Birth Rite

Title: BIRTH RITE
Chapter 14: An Invitation
Author: Tsutsuji
Rating: this chapter, PG13
Warnings: yaoi, original characters, not beta'd, ridiculously long story...
Wordcount: about 4000

Summary: Zel's quest for magical knowledge and the Lost City of Skye continues, and Xelloss is relieved to find it heading off in a new direction. Then it's bath time!

Important Author's Note: THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS LEFT REVIEWS AND WAITED THREE YEARS FOR THIS STORY TO CONTINUE! All the reviews and faves over the years are really appreciated. Big huge thanks to Chrissy_Sky and especially Rosethorne for finally getting me back on track with this beloved piece of insanity. If you're anywhere near as happy as I am that it's finally starting up again, go read their stories and thank them!! And I don't have to say that reviews and comments are still hugely appreciated, do I?

Chapter 15: An Invitation

Try as he might, Xelloss could not hide his grin and barely kept his feet on the ground as he followed the other two towards the dining hall. Zelgadis was fuming with renewed frustration, Myona was quaking in his boots, and both of their moods only got worse when they arrived at the hall. Added to the intriguing aura of the Temple, it made him feel rather like one of those giddy humans who indulged in a few drinks before dinner.

Myona stopped short in the doorway, and Zelgadis slowed to a halt right behind him. Peering between them, Xelloss could see why; the place was even more crowded than it had been the night before. There were only two seats open at the head table, and those two seats were right between a scowling Head Archivist Spearos and a frantically waving Erta-san.

Besides that, Myona's distress spiked to a new level as he craned his neck, searching the crowd for a glimpse of his sister. Kemara was nowhere to be seen. Near the kitchen, however, Xelloss noticed the bat-winged serving girl sidling along behind the busy tables, eyeing Myona from under her mascaraed lashes with a predatory twist of her lips. Evidentially, Zelgadis had spotted her as well. His hand landed on Myona's shoulder and his anger flared.

"You're with us," he growled.

"But..." Myona whimpered. He didn't budge through the door, but then again, Zelgadis wasn't exactly pushing his way inside, either. Xelloss realized that both of his companions were inclined to skip another meal rather than face what waited within the room, no matter how hungry they were.

He had an urge to suggest that Erta-san would probably love to hear Myona's stories about the ruins - he knew he would love to see her reaction to them, anyway, and he suspected Myona's blast of terror at the thought would be delicious, if he didn't just bolt and run - but he decided against it. He wasn't particularly eager to face the loremasters again, either, especially not without the High Priestess present to keep them on good behavior. If anything, they looked even more hungry for stories than they had been the first night - and the words "lovers' quarrel" came back to Xelloss' mind just then. As amusing as it would be to watch Zelgadis blush and glare over those words, he didn't really care to feed their curiosity about the incident on the green that morning.

There was an even better reason to get away from them, though, as far as he was concerned. Even with Myona standing right next to him, generously offering up his own little appetizer of dark emotions, it was still the chimera's familiar feast that Xelloss craved. After all, he hadn't let Zelgadis ignore him for this long since the day they arrived at Mystport, and after spending the entire day in a room full of bored humans, he was hungry, too.

Myona's stomach growled again. Zelgadis glanced down at him, suddenly and inconveniently concerned for the boy's well-being.

"I suppose we should..." he muttered, and took a step forward.

"The kitchen will package up dinner to take to your room, or even have it delivered," a voice behind them said.

They all turned to see Kervan standing on the porch, with Marcus right behind him. Each of them held a large wicker hamper from which the aroma of fish stew escaped. Zelgadis eyed the baskets, then turned to Myona, who nodded in agreement.

"We do that a lot, especially for students, so if that's what you prefer..."

Zelgadis grinned. Xelloss winced at the flood of relief that washed over both of them.

"Thank you," Zelgadis said to Kervan.

"I said that, didn't I?" Marcus piped up. "When I was showing you around yesterday? Well, I meant to if I didn't, anyway...."

"No doubt," Kervan said noncommittally, cutting off Marcus' apologetic ramble. "At any rate, enjoy your dinner," he added, with a glance at each of them, last and longest at Xelloss.

"I'm sure we will!" Xelloss answered cheerfully as they turned and walked away together.

Zelgadis headed around the corner of the porch toward the side door to the kitchen, with Myona right beside him. He didn't look to see if Xelloss was following or not, but spoke back over his shoulder.

"If that bunch inside is more appetizing for you, feel free..." he said.

"Certainly not!" Xelloss said. He did pause in the doorway, but only long enough to wave goodbye to the loremasters and servers, and watch their eager faces fall as their prey slipped out of reach.

The cooks were indeed willing and pleased to provide their honored guests with all they could eat and more, even though the head chef chided Zelgadis for taking "our best server" away to other duties. Myona stared down at the floor and mumbled "sorry" almost too softly to be heard over the clatter and talk in the busy kitchen. The chef, a stocky wolf-man with grey hair tied back in a pony tail, smiled at him and waved off his apology, which confused Myona into blushing silence. The wolf-man lifted a hand, and for a moment Xelloss thought he was going to reach out and ruffle Myona's already messy hair, but instead he just rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head.

The three of them were soon out on the veranda, each holding a basket full of nearly enough food to satisfy several hungry humans (or one Lina Inverse, as Zelgadis remarked). Even Xelloss had a share, which the cooks had pressed upon him with such enthusiasm that he didn't really have a chance to refuse. Zelgadis led the way toward the edge of the porch, obviously intending to Levitate back to the cottage, or possibly Ray Wing back; he was anxious enough to be away from the Loremasters that Xelloss thought he'd be willing to risk spilling some soup for the sake of a speedier flight. Myona hung back, however, with another flutter of fear that caught Xelloss by surprise.

He turned to question Myona about it just as a blur of movement caught the corner of his eye. A second later, he heard the "thwack!" of something soft running into something hard, a loud "ooof!" and a groan. Xelloss turned back to see a pale young man standing beside Zelgadis, wincing and holding his hand to his nose, which must have been what he heard smacking into the chimera's stone shoulder.

"Sorry," Zelgadis mumbled, quite unapologetically.

"Oww... " The student, whom Xelloss recognized as being the only one who had been excited by the Claire Bible recitation rather than numbed by it, rubbed his nose carefully. It looked like it might swell up but it wasn't broken, which Xelloss thought was luck for him at the speed he'd been moving at impact. He also clutched a place on his ribs which, Xelloss guessed, would have been at about the point of Zelgadis' elbow.

"You'll want a healer for that bruise, I expect," he murmured, amused.

The student blinked several times. He had pale green eyes with oval pupils that made Xelloss suspect there was a bit of the feline in his genetic mix, although he appeared entirely human otherwise. He also had the pale, thin look of an avid scholar who didn't see the light of day very often, and his light colored hair was cropped so short that he might nearly as well have shaved it off entirely.

"Oh, I see!" the pale boy said. He poked a finger at Zel's shoulder, tapped the stone skin under Zel's shirtsleeve with a fingernail and nodded, looking grimly pleased. "Very dense, very high astral refractory factor, probably topaz at least, if not..."

"Shuno-san!" Myona groaned softly, rolling his eyes.

"Um? What?"

Shuno-san lost his train of thought and glanced up, right into Zelgadis' blazing blue eyes. Stone skin crackled as the chimera clenched his fists and his lip twisted in a furious grimace. Myona stepped back, Xelloss leaned forward, but the curious student only stared up at him for a second before suddenly breaking out into an exclamation.

"Oh, right! Zelgadis, the chimera-man! I have a message for you from Melly!"

"You - er, what?" Zelgadis stammered.

"A message?" Xelloss asked, just as surprised as Zel was.

"From Melly - Melianthus Asmalath, that is. You know - the Mala. He said to tell you to please come and visit him at his home tomorrow; he'd like to meet you and your friend Xelloss. You can go for breakfast if you want, around ten or so. Or anytime; he's always at home."

"The Mala?" Zelgadis repeated, eyes narrowing. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yes, of course I'm sure," Shuno answered irritably. "I do know what I'm talking about, you know!"

"Yes, of course," Xelloss said placatingly, even though Shuno had not even turned toward him and hardly seemed to notice he was there. He remembered hearing a bit of Shuno's enthusiastic analysis of "The Making of Worlds" that morning, and although he probably wasn't the best to judge, he'd gotten the impression that the boy had missed the point entirely - assuming there was a point to be missed.

"Thank you for passing along the message. I'm sure Zelgadis-san will be glad to meet The Mala at his home tomorrow. Isn't that right, Zel-san?" he said helpfully.

"I - uh, yes!" Zelgadis seemed startled to hear himself answering. He still glowered at the kid for poking at him like he was no more than a rock specimen, but he could hardly say no to an invitation to the very place he wanted to go. "Tell him I look forward to meeting him, tomorrow at ten. And, uh, thank you..."

"Fine then," the student waved a hand and turned away, brushing past Myona as if he wasn't there. "I'll tell him tonight if I see him."

He disappeared around the corner, still muttering about hardness factors and energy refraction, evidently on his way to fetch his own dinner from the kitchen - or, Xelloss thought with a grin, perhaps to conduct some random elemental experiment on something in the garbage bin. He seemed the type. Zelgadis just stared after him with his mouth hanging open.

Myona put his hand over his face and shook his head.

"He's such a dork," he muttered.

"Is he really on friendly terms with The Mala?" Xelloss asked.

"Well, Shuno studies magical theory a lot, so I guess he spends quite a lot of time in the Asmalath library since they don't really teach that here. I've seen them talking now and then, or rather, I've seen Shuno talking and Melly listening. Or pretending to listen. Nobody really listens to Shuno."

"I wonder why?" Zelgadis said flatly.

He stared at the corner where Shuno had disappeared for a second longer, and Xelloss had to wonder if he was about to ask for the exploding fish spell he'd seen Xelloss use the night before. Then Zelgadis suddenly seemed to remember the basket in his hands.

"Enough," he muttered, "Our dinner's getting cold. Let's go."

He returned to the edge of the porch and began to cast his flight spell - Ray Wing, as Xelloss had expected. Myona bit his lip and watched him, knuckles white on the handle of his dinner basket.

"Small spells like this are safe enough here at the Temple, aren't they, Myona-san?" he asked, mildly.

"I - yes, small spells are, but."

"You prefer to keep your feet on the ground, I take it?"

Myona nodded. "I can't ... "

His eyes closed and he swallowed hard; this was no deliberately manufactured fear for Xelloss' benefit, but Myona seemed determined to let Xelloss enjoy all of it, just the same.

"You can't cast the spell? Ah, I'll bring you along then, shall I?" Xelloss said casually.

Myona let go of his death-grip on the basket with one hand, and reached toward Xelloss with shaking fingers.

Xelloss lifted Myona in his own wind field with one hand around the boy's thin wrist, feeling every beat of his racing heart. Zelgadis glanced back at them and scowled, seeing the terror clearly visible on Myona's face as they flew, and Xelloss shrugged and smiled back to reassure him that this was only a necessity, not a pleasure. But between Myona's flight-terror and Zelgadis' irritation, he was the one who was a bit distracted on the trip back this time.

The clear day quickly gave way to a chilly evening as the sun dropped behind the line of clouds out on the western horizon. They ate out on the green in front of the cottage, mostly in silence at first. Zelgadis brooded, paying little attention to the meal. Xelloss guessed he was still trying to figure out if there was any sense to be made from the Recitation, but he would have been shocked if that endeavor succeeded. Eventually Zelgadis shook his head, as if to toss off the jumbled words that were probably still rattling around in his mind.

"Pffh!" He grimaced. "I hope the Mala's library has more to offer than the Dawn Pavilion - or," he added with a suspicious glare at Xelloss, "any other part of the Claire Bible, most likely."

Xelloss grinned, and didn't bother to say, once again, that he'd seen nothing in the Claire Bible that would be of personal interest to Zelgadis, anyway. The fact that the chimera was still thinking about the manuscripts was more annoying than worrisome now. It was purely for personal reasons that he wanted to get Zel's mind off the bothersome book and onto something more entertaining - something like the bath out behind their cottage, for example.

His plan to distract Zelgadis away from the Claire Bible fragments might have become a moot point now, anyway, if Zelgadis' sense of disgust with the Recitation was anything to go by. That took one load off of Xelloss' back, and left him free to pursue his own careful inquiries into what troublesome information might be lurking in the memories of the loremasters, and then to figure out what he could do about it if there was any.

But, he reasoned, with no Claire Bible manuscripts to worry about and with Zelgadis safely sheltered from any Followers of Shimer, he was also free to "distract" him simply because he wanted to. And he definitely did want to.

Zelgadis stretched and massaged the back of his neck, stiff from sitting all day. That gave Xelloss just the opening he was looking for.

"Well, after a long day of study, a good hot bath is just the thing, don't you think, Zel-san?" he said, with a brilliant, harmless smile.

Zelgadis jerked upright and went stiff, then turned to glare at Xelloss with blue eyes glittering - but not with the blast of irritation that Xelloss expected. He was shocked into silence himself by the sudden, unmistakable heat in the chimera's gaze, and the slow grin that followed. To his surprise and delight, he realized that Zelgadis was suddenly aware of how long he'd been distracted away from Xelloss, too, and that he intended to rectify that situation as soon as possible.

Xelloss almost forgot there was anyone else there, until he heard Myona shift around on the grass across from them.

"I should be going... I guess..." he heard Myona murmur.

Xelloss glanced over just in time to see the boy look away with a surprising, sly little grin on his face, and a flush in his pale cheeks. Xelloss frowned; he didn't think the looks he and Zelgadis were giving each other were that obvious.

The grin quickly disappeared when Myona's gaze lifted to look across the bay toward the hooked point, now a looming shadow against the twilight grey of the sea beyond it. Then he looked down toward the lower part of the Temple grounds, where a few lamp lit windows could just be seen through the trees.

"I wonder why Sis wasn't at dinner," he said, "I should go see if everything's okay..."

He caught his lower lip between his teeth, his dark eyes wandering between the southern point and his home. Xelloss sensed the worry behind his words, but he was pretty sure he knew why the High Priestess hadn't been at the dining hall. He wondered how much of Martina's book she'd had a chance to read by now.

Zelgadis leaned toward Myona with a frown. Xelloss realized that the boy had his arms wrapped around himself, his hands tucked under his arms, and he was shivering. Neither he nor Zelgadis had noticed the cold.

"Take this," Zelgadis said, pulling off his cloak and offering it to Myona. "And I can bring you home if you want?"

Myona shook his head to both offers, with his usual shy ghost of a smile.

"Thank you, Zelgadis-sama, but I'll be fine walking." He stood up, but hesitated a moment before going on. "Um, do you want me back as your guide in the morning? I'd be glad to show you the way to the Mala's home, or anywhere else.... or if you don't need me I'll just go back to my regular work, I guess."

Zelgadis exchanged a quick glance with Xelloss; they probably knew the way to the Mala's home already, but Xelloss knew perfectly well what the answer would be.

"Yes, please come along as our guide, if you don't mind," Zelgadis said. "You don't have to be here at the crack of dawn, though!"

Myona gave them a quick bow, almost hiding the smile of relief that flashed across his face. "Thank you for allowing me to be of service to you, Zelgadis-sama, Xelloss-dono," he said. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Pleasant dreams!" Xelloss said as Myona turned away.

He thought he saw that secretive little grin on Myona's face again as he glanced back over his shoulder.

"And to you as well!" Myona said. He quickly faded into the twilight shadows of the trees at the edge of the green.

"Well, then, how about trying out the bath after all?" Xelloss said after he was gone.

Zelgadis turned to him, and the gleam in his eyes and the grin on his face hit Xelloss with a shock wave of desire, even before he felt the first light touch of the chimera's spirit nudge against his own.

"That," Zelgadis said, leaning toward him, "is the first sensible thing I've heard all day."

---


The bath was barely large enough for two people to share, and very rustic, dimly lit by an oil lamp hanging from the roof, but bath supplies and towels were laid out ready for them and the place was as clean and pleasant as any inn Xelloss had ever seen. And private, which he decided was more to the point at the moment.

He nearly echoed Zelgadis' contented sigh as he slipped into the steaming water. He really must be spending too much time around humans, as a human, to enjoy this kind of purely physical pleasure so much, but it actually felt good to shed his clothes and feel his form engulfed by the liquid heat.

Aside from that, of course, the pleasure of watching Zelgadis stretch and relax into the bath, momentarily so distracted that he forgot to be self-conscious of his naked body, felt even more delicious than the physical sensations, and almost as sweet as the constant undercurrent of negative emotions that rippled from the chimera.

Xelloss watched the shifting light through the steam play over Zelgadis' stoney skin, the water gliding over his lean body, a sheen of moisture gathering on his lips and eyelids and hair as he leaned back and closed his eyes. Then a slight smile twitched the corners of Zel's lips, accompanied by a flicker of mingled humor and irritation.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare all night, or are you going to join me?" Zelgadis said, without opening his eyes.

Xelloss grinned, although he was a little surprised - Zelgadis actually inviting him to stare? That Recitation must have had some strange power in it after all! He sank into the bath alongside Zelgadis, casually - as if accidentally - brushing a hand up the chimera's leg as he settled down next to him. Zelgadis sighed again and shifted closer.

He turned so that he was facing Zelgadis, half leaning over him, teasingly running his hand up from his thigh to his ribs, and then to where the water lapped at his chest; he trailed trickling wet fingers over the rocky protrusions there, watching them glint in the steamy lamp light as the chimera's breath quickened. Zelgadis turned his head toward him, still with his eyes closed, a little crease in his brow half hidden by silver strands of damp hair. He lifted his hand from the water to touch Xelloss' hand, not to stop him from playing over his skin but to trail his own dripping fingers up Xelloss' arm.

Xelloss leaned over to lap at the water beading on Zel's skin, along his collarbone to his shoulder, enjoying the taste and sensation of the water steaming off his warm body just as much as the way his tongue made Zelgadis' breath quicken.

Pleasure and appreciation of Zelgadis' body grew and sharpened, and he suddenly caught himself feeling intensely thankful - like a prayer of gratitude toward the Mother of All for Her creation, or at least for this part of it.

What an odd idea! he thought, startled, and not sure whether it was okay to be amused at himself for this or not.

"Apparently 'The Creation of Worlds' has muddled my brain as well!" he murmured against Zelgadis' skin.

He was definitely more amused when Zelgadis bunched his fist in Xelloss' hair.

"Will you please stop thinking about that damn Claire Bible!" his chimera growled, very irritably, and Xelloss realized the tables had been turned on him.

"Oh, gladly!" he answered, smiling, and immediately returned his attention to the task at hand - which, for the moment, consisted only of tasting all of Zelgadis that he could.

Little shifts of emotion flickered against his senses, like the shifting tendrils of steam rising from the water, dark and light, barely discernible, but Xelloss didn't even bother to name them, only let them play across his senses just as his fingertips were playing with the water over Zelgadis' rough skin. The chimera's breath echoed like a whisper in the closed space, along with the plink of drops falling from Xelloss' fingers and the quiet flutter of the lamp.

Xelloss leaned closer to watch the water droplets, the light and shadows under his hand, and that brought their faces closer together. Zelgadis opened his eyes - glittering and steamy, almost clear like smoky crystals in the soft light - and smiled, even as his emotions suddenly clenched in a dark shaft of frustration.

Xelloss didn't catch his sigh of pleasure quickly enough that time, but it was stopped in mid-breath anyway when Zelgadis pulled him over and kissed him.

He could feel Zelgadis' astral form reaching out to him, but the chimera also seemed more intent on physical sensation tonight, as if he was still trying to ground himself after the nerve-deadening Recitation. Or maybe, Xelloss thought happily, he just wanted to be touched.

"No more lessons or experiments today," Zelgadis muttered. He groped up the inside of Xelloss' thigh, and sighed almost louder than Xelloss did when he reached his goal.

Xelloss caught his hand and used it to pull him closer, onto his lap, until their bodies were pressed together under the water, and Zelgadis' breath was hotter on his face than the steam rising from the bath.

"I'm quite agreeable to taking the night off from playing teacher," Xelloss agreed, as Zelgadis' familiar conflicted emotions started to spiral up around him in pace with his arousal. "As long as..."

Zelgadis caught his mouth then, silencing him first with a sharp bite to his lip and then with his tongue, and that was the last coherent word either of them spoke for quite some time.


~~ to be continued. (don't faint, it's true! there will be more! And stuff will actually happen! Next chapter: The Mala.) ~~