." Justin wailed, leaping right into Hiero surprised gut with a Flare Arrow trailing him. Hiero and him started hitting each other, rolling in the streets. Hiero was throwing out spells like fireballs and freeze arrows, but Justin would hit him as the spells flew from his hands, knocking them off target.

He was successfully hitting the people that were watching and cheering on the fight and blowing off parts of buildings. Val was on the ground, crawling towards them to avoid getting hit. Soon the blue-green haired youth was tangled in their fight too, spells flying around madly from the dust cloud they were making.

"You were saying, Zel-kun?" Filia said sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, Filia. So he needs more than one eye on him. Let's break this up before he Dragu Slaves Justin and the town." Zelgadis grumbled, shoving past her to the three fighting young men.

~

"Now we're going to find this treasure, but Filia is going to stay behind to baby-sit the three of you since you all seem to need a true adult around to make sure you don't blow anything up. None of you are too leave this room until we return with the treasure, then traveling back home won't be done without the money we desperately need for food and supplies. Understood….boys?" Lina said crossly, tapping her foot impatiently at the three charred men sitting on the bed.

Her eyes were aimed at Hiero, who was sulking now. He knew this discussion was mainly for him since him pinching the mage and blaming it on Justin had wiped out a block of the town. 'It was already messed up anyway. Justin should have kept his mouth shut about my 'unjust' ways, then I would have blamed it on someone else. They act like I'm the bad guy here.' He thought, his frown deepening as he nodded with Val and the justice freak.

"Yes, mother." He said quietly, looking up at her in much the fashion Gourry looked all the time, like he dumbly agreed and feared retaliation. He knew his little joke on Justin had gone slightly awry, but it had still been amusing payback for all the missions the prince of justice had screwed up for him in the past. Justin had come to the forest numerous times to do battle with him when he was still Onyx. He was also not in the mood for his annoying speeches and whatever Justin had that year for a weapon. It got to be a bad habit neither male could shuck, ditching each other.

Right now Filia and Zelgadis were healing Justin's bruised face up. Just because it had been a joke didn't mean that Hiero would take any hits from Justin. He landed as many spells and punches he could. It was hard to do it at first, only getting childish insults from the young prince, but when he started insulting his style and power, he got riled and exploded. It had been worth the temper tantrum, but to be berated by someone with the same access to black magic as himself was humiliating. He respected his mother greatly, but he had never cared for the lectures or occasional spankings he got for being overly playful with people.

'Weakness I guess….growing up all over again made me more impulsive than ever before. I guess you can't help who and what you are, you just go with it. I just wish Mom and Dad would go after the treasure right now so I can get back to having fun with Val. As a priest, I never got to have a damn bit of fun or any adventures involving treasure.' He thought sourly, only half listening to his mother now.

"Now, Zelgadis and I are leaving. No trouble making or Filia will tell us all about it. Filia, you have full permission to spank their butts off if they try to leave or do any more damage that's been done. See you in a few days." Lina finished, getting a quick and stern nod from Filia. Then the couple turned around and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind them.

An hour passed before Hiero got bored, and when he got bored, he got sneaky. "Aunt Filia, I'm hungry." He said quietly, not showing much expression except pain. Filia eyed him curiously. "After the breakfast you had this morning? How could you be?" she rasped out, turning her head sternly away. Hiero smiled then and looked at Val to wink. Val looked curious now. "Please Aunt Filia….I'll need food. I think I'll pass out if I don't eat soon. Oh." Hiero feigned, putting one hand to his head the other to his now gurgling stomach.

~

"Stop making noises. I mean really, at your age….trying to pull a fast one on your aunt. Be quiet and behave." Filia snapped. Hiero whimpered before he hit the floor, moaning for a few seconds before he did nothing at all.

Filia turned and looked at the sapphire-haired young man as he lay on the floor, completely still. At first she thought he was faking faintness so she gave him a kick. He didn't respond. That worried her, so she knelt down over him and nudged him, gasping at how cold he'd become. She put her hand to his chest and felt nothing, he wasn't breathing. Her hand wandered to his creamy throat to find that his pulse was there, but extremely weak. Filia began to panic.

"Oh, he must be hungrier than I thought. Lina and Zelgadis will kill me if they find out I starved him." Filia said sourly, tilting Hiero's head back a bit before pinching his nose.

"What are you doing, Mom?" Val asked, his voice a bit nervous. Filia didn't bother to look back at her son as she breathed into Hiero's mouth. "I'm trying to resuscitate him. Then Lina will have no excuse to use Dragu Slave on me." she told him, pressing a few times on Hiero's chest before listening to it for breathing. He still wasn't breathing, so she repeated the process.

"But Hiero can't…Mmmph!" Justin began, but Filia was too absorbed in saving Hiero's life to see why. She wished she had when she started the process again. Filia heard a faint mumbled word come out, something like seep, from Hiero's mouth. She leaned closer and got a crushing kiss from the young man, faintness overtaking her.

~

Hiero just smiled as his dragon aunt fainted to the floor, then wiped his mouth off. "Hope I never have to kiss my aunt like that again." He said as he picked his aunt up and placed her carefully on the bed. Val was still holding Justin's mouth shut, young Justin flailing his limbs about for freedom. "Gross, you kissed my mother, Hiero. What was that all about?" Val grimaced. Hiero just smirked.

"Please, she may not be related by blood, but I still consider her a better aunt than Aunt Luna was. I just had to transfer a sleep spell into her so we can go have some fun. I've never listened to my parents fully, Val, I don't think I'll start now. Don't worry, she won't wake up until I take the spell off and at best, she'll never even know we left." Hiero grinned, eliciting a grin from Val.

He let go of Justin at that. Justin took this chance to test Hiero's words, which annoyed the Mazuko-eyed man, but amused him in how dumb Amelia's grandson was in trying to shake Filia awake.

"For the hearing and thinking impaired, Justin, only I can wake her up. And I'm not going to until we find some grand treasure….which just happens to be in the forest just outside of town. Not the one my parents are heading through, thank L-sama, so we can make out like bandits," Hiero chuckled, flashing his dragon friend a victory sign," Come on Val, it's been ages since we've had any fun together, like the old days when we were growing up, the stuff we said we'd do, but our folks always stopped us from doing? You remember."

Val gave off a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "All those treasures we dreamed about when we grew up, you said you wanted to be just like your mother, the Bandit Killer. Heh, yeah, I remember. There's treasure near here then?" Val asked.

"Yup, I've….borrowed lots of maps the Daggers stole and from people we robbed. There's one in an underground cavern a ways from here. Its also a shrine….to a Mazuko Lord. So we have to be careful, for once, with the statues and such. The creatures there we can fight, but no damaging Mazuko stuff. For your own good." Hiero said slyly, eyeing a tearful Justin.

"Which Mazuko Lord? Deep Sea Dolphin? Xellas Metallium?" Justin asked timidly. Hiero rolled his eyes. "Hmm, if it were them, I wouldn't saying watch the architecture. Nope, the more collected and genius of the last three lords, Dynast Grausherra. Just because no one talks about him doesn't mean he isn't there. Out of all Mazuko, and I say this lightly, he isn't an idiot. I respect that, but forget all the talk now. I said my piece, now let's go get that treasure."

"I thought you hated all Mazuko. And if we steal from Dynast, won't that be like defiling his temple as well?" Val said sourly, narrowing his golden eyes.

"No, treasure means very little to the demon race. And I did say I hated Mazuko, especially the Metallium's, but Dynast and I have a little understanding. He leaves my acquaintances and me alone, I don't slay him. I respect his territory, he doesn't force my hand when he retaliates," Hiero sighed, rubbing his forehead slightly," He's not stupid, he knows very well that I can send him to Gaav and Phibrizo like that. Its not like I serve him or anything, we just know to stay out of each other's ways. You can understand that Val. Xellos the namagomi dragon slayer and his mistress are the ones we should worry about, they're the ones still after you and me."

"Now can we get going before my parents get back? When they see I've already cleaned out all the vermin there, they'll only spend a couple hours taking the treasure. By my estimate, we have two days to have some adventures before they do return." Hiero added, gesturing towards the door.

Val shrugged and then nodded. "Ok….You too, Justin. Uh, Hiero, you sure my Mom will be ok all by herself and asleep? What if that namagomi comes here to find you and finds her instead?"

Hiero smiled openly, raising his palms over Filia's sleeping form. "I'm way ahead of you, Val. Protect! Holy Resist!" he chanted, tendrils of white lights surrounding the sleeping woman before Hiero joined his friends," She'll be safe. If not, I'll travel to hell and back to recover her. She is my aunt, after all. That's what family is for."

~ Grausherra the Dynast's Ice Cavern Shrine ~

"So where's this cave shrine, villain? This looked like a hole in the ground." Justin said snidely.

Hiero had been smiling all throughout their trek into the woods, having shoving matches with Val and pointing at very lovely ladies and discussing which ones they wanted to court. The talking and getting to know the women was what they did mostly, though Hiero would drool heavily over food carts they passed, his smile never wavering. Even when he stole a bushel of fruit from a portly vendor, he kept on smiling, as if he were impersonating Xellos.

The smile still didn't make Justin feel as happy as the guy looked, and his trust for the son of Lina and Zelgadis wasn't getting any better when he saw the smile deepen. "Look closer, genius." Hiero replied evenly, as if it was a simple explanation as anything.

Justin shrugged and did so, leaning his body over the hole. It was just a simple rocky hole, darkness appearing several feet down. "It's a hole, Mr. Hiero. Its not a cave no matter how you look….Yikes!" Justin was saying, but a swift kick in the pants sent him tumbling into the darkness.

~

"That's a the oldest trick in the book. What a rube, huh Val?" Hiero snickered, looking overly proud about kicking Justin into the hole. "That was a little mean, but he is annoying. He's not going to get killed down there is he? This isn't a bottomless pit, I hope." Val quarried.

"I'm not exactly loved by anyone in Saillune, Val-kun. Killing off the eldest crown prince wouldn't benefit me, all be it how less annoying the world would be. There's water down there, big Hot Springs. He'll be fine….but, we shall go in style….Ray Wing!" Hiero grinned, grabbing his friend about the waist as the spell took effect and floated themselves down into the warm darkness of the cavern entrance.

It took about ten minutes for them to actually come out to the other side, a sweltering and rotten egg air being their welcome, and a sputtering Justin who was trying to stay afloat with his armor on. He was failing miserably. "I wish he'd just go home….we don't need him, never did." Val grimaced.

"Be that as it may, we have to prevent his demise or the Inverse and Greywords families will be hated by the Saillune family. Don't need that on my head or Mom will never let me live it down." Hiero commented dryly, floating down to where Justin was flailing, allowing him to grab onto his boot. He dragged Justin the rest of the way through the Hot Springs until they reach the rocky, emerald colored shore near a large cavern entrance. Justin just threw angry glares at them as they touched down on the ground.

"That was definitely unjust and an assassination attempt. I will bring you to justice for this act. Ow! Ow!" Justin bawled, crying fresh tears when both Val and Hiero bopped him on the head.

"Oh get over it, you crybaby. I didn't try to kill you….if I was going to kill you, no one would find out about it until they found your strung up carcass hanging from the tallest mountain….if I was going to kill you. Don't press your luck, you're just baggage right now justice freak. Now quit acting like an infant and get the lead out. The treasure is within our grasp." Hiero chided, grabbing the young prince up by his ponytail to drag him into the cavern, Val bringing up the rear of the group.

"You really are aggressive, Hiero. Was that quiet stuff just an act to make your parents think you were doing what they asked?" Val asked, trying not to laugh at Justin's plight. It looked much like a parent would keep a misbehaving child from wandering off, an abusive parent in Hiero's case.

He wondered how many times Hiero and Justin had clashed. Justin had talked about his battles with Hiero when the young Inverse was Onyx, saying Onyx cheated with the magic of great evil and his demon sword. It wasn't the howling sword of the mercenary Zangalus, but it was still a sword demonic nature, which one was unknown to everyone but Hiero. He wasn't talking, so Val thought it best to let it slide. He'd find out eventually, when Justin was out of the picture.

'Maybe sooner than you think….oop.' Val heard Hiero's voice say, but it sounded like it was everywhere.

"Did Hiero just say something?" Val said aloud.

Before Hiero could answer, Justin did. "No, he's too busy ripping my royal hair out. Let go, you namagomi! OWWW!" Val just balked as Hiero gave Justin a hard yank and launched him ahead several feet. Hiero looked at Val blankly for second.

"Everyone has secrets, Val-kun….don't go spreading that one around. I don't need Xellos hearing about me being….what I am. Promise. I never told on you." He said, looking sorry about it.

"That you're telepathic? You could have told me before and no fair poking into my mind without telling me. Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends." Val breathed out, the hurt apparent in his eyes. Hiero looked at the ground, still looking pitiful.

"Telepathy isn't exactly accepted in this world, anyone with the gift is normally hunted down so they can be forced to use their abilities for the person's benefit. If anyone found out, they'd use you and my folks to make me help them. If Xellos ever found out, he'd know I know what he keeps in his head. Things no one but he and Xellas are supposed to know," Hiero confessed sheepishly," Really only one Mazuko found out….by accident.""Let me guess….Grausherra the Dynast?" Val piped sourly, getting a nod," Did he give you that sword? Or did you fight him for it to keep your secret?" "I find that offensive. No, I earned this sword by fighting some loser. His former general Sherra's sword is in a safe place. I don't use it often because of what it does. He decided the fight thing for whether he'd tell my secret to the other lords or not. Sadly for the general, I beat her pants right off. It was a fight to the death, so it was real easy for me….well, so-so. The Sword of Light gave me an edge against the woman." Hiero said crossly. "You actually killed a Mazuko!? In front of her master?? Damn, you've been having all sorts of fun without me. Hell, I'm shocked he let you leave, but why were you there in the first place and how did the Dynast even find out? I heard he never leaves his headquarters, not for anything." Val asked quietly. "Like I said, by accident. I wanted to go there in search of some mythical charms I could sell off and got a little lost. Sherra found me stealing the charms and I screamed into her mind so I'd get away clean. I didn't know she was Grausherra's lackey until she caught up with me by teleportation," Hiero explained, shuffling his feet a bit," She said she told her boss about my gift and he wanted me to come with her to fight for it. When she told me her boss was Grausherra the Dynast, I had to comply. He just gave me a simple choice, fight Sherra to the death and he'd keep my secret of I lived, for a price of course. If I lost, she'd have surely made me into a Mazuko with her sword." Val just shook his head. "You attract a lot of trouble, but then again, you always did manage to do that. Dare I ask what his price was?" Val sighed, his smile almost tolerant. Hiero grinned. "Well, if I lost, she'd turn me into Mazuko and I'd be her toy, or general, whatever Sherra wanted out of me. But if I won, which I did, I got all of Sherra's rights, but I could remain as I am with a demon sword as a nice bonus. The price is something I'd rather my parents don't hear about and I'd rather not discuss. Grausherra said I could be his general in place of Sherra. I refused and scratched his hand with the Sword of Light. I'll give him one thing, he's very well mannered and takes rejection better than most beings do. We hit a moot point and he proclaimed his priest Grou to be Sherra's replacement and take her sword to work with his other general Norst. I was made a priest instead, one to watch the world while his other priest Grau would remain with the Dynast. I could go one normally as long as we left each other alone. Technically I'm just an observer, not a lackey. He doesn't order me around as much because he knows I'll chop him to itty-bitty pieces." Hiero said simply. "Not that I agree with you being his priest, but then again, he seems to respect your power. I can live with that, for now, unless he tries something funny like Xellas and Phibrizo did. You will stand on our side no matter what, I know that." Val replied, making sure his tone was calm and thoughtful, but he couldn't help but feel a bit unsure.. Hiero didn't pick up on it and clasped onto Val's hands, shutting his eyes and smiling. "Friends to the end, Val-kun. I swore to you I'd always protect you and our families. I was dead serious then and I still am now. The Dynast is not to be part of your worries, he's a Mazuko of his word. No need to bother my parents with this, either. Now, on with our treasure hunt?" Hiero said happily, his cloak sweeping over his shoulders a bit. "Yeah, your parents will be pissed off if we arrive back at the inn before they do, aside from the worst case scenario if they find out what you've been up to. It was almost sunset when we came down here. It has to be nighttime by now." Val surmised, getting a nod from Hiero. "That and we probably have a very irate Justice freak ahead of us bawling his eyes out over his treatment. Hmm, he must be doing it pretty quietly. I can't hear him, and I have my father's hearing." Hiero commented, turning somewhat worried eyes to the passage ahead of them. "You're right, the whole time we were talking he never said a word. He must have gone on ahead of us." Val suggested. Hiero looked put out by this. "He's going to touch our treasure before we get a chance to. Ooo, JUSTIN!! You wait up already! That stuff belongs to me!! ME! Wait up!" Hiero growled, grabbing Val's wrist tightly before speeding through the darkened tunnels. A figure stepped out of the darkness as they faded out of his amethyst sights. "Grausherra, you devil, but then again you always were the most cunning. Such secrets this one holds. Such odd ties for a youth that says he hates the Mazuko. Xellas must be told immediately about his dirty little secrets. Hee, hee, I love my job." Xellos tittered before fading out completely. ~ Hiero's mad dash through the extremely dark tunnels wasn't fair to Val, but he was holding onto the dragon youth's wrist as tightly as he could. Val wasn't as fast as he was, but being a dragon gave him more of a chance of catching up than a normal human would. Still, his speed was taxing Val, the panting very loud and apparent in his sensitive ears. He was deeply considering that he should carry Val, but the ground didn't agree with him. He was paying so much attention to his anger and Val's fatigue that he didn't see that the passageway was ending, high above a sparkling underground lagoon, waterfall and all. Hiero was so startled that he forgot to cast Levitation. Both young men went down towards the water flailing. Hiero hit first and facing forward, Val's backside crashing into him to shove the both of them further under the cold waters. Hiero swam in a chilled panic to burst his head out of the water, Val following his lead and gasping for air. "This is the shrine….definitely. The stone cold bastard Grausherra is never worshiped by anything that believes in warmth. Brrrrrr," Hiero shivered, shaking his soaked head and began looking around," Justin!? Answer me! Justin, where are you, you dummy?" "Yeah! Come on, this is no time to be silent! Come on out, Justin! Oh….his armor, Hiero, what if he's underwater?!" Val yelped, panic filling both youths' eyes. "One sure fire way to tell. Time to locate him with my little secret." Hiero announced, concentrating quietly in the cold water for Justin's thoughts. He heard them, not dying or thinking about anything about being annoyed at him, he was crying for help, close by in fact. "The waterfall. Something took him up there….he's in trouble, again. Little wimp….uh….first let's get a swimming. We have to be close enough to the waterfall to Ray Wing up there safely. Whatever has him is obviously scaring him half to death….but its got good mental barriers." Hiero told his friend. Val just grimaced and started swimming beside Hiero all the way to the very tall waterfall. To Hiero, it was like a giant wonder, white as sugar and pouring down to create plumes of sparkling mist. The smell of it almost matched his Aunt Filia's scent, the absolute purity she gave off. "Hold onto me and watch our backs. If something is in this lagoon, I don't want it getting the drop on us." Hiero said over the roar of the falls. Val complied by wrapping his arms around Hiero's neck. "Ray Wing!" Hiero called, the bubbled of protective energy surrounding them both. It lifted them and water going up to their neck out of the lagoon. Hiero wasn't happy about the water coming with him, but it wasn't like it was going to eat him. It would fall away once the spell did, assuming the falls didn't go on forever. Nothing happened all the way up and into the person-sized opening of the falls and all was quiet as they floated over the rapidly moving waters away from the lagoon. After several minutes, light started to reach them in the darkness of the noisy cavern. The noise was dying down enough for Hiero to hear grunts and sobbing, Justin doing most of the sobbing, but the grunts sounded female to Hiero. Then came giggling and cooing. 'Hmm, this might not be so good. Don't let it be more nymphs, I can't stand those things. They're always so damned cheerful.' Hiero thought acidly. "Val, keep your eyes ahead, I have to close mine. If what I hear are what I think they are, my eyes could sign Justin's death warrant. Better look now, I'm closing them." Hiero instructed, a bit to quickly, but he was thankful Val was a good listener, his eyes aimed forward for Hiero to channel through. The light soon enveloped their shivering forms as they came into a small cave littered with gold, silver, jewels, weapons and armors galore. Hiero nearly drooled over the sight of so much treasure being in front of him, but what was sprawled and giggling on the mounds of golden delights made his stomach turn. They weren't nymphs, as far as he could tell they looked nothing like Rajah or those that he summoned with magic. They had pretty transparent pink and blue wings and were about the size of adolescent females, all with pink eyes and cheerful faces. 'Fairies….I hate fairies more than I hate dealing with nymphs. The cute factor alone could give you cavities and make you attempt suicide….Eww, and look what they are groping. Perverts.' He thought, setting himself and Val down, but not bursting their bubble as he watched the fairies grope and smother none other than a flustered Prince Justin on a single piles of gold coins. Justin had been relieved of his armor and all Hiero could see was the green tunic he wore under it along with a royal pendant with his kingdom's symbol embroidered on it with gold. Sadly for Justin, the fairies were trying to take off his tunic and pants as they kissed him madly. His nose was bleeding from being so embarrassed and his face was a brighter shade of red than that from blushing and fighting off the flighty group. 'We should help the little dork, shouldn't we? I mean, fairies don't sacrifice humans or anything, but leaving him here would be kind of cruel.' Val was thinking and Hiero unconsciously nodded. 'Yes, Val, we'll save him. I can't stand pushy females, especially fairy females. Dynast hates these things, why are they in the treasure chamber anyway? Ah, I'll just ask them before I rip their wings off.' Hiero thought back. 'Hiero….let's just save Justin first. It'll be up to these ladies if they want to throw away their lives by challenging us. Never start a fight unless it's with a Mazuko and you can win. Fairies can curse people too with terribly weird things.' Val chided mentally. 'Yeah, but I've tangled with fairies before. I know how to cure all their dorky little curses. Trust me….and I promise I won't start a fight.' Hiero shot back, whispering a Flow Break spell to pop the Ray Wing bubble. The popping sound it made and the loud splash of the water falling out of it got the fairies' attention, a hoard of frightened pink eyes shooting right at Val and Hiero. Val kept staring at Justin and Hiero grumbled a bit at having to keep his eyes shut. "Aim for a fairy, Val-kun….not the nit wit." Hiero whispered, getting quick results on the fairy closest to Justin, and one that looked like she was wearing a toga, a very scanty one. "Who are you, little boys? Come to play with the Cherry Clan? Hmm, make us happy for a wish or two? Hmm?" she chirped out, leaning over longing towards the pair, blowing them kisses. Hiero felt very ill. The saccharine was getting to him, but he tried to keep his face emotionless. "No….we came to retrieve our load over there. The guy you've been getting your lips all over. We'll just take him and the treasure and be on our way. Thank you." Hiero said calmly, taking the deepest of pleasure in the sour and pouting look the fairy gave him. "No, our mothers brought him to us from the lagoon to marry. He's husband to us all. Handsome he is, and dashing, sweet, and just like a knight from the stories the old ones tell us. Oh, it will ever so wonderful to have a man around this stuffy old temple. That big old meanie dynast kicked us out centuries ago, but we're back. We're here to stay cause the Dynast never checks the treasure chamber….treasure is no fun for him, but 'tis such for us. Yes it is. I, Misha, high princess of the Cherry Clan instruct you rude boys to either marry us or leave. Either way, our new husband stays. The Dynast lost his temple to us for being so lazy, so it is ours now." The fairy girl spouted, her pink wings fluttering madly. "I'd sooner stick my head up a Dimos Dragon's ass, sugar. I don't care if you're the crown princess of Saillune. That treasure is mine and the husband is divorcing you. This is your last chance to remain intact, give or hit the grave. This place doesn't belong to you!" Hiero said impatiently, biting his lip upon his last sentence. He knew he shouldn't have said that, it made him sound like he was the cleaning crew for the Dynast all the more. Val's rapid blinking made him feel worse about it, the grumble setting it in stone that Val was onto him. He didn't have time to explain it, thanks to Misha's very angry pouting. "Nasty boy. I'm telling our mothers on you. MOMMIES!! There are defiant men in the treasury!!" Misha whined, her wings flapping crazily and fists clenched tightly. Hiero heard something that sound like a large hornet flying downward, sputtering with coughing and wheezing every few seconds. Hiero took the time to look up with his own eyes to see a flock of the fattest and most wrinkled fairies he'd ever gazed upon, ones that were more or less falling towards where Val and he stood. "Duck and cover!" Val leapt to the left, landing with a screech into a pair of silver-haired fairies and Hiero went to the right, getting grabbed by Misha in all her pink glory. He had snapped his eyes shut when he jumped, not really caring if the fat fairy saw his unusual eyes. Fairies were pro-life and pro-everything that was good and sweet, dandy, happy, and joyous. A fight would break out, at the very best, but Hiero had two people to worry about other than himself, not to mention Dynast's fairy infested temple. "Pucker, sucker boy." She crooned before taking his lips fully into her. 'This is getting to be a very bad day and a bad habit, why do the weirdoes always seem to fall for me?' he thought vacantly, blushing and breathing hard through his nose as the fairy's kiss got downright smothering. ~ Viridian Ruins ~ - One Day Later - "Lina….you feeling all right. Usually at the sight of treasure you're a little perkier. "Zelgadis commented. Initially, Lina had been very antsy and excited as they worked their way through the cavern the map led to, but the trip through it was rather dull. Bones practically littered the place, some intact, others were blown apart and melted into the floors and walls. 'Hiero was probably here already….or what guards the treasure is a lot nastier than any of these creatures.' He'd thought. By the time they reached the treasure, he fully accepted the idea that Hiero had been there before, but left the treasure behind, probably to avoid his mother's wrath for so much deception and learning black magic. There were no bones in the treasure room, only pile after pile of golden coins, nuggets, numerous varieties of jewels and a few small statues of fine craftsmanship. Lina didn't even crow, show victory signs or anything when they got there, she just stood and scanned the treasure as calmly as he would. She'd been doing it for the past half-hour. "Lina?" he asked again, finally getting her to turn her head towards him. "Sorry, what were you saying?" she said, rather breathlessly. "Are you feeling all right? You're too quiet." He told her, getting a nonchalant shrug from his wife. "Eh, this was just too easy….Hiero had to have been here if nothing was left alive to guard all this juicy treasure. He really is too self-less, he could have been killed fighting all by himself just to leave it behind for us. I'm really going to have it out with him….Jeez, I sound like such a worry wart. I can't help but feel he's causing more trouble while we're here with his leftovers." She spouted, pouting slightly. "He seems that way, a born trouble magnet, but he can take care of himself. He's a grown man….he's got a good century of experience backing him up. We may have more than him, but he has done pretty well for himself, all be it that his hidden past worries me more than what he's doing now. Justin already said when Hiero was Onyx, he was a notorious thief and mercenary," Zel let out, rubbing his chin thoughtfully," But we do need this money to get back home without starving to death. We should load as much as we can so we can get out of here as soon as possible to ensue Hiero doesn't blow anything more to smithereens." "Yeah….the longer Hiero and Val are left alone, the more bothersome arguments we have with the people they'd messed with. I'd rather fireball the whole lot of them….they were just being little boys then….hmm, seems like Hiero refuses to grow up even now. Heh, just like me. I admire his spirit, just wish I knew what's going on in his head. He's always one step ahead of everyone, like he knows more than we do." Lina sighed, her eyes looking Zelgadis over briefly. Zelgadis shrugged a bit and moved off to start stuffing his pack with gold coins. He had his pack filled to the brim in a few minutes and set it aside to fill a few pouches he'd brought along. Then he felt something squeeze his butt, a slim figure with flaming red hair leaning hard into his back. He was prepared to sighed and shrug Lina off up until she started licking the back of his neck and the tips of his pointed ears. He gasped instead, dropping the half-filled pouch to the floor. "Lina…." He said in a breathy manner, but she didn't respond with words, only with actions. She unbuckled his belts swiftly and yanked down his pants and underwear in one fluid motion, attacking his neck with passionate kisses, occasionally throwing lightly licks at the pebbles there. He discovered her tights were missing when his pants were gone when he felt her bare leg ride up the side of his. His entire body was growing as hot as a raging volcano when she kept doing it, yanking his shirt and tunic off rather rapidly, as if she'd die if he was dressed another second. Another discovery made him forget all about the treasure and Hiero all at once. Both of them were stark naked and pressed against each other with Lina showering his skin with passionate and loving kisses. "Oh Lina…." He moaned, turning around swiftly to embrace her tightly, letting their naked bodies fall back into the pile of gold coin as he took her lips roughly with his. She let out a pleasure filled moan as he slipped two fingers inside her warm womanhood him, finding she was already excited and aroused enough as his finger were instantly kissed with her warm nectar. "You were distracting me to surprise me with this, weren't you, Lina-itoshii?" Zelgadis breathed out, moaning a little louder as Lina played with his manhood, licking across his chest very slow. "Yup….I knew you'd react to your own behavior just like that. Mm, but I really do worry about Hiero. I just miss being like this with you, Zelgadis. It's been agonizing for me to be without your love being expressed for me or mine for you. I don't want to wait to get home for this. I want you right now, you sexy chimera." She cooed, giving his manhood a hard squeeze and making his hips buck forward. He cried out her name at that, taking out his fingers from her body. He replaced it swiftly with his shaft, thrusting her down upon it. It was Lina's turn to cry out his name passionately. They made love for hours on end, rolling around in the golden treasures as they let all their long pent up passion out, the cavern filled with love-filled screams. ~ Grausherra the Dynast's Ice Cavern Shrine ~ "You damn liar….Hiero, how could you?' Val's thought screamed for the tenth time in Hiero's head. His eyes scrunched up further still shut tight. The very amorous fairies were holding down Hiero, but he was also polishing gold coins. After a day of being pawed, sat on, slapped, and chased in the inn sized treasure chamber, they'd been caught and pawed for another day and now they were doing menial labor. The fairies wanted their precious treasures polished till they were clean enough to eat off of. Hiero detested this task in every way, but with Val mentally deafening his brain with harsh and accusing thoughts, he kept dropping his coins. With Val looking at a pile of rubies he'd been assigned to polish, Hiero was blindly feeling for the coins he'd been given, at least they felt like coins. 'Ironic….I finally get my eyesight back and now I have to keep my eyes shut so these flighty bimbos don't throw a major hissy fit," he thought, then shot a loud mental message to Val that made his friend drop his rubies," I did not lie. You never asked in detail why we were here. I came for the treasure….you never asked if I was here for any other reasons.' 'Tell me then, if I'm such a friend to you. Tell me what really happened with this damned deal of yours! We're going to be here a while….,' Val though back,' What was the full deal with Grausherra." 'I'll have to show you later, mentally….we can't spend another minute here. Once we get out, I'll even show you how it went down, but right now we have less than a day to get back to the inn. If we can't get back before tomorrow, we're better off staying put. Mom will Dragu Slave my butt to hell and back if she finds out I led you here. You really good with your dragon form these days?' 'Yeah….why?' Val thought back hastily. 'I'm going to have to create a diversion for this to work, but when the fairies start freaking out, you grab Justin and run back for the waterfall area as fast as you can. Swimming if possible. Once you reach the lagoon, wait until I cast a fireball out the waterfall entrance, then transform. Can you do that?' Hiero asked mentally. 'I can, depending on whether your diversion works. But Justin won't know what's going on….' Val thought with earnest. 'Sadly, he'll have to….I hope he's as good as keeping secrets as we are….one can only hope,' He thought to Val, then moved his thoughts quickly to Justin,' JUSTIN!' "Gah! What?" Justin said out loud, dropping the coins he was polishing to grab his skull. The two fairy girls near him tossing him gold coins gave him playful tugs on his hair. "No talking, makes our shinies shinier, dark angel boy." The fuchsia-haired one scolded, batting her mint-green eyes. 'I'm speaking to you telepathically, moron. Just think replies back to me, don't speak them. If you tell my parents about this or anything you might have heard me say earlier, I'm going turn your royal jewels into royal jelly. Got it?' Hiero thought back calmly, though his mouth was in a sneer. 'Ok….Dynast priest. I won't tell, but why tell me about you being telepathic anyway?' Justin thought back snidely. 'So, you were listening in after all. Well, I'll take care of that later. I'm going to create a little diversion by opening my eyes. When I do that. You and Val are going to run and swim back for the lagoon. Hope you swim better than you talk….just wait for the word Mazuko….it seems to follow me around like a lost dog. No questions asked, prince, or we leave you behind.' Hiero thought back coldly. "Ok….just don't let your loyalties to the evil race make you feel obligated to ask me or Val for favors.' Justin quietly thought back. 'I don't need favors from spoiled brats who have never known the pain that I have. Just pay attention, stupid.' Hiero thought back, grumbling aloud as he steeled himself. A second later, he jammed his own fingernails into his hand, drawing warm blood. "Ow!" he cried out letting the blood flow for as long as he could, slamming his bleeding hand on his face. He felt the slender hands of the fairies that were guarding him, searching for the source of pain. "Where does it hurt, sapphire beauty?" one chirped, not Misha, but it was terribly sugary. "Oh, my eyes….I hurt my eyes on the coins. Oh…kiss it and make it better. I'll do anything for the pain to be stopped." He mock pleaded, keeping his bloody hand secure over his eyes until he felt soft breath on it. He felt a light healing spell glow upon his face, tickling him a bit, then an unwanted, yet soft kiss planted itself on his lips. 'That does it, I can't take anymore cutesy stuff. Time to perform a bit of chaos.' He thought, taking a deep breath before opening his eyes. The fairy Misha was the one kissing him, her dewdrop encrusted eyes closed gently. He looked for one fairy to look at, one to frighten, and found her right behind Misha. She had looked eager when his eyes first met hers, then seemed to freeze. She began to shiver and cry. The other fairies murmured their concern to her, since all they could see was the back of his head. He was thankful Misha finally stopped kissing him to see what all the whispering was about. He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her when she saw his Mazuko eyes. "Hey cutie pie fairy. How's it feel to kiss a guy like me, hmm?" he teased as Misha staggered backwards and wiped her mouth off in horror. "Mazuko Vermin! He's Mazuko!" she was blubbering, tears filling her eyes. Hiero stood up briskly, noting with watchful and quick eyes that Val and Justin had already made a run for it. The fairies were too appalled a 'Mazuko' had come into their new abode unnoticed. "Wow, fairies actually can think and talk at the same time. I'm impressed….but enough with the idle chit chat. Um, in the name of the Lord of the North Pole, Grausherra the Dynast, your lives are ordained to end right now for soiling his shrine with too much sugar goodness and all that happy go lucky crap. If any of you piss me off further with crying or sweetie spells, you're going to go down harder. So, how's it going to be?" Hiero asked ever so politely. "MOMMIES!!!! A Mazuko Vermin is in our new home!!!! MOMMIES!! Time to teach this meanie a lesson. For the sake of purity, life and justice, we will drive you out, you devil porking bastard!" Misha cried out tearfully, the swarm of fat fairies coming back down from the darkness above for Hiero. Hiero just smirked. " Such filthy mouths for such cuddly creatures. Oh well fine then. I'll just have seal you in here for the rest of your cute little lives. Catch me if you can!" Hiero taunted, making a mad dash into the cavern for the falls. He silently whispered a Levitation spell, knowing full well the fairies would take to the skies since they assumed he was a Mazuko and therefore capable of flying. The loud churning of the waterfall deafened his ears so badly he took several spells in the back, mostly lightening and light spells. They burned like hell for such large fairies casting the spells, but not as much as a human casting it did. His father's hurt worse, he'd found out in the last town when Zelgadis caught him idly picking Justin's pocket for the few measly coins is had. Another lightening spell hit him in the leg and made his form spin a bit, but he went on, concentrating as hard as he could despite the biting pain. "Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. FIREBALL!" he chanted, yelping loudly as another spell hit him and the fireball flew into the darkness. 'Please let that miss anything important….owing the Dynast for damage to his precious shrine isn't something I want to have hanging over my head. If the fairies do the damage, I'm not held responsible….and if they get blasted by a certain dragon, he'll be even more content with the results.' Hiero thought, the light at the end of the raging underground river meeting his eyes. He shot out over the towering falls and back into the lagoon cavern, a large patch of emerald green set in the center. 'Hee, hee, let the fun begin.' He mused, floating down swiftly to touch down on the scaly mound. ~ Misha and her sisters followed the Mazuko boy all the way to the lagoon, expecting him to have retreated further into the caverns past it, but he had not. He was still in the lagoon set atop a rather emerald colored island, about as long as the Mazuko was tall. "Giving up, Mazuko Vermin." her portly fairy mothers crooned, lightening and light spells toiling around their stubby fingers. The Mazuko smiled fully, with a deadly twinkle in his eyes. "Not really. I wanted to introduce you girls to my best friend, an ancient dragon." the Mazuko stated pleasantly, tapping his foot gently on the emerald mound. Misha laughed even as the island seemed to make the water ripple. "Dirty Mazuko trash! Such liars, you are. Everyone knows that the Dragon and the Demon races are enemies. Just put up your dukes and fight fair, no more silly willie jokies." Misha giggled, forming a light spell in her hands as she fluttered over to the Mazuko. He laughed right back at her, a devil may care laugh that made tendrils of ice flow up her spine. "This is so sweet, I'm getting cavities. No jokies here, chippie. Dynast Breath!" the Mazuko stated, slapping a startled Misha with the Mazuko Lord's ice spell. Misha had been so busy laughing at the Mazuko's words, she didn't take into account that he'd said anything. The last words she heard were Dynast Breath, then her world went cold and blue. ~ The other fairies watched in horror as Misha was trapped in a pillar of ice, shatter seconds later in front of the smiling Mazuko boy into a million pieces. The mothers were totally enraged by the Mazuko's actions, destroying one of their pretty and beloved daughters before them. They all went down at the still smiling Mazuko casting lightening and light spells galore at him, but instead they hit a pillar of emerald scales. "I told you so. By the by, I'm not a Mazuko, but my eyes are enough to get anyone as thick headed as you people incensed. Hey Val, we're friends, right?" the Mazuko boy said. None of the fairies really believed he wasn't one. Only Mazuko had such bizarre eyes. The golden eyed dragon with emerald scales and feathered wings grinned, all teeth showing. "We are….so if no one minds, this is for turning me into your maid." The dragon uttered, opening his mouth to let out a burst of energy at the mother fairies. The Mazuko was casting numerous protection and shielding spells on the cavern itself while the emerald dragon spat incredible energy blasts at them. The mothers tried retreating after the first few blasts, desperate to get back tot he treasure room where the dragon could never get into, but it was all in vain. One after another, the Cherry Clan was blown into oblivion. ~ "Nasty breath….but helpful….Yikes! Watch the decent, Val!" Hiero was cheering, but Val just smacked his dragon head back against the lagoon, thoroughly soaking Hiero. "Convenient for you or for Dynast?" the dragon rumbles out, making Hiero bounce around on his head from the tremors it made. "For me and you. Your asses were more on the line than mine. You can die….I'd be left with the guilt of not protecting people from my problems. Not to change the subject, but in respect to another problem, where's Justin?" Hiero asked, his eyes intent on Val's larger and narrowed golden eye. "I put him back up where we all fell into this place….near the Hot Springs area. He said he was going to wait there until we're done helping you help Dynast do some extermination." Val said, rather acidly. "You never let anything die, do you? Tch, ah well. I'll go do the dirty work and carry back all the treasure and what I came for. You'll have to change back so I can send you up with Justin….unless you forgot to take your clothes off again before your transformation again and that would be embarrassing." Hiero said, a slight blush staining his cheeks. For a dragon to go from emerald green to ruby red with bug eyes was a rare thing, but Hiero seemed to have great luck in seeing the rarest of things, even his friend being utterly embarrassed by a simple comment. "I forgot again….I was too busy thinking about you and the Dynast. My sword is probably at the bottom of this lagoon by now." Val said, looking more embarrassed about his rash actions. Hiero waved it off and unclipped his cloak, laying it gently on the dragon's head. "Use that for now. I'll levitate you up before I go get the treasure….and I'll get your sword. Don't worry so much, Val-san. Don't turn into your Mom on me, she worries enough for the lot of us." Hiero chuckled, casting levitation on himself briskly as Val began to shrink down to human form. Hiero just watched with a slight tinge of pity for his friend's humiliating plight. No one wanted to be seen naked by a friend, even if they'd taken baths together as kids. Still, Hiero bet that it was more of forgetting to salvage his clothing than not having them on. Val just looked up at him as the transformation was completed, leaving Val to tread water and try to keep the cloak about his body. "Don't be so modest, Val. We were raised together. Levitation!" Hiero chanted, sending Val up, his friend yanking the cloak around him as he shivered, to the other opening in the lagoon cavern. "Time to make out like a bandit. At least the rest of Val's things are back at the inn. I better make this damn quick or I'll be eating a flare arrow sandwich for not disobeying secretly enough." Hiero mused quietly, floating himself back to the waterfall entrance. ~ "Faster….we're only a block away….Get the lead out, Justin! What kind of a prince are you being so slow, prince of turtles?!" Hiero exclaiming, too tired now for having run the entire way back to town dragging both Val, Justin, and a cloak filled with treasure to run at his normal speeds. Right now he was running as fast as an average human could, Val and Justin too winded from running while he had been dragging them to move faster than he could. He wanted to teleport, he really did, but he was too hungry and too tired to even cast a fireball. His body was just too tired. The trio of young men rounded the corner rather clumsily, bashing into each other and few people and carts in the process, almost getting into a fight before Hiero threw some jewels at them. Greed took over and the group of once angry people turned into a greedy and ravenous money mob, giving the three enough time to run inside the inn. Hiero could feel his parents' presence just outside of town, barely with his choked and ragged breaths deafening most of his senses. All that mattered was that they were a good distance away from the inn and Filia was still fast asleep, probably hungry as hell, same as they were. Hiero unlocked the door weakly and the three of them fell in, dragging themselves to the walls of the room while Hiero locked the door. As he finished that task, he wobbled over to his still sleeping aunt and stuffed the key back where he'd taken it from her, under her little hat, then collapsed loudly behind Val so their backs were facing each other. He lolled his head around a bit to look for Justin, finding the young prince already collapsed in a chair and snoring softly. "Well, that a lovely three days of cuteness hell….huh, Val?" Hiero rasped out, wiping his brow gently with his arm. He heard the rustling of clothing and a sad sigh. He waited a few minutes for the rustling to stop. When it did he turn his body around to look at Val, but his now dressed friend was not facing him and just staring at his hands. "You hate me, don't you? For hiding that from you….I had to do it. There was no way out of it or he'd have iced you both." Hiero exasperated, still short of breath. Val still refused to turn around, but his head lifted. "Your secrets seem to get worse with age. You won't even tell us why you won't die….gasp….where that dark sword came from, what happened fully between you and Xellos, and to top it off, you work for Grausherra the Dynast….Now how am I supposed to trust you when you are hiding so much from us? I'm your best friend, Hiero, why didn't you trust me to confide in?" Val said, his voice full of tired hurt. "Val….I just couldn't. If my parents even knew I'd made a deal to protect all of you from him by offering my services, they'd just….murder me. I had no choice. It pretty much went down like I said before I was taken to Dynast. I borrowed charms in his territory and Sherra caught me. I had no idea she was Mazuko, so normally a telepathic scream like what I gave her would render a human brain dead, but she wasn't human. She caught up with me and made introductions, but the fight started before I even met the Dynast….argh, I can't say it aloud. I feel my parents are getting closer into town. We'll have to do this the discreet way, the Astral Plane. Just close you eyes and I'll induce it in both of us….uh, after I removed the sleep spell from your mother." Hiero said quietly, getting a slight nod from Val. As the dragon boy leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes, Hiero planted a light kiss on his aunt's lips, dispelling the sleep spell. It would take a few minutes to fade away, but it would be enough time for them to fall asleep before she was fully awake. Hiero sat back down beside Val and took the dragon youth's hand in his own before shutting his eyes, leaning the side of his head against Val's. With a bit of concentration, Hiero was asleep with his friend, the Astral Plane alive with his memory. ~ Flashback ~ - Near the Northern Footholds - Val was standing in the middle of nowhere, snow all around him and falling dangerously quick from above. The wind was howling rabidly and the sky was as black as pitch….and he couldn't feel any of it. "Where am I? Hiero? Hey Hiero?" he called out, looking around. He felt a cold hand clasp his shoulder, forcing him around. Hiero was right behind him, staring almost sadly at him. "This is the past, my past, a memory really. Nothing we do here affects the future or anything, so no throwing yourself at things. The landings really hurt." Hiero explained, then looked past Val and frowned. "What?" Val asked, turning back around, his jaw dropping as he saw Hiero running towards them in his Onyx garb. He was holding a silver sack in his gloved hand, running at incredible speeds towards them, then shot right through them. Val followed the other Hiero's path until a blinding explosion erupted before them all. The past Hiero fell backwards and tumble to where they stood, getting to his feet quickly as he stuffed his prize into his cloak. A ways from where they all stood was a blue-haired girl, her hair in a long braid and her outfit was like a what a fancy pirate would wear or what a prince would wear to a ball. It was very choice, a perfect match for her hair. Her pants were well pressed and tight, also very white, with only a light green symbol that look like a backwards lower case "y" of a messy "o." Her high collared jacket was clasped over her fancy blue shirt, lather he guessed, had cuffs with white embroidered on it and the inside of the jacket was also a light green, to match her green eyes he supposed. She was holding a dark blade that had a long tuft of dark green hair at the end, the hilt of the sword looking like it was made out of many small bones. She also had slight splashed of red above her exceptional bust and below her stomach, as well as a lavender and gold belt then hung on her slight hips. Her hands were covered in perfect white gloves to top it off. She looked like a off the wall pure perfectionist, everything on her for neat and tidy as if it had never been graced with battle The woman just looked very put out, even if she was smiling slightly, her eyes were full of rage. "That's Sherra. She doesn't look so dangerous." Val commented. "I thought so too, nearly cost me my humanity. Just watch and learn." Hiero told him, his past self just staring the woman down as she raised her sword high. "In the name of Dynast Grausherra, I General Sherra will bring you back to him, telepath and make you into a proud Mazuko under my tutelage. Forsake your life with dignity or I shall be forced to teach you some respect." Sherra announced boldly. The past Hiero didn't seem to take her seriously, chuckling loudly enough to make Sherra's face fill with rage. "Please, lady mage….I don't have time to play with you and your fancy smancy uniform. Would you please get your scrawny butt out of my way….I'm a busy priest. Whoah!" Hiero was saying mockingly, then leapt backwards as Sherra slammed her blade down through the very spot he'd been occupying. "Perhaps you are lame in the head, but do you not know who the Dynast is and what we are!? We are Mazuko, human fool! Now draw your sword if you wish to go on mocking our proud and powerful race. You'll only be made much uglier than you are now for such insolence." She spat, taking a pose with her blade. The past Hiero took out his sword, the Sword of Light, but only the silver blade was there, not the blessed light it contained. "I didn't want to pick a fight, but you asked for it. Not my fault Dynast has stupid flunkies. En garde, blue witch!" Hiero shouted, coming at her full speed. Their blades lashed out at each other venomous, Sherra looking both angered and puzzled that her Mazuko blade wasn't shattering the common steel of Hiero's blade. After a while of them making sparking fly out from their blades meeting, Sherra was actually looking impressed by the 'priest's' swordsmanship. "I must say, for a human and a holy man, you're a demon with the steel. Just who are you, priest? Hah!" Sherra said gallantly, getting cut by Hiero's blade as he dodged hers. It healed in seconds. "Dark Priest Onyx, Miss Sherra….and you parry like a sissy girl, thank you very much. I'm just going easy on you. Save you admiration for L-sama when I send you to meet her." Hiero quipped, back flipping over her with a well placed slash, but was parried. He landed gracefully and blocked another attack, on that would have gone right through his heart. "If I were you, I'd put all my effort into this duel….my sword Dulgofa is a Mazuko as well, with the power to make whoever I run through into a Mazuko, into my Mazuko." Sherra replied proudly, nearly getting past Hiero's defenses again. "You're very haughty….even for a girl. Well, I guess Mazuko's can be a disease too. What a big damn surprise. So if it's alive, it'll really HATE this….Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. FIREBALL!! " Hiero chanted, gesturing with his free hand to let loose the flaming ball, preparing another spell," Flare Arrow!" Val could hear the past Hiero groan when Sherra backhanded the fireball right back at him with her sword, but Val had to admit Hiero must have been very stunned to stand there so stupidly and take his own spells in the chest, and whatever else the sword was aiming for. It knocked him back a few feet and forced him to fall to the cold ground, gripping the bloody and burnt wounds all over his exposed torso and legs. His clothing was a shambles. His blade was also lying a good distance from his body, looking like it was broken off. Sherra smiled at her handiwork, admiring and relishing in Hiero's pain as she approached him with her sword on her shoulder. "Oh, and I forgot to mention that this sword deflects any and all magical spells, so don't bother trying to win this battle you've already lost so pitifully to the great General Sherra. Now, I'll be gentle with you now….you'll barely feel Dolgofa piecing your heart. Soon you'll be my precious toy." She smiled, getting behind him with her sword raised high. The words Hiero uttered as he knelt there on the blood soaked snow made Sherra's face become puzzled for a few seconds before realization finally dawned on her what he meant by," Light come forth." Sherra tried to bring the blade down as the blessed light shot out of the empty hilt in his bloody hand, but Hiero was much faster. The blade went right through her heart as Hiero used the last ounce of energy to spin around to attack. Sherra gasped briefly, blackish and oily blood leaking from her wound as he pulled the blade out. He brought the Sword of Light into her gut, then her chest again until she just fell over, her blade landing neatly in the ground. Hiero destroyed the sword with his own, the deadly Mazuko blade fizzling into a purple mist before disappearing fully. The battered Hiero then looked at Sherra, bringing the blessed light back within the hilt. "You're not so….urk….tough without your sword, are you? Suck on this....Mazuko witch! Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright! Gather together in my hand and become an inferno.…BURST FLARE!" he let out harshly coughing up more blood. He seemed to watch dully as the ball of light he created above Sherra's shredded stomach, groaning in pain as he fell backwards back into the snow when the energy exploded, melting everything that was Sherra into nothingness, even the snow beneath her. Val watched, pity in his eyes, as Hiero dragged his battered body to the blade of the Sword of Light. When he stopped crawling suddenly, everything went black. "I died at that point….the wounds I'd accidentally inflicted on myself ruptured a few organs and one had passed through my kidney and stomach. I just did so I could heal the wounds without feeling it the entire time," Hiero explained, the world around them becoming a dark throne room of black and silver ice. Two figures stood off the left of the large onyx crafted throne that looked a lot like it was made for a king of the highest honor. Val could see them too well, but they were both holding tall staffs and dressed in dark robes. There was another figure to the right of the throne, also hidden in the shadows, looking to be dressed in a fancy uniform with a sword on his left hip. Then there was the figure sitting n the throne, one wearing a fancy silver helmet and white, regal looking clothing embroidered with fine silver. He was standing, not sitting, his red eyes radiating pure evil at the sleeping figure of Hiero in tattered clothing, his cloak long gone. His face and hair were in full view of everyone, especially the young man standing before the throne. Hiero's body began to rouse, his sapphire eyes fluttering open gently, taking in his new and strange surroundings. He reached for his blade, finding it securely on his hip, but he was starting to feel up the floor. 'This isn't the outside….oh damn, my hood!" Hiero yelped, shooting up into a standing position to look around like a startled animal until his eyes met with the man by the throne. Hiero seemed to relax a bit, his shoulders falling slowly. "Grausherra the Dynast….Sherra's lord." Hiero said evenly, as if processing each and every word. The figure nodded, taking off his helmet slowly, revealing the red-eyed, silver-haired young man Dynast was appearing as. He smiled slightly at Hiero, then let him mouth become a serious thin line, his eyes regarding Hiero as if he were a new species. It was almost a thoughtful look, if he was looking Hiero up and down with such deliberate slowness. "This is your true human form….like Xellas has long white hair and tanned skin." Hiero stated, seeming to examine Dynast right back. The Dynast smiled at this and slowly walked up to Hiero, touching his long sapphire bang lightly, looking with watchful eyes. "Yes. At least you weren't asking. Stupidity is not something I condone here. It's appalling to me, Hiero Inverse. Nice hair….a mix of your father's human and chimera nature, at best. Just like your eyes, but you don't fully resemble him. You don't really resemble either of them too much, physically." The Dynast replied evenly, a voice that was very smooth and calm. Hiero nodded, swatting Dynast's hand away. Dynast complied calmly and stopped touching him, but Dynast's red eyes kept looking him over. Hiero just stared back blankly, not giving Dynast any emotions Mazuko's would find appetizing. "You have a most excellent ability here to shut off your emotions. You're like a blank slate….or to be more flattering, a golem," the Dynast replied evenly, but then narrowed his eyes on Hiero's," You cost me my general. As good as she was, to lose to a mere human being, an Inverse….or Greywords, whatever you consider yourself, is invariably embarrassing. Killing you for her death would be like admitting failure in her training….and I would be destroying a very worthy ally in the process, if I could kill you. When my other general found you, you had just died, but the wounds were healing. Why is that?" Hiero shrugged. "At risk of sounding like Xellos, that's a secret….one even I do not know the answer to. I just can't die….healing works quickly if the wounds aren't fatal or terribly deep, but she blew out my damn kidney and stomach, not mention my spleen and half of my lungs. I'm only human….I suppose, it still hurts. Dying just seems to speed the healing process up," he stated plainly, smirking," So whatever will you do with me since you can't kill me, but I can clearly kill all of you." "Maybe not, young Hiero, but your parents and your dragon friends are very capable of dying. Maybe you can kill me, but my priests and general will have plenty of time to go after them and slaughter your reasons for living." The Dynast said in a very matter-of-factly manner, a small smile brimming on the edges of his pale lips. "I take that as a threat," Hiero said icily, his sword up to Dynast's neck," And I don't take threats very well. You're not hiding your thoughts very well either….and I'm not stupid. I can tell a false thought from a true one, even in you Mazuko. You hate Xellas Metallium greatly, hmm? She'd kill you all if she knew." Dynast nodded, still a perfect picture of calm, his priests and general taking a few steps before he raised his hands slowly to tell them to halt. "Yes….you are quite powerful to do that. So what does this have to do with my threat?" the Dynast asked quietly, lowing her hands. "Let's make a deal….one to benefit the both of us, sadly. You are a Mazuko and my mother and father have helped in the destruction of three Mazuko and a piece of Shabranigdo. They won't stop, but then again neither will you, Grausherra. What will it take for you to leave my family and friends alone and not interfere in my affairs? I ask you this as a fellow man of power and intellect. I know you have great pride in yourself, so prove it." Hiero put to the lord. Dynast smirked slightly, then his mouth went emotionless. "Become my general in Sherra's place and I will never harm your family and acquaintances. How does that suit you?" the Dynast asked. Hiero grumbled a bit, making the Dynast smile. "No….that would mean having to be here a lot," Hiero complained, the negative emotions appeasing Dynast again, not noticing that Hiero and unhinged the blade from the hilt," Light come forth!" The priests and general of Dynast Grausherra rushed at the pair, but yet again, Dynast waving them back. "Priest then….since you seem to take great pride in personal freedom. You just have to do me favors and missions of maintaining my shrines and interests. An observer as Xellos is to Xellas, only fighting when need be. Your family and friends will never be my targets or harmed by what I ask of you and nor will I directly go after them. I can't promise that my priests and general won't, but you can hold faithfully that I won't." Dynast breathed out, sounding a bit bored. Hiero seemed to hesitate at the offer, taking his time to consider it. Several minutes later, Hiero nodded and pulled the blessed light back, placing the blade back in place. "Done then. We make a pact on this, completely binding. Take your glove off." Dynast Grausherra said proudly, waiting for a still hesitant Hiero to oblige. He lifted the already scarred hand up a bit to the Dynast, watching intently as the Mazuko Lord created a small ball of onyx mixed with jade from thin air in his own hand. He laid it gently onto Hiero's hand, the ball starting to sizzle instantly against the young human's skin. Hiero was biting his lip as it began, but wasn't crying out in pain. He just slammed his eyes shut tightly and bit his lips with all his might to hold it in to the point of drawing blood. As the Dynast removed his hand from Hiero's, the ball was gone, but the symbol that had been on Sherra's pant leg was now branded over Hiero's childhood scar, the symbol as black as the ball had been. Hiero put his glove back on. As Val got closer to the scene, he saw the same symbol was on the hand the Dynast had been holding the ball with. "Since you are human and there is no hope of your death to come anytime soon, this will keep us in contact. You don't have the bond Mazuko Lords have with their Mazuko generals and priests, so this must suffice. I am a Mazuko of my word, unlike Xellas, and through this symbol I can speak with you and vice versa. You'll know what I'm plotting, since you are a natural telepath….and it also labels you as my priest," The Dynast explained quite pleasantly, walking back to his throne," And since I rather like having only two priests and generals, Grou, you are now my second general. Norst, you will supervise him in this duty. Understood?" Someone said a gruff "Yes, sire," and the Dynast acknowledged it with a slight nod. The figure known as Grou merely teleported from beside the other priest to the general Norst. "Hiero, you will be the observing priest, second to my main priest Grau. He will get all the important missions, you will get what none of us really has time for….and really could care less about rushing to. Oh, and one more thing, since you delight in swords so much," Grausherra replied proudly, his eyes glowing red as blood and his hand alive with dark power," You'll need a blade worthy of my stature." The past Hiero just stood before the throne a moment as the energy brightened, then lessened into the form a sword in a gray scabbard and dark belt with a silver-purple hilt. He took it gingerly from the Dynast and pulled the blade out a little to admire the black metal of the blade. He grinned at it. "It is the blade known as Forsaken, a blade that can destroy anything except high level Mazuko such as myself. You have your Sword of Light, so this new demon blade will aid you in non-Mazuko fights. It has the power to fill a person with enough negative energy as to destroy their spirit totally. Not with a scratch, mind you, it would have to be a killing blow." "Yeah, yeah, big bad ass Mazuko sword that eats spirits when you run someone through. I get it, Dynast Grausherra. Too late for regrets now….at least Val and the others will be safe from you….but what about my identity and my telepathy….ah dammit, I forgot to include that." Hiero swore, banging his new sword on the ground. Dynast Grausherra just smiled. "Don't worry, as you discovered so recently, I am not very fond of Xellas. She and her pet louse will never find out that you're still alive or have telepathy….you're simply Onyx to me until you reveal yourself. I want to see how you play this out, how long you will wait until you complete whatever it is you are doing." "I'll take that as a promise then. I'm out of here." Hiero said, a bit uneasily before teleporting away. Everything went black all over again. Val finally looked at the present Hiero, who looked rather sorrowful and distant. "So you did do it for us after all….even at the cost of your freedom." Val said quietly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I wasn't thinking about myself again, Dad always said it would be the death of me, in his head anyway. At least it wasn't the death of you all. I couldn't have lived with that, Val. You and my parents are all had then, and I still have you. I hope. I know it was pretty stupid to piss off a Mazuko general and threaten her lord, but I was pretty much out of options. I did do it for all of you….just don't tell Mom and Dad. They'd never understand this….I don't even know if you do." Hiero said, a bit of embarrassment in his voice. Val smiled a little and pulled a startled Hiero into a rough hug. "Aren't we a little old for hugging?" Hiero chuckled, but he hugged Val back. "It's just to show you I understand. In your own way, you did what you thought was right for everyone, sacrificing yourself for our benefit. I'm never happy when you do that, it makes me feel guilty that you had to do it for me, but I understand why, Hiero. For friendship, for family, for life….you're always thinking of us and not yourself. You are way to self-less, but you're my friend. You always will be." Val told him, smiling opening as they pulled out of the hug. "Thanks. You're a true friend to me, Val, regardless of what a jerk I can be to you all. Thanks." Hiero replied, laying his gloved hand on Val's shoulder warmly. "Awww, that's so sweet. Oh, what true justice of loyalty and friendship, I am so touched, even if it's a Mazuko deal! Oh Hiero, bravo." A very annoying and weepy voice uttered a ways off in the Astral Plane. Both young men's eyes bulged and jaws dropped as they whipped towards the noise. "JUSTIN! How the hell did you get into the dreamscape we were using? This is private!" Hiero growled, the young prince, now standing upright and wiping back his touched tears. "It's the dreamscape….I was having a nice dream about justice speeches and being famous when I felt into your dreams. Your mind must have wandered, Mr. Hiero, I didn't come here on purpose." Justin said defensively. "I must be really tired to have yanked him into my dream bonding…..Hey….how much did you hear, you little spy? You could've gotten me to send you back to your dopey dream the moment you got here!" Hiero growled, Val taking a step forward with him. Justin started backing up. "I….I was just curious….maybe I fell in when….gulp….you were fighting Miss Sherra in the snow. Maybe. Why are you looking at me like that?" Justin said, his voice quivering with fear. "Val?" Hiero said, malice filling his voice. Val cast his friend a sidelong glance. "Yeah, Hiero?" "Time to give the royal brat of justice a nightmare to end all nightmares. Let the beatings begin!" Hiero roared, charging full speed at a shrieking and speeding Justin, Val right by his side. "With pleasure!" Val shouted. ~ The Inn Room ~ Lina brushed back a stray hair into Hiero's longest bang, smiling at his slumbering form. When she and Zelgadis had entered the room, the scene was divinely cute. Val and Hiero were leaning against each other, smiling gently in their sleep and the sides of their heads against one another. Filia was just waking up when they shut the door, yawning quietly and voicing to them that she was starving. They gave her a handful of rubies they'd taken from the treasure chamber, losing Filia to her loud stomach pains. Lina and Zelgadis placed both Val and Hiero on the bed, so they wouldn't wake up with stiff necks and sore rear ends from sleeping on the hardwood floor. They were going to put Justin at the foot of the bed, but he was already situated comfortably in the room's sole easy chair, soft, plush, and perfect for a nap. The pair was about to leave the room when Justin started to whine in his sleep, a pained look crossing his face. "Must be having a nightmare or something about unjust people." Zelgadis commented. "He'll get over it. Hey, look. Val and Hiero are smiling wider. They must be having really spectacular dreams, Zel-sama," Lina cooed, kissing her blushing husband on the cheek," Maybe the next town over we can have some good dreams of our own….coming true again."

Her suggestive wink was enough to make Zel turn bright red before ushering her out of the room, ignoring the sleepy cry for help that came out of Justin's mouth.

To Be Continued….