Slayers Dream : Chapter 5

Purin-chan: If from the last chapter you thought Xellos was getting sappy, ~.^ think again. Sorry it took a long time to get this one up. This was one of the fics I decided on working on at school (since it’s safe for others to read) instead of at home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Lina began to toss and turn in the middle of the night. She would only ease into sleep when Xellos wrapped his arms around her.
     "She’s so fragile like this…" he thought, smiling at how well his plan was working. She almost trusted him already.
     He heard a soft knock on the door. He scowled slightly, and after giving Lina a quick peck on the cheek he vanished from the room. Amelia poked her head in and whispered, "Lina-san? Daijoubu desu ka?"
     Lina’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She groaned and sat up, stretching the knots out of her back. She looked at Amelia, slight confusion written across her face. "Xellos wa…doko desu?" she asked blankly.
     Amelia opened her mouth in shock, then quickly closed it to avoid asking her a question. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered to herself, "What is Xellos-san up to this time?" She smiled at Lina and said, "Xellos-san is far away now." She put the tray in Lina’s lap and ordered, "Eat now Lina-san. You look a little famished from your journey."
     "Journey…" Lina repeated, her memories once again washing through her. Zelgadis was still gone and Xellos had disappeared some while ago…
     The realization struck her with one harsh blow. ‘Xellos slept in my bed last night!’ She nearly panicked, then remembered how she had acted towards him. A faint blush crossed her cheeks as she started to nibble on her food, her eating habits different than what they had been two years ago.
     Amelia noticed the blush. "They couldn’t be…" she thought. She shook her head clear of the thoughts and asked, "Lina-san, do you need anything else?"
     Lina shook her head slowly and answered, "No, nothing else. Arigatou, Amelia." She watched as the young queen curtsied, then left the room. Lina frowned. "I miss the light hearted, justice loving Amelia…" She looked down at what was on her tray. A light sandwich, some crackers, coffee…
     Her eyes welled up with tears. It seemed as though everything she saw was reminding her of him. She picked the cup up and paused when she saw her reflection.
     Dull hair, dull eyes. What would Zelgadis have said if he saw her right now? She giggled at the thought, the sound coming out cold and emotionless. Her head jerked up as she realized that she herself had made the unfamiliar noise. "Sweet Ceiphied… What has happened to me?" she asked to no one in particular.
     She jumped at the sound of tapping at her window. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she attempted to figure out what language it was in. "Morse code? No, the letters don’t make sense…"
     She had finally figured out the familiar code when it had already been too late. Leaping up from the spot on her bed, she ran over to the window to find the space behind it unoccupied. She cursed herself mentally and walked back to the bed. She stood beside it debating whether to get back in or explore the castle. After a short moment of shivering, she got back into the warm of the bed, wrapping the sheets around herself tightly. She whined softly, aching to feel Xellos’s warmth again.
     "Miss me, Lina-san?" Xellos asked jokingly, appearing beside her. He took a cracker off of her plate and nibbled at it happily.
     Lina put her hands on her hips, forcing herself to act angry. "You sure took your sweet little time. What were you doing anyway?" she asked.
     Xellos sat down beside her, leaning against her body. "Oh, just discussing things with juu-ou-sama."
     "What kind of things?" Lina asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.
     Xellos picked up the coffee and sipped from it in a way he knew would remind Lina of a certain special someone. "Well, you for one thing. Everything else, sore wa himitsu desu!" he said.
     Lina watched Xellos in a mild trance and nearly missed his reply. She blushed faintly. "You were discussing…me? What about me?" she asked.
     He opened his eyes and stared at her, causing her blush to deepen in return. "Lina-san… I don’t think you need to know this."
     She pouted and questioned, "Naze?"
     "Because you wouldn’t believe me even if I told you. You don’t trust me enough," he replied childishly.
     "Yes I would! I trust you!" she claimed, though the tone of her voice she was using said otherwise.
     "Well I still won’t tell you. Not for free anyway," he replied, winking at her playfully.
     She blinked, then smiled at him mischievously. "Oh I understand…but I’m not going to give myself to you…" She scooted into his lap, rubbing against him purposely.
     He closed one eye, yelling mentally at his natural reflexes to leave him alone. "Lina-san, please don’t tease me like this. Besides, I thought you loved Zelgadis-san."
     Lina’s smile disappeared from her face. "I…I do love him…demo…demo…" She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She constantly told herself that he was still alive somewhere out there, but deep down inside, she knew that the chances were very, very slim…
     "Demo…nanda?" Xellos asked.
     She let her actions speak for herself. Sliding her arms around his neck, she kissed him softly on the lips. After releasing him, she said, "I find myself attached to you for some reason…"
     He brushed her hair away from her face. Cupping her chin tenderly in his hand, he locked gazes with her. "Lina-san, I need you to be honest with me right now. Do you trust me?"
     Lina nodded. "Of course I do. Why?"
     Xellos’s usual grin crossed his face. "Good. Now, shut your eyes and don’t open them until I say you can, ok?"
     Lina hesitated at first, feeling unsure for a moment, then closed her eyes as she had been told to.
     "That’s good, Lina-san. No peeking ok?" Xellos said.
     Lina nodded in acknowledgement and sat patiently on the bed.

     "Sylphiel-san?"
     Sylphiel turned around and smiled. "Konnichiwa, Amelia-san. Is there anything you wish to ask me?"
     Amelia nodded. "Would you please follow me? These matters cannot be discussed out here," she said, turning around in her light pink dress. "Come now." She walked along the hall, head held high as any other queen would do. Sylphiel followed quickly behind her.

     Xellos removed the orb from his staff. "Hold this for me would you, Lina-san?" he asked, placing it gently in her hands. He watched, smiling secretly as she started to weaken. "She’s so gullible…"
     Lina opened her eyes slightly, noticing how the orb was mysteriously glowing an odd violet-red. She glanced at Xellos’s expression and fell unconscious whispering, "But I trusted you…"
     He caught her as she fell, grinning in triumph. "You’ll make a wonderful mazoku, Lina-san… I’m sure of it…"