Ancient Grudges Unravelled
Title: Ancient Grudges Unravelled
*
“I’d demand to know what you’re up to,” Zelgadis said, looking at Xelloss with narrowed eyes, “but I know that’d be pointless.” The mazoku had proved that again and again.
Xelloss gave him yet another of those infuriating smiles and settled down on the bed, among a huge pile of pillows. “Of course,” he readily agreed, leaning into the pillows.
Zelgadis snorted, sitting down on the chair by the desk. “And I'm sure you're not going to tell me why you decided to help me, either.” He was all too used to Xelloss and his secrets.
“Actually,” Xelloss said, pulling the clasps out of his braid, “That was mostly a spur of the moment.” He tugged at the braid, undoing it deftly. He didn't seem at all bothered by suddenly having so much longer hair than usual. Then again, he had mentioned once that he was jealous of Gourry's hair. Zelgadis had to grudgingly admit that the long hair suited Xelloss somehow. It made him look more imposing than usual. Less like the grinning fool he often acted as and more like the sinister mazoku priest Zelgadis knew him to be.
Zelgadis snorted and walked over to the fireplace. There was a full log basket next to it, so he busied himself lighting a fire. He didn't really freeze much any more, and he was pretty sure Xelloss didn't freeze either, but it gave him something constructive to do. Besides, it had been a while since he had to make a fire the normal way. Usually, they used a weak fire spell to light fires, or just cooked their food on the remains of whatever village or bandit hideout Lina had Dragonslaved into oblivion that day. Zelgadis was perfectly capable of going for a long time without using magic, but it did make things easier.
Still, it didn't take him all that long to build a fire, and he found himself rather heavily aware that he was alone in a room with Xelloss, which usually spelled trouble. He looked over at the mazoku, who was still curled up in his pile of pillows. Sighing, Zelgadis seated himself a nearby couch, which was surprisingly comfortable for having been carved out of rock.
“Tell me, Zelgadis-san,” Xelloss said, running a brush through his hair, “Is there something bothering you?” As usual, his voice was oh so pleasant, and as usual, it grated on Zelgadis' nerves.
Zelgadis rolled his eyes. “You mean except the part where not only have I been dragged into one of Lina's crazy plans, it also overlaps with one of your plans?” Lina was bad enough without mazoku involvement.
Xelloss chuckled to himself, putting the hairbrush away. He was still wearing the blindfold, and didn't seem to be planning to remove it any time soon. Of course, he probably didn't need his eyes to see. Zelgadis' knowledge of mazoku anatomy was a little rusty at best, and he didn't really want to think about it. Especially not while stuck in a room alone with Xelloss. He gave the fireplace a suspicious glance. There had to be something fishy about it, because the room was strangely hot for just being heated by a small fireplace.
“This is a good arrangement for you too, you know.”
Zelgadis jumped, wondering when Xelloss had moved over to the couch. Apparently, mazoku speed was not considered a magical ability. Xelloss, of course, just gave him his ever-present smile and tilted his head slightly, much like he'd done earlier, in an imitation of listening intently. Zelgadis had a sudden, childish urge to pull his hair. He refrained, though. Not only was it a silly and immature notion, but knowing Xelloss, he'd probably enjoy it.
He settled for glaring at him instead. “What do you mean by that?” There was a clear note of annoyance in his voice, but he didn't bother trying to hide it. Xelloss wouldn't care anyway. In fact, his annoyance was probably a bonus to the mazoku.
Xelloss chuckled again and leaned in closer, as though sharing one of his precious secrets. “Because,” he said, his voice soft, “As my bodyguard, you'll have free access to pretty much the entire complex, without violence or suspicion. If anyone asks, you can just say I sent you to do an errand.”
Zelgadis couldn't deny that Xelloss was right when he said that. He had more access to the entire city because he was considered one of the cult's own. It would probably be the right thing to do to actually thank the mazoku, but for one thing, he doubted Xelloss had helped him just to be friendly, and anyway, he didn't really think he could actually manage to give him a heartfelt thanks.
Still smiling to himself, as of some joke the rest of the world didn't get, Xelloss deftly undid the brooch holding Zelgadis' cape in place, nimble enough that Zelgadis didn't even notice until Xelloss replaced it with a brooch that was a twin to the one he himself wore.
“What...” Zelgadis blinked. The brooch felt heavier than his, even though it was wood and not metal. He touched it cautiously, feeling the smooth surface of the gem under his fingertips. It was warm to the touch, and for a moment, he could swear he felt it pulse. “What is this?”
Xelloss cocked his head at him again. “So they'll know you work for me, of course. I don't have the time to run around the entire city with you. I do have my own work here, you know.” He gave Zelgadis another of his smiles, but this one wasn't nearly as friendly-seeming as usual. Apparently, Xelloss was no more fond of the priests of this temple than Zelgadis, Lina and the others. Zelgadis was rather relieved to realize this. Even if Xelloss was annoying to have on their side, having him on the opposite side was far worse. If nothing else, Zelgadis respected the fact that Xelloss was immensely powerful.
When he was this close, Zelgadis could almost feel that power running under what passed for Xelloss' skin, and it fascinated him against his will. The mazoku were creatures of chaos and mayhem, as evil as anything, but even so, there was the fact that Xelloss, to as great as extent as he was capable of, was their friend.
To be fair, Zelgadis was of the opinion that an truly evil human was far more depraved than an evil mazoku, because at least the mazoku were born like that, and didn't really have a choice to make, unlike a human who willingly chose to commit evil. As such, though he often wanted to punch Xelloss as hard as he could, he was currently more infuriated with the human priests.
Pulling slightly back so he wasn't as acutely in Zelgadis' personal space, Xelloss gently tapped Zelgadis' nose with a single gloved finger, bringing him out of his reveries. “I'm sure you want to go do some reconnaissance work,” he said.
Zelgadis found himself shaking his head a little, telling himself that once they'd dealt with these priests, he was going to have a talk to Xelloss about his little mind games. They were the last thing he was in the mood for right now. He rose to his feet, and walked to the door almost mechanically. Pulling it open, he glared at the mazoku over his shoulder.
“You just want to get rid of me for a while, don't you?” He asked accusingly, watching Xelloss move off the couch to seat himself at the desk, his long hair trailing behind him.
“Of course!” Xelloss replied cheerfully, not even looking up.
Zelgadis snorted and stalked out in the hallway, deciding that the quicker he got some time away from the fruitcake mazoku, the better. He had to find Lina and the other s and notify them of the recent events, anyway.
“Oh, and Zelgadis?” Xelloss called after him. “Do bring me some new candles if you find any. The purple beeswax kind. That way, you'll have an answer if anyone asks you your business.”
Wishing he could use his spells, Zelgadis slammed the door in reply.
Author: Shaded Mazoku.
Email: herukatto@hotmail.com.
Part: 4/?
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine at all. They belong to… …Someone else. I’m merely borrowing them for my own amusement.
Warnings: Violence, torture, sex, violent sex, bloodplay, yaoi.
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter, NC-17 for the entire fic.
Summary: Chasing an artefact lands Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia in a town ruled by magic-hating priests. They decide to stop their reign. However, this might be harder than it seems. And a certain trickster priest seem to have an agenda of his own in the town.
Pairing(s): Xelloss x Zelgadis.