Zelgadiss stood in the dungeon, straining against the chains that bound his wrists and glared at the mazoku in front of him. The blond with the silted red eyes just smiled back at him as he ran a heated gaze over Zelgadiss' naked form and walked forward, stopping just outside the chimera's reach.

"So beautiful." He murmured, closing that last bit of distance and running a hand down Zelgadiss' chest, causing the chimera to jump back as far as he was able. "Such a perfect combination of control and savagery. But perhaps a little too much control?" His smiled shifted slightly and Zelgadiss felt the beginnings of an instinctual fear begin to radiate through his entire body. "No matter, that is a simple situation to remedy." The mazoku's hand began to glow and he reached out, catching hold of Zelgadiss' shoulder in a painful grip. From that point of contact, shards of agony stretched through his body, forcing him to his knees.

"What did you do to me?" Zelgadiss asked once the torment finally subsided.

"I made you my perfect toy." The mazoku whispered, crouching down to run a finger down the chimera's cheek, laughing when Zelgadiss pulled away again.

"I don't understand."

"You will." The blond promised, then turned and headed out of the cell.

Left alone, Zelgadiss pondered those parting words as his sense of dread continued to increase.

"Lina-san? Shouldn't Zelgadiss-san have come down for breakfast already?"

Xellos looked up from his own thoughts as the redhead stopped eating long enough to answer the worried princess' question.

"Don't worry Amelia, he's probably still mad at us for teasing him last night. He really wasn't impressed with that mazoku hitting on him and we probably went a little overboard joking about it."

"I suppose so." Amelia answered with a sigh and a wistful look towards the stairs that lead to the inn's rooms.

Xellos wasn't so sure he agreed. He had recognised the blond mazoku who had taken an interest in the missing chimera. Uruha had a reputation for taking whatever he wanted, and for making whoever he took into one of his 'toys.' The masochist revelled in the corruption, and the agony it caused the people he used. Having Zelgadiss disappear so soon after catching Uruha's attention was rather ominous.

Maybe it would be best to check and see if Zelgadiss really was just sulking in his room. As he finished that thought Xellos vanished from the breakfast table and reappeared in the chimera's bedroom. "Oh Zelga--" He broke off his greeting as he took in the demolished state of the chamber. Everything was broken, Zelgadiss' sword was lying shattered against one of the walls and there was no sign of the chimera. "Yare, yare." Xellos said to the empty room. "So much for your damage deposit. I suppose I'll have to help you now." Searching out the 'tag' he had placed on Zelgadiss, Xellos appeared in a dark dungeon cell, standing in front of the missing chimera. Zelgadiss was chained to the stone wall, but the restraints appeared unnecessary. He was lying on the floor, curled up in the foetal position, completely unaware of the world around him. There was no response from him when Xellos broke the chains, nor when the amethyst-eyed mazoku lifted his trembling form.

Xellos watched Zelgadiss with a frown, he couldn't return to the others while the chimera was like THIS. He'd just have to take him somewhere safe until the traumatised boy could recover from whatever it was Uruha had done to him.

That decided he took Zelgadiss to the safest place he could think of, his quarters on Wolf Pack Island. Leaving the shaking chimera on his bed, Xellos went to make an unscheduled report to his Master, and to see if she could stop Uruha from interfering with his mission. He couldn't have situations like this occurring all the time, after all.

Zelgadiss lay in the private hell of his own body, not knowing that his location had changed. He couldn't tell if he was suffering from intense pleasure or intense pain but he knew that he needed something to make it stop or it would tear him apart. What was it that he needed? The answer taunted him; teasing at the edges of his awareness but never letting him grasp it. It was simply one more part of the torture the blond mazoku had subjected him too.

The mazoku. He had to get out of there.

Opening his eyes slowly, it finally registered on his distraught brain that he was already out of the dungeon. Instead of a cold stone floor, he was now lying on a firm four-poster bed that was covered in a deep purple comforter with matching curtains. The room around him had a number of tasteful oak furniture pieces, including a tidy desk and a tall wardrobe. There was a plush purple carpet and grey stone walls with a few painting hung in strategic places. Zelgadiss was just thinking of how much he liked this room when he noticed the staff that was propped up against the wardrobe.

Xellos' staff, which probably meant that this was Xellos' room. And that probably meant that it had been Xellos who had saved him. Zelgadiss closed his eyes again; the last thing he wanted was to owe the mazoku priest a favour.

Still, at least he was away from the blond, even if he hadn't yet recovered from whatever that mazoku had done to him.

Zelgadiss lay on the bed, fighting against his unfocused need for an eternity before the door opened and someone entered the room.

"Are you awake yet Zelgadiss-san?" A cheerful voice said, causing Zelgadiss' eyes to open against his will. "Oh, you are! Good. I was afraid that Uruha-san had broken you already."

The fierce desire running through the chimera's body finally found a focus as Zelgadiss watched the smiling priest walk across the room to hang up his cloak. He wanted, needed, Xellos. Now.

"Looks like you're all right though, that's good."

Zelgadiss got off the bed and walked towards the priest. Xellos turned and tilted his head in confusion.

"Maybe I was wrong. You look strange, are you all right Zelgadiss-san?"

"No." Zelgadiss answered and grabbed Xellos by the front of his shirt, throwing the mazoku back on the bed, following him quickly.

"Zelgadiss-san, what are you doing?" Xellos asked, his smile disappearing as Zelgadiss landed on top of him.

"I need you." The chimera replied, leaning down and catching the shocked mazoku's mouth in a fierce kiss. The desire in his body increased to a fever pitch as he realised that he had him. Xellos was his, he could not be stopped now.

For his part, Xellos was still trying to figure out what had prompted the aloof chimera to try this. He wasn't overly concerned, just really, really confused. Zelgadiss broke off the kiss and Xellos decided it was time to put an end to it. He placed his hands on the chimera's chest and pushed him off. Well, tried to anyway, it didn't work. That was just as unexpected as the attack had been.

"Naughty." Zelgadiss whispered, reaching down to catch the mazoku's hands. "You're mine now, I'm not going to let you get rid of me that easy." He pulled Xellos' hands up above his head, and nothing the mazoku did could get him free from that grip. Something was definitely not right here.

Zelgadiss was holding his hands against one of the bedposts now, and with a flash Xellos found them tied to it with an energy rope. Zelgadiss should not have been able to do that, he never had been before.

Okay, now he was getting a little concerned. "Zelgadiss-san, stop this."

"No, I need you Xellos."

"Zelgadiss!"

The chimera leaned back and pulled Xellos' black pants off, tearing the fabric as he did so. Xellos pulled his legs back and drove them full force into Zelgadiss' chest. The shaman lurched back slightly, then caught the mazoku's legs and put one over each shoulder. It was impossible, he should have been sent flying into the wall.

"How?" Xellos whispered.

Zelgadiss didn't bother to answer, he just repositioned himself, arching Xellos' hips as he came forward.

"Zelgadiss, don't!"

There was a slight pause as Zelgadiss looked down into his eyes. Xellos could feel the chimera's pain as Zelgadiss fought against himself, but it was no good, they could both tell that he was going to loose the battle. "Xellos, I can't stop, I need this too much." The pause was over, Zelgadiss drove himself into Xellos' body without any more hesitation. Xellos bit back the scream that almost escaped his lips as the incredible burst of pain/pleasure split his body. He pulled against the energy rope that bound his hands but it was no good, he couldn't get them free. Zelgadiss pulled out slightly and drove back into the mazoku's body again, changing the angle this time so that he pressed against the sweet spot inside of him. This time Xellos couldn't hold back his cry. Zelgadiss smiled and pounded into him again and again, rapidly driving Xellos mad as his body responded to the uninvited sensations the chimera was inflicting. Pain so wonderfully intense and pleasure that permeated his entire being, it was more than he could take. Wanted or not, he hit the moment of release only seconds before the chimera did.

He lay shuddering beneath Zelgadiss' body for a few moments before realising that his cheeks were wet with tears. Disgusted with himself he tried to wipe them away, only to be reminded that his hands were still tied. There was very little he could do until Zelgadiss recovered and let him go.

'What have I just done?' Zelgadiss thought with horror as he recovered, now free from the overpowering need of a moment ago. He began to shudder, feeling pure revulsion for himself, unable to get his mind beyond that one thought. 'What did I do?'

"If you don't mind, I'd like my hands freed now." Xellos said dryly, his voice cutting through the numbness of Zelgadiss' mind. He pulled away from the mazoku quickly, falling off the bed as the energy ropes dispersed.

"Xellos, I, I didn't want to--" His voice caught in his throat. What did it matter what he wanted, he'd done it. "I'm so sorry."

Xellos didn't answer, he merely removed his soiled shirt and got off the bed, heading towards the wardrobe. Zelgadiss couldn't think of anything else to say. He still couldn't understand what had made him act that way.

Xellos dressed himself again still without speaking. When he finished he took some more clothes out of the wardrobe and turned to Zelgadiss, his smile in place once again. "Here you are Zelgadiss-san. We can't have you running around naked now can we? What would Amelia-san think?"

The chimera took the clothes, still at a loss for words. "Xellos..."

"Ne, Zelgadiss-san, what did Uruha do to you anyway?"

"Uruha?" Zelgadiss asked as he pulled on the clothes.

"You know, the pretty blond mazoku with a passion for chains."

"He, touched me, casting some sort of spell, I don't know what it was, but it hurt."

"Hmm, well, I think we both just experienced the outcome of it."

"You mean?"

"I think I stumbled into the staring role of Uruha's masochistic fantasy. He's probably quite upset that his new sex toy escaped before he could play with it."

Zelgadiss blushed and then looked away. "Then..."

"You can stop blaming yourself. Now, if you're done changing I suggest we put this behind us and go back to meet the others. I'm sure they're quite worried about you by now."

"Xellos..."

"The past is the past Zelgadiss-san, why worry about it?"

Zelgadiss didn't answer. He let Xellos transport them back to the inn where the others were waiting, but he was worried. Sometimes the past had a huge effect on the future, and he was fairly certain that this was going to be one of those times.