The Legalese Part: The Characters of Lina, Zelgadis, Gourry, Amelia, Xelloss and other Slayers aren't mine, I'm using them totally without permission. 'Dancer is my creation, as are everyone else not from the Slayers world, so if you want to use them, please e-mail me first. If you don't know who the Slayers are, tisk! No, seriously, it's a fun anime that should be watched if you like spoofs and fantasy. If this is you first introduction to my works, this is a sequel to my first fanfic, and if you want to read that first [...] Into the Dream.
Enjoy the show, and feel free to e-mail me any questions, thoughts, flames, ect. Unfortunately all marriage proposals will be categorically denied-I'm taken folks. ;)
Stormdancer Yomochi
The sea's currents tugged gently at her, playing havoc with her shoulder length hair, as white as any pearl. Tiny eddies swirled around her limbs, coyly tickling the sensitive skin in the creases of her elbows and knees. Slowly, so very slowly she uncurled from the fetal position she has assumed and opened her steel grey eyes. Around her the deep of the ocean looked ominous in shades of blues ranging to black. Somewhere, just beyond her annoyingly limited sight something stirred, and she felt the disturbance in the water of some great creature as it neared. It changed it's trajectory as it neared, so that it flowed above her, and then under her, circling. She watched curiously, both alarmed and reassured by the thing's presence. Finally the creature seemed satisfied with it's study, for it neared, into her sight.
She blinked, and wasn't certain what to make of the person before her. The woman had long pale green flowing hair, eerily beautiful aqua skin and almost luminescent violet eyes. And yet, at the same time, she could also make out the form of a monstrous fanged dolphin. Only the violet eyes remained the same regardless of the shape she saw.
"Hello." The woman/dolphin smiled and held out a hand to her.
"Ah, hello." She felt obligated to respond to the greeting, and gripped the woman's hand. There was a faint shock at the touch, then a wave of trust washed over her. Whoever this woman was, she wasn't a danger. She allowed the woman to draw her into her embrace, and felt long warm fingers run through her own white hair. With a sign she relaxed and rested her head against the aqua woman's chest.
"Worried, Wings?" The woman asked throatily.
"Is that my name?" She asked.
"No and yes." The woman tilted her face up, so the violet eyes could look into storm cloud ones. "You have another use name, but you already lost it me. So, I call you Wings."
"But, I haven't gotten any wings." Wings murmured.
"Ah yes, that." The woman stroked Wings's back and elegant osprey wings sprang forth and filled out with feathers the same hue as her hair. She smiled widely as the woman tried out her new wings in wonder. "Yes, very nice indeed."
Wings looked back at the woman, and a small frown creased her features.
"But, what am I to call you?" She asked in a rush.
"Fear not my little wingéd love, I am Mistress." She bent her head forward and kissed Wings on the forehead.
Mistress swam untiringly through the midnight murk for an eternity. Whenever Wings grew tired, as she was swimming along side, Mistress carried her in her arms, humming chanties while Wings slept.
At some point Wings woke in her arms, and was surprised to find that she was clutching to a whiskery monk seal.
"Wha - ?"
"She's your friend, Mouse." Mistress explained with an amused smile. Wings gave the aqua woman a perplexed look.
"She's like you, midear." Mistress caressed Wing's cheek. "Expect she wagered more than just her name. But it seemed such a shame to leave her, so I thought you might like her for company."
"Company? You're not leaving me?" Wings felt a pang of real fear.
"No, not for very long." Mistress soothed her. "But I have more to attend to than just my dalliances. Mouse will ease your loneliness in those times."
Wings looked back down at the seal named Mouse and hesitantly pet her head. Mouse responded by rubbing her head against Wing's hand and snuggling (if at all possible) closer. Wings smiled faintly, slipping back into sleep.
Wings floated down among the chess pieces scattered across five levels, studying them in Mistress's absence. It wasn't the first time Mistress had been called away in the middle of a chess game, and Wings decided to use the opportunity to see who the chess pieces were this time. With the noteworthy exception of one of her bishops, the chess pieces changed their appearances with every game.
Passing one of Mistress's pawns (gold dragons this time) she paused in front of her unusual bishop and glanced around the board. Mistress had no particular style when playing, but she always captured this bishop before she proceeded to the king. That was why, in fact, Wings had chosen to place her bishop so far away from the rest of her pieces, she was hoping to draw Mistress's attention away from her real objective. Taking quick stock of her bishop's immediate situation she decided the purple haired human was safe enough for the time being, and continued her perusal of the other chess pieces. As she stooped almost to the seabed to admire the pixie that was Mistress's queen, she felt something stir the water above her.
"Mistress?" She asked, stretching her wings out to catch an up current.
"Sorry to disappoint." A male voice answered cheerfully. Wings spun around, her feathers all askew.
"W-who are you?" She asked timidly, even though she had never been bothered by anything in Mistress's realm. The owner of the voice drew near, and Wings blinked, recognizing it as her unusual bishop. His eyes, she noticed for the first time, where the same violet as Mistress's.
"Just a traveling priest." The man raised his staff, as if to leave, then did a double take, as if he had only just seen Wings. His cheerful smile lengthened into a wolfish grin.
"And who are you?"
"I-I'm Wings."
"No, that's not your real name." He glided closer, causing her to back wing in alarm. "Who are you really?"
"I told you, I'm Wings, Mistress's companion." She didn't understand why, but everything about this man frightened her badly.
"No you're not. Have you already forgotten?" He asked with almost a leer.
"What are you, get away - " The purple haired man reached out and tapped her lightly with his gem topped staff. A jolt went through her, and with it all her memories came rushing back. Her name, her quest, the terrible storm that had smashed the Merlady, and the desperate search for her companions. The man pulled back his staff and smiled normally at her.
"You're Stormdancer Saisan." He said jovially. She stared at him, then gagged as the spell binding her shattered, taking along with it her ability to breath water.
The man watched grinning as the woman clawed upwards, eyes bulging from need. Whether she lived or died, it didn't matter to him, so long as he had taken from "Mistress" her toy.
The water to the left of him swirled as a monk seal darted passed, and he saw that it too had the same spell taint. With a smirk he named the seal.
"Selena Marshcraft."
The seal suddenly stopped and writhed as though in great pain, before elongating and resuming the shape of a young woman with long brown hair. The white haired woman stretched out her hand and caught hold of the brunette's wrist before garbling out what sounded like an attempt at a spell.
" - wingu - "
The purple haired man watched with mild surprise as a bubble formed around the duo, held in place by the woman named Stormdancer's wings. He shook his head at the sheer tenacity of the human spirit, before vanishing.
The sea breeze tasted good after the long submergence, Selena thought, crawling up out of the surf onto the sand. 'Dancer lay further up the beach where a wave had tossed her, looking more like a discarded piece of drift wood than the vibrant woman she had known. The petite woman grit her teeth and forced herself to her feet the last few metres between them. With a moan she collapsed next to her friend and fought against her acute need for sleep. Putting one hand on 'Dancer's face she detected the faintest stirring of breath.
"Praised be." She whispered hoarsely, before giving into rest.