Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers For the Future: The Prophecy of Inverse ❯ Mazuko Wrath….Everyone Wants Hiero ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "The Slayers."

Chapter 17

Mazuko Wrath….Everyone Wants Hiero

~ Wolf Pack Island ~

Xellas Metallium took a long draw from her cigarette, the soft tresses of her ivory dress. She was still processing Hiero's status in the world, the ties he'd kept so well hidden from her. Telepathy and his ties to her fellow lord Dynast Grausherra being the most recent and annoying. Finding out from Xellos after Luna was killed that the boy was incapable of dying was a slight shock. She wondered if total disintegration would be enough to wipe him off the face of the planet, but she'd have to try it later if he refused her again.

He'd grown very handsome and was as handsome as he had been a century ago, innocence surrounding his face, yet with the eyes of the Mazuko race, evil and good together in one perfect body. He was also harder to kill than a giant cockroach and even more stubborn than his father.

Her thoughts were jarred as she felt a Mazuko presence enter her throne room, but she made not effort to discontinue her lounging on her comfortable throne. She took another draw from her cigarette, tilting her head towards the Mazuko who'd just entered gingerly. "Deep Sea Dolphin….something? You know I don't like things coming in unannounced." Xellas asked dryly, her tone bored.

"Oh….I know….dog face. I know….but oh, I had a vision just now….about the Sapphire Chaos….oh, jewel of destruction, blue devil, such chaos….oh! Such power!" Deep Sea babbled out, near screeching out every word.

Xellas arched one fine eyebrow at the blue-haired Mazuko Lord. "Try breathing when you talk. It makes sentences sound less like the rambling of a child, Deep Sea. What was your vision?" Xellas asked.

"I saw the sapphire one's future….the power he will gain will make him an even match to our precious Lord of Nightmares. Oh, the coming of the King of Nightmares. Ah, he will rule chaos….shattering jewel of death, oh, dancing spirals of chaos and suffering. Delicious, delicious. I'm so full. We must harness his power when he will achieve his chaotic destiny with Shabranigdo….we must, oh yes, we must….can we?" Deep Sea uttering, tugging on her hair slightly like a fidgeting child, then twirling her fingers on them as she lolled her eyes around in their sockets dreamily.

Xellas snorted gently at her, puffing on her cigarette gently. "Yes….we can and we will. If he still means to challenge the Ruby-Eyed Lord of Mazuko, even now….we must see what we can do about this. To be as powerful as the Great One is a valuable asset, and to be the one's controlling it is even better. This world will be in utter damnation and chaos when we succeed," Xellas grinned ferally," But don't tell Dynast Grausherra, he was greedy and has control already over the boy. What the pretty Dynast doesn't know won't hurt us, agreed Deep Sea?"

"Yes, agreed for greed. Our greedy Dynast will not get a scrap of power….we'll get all the fun….all the precious pets….humans with collars, leashes on holidays. Oh weee, what a marvelous vacation of hell. Oh yes, marvelous mayhem." Deep Sea chirped, her expensive blue and shimmering dress twirling around as she did.

"I take that as an insane yes. Now go back to the Demon Sea with you, I have a lot to think about." Xellas said with such malicious sweetness, she got chills. Deep Sea didn't answer, but her presence was gone after a few minutes of silence.

"Xellos….we have our work cut out for us. What is the little Sapphire Chaos up to right now?" Xellas asked casually, the purple-haired general and priest stepping pleasantly out of the shadows with a big grin on his face. He opening his eyes slowly, the amethyst slits regarding his mistress thoughtfully.

"Other than pinching girls and humiliating Prince Justin Saillune, he's been taking after his mother heavily. Treasure seems to get his greed levels dangerously high….the only things that seem to bother him are Justin and myself, clinging more to his parents and Val as his….reason for living and behaving. The second his parents are out of his sights, he's as giddy as a Mazuko in an execution festival," Xellos replied cheerfully," Currently, they are robbing bandits near Adrena Village….that's close to where the Lost City is."

"Where the talisman of the Golden Demon can be activated, summoning Shabranigdo back into this world for keeps." It was a statement and she knew it, she's taken the Demon's blood talismans, bracelet, and Golden Demon Talisman from Lei Magnus when he was starting to lose during the Kouma Wars, all of which were in Inverse family hands, Lina and Hiero's to be precise. No force on the planet, not even Hiero's spell could have destroyed the talisman so easily. Only L-sama herself could destroy it. Hiero had most probably hidden the real talisman to avoid it being taken from him by his parents or Xellos. He was a crafty little bastard human, if he even was a real human.

"Yes, mistress Xellas. He will go there to resurrect our King, in an attempt to kill him. It is the best I can offer as a theory….he really never said why he wanted to do it, but he seems to want it badly enough, yet cherishes his parents and friends a great deal. If not for power and this world's destruction, perhaps fame and fortune? To be the one to destroy the Demon King would upset the balance of power between our race and others. He's a hard one to read, mistress." Xellos piped up.

"I know, little Xellos, I know. Telepathy gives him an edge most humans lack against us, and this undying thing of his puts a crimp in our plans to make him one of us. Just follow him wherever the little bundle of power goes….and do make sure his parents are around when he performs the resurrection. I want little Miss Inverse to see that chaos begets chaos. To see her son unsealing the most destructive force for his own desires will just break her heart. If we can't have Hiero, we can most certainly take in his distraught parents." Xellas crooned, grinning widely before snuffing out her cigarette with her bare fingers.

"As you wish, mistress. Off I go!" Xellos said merrily before vanishing completely.

~ Stylis Acres ~

- Talyn Inn Bathhouse -Hiero was grinning in his bath corner, his Mazuko eyes staring at the mirror like surface of the bath water. Val was a few feet away from him and Justin was sitting and looking nervous far across from the pair beside Zelgadis. It was Hiero's idea to take a break in Stylis Acres and with the promise of food and a bath, Lina was instantly hell bent on stopping there too. Zelgadis thought nothing of it, after all, he had his wife and son, alive and well. Xellos had not been seen since Hiero's return and Luna was dead. He didn't see any harm in stopping for the night. Sakura Village was still three days away, but there was nothing and no one to fight at the moment and he was no longer searching for a cure. There was really no harm in it all. He still didn't see any problems with relaxing in the warm bath the men of the group were given to clean up in. Still, things made him wonder. Hiero had finally taken his left-hand glove off only to reveal that hand was bandaged, very oddly indeed. His middle finger and ring finger were bandaged completely along with rest of his hand, save for his pinky, thumb, and pointer finger. Zel had wanted to question it, but Hiero was the first to race into the bathing room with Val and Justin in tow. That bothered him a little too. Justin had previously been hell bent on taking Hiero to justice, but was now tagging along with a nervous look on his face. At times he looked scared to death of Hiero. Hiero had stopped picking fights and pinching girls after they got the money from the treasure cave, either that or Hiero was doing it more discreetly. He looked over at his son, who was still keeping both hands on the rim of the bath. He was smiling still, not really looking at anything but a few feet in front of him right at the water. It didn't make a lot of sense, but then again, sometimes Hiero didn't make any sense either. "Hiero?" Zelgadis finally piped up, his son's angelic face lifting up gently. The grin was small now, eyes curious and shimmering. "Yeah, Dad?" he asked quietly. "What are you grinning about? You've been staring at the water ever since we got in here." Zelgadis replied, the grin fading from his face. "Why are you staring at me?" Hiero asked politely, his eyes never wavering from his father's face. "I'm your father, I'm allowed to stare at you if you worry me. Now what is so damn amusing about the water?" Zelgadis repeated, trying to maintain his patience. Hiero was fond of answering questions with more questions, trying to make the asker feel guilty or to forget the subject at hand. It wasn't working on Zelgadis this time. "Don't make me come over there. This isn't the best place to be seen to be disciplined. I'm still your father." Zel said calmly, seeing the agreement in his son's eyes. "Hmm, you're just saying that cause I disobeyed you and Mom so much. Ah well….its nothing to get all pissed off about. I was just thinking about Mom. She always asked you to and the others to stop so she could eat and bathe. Your look of tolerance must have been a gift when Mom managed to get you to stop." Hiero said lazily, then blinked slight, his look pensive. "How would you know how I looked when she did that? For that matter, how would you know Lina even made us all stop for those things. We never discussed our past with you." Zelgadis said slowly, his eyes narrowing at Hiero. His son looked a little nervous for a moment, then he gave an apologetic shrug. "You both talk in your sleep. I have your hearing, remember, I could hear a fly land on the roof if I was concentrating hard enough. That and all that moaning you two did after you found us….got real loud….OW!" Hiero was saying, cut off by his father yanking on his ear and covering up his mouth. Zelgadis and Hiero were both pretty fast, but while Hiero was more addicted to shooting his mouth off and teasing than paying attention to the actions of comrades. "OK, I believe you, just stop that. What happens in our bedroom is none of your business. I can't believe you used your hearing to hear all that." Zelgadis shushed, his face beet red as he continued to hold Hiero's ear and mouth. He was waist deep in water, kneeling, while Hiero was in up to his chest. He wasn't nodding, but that was due to the intense pressure of Zel's stone hands on Hiero's soft skin. Zelgadis quickly pulled his hands away, watching guiltily as his son rubbed his sore ear and slightly bruised mouth. "Yeah….sure…..next time don't bug me with silly questions. What I'm thinking is my own damn business, Dad. Ich….that's hard." Hiero mumbled, shaking his head, his sapphire locks billowing gracefully about his head. Zelgadis just went back to where he had been bathing before and sat back down to soak. He looked back at Hiero and found him leaning his head back on the rim of the bath, his elbows propped there too. Val looked a little relieved that the squabble was over and when his gaze reached Justin, he looked rather upset. Why, Zel didn't know and didn't care. The silence was short lived as loud female scream ripped through the air. "Mom?" Hiero gasped, his head straightened up. "LINA!?" Zelgadis balked, tearing out of the water and grabbing a towel before racing after the scream. He barely managed to get it around his waist by the time he left the room and the second scream rang out, nearly deafening his sensitive ears. He reached the women's bath section after five screams passed through the inn, women that were peering out of their bathing rooms shooting back inside when they saw the blue-skinned man race by. Zel sniffed at the air and listened for more screams, Lina's intoxicating scent littered with cold fear. He swung the door it was coming from open….and his jaw dropped. He had expected to see bandits or trolls chasing Lina and Filia around. He expected something worse, but he never ever expected to see a stark naked Lina hiding hanging from the rafters with a toweled Filia, Tail sticking out the bottom of it, trying to calm her down and get her to get out of the rafters. Still, Lina looked scared out of her wits, eyes wide with fear, panting and babbling incoherently. "Please Lina, it's not going to come over here. Please come down….Oh, Zelgadis! Help me get her to come down. She thinks that thing will crawl off just to get her." Filia said evenly. Zelgadis was puzzled, but approached Filia anyway to look up at his frightened wife. He couldn't understand what she was saying. "What thing is she so scared of? You're the only person in this room, so where is the thing she's afraid of." Zelgadis asked, hurt washing over his eyes at the very sight of seeing his wife so scared. He'd never seen her scared, never in his entire life had she been so petrified. "It's on the inner part of the door. Its gross and all, but when Lina saw it, she went crazy." Filia replied, reaching for Lina with one hand and pointed at the door with the other. Zelgadis shrugged and began shutting the door only halfway to see this terrifying thing. He grimaced upon seeing it was juicy, bulbous slug, squirming around slightly as it tried to crawl slowly down the door. "A slug? She panicked over this little thing?" Zelgadis said with great disbelief, grabbing the slimy creature's rear end, or so he hoped it was, and pulled it slowly off the door. The moment he lifted it up to the level of his eyes Lina started screaming and speaking a mile a minute. "Ihateslugs. Ihateslugs.Nogetitaway, getitaway. Ahgods, Ihatethem, don'tleave mewiththatthing. Ihate'em.Ihate'em.Ihate'em. Don'tleavemewiththeslug. Godsgodsgods,no! NONONONONO!!!!" Lina began babbling at the slimy creature struggled for freedom of Zel's stone grip. Zel couldn't understand a word she was saying, but he didn't need to. She was looking at the slug as if it were Luna herself 10 times worse than before. He didn't get the chance to voice this fact as a fireball slammed into the writhing slug, turning it into a crispy little sliver of burnt flesh. Zelgadis didn't feel the brunt of the fireball like the slug did, but Lina had stopped looking scared. She looked very shocked, staring at where the door was. Zelgadis followed her gaze, still holding the dead creature between his fingers, finding Hiero with a towel securely about his waist and one hand aimed right at Zel. "What?" was all Zel could say, noticing his son looked rather pissed off at him. "Mother is deathly afraid of slug, Dad," Hiero snapped, moving closer to slap the remained out of Zel's hands," You saw it was scaring her and you didn't roast it yourself. Gods, how rude." Hiero walked right past him to help Filia get his mother out of the rafters. He was having a time doing it and trying to keep his towel secure about his slender hips. He was hugging his mother tenderly, as if protecting her from something, then glared at his father. 'Not this again, trying to blame someone for his mother's plight.' He thought, looking cross now. He'd done it for Zelgadis once or twice when people reacted badly to Zel's appearance, sticking to a good pat on the back while he stared the angry villagers down. "How could I have known? Your mother has never been scared of anything as long as I've known her, nothing physical anyway. Don't you pin this on me, how could I have known?" Zelgadis said defensively. "You would have if you hadn't been fooling around underwater when she was freaking out over a squad of slugs." His son muttered. In an instant, Hiero was in his mother's headlock, his Mazuko eyes bulging. His left hand was trying to get him out of the headlock while his right was holding on the towel. Zelgadis just stared, trying to take in the whole scene without laughing. Val shot past him, clothed, and was trying to yank Lina off of Hiero. "How did you know about that. I never told you about that day and I know Zel didn't. And don't tell me lucky guess, you weren't even born when that happened. Hiero, you'd better come clean! Or are you Xellos in disguise fooling with our minds!?" Lina growled, tightening her grip on Hiero's neck. "Its me....its me….Its Hiero….I….gag….I….can….gag….explain!" Hiero yelped, trying in vain to stop the headlock. "I TOLD HIM!" Val shouted, startling Lina so badly she dropped Hiero on his face. "You, how would you know?" Lina asked, her voice wary. "Xellos showed me when I was little….he teased and said it was happening to you at that moment. Mom came in and told me it was from the past, right after she whacked him with her mace. You remember that time, Mom? Right….?" Val said, but Filia looked dazed. ~ "Yeah….that's correct." Filia said emotionlessly, shaking her head bit afterwards. "Well, Filia wouldn't lie….ok….damn you Xellos. How many other things did he show Val about us? I'm going to Dragu Slave his but to the next universe if he shows his grinning face around here anytime soon." Lina said crossly. Hiero lifted himself up then looked at his mother and the rest of the bathing room. Everyone had a towel on but his mother. He shut his eyes swiftly. "Why are you doing that?" his mother asked. "Look around, mother. You lack something we all have on." He replied quietly. After a few minutes, he heard a startled yelp, then the rustling of fabric. 'Bet her hair matches her face again. Still, that was a close one. I have to learn to keep my mouth shut when it really counts.' He thought sullenly. He really would rather think about scolding himself than seeing his mother naked. True he'd seen her like that when he was a bay being bathed or breast fed, but he thought of her as a true mother. Anything else he would hate himself for. Its all he really felt for her as he got older, Lina Inverse was his mother, better than the first one that made him what he was with her own vanity. "Hiero, open your eyes. I've got my clothes on." His mother grumbled, bopping him on the head. He opened his eyes as he got up, following his father and Val out the door in a steady retreat. ~ Hiero and Val's Room ~ Thanks for saving my ass today. I should have been more careful." Hiero said quietly, tossing little balls of parchment at the wall. Val was in the next bed over, his arms behind his head on the pillow as he watch Hiero. "Your dream invasion is to blame. You seem to forget that they didn't tell you anything about their past. You only blurt stuff out like that when something is troubling you. Like you'd blurt things about what's in your mother's underwear draw and under their bed after Xellos molested you. What's wrong, Hiero?" Val asked. "Something I've been waiting for, for a very long time. You have to promise though, that you won't tell anyone about this….please. I don't want this screwed up or….I'd hate to think what would happen to all of you if I fail." Hiero said, still in a low tone. Val sat up at his words, a look of concern crossing his slim features. "Fail us? Stop talking weird and tell me straight out. What's wrong?" Val asked. Hiero replied by getting off his bed and sitting in front of Val. Then he held out his ungloved hand. "I don't want Xellos to know. He can't enter the astral plane unless he drags me in with him. He can't go in if I do this. Take my hand, Val." Val stared at it a moment. "More telepathy….so we have to be asleep….or what?" Val asked quietly. Hiero shrugged. "Doesn't always have to be that way. I write my own rules. I can't tell you everything….since this is a risky time for this. My parents or Aunt Filia could walk in us and see me using it. Hell, using it to control your mother for as brief moment was almost suicide for me if anyone was looking at me. Just give me your hand and shut your eyes." Hiero sighed. Val made an uneasy groan in his throat, but took Hiero's hand gingerly afterwards and closed his eyes slowly. Hiero kept one eye open, just in case someone decided to barge in on them. 'Now Val….I can't tell you everything….but I was told my destiny when I was very young….to seal Shabranigdo permanently. Not only that, I was to have control of him as well, so I could protect you all from his remaining lords.' Hiero telepathed into Val's head. 'Who the hell told of this destiny? Why does it have to be you? You can't destroy Shabranigdo again after….the talisman…..was destroyed….Damn you, Hiero, you lied to us again, didn't you!?' Val snapped back. Hiero gave him a good mental shock to stop Val's words, being extra careful not to harm his mind. "Val, I can't tell you that yet, but I will as soon as I vanquish Shabranigdo. I know I've lied a lot, but I did it to protect you all from my destiny. I don't want another world to die because of me….hell no. If I don't tell you, you can slay me all you want. I don't care, I just don't want to see anymore people that I care about die. I'm sick to death of it. I won't let it happen again….I won't let Xellos ruin it by finding this out either. If he and Xellas knew the talisman was still around, they kidnap the lot of you to make me resurrect Shabranigdo to destroy this world. It has to be our secret until the last moment. I need you, Val, desperately, to help me.' Hiero telepathed back with great earnest in his voice. Val was silent for a long while, only the echoes within their minds of nothingness filling the astral plane. 'I'll help you….if the fate of the world depends on this. We all live in this world, so it would be stupid not to try and preserve it. But….what do you mean by another world being destroyed? You were born here….how….oh.' Val thought quietly, then Hiero squeezed his hand. 'No more questions….that's all I'll tell you. Just….when I ask you, come with me and make sure you leave a note telling the others where to find us….in the Lost City to the northwest of this village. Understand?' Hiero said crisply. ~ 'All right. We'll do it your way….for now.' Val thought, the astral plane shoving his mind back into reality roughly, hard enough to knock him backwards on the bed. He blinked a moment, then his vision settled on Hiero's boots aimed at the ceiling. The sapphire-haired youth had fallen off the foot of the bed. 'I must have shoved him when my mind came back. Hiero, so many secrets and we're only a year apart in age. I just don't understand you anymore….but maybe soon I will. I wonder what's so important that you can't even tell me….your best friend. Hiero….' Val mused, sliding off the bed to head for his friend. Hiero was asleep on the floor, a dull look of peaceful slumber glittering on his face. Val and Hiero had always been considered very beautiful men, as Hiero's father was as well. Hiero looked very angelic for a man and Val had always considered himself to look more rugged that the Hiero and Uncle Zelgadis. His scars set him apart from Hiero, not his uncle. Hiero had been the one without blemish, without marks or injuries people noticed. Val had considered Hiero once to be perfect, but Hiero had gotten angry when Val said it. "No one's perfect, especially not me. Its not because I am blind….its because I'm me. Never call me perfect again, Val, please." Had been Hiero's exact words on the matter. He'd never understood why then, but now it was dawning on him. As Val lifted his sleeping friend up, walking him slowly to his bed, he knew the answer to his childhood question. 'His secrets….whatever they are….they must be why he thinks of himself as imperfect. I know it shouldn't matter….but if he was that vehement about it as a child, it must be more than he can bare. It must be killing him to have such secrets. I hope you'll tell me so you won't have to carry the burden alone. Like you said, friends to the end. We'll protect each other no matter what….even if we go straight to hell for it.' Val thought, setting Hiero body on the covers gently before going back to his own bed. He blew out the candle beside his bed and laid down, but his eyes couldn't stray from Hiero's sleeping form. "Friends to the end….I won't die on you….and you won't fail anyone. We'll always be friends, Hiero Greywords. Always." He whispered a pained smile fastened on his lips, moonlight bathing both young men's bodies as Val drifted off to sleep. To Be Continued….