The forests outside of Zephilia are particularly lush in the springtime, various forms of vegetation sprouting from every square inch. Growth prompted by the season's heavy precipitation. Many types of bush and vine line the area, providing shelter for tiny ground-dwelling mammals who hide from the beams of sunlight trickling through a canopy of thick leaves. These small creatures often include mice, squirrels...and rats.
Oh yes, rats, the most feared kind of rodent. For rats bring disease and suffering, casting sickness upon the unsuspecting primates living around them. Also, they are suspicious animals, always lurking about in the underbrush with a general air of wickedness about them. Humans always have placed rats in the 'disgusting rodent' category, never thinking twice and never giving them a chance. Too accusing due to the nature of their own ignorance, always fearing the misfortune of a lethal bite.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seiryuun considered this for a few moments as she knelt on the forest floor, watching a small group of the aforementioned creatures play beneath the forest's plant life. She regarded them carefully; they were such devious-looking animals. Like big mice. With a much larger reputation, a more dangerous one. And yet all she could think was how beautiful their fur was. Shiny and sleek. Unearthly.
She reached out a delicate hand to touch one of the sneaky rodents, cooing softly, wanting so to pet its soft fur. The rat sniffed her hand cautiously, as if questioning whether or not it was safe to play with this strange new creature. It almost began to creep closer, but something scared it away. Had it sensed danger from somewhere? Amelia glanced around her quickly, but saw nothing. She frowned in disappointment.
A large shadow fell over her, blotting out all the light around her. Darkness engulfing the light. "Amelia-san," a quiet voice whispered by her ear, startling her.
She whirled around and was greeted by a familiar face, its owner standing perhaps a bit too close to her. "Xelloss-san!"
The Trickster smiled at her with his usual mask of cheer. "Lina-san wants to get moving." His eyes opened to mere purple slits for a second, regarding the princess thoughtfully before closing again. "If we're going to reach Mrin Dono by tonight, we ought to start walking now."
The raven-haired princess nodded slowly and rose to her feet, brushing the dirt off her cream-colored clothing. She looked at the Mazoku carefully as she followed him back to camp, an odd feeling settling into her stomach. There was something wrong with the way he'd been acting that day. It wasn't just that day, she corrected herself, but the past few weeks as well. A stolen glance here, a secretive smile there. Teasing, almost tempting her. Almost.
Had he changed the way he was around her? Or was she just now realizing this? Perhaps...perhaps it had been this way all along. Perhaps he had always acted like this. Maybe her thoughts towards Xelloss had changed...maybe she was seeing him in a different light now. Amelia considered this. He was a very intriguing person. Such a vicious nature behind that unassuming face. Such darkness, such utter nightfall in everything he did. A beast inside.
Amelia shook her head fervently, embarrassed at even thinking like that. What am I doing?! I love Zelgadis, not Xelloss! She firmly shoved all such thoughts from her mind. I can't love him! He's evil!
Which is exactly why you are interested, an unrestrained voice in the back of her head told her in a lilting, teasing tone.
Amelia ignored the voice. This same voice had been plaguing her for days now, revealing hidden thoughts and desires that she hoped never existed. Laughing at her futile attempts to pretend the voice was not her own. Taunting her late at night while she tried to sleep, telling her that he was just in the next room...just on the other side of the wall.
She didn't get much rest on those nights.
And the voice never went away. She could shut it out sometimes, but it was always there, lingering in the back of her mind. She couldn't keep it away.
The journey to Mrin Dono took an entire day of walking. The group paused only for lunch, due to the gargantuan appetites of Lina and Gourry. But then it was off again, walking on to reach the destination. Mrin Dono was a small town not far from Zephilia, Lina's hometown. Rumor had it that a priceless talisman was being kept there in the main shrine devoted to Cephied. Naturally, the red-haired sorceress was set on stealing it. Or, in her words, "borrowing it."
Twilight had just begun to fall when they reached the little town, most businesses just beginning to close. The group took up residence at a rickety old inn not far from Cephied's shrine. One that doubled as a restaurant, fortunately for Lina & Co. Unfortunately for the innkeepers, however...
"Darnit, Gourry, that's mine!!" The petite sorceress leapt across the table at her blond companion, fangs bared. If there was one thing that annoyed her the most, it was people stealing her food right out from under her.
"I saw it first, Lina!" As usual, a brawl broke out between the two, ignored by the rest of their companions. They'd just let those two fight and pay for whatever damage caused later. It wasn't that big a deal to them, though the innkeepers were furious.
Amelia sweatdropped and tried to ignore the noise going on around her, concentrating on her dinner only to find that she wasn't really hungry. She quietly excused herself from the table and stepped out into the dark. Quite a few owls were about, hooting from various invisible perches in trees and on the roofs of houses. The princess breathed in the damp night air, walking aimlessly through the pebbled streets. It was quite peaceful there, really, what with all the townspeople locked up in their homes. No one else was wandering the roads like she. Solitary. Alone. Amelia reached an alley corner and turned down it.
"Hello there, Amelia."
She nearly shrieked with surprise at the sound of that voice. "Xelloss-san!" Here he stood, leaning up against the side of a building and looking as devilish as ever. There was something scary about the way the moonlight glinted off his beautiful silken hair, causing it to cast shadows over his face, hiding it.
"You shouldn't be wandering about so late at night," he admonished her. "There might be...dangerous people lurking about." He opened his amethyst eyes slightly to glance at her, furthering the effect of his frightening appearance.
"I..I needed some fresh air," she stammered, trying not to look at him.
The Mazoku appeared suddenly behind her, whispering in her ear. "Is something wrong?" he inquired.
"N-no..."
"Are you sure?" he pressed.
Amelia nodded adamantly. "I'd better get going...the others will be looking for me." She ran off in the direction of the inn, leaving the Mazoku priest standing there with a delighted smirk on his face.
Once back at the inn, Amelia quickly dressed herself for bed. She was sharing a room with Lina this time, due to the lack of money the group now carried after the sorceress's little brawl with Gourry. Zelgadis was sharing with the swordsman, and, as usual, Xelloss had been given his own room. No one trusted the Trickster enough to share a room with him. Though it would be interesting, Amelia commented absently to herself as she climbed into bed, then blushed a bright crimson when she realized exactly what she'd been thinking.
Looks like you're not going to be getting much sleep tonight, the voice in the back of her mind observed drily.
Shut up. The princess proceeded to ignore the voice. "Good night, Lina-san."
"Snnnnnrrk..." The sorceress was already fast asleep, sprawled out on top of her covers.
Amelia sighed. I should take a tip from her and relax. She snuggled down under her blankets and closed her eyes. Just relax, and I'll fall right asleep...
Countless hours later, she was still awake. Awake and irritated. "It's not fair..." she murmured, burying her head under her pillow. "Just leave me alone." But the thoughts of Xelloss didn't leave her alone. Always running through her mind, interrupting everything. Messing with everything. Clouding her judgement. "Just go away..."
"Who are you talking to, Amelia?"
The princess peeked out from under her pillow. "Um...no one in particular. You're awake already, Lina-san?"
The sorceress gave her a funny look. "Yes...it's morning, in case you haven't noticed."
"What?!" Amelia sat up quickly. Yes, sunlight already filled the room. Meaning she hadn't slept at ALL. "Ohh, this has got to stop."
Lina was already leaving the room. "You'd better hurry if you want any breakfast left for you." Amelia mumbled a few choice words under her breath and crawled out of bed to change.
The day's itinerary was fairly simple. Lina wanted to check out Cephied's shrine first, to see if that rumored talisman was actually there. If it was, then a plan would have to be formed. Zelgadis wanted no part in this; he went off on his own to search for a cure. As usual. And Xelloss...he was nowhere to be found, much to Amelia's relief. She wasn't sure she'd be able to act normal around him anymore.
Xelloss watched the little princess from the shadows...his little princess. His lips curved up into a wicked smile; he was succeeding. He was finally beginning to break her. So long the Mazoku had waited to capture this delicate bird, entranced by her small form and her euphuistic sense of justice. Ever since he'd first seen her, a tiny toddler crying over her mother's death, he'd known she was something precious. The Trickster was always partial to special things, and she was as special as anyone could become. So he wanted her. To own her in every way possible. He was the darkness, he would engulf that eternal light.
And she, the light, yearned for darkness. Oh yes, it was terribly obvious that the girl was infatuated with him. In everything she did, thoughts of him lingered in her mind. He saw the secret glances she gave him, the redness of her cheeks when she spoke to him. He'd already won.
Yet she still denied it. Humans were funny that way, refusing to admit to anything they truly felt, especially if it fit their definition of "immoral" or "wrong". Xelloss himself held no concept of either; he did what he wanted. Which is why he had no qualms about keeping Amelia for himself, despite the large difference in age and species.
The Mazoku looked forward to this, of course. He'd waited for a long time. He had to let the girl grow up first, you see. Xelloss wasn't accustomed to waiting around for anything, in fact, he was growing rather impatient. So he vowed to get some time alone with the princess later...to "discuss" the current situation. A smile blossomed on his face. And he knew just how to arrange that.
Amelia walked quietly through the thick woods just outside of Mrin Dono, where her nighttime stroll had taken her. Odd that she'd ended up in the woods, especially since it was likely the most dangerous place she could go at night. It was almost as if something had led her there. She definitely didn't want to be around Lina while she was still awake, since the sorceress was still fuming about being deceived. When they'd searched Cephied's shrine that afternoon, there was no trace of any talisman. And no one in the area seemed to know anything about it. Amelia had wisely decided to make herself scarce while Lina let off some steam, not planning on returning until she was sure the redhead would be sleeping.
She pushed aside an offending tree branch, finally noticing how dark it had actually gotten. I ought to be going back, she decided, trying not to think of all the dangerous creatures that could be wandering around at this time. The princess glanced back in the direction she had come, surprised to find that she could no longer see more than two feet in front of her. It wasn't this dark a few minutes ago... she realized, fear starting to weave it's way into her mind. How am I going to get out of here?
"Hello there, Ame-chan," Xelloss's silky voice whispered, startling her.
Amelia glanced up; he was standing only a few paces away from her and she hadn't noticed him at all! "Xelloss!" she scolded. "Don't sneak up on me like tha...wait a minute, what did you just call me?"
He gave her a catlike little grin, opening his wonderful otherworldly eyes. "What, you don't like nicknames, Ame-chan?"
She seemed startled by his question. "N-no, that's not it..."
The Mazoku was closer to her now, uncomfortably close. "Then what's wrong?" he pondered in a teasing tone, for he already knew the answer. She said nothing. "You don't want to talk?" he asked, drawing a gloved finger along her jawline.
Amelia flushed scarlet. "Stop it!"
He gave her an innocent look. "Stop what?"
"Stop doing this to me!!" she sputtered suddenly. "Everywhere I turn, you're there! Staring at me with those eyes...speaking to me with that voice! I can't stop thinking about you! I can't go even one minute without you entering my thoughts! I...I keep thinking that I love you! And everything you do just tempts me more! Stop it! Please, stop!"
Xelloss's smile widened, his voice teasing. "Stop resisting."
Amelia's eyes grew large, frightened, as the Mazoku eliminated the space between them and captured her lips in a ferocious kiss. Various thoughts and emotions ran through her, her befuddled mind focusing on the two most pressing. The first was to get the hell out of there, to run while she still could. The second was to listen to that little voice in her head...to act on her feelings. The latter won.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing, she decided as the Mazoku continued his attentions. In fact, not a bad thing at all... Her last thought left her mind as Xelloss pushed her gently to the leafy forest floor.