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Search for the Aqualord	By : RoseThorne Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 1533 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own Slayers and do not make any money writing this.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Title: Search for the Aqualord

By: Chrissy Sky and Rose Thorne

Summary: A sacrifice from an unlikely source brings new changes to Zelgadis� life.

Warnings: YAOI. Zelgadis/Xellos. Slight spoilers for Rev-Evo.

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7. Children?! The Curse of the Shrine

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It was another clear, warm day, and the sun beat down on them mercilessly as they left the village to continue their journey. Lina was unrepentantly cheerful for some reason, though Amelia�s step seemed strangely light in the face of the heat as well.

�Ah!� said Lina. �Onto the temple!�

Zelgadis glanced at her, keeping his suspicions to himself for now. �What lead are we checking out?�

Lina pulled out her map, unrolling it. �The closest one is a small village that has a large trade in dyed fabric. In the center of the village is an abandoned shrine to Ceiphied, supposedly.�

�Oh, fabric?� Xellos sounded intrigued. �That's interesting! It's a shame we didn't go there first.�

He still looked tired; there were light shadows visible under his eyes. Zelgadis resisted the urge to scold him, since he could guess why Xellos hadn�t been able to sleep. He remembered waking up beside him again that morning and, remembering what all had happened the evening before, had done his best to avoid Xellos. The former priest hadn�t tried to get near him either, but Zelgadis knew it was for different reasons; every time he happened to catch Xellos looking at him, there was still a heavy guilt in his eyes.

Zelgadis was conflicted. He was angry, of course, but there were other emotions involved that made it hard to be mad at Xellos.

Instead, he decided to push it from his mind for now and focus on what they were doing. Finding the Claire Bible and, possibly, a cure.

Turning his attention back onto the conversation, he caught onto what they were talking about and frowned. �You have clothes now,� he reminded Xellos.

�Yes,� Xellos responded easily, �but since we're going there anyway, I wouldn't say no to a spare outfit.�

�I'm not made of money, you know,� Zelgadis grumbled. �Plus none of us really carries spare clothing. We mend it if we need to.�

Xellos shrugged. �I could pay for it on my own, somehow.�

�I don�t mind,� Amelia offered immediately. �We could all use some extra clothing. I don't want to walk around with a rip in my shirt like before... Zelgadis-san, too.�

Xellos beamed. �So it�s settled.�

Zel tried to argue but he was casually outvoted. No surprise there. It was frustrating, as he didn�t like going to tailors. If he could avoid it, he did, and just mended the clothes himself.

He absolutely didn�t want to undress in public.

Suddenly, he felt something brush against his hand and glanced down in time to see it was Xellos� hand. He flinched away instinctively. A flash of hurt flew across Xellos� face, and Zel threw him an apologetic look. The understanding smile he got in return just dug the knife deeper.

He didn�t know what to do in situations like these. He�d never managed to put Amelia down gently � she�d thankfully gotten over the crush on her own. This was different, Zelgadis knew instinctively. He knew Xellos� feelings were stronger than that, or perhaps he only hoped so because of his own feelings. Though he was tentative, scared, and cautious, he did care.

Amelia�s sharp cry drew his attention again. Zelgadis looked up in time to see Lina � unusually distracted � trip over a bush and land on her face.

Something small and dark darted out of the brush so fast that Zelgadis could hardly make out its shape. He pulled out his sword. �Look out!�

Lina rolled away and was on her feet again smoothly, looking around. �Where is it?!�

Without warning, Amelia fell over as though an invisible force knocked her feet out from under her. She fell into tall grass and weeds amidst the trees off to the side of the dirt road. �Ow!�

�Amelia-san!� Xellos rushed over to her, and several small blurs jumped out of the foliage to grab him. The last thing they heard from him was a startled gasp before he disappeared up into the trees.

All of this happened quickly. Panic rose into Zel�s throat and he forced his legs to move, running as he cast Levitation. Floating up after Xellos, he found no trace of him left. There weren�t any broken branches or torn bits of his clothing, not one strand of hair. The leaves didn�t even rustle.

He gripped onto the nearest tree�s branch to steady himself, nearly breaking the limb with the strength of his hand. He kept the anger in check carefully, but his whole body shook from its force. �Lina! He's gone! Whatever they were, they took him!�

�Damn!� he heard the girl in question say. �They weren't Mazoku, that's for sure.�

Zelgadis agreed silently. Not only had they not felt like Mazoku, what would be the point in taking Xellos if their tactic was to kill them in front of him?

�That's good, right?� Gourry asked.

�Not sure, Gourry. Let's go above and look for him, Zel. They can't be faster than a Ray Wing.�

The chimera agreed and darted above the trees, making a path through the green canopy. Lina joined him soon after and they flew at some distance apart, looking for any sign of the purple-haired man.

�They're fast, Lina,� he told her after a few minutes, his fist clenching. �They were gone before I even got into the branches.�

The girl cursed like a sailor. Zelgadis understood the feeling but didn�t give into it. If whatever took Xellos was as fast as a Mazoku, then they would have a hard time catching up.

�Lina,� Gourry called from below, �I think we found some tracks!�

�Right!� Lina answered, and Zelgadis followed her back down toward the blond man�s voice. �Can you follow?�

Gourry was bent over on the ground, studying tiny footprints. There were many of them, and the path they made looked difficult to track. �I think so.�

�Then let�s go,� Zel urged.

The swordsman led them through the forest quickly, occasionally stopping and studying the tracks. �It looks like they're carrying something heavy,� he told them after a while.

�That'd be Xellos,� Lina said grimly. �Damn, why isn't he struggling?�

�I hope they didn't hurt him!� Amelia cried worriedly.

Zel cursed softly. If anything happened to Xellos, he would make whatever took him pay dearly.

�Don't worry, Zel.� Gourry�s blue eyes were strangely intuitive. �We'll find him!�

�Yes, he'll be alright,� Amelia said quickly, her expression filled with guilt.

�It�s not your fault, Amelia,� Lina told her gently.

�If he hadn�t tried to help me��

Zelgadis shook his head. �They were going to take one of us.�

�But��

�It�s okay, Amelia,� Lina said. She looked at the younger girl with a strangely soft, vulnerable smile that seemed to do the trick. Amelia smiled back tentatively and they continued onward.

Suddenly they broke through a thick grouping of trees into a clearing. There, they saw the creatures that had stealthily eluded them earlier in what appeared to be an impromptu campsite. They were small, human-shaped people with dark skin and were hardly clothed � some were completely naked. There were too many of them to count.

In the center was a large pot burning over a fire and, beside it, Xellos. His hands and feet were tied and he was being fed tiny cups of liquid by the little people. At their group�s intrusion on their mealtime, many of them drew up small spears, the tips of which focused on the big people.

Xellos saw them and smiled. Other than a little dazed, he seemed unharmed and his usual cheerful self. �Oh! Hello, everyone. I'm surprised you found us so quickly.�

Zelgadis was too frozen with shock to speak. It was Gourry who spoke first. �Hi, Xellos! You okay?�

�I think so,� said the smiling former priest. �These natives are planning to cook me, I believe...� He seemed amused by the idea. Of course he did. �Or serve me dinner. It's hard to tell.�

Zelgadis sighed. He shouldn�t have been surprised by Xellos not taking this seriously. He�d probably been so interested in the pygmies themselves that he hadn�t even thought about escaping, forgetting his human limitations once again.

�And how, exactly, were you going to get out of the former situation?� he asked through clenched teeth.

Xellos� smile was sheepish, encouraging Zel�s assumption. �I was going to try to fight, though I believe they've drugged me with something... This tea is very strong.�

A growl rose up unbidden in his throat, his anger surging again, though not at Xellos. Zelgadis moved forward, drawing his sword threateningly. �Well, if they've drugged you, it probably means they planned to cook you, doesn't it?�

Xellos pouted cutely. �I would have found a way to escape if you had taken any longer. It�s not like I went along willingly.�

Lina looked just as angry as Zelgadis felt. �I'm gonna Fireball these little things if they don't start running.�

�She's the Dragon Spooker, you know,� Xellos whispered conspiratorially to the pygmies.

The little people squeaked as one, repeating, �Dragon Spooker!� as they ran away. The infamous sorceress sent Fireballs in their wake.

Zelgadis rushed over to Xellos now that the way was clear. He cut through Xellos� bonds and put a hand to his forehead. �Dicleary.�

Xellos� eyes closed and he whimpered in pain.

�Shit,� Zel cursed, wincing. �I should've had Amelia do it. She's better with White magic.�

Xellos� lips twitched in a tired smile. �You touched me. I don't mind.�

Zelgadis looked away, blushing at the comment. �Can you stand?�

�I don�t know,� Xellos murmured as he tried to push himself to his feet.

Gourry helped him stand and Amelia, still worried, suggested that they Ray Wing the rest of the way. They agreed and Zelgadis found himself carrying the tired Xellos to the next village. The chimera was hard pressed to focus on his task and not on the fragile weight in his arms.

He was heavier and solid, but still not too much to carry for Zel. Xellos rested his head on one rock hard shoulder as if it were the most comfortable pillow in the world, smiling sleepily as they flew. Zelgadis tried to assure himself that Xellos was just tired. Even so, it was hard letting him go when they landed. Especially in the face of having almost lost him to hungry little cannibals. But he had to set Xellos down in order to pull his hood and mask over his face.

They decided to go straight to an inn instead of seeing the shrine immediately because of Xellos� condition. The man in question looked embarrassed.

�I am fine,� he tried to assure them, smiling weakly. �We can go to the shrine now, if necessary.�

Zelgadis shook his head firmly, keeping his hold on Xellos � to steady him, he told himself. �The only place you're going is bed.�

Xellos looked up at him through his bangs, but Zel could see his eyes standing this close to him. A light blush spread over his pale features, something that was still very bizarre to see. �Yare yare��

Zelgadis flushed and kept hold of Xellos� arm as they walked to an inn. He could almost feel Lina�s eyes on them after their exchange but was grateful when she said nothing; he didn�t think he could take her teasing at the moment.

Amelia purchased the group two rooms and Zelgadis took Xellos up to theirs to get some rest. He put the former priest straight to bed.

�Get some sleep,� he ordered, surprised at the gentleness in his own voice.

�As you wish.� Xellos looked at him fully and smiled softly. �I apologize if I worried you.�

Zelgadis had to look away, trying to keep ahold of himself. �It�s fine.�

Something was growing in the tension between them and it needed to stop. They couldn�t do this. It would just end badly.

But Xellos reached out and touched his arm. He had that same expression on his face, a mixture of wistful sorrow and understanding, and the shaman felt his resolve being chipped away. Zelgadis managed to keep himself from pulling away, but only because of that look.

It was another moment like the one before, short and bittersweet, filled with the aching for a future that could never happen.

�Get some sleep,� Zelgadis repeated softly, finally pulling away. He removed his cloak and sword, taking his time in order to get ahold of the urges that longing had stirred.

�Alright,� Xellos murmured.

By the time Zelgadis turned back, Xellos was facing away from him and � hopefully � asleep. He sat watch over his slumber in a nearby armchair, silent and protective as he brooded.

-

The next morning they set out for the shrine, bright and early. Xellos, having finally gotten a proper night�s rest, walked passively with the others as they made their way through the village they had come to the day before. Sarta was a pleasant place, about the same relative size and population as the previous village.

They got a few curious stares but mostly the inhabitants were too busy going about their lives to pay them too much mind. They seemed a busy sort of people who took their work seriously, though not in a severe way. There were signs of joy in faint music playing in the distance, and frivolity in children playing made up games.

Xellos looked forlornly at all of the tailor shops along the street as they walked. He wondered if they would have time to stop by one if a cure was actually in the temple they were approaching. Once he was a Mazoku again, he doubted it. There would be no more time for trivial, wonderful things like that.

He wouldn�t even miss the free will or the new life he would lose. He would remember, but the sorrow he felt now would be an abstract sensation. He would still care for Zelgadis, but it would be controlled.

Lost in his morose thoughts, Xellos only half listened as the others talked about the shrine.

�Anything we should know about this shrine, Lina?� Zelgadis asked.

His chimera looked eager, as though he were hoping his own cure was inside too. In the past, Xellos would have hoped otherwise, but as a human he felt he could finally understand. Not only would Zelgadis be free of the form he felt trapped inside, as Xellos did, but he could possibly find happiness. Even as Xellos himself was denied joy, he would never wish for the chimera to be similarly denied.

�Not that I know of,� the redheaded sorceress responded. She did not seem concerned.

�Maybe we should ask someone?� Amelia wondered.

Lina shrugged. �It's just a shrine. We can shield from any spells or traps.�

They turned a corner and the shrine came into view. It was an old, white structure that looked quite sturdy despite its age. There was no one around it, like there would have been when it was first built. In the time of Xellos� birth, a place like this would be the center of town, and there would be more people there than any place else.

An elderly woman bumped into Gourry accidentally. �Oh, excuse me, young man.�

Amelia smiled at her. �Pardon me, baachan. You know that shrine...?� She pointed to the structure they were approaching.

Xellos stopped beside the princess and swordsman, curious as well. Zelgadis and Lina kept going on without them, too impatient to notice.

The old woman looked at them curiously. She was short, a little under Amelia�s height, and her gray eyes were big and kind. Those eyes widened in concern. �You're not wantin' to go in there, are you? It's cursed.�

�What kind of curse, madam?� Xellos asked, even more curious.

�Everyone who tries to pass through the entrance is turned into a child.�

The words filled him with dread. Xellos and Amelia exchanged a terrified glance. They both looked back to see Zelgadis and Lina at the entrance of the shrine ahead.

Gourry ran forward, reacting first. �Don�t go in!�

Amelia was close at his heels. �Lina-san!�

Xellos sighed and followed. �Oh dear��

Lina waved at them as though to say not to worry, then she and Zelgadis stepped inside. They were enveloped by a blinding white light. Xellos caught Gourry and Amelia in time to keep them from joining the other two in their fate, forcing them to wait. As the light faded, their friends were revealed, though they had been drastically changed.

It was still them, quite obviously so. But they were children! Around seven or eight by Xellos� estimation. Their clothes, which had not changed with them, draped over them like blankets. Lina�s hair was still long and cascaded down to her feet. Zelgadis was still a chimera.

This must be the curse, Xellos realized, and it had a specific purpose. The shrine turned trespassers into children to keep them from getting inside. No wonder it had been abandoned by the townspeople!

As they watched in shock, Lina looked at Zelgadis and screamed, �Monster!� She ran to Amelia, tripping over her oversized clothing.

Zelgadis looked confused until he saw his own hands, and Xellos watched as his innocence was replaced with dread and fear. He sniffled. �I don't wanna be a monster!�

His horrified expression pierced Xellos to his core. It seemed Zelgadis� existence was summed up in that sentence. He got down onto one knee and held open his arms. �Zel-chan, darling, come here,� he urged gently.

Big, watery blue eyes focused on him for a moment. Still sniffling, Zelgadis stumbled out of the entrance toward him. He tripped over his sword belt and fell hard onto the stone floor. Xellos quickly removed his cloak and picked the child up, wrapping him securely in the black material. �There, there,� he said comfortingly. �It�s alright.�

Zelgadis clung to him so trustingly that a powerful emotion swelled in Xellos� heart. It wasn�t the same as what he had felt for the chimera in the past, the affection mixed with a heavy dose of sexual attraction. The child Zelgadis was too young for him to feel that. Instead, what he felt was an overwhelming urge to protect and coddle the small form in his arms. Already he wished he could take back what Lina had said, shield Zel from the emotional hurt he knew the boy was feeling.

Amelia covered Lina with her cape as well. �What are we going to do?�

Gourry drew the clothing and Zelgadis� sword out of the shrine with his scabbard, careful not to step foot inside himself. �Er. Well, they're going to need new clothes...�

Xellos nodded, cuddling his precious sniffling bundle close. �Good idea, Gourry-san. We have no idea how long they'll stay like this.� Though he had hoped to go to a tailor, this certainly wasn�t what he had wanted.

The elderly woman who had spoken to them earlier walked over. She kept a wide birth from the temple. �They'll be normal again in a day or so, sir. But it'll happen again and again every time you try. Once had a sorcerer that tried for a whole month...�

�Oh dear,� Amelia murmured.

�Yes. By the end of it, we were all quite tired of babysitting a child sorcerer!�

Zelgadis whimpered. �Not a monster.�

Frowning, Xellos rubbed his small back in slow circles. �You're not a monster, Zel-chan. You're just different than all the other boys and girls. It's okay. Xellos-papa will take care of you.� The words came effortlessly, though Xellos had no idea if what he said was at all comforting, as the child continued to cry softly.

Lina pointed at Zelgadis. �He is so a monster! He looks like one!�

Amelia was shocked. �Lina-san!�

Xellos frowned in disapproval. �And you, young lady, can go to bed without dessert tonight for picking on your little brother.� This came naturally as well, though he knew not from where.

Lina stared at him and started sniffling as well. Xellos only felt marginally guilty, as the girl was responsible for his Zel-chan�s current misery.

�Actually, isn't Zel older than Lina?� Gourry asked.

Amelia nodded, petting Lina-chan�s hair awkwardly. �Yes, that's right.� She sighed. �Well, we should probably get them some clothing to wear until they return to normal. Lina-san isn't going to be happy about this.�

Gourry nodded. �Xellos and I can take Zel to get clothes, and you can take Lina, since you're girls.�

�Do you have the money to pay for it?� Amelia wondered, frowning.

Xellos checked Zelgadis� clothes that Gourry still held, finding the chimera�s money purse. �We have Zelgadis-san�s.� He felt guilty for using his money without permission, but he felt that the man would eventually forgive him if he found out.

If the curse truly wore off on its own.

Amelia nodded and walked closer. �Everything will be okay, Zelgadis-san. I promise.� She shifted Lina-chan in her arms a little before walking away.

Xellos smiled after the girls, shifting Zel-chan onto his hip. He was still a bit heavy, but not too much so. �Let's get your new clothes, Zel-chan.�

The boy was still sniffling a little bit. ��Kay.� He hid his face in Xellos� shirt, which concerned the former priest more.

Xellos kissed his forehead lightly. �It's alright, Zel-chan. We love you no matter what.�

He felt a little uncomfortable saying that word, but Zel-chan was only a child, so it didn�t have the same connotation. It didn�t have the same pressures behind it. The child only pressed his face harder against Xellos though, as if he were trying to hide.

They went back down the street, heading toward one of the shops that had caught Xellos� eye earlier.

-

TBC.
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- 8
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Search for the Aqualord