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Birth Rite	By : tsutsuji Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 6413 -:- 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.

Chapter List
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Title: Birth Rite Chapter 18: A Touch of Magic

Author: Tsutsuji

Fandom: Slayers

Pairing: Xelloss/Zelgadis

Rating: M

Warnings: m/m sex

Length: around 4300 words

Chapter Summary: A little distraction on the way back to the cottage is not enough to keep Zelgadis from craving Xelloss' touch. (Yet another chapter in which it seems that not much happens, but THINGS ARE GOING TO START HAPPENING SOON trust me.)

Notes: OMG IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK so good I can't stop capslocking about it. Sorry! XDDD And I have all kinds of wonderful (evil!) things planned for your enjoyment, not to mention the actual plot (yes there really is one).

I figured out that, if this were an actual Slayers anime series, we'd be about a third of the way through - yeah all these words would equate to only about 8 episodes - and that means we're heading into the mid-season story arc. *rubs hands together gleefully*

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Xelloss couldn't help feeling like there was something very odd about Zelgadis running away from a vast magical library, but given the flashes of emotion he was catching from the chimera, he was not inclined to argue. Zelgadis sped back along the path toward the village and temple almost fast enough to be called flying, easily ignoring the stinging cold rain and the wind gusts that constantly buffeted them from all sides. Of course, Xelloss hardly minded the weather, but it was as good an excuse as any to rush along behind Zelgadis with his head bowed, letting his cloak flutter like a flag in the wind.

In fact, the only one who did not seem to be in a hurry to get out of the weather - or to get home for any other reason - was the one most affected by it. Myona was drenched through and shivering, the blasts of wind sometimes threatened to knock him off his feet, but he staggered along behind them with his face to the wind and a dreamy smile on his face. He had to blink the rain out of his eyes, but he kept gazing across the churning bay at the ruins even though they were only ghostly dark shapes seen through tattered curtains of rain.

Zelgadis glanced back a couple of times to make sure the boy was still following. Finally, when they came to the high point where the track from the south converged with the path to the village, he turned. Myona had all but stopped, dragging his feet along the muddy path, squinting through the rain.

"If you want to visit the ruins so badly, Myona-kun," Zelgadis said, "I can Levitate you over there right now!"

Myona let out a little squeak of alarm, barely audible through the sound of wind whistling through the rocks and the crash of surf far below. Xelloss closed his eyes and smiled at the sweet little shot of fear inspired by that threat of having his feet. Zelgadis smirked and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Come on, let's just get home out of this rain," he said gruffly, with a rare, indulgent smile.

Myona didn't respond. He seemed to be frozen to the spot, and Xelloss realized with surprise that his flurry of emotions had only spiked up even higher. Not from Zelgadis' idle threat, though. Myona was staring intensely at the ruins, his mouth set in a grim line, his huge eyes narrowed. His emotions were almost too intense to identify, but Xelloss had the impression there was something more like rage among them now.

"Oh, damn, what the hell is that idiot doing?" Zelgadis muttered suddenly.

Xelloss finally spotted what they were both now staring at. Two thirds of the way up the cliff below the ruins, a man clung to the wet, overhanging rocks. It was not clear if he meant to be on his way up or on his way down; at the moment, he seemed to be quite stuck where he was.

"What indeed?" Xelloss echoed.

It was an ordinary human man, as far as Xelloss could tell, certainly not any beast-person who might be expected to climb walls. He wore traveler's clothes and had a bag slung across his back, and his long, rain-soaked coat billowed in an updraft. He was definitely not dressed for rock climbing in a coastal storm.

"Is that someone from the village? What's he doing?" Zelgadis muttered, squinting through the rain with his hand shielding his eyes.

Myona shuddered, half hiding his eyes as the man scrabbled from one precarious foothold to another. "I can't tell," he said. "I don't know who it is."

"Maybe he was on his way to visit the Dream Master and took a wrong turn!" Xelloss suggested.

Myona shook his head quickly. "That would be crazy!"

"You're saying that?" Zelgadis muttered, arching an eyebrow.

But Myona had his eyes shut and covered now. Apparently even he didn't go climbing down the sheer side of the cliff above the jumbled stones far underneath. At least the sea was relatively calm down there in the crook of the cliff's arm, but it was a sheer drop onto the rocks. Within the larger bay, white-capped waves crashed across each other, the tide doing battle with the gusty winds.

Zelgadis pointed down at something bobbing in the water among the black stones at the foot of the cliff. Xelloss realized it was a small rowboat wedged in between the rocks.

"His boat must have fetched up in the calm under the cliff," Zelgadis said. "He had to be crazy to try to get across the bay to shore in that heavy surf! He's lucky he didn't get smashed on the rocks."

Not very lucky, though, Xelloss thought. The cliff leaned outward above him, and it looked like the going was about to get more difficult before it got better. With a frustrated sigh, Zelgadis checked the wind and prepared to cast a flight spell.

"Oh my, Zelgadis-san, is it time for one of The Mysterious Swordsman's daring rescues?"

Zelgadis scowled, partly at Xelloss but mostly at the cliff itself. Xelloss didn't blame him; with the wind curling and twisting around the hooked point, it would be difficult to Levitate close enough to grab the man without getting knocked against the rocks. That might do the cliff more damage than it would do to the chimera, but the collision would not help the rescue effort at all.

Xelloss could teleport over and pluck the man from the cliff with no effort at all, but...

"Don't bother saying it," Zelgadis muttered, with a brief glare in his direction. "Daring rescues are not in your repertoire."

Xelloss beamed at him. "I wouldn't want to upstage you!"

Zelgadis raised his hands and began the brief chant for Levitation. Before he had a chance to finish, the man on the cliff began to move. It looked extremely awkward and precarious at first, but it seemed he had found a foothold, and he inched along to the left and upward until, a moment later, he pulled himself up onto a narrow ledge.

Myona watched, white-knuckled, chewing on his lower lip, but once the man reached the ledge he let out a little breath, and some of his tension deflated.

"He found it," Xelloss heard him murmur.

"Is there a way up to the top from there?" Zelgadis asked, leaning forward to squint through the mist.

Myona nodded. "Sort of. If he's not too stupid he should be able to get back to the ... yeah, he's got it."

He abruptly turned away and started toward home. His boots slapped the muddy path, and he pulled his hood up over his head and walked with his head down now. Zelgadis raised his eyebrows at the boy, glanced over to check on the stranger's progress, then shrugged and followed.

"Good," he said.

Amused, Xelloss hung back and watched them both for a moment, grinning. Then Zelgadis fired off a round of desire so strong it nearly buffeted him off the cliff.

"Oh! Right! Coming right along!" he said, and trotted after them without another thought for the man who didn't need to be rescued after all. He was curious about those ruins himself, but he wasn't that curious.

Myona marched right along quickly now, without another glance at the hooked cliff or anything else. He didn't seem to care or even notice if they followed him or not.

They did, Zelgadis quick-stepping along right behind him and Xelloss watching both of them from behind with amusement. But instead of winding up along the back side of the village by the way they'd come, Myona suddenly turned and started down a narrow lane that led south through the village. Zelgadis stopped at the turn.

"Myona?"

Myona stopped, but he didn't look back.

"You're going home, right?"

Myona's chin went down and one shoulder went up. Xelloss thought that could be taken as a nod, or not. They didn't know exactly where he lived; it could very well be in that direction, but so was the way to the hook-shaped point.

"Did you need me for anything else today, Zelgadis-san?"

Zelgadis sighed and looked at the heavy, wet sky. "No, I guess not. It's going to get dark early, isn't it."

Myona nodded, and when Zelgadis said nothing else, he started to turn away again.

"Tomorrow," Zel began.

Myona looked back at him over his shoulder, his face still half hidden by his hood. Zelgadis clearly didn't know what he was going to say about tomorrow, and just stood there with his mouth open for a moment. Xelloss came to his rescue.

"Why don't we hear your story tomorrow, Myona-kun? Then Zel-san can compare it to the ones in Mel -- that is, the Mala's books."

Zel welcomed that idea enthusiastically but Myona's expression didn't change. After a second he nodded, wet hair scattering a few drops.

"Sure, if that's what you want."

Zelgadis nodded, and Xelloss grinned.

"I'm looking forward to it!" Xelloss said, quite honestly.

But Myona no longer seemed interested in telling his own stories, or in anything else as far as Xelloss could tell. The boy had drawn that impenetrable veil over his emotions again. Without another word, he walked away.

"I can't believe he wanted to go out there in this weather!" Zelgadis said, shaking his head. "What was he thinking? No wonder Kemara worries about him."

Xelloss said nothing to this, but he wondered why the sight of the stranger had disturbed Myona so much that it nearly trumped his excitement over telling them his own stories. Perhaps the man wasn't a stranger after all.

In any case, it was not their business, Xelloss thought, silently excusing his own concern as a sense of responsibility to the Acting High Priestess. Zelgadis evidently reached the same conclusion and remembered how intent he was on getting back to their cottage, judging by the wicked grin he gave to Xelloss.

---

Zelgadis nearly sighed audibly with relief when they reached the cottage. It was the longest they'd stayed in one place since leaving Seyroon, and it already gave him a sense of coming home. He paused just inside the door and let his wet cloak drop off his shoulders to the floor.

He was about to turn and pull Xelloss close when the mazoku saved him the trouble. Xelloss kicked the door closed behind them and caught Zelgadis in his arms before he could take another step, and tugged him back against his chest. Strong and very solid arms wrapped around Zelgadis so tightly that the breath was jolted out of him.

He didn't mind in the least. All of Melly's shadowy pawing at him was like a reminder of all that he could no longer feel through his body's rock-hard shell, but Xelloss was a weight and force that he could feel without a doubt, a presence strong enough to break through the barrier that cut him off from the world of sensation. His other senses being enhanced by the Brow Demon's magical nature did not always make up for the loss of sensory pleasure, but he had never missed it much until Xelloss had reminded him what it was like to really feel another person's touch.

His demon third also enhanced his awareness of the mazoku's spirit pressing around his. That intangible touch could be gentle and teasing, but it could also envelope his spirit entirely. It could muffle all his other senses and seem to shut out the world, and that could be comforting - or terrifying.

That part of Xelloss wrapped around him now like thick, dark mist, like black water, like liquid iron, and Xelloss' arms tightened around his chest like iron bands. He could not draw back the breath he'd let out in relief. He knew struggling in Xelloss' grasp was useless anyway. The mazoku could bring any level of strength to bear in his physical form, but the psychic smothering on the astral side simply prevented him from even thinking of breathing.

But he could feel Xelloss. He knew this touch now, and knew that it wanted him, however strange the fascination might seem, and however dangerous and horrifying the touch itself might be. If it hungered for fear, if Xelloss wanted breathless terror from him right now, he would gladly give him that in return for this intense, intoxicating sensation.

He struggled just enough to feed his own surge of panic, squirmed and twisted blindly on the astral side, and smiled a little hysterically when he heard Xelloss let out a pleased moan.

But then, he felt and heard Xelloss growl, and the shadow limbs and the solid arms both tore at him, dug into him with black-diamond-sharp claws. For a second his struggle became real, panic blanked out his mind beyond any thought of need or giving. Barely a heartbeat later, the grip went slack, leaving him limp and gasping inside the loose ring of the Mazoku's arms. He dragged his mind back to physical awareness to feel the air burning into his lungs with quick gasps, and to make sure Xelloss had not let go of him completely. He found he had gripped the mazoku's arm with one of his own, still holding him tight unconsciously, even through the deepest moment of panic.

If Xelloss was having doubts and thinking of pulling away again, Zelgadis, thought, he was going to have to Fireball the mazoku. Fortunately for both of them and the cottage, Xelloss leaned forward again and pressed his face to the side of Zelgadis' head, and held onto him, close but not stifling.

"Ah, Zelgadis-san," Xelloss sighed, nuzzling the tip of his ear. "Stupid chimera!" The words were harsher than usual but he sounded sad.

Zelgadis was still too busy catching his breath to ask what the hell that meant. Was he really angry after all about all the attention he'd given to Melly, or was it because he was now stuck with acting friendly toward Shuno instead of incinerating the would-be scientist? It might only be coincidence that Xelloss' hand was now trailing through his hair, brushing the tip of his ear as he followed the stiff strands down to his shoulder, following one of the same paths that Melly's hand had taken on him.

"I would be stupid if I were really interested in the Mala," he said, grinning back over his shoulder. "But you know I'm only interested in him for his library. Surely you're not jealous!"

Xelloss' gloved hand fluttered onto his shoulder, but he jerked his head back and scowled.

"I should be jealous of his library, shouldn't I?" he said with indignation that had to be exaggerated. "I suppose I'll always have to compete with books for your attention! But I'm more annoyed with you for that incredibly foolish stunt you pulled when you grabbed me just as I was about to incinerate Shuno-kun! You realize that you put yourself right in the power field of my attack, don't you? That alone should have been enough to fry even your thick hide!"

Zelgadis hadn't even thought about that at the time, but now he realized Xelloss must be right. He'd only noticed the waves of dark power funneling through the mazoku's form from the astral side, and he remembered that he had to quell his own urge to see that power released. Only the knowledge that even that power was not enough to withstand the true Relics allowed him to hold Xelloss back. He needed anything that might be in that library to - as strange as it was to think, especially at that moment - protect Xelloss. Rather unfortunately, that also meant not killing one of the Mala's friends, no matter how annoying that friend might be.

"Huh. It's a good thing you stopped when you did, then, isn't it?" he quipped.

Xelloss only scowled harder at him, showing the amethyst gleam of his eyes.

"It is a better thing that you figured out how to shield yourself from me just then. What's annoying beyond words is that you can't seem to do it again, or you would have just now, I should hope!"

Zelgadis blinked, startled. Is that what Xelloss had been trying to do a moment ago, provoke him to raise a shield against him? Then it was pointless. Under the circumstances, pushing Xelloss away was the last thing he wanted to do.

Xelloss had reached around to take hold of his hand from behind. He now used that grip to pivot Zelgadis around to face him.

"Do you even know what you did, Zelgadis-san? I hope so, because I'm afraid I was too distracted to notice at the time."

Zelgadis opened his mouth but he had no answer. All he could remember was throwing himself on Xelloss and trying to direct his attention away from Shuno, and a sense of shouting at him in the wordless energy flux of the astral plane. It had worked to stop the attack, but that alone didn't seem likely to have created a shield against the mazoku's power. Even the insane attraction he felt for all that focused power could not have protected him from it. The moth's desire for light does not prevent it being destroyed by the flame.

Reluctantly, he shook his head.

"I... I have no idea, Xelloss-sensei," he said, looking up at Xelloss from under his lashes like the chastised student who could not grasp the lesson. Then he frowned. "That doesn't mean you should go out and look for something else to destroy just to get me to do it again, you know."

"Ah well, as I said, I can't attack any of the Loremasters, and now I suppose I have to leave Melly-san and Shuno-kun alone as well," Xelloss pouted. "For now, at least!"

"Yes. Especially since Shuno seems to know his way around Melly's library better than Melly does. And I don't think Kemara would be very understanding if we destroyed the Mala in the course of a magical lesson. That would be a waste of energy anyway," he added.

Xelloss frowned, as if he was still hoping for an excuse to get rid of Melly and wouldn't even count it a waste of mazoku power. He was also still holding Zel's hand in both of his, which seemed rather an odd gesture for the mazoku until Zelgadis remembered it was exactly what Melly had done when they'd first met. The difference was that Xelloss' touch brought his senses to life and made him crave more. That was why he'd hastened them back to the cottage through the storm, after all.

"I knew what he was doing," he said, taking Xelloss' hands in his. He thought he knew what Xelloss was doing now, too, but he wasn't sure if Xelloss himself was aware of it or not. "I have no idea why he was so ... interested in me, or curious or whatever it was, but I only let him get that close to me to make a good impression, you know. And anyway, it was hardly noticeable. Even with him hanging all over me, I had to keep reminding myself that he was there at all!" he said. "Your glare was a lot more noticeable," he added with a grin.

He pulled Xelloss' hand to his lips to kiss, and watched over his knuckle as the mazoku's eyes widened, then narrowed. Xelloss looked at their clasped hands suspiciously.

"Were you trying to make me jealous, Zel-kun? That was not very nice!"

He tried to pull his hands away then, but Zelgadis was not about to let him slip away like that again. Instead of letting go, he pulled Xelloss down with him as he dropped to the floor. The startled mazoku didn't resist, but he still looked a little confused when Zelgadis pulled him forward to kneel between his outstretched legs.

"Here," he said. He placed Xelloss' hand over his knee, over the place where Melly had rested his hand earlier. "You missed a spot."

Xelloss looked even more doubtful. Apparently he really didn't realize what he'd been doing. Zelgadis chuckled but didn't bother to explain. Deliberately, he let himself remember exactly why he'd been in such a rush to get back. His body responded to the thought, predictably and visibly.

There was one more second of hesitation, or maybe just surprise, before Xelloss smiled, lowered his head and curled his fingers, easily pressing into rock-covered flesh.

"Ah, that's better," Zelgadis sighed. "That, I can actually feel." He leaned forward to brush his lips against Xelloss' smiling mouth. "But you don't need to stop there."

"Oh?" Xelloss took the hint - all the hints that Zelgadis had been radiating at him since they'd escaped from Melly's presence. Suddenly there was not only pressure but heat in those fingertips, enough that it would have seared holes in his trousers if it wasn't magical heat. The mazoku tipped his head to the side, letting his lips flutter and tease Zel's as he slid his hand along Zel's thigh.

"What, exactly, can you feel, hm? Heat?" he continued, letting sparks dance from his fingertips. "Pressure? Pain?"

He nipped Zelgadis' lip with teeth sharp enough to draw blood, squeezed his thigh hard enough to make the stone skin crackle. Zelgadis gasped and winced, but he didn't fight Xelloss, only sidled closer to him on the floor.

"Friction?" Xelloss continued with a wicked grin.

Suddenly his hand was between Zel's spread legs, rubbing the rapidly growing erection through his pants. Zelgadis choked and whined, and in answer to the question, he hooked his arm around Xelloss' neck and dragged him into a deep, eager kiss. He felt Xelloss laugh as he fell backward and pulled the mazoku down on top of him.

Having raised the question, Xelloss now seemed determined to find all the answers in Zelgadis' skin. Sweet fire flowed from his palms, stinging ice from his fingertips, searing heat from his tongue that warmed the blood rushing under stone skin. So attuned to the mazoku now, Zelgadis even felt the weight of his gaze like a caress, and reveled in the weight of his body pressing him into the floor. He could feel Xelloss watching and listening to every response, humming thoughtfully as he tried something new, giggling when Zelgadis arched up against him and clawed at him in a predictable response.

"This seems to be one thing you can feel quite well, I've noticed," Xelloss said happily as he nipped his way down over Zel's hip, and then flicked his tongue over the tip of his erection.

"Ungh! Ah, yes," Zelgadis whined trying to flex his hips up for more, but Xelloss held him firmly in place. "I'm, ahhh, glad you've noticed that..."

He gave up trying to make a witty response in favor of moaning his approval when Xelloss did a few more acrobatic moves with his tongue.

"And this," Xelloss went on, pulling back so that Zelgadis could barely feel the flutter of his lips. He managed to glare impatiently but he couldn't quite catch enough breath to complain about Xelloss' slow and careful study of his body. "The particular sensation of sucking seems to be especially effective even on a rock golem's body, I believe!"

He proceeded to put this to the test in the most practical way possible, and Zelgadis enthusiastically confirmed the theory. The resulting spasm of emotion apparently equated to the same sort of stimulation on the mazoku's spirit, although Zelgadis supposed - in the muddled swirl that passed for thought after his orgasm - this result might not be replicated among others of the mazoku race. Not that he had any interest in testing out that theory.

He managed to focus his gaze and attention enough to look up and see Xelloss leaning down over him, with that thoughtful, listening look on his face, apparently catching the final results of his experimentation. The little frown of concentration melted into a smug grin.

"My my, Zel-san," he said. "This has been quite the day for discoveries, hasn't it?"

Zelgadis decided he really didn't have to rouse himself enough to answer that. He just about had enough energy to lift one hand and comb his fingers through silken strands of dark hair - and he had always had just enough sensation in his fingertips to enjoy that particular sensation. Xelloss' eyes drifted half closed; oddly enough, it seemed to be something Xelloss enjoyed as well, at least in a moment like this. He let his chin rest on Zel's chest with soft sigh.

"My my, Zel-san, I never expected you to drag me away from a library!" he said, softly but happily.

On his way to dozing off, it took Zelgadis a moment to think about this. It was something that certainly would have had their friends' mouths hanging open in surprise! But it wasn't the only oddity of the day.

"Heh," he answered with a sleepy grin. "I never expected you to go out of your way to give me access to one!" To say nothing of not destroying it, he thought, but he didn't say it. That might have been the oddest thing of all.

"It was only necessary," Xelloss murmured.

Mazoku logic, Zelgadis thought with a grin, and then drifted out of reach of thought entirely.

---

TBC. Next Chapter: A Terrible Tale!
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