'Kimi no koto o suki datte
Ano uwasa wa hontou sa
Sou sanete mo samete mo
Sakeyou toshite mo dame sonna fou
Ni komaranaide...'
A humming sound filled the air of the dank high school classroom; someone projecting a melody that no one else knew. Several students turned their heads to stare at the girl who was humming, quickly quieting her. She hastily picked up her copy of Macbeth and pretended to be listening to the lecture her English teacher was giving. As soon as the other students turned their backs, she rolled her brown eyes and resumed humming while doodling pictures of anime characters in her notebook instead of taking notes. The girl was short for her age, with a young-looking face and curly hair, recently dyed brown with a cheap wash-out product. She wore a pair of faded jeans and an white T-shirt with an iron-on imprint of the Black Moon characters from the anime series Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. The girl was a raving otaku through and through, and had been for several years.
'Juukyuu ji no newsu
Juukyuu ji no newsu aa nagareru
Onegai boku-tachi no naka o
Aa semenai de shinjitsu no kissu...'
Her small hand rapidly sketched with a nearly dried-out pen, her mind silently noting that pens were really hard to draw with. Her notebook was filled with similar sketches, all outlining her homework and other school assignments. They included characters like Marron Glaces, Belldandy, Xelloss Metallium, Shidou Hikaru, Ayanami Rei, Tezuka Shinobu, Lina Inverse, Kino Makoto, Tatewaki Kuno, and others. Her favorites. And sometimes her non-favorites. She was always doing something that had to do with anime or manga. Her family didn't understand her obsession with it; they told her to stop daydreaming and to put her feet on the ground where they belonged. They thought that her anime-watching made her an outcast, but they were wrong. She would be an outcast anyway, even if she wasn't an otaku. Her friends didn't understand, either, but at least they didn't question her. The girl didn't have the heart to tell them her reasons for watching anime, that many of the programs gave her the kind of hope that the real world couldn't offer. She wished for more than the superficial life she was expected to lead, more than what most students her age wanted out of life. They wouldn't understand. They could never understand...
'Hino nai kono machi koi shite
Kemuri o age yo
Hino nai kono machi koi shite
Aa about ni ikitewa ikenai
Nai mono nedari...'
"Ahem!" A loud coughing noise interrupted her cheerful humming, and the girl looked up into the face of an angry-looking teacher. "And just what do you think you're doing, Miss Anders?"
"Um..." The girl picked up Macbeth and smiled nervously. "Listening to a rousing literary discussion?" she asked hopefully.
"Hardly," the teacher replied with an air of sourness. "Put those drawings away and take out your notes."
"Notes? What are those?" she murmured under her breath as the teacher walked away, causing several of the students around her to snicker.
"Miss Anders!!" The girl cringed at the sound of her teacher's barking voice. "See me after class!"
A hand patted her on the shoulder. "Looks like you're going to get written up again, eh, Rawnie?"
The girl struggled to suppress a shudder under his touch. She forced a scowl at the boy seated behind her and pretended nothing had happened. "Shut up."
Rawnie trudged through the school's art-and-music wing, crumpling yet another detention slip in her hand. "@#$$%*..." She was headed towards the prop room, near the auditorium, so she could work on one of the setpieces for the Drama Club's upcoming musical. As assistant head techie (a.k.a. the people behind the musical), she was in charge of making sure the scenery was completed by a deadline. "Ririka wa futsuu onna noko, doko ni demo iru youna onna noko..." she sang, fumbling with the doorknob on the prop room door and shifting her bookbag to the other shoulder. "Yeesh, this place is a mess," she noted to herself, picking through the mountain of canvas to find some paintbrushes and possibly some paint, if the freshmen tech crew had left any behind.
Clink. Rawnie's ears prickled. She turned around, her arms full of supplies, thinking she heard the sound of metal clashing together. Clink. "Oh, what is it now..." she complained, shuffling out of the room and following the sound, curiosity overcoming her indifference. The girl paused outside one of the stage doors, listening. "Ah, hell," she said, recognizing the clashing sound swords make. "The freshmen band members are playing with our sword props again." Rawnie balanced her supplied onto one hip and used the other to push the door open. She opened her mouth to yell at the offending musicians and stopped suddenly, her bookbag and art supplies clattering to the floor.
She was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted her. Two tall men garbed in pseudo-medieval clothing were locked into bitter combat at the center of the stage. The one closest to her wore a tan-colored cloak, the hood pulled over his head and a mask covering the bottom half of his undeniably blue face. The other wore robes of deep purple and carried a long staff, his eyes hidden by thick purple bangs. Rawnie blinked dumbly in surprise as recognition dawned upon her. "Ookay..." She rubbed her eyes, thinking that perhaps she'd lost her mind, but the men were still there when she reopened her eyes.
The purple-haired priest waved to her over his head, his usual mocking smile on his pale face. "Hey there, princess! Long time no see!"
Rawnie scratched her head in confusion. If I'm not mistaken, that's Zelgadis Greywers and Xelloss Metallium. Battling. Onstage. At my school. Right in front of me. "What the..." Is this a trick? Someone in costume? It looks too real for that...anime characters...real life...am I dreaming? She was almost too shocked to notice the whirlwind of a void behind the two opponents, a gray swirling mass of pure energy. Whoa...snap out of it, Rawnie! She shook her head, tried to reassess what was going on before her, and was met with an enormous cloud of smoke. "Wha...?" She'd apparently missed a sizable battle, one that had pretty much demolished the stage area. Rawnie shielded her eyes from the flying debris and shifted her bookbag nervously. "Where are they? I can't see..."
A dark shape leaped through the thick smoke, grabbing Rawnie by the arm and dragging her through the flames. She shuddered unintentionally at the touch, struggling to win a battle between fear and control. She couldn't tell who it was that had her, but the person's grip was very firm. Almost like a rock, she thought, finally keeping the shuddering under control. The smoke suddenly cleared before her and for a split-second revealed the swirling gray void she'd noticed before. The hand on her arm jerked slightly, pulling her bodily into the void. Rawnie felt her body falling through the darkness, her voice caught in her throat for the moment. Nearly a minute passed as she fell, until she noticed the bright light directly ahead of her and the dark shape that was pulling her through. She heard a thump as her bookbag landed on something, just before her head met with a hard solid object and everything around her turned black.
Rawnie regained consciousness several hours later, her head searing with pain and her vision fuzzy. She was lying on the cold ground, curled up in the fetal position, feeling the grass blades gently poke her cheek. Everything hurt, especially her head. She groaned silently, rolled over, and opened her eyes slightly. Rawnie didn't see much through the blinding sunlight, just the shadows of tree branches overhead. She attempted to move again and gave a sharp cry as her head throbbed with incessant pain. "Not a good idea," she mumbled to herself. "This is worse than a hangover."
The slouching shape that leaned against a nearby tree shifted at the sound of her voice, and turned around to look at her. "You're awake. Good." Rawnie recognized the soft-speaking, nasal voice and sat up quickly. She immediately regretted doing so as the dizziness and pain overwhelmed her. She heard footsteps approach and stop just before her, a shadow falling over her quivering form. The girl forced herself to lift her head and look up, her fuzzy vision finally focusing on the tall chimera who was looking down at her critically. "I can't imaging why Xelloss would go to so much trouble to get you."
"What are you talking about?" Rawnie rubbed her temples, trying to clear her mind and to stop the awful pounding in her head. "Where...am I?"
The chimera sat across from her on a fallen tree branch, his lavender hair glinting like stone in the harsh sunlight. "Not in your world, obviously. We're on the outskirts of the Myzantine Forest, near Zefilia."
Rawnie's head snapped up. "Zefilia?! You mean I...this...this is the Slayers world?! But how...why..." She scratched her head in confusion. Me...anime realm...here... She shrugged. Cool. "Hey...so does this mean that anime worlds are actually real? Sugoi!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her state of dizziness forgotten. "But why were you guys after me, anyway? And just how did you guys get into my world, Zelgadis?"
The chimera blinked in surprise. "Huh? My name...how do you know who I am?" he demanded, suddenly on the defensive.
Rawnie leaned back a little. "Whoa. Calm down, boy. I only know about you from watching the Slayers anime. It's all about you and Lina and everyone. It's one of my favorites. I've seen from Lina and Naga's adventures all the way up until when Valgarv is turned into a baby."
Zelgadis paused, attempting to digest this information. "What is this 'anime' you speak of? Is that like some kind of legend?"
"Um...sort of. It's like a visual way of telling stories, using drawings for the characters." Rawnie was now on her feet, examining the chimera from every angle. She nodded satisfactorily to herself. "Yep, you're him all right."
Zelgadis sweatdropped. "Do you mind?"
She smiled sheepishly and sat back down. "Sorry. I'm still a little shocked to find out that one of my world's...legends...is actually true."
Zelgadis nodded. "Understandable." He looked suspiciously over his shoulder at the quiet woodlands behind him and stood. "We should get going. Before he finds us again."
"Oh, okay." Rawnie rose and followed him, shouldering her bookbag. She was silent for a few minutes, mulling over her current situation and finally accepting it. "So," she began, breaking the silence. "Where are we going, anyway?"
Zelgadis looked over his shoulder at the girl, contemplating whether or not he should tell her. He found it odd that she already knew so much about his life and vaguely wondered if Xelloss had some hand in making the tale known to her people. "I have to find the others. You'll be safer with them, anyway. And they can keep Xelloss away from you."
"What's he after me for, anyway?"
The chimera shrugged. "Don't know. But apparently you're important to him, and Lina figured it would be better if one of us got to you first. We don't really need the Mazoku to have another edge over us."
"Ah, I see. Puts the ball in your court then." She scratched her head. "So I'm important to Xelloss, huh?" He's my number one favorite villain. It's kinda cool that he's after me, but still... "Damn Mazoku. I trust him about as far as I can throw a truck."
Zelgadis smiled, sharing the girl's sentiments about Xelloss. This is good that she doesn't trust him. It will make it easier to keep her from him.
"So how far away is the next town?"
"Why do you want to know...uh..." He paused. "By the way, what's your name?"
The girl smiled sheepishly. "Whoops! Forgot to introduce myself. My name's Rawnie Anders. I'm sixteen and I go to Fairfield-Second High School." She paused. "Well, at least I used to. And I want to know where the next town is because...well..." Rawnie pointed to her clothes. "People in your world don't usually wear jeans and shirts with weird-looking bad guys on them, now do they. I need to go shopping."
"And where do you think you're going to get the money for that?" Zelgadis sounded amused.
"Well...can't we just go blow up some bandits or something?" she asked.
The chimera stopped and stared at her. "You're starting to sound like Lina," he observed. "And besides, you're unarmed and you don't know any magic."
"How do you know? I've learned most of the attack spells from watching Slayers at home," Rawnie argued.
"That doesn't mean you can actually use them."
"So? Ya don't know until ya try." She turned away from him and looked towards a row of saplings, which were situated at her left. She raised her hands and took a deep breath. Please, let this work... "Flare Arrow!!" The forest exploded with color as an unrestrained blast of magic burst forth from her palms. When the smoke cleared away, almost half the forest was gone. Rawnie sweatdropped profusely. "Oops..."
Zelgadis stared in shock at the flaming remains of the forest. "Your control needs work," he observed.
"...no kidding."
Beastmaster Zelas leaned back on her throne, spilling her mass of golden curls over her shoulders, and took a long drag on her cigarette before addressing her priest/general, who was kneeling before her. "So the girl is now in the custody of Rezo's chimera grandson. This is unlike you, Xelloss. Are you saying you've failed?"
"Not at all, Metallium-sama," her servant answered, his thick bangs falling over his eyes. "This is following my plan exactly. She will be able to get used to living in this world first, and can get acquainted with our dear Lina Inverse, which is an important part of my plan. Perhaps she'll even learn to master the principles of magic. Besides," he added. "If she's with Lina-san, I can keep an eye on her without attracting much attention to myself."
His master blew out a cloud of smoke and turned her steely gaze upon him. "Make sure nothing happens to her, Xelloss. Make sure she's ready to meet Him when the time comes."
The Trickster Priest bowed gracefully. "As you wish, Metallium-sama." He spun on his heel, his cape swirling dramatically behind him, and left the main reception hall.
Zelgadis Greywers leaned against the cold brick building and tapped his foot impatiently, his hood and mask drawn up around his face, waiting for the brown-haired girl to come out. He didn't much like being around the townspeople, especially when they were almost too friendly to newcomers. He heard the door slam and turned to face the girl, whose garb was now appropriate. Tight-fitting blue tunic, matching trousers, and a blackish cloak. Not bad. "Are you finished yet?"
She shook her head. "I need to run next door to pick up some...other things...and then I want to stop by the local artisan's shop to pick myself up a weapon or two. I can't run around unarmed for too long, ne? Why don't you meet me there? I really don't know much about weapons, anyway..."
He sighed. "Fine..." What a pain... he thought crossly as he picked his way towards the artisan's shop. She's such a child...she isn't taking any of this seriously. And I still don't see why she's so important to Xelloss. What's so special about her? What does she have that he wants? He paused as he entered the shop, nodding a quick greeting to the shopkeeper as he made his way over to the products in question. Zelgadis picked up a broadsword and studied it, then looked over a more elegant weapon. She reminds me a little of Lina, only less inclined to beat someone into a bloody pulp. And less hotheaded. And much less flat-chested, he added as an afterthought, then wondered where that thought had come from. In any case, she does need to be instructed in magic and combat. The amount of power she can wield is dangerous, given that her control of it is nonexistent.
The shop door swung open and Rawnie bounced in, a shopping bad slung over her shoulder. "Sorry it took so long, Zelgadis." She looked over his shoulder at the weapons he was examining and made a face. She then proceeded to bypass the swords completely and made her way towards the back of the shop. Rawnie's eyes gleamed as they fell upon a new-looking crossbow, but she shook her head. "I'd probably kill myself with one of those things." She instead chose a simplistic bow and quiver, along with an array of spear-tipped arrows.
Zelgadis eyed her selection with disapproval. "Are you sure you know how to use those?" Rawnie wordlessly pointed at a target across the room: a row of brass rings. She drew an arrow, pulled back the bowstring and released. The arrow soundlessly flew through the rings with stunning accuracy, striking a spider on the wall behind them. Zelgadis stared at it, speechless. "Well," he finally said.
Rawnie hid a triumphant grin. "I'm president of my school's archery club," she told him, then turned on her heel to pay for her selection. She picked up a vicious-looking dagger on her way to the shopkeeper's counter.
The two made their way through the woods fairly easily, though the girl complained most of the time, even though the chimera told her to keep quiet several times. "It's just that I'm unaccustomed to so much walking, Zel..." she protested. "And it's so hot out!"
"Jeez..." he muttered under his breath. Good thing it was almost dusk; they could stop soon. He chose a rather secluded spot to set up camp, in a little clearing. Rawnie cleaned out her bookbag and moved its contents to her newer, more efficient carrying packs while Zelgadis tended to the fire.
"Sketchbook...rollerblades...gear for swimming practice...Pop Tarts, mmm...old Butterfingers wrapper...tissues...Star Wars manga...gym clothes...folder of anime fanfics...CD-Walkman...with working batteries, yeah! Slayers TRY CD...note from Meghan...housekeys..."
The chimera sweatdropped a little. "Didn't you bring any books to school with you?" he asked.
"Eh...hehe..." Rawnie looked slightly sheepish. "Never mind that." She rummaged through her bookbag. "Oh! I guess I can take my contacts out now that I'm here," she said absently, opening a contact-case and pouring some solution into it.
Zelgadis watched with interest as she removed a thin, transparent object from her left eye. "What are you doing?"
"Taking out my contacts," she told him as she removed an object from her other eye. "They're like glasses. People in my world use them to see better. Mine are different, though. They're used to make an eye appear a different color." She looked over at him and he almost fell off the log he was sitting on.
Her previously brown, nondescript eyes were now a brilliant gold color, unlike any he'd ever seen before. The most disturbing thing about those large eyes was the slit-shaped pupils in the center of them. "Mazoku..." Zelgadis whispered with surprise. "You're a Mazoku?"
Rawnie shook her head. "Heck, no! I'm most definitely human."
"But..." he pointed to her eyes. "Why?"
"I don't know why my eyes are like this. They're only slit-pupiled at night, too. It makes my vision in the dark equal to my vision during the day." She looked away from the chimera. "The doctors described them as a birth defect, and I've worn contacts all my life to hide them." She tossed the contact case away. "I guess I don't need them anymore, now that I'm in a place where people have all sorts of weird hair and eye colors. Oh, and speaking of hair, this isn't my natural color, either. My hair is supposed to be an aqua-green."
Zelgadis leaned forward earnestly. "But you don't seem like the type that cares what people think about you. Why hide what you look like?"
"I had no choice," she told him. "In my world, anything out of the ordinary is considered bad. My mother didn't want me to live my life as an outcast because of my appearance." She smiled sadly. "Mom never imagined I'd be considered different because of my personality...because I don't fit the standard description of a teenage girl." Rawnie touched her hair absently and changed the subject. "Anyway, this should wash out in a couple of weeks. It's not permanent. I was experimenting with some new shades of brown."
"Oh." Zelgadis was slow to digest this information. He didn't like the look of her eyes; they were too Mazoku-like. Although he noticed that they reflected the light of the fire, much unlike the eyes of a Mazoku. She looked tired, perhaps not just from the day's travels. "Maybe we should get some sleep," he suggested.
She grinned at him. "Now that sounds like a good idea."