Warnings: Limey stuff, Sap, Sequel

Disclaimer: I do not have the ownership rights to any of it!

With Pride

By Xellas M.

One year had passed since Zelgadis had woken up to an empty room. With satisfaction, he sipped his coffee and considered the progress he had made in his search for Xellos, the Mazoku trickster priest who had somehow managed to capture his heart. From time to time he would reach down to toy with the small crystal vial hanging from his neck as he remembered.

The first few weeks had been the hardest. Zelgadis had wandered from village to village trying to get information from increasingly suspicious townsfolk. Finally, after one particularly difficult day Zelgadis had sat in the common room of a run-down inn drinking something foul-tasting but much stronger than his normal brew in an attempt to get to sleep that evening without reliving the sensation of Xellos' warm arms holding him. He no longer used the mask or hood to try to hide his appearance. After all, it was just possible that one day Xellos would frequent this place and hear stories of the odd-looking man who was searching for him. He set his mug down, creating another ring on the stained and dirty bar. Drunk and depressed, Zelgadis certainly was not expecting the flash of intuition that had suddenly gripped him.

Looking around randomly was never going to work. Chances were too good that Xellos was on another plane entirely. But Xellos was a Mazoku and all Mazoku, no matter how powerful they are, can be Summoned.

The very next morning, Zelgadis set out for Zotar, the famous school of Sorcery, the art of summoning and controlling otherworldly creatures. His own magic was shamanistic in nature, but if Sylphiel could learn the Dragon Slave, then Zelgadis could and would learn the spell required to summon a certain very special high-ranking Mazoku.

Gaining access to the school and the school's library had not proved too much of a problem. Locating the necessary information was more difficult. Apparently Xellos and his mistress Xellas were even more of an enigma to sorcerers than they were to the average spellcaster. Unfortunately, Zelgadis had let slip the fact that he had met Xellos before becoming aware of this fact and had ended up spending several uncomfortable months plagued by curious scholars asking too many questions. He knew they meant no harm but it meant constant prodding and poking at a wound Zelgadis could only heal if his mission were successful. Fighting to keep his temper, Zel answered their questions as seldom as possible by downplaying the amount of time he had spent in the Mazoku priest's company.

In the end it had paid off. One of the most obnoxious of the pests had sat next to Zelgadis in the library one afternoon and started the usual endless round of questions, referring often to a very old and tattered book which looked to have dated all the way back to the War of the Monster's Fall. Zel managed to steal the book late one evening for a better look and in it he found the spell that would summon his beloved.

It was another month before Zelgadis understood the principles of the strange spell well enough to have confidence to cast it. Special components would be required. Most were easy to obtain, but the summoning circle could only be drawn with the blood of a Ryzozuku and a certain special sacrifice would be required. There was one further problem. Zelgadis, while a very powerful magic-user in his own right, had nowhere near the magical capacity required to perform the spell.

Zelgadis took matters one at a time. He was able to obtain the Ryzozuku blood by traveling to Sairaag. The city had finally been rebuilt, but the evil things that had happened there had given the place a bad reputation. The blood had been available for a great price from an evil mage who had kept a quantity in hopes that it would be the key to an immortality serum.

He next obtained his sacrifice by traveling to Atlas City. Although relatively easy to obtain, the difficulty lay in keeping the specimen healthy until needed. He solved the problem by having it placed in stasis, to be kept until it was required.

Zelgadis took another sip of his coffee. Part of his mind enjoyed the exotic brew while the rest contemplated the final and most difficult task that still lay before him. There was only one person he knew with the power necessary to cast the spell and Lina Inverse was going to be difficult to convince. He considered lying to the sorceress about his motives but decided against it. If he hadn't denied his feelings for the Mazoku earlier, he would not have needed to go through so much just to see him again. Even once the spell was cast, it still remained to be seen if Xellos would speak to him after the way Zelgadis had treated him the one night they had spent together.

One thing at a time, he reminded himself sternly. How would Lina react when he told her he was in love with Xellos? Xellos, who had once offered Lina's life to Valgaav. Would she call him a fool, tell him to use his cure and leave well enough alone? Would she be disgusted and lose all respect for him? She had teased Gourry unmercifully when Gourry had attracted the attentions of a normal, human male - would she see him now as a freak on the inside as well as on the outside? Stick him in a dress again? Worst of all, would she refuse to help?

Tracking the redheaded sorceress and her blond mercenary companion had proved easy. They had left their usual wake of crispy bandits and empty restaurants behind them as they'd traveled. Zelgadis figured he would catch up with them by noon the next day. Time enough to worry about how he could ever approach her on this subject then. Zel paid his bill and went up to his room but sleep did not find him until much, much later.

True to his prediction, he ran into Lina and Gourry late the next morning. The two had stopped by the roadside and were fighting over a very squashed roast beef sandwich when Zel came into view. Gourry, surprised at the sight of their long-absent companion, dropped his half of the sandwich. While Lina was happily gobbling it down, he raised one arm and greeted Zelgadis with his open, warm smile. "Zel! It's me, Gourry!"

Zel returned his smile briefly. Gourry in his simple naivete never changed. "Hello, Gourry. Hello, Lina." he said as he reached their campsite and sat down comfortably.

Lina quickly finished chewing the last of the sandwich. "Hi, Zel! Great to see you!" She looked down the path Zelgadis had come by. "Is Amelia with you?"

Zel shook his head. This was definitely going to be difficult. He decided to buy himself a bit of time to strategize before coming to the point. "No. As it happens I'm on my way to the next town. I hear they have a four-star Seyruun style restaurant there. Care to join me? My treat!"

He had said the magic words. Lina and Gourry simply looked at him and nodded, stars in their eyes. Zelgadis wondered if anyone had ever spent more gold to delay a difficult task…

Finally, very late that evening the three friends sat in the wreck of what had once been a beautiful restaurant. The staff had given up on ever being able to close, so they simply went home once the bill had been settled, leaving the adventurers relaxing at the table. There was nothing left of value in the place anyway.

Lina was resting back in her chair, her small stomach distended to hold the amazing quantities of food she had consumed. Gourry was only barely awake, listening to the after dinner conversation with minimal comprehension. It had been a pleasant afternoon. Lina and Gourry had caught Zelgadis up on their exploits since Dark Star's defeat, which mostly centered on searching for a new magical sword for Gourry. From the sounds of things, life had been relatively peaceful if a little boring for his friends.

Finishing her chat, Lina suddenly looked over at Zelgadis. "OK, we have full stomachs now and our minds are clear." She paused, glanced at the oblivious Gourry and continued, "Well, as clear as they ever get anyway. What is on your mind, Zel? You've been unusually quiet, even for you. Are you in trouble?" Lina almost, but not quite, managed to keep a hopeful tone from creeping into her voice.

It was now or never. Zelgadis suddenly realized that these two were the closest thing he had to family and that it was entirely possible he was about to lose them both forever. But to get Xellos back he was willing to risk everything. Not daring to look up, Zel removed the crystal vial from around his neck and placed it on the table. "I found the cure I was searching for," he began. "But if I take it, I will lose something much more important. Xellos gave it to me and disappeared. He left a note explaining that once I become human we can't be together and - and I love him. He is gone and I need your help to find him again."

Silence. Zelgadis felt his face burning. Finally, he dared a glance upward to see how bad the initial reaction was. Gourry had fallen asleep, but Lina was managing a fairly good impression of Noonsa. That didn't bode well; Zelgadis looked down again, trying to brace himself against the upcoming tirade. He didn't have long to wait. Lina picked up a plate from the table and hit him over the head with it, causing virtually no damage to Zelgadis' head but effectively shattering the plate. Fortunately for Lina, the meal had been a large one and there was quite a stack of crockery in front of her.

The crashing of the breaking dishes woke Gourry up "Zel, why is Lina hitting you? You didn't mention how small her breasts are or anything like that, did you?"

The last dish went over Gourry's head. Fortunately, there wasn't much there for the doomed plate to damage. "Zelgadis just said that he is in love with Xellos. He is giving up his cure, the thing he wants most in the world, so they can be together." explained Lina bluntly.

"Congratulations!" said Gourry, smiling. "So why were you hitting him?"

"That was on behalf of Amelia and all the fangirls out there who are going to be heartbroken when this gets out." replied Lina. "Seriously, Zel, are you sure this is what you want?"

Zelgadis forced himself to meet the sorceress' eyes. "Yes."

Shining hearts appeared in Lina's ruby eyes. "Then it will be a privilege to help! Don't worry, Zel-chan. True love never runs smoothly but now that Lina Inverse is on the case you have nothing to fear!" Lina ended her speech standing cupid-like on her chair, an imaginary arrow ready to fly.

"Now you sound just like Amelia." Zelgadis remarked, but he couldn't help smiling. He should have trusted his friends to come through for him. Given his past, it was a difficult lesson to learn but definitely worth it. He still felt awkward and a little bit exposed but that would take care of itself with time.

Lina sweatdropped and sat back down. "What is it you need us to do?" she asked.

Zelgadis explained.

Early the next morning the three sought out an old, unused barn outside of town. They spent the day making preparations, clearing a space on the floor and carefully painting the elaborate magickal circle. Gourry spent most of the day outside napping, stopping in only once and making a beeline for a delicious looking fruitcake sitting on a small table in the center of the room.

"STOP!!!" cried Zelgadis, diving for the cake. "You can't eat the sacrifice!"

"Sacrifice? What is that? It looks more like a fruitcake to me, but if you say so…"

Zelgadis barely managed to dive between Gourry's gaping jaws to rescue the one-of-a-kind Atlas City's own Scoritino's Bakery's famous fruitcake before it was too late. "Look," he growled, "to summon a Mazoku you need to have a sacrifice. The type of sacrifice is dependent on the Mazoku in question. Can you think of anything more fitting for Xellos?"

Lina looked up from painting the circle and saw Zelgadis gazing affectionately at a fruitcake. 'And here I was just thinking it was about time -I- got laid!' she remarked to herself before returning to her task.

Finally, everything was ready. Black and purple candles had been lit, dusk was approaching and the mood was right. Gourry stood guard at the door as Lina and Zelgadis positioned themselves in the center of a second protective circle drawn in salt before the elaborate Summoning Circle. The Ryzozuku blood gleamed in the firelight. Zelgadis stepped up to recite the spell:

Keeper of secrets

Wandering lonely midnight paths

Eyes of purple fire

I pledge my life that he may be called forth!

Once completed, he transferred the focus of the magical energy to Lina. Purple lightening began to shoot upwards from the center of the larger circle. Wind spiraled through the old barn, blowing out a few chunks of wall from the inside. A large psychic pressure began to fill the room, expanding and making the tears in the walls even larger. Just when it seemed the old structure would completely break down, the flow of wind, pressure and lighting reversed itself and began to centralize in the Summoning Circle, which was now glowing a bright shade of purple. The delicious looking fruitcake burst into flames. Gourry left his post in an attempt to lunge to save it but was thrown back to the doorway by an energy shield that had sprung up on the outer edge of the Circle.

Lina dropped to her knees, her energy reserves dwindling. Fortunately, at that moment the commotion died down and with a soft -Pop!- a figure appeared in the Circle.

It was Xellos and he did NOT look pleased. His violet eyes were open and lethal. Neither Lina nor Zelgadis were visible from his position due to the flickering candlelight and Gourry wasn't more than a shapeless mass collapsed on the floor in front of the doorway. Black power began gathering at the base of the Priest's red-jeweled staff.

Zelgadis quickly drew his hood, slipped his mask over his face and began speaking before it was too late. "Xellos, please. It's Zelgadis, and Lina and Gourry. I couldn't find you anywhere and I really wanted to speak with you." His heart was racing at the sight of his beloved.

"Then I suggest you get rid of this ridiculous trap before I do it myself." hissed the Mazoku. The gathered energy did not disappear, but at least it wasn't growing any larger.

Zelgadis helped Lina to her feet and nodded once. Lina tapped the ground and instantly the Circle stopped glowing. "I hope you know what you're doing, Zel." she whispered.

"So do I." he replied. "You and Gourry go someplace safe now. We will work this out."

Looking over her shoulder repeatedly, Lina left, kicking Gourry awake on the way out. Of course, not wanting to leave their friend in possible danger, they knelt outside one of the many new windows that had been torn from the walls to keep an eye on their friend…

As soon as Lina was safely gone, Zelgadis narrowed his eyes and approached the trickster priest. "You lied to me, Mazoku." he growled, then entered the candlelit area. Slowly he pulled back his hood and removed his mask.

This sight of Zelgadis' still-chimerical features rendered Xellos speechless for the first time in centuries. "The cure didn't work? But that's impossible!" he finally managed to gasp out when he'd recovered.

Zelgadis held out a rather large book in one hand while pulling the never-opened vial from underneath his shirt. Still managing to keep a stern face, he waved the book at Xellos. "Mazoku, you promised me that you'd have me in every way imaginable. According to this book alone, there are hundreds of positions. By my careful count we only managed seven…well, seven and a half."

The smile that then crossed the beautiful chimera's face completely stole Xellos' breath. He had not allowed himself to hope to ever even see Zelgadis again. Hope could steal away a Mazoku's pride and Xellos' pride had taken enough of a beating on their last encounter. He had hidden his too-expressive eyes from the chimera the entire time they'd made love, not willing to let Zelgadis see the pain the chimera's whispered declaration of hatred had caused. Unwilling to believe, Xellos remained silent.

The smile left Zelgadis' face as he set the book down on the little table. Standing completely straight, he approached the stunned Mazoku and gently held his soft face with stony hands. "Xellos, I love you. I am very sorry that I hurt you. I will do anything to make it better. Just please never leave me again!" Zelgadis' voice was firm and completely unashamed.

Slowly, Xellos opened his eyes and met Zelgadis' gaze. For a few heartbeats nothing else in the world existed. Then a coy smile snaked across the Mazoku's face. He leaned in to Zelgadis' pointed ear and whispered "Anything?"

The two eavesdroppers outside heard nothing for quite awhile, but the what they finally did hear were enough to make Lina blush crimson:

-Slap!- "That's for being mean to me."

-Slap!- "That one is for hogging the blankets - "

"I NEVER hogged the blankets!" Zel's voice sounded rather muffled.

-Slap!- "That's for arguing."

Silence.

"Good. Now where were we? Oh, yes…"

-Slap!- "Don't you ever…"

-Slap!- "Ever…"

-Slap!- "EVER…"

-Slap!- "Cast a summoning spell on me again!!!"

"Hai, Xellos-sama."

Silently, Lina and Gourry crept away.