(More help from Irene-chan. And I watched Tape 8 of Slayers today, and realised that Sylfiel has GREEN eyes, not violet. Gomen nasai.)





"Uhhhhh... Mr. Xellos?"

She spent a few terrifying moments doing a nervous little dance towards and away from his still form, not entirely sure whether she should help him or run to get a sword. He looked like he'd just been on the worse end of a fight with Miss Lina, but... he usually seemed to deserve those bruises...

"Mr. Xellos," she repeated, a little louder.

He didn't move. He didn't even seem capable of it. If she hadn't known better, she might have thought that he looked ill... but then, the monster race wasn't prone to sickness, was it?

Her kind heart won out over all her other misgivings, insisting that the priesthood was a brotherhood even if Xellos was a trickster and she a shrine maiden. She ran for her healer's staff, praying that she was doing the right thing.



This time Zelgadis woke to the feel of water on his face. Very cold water.

He opened his eyes, and immediately regretted it--the dizziness from the teleport exploded into his head, and it was all he could do to keep from retching. He still felt as if parts of him were struggling to make their way across the distance. And that felt awful.

There were slim hands on his shoulders, trying to steady him. He shivered and swallowed, fighting off the tide of vertigo.

"Mr. Xellos, are you all right?"

Even though the voice was distant, it was familiar. He'd made it, praise L-Sama.

"Syl..." He choked, his throat dry. "Sylfiel...?"

"Are you hurt, Mr. Xellos?"

He forced his eyes open again; the dizzy sensation was fading. Although his vision was blurry, he could faintly make out the shape of the shrine maiden's face.

"Yes," he managed. "...throat."

She murmured something, and in another moment the world had steadied. He blinked, and Sylfiel's face came into focus.

"Thank you," he said, and meant it.

"You're welcome. You, er, aren't going to try anything?" she asked, uncertainly.

"Other than trying not to fall over, no."

She smiled a little, and then slid an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, then. I'll help you stand."

"Thank you. I... I knew I could trust you. I was ambushed," he added as he got to his feet, feeling an explanation was necessary.

"Oh... oh my." She seemed unsure of what to say next. I don't blame her for that, Zel thought; after all, she'd be comforting a monster.

"And... why did you come here?" she asked, cautiously.

"As I said, I sought you out because I knew I could trust you. I would be safe with you. And he won't think to look here."

He couldn't keep himself from saying it, but as soon as he had he bit his tongue. Damn, he thought, more questions. Really smart, Zel.

"'He'?" She frowned, drawing away from him a little. "You're... looking for sanctuary? The temple will grant it to you, but only for seven days... less if anybody discovers you're a mazoku, Mr. Xellos."

"But--" He wanted to say, I'm not; at least, not anymore, but that was too dangerous. Too many things to explain, and he still felt feverish from the teleport. He swallowed and tried again. "But I wasn't looking for temple protection. I was looking for a friend."

She took a step back, obviously startled; for a moment he was afraid he was in for another slap. He took a deep breath and waited for it to happen--but then her green eyes took on a warm light.

"Mr. Xellos," she said, more softly, "would you like a shirt?"

He blushed deeply--he'd forgotten that he wasn't actually wearing a full outfit. "Er, I, uh, yes! I'm sorry about my appearance." After a pause, he added, "Everything about my appearance."

"That's okay." She smiled, a good-natured, friendly smile. "You can explain things to me once you're cleaned up. Come on, I'll take you inside. If you think you can walk, that is...?"

"With... help."

She hesitated, then offered him a gloved hand.

"Thank you." Zelgadis took hold of her arm with both hands and, still shaking a little, allowed her to lead him towards the offered refuge.

Sylfiel ushered him towards a soft mat beneath the temple's main skylight, near the altar, then unbuckled her cloak and slung it over his shoulders. "That should do for now. If you need me, just call out, okay?"

"All right, Sylfiel." He pulled the cloak over his body and curled up tightly on the floor. "If... if you could send word to Lina?"

"Miss Lina?" She frowned. "Where is she?"

"At the inn... the Sign of the Two Swords, where we stayed a couple of months ago..."

"I remember."

He managed a smile, then closed his eyes and fell asleep.



When he woke, there was a shaft of late-afternoon sunlight warming his face; he still felt vaguely unwell, but a few extra hours of rest would give him enough energy for the teleport back.

He sat up; there was a bundle of fabric near his elbow, which, when he shook it out, turned out to be a dark-blue tunic.

I don't understand how she can be this kind, he thought as he shrugged off the cloak and pulled the tunic on. Can she tell I'm not really Xellos?

"Oh, you're awake!"

He pushed his mussed bangs out of his eyes to see Sylfiel smiling hesitantly at him from the doorway.

"Have I been out long?"

"A few hours. I couldn't get in touch with Miss Lina, but--"

"That's all right. I'll be going back in a few hours anyways... I'll check then."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thanks."

There was a moment of silence; then he admitted, "Well, partially."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

For a minute he thought of telling her everything--the fight, the switch, the subsequent chaos--but that would only complicate the issue. He did need help figuring out exactly what Xellos had done, but that wasn't why he had come here.

"Yes," he said. He had to take a deep breath before he could continue: "It's... it's about Lina."

"What about her?"

"I..." He swallowed hard. "I think... I think I'm falling in love with her." Zel buried his face in his hands; he'd never thought he would say it, but now... it seemed so much easier, knowing she believed he was someone else.

"Mr. Xellos..."

"Yeah, I know. You're gonna try to comfort me. The scary thing is... I think I need that. Because, I mean, I'm a freak! Why would she even consider going out with me? For all I know, she could be laughing at me right now."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"But--but she's so amazing, and I'm--well, look at me, Sylfiel. I'm not even good with friendships. Besides, she's never done anything to even give me a hint that she likes me. If I knew I had a chance, if I had anything to hope for--"

"Mr. Xellos," she said gently, "even if you two don't have a future, you have to tell her."

"You think so."

She nodded. "Even if it might bring disappointment..."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sylfiel blushed a little; he felt chagrin roll off of her. "I, uh... nothing. Listen, I have some duties to attend to outside... you rest up and I'll be back around dinner, all right?"

"All right." He sighed and lay down again; as she turned to leave he drew the cloak around his shoulders and allowed himself to wonder what Lina would say if she could have heard him.



He was ready to leave just before dawn; although part of him was anxious that he'd spent so much time here with so little result, part of him felt better for her advice.

Sylfiel insisted on seeing him off.

"If you need anything else," she said, "I'll still be here."

"Thank you."

He turned to go, then thought of something.

"Sylfiel," he said, "don't forgive me. For anything I've done to you."

A confused frown spread across the shrine maiden's face, and she took a step forward--but Zel had already fixed his mind on the inn, and the teleport distorted her words beyond recognition.







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