"Ahhh!!!! I'm never gonna get used to this!" Gourry whined loudly as he clung tightly to Filia as they rose up into the air. The next day had dawned bright and sunny, and thus everyone's spirits had been revitalized. They had all climbed onto Filia and Val's backs and taken off into the air with bright spirits as they headed back for the hidden valley.
They all felt the rush of adrenaline as they rocketed up into the air, and Lina glanced aside at Xelloss who was clinging beside her. His hair was blown back like the rest of them, showing his pointed ears, and his feathers ruffled strongly in the wind like silk. "Why don't you fly?" She yelled over to him.
He turned towards her smiling. "I wanted to get acclimated first." He winked at her. "Want to go for a spin?"
She grinned in return. "Sure!"
He smiled and then scooped her up into his arms, then stood up and suddenly they were rocketing up away from Val's back into the clouds above. Lina held her breath, practically squealing from the adrenaline rush that she was getting, then they burst out of the small cloud and saw the entire expanse of the land spreading out beneath them, the two dragons and their passengers watching them as he then dove straight down, rocketing faster than the others could watch, right between the two dragons, to then spread his wings open to gently glide forward over the ground. Lina became aware that she was clutching him tightly from fear, and released her hold a bit, having him grin down at her.
"Having fun?"
"Oh yeah.." She answered out of breath. "What a rush..."
He grinned at her and then pumped his powerful wings, which brought them up between the two dragons, to glide peacefully there. The others were watching Lina almost enviously. "Having fun?" Zelgadis commented dryly.
She threw him a look and a sunny grin. "Yes, actually I am. You should try this."
Amelia looked envious. "I want to.... Can I Xelloss-san?"
He landed once again on Val's back, keeping perfect balance despite the speed, and he set Lina back down. "Sure you can." He said to Amelia with a smile. "I don't mind."
"Wai!" She practically leapt onto him, startling him, and almost made him fall off. But he regained his balance with a chuckle, then proceeded to take Amelia on a joyride as well.
Lina leaned back with a smile on her face, enjoying the ride. It was smooth, cool, and quite pretty from their positions on top of the two dragons. Though one had to watch their step to make sure they didn't fall off of the end of the dragon..... They'd been traveling since the morning, using the fast speed of the two to get rapidly ahead. They would be in the valley by noon the two had commented. So everyone but Gourry seemed to be enjoying the swift ride as they passed over the land they'd walked over before.
Sure enough, by the time noon came, the tall mountains lumbered high into the sky before them. The two dragons paused, knowing the catch to entering the valley, and waited for Xelloss to take off and sweep in front of them. Then in a bright flash of blue light, they were suddenly inside of the valley instead of outside it. They then settled down for a landing on the green grass beside the lake, and once their passengers had dismounted, they shifted to human form.
The group stretched before the lake, enjoying the bright sunlight. In the light, Xelloss looked even more strange than before. He still had that mysterious quality to him, but he looked less evil and simply more intriguing. His wings ruffled lightly in the breeze, but he paid them no heed. Instead, he strode towards the trees and examined the wreckage of what had once been his empire...... The others joined him and surveyed the wreckage, then together they began to sort through each tree building, tearing down any wreckage, piling all items found in a stack on the side. They worked all day, in the warm sunlight that made them all discard their cloaks and in some cases, even shirts. It seemed odd to Lina as she lounged on the beach sorting the stack of found items and watching the men, how both Gourry and Val stood out with their bare backs, then there was Xelloss with his dark skin and wings as he helped toss debree down to them.
The day went quickly however, and soon the sun had disappeared, and they had ceased for the day. They lay before the campfire, all exhausted and content with full bellies of some of the most delicious fish they'd tasted in their lives. Most of them were asleep, sprawled on the grass and snoring loudly... but Xelloss lay awake, watching the stars with a content look on his face. He then realized that they were missing one, so he rose and stepped towards the lake, where he could see the form of the chimera standing by the water. He slowly walked up, and stood beside him, and they stood there for some time, silently watching the ripples on the lake. After many moments of silence, Xelloss held up his hand, pointing up at the stars. "Do you know what I was told when I was young?" Zel looked up, not answering, but his actions portraying for the fey to continue. "I was told that each star held one wish in your hands, and if you were to cup your palm like so....." He demonstrated, holding out a cupped fist before Zel. "That in your hand you held a single wish capable of granting anything."
Zel didn't even glance in his palm. "So?"
Xelloss frowned in slight frustration with the chimera's unwillingness to cooperate. "Meaning, that if you held the wish of the star in your hand...." He snatched Zelgadis' hand and forced him to open it, then he put his own inside it. "And if you wished from the bottom of your heart for something to come true, that it would."
Zel tried to yank his wrist away, but Xelloss had superior strength. "Ok..... so what's this got to do with anything.." He growled out.
Xelloss sighed and let his hand go, and a small glowing speck remained in Zelgadis' palm. "You figure it out." And he left him be, striding back to the fire.
Zelgadis stood there for some time, staring at the glowing speck with a strange look on his face. Then his face rose to the heavens, and he watched the stars again, before clasping the small speck in his hand, and pressing it to his chest almost as if hugging it to himself.........
The morning dawned bright and illuminated the surrounding countryside with brilliant rays of light, and made the birds eager to get their heads out as they chirped good morning. Ordinarily, Xelloss would have been repulsed by this, but now for the first time in a very long time, he was able to fully enjoy it and watch it without feeling pain. He lay on a branch overlooking the lake, one leg dangling down off of a branch, admiring the view.
He heard footsteps, and glanced down to see Lina and Amelia, with a sleepy looking Gourry following them, looking anxiously around, almost as if they were afraid someone would see them. They stopped and glanced up at him. "Uh... Xelloss?" Lina asked hesitantly. "Could we talk to you?"
He slid down and landed in front of them. "Sure, what's wrong?"
They glanced at each other warily.... "Well.... It's...." Amelia started, but trailed off.
"It's Zel." Lina finished for her. "He's.... well.... He's human."
Xelloss smiled as he knew it would be a good day.