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Detour	By : RoseThorne Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 3318 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Detour

by Rose Thorne

Disclaimer: Slayers is owned by a bunch of folks who aren�t me. I�m borrowing them for my perverse pleasure, much as Xellos borrows emotions for his.

Chapter Eleven

One would think Zelgadis would be used to waking up to explosions after having traveled with Lina Inverse so often, but this particular explosion shook the cave and brought a rather large stalactite down too close to him for comfort. He sat up, only to find he was in the cave alone. He could hear Amelia yelling outside and assumed Gourry was out there as well.

Then the cave rumbled again, and the mouth of the cave seemed to collapse, filling the air with dust that made Zelgadis start coughing again. The fire banked violently, but brightened again as the rumbling stopped and the dust began to settle, only to reveal a wall of rock where the entrance had once been.

�Shit.� Zelgadis groaned. He couldn�t even sleep without something crazy happening. He was sure Lina, Amelia, and Gourry would dig him out without much trouble, but he was equally sure that the trigger-happy townspeople wouldn�t take kindly to a sudden explosion after everything. At least he was mostly recovered, having rested for several days.

He had dressed and was carefully filling his pack when Xellos arrived. �Yare yare. Lina-san can be so destructive!� he said cheerfully.

Zelgadis rolled his eyes. He hadn�t seen the Mazoku since Lina, Amelia, and Gourry had arrived several days ago, though he was sure Xellos had kept an eye on them. Him showing up now just proved it. �What�d she do now?�

Xellos� smile widened. �She decided to go fishing.�

The chimera processed this for a second, then groaned. �Oh, gods. Didn�t she learn from the debacle in Acassi? We�re all going to start talking in carp or something, aren�t we?�

The priest brought a hand to his mouth, his shoulders shaking slightly in laughter. �You all do get in the most interesting trouble. In any case, Amelia-san believes it would be safer to clear out the cave in from the inside.�

�If the whole cave doesn�t come down in the process,� Zelgadis grumbled, pulling on the warm traveling gear that Xellos had provided. He attached the sword Gourry had retrieved to his belt.

The Mazoku glanced around their surroundings. �It shouldn�t, if this is done properly.�

�I�ll be prepared to run, just in case.� Zelgadis shouldered his pack after tossing the rest of his meager belongings in. �We�re going to have to leave anyway. That explosion probably riled up those villagers again.�

Xellos shrugged and waved his staff. The pillows and blankets disappeared, and Zelgadis didn�t bother to ask what he�d done with them; it was probably a secret, anyway. Then the Mazoku turned toward the cave in and pointed his staff at the wall of loose rocks. A beam of energy surged from the orb, melting through the rock without shaking the cave.

Zelgadis watched with a reluctant feeling of awe. Not even Lina would be able to control that amount of power so tightly. He again found himself wondering what the Mazoku wanted with him, well aware that they didn�t stand a chance if he decided to kill them.

Sunlight streamed in as the last layer of stone melted away, and Xellos blasted the molten sides of the tunnel with a burst of cold air before lowering his staff. A few seconds later, Amelia bounded in, her face etched with relieved happiness.

�Zelgadis-san! I�m so glad it didn�t all cave in!�

�Ah, they don�t seem to be speaking koigo, Zelgadis-san,� Xellos said, almost inaudible. �What a shame.� Then he disappeared from the mortal realm in a shimmer of violet.

Zelgadis snorted in amusement and stepped forward to meet the princess. �We�d better get out of here.�

Lina was complaining about the lack of food when they left the cave, and Zelgadis glanced at the steaming crater where the lake had been, then stared at her, crossing his arms. �Didn�t you learn anything from Acassi about fishing with Dragon Slave?�

Gourry frowned. �Acassi?�

Lina rolled her eyes. �Remember the octopus and being cursed to speak takogo?�

�Hm�� The blond swordsman scratched his chin, thinking hard. �No.�

�Jellyfish Brains.� Lina turned back to Zelgadis. �It�s not like the lake is cursed or anything.�

�You hope,� Zelgadis added. �Besides, didn�t you fail to catch anything because Dragon Slave vaporized the fish?�

The sorceress winced. �Right, right, but the water was frozen over here.�

�And what still happened?�

��The fish were vaporized.� She pouted. �I was hungry.�

Amelia cut in. �Lina-san, we could have gone to town for supplies again. It isn�t that far away. You��

Lina suddenly looked angry, and Amelia backed off quickly. �After what they tried to do to Zel, they don�t deserve my money.�

Zelgadis couldn�t help feeling touched by Lina�s anger on his behalf. Try as he might, he couldn�t hold onto his irritation. He sighed. �Well, we�d better get out of here before they come to investigate and find this crater. I don�t feel like dodging spells again.�

�I�ll go pack up,� Amelia volunteered, apparently eager to get away from Lina, who was muttering ominously about the villagers. She hurried back to the cave.

�Lina, they�re just protecting their village,� Zelgadis said quietly. He didn�t bother to say from what; he was well aware that he looked like a monster to most people, but he knew the hot-headed sorceress would overreact if he mentioned it. �It�s better to just avoid trouble.� To his relief, she calmed down.

Gourry frowned at Zelgadis, concerned. �Are you sure you�re up to traveling, Zel?�

The chimera considered. He felt a lot better than he had, and while he didn�t want to push himself and get sick again, they didn�t really have a choice but to leave. �I�ll be fine. Let�s just get out of the vicinity at least.�

He sighed and rubbed his forehead in irritation as Amelia shouted something about pillows from the cave. This was just not his month.

--

Lina had levitated and found that there was a larger town almost directly to the south that would take less time to reach even without a path. They could probably reach it by nightfall, though only barely. If Zel was right, she figured it was better to avoid any roads that the villagers might take. She didn�t want to endanger him when he had just recovered.

More than anything, though, Lina wanted to talk to Zel in private about their brief conversation when he�d been half asleep and probably delirious. This time without Xellos around, preferably. She hadn�t had the opportunity, and she didn�t want to worry Amelia and Gourry if she didn�t have to. No, it had to be in private.

She got an idea around midday, while they were stopped for a meager lunch of fish caught from a frozen stream. �Hey, Amelia, we�re not going to reach that town before night. Maybe you and Gourry should fly ahead and get rooms at the inn before it�s too late. That way we�ll have somewhere to stay.�

The princess frowned. �Why don�t we all do that?�

To Lina�s relief, Zel spoke up. �I can�t do spells now, and neither you nor Lina would be able to take my weight.�

�That�s right. I�d just send you, but you need a bodyguard. Phil-san would be angry if I let something happen to you.� Lina grinned. ��Sides, it�d be better for Zel�s health if we stayed at an inn instead of out here in the cold, ne?�

�Oi, Lina, why don�t you go with me?� Gourry asked.

Lina repressed a sigh of annoyance. �Because I have more experience fighting bandits than Amelia does. Plus Astral magic hurts Zel. Amelia uses a lot of Astral magic, but I use Black magic so it�d be safer for him if we have to fight.�

Amelia seemed to accept that, though it took a little more convincing to get her to leave right away.

When they were finally gone, Zel snorted. �You are so full of it.�

�Oi. I didn�t lie.�

�Your justifications sound like Xellos�.�

Lina glared. �Ugh. Don�t compare me to him.�

�Then get to the point.� Zel rolled his eyes, getting to his feet and indicating that they should continue toward the town. �I�m assuming you want to talk to me about something?�

Lina nodded as they started hiking again. �Do you remember talking to me when I first found you? Xellos hadn�t left yet.�

�Vaguely. Nothing specific.�

�You were pretty out of it,� Lina told him, �but glad I came. I�m guessing traveling alone with Xellos isn�t a picnic.�

�No kidding.�

Lina considered how to continue. �You mentioned that Xellos defied orders when he rescued you from that sorcerer. That he should�ve killed you. Xellos didn�t seem too happy when you said that.� She decided not to mention the chimera�s apology.

Zel winced. �I don�t think I was supposed to know that. I guessed it, and he kind of confirmed it, but�� He shook his head. �I don�t know what�s with him. He�s acting weird. Well, weird for him, anyway.�

Now Lina was really curious. �How?�

The chimera frowned, thinking. �It�s hard to vocalize. He�s acting nice. Like he actually cares about my well-being or something. Not all the time, but off and on, it�s like he�s concerned.� He sighed. �He�s Mazoku, and I know they�re not capable of it, but� I think something�s going on.�

Lina groaned. �Something�s always going on. The Mazoku are always after us for some reason.�

Zel didn�t reply for a few minutes as they picked their way across some rough terrain. �In any case, whatever�s going on involves me. I don�t know how I fit into whatever plans they have, but I don�t like it at all.� He jumped nimbly over a fallen tree, and Lina levitated after him. �I�m not a pawn for the Mazoku.�

Lina nodded, thinking about the rest of what Zel had said. They continued on in silence for a while before she decided to mention it. �You weren�t serious, were you? About giving up looking for a cure?�

�I don�t know.� He didn�t look at her. �I� After all this time, I don�t know if it exists. I could look my whole life and still never find it. And look where my search got me. Now I can�t even use magic, and�� he trailed off, stopping and closing his eyes as if in pain. Lina touched his shoulder, worried. �I don�t know how much longer I�m going to live, Lina. Just being exposed to magic could kill me. I shouldn�t be able to get sick, but I did. It might not matter soon.�

She didn�t know what to say, only following Zel dumbly when he started walking again. Finally, anger burst through the numbness. She punched his shoulder, then winced and shook her aching hand. �Dammit, Zel. We�re not giving up, so you can�t either. We�ll find a way to fix this!� She glared at him. �And then me and Gourry�ll take some time off from bandit-hunting and help you.�

Zel looked up and smiled at her, but she could tell he didn�t believe her. She didn�t need to be a Mazoku to feel his hopelessness, and the fact that she really had no idea how to help him made everything worse. They didn�t talk the rest of the way to town.

--

The mask and hood he wore had made the innkeeper suspicious, but Lina had smoothed things over somehow and he�d been able to retreat to his room. Amelia brought him food, but seemed to sense that he wanted to be alone.

Zelgadis felt bad for bursting Lina�s bubble. He should have allowed her hope, even if he knew there was none. Even if he refused to deceive himself about his chances, it had been cruel and selfish of him to burden her like that.

He napped until well after midnight, then quietly went down to the baths. He had hoped they would be empty, but when he got down there he found Xellos, of all people, relaxing in the warm water. Zelgadis gritted his teeth in irritation. He knew well enough that the Mazoku didn�t need to bathe, and could easily guess why he was there. The chimera certainly wasn�t going to get a bath while Xellos was there.

�What do you want?� he demanded.

Xellos smiled. �Ah, Zelgadis-san. The baths at this inn are quite refreshing.�

Zelgadis glared. �Cut the crap.�

The priest feigned surprise. �Such foul language! I didn�t expect that from you.�

The chimera felt a headache coming on. �Just tell me what you want and leave me in peace, Xellos.�

�You�re always so impatient.� Zelgadis crossed his arms and stared silently. �Yare yare. Here I thought I would keep you company. After all, we did have such a nice time traveling together.�

�I don�t want your company. Why are you still following me?�

Xellos continued as if he hadn�t spoken. �You rather upset poor Lina-san, you know. She actually thought you were dead when they found that the sorcerer�s lab had been burned. And now you�ve convinced her that you�re going to die anyway.� Zelgadis felt a stab of guilt. �She hardly ate dinner.�

Zelgadis gritted his teeth. �There�s no point in getting her hopes up. I know I have no chance.�

The Mazoku cocked his head, studying him. The chimera looked away. �Actually, you have a fair chance. While Sairaag, with all its magical lore, is destroyed, the libraries of Seyruun are quite extensive and devoted to healing.�

�They have very little about chimera. This is a problem regarding the balance Rezzo set up, and whatever that sorcerer did to it. It�s not a matter of healing.�

�Isn�t it?� Xellos mused, still smiling. �Perhaps you�re so fixated on the chimera aspect that you�re missing the larger picture.�

Zelgadis glared at Xellos before he suddenly realized something. He hesitated before speaking. �You�ve been ordered to stay with me, haven�t you?� Xellos� smile suddenly became dangerous, and he knew he was right. �And you just want me to go to Seyruun for your own purposes.�

�Do I?� The priest�s voice was mild, but Zelgadis could practically feel his anger.

�What if I don�t want to go to Seyruun?�

The Mazoku�s eyes opened, and Zelgadis couldn�t stop a shiver of fear from running through his body. �Oh? Have you become so attached to me? Perhaps you want me to stay?� The smile suddenly became a leer, and Zel looked away, feeling inexplicably hurt.

�Fine. If it gets me away from you, I�ll go to Seyruun.�

Koigo is basically �carp language,� if you didn�t get it. That whole Acassi thing is from Slayers Premium, which, while totally OOC, was still pretty amusing. I still giggle when I think of Zel�s emo eyes in Premium.

Chrissy and Chrislea were, as usual, quite helpful. Chrislea�s beta-reading generally involves jokingly adding sexual innuendo (which obviously doesn�t stay in). This time was fun because we had a conversation about how Xellos has to have been the inspiration for Chichiri from Fushigi Yuugi (�You only see his eyes when shit is about to hit the fan,� in Chrislea�s words), and Zel�s like Tasuki (with Lina�s temper and love for fire, obviously).

Now Chrislea�s worried that people will start writing Xellos/Chichiri fics. Which, incidentally, would be kind of hot in that having-sex-with-oneself kind of way. Excuse me while I go slaughter a plot bunny.

We�re crazy. Don�t mind us.
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