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NOTES: I really am sorry about the cliffhanger last time. ^^;;;; I didn’t mean to leave it for so long like that. . . gomenasai!!

"Balus-" Zelgadiss was cut off by the beam.
No, Xelloss did not like this kind of pain at all. "ZELGADISS!" he cried out. There, in front of his eyes, his lover (love?) was being torn apart by the fire of Xelloss’ own minion. He had to stop this, now.

The sound of a completed spell resonated through the room. “BALUS WALL!” Huh? Of course! Xelloss groaned and slapped his forehead in a combination of frustration and relief. He watched as all that fire spouting from the hand of his minion simply burned out when it hit Zel, and he began to giggle. Rock. Rock Zel. Immune-to-fire Zel. He started to laugh out loud. “Hah. Hahaha. Ha HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

All heads turned to him as they heard his uncharacteristic outburst. “Xelloss?” Lina blinked.

“Eh? Xelloss?” Gourry scratched his head.

“Xelloss, are you all right?” Amelia inquired.

Well that was a stupid question. “HAHAHAHAHA! HA HA!” It wasn’t even funny! It was just. . .messed up. . . and here he was, a high-level Mazoku, at the top of his class (and the top of the food chain), laughing his little Mazoku tushy off in front of a minion and a bunch of humans. Even Zelgadiss lifted an eyebrow.

And his minion even halted his attack, and blinked its beady little reptilian eyes at its master. “Xelloss-sama. . .?” Which was just what Xelloss needed to stop his laugh-attack. Shit.

“Xelloss-sama?” Lina hissed. Uh-oh, dangerous little flame mode. Delicious, but deadly. Aura flaring around her, Lina turned to the minion. “Did you just call him Xelloss-sama?!”

“Well. . .yes, of course I did,” the minion said.

[You IDIOT! SHUT UP!] Xelloss hissed.

“Huh? Am I missing something?” the idiot lesser minion scratched his head with a claw. Perfect Gourry imitation.

“No idea,” his human double (idiot blonde) shrugged. “I think Xelloss did something bad.”

Idiot-lesser-minion gave Gourry a perplexed look. “Really? But Xelloss-sama can’t do any wrong. He’s too smart. And handsome. And powerful. . . and. . .” he continued on. Idiot.

“He is? Oh, well I guess so. . .” The two idiots started chatting away. Two of a kind. Xelloss shook his head. At least their childish chattering was distracting the others.

“You IDIOT Gourry!” Lina hissed and smacked her sidekick across the face.

“Lina! Stop doing that to Gourry, it’s unjust!” Maybe he could make a quick escape. . . He shook his head.

But one member of the group was not distracted. That member was pissed. That member was filled with emotions—not only anger, but hurt and confusion. He knew before looking who this member was; he could feel and taste the emotions as if they were his own.

It was Zelgadiss. And he was tasting. . . exquisite. This turn of events wasn’t all bad after all. “I need to talk with you. Now, Xelloss.”

“Sure, sure, where would you like to talk?” Xelloss didn’t bother smothering his smile. This was fun.

“Wherever. Just teleport me there. Now.”

Xelloss’ smile faded just a tad. Was this bad? He nodded and placed a hand on Zel’s shoulder, teleporting away.

“Zel? XELLOSS?!” Lina blinked. She paused in her throttling of the minion and Gourry.

“Xelloss-sama?! WAIT! DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!”

Lina grinned a toothy Lina-grin at it. “It’s too late for you,” she said. “You are going to tell us everything you know. Got that?”

“Hai, Lina-sama,” it squeaked.

“Gooooood.”



It was the same room they’d shared the night before, small, with only a desk and a bed. The sky was still gray, and neither of them bothered to light a candle. It felt as if the grayness was coming inside, filling the room, separating them. Xelloss chose to sit on the bed, so Zel got the chair at the desk. It was small and threatened to break under his weight, but he wasn’t about to share a bed with him right now.

He winced and turned away as Xelloss lay back on the bed, stretching out and looking all languid and relaxed. Sexy, too. But dangerous. . . always dangerous. “Xelloss, talk to me,” he said, turning away.

“Talk to you about what? The minion? Surely it’s not that big a deal. . .”

“No, Xelloss. I always knew you would betray us. That’s not entirely it.” It hurt to admit that. Xelloss hadn’t just betrayed Lina, he had betrayed him. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but. . . that’s not entirely it.”

“No, Zel,” Xelloss said, propping his head up on his hand and looking him in the eye. “I did not betray anyone.”

Zel met the gaze only briefly, then turned away. “Stop these stupid mind games, Xelloss.”

“Mind games?”

“Yes, Xelloss, mind games. Manipulation. Those things you do with humans, all humans.” Zel turned to look in Xelloss’ eyes again, and this time he continued to gaze. He would defy him. Prove he’s not just another toy. A toy. . . Wait, was that what Xelloss thought of him as?
“Ahhhh,” was all Xelloss said in response. “Mind games.”

“So you don’t deny it, Xelloss,” Zel hissed. He was boiling, broiling, hurting inside. He had to let it out. “You don’t even care about me, do you? I’m just another toy to be used, aren’t I. Well you know what? Forget it. I won’t be a toy.” He stood, hurt and anger visible in his eyes. “I hate you. I hate you. We are over, and you had better get the fuck out of here before I or Lina decides to kill you.”

Xelloss’ smile was gone. Good. Finally. Good riddance. Damn him. . . He wasn’t talking. . . why? Zel was sick of staring at his little puny (horribly sad-looking?) face. “Wait, Zel. . . let me explain. . . Please?”

No, Zel was determined not to let him get to him. It was a game. Nothing but a game. “What is there to explain?! I trusted you. What a friggen mistake that was. . .”

Xelloss didn’t respond, but watched him. Then he did the unthinkable: he began to open his eyes. He opened them slowly, as if to prolong Zelgadiss’ torture. He did not want to look into those eyes, and see. . .

No, it wasn’t really what he saw. It was what he felt. He felt Xelloss there, around him, inside of him, encompassing him. Those depths pulled him in, and it was if he could feel what Xelloss was feeling.
Hurt. Confusion. Guilt?

No, it was a trick. This was how Xelloss had captured him last time. He would not let him do this again. He closed his eyes, shutting off the contact. He turned away. “I’m going back to find Lina,” he said, and left the inn. He allowed the drizzle and fog to become a part of him; there was no way to keep it at bay now.

NOTES: Okay, okay, I’ll let you all in on a secret. I didn’t mean for it to happen like this. I meant for Zelly to get all painfully hurt and stuff. . . then I realized, “Wait a sec, it’s fire. He can’t get hurt! NO!!!” Sooo there it is, hope you liked it, please R&R.

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