Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Slayers franchise, and am making no money from this fic. I am simply doing this for fun.

"DUCK!"

"RUN!"

"LOOK OUT!"

"EEEK!!"

Lina, Zelgadis, Amelia and Gourry madly ducked and dodged in order to avoid the sharp spikes and scales that the fish-man was currently shooting at them.

"EEK! Mister Zelgadis, save me!"

"Will you let go of me?!" the chimera exclaimed--his movements hindered by the small, frightened thief that had become attached to him once more.

"Nooooooooooo," she wailed. "Protect me!"

"Eek!" Amelia fell over backwards as she narrowly dodged a spike. "He's so fast!"

"Too fast!" Lina dropped into a crouch to avoid a scale. "I can't fire off an attack!"

Because they were bringing up the rear, Nell and Xellos had avoided attack and were now simply standing an watching the whole bizarre scene unfolding in front of them. Nell for one, could not stop the soft giggles from escaping her lips.

"What's so funny?" Xellos asked with a smile.

"Where do I even start?" Nell asked with a raised eyebrow. "They're getting beaten by a fish."

Xellos chuckled. "This is true." He sidled close to the lovely necromancer. "We could always sneak off somewhere private...chances are they'll be a while," he murmured.

Shivers ran through Nell's spine. "As promising as that sounds, I wouldn't be a very nice traveling companion if I didn't at least try to lend a hand," she said as she pressed a kiss to Xellos' cheek before reaching out with a hand...

Within moments, the fish-man fell over dead.

"There," Nell said with a smile as she dusted her hands. "Problem solved."

Xellos grinned. "Well done, my dear Nell."

"Thank you," Nell said as she led the way over to Lina and the others. "You guys okay? Did he hurt you?"

Lina, Zelgadis and Amelia looked up at Nell with a mixture of shock and awe. "How did you do that?" they asked together.

"Y...you killed him without a spell or so much as batting an eyelash," Amelia said.

"Since when can necromancers do that?" Zelgadis asked. "I've never heard of necromancers having the ability to kill like that."

"They can't...they can only control the dead," Lina said. "And the more powerful ones can control pestilence too," she added.

"I'm not your average necromancer," Nell said carefully...dancing around the truth. "My powers have an extra added kick...that's simply the way it's always been," she said with a small shrug.

"But how is that possible?" Lina asked.

Nell gave the petite sorceress a wry smile. "Are you telling me that you've got the monopoly on being more powerful than your peers?" she asked with a gracefully arched eyebrow.

Xellos chuckled softly. "She does have a point, Lina," he said with a smile.

"Uh..." Lina started. "Okay...I guess she does..." she said with a soft blush. Nell had her. She could not argue with that logic. "Okay, so you're a super-powerful necromancer...good to know, and now it's even nicer to have you on board!"

"Just don't kill us in our sleep," Zelgadis said dryly.

"Yes, please don't," Amelia pleaded with wide eyes.

Nell smiled and gave a small wave of her hand as she giggled softly. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

"Uh, guys?" Gourry asked. "What're we gonna do about this guy?" he asked as he pointed down at the corpse of the fish-man.

"Want me to make it dance?" Nell asked with a grin.

"You can do that?" Amelia asked in shock.

"Sure can," Nell said with a grin. "I can also do this..." Giving a small flick of her fingers, Nell conjured up skeleton. "Hello, Mister Bones."

The skeleton gave a small bow of his head.

"Eeek!" Rii and Amelia exclaimed.

"Oh, don't be scared of Mister Bones...he's my personal bodyguard," Nell said with a smile as she fondly patted the skeleton on its shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Lina asked incredulously.

"Well, there are times when I have to sleep outside because I couldn't get to a town before sunset," Nell explained. "And so I started conjuring up Mister Bones to keep watch over me while I slept."

"Oh, I see," Gourry said with a nod. "That makes sense...girls shouldn't be traveling alone anyhow."

Lina rolled her eyes.

Nell giggled before vanishing Mister Bones away. "So how about it? Want to see me make the fish dance? Oh! How about a nice little tap-dance?"

Rii's eyes widened in fear at the thought of a zombie fish dancing around. "Please don't," she whined as she once more latched herself on Zelgadis.

The chimera simply sighed heavily. At this point, he had given up trying to fight off the small thief.

Lina rolled her eyes before grinning. "I've got a much better idea. Gourry! Start cutting this guy up. Rii! Start gathering wood for a fire." She rubbed her hands together in excitement. "We're gonna have us a little barbecue."


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"Mmm...that was some good fish," Lina said with a satisfied smile as she sat back and patted her stomach. "Well, now that's we've had our lunch, let's get moving! There are these old ruins I want to check out before we make it to the next town."

"What do you hope to find?" Nell asked as she sat comfortably back to back with Xellos.

Lina shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe there's nothing...but then again, there might be treasure or magical items."

Zelgadis nodded. "I'm all for looking. If there's even a chance of finding a Claire Bible manuscript, I'll take it."

"A Claire what?" Rii asked with a blink of her blue eyes. "What's that?"

"Mister Zelgadis is trying to find a spell powerful enough to turn him from a chimera back into a regular human," Amelia supplied as she daintily wiped the corners of her mouth.

Rii blinked and turned to the chimera. "You mean this isn't what you normally look like?"

"No," Zelgadis said.

"Aw, but why would you want to change?" Rii asked. "You look so cool!" She threw her arms around Zelgadis' neck and hugged him.

"Erk! Oh, not this again! Would you let go of me?!"

"Nuh, uh!"

"Why me?" Zelgadis moaned...a martyred expression on his face.

"Because you're so pretty," Rii said with a smile and a wink.

"I am not!"

"Oh, yes you are!" Rii beamed happily. "Pretty and cute!"

The handsome chimera heaved a long-suffering sigh, while Amelia and Nell giggled, Lina sniggered and Xellos chuckled.

"Huh?" Gourry asked, blinking. "How can a guy be pretty?"

Rii grinned and released Zelgadis before launching herself at the blond, handsome swordsman. "Easily!" She snuggled Gourry happily. "You're pretty too, Gourry! And so big and strong!"

"Uh..." Gourry nervously glanced at Lina. "Thanks...I think..."

Lina's right eye developed a serious twitch and she growled softly.

Smiling nervously, Amelia jumped to her feet. "We...we should really get going, shouldn't we?" she asked as she tried to distract Lina from the scene playing out in front of her. "After all, who knows how much further these ruins are?"

Nell could sense the building tension and decided to help the small princess. "Good idea," she said as she stood and drew close to Amelia. "Are Lina and Gourry...you know...an item?" she asked softly.

"Well, not in so many words," Amelia whispered. "I mean, they like each other...and Lina gets jealous if another girl throws herself at Gourry, but other than that neither of them has done anything about their feelings. Miss Lina is too shy about it, and Gourry is smart enough to know not to push her."

"So, neither of them says or does anything about their feelings for each other and Lina gets ulcers every time she gets jealous of another girl giving Gourry attention? Well...that's healthy," Nell muttered dryly.

"You don't get jealous, Miss Nell?" Amelia asked wide-eyed.

"Nope," Nell said with a smile and shake of her head. "I'm not the jealous type."

"Oh, Mister Xellos, how could I forget about you?" Rii exclaimed. "You're pretty too!"

Nell looked in the direction of the exclamation to find the small thief glomping the mazoku. "No...no...not the jealous type...not at all...not me..." As she spoke her right eye developed a serious twitch.

"I, uh, well...thank you, Miss Rii," Xellos said with his normal politeness, though there was a touch of nervousness in his voice.

"Um...Miss Nell?" Amelia asked worriedly.

"I'm not jealous...I'm not jealous...I'm not jealous..." the necromancer repeated through a clenched smile.

"Oh, I could just run my fingers through your hair for hours!"

Nell could not take it anymore. Eyes flashing purple fire, she summoned her skeletal guardian. "Mister Bones, SIC HER!"

The skeleton chased after the small thief, cackling wickedly.

"Eek!" Rii released her hold on Xellos and hurriedly backed away just as Nell latched onto the mazoku's arm. "Eek! Save me, Mister Zelgadis!" she cried as she hid behind the chimera and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Yeah, you better run!" Nell said with a glare before calling off the attacking skeleton and hugging Xellos' arm. "Mine!"

Gourry chuckled softly and put a hand behind his head. "Wow, she acted kinda like Lina just then...except no one got blown up."

Xellos chuckled softly. "Oh, my...I must admit, I am flattered that you would fight over me like that, Nell."

Zelgadis, Lina, Gourry and Amelia all stared at the necromancer with wide eyes.

"Are you serious?!" Zelgadis cried incredulously.

"Wait a second..." Lina said as she motioned between Nell and Xellos. "The two of you...?"

"Miss Nell...you and Mister Xellos are...I mean, are the two of you...?"

Gourry blinked in confusion. "Huh? What're you guys talking about?"

Nell glanced at Xellos. Where they in fact an item? They had been 'seeing' each other for almost six years now...since she had turned sixteen, but they had never really discussed their 'relationship' as it were. The necromancer had no idea if the mazoku engaged in their kind of activities with anyone else. In all honesty, Nell had been afraid to touch on the subject because she knew that full-bodied mazoku were incapable of feeling love...and she knew that if she came out and asked Xellos how he felt about her that she would only get her heart broken. Instead, Nell preferred not to discuss the matter and simply leave her 'relationship' with Xellos as it was...two beings coming together for indescribable pleasure. Unfortunately for the necromancer, she could not remain detached any longer. Somewhere along the way, despite all the odds, Nell had stopped viewing Xellos as a casual sexual partner and had fallen in love with him.

The thought of Xellos tangled with another woman made Nell physically ill, and it had taken Rii's display of affection to make the necromancer realize that.

"That's...that's...well..." Nell floundered--for the life of her, not knowing what to say.

"That, my friends, is a secret," Xellos said with a smirk and a wag of his finger.

Lina, Zelgadis and Amelia all fell over in a pile.


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"Nell, could I talk to you?" Xellos asked softly.

"You know you don't need to ask me that, Xellos," Nell answered with a small smile. "What is it?" As usual, they were bringing up the rear, but they still spoke in hushed tones.

"Well, I must admit that I am a little confused."

"Oh?" Nell blinked. "By what?"

"You." Xellos opened his eyes and glanced at the necromancer.

Nell felt her heart skip a beat. "What do you mean?"

"You refuse to take the steps that would make me yours forever...yet the minute you see another girl all over me, you fly into a jealous rage."

Nell sighed. No matter how she tried to avoid it, it seemed the very discussion she had been desperately trying to side-step seemed to always come back to haunt her. "Maybe I did get a little jealous...and a little carried away," the necromancer said sheepishly. "But I just...I just got so angry. I saw Rii hugging you and I just couldn't get random images of you and other women out of my head..."

"Other women?" Xellos asked curiously.

Nell blushed furiously. "I know I have no real right to get jealous since I have no real claim to you...but I just couldn't help myself."

"There are no other women," Xellos said simply. "Not since I met you." It had not been an uncommon practice of Xellos' to rape women he came across while in the physical plane in order to feed off their pain and fear...but that had stopped once he met Nell. At first it had been simply Xellos feeding off of the necromancer's constant flow of negative energy, but it gradually became much more than that....

Without the need to cause pain, fear and discomfort, Xellos found himself able to simply enjoy the presence and company of the young woman. Her pleasure gave him pleasure, and he found himself increasingly drawn to the lovely necromancer...wanting to be with her as much as possible...

And then Xellos found out the truth about who Nell really was, and it made him want to be with her...claimed by her all the more.

Nell felt herself let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. "Really?" she asked as she glanced hopefully at the mazoku.

Xellos gave a small nod. "In fact, that's one of the driving reasons behind Zelas' wrath...before you, I would beg to merge with her...now it's the other way around. It is she who begs me...and it has wounded her pride and vanity." The mazoku was silent for several moments. "Why won't you make me yours, Nell?" he asked softly at last.

The necromancer sighed and hung her head. "Because I love you, Xellos, but as much as I love you...as much as I adore you...I know you don't feel the same way towards me...and I just can't give up my humanity for someone who doesn't love me back."

The mazoku sighed softly. "It's true that my kind does not feel love, Nell...but what I feel for you is the closest thing a mazoku can possibly feel to love without actually feeling it."

"What do you mean?" Nell asked as she looked over at Xellos.

"I feel strong devotion for you and a loyalty that would surpass that which I feel for my own creator. You've seen that time and time again every time I risk Zelas' wrath to be with you. I would protect you from attacks, and I have indeed done so on many occasions. I would do anything you asked me to...and would do so without question." Xellos stopped and gently pulled the lovely necromancer to a halt with him. "When our astral forms merge...there are no words that can describe the pleasure it gives me...all the times I have merged with Zelas in the past don't even come close." He gazed into Nell's eyes. "I want to be yours, Nell...to serve you...to simply be with you in your presence until the end of days."

Nell's bottom lip quivered and she felt her heart flutter. Xellos had just told her in so many words that he loved her. She was not simply a 'notch on his belt' so to speak. Were that in fact the case, he would not continue risking harm and punishment to be with her...and when he said he would forsake Zelas for her...Nell felt that she could die happy right then. "Xellos..." she said softly with a sweet smile.

"What're you two doing back there?" Lina yelled. "Come on! We're going to make camp a little ways up the road tonight...the ruins are further than I thought they were!"

"Okay, we're coming!" Nell yelled back with a small wave of her hand.

Xellos took Nell's hands in his own before she could start walking again. "Make me yours Nell...and I would worship you. I would be your very slave."

"Xellos, I--" Before Nell could say anything more, Xellos was cleaved practically in two by an unseen force from his left shoulder to almost his groin area--leaving a jagged, gaping gash.

The mazoku's eyes went wide--his face a mask of shock and agonized pain as he dropped to the ground and writhed around--screaming bloodcurdling screams of agony.

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