Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Word of Subjugation ❯ Part five: Reactions ( Chapter 5 )

Word of Subjugation, chapter 5: Reactions

by Tsutsuji

Fandom: Slayers

Pairing: Xelloss x Zelgadis

Rating: Mature. yaoi, mind-control, non-con, some violence. not beta'd.

Date Written: 3/8-15/09 EDITED few lines added or changed, 4/4/09

Word count, chapter 5: around 2500

Summary: Xelloss is reminded that being on top doesn't necessarily mean being in control, and denial doesn't change reality. Zelas has her own opinions about the matter.

 

Chapter 5: Reactions

 

Xelloss could not believe it. Refused to believe it, with all his considerable strength of will and spirit. That refusal did nothing to keep the spell from dragging him under Zelgadis' control again and turning his beautiful attack into an embrace.

 

Hardly comprehending what was happening to him, Xelloss felt his physical form respond with a hot rush of desire when Zelgadis moved under him. The chimera's body drew him in with a maddeningly slow, controlled reversal of his own violent thrusts, and then pressed forward again to caress his palm with a swiftly hardening erection. Flesh that Xelloss had been fully prepared to rip to shreds a moment ago was now a pleasure sliding across his cupped hand, simply because Zelgadis meant it to be.

 

When Zelgadis moved back against him again and tightened around him, Xelloss was forced to react, knowing that the chimera intended him to. But even as his body responded to both the intent and the order from Zelgadis' lips, he roared with fury inside.

 

This could not be!

 

If only he had not amused himself for so long by learning this chimera's heart and mind, what pleased him, even his unspoken desires, so that he knew exactly what to do to bring the stone-clad body to the height of pleasure, Xelloss thought; then maybe his will would not be so easily subsumed by this curse. Maybe then he could, at the very least, do nothing at all. But since he did know, he had no choice but to caress Zelgadis' rough skin with sensual fingertips, and to press himself against the arching, pebble-studded back and to move exactly as Zelgadis wished him to. He had no choice but to let physical desire build in his own shell of a body, as if Zelgadis' moans gave him as much pleasure as his screams of pain had provided, as if the hard body writhing under his was as stimulating as its panic-ridden struggles had been.

 

And, maybe, Xelloss thought, if he hadn't waited so long to make up his mind to attack the wandering sorcerer even after he'd healed from Zelas-sama's attempt to excise the spell, maybe Zelgadis would not have become so desperate for his touch again, and so near mad with guilt, fear, and lack of sleep that he hardly knew or cared what he did. With none of his usual reluctance, none of the delicious shame the chimera usually felt when needy desire overtook him, Zelgadis pleaded with Xelloss to keep moving inside him, deeper and harder, pleaded for more just as Xelloss had enticed him to so many times - but this time, under the power of the spell, those same pleas carried the power of commands that Xelloss could not refuse to follow.

 

The word of power fell from Zelgadis' lips over and over, almost with each gasp, and even if it was nearly mindless now, it was still more than enough to keep the spell in force. Xelloss soon gave up hope that Zelgadis would slip and forget to speak it as long as he was in the grip of passion like this, and he had no chance to silence him. Even when he reached forward to touch Zelgadis' lips and dip his fingers inside the chimera's mouth, it was only because he had learned from his seduction how hotly Zelgadis' arousal was inflamed by this stimulation, especially when Xelloss was already moving inside of him. The power of the Word of Subjugation still washed over him, simply another part of the hot, panting breath and lips and tongue that sucked greedily on his fingers.

 

It was a strange parody of all his past manipulation for him to bring Zelgadis to climax first, which he had done so often in the past as proof of his control. Only after Zelgadis was spent - still muttering the cursed Word in the daze that followed - did he follow with his own climax. Zelgadis trembled on hands and knees, his head drooping so low that his hair scraped lines in the damp sand, while Xelloss clung to his back, his final thrusts quick and nearly desperate. He groaned out loud against Zelgadis' shoulder as his pent up energy was finally released, not in the rage he'd intended it to be but in waves of sensual pleasure.

 

And then there was nothing to do but wait for Zelgadis to dive into the pit of shame and horror at himself, and to send him away again.

 

They fell onto the ground together, Xelloss with his arms around Zelgadis, holding him close and sprawling half on top of him, still inside him, on the cold sand. Water gurgled softly at the shore of the lake nearby, the night wind whispered in the grass and through the trees behind them; soft sounds that mingled with the sound of Zelgadis's breath, still muttering the Word of power as he gradually slowed to normal breathing.

 

With has face pressed to the back of Zelgadis' neck and shoulder, nuzzling into the wiry strands of his hair, Xelloss waited. He couldn't see the chimera's face, so he was spared the sight of the triumphant smirk that might be there. Zelgadis was limp, utterly relaxed, practically melted into the ground, like stone dissolving into sand.

 

Absently, Xelloss counted a dozen of Zelgadis' breaths slowing back to normal, and listened for the words of dismissal that would release him at least to the astral plane. There, at least, he would be out of reach of the spell's renewal, and out of reach of the distracting knowledge of what Zelgadis wanted. Even if it was unspoken, this was the one certain thing Xelloss had made sure never to give him: to be held like this, afterward. This was exactly the moment when Xelloss always abandoned him, flinging him back to his usual solitary, unloved existence.

 

This time, he would happily settle for being sent away on a wave of shame instead. Instead, he was compelled to stay this way until Zelgadis commanded differently, or until the power of the Word faded.

 

At least the sorcerer had stopped repeating it incessantly. Xelloss wasn't sure when he had last heard it muttered, now, or even how much time had passed. Why did it seem to be lasting so much longer now? Had the sorcerer somehow increased the power and duration of the spell?

 

He lifted his head to glare down at Zelgadis, and heard the beads of the rosary rattle as he moved - and only then realized that he had moved on his own. The spell...

 

Xelloss froze, immobilized by shock as completely as he'd been at first by Zelgadis' spell, eyes wide as he stared down at the calm face and closed eyes. The exhausted sorcerer had succumbed to sleep in his arms, limp, oblivious, and silent. The seal of the spell still hung around him, but the power of the Word of Subjugation had already dissipated; he was free to move. He hadn't even noticed.

 

Fury replaced horror in a rush of power returning to his limbs. Xelloss pulled away and rose up onto his hands and knees over the sleeping body. He leaned forward again, one hand raised above Zelgadis' head.

 

Silvery lashes fluttered against the stone chips around Zelgadis' eyes. The chimera opened his eyes, turned his head slightly, and gazed straight up at Xelloss. His lips parted, and Xelloss suddenly knew that this time, he would not tell him to go, but to stay.

 

Horrified, Xelloss let his physical body dissolve and fled to the astral realm.

 

____

 

Zelas paused in her stroll along the island's edge when she sensed Xelloss nearby. The sweet tang of a mazoku in pain came to her, and she realized he must have managed to get himself injured again. Usually she let him nurse his wounds alone and quietly enjoyed his agony until he was ready to amuse her with his excuses, but she hadn't sent him on any missions that should have led to him getting injured. But he definitely seemed to be in pain, and considering the unexpected power of that spell he'd managed to get himself ensnared in, she decided she'd better see what kind of trouble he'd brought on himself this time.

 

She found him among the stones on the quiet, barren side of her domain. A shadow in human form, crouched among the blacker shadows there, Xelloss huddled on hands and knees, muttering to himself. One hand clutched at the charmed rosary around his throat, the other scrabbled in the jagged slate shards underneath him on the ground.

 

He had been trying to remove the rosary again, she realized. Apparently he'd been working at it for some time before she noticed him, and with his own claws he had gouged his throat and shoulders nearly as deeply as she did earlier.

 

She shook her head, but watched him quietly for a minute. He'd given up scrabbling at it for now, and muttered to himself in a petulant, puzzled voice, as if finding that force didn't work, he thought he might be able to reason his way out of the spell instead.

 

"Why can't I take hold of this thing?" he whined, clutching at the air this time. He was reaching for the thread of the spell on the astral side, and missing it completely. "I feel the weight of it; why can't I touch it, like I can touch it - here?"

 

His fingertips glanced off the rosary beads as if the touch stung his hand. On the physical plane, the rosary existed as shining dark onyx beads and dragon's teeth, strung on a silver wire around Xelloss' throat, untouched by the darkness that oozed from the wounds he'd given himself. Zelas could see the magical strand just as clearly where it had melded into his astral body. She had touched it earlier, but she wasn't surprised that Xelloss seemed to not be able to.

 

She felt an urge to laugh at him, partly in relief when she saw that the damage was not serious after all, and clearly not from any actual attack by Zelgadis - that would have complicated matters for her considerably. But she decided to hide her amusement; her poor priest was so confused already! Besides, he so clearly expected her anger, which he also deserved. She stepped forward and gave it to him.

 

He looked up, startled, so caught up in his own misery that he hadn't noticed her until now. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to face her, and as soon as his eyes widened in surprise, fully focused on her, she slapped him hard. He fell back to his knees, his head snapped to the side and his dark hair whipping across his reddened face.

 

In spite of her anger and amusement, Zelas kept her voice cool and calm when she spoke.

 

"I have not given you permission to do harm to yourself, have I, Xelloss-san?" she said.

 

"No, of course not," he answered, with a little gasp as if he suddenly realized what he'd done to himself and how it reflected on her. He hung his head, finally with all of his attention on her instead of on his own little bout of misery.

 

"Forgive me, Juuou-sama," he said, his voice deep with the proper note of respect. His hair hung over his face, hiding his eyes from her, but that also allowed her to smile without him noticing.

 

"I thought I made it clear that this spell cannot be removed in this way," she said curtly, drawing her mouth back into a disapproving frown. "Aside from the inconvenience of having you bound to this human's life, there is nothing else wrong with you, is there?"

 

"Inconvenience!" he said; he raised his head a little and blinked in surprise.

 

He was obviously shocked that she thought that's all it was, merely an inconvenience to himself and to her. Well, it was a little more than that, but he needed to be reminded that it had certainly not Ruined him yet, at any rate.

 

She watched his face as he frowned, obviously considering whether to argue with her - and deciding against it. If he took stock of himself, he would see that she was right. There was nothing else wrong with him. Without the chimera to activate it, the spell merely remained in place around him, no more of a hindrance to his abilities than the necklace that represented it was to his movement.

 

"You're quite right, Mistress," he said after a moment. He almost managed to hide the quiver of doubt in his voice. "I've allowed myself to become distracted by this matter far too deeply. I'm sure that, in time, you'll find a way to remove it from me, anyway..."

 

He couldn't completely disguise the question that he didn't dare ask outright: had she found out any more about the spell, anything that would allow her to remove it? She smiled down at him where he crouched in front of her, and he tilted his head to glance up at her. Knowing that she saw right through him, he risked a sheepish grin.

 

She decided she might as well indulge his curiosity a little, as much as she could for now. She had learned a great deal, even in the last few minutes, but very little that Xelloss needed to hear.

 

"I know much more about it than I did at first," she said. "I still need to confirm my theories about certain aspects of the spell. It is - unique, I believe. But then, Xelloss, I made you unique as well," she added, finally letting some of her amusement show. "I'm sure only my impulsive priest could get himself into such a compromising situation!"

 

Blushing like a human caught naked in public, Xelloss laughed awkwardly, then caught himself and winced when his movement reminded him of the gashes in his physical body.

 

"Go and heal, again, Xelloss-san," she said dismissively. "And remember to report to me if you discover anything new about the spell, of course, when you see the chimera again," she added casually.

 

Xelloss' jaw dropped. Zelas had to turn away quickly, before he saw her laughing at him. She knew he didn't really need either a reminder or her permission to go back to Zelgadis again; he wouldn't be able to help himself, if she understood the spell correctly. He'd feel better if he had it, though, so she decided to indulge him after all.

 

She smiled as she walked away, while Xelloss stood up and brushed himself off, pulling both his tattered clothes and his thoughts together. Satisfied that he would not try to tear himself apart over this again, she decided she should keep a closer eye on him for awhile just the same, to see how this situation progressed.

 

There was also that other aspect of the spell that she still needed to check into - but that would require one of her rare visits to the human world. She was already looking forward to it. After hearing so much about this chimera-sorcerer, the Red Priest's grandson, it would certainly be interesting to finally meet him in person.

 

(to be continued)