Light. Darkness. What separates the light from the darkness? A very thin line, to be sure. For darkness exists within all beings, no matter how good they believe themselves to be. Anyone can cross that line between dark and light. Similarly, light also exists within all beings, despite how evil they may appear. It is in this way that good and evil coexist in the universe, conflicting forces that are forever locked in combat, one always trying to prove more powerful than the other. But neither can win the struggle. Both are dependent upon each other for survival, keeping a single balance in the chaos that the Lord of Nightmares created. The only balance L-sama would allow, for it is essential to the existance of her worlds.
The conflict in one particular world developed between two races, the Ryuuzoku and the Mazoku. A race of demons and a race of dragons. One believed to be pure evil, the other pure goodness. The third race was of humans, a mixture of good and evil. Humans could choose their destiny, whether to serve the light or bow to the darkness. Some switched back and forth whenever it was convenient for them. And some meant to serve the light, but were consumed by the ever-seductive darkness.
In the midst of this eternal darkness sat a powerful Mazoku, a servant of the master of beasts Zelas Metallium. He called her Juuou-sama, as was expected of her subordinates. And yet she did not look down upon him as she did her other servants. No, he had gained her respect from his thousand years of loyalty and his amusing of her. He was her most powerful servant, her general/priest. Most Mazoku would be delighted to be in his position, satisfied with their dark status. And yet it wasn't enough for him to conquer the darkness. No, he planned to go out and conquer the light as well. And what better way to do it than through a staunch advocate of justice? "Yare yare, Amelia-san," Xelloss murmured as he watched her talking excitedly with her companions around a slowly diminishing campfire, admiring the way the firelight glinted off her jet-black hair. "You will be mine..."
Amelia glanced up and noticed Xelloss staring at her. "What are you doing, Xelloss-san?"
"Oooooooh, the way he's staring at her, I wouldn't be surprised if Xel had a crush on Amelia!" Lina exclaimed.
"What?!" Amelia squeaked. She turned a deep shade of red as she noticed Xelloss's grin get even larger.
Zelgadis, who was leaning against a tree, rolled his eyes, got up, and stalked away.
"What's wrong with Zel?" Gourry asked, a frown on his face.
"Maybe he's jealous!" Lina said, smiling. But her smile was fake, because she was starting to get jealous herself. Since when did both Zel and Xel like Amelia?! And what was wrong with her? Or Filia? And what about jellyfish-for-brains Gourry? Did he like Amelia too? Lina abruptly got up. "I'm going to bed," she declared, and marched in the direction farthest away from Amelia.
And all this time, Xelloss continued to stare at Amelia...
The raven-haired princess blushed furiously and tried not to look at the Trickster Priest. He was starting to scare her. Actually, he always scared her, no matter what he did. She found his wicked, all-knowing smile unnerving and his constant secret-keeping frightening. She didn't want to know what kind of secret agenda the Mazoku kept. It probably involved lots of hurting, tricking, and generally injust things. And she REALLY didn't want to know why he was staring at her like that, with that terrifying, predatory look in his amethyst eyes. Lina had suggested a crush, but...could Mazoku even love?
"Ne, Amelia..."
She lifted her head to look at the blond swordsman. "What is it, Gourry-san?"
"What's the matter with Lina? She's acting all...weird." He looked rather concerned. "And she wouldn't tell me when I asked her. Is it that time of the month?"
BONK. Gourry felt a large rock suddenly connect with his head. "I heard that!!!!"
Amelia sweatdropped as the two began bickering back and forth with each other, trading punches as they usually did. She snuck a glance back over at Xelloss to see if he was still staring at her, but his eyes were sealed and his expression once again unreadable. She shrugged it off; he was probably just trying to make her nervous. After all, he was Mazoku. She looked around at her companions, remembering Zelgadis's absence. "Where did Zelgadis-san go?"
Filia was the only one listening, since Gourry and Lina were still arguing. She looked off into the forest, a worried expression coming over her face. "I don't know..."
Amelia blinked. Why did Filia look like she was really concerned about Zel? They were all friends, but did Filia have something for her guy? Okay, Zel wasn't hers, but in her head or in her dreams, she liked to pretend he was. "Do you like Zel?" Amelia blurted out suddenly.
Filia blushed. "Like Zelgadis-sama? Of course not! Don't be silly! I know how much you like him, I would never - "
All of a sudden, Xelloss started laughing.
Amelia jumped, forgeting that Xelloss was still there.
"What's so funny?" Filia demanded, putting her hands on her hips.
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" Xelloss replied, smiling.
"Don't start that crap again, Xelloss. Just tell us what you were laughing at!" Filia exclaimed.
"Fine," Xelloss said, opening his eyes. "I was laughing at you. You're a really bad liar, you know that?"
"What?" Filia gasped, turning red again.
Filia was lying? Amelia thought. So she really does like Zelgadis, MY Zelgadis?
Zelgadis settled himself into the crook of an old oak tree, secretly glad to be away from the others for awhile. Damn, they were all so loud and obnoxious at times. He just wanted to be alone, couldn't they understand that?
Then why have you stayed with them all this time? a little voice in the back of his mind asked him.
Because it was convenient, was his immediate answer. They tend to attract all kinds of magical people. It's more likely that I'll find my cure while with them.
The voice snorted derisively. Liar.
Excuse me?
You know you like being with them. You need company to keep yourself from going insane, the voice taunted.
I don't. I don't need anyone.
But you do, the voice disagreed. Everyone needs companions. Humans are social creatures, you know.
I'm NOT human. Besides, what do you know? Zelgadis thought. Why am I arguing with myself, anyway? He grumbled and shifted positions, putting those thoughts aside.
A soft voice startled him. "Zelgadis-sama?"
He peered down at the base of the tree, his demon eyes spotting the lithe blond figure that stood there, eyes full of concern. "Filia." He stared into her blue eyes. She seemed to have something to say.
"Zelgadis-sama, I...I..."
"Yes?" Zelgadis asked, frowning. 'Why doesn't she just spit out what she wants to say?'
Filia blushed. "I, well, I kinda like - ....I mean, do you think it's going to rain tomorrow?"
Zelgadis promptly fell out of the tree.
"Are you alright, Zelgadis-sama?" Filia asked, rushing to his side.
"I'm fine," Zelgadis grumbled. "But who the hell cares if it's going to rain tomorrow?"
Filia blinked back sudden tears. "Gomen nasai, I should have never bothered you. I have to go to sleep now, so..bye!" She rushed away into the darkness, her golden hair streaming behind her.
Zel blinked. What the heck was that all about?
Back at the camp, Amelia was vainly trying to get some sleep. Lina and Gourry were already snoring loudly, but that wasn't what was keeping her awake. It was Xelloss. He had disappeared a while ago, probably off doing "Mazoku stuff", but she still couldn't stop thinking about him. Even in absence, he bothered her. Amelia wasn't exactly sure why, but she couldn't get him out of her mind! Lina's little joke about Xelloss having a crush on her really hit home, and not knowing if it were true was driving her crazy. But why do I care if he likes me in that way or not? I love Zel...don't I? But the thought was uncertain; she didn't know what she felt anymore.
Zelgadis obviously didn't return any of her feelings, though she often liked to pretend he did. Zel was calm and cool; he was like one of the heroes she'd read about in books as a child. He protected her all the time, too, just like those heroes saved damsels in distress. He was like sunshine...like the day. But Xelloss was the night. He was so mysterious and intriguing...Amelia found herself wanting to learn his secrets. ALL of them.
She shook her head. What am I thinking?! He's a Mazoku! He's evil! And I am a champion of justice! But was she really? Since when had any of her adventures included the pursuit of justice? Lina and the others regularly promoted violence and injust behaviors. And she went right along with them. She'd denied it the whole time, of course, but in truth she had never really lived up to the standards of justice. She was no better than her companions.
Amelia squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to think about it. She'd deal with it in the morning. Yes, in the morning...
Amelia opened her eyes to see Xelloss's smiling face about two inches from hers. He looked like he was going to.....kiss her?!?! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Her scream echoed off the trees, waking Lina, Gourry, and Filia up, and causing Zelgadis to once again fall out of the tree. The four of them ran to the spot where they heard the yell.
And they found nothing....
"Amelia?!" Lina called, turning around in a circle rapidly. "Amelia!!"
"Was she sleeping here?" Filia asked.
"Yes, look," Zelgadis answered, kneeling down on the ground. "You can tell she was sleeping on these leaves and twigs."
"So where is she?" Gourry asked, looking around.
"That's what I would like to know," Lina said. "And where's Xelloss?"
Zelgadis spit out a curse. "I bet he kidnapped her!"
"Whoa, Zel!" Lina cried, holding up her hands. "Aren't you jumping the gun here? Xelloss is one of us, remember? He wouldn't kidnap Amelia!"
"And why would he want to?" Gourry asked. "Wouldn't she annoy him to death?"
"Yogurt-for-brains has a point," Lina said, slapping Gourry on the back, which caused Gourry to fall to the ground. "I'm sure Amelia just ran off some place. Maybe went swimming or something. She'll turn up, don't worry!"
Everyone shrugged and made there way back to their respective camping place, hoping to catch an extra hour or so of sleep. Only Lina hung back, biting her lip in concern. She had delivered a winning speech, but how right was it?
Amelia awoke slowly, feeling as though a thousand bees were buzzing inside her head. Everything was fuzzy...where was she? Lying on something soft, yes, but where was this? She opened her eyes and allowed them to focus on a room she couldn't even begin to describe. Every item shined with magic. Where...where am I? Amelia looked down at the soft thing she was lying on, noting that it was an extraordinarily large-sized bed. And then she remembered.
Xelloss. What happened after the incident that morning? She couldn't quite recall. Amelia remembered screaming, and then everything had suddenly gone black...
Did he kidnap me? she wondered. He wouldn't do that...well, maybe he would...but why? She decided that it was time to escape. She was alone in the room for the moment, and it might be her only chance. Amelia swung her legs over the side of the bed, stood...
And promptly fell through the floor. She didn't know how long she fell, nor how far, but eventually ended up sprawled in the middle of what appeared to be a large kitchen. This confused her greatly, since she thought Mazoku didn't need to eat regular food. She herself was hungry. Amelia figured that no one would miss a little food, so she walked around a set of cupboards to open them.
Then nearly died of fright when she was greeted by a gargantuan wolf. The wolf seemed amused by her expression of fear and intimidation, almost as though it knew what she was thinking. To her surprise, it spoke. "Calm down already, little one. I'm not going to eat you or anything. I just made a meal of an innocent trespasser, so I'm not that hungry."
Amelia pointed a trembling finger at the wolf. "You...you...you talk!!"
The wolf wiggled its ears, amused. "Of course I do. I'm Zelas Metallium. And you, I presume, are Xelloss's new toy."
"Zelas Metallium?!!"
Lina was taking a quick bath in the lake and she had many thoughts racing around in her mind. It was the afternoon and Amelia still had not shown up. Lina had not said anything to the group yet, but she knew they were probably just as concerned as she was. Amelia could be in trouble...or worse, she could be with Xel...
"Lina..." came the quiet voice, causing Lina to jump.
"NANI?!" Lina dove under the water and peeked up to see who was watching her.
It was Zel.
Zel blushed and turned around. "I didn't see anything, I swear!"
"What do you want?" Lina asked irritably.
"I wanted to talk to you about Amelia."
"What about her?"
"I don't think she went for a swim," Zel said.
"Very good, you win a prize," Lina said sarcastically, getting out of the water and running behind a bush to change.
Zel blushed even harder and turned to face the water. He picked up a stone and skipped it across the water. "Do you think she and Xel....." He trailed off, not certain on how he wanted to end the sentence.
"Are involved?" Lina finished. "Maybe. Or maybe Xel did kidnap her. You can never trust a Mazoku, especially if his name is Xelloss." She finished getting dressed and joined Zel by the lake.
"Well we have to look for her...the question is, where do we start?"
"That's easy, Zel," Lina replied. "Where else would Xelloss go but to Zelas Metallium's?"
The chimera shrugged. "I don't know, maybe he took her out to dinner," he replied with as much sarcasm as Lina had mustered before.
She gave him an odd look. "What's with you? Jealous or something?"
"Of course not! I'm just worried about Amelia, that's all."
Lina sighed. "Yeah, me too..."
After a few hours of wandering around the spooky Mazoku lair, Amelia found herself right back in the place she had begun. It was useless. The entire place was a confusing labyrinth of hidden passages and secret rooms. She decided that the Mazoku there must use magic to help themselves get around, and that the maze itself existed only to keep unwanted visitors out. And to keep prisoners in, she thought, still not understanding exactly why she was there. The Beastmaster had referred to her as "Xelloss's new toy." Is that what she was, a plaything for the Trickster Priest?
The young princess gulped. She didn't want to think about that. If that was true, all she had to look forward to was a short life of fear and pain. She'd seen the way Xelloss reveled in the misfortune of others, seen the way he took great fun in torturing his enemies. It was scary. Then again, he was a Mazoku. That was a trait his whole race seemed to have. It was their nature.
Where was that stupid Mazoku, anyway? How dare he just leave her all alone in a strange place? Especially a place filled with Lesser Mazoku who might do her harm. And especially a place where a certain wolflike Mazoku lord jumped out from around dark corners. At least she didn't try to eat me, Amelia thought to herself. She was actually rather polite, though she was pretty scary in her beast form. I wonder if she has a human form like Xelloss does?
A playful-sounding voice interrupted her thoughts. "Oh, so you're awake, Ame-chan. Sorry I didn't arrive sooner. I had a few...ah, 'errands' to run."
Amelia looked up to see a purple-clad man floating cross-legged in midair. "Xelloss-san!!"
He grinned in an amused fashion. "Hai?"
She didn't expect him to be so entertained by her distress. "What's this all about?" she demanded. "Why am I here?"
Xelloss tapped his staff indifferently against his knee, making the jewel on top flicker on and off with light. "Well, you see, Ame-chan...I find you quite intriguing. So I've decided to keep you."
Amelia sputtered with surprise. "But you can't do that!"
"Can't?" Xelloss began to chuckle. "You're wrong, Ame-chan...I can do anything I want."
Stars appeared in Amelia's eyes as she jumped on a table. "Oh, the fair maiden is being held captive against her will. Perhaps a prince will come to rescue the beautiful princess - "
Xelloss jumped up next to Amelia and whispered in her ear. "I'll be your prince, if you want..."
"HENTAI!" Amelia screamed, falling off the table.
Xelloss opened both of his eyes and stared down at Amelia. He looked very evil, very scary. Amelia's heart started to pound as the full meaning of Xelloss' words hit her. So I've decided to keep you.
"Xe-Xelloss...what do you mean by you want to keep me?" Amelia asked shakily.
"There's no hidden meanings, Ame-chan," Xelloss said smiling with his eyes closed. "I meant exactly what I said. You have now become mine, and you will live here with me, until I tire of you."
"And then," Amelia gulped. "And then what happens to me?"
Xellos opened his eyes again and knelt down next to Amelia, who was still on the floor. "And then I will dispose of you, like the rest of my old toys!"
Amelia felt her stomach bottom out. She was afraid. VERY afraid. She didn't know what was going to happen to her...especially when considering the Mazoku's words. Her life was no longer her own.
In the meantime, Amelia's friends had a mindset to rescue the kidnapped princess. They threw out their previously planned adventure and took another route...a route that would lead them straight to Wolfpack Island. The home of Zelas Metallium, Beastmaster.
Filia was a bit nervous about purposely going into the den of one of the world's most powerful Mazoku. She'd tried to convince the others that it was a bad idea, but they wouldn't listen. They'd insisted upon saving Amelia, and she couldn't stop them from doing that. However, she could still try. "Lina-san! Don't you understand what kind of danger you're going into? This is insane!"
Lina shrugged. "Perhaps so, but I still have to do it. Amelia's our friend. We can't let her just stay there."
"But we don't even know where to find her! And..." she added quietly, "she may have gone with him willingly."
Zelgadis growled lightly at this statement, causing Filia to look at him out of the corner of her eye. The chimera's face had hardened into a contemptful, angry mask. "I don't believe Amelia would do such a thing. Don't even suggest that."
The Ryuuzoku trembled at his stinging remark. "I...I...gomen nasai," she said softly, hanging her head and trying not to cry.
Zel blinked, his expression of anger fading briefly. "Uh..." He didn't think she'd react so strongly to his words. "It's okay, Filia," he finally managed to say.
She lifted her head hopefully. "It is?" The others, including Zelgadis, gave her a weird look. "What?"
However, the conversation was by the sight of an ocean in the distance. The ocean upon which Wolf Pack Island resided. And, on the shore of that ocean, an old-looking boathouse stood against the wind.
"Let's head over to that boathouse," Lina said, pointing. Everyone else followed suit and they entered the creepy boathouse.
"Anyone here?" Gourry asked, looking around.
"One moment," a voice called from the back. A few seconds later, a person came out with a hooded cape on, hiding their face.
"We need a boat out to Wolf Pack Island," Lina explained, placing a few gold coins down on the counter.
"Wolf Pack Island, ne?" The boatmaster asked. "It'll cost you more than that!"
"How much more?" Zelgadis said, glancing up at the ceiling in an annoyed manner.
"Just.... 100,000,000 gold pieces!" The boatmaster said gleefully.
Everyone fell to the ground.
Lina was the first to recover and she grabbed the boatmaster by the collar. "WITH THAT AMOUNT WE COULD BUY OUR OWN BOAT AND OUR OWN ISLAND!!!!!!!!!" As she shook the boatmaster, the hood of the cape fell down, revealing a man's face. He had short brown hair with green eyes and a handsome face. The kind of guy Amelia would fall in love with, but not Lina.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The boatmaster cackled. "That's the price you must pay to get to Wolf Pack Island!!"
Zelgadis slammed his fist on the table. "Look, I really don't want to spend all day listening to that stupid laugh of yours! Just give us a ride to the island and we'll pay you back after we return to the mainland!"
"Does Zel have that much money?" Gourry whispered to Lina. Lina shook her head no.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA, don't be stupid!" The boatmaster said.
Zelgadis reached out and grabbed the boatmaster, lifting him a few inches off the ground. "Listen to me carefully. The girl on that island, who is our friend, is a princess. She's got more money then you can ever imagine. She'll pay you back once we rescue her!" Zelgadis put the boatmaster on the ground.
"Really," the boatmaster said, rubbing his chin. "Well then, if you let me join you on your little adventure, it's a deal. My name is Felix, by the way, and I know Wolf Pack Island better than any of you. I can act like your tour guide!"