DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Xena stuff is the legal property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer.

Blood Mates
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Soldiers were entering the town and the people were running all over the place, some trying to hide, some trying to defend themselves. Thamyras stood near a house and calmly observed them. Finally a group of soldiers came to him and attacked him. Thamyras quickly disposed of most of them in a psychopathic manner, impaling them with his sword or with his bare hands. He grabbed the last one's throat and squeezed.

"Tell your boss that he may kill everyone in this town, except this house," he said innocently, licking the blood off his fingers. "If he tries to mess with it, he will be most sorry. Do you understand?"

The soldier eagerly nodded, terrified by the man's look. Thamyras smiled.

"Good," he said and let the man go.

The man ran away as fast as he could. Thamyras smiled and lifted his sword. He licked the blood on his fingers and observed the blood on his sword. He slowly made a few ornaments with his salivated fingers. He smiled at the ornaments and licked his fingers again.

He soon noticed the messenger and his boss standing in the distance and he saw the terror in their eyes. He smiled and observed the soldiers killing people.

Suddenly something in the distance caught his attention. For a moment he wasn't sure what it was, but he quickly found out and smiled. It was Xena. He quickly noticed that she wasn't alone and that her companion only used a staff. He leaned back on the wall and observed the two newcomers, sucking his blood-covered fingers.

He found Xena's circular thingy of particular interest and he eagerly watched every time she threw it. He finally picked up a stone and waited. When Xena threw her chakram again, Thamyras threw the stone and changed the chakram's path. He noticed that Xena stopped fighting for a moment, surprised. He smiled and caught the chakram. He curiously examined it, carefully studying its weight distribution and its flight capabilities. Suddenly his arm shot out. He saw that Xena saw his movements and was confused for a moment, until she noticed a soldier who was trying to burn the house fall down, dead. He smiled and threw the chakram into the general direction of Xena.

He watched as the chakram killed a few soldiers and a few townspeople and was finally caught by Xena. He smiled, satisfied that he hit all targets. Then he went to the soldier and retrieved his dagger. He wiped the blade into the dead soldier's dress and then did the same with the sword. He then put both weapons away and returned to the spot where he stood before and continued to observe the fight.

Finally, it was over. The soldiers fled and Xena and her companion were approaching him. Thamyras sighed. The soldiers could easily have killed some more townspeople.

"Oh, well, man can't have everything," he murmured to himself and went toward Xena and her companion.

"Hello," he said to Xena and then turned to her companion. "And who might you be, hm?" he asked, smiling kindly.

Gabrielle looked at Xena, surprised.

"Gabrielle."

"You fight pretty well."

"Ah, thank you," Gabrielle said, confused.

"Did you kill those men?" Xena asked and pointed at the soldiers Thamyras killed first.

"Aha."

"Why didn't you help us?"

"You had everything under control."

"But you could help other people," Gabrielle said.

Thamyras looked at the bard, cocked his head and stared at her for a couple of moments.

"I did."

"What do you mean?"

"I saved the people in that house," Thamyras said and pointed backwards at the house he had protected.

Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other, confused.

"But you could help other people."

"They're all a bunch of hypocrites and they deserved to die. Anyway," he turned to Xena, "a nice thing you have," he said and pointed at her chakram. "What's it called?"

"Chakram."

"You know where I could get one?"

"No."

"Oh, well," Thamyras shrugged his shoulders.

"You didn't miss, did you?"

"With the chakram? No."

"What do you mean?" Gabrielle asked.

"When he threw the chakram, he killed some soldiers and also some innocents."

"What?!"

"Right on target," Thamyras said excitedly and smiled. "Anyway, gotta be going. Meeting someone, you know. See ya."

Thamyras left and Xena and Gabrielle stared after him, confused.

"Does he remind you of someone?" Gabrielle finally asked.

"Yes," Xena confirmed. "Callisto."

Somewhere on some road to somewhere else a horde of bandits were attacking a woman. They were, however, extremely unlucky, because the woman was Callisto herself. Thamyras smiled as he slowly approached the fighters. He stopped about ten meters from them and curiously observed Callisto.

Suddenly the soldiers noticed him and two approached him. He glanced at them, annoyed that they were disturbing him. He continued to watch Callisto until the bandits got closer.

"Why don't you go back and fight her?" he asked.

The bandits glanced at each other, surprised.

"Because we came to fight you," one of them said and they both grinned.

Thamyras rolled his eyes and shook his head. Morons.

When the bandits came close enough, Thamyras spinned between them and they dropped dead, their throats cut.

"Anybody else?" he asked and tasted the blood on his knife.

The fight stopped for a moment and quickly resumed after Callisto used the bandits' confusion and killed three more.

Half of the bandits decided to take on the newcomer and make him pay for the death of two of their comrades.

Thamyras smiled.

"Oh, goodie, more people to play with," he said and clasped his hands.

He took his sword and attacked. He pirouetted among the bandits in deathly silence and the bandits dropped like stones. When too many were dead, the rest decided that it was high time to be somewhere else.

"Hey, where are you going!?" Thamyras called after them. "We're not done yet!"

The bandits ignored him and ran for their lives. Thamyras shook his head and went towards Callisto.

"They never stick to the end," he said, disappointed.

Callisto observed the stranger. She held her sword in her hand, ready to use it.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Thamyras observed her for a while.

"Nice fighting," he commented. "Hey, you also have that thing! What's it called again? Ah, chakram! I tried Xena's a couple of hours ago and it's great to remove more annoying people from the distance. Oh, would you happen to know where I could get one?"

Callisto was totally confused. She saw how expertly and deadly he fought and now he was standing in front of her, chatting about the chakram. She considered killing him, but for the first time she doubted that she could take him.

"No," she said.

"Darn."

He shook his head, went to one of the corpses and cleaned his weapons.

Callisto stared at him, confused. Finally, she decided that he wasn't going to start a fight and she also cleaned her weapons.

"Say, I heard that Teucer was in the neighborhood."

Callisto was still confused.

"Yes."

"Great! Wanna come with me and kick some butt?"

The man definitely was a mystery to her.

"No."

"Still after Xena?"

Callisto jerked and gave him an angry look.

"And what if I am?"

Thamyras shook his head.

"A waste of time. Why don't you just kill her and get it over with?"

"Because I want her to suffer," Callisto said, her eyes burning with rage.

Thamyras shook his head again.

"Oh, well, I guess everyone needs a hobby."

"This is not a hobby," Callisto said, furious, and approached him.

Thamyras got up.

"Your life occupation?" He shook his head. "You really should get a life, you know."

That was the last straw. Callisto screamed her battle cry and attacked him. Thamyras expected that and easily parried her strike.

He played with her like a cat with a mouse until he suddenly stroke back, knocked her on the ground and straddled her, his knife on her neck. Callisto tried to shake him off, but she couldn't.

"Do you want to die?" he asked curiously.

Callisto snarled, furious.

"Do you want to die?" Thamyras asked again, this time in a more serious voice.

Callisto stared at him, her anger slowly retreating.

"No."

"Then I suggest you learn how to control your emotions," Thamyras said and let her go.

Callisto got up. She stared at him for a few moments and then put her sword away.

"So, wanna come with me and kick Teucer's butt?" he asked. "Xena might be there," he added.

Callisto considered the offer.

"I'll get the horses," she said and left.

Thamyras smiled.

They quietly rode down the road and Callisto observed the strange man that was as insane as she was, probably even more.

"You still haven't told me your name," she finally said.

Thamyras glanced at her.

"Thamyras."

"I've never heard of you."

Thamyras grinned.

"That's because I usually don't let anyone who knows my name alive."

Callisto rose her eyebrows.

"Why not?"

"Because I fight when I want to. I don't want to have a horde of would-be heroes on my back, trying to rid the world of me, it would be a waste of time. Anyway, I'm planning to retire and I can do without people trying to kill me all the time."

"Retire?" Callisto asked, surprised.

"Aha. I'll go to a small island and maybe start fishing." Callisto laughed. "You have a problem with that?" Thamyras asked seriously.

"Me? No. It's just… funny. A psycho killer like you, retiring and fishing."

"Well, I'm getting bored with killing. It's just not fun anymore. I've killed people in every imaginable way, well most of them anyway, and I want to try something else, like fishing. If I get tired of that, then I'll take up something else." Callisto looked at him, not knowing what to think. "You can come with me," Thamyras offered, "and we can compare notes."

Callisto stared at him, surprised.

"You want me to go with you and take up fishing?"

"No, I said that you can come, if you want. Anyway, I would like you to come."

Callisto was totally confused.

"You wouldn't happen to be in love with me?" she finally asked.

"No, I'm still thinking about that. I do like you a lot, though."

Callisto was lost.

"You like me?" she finally asked.

"Mhm."

"Why?"

Thamyras looked at her, thinking.

"I don't know, I just do."

Callisto stared at him, for a few moments.

"People that like me usually don't live long," she said menacingly.

Thamyras shrugged.

"Nobody said life was safe. Besides, I like challenges." He observed her for a moment. "You're not afraid, are you?"

Callisto frowned, surprised.

"Of what?" she asked.

"Of caring."

Callisto stared at him for a few moments and then looked away, not responding. She had never thought about caring in that way. Was she really afraid? She had killed several of her own soldiers because she felt that they were too close to her, she had even killed Theodorus. And now, some psychopath was asking her if she was afraid of caring. She thought back to the few times she had felt that she could care for someone and she realized that she was afraid. She shuddered and looked at Thamyras. Somehow she felt close to him.

"And what if I was?" she asked after a while.

Thamyras glanced at her and shrugged.

"Your loss," he said.

Callisto was surprised.

"You think I should care for you?"

Thamyras looked at her.

"It's your decision about who you care for."

Callisto was confused. Thamyras had told her that he liked her a lot, but he didn't show any interest in her, at least not like others did. She wondered what it would be like to care for someone and be cared for in return. It has been a long time and a lifetime ago since someone had cared for her and she for someone. She sighed as she remembered her family. She missed them. She was afraid to care. She smiled inwardly. She, the Scourge of Greece, the Warrior Queen, she was afraid of something. She found that ironic. She decided to give it a try.

"Thamyras."

"Yes?" Thamyras asked and looked at her.

"Have you already decided to which island you want to go?"

Thamyras rose his eyebrows.

"No, not really. Why? You wanna come with me?"

Callisto hesitated for a moment.

"Yes, I'd like to give it a try."

"Okay. Why don't we go to Corinth first and then we'll see, hm?"

Callisto stared at him for a few moments.

"What about Teucer?"

"Fuck Teucer."

Callisto was surprised. She grinned.

"Okay."

The End