To Love a Lie | By : RoseThorne Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 1284 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: We do not own Slayers and do not make any money writing this. |
Authors: Chrissy Sky and Rose Thorne
Pairings: Xellos/Zelgadis
Summary: Zelgadis finds a powerful illusion spell that enables him to disguise his appearance, and Xellos finds himself strangely saddened. Will be YAOI.
Disclaimer: Do not own.
Notes: Terra hasn't seen the whole series, but I was whining about Zel and she pointed out something that, in retrospect, is kinda obvious. One of Zel's main complaints is how strangers treat him because of his appearance. So why doesn't he just use a spell that'll give the illusion of his human self? Like Naruto's girl jutsu that's semi real. It's not his cure, but it could be a temporary solution. I mentioned it to Rose, and suddenly we have a fic.
Chapter One
It had taken months for Zelgadis to translate the old runes in the worn, ragged book. Lina had handed it to him, declaring it useless. What he'd found had been intriguing. While it didn't contain his cure—nothing, it seemed, ever did—it did have bits and pieces of a powerful illusion spell. From the sound of it, the illusion was semi-real, and had been used to mask disfiguring injuries. If it wasn't a sham, he would pass as human even to the touch.
The very concept was thrilling after so long with no hope of ever being anything but an outcast. He had spent a significant amount of time gathering the materials and researching to ensure nothing went wrong. The spell had to be cast under a full moon, and while Zelgadis was relatively certain that he didn’t have to be shirtless like the spell called for—on occasion, less scrupulous sorcerers added instructions like that for less than honorable reasons—he didn’t want to take any chances.
After all, he didn't want it to make him look even worse.
Eventually Zelgadis was ready to try it. He separated from his friends and found an isolated location to perform the spell. He chose a small hollow, well away from the road, protected on three sides from the wind by boulders and trees. Once the first ceremony was complete, he would be able to reactivate the illusion spell at anytime by simply reciting the chaos words.
As he prepared the materials, he felt a profound sense of relief. He wouldn't be a freak anymore, at least not in they eyes of others. He'd still need to find a cure, of course—he wasn't going to give up on that, even with this new spell—but now even if he didn't find it, he could live without being vilified just because he looked like a monster. When he finished preparing, forming a pentagram in the dirt with diamond dust under the moonlight and placing the other items where they needed to be, he ran the spell through his mind again to make sure he had it completely memorized. The whole process felt almost like a cleansing ritual, and he took a deep breath as he surveyed his handiwork one last time.
Then he stepped into the pentagram and said the words. The cleansing feeling increased with every word, though physically he felt no change. Mentally, Zelgadis formed a picture in his mind of what he had looked like as a boy, only older, imagining himself as normal. He carefully wove the image into the spell with his magic.
He could feel with his Astral senses as the illusion took shape, changing his outward appearance. But before it was finished, he also felt something else on the edges of his senses. Mazoku. Xellos. He tried not to lose his concentration; after all, he'd have to gather the materials all over again and it had been expensive enough the first time.
Zelgadis ignored the irritating presence and continued on, thinking that the Mazoku had no reason to stop him. The ritual in no way interfered in whatever plans he could have. Somehow, Zel knew that Xellos wouldn't try to stop him. He was probably only around for a good laugh.
Unfortunately, that thought made him doubt the spell and it partially unraveled. He mustered his willpower and rewove it, then completed the spell, but it left him more exhausted than he should have been. Damn that Mazoku!
His legs gave out and Zelgadis crumpled to his knees, panting for breath. He began to imagine all the ways he could torture Xellos—it helped him feel better, but only a little. Raising his head was difficult, but he managed it in order to see his reflection in the mirror nearby.
He looked... human, normal, for the first time in years, and he felt so relieved he had to fight back tears. The spell had worked, and all that was left to do was decide on chaos words.
Xellos had remained in the shadows until he was finished. Zelgadis jumped when a light blanket was placed over his bare shoulders.
He glanced up at the Mazoku, confused. Xellos' face was unreadable, and Zel was far too exhausted to figure out what he wanted. While he had initially planned to drag himself to an inn, he didn't have the strength to even get to his feet, and sleep was already pulling at him.
"Sleep," Xellos said softly, pressing a cool hand to Zelgadis' forehead.
The word was imbued with power, and Zelgadis wasn't able to resist. He felt himself fall forward, but he was asleep before he hit the ground.
Xellos caught the human easily and, with a tenderness that would probably embarrass him later, carried Zelgadis to his gear, pulling out a thin sleeping mat and laying him on top of it. He kept him covered with the blanket and stood watching him for a long time, studying the human's face as Zelgadis felt it should have been. The blue hair looked soft and the pale skin was fair, unblemished. He was handsome, but in a normal way.
He was disappointed, and rather surprised at the feeling. Xellos had felt the building of Zelgadis’ magical energy and had been intrigued enough to investigate, but he had not anticipated this. He had known that Zelgadis may eventually find a cure even without the Claire Bible, but he had not expected that he would hide himself with illusions, let alone ones so potent that they nearly tricked Xellos' senses. The chimera felt lighter, his skin soft. He had stopped being Zelgadis and become just another human.
And Xellos did not like it one bit.
TBC. Reviews are loved!
A big thanks to Chrislea for beta-reading!
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