Author: Thank you to everyone who read all of this fic! I finally finished it! I'm sorry it took so long. E-mail me at lupinewraith@hotmail.com with any comments!

Zel: You mean it's over?

Xel: I think we should celebrate, just the two of us!

Zel: Oh no! I'm not going to fall for that one twice!

Lina: You fell for it once?!?

Zel: Well, I was really tired, and I hadn't had any coffee in hours ...

Xel: Ah, sweet memories!
 
 

Zelgadis awoke in Xelloss' arms, a smile spreading across his face. He ran the events of the last few days over in his mind and he could hardly believe them. They seemed so fantastical. Yet here he was, in bed, with Xelloss, and they had ... Well, everything had happened so fast. The priest stirred slightly next to him, then sighed.
"Sorry Zel, I have to get up, the Beastmaster wants to see me."
 

"I suppose Xellas-sama's timing could be worse," Xelloss thought as he kneeled in front of his master, tucking in his shirt. "At least Zel and I got the night together, but I'm still sure she does this on purpose." Above him, Xellas smiled.
"Good morning, Xelloss."
"Good morning. I don't mean to rush you, but will this take long? I was in the middle of something."
"I know, but unfortunately an unexpected event has occurred which will force you to delay your activities for quite a while." Xelloss looked up, surprised by the serious tone of his mistress' voice. "Firstly, I think you should know that Lina and her friends have found the copy of the Clair Bible that Zanokou was guarding. It is unfortunate, but was to be expected. Anyway, I think your chimera might be interested in that fact."
"I'm sure he will."
"However, the important thing that I needed to talk to you about is that they are in danger, and I want you to get back there to protect them."
"In danger?" Xelloss asked, although he already knew what the threat was.
"Yes. It seems that the creature who attacked you a few days ago has returned. I would like you to dispose of him quickly." Xellas looked down at her servant. She was glad he'd had the night with Zelgadis, he needed to loosen up, and it had been a while ... But this was much more serious, and it would be fun to watch because she hadn't seen Xelloss fight in a long time.
 
 

Zelgadis lay on the bed, surrounded by darkness. He wished Xelloss would come back.
"I really don't want to be alone right now," he thought. "When I'm alone I start thinking about the others and I'd rather just forget about them for the moment. Anyway, I miss him. So he annoys the hell out of me when he's here ... but ... I love the way I feel when I'm with him. I can be myself and I don't have to hide my emotions because he doesn't mind my darker side. I never thought I'd feel this way, not about anyone, certainly not about Xelloss! I don't know how this is happening, but all I want now is to be with him, even though that means hurting Amelia. I don't understand it, but it's what I want. Oh, where is he?!?"
Zelgadis looked up to see Xelloss floating above him. Before he could control his feelings he found himself grinning widely.
"I thought you'd never come back," he said, reaching up and pulling Xelloss down on top of him. To his surprise and disappointment Xelloss rolled away. "What's wrong?"
"Something's happened, Zel. We have to go back," Xelloss said reluctantly.
"What's happened?"
"They found a Clair Bible manuscript." Zelgadis was stunned. He stared at Xelloss.
"Are you being serious?"
"For once, I am, and I assume that you will want to see the book immediately."
"You won't try and stop me?"
"I did promise to let you see it."
"Promises don't usually bother you," Zelgadis commented, then fell into silence, although his mind was busy. "He's really going to let me see the Clair Bible?" He thought. "I can't believe they found it without me! What if my cure's in it? I could be human again today ... We have to get back there quickly!" Xelloss watched the chimera's expression. Didn't Zelgadis realize any of the implications of finding his cure? Probably not. He'd been obsessed with becoming human for so long that he'd forgotten what it meant. He touched Zelgadis lightly on the shoulder to get his attention then teleported them both back to the others.
 

Lina was feverishly devouring the information in the manuscript. She couldn't believe what she was reading. If only Zelgadis was there to hear it! The other two stood next to her, waiting for an explanation of the strange runes.
"Did you miss us?" A voice behind them asked. Gourry and Amelia turned to see Xelloss and Zelgadis standing in the room. Amelia blushed, then bit her lip to keep the tears from coming back. She turned round and pretended to be very intent on the Clair Bible. "So I see you found a souvenir!" Xelloss chirped.
"Lina, what does it say?" Zelgadis asked immediately, hurrying up to look at the book.
"Zel, you're not going to believe this, but I think it's ..." she held the book out to him. He quickly scanned the pages, then sat down heavily on the floor.
"After all this time," he said in disbelief. Behind him Xelloss watched with a heavy heart. Maybe everything would still be ok ... but he had a feeling that the manuscript spelt the end of Zelgadis' feelings for him.
"So, what's going on?" Gourry asked.
"Oh! Jellyfish brains!" Lina shouted, hitting him on the head. "That manuscript has Zel's cure in it!"
"You mean Mr. Zelgadis is going to be human again!" Amelia exclaimed. She couldn't help it. There was still a part of her that hoped ... Maybe if Zelgadis was human his feelings for her might change ...
"Lina, I think I can perform this spell right now! It says it's a powerful magic technique that can turn any living thing back to its original form. It can turn my stone back to flesh, wire back to hair!"
"Zel, this is great!" Lina said, taking a quick glance at Xelloss. "Don't you think so, Xelloss?"
"Oh, yes. Quite wonderful," Xelloss agreed, trying to sound cheerful.
"What's the matter? Worried that now Zelgadis is going to be human again your sick little games won't work on him?" Lina asked snidely.
"Not at all. I just hope he's thought this through."
"Or, in other words, you don't want him to do it. Am I right?" Zelgadis, meanwhile, had drawn a pentagram on the floor and was quickly reading through the words of the spell.
"Zel, are you really sure about this?" Xelloss asked.
"Huh? Of course I am," Zelgadis replied, his mind intent on the spell.
"Don't try and use your evil influence to stop him!" Amelia shouted. "Let Mr. Zelgadis take his rightful form again!"
"Oh, you think he will love you when he's human? Hasn't he already made his feelings clear?" Xelloss asked coldly. He knew he'd said he'd leave Amelia alone, but he needed to take out his frustration somehow.
"Maybe I do think that," Amelia thought. "But I still want what's best for Mr. Zelgadis, and I know he wants to be human. And when he's human, things between him and Mr. Xelloss might change ..."
"It's all ready!" Zelgadis called. "Stand back everyone while I cast the spell!" Xelloss took a long look at the chimera's beautiful stone face.
"I know he won't listen to me, but I have to try and talk to him," he thought. "I don't want this to be the last time I ever see him as a chimera. How can it all be happening so fast? I know he wants this more than anything, but what affect will the spell have? Will it just change his looks, or his personality and feelings too?" Xelloss walked up to Zelgadis who stood in the centre of the pentagram, his eyes closed.
"Zel, do you really want to do this? Have you thought about it?" Zelgadis opened his eyes, but he looked like he was barely listening.
"Yes, Xelloss. I have been searching all these years for my cure, doesn't that give you a clue?" Xelloss sighed. "Why is he asking me this?" Zelgadis thought. "Is Lina right? Maybe he doesn't really care for me ..."
"Think about it, Zel. Why do you want to be human?" Zelgadis eyed him coldly, then saw that the others were all watching them.
"Xelloss, lets talk somewhere else," he said. "We'll be back in a second," he told the others as they left the room. When they were out of earshot Xelloss asked him again,
"Why do you want to be human?"
"Because I hate this body! I hate my life as a chimera! I hate being a freak, not being able to have a normal life, never being accepted but being feared and ostracized everywhere I go!"
"You're not a freak, and even if you were, do you think I care? I don't think you would ever have a normal life, no matter what you look like because that's not the kind of person you are. But if you could, would you really want one? Would you want to settle down in a town, open up a shop, and start a family?"
"No, but that's not the only thing I could do," Zelgadis replied. He was trying to answer Xelloss' questions as quickly as possible so that he could get back to the spell, but something in what the priest was asking touched a nerve and he started to get frustrated. "Maybe someday that will be what I want!"
"It's never going to be what I want," Xelloss retorted.
"But that doesn't matter!" Zelgadis shouted. "I'm just a passing fancy to you, I think we both know that! You'll leave me no matter what form I have! You only want me to stay as a chimera because it's easier for you to manipulate me like this and because you love to see me suffer!" Xelloss opened his eyes and they flashed icily across the face of the chimera. Zelgadis shivered under the gaze of the Mazokou, but he remained silent, waiting to hear what Xelloss would say.
"So you'd just be happy never fighting, never using magic?" The priest asked finally.
"Why would I stop fighting? I would still travel with Lina, that doesn't have to change just because I'm human!" Xelloss shook his head.
"You really are blind, Zel. During all these years you've built becoming human into the purpose of your life and you've never thought beyond that. Do you think you're going to be strong enough to travel with Lina once you lose the demon and gollem parts of yourself? What was the one thing that you gained from Rezo?" Zelgadis winced at hearing the name, but Xelloss continued regardless. "You gained strength, but even with the strength you have now you can't do much damage to high level monsters. Just think how weak you'll be when you take away two thirds of your power!"
"That doesn't matter! Even if I couldn't go on fighting I would still be human and I could do something else with my life! There are thousands of people who don't use magic and they're all happy!"
"Have you ever asked them? Do you really think they're happy? How can you lie to yourself and say that you would be content with a mundane, boring, pitiful life with no variety in it?!? You're better than that Zel, and you would go insane trying to live that way! Even if you married Amelia and became a prince, you would still be unhappy!"
"I'm not going to marry Amelia!" Zelgadis shouted. "But what do you care anyway? The reason you don't want me to change is so that you can use me in your twisted little plots! Well, I have to live my own life!"
"And what a life! You'll die in a few years! How old are you now? Probably an old man in human years! What if when you get changed back you have a frail old body?"
"I'm not that old!" Zelgadis replied fiercely.
"Ok, so say you're young, you'll still grow old and die!" Xelloss said angrily, avoiding the point that he really wanted to make because he was afraid of admitting it.
"Everyone dies!" Zelgadis snapped back.
"But you don't have to condemn yourself to death!"
"Would you rather I just wait around and outlived everyone I care for? I should just watch Lina and Amelia and Gourry die while I'm still young? I don't want that!"
"But I have to watch you die while I'm still young? I don't want to live without you!!!" Zelgadis was shocked into silence. Xelloss mentally cursed for telling him the reason he'd wanted to keep a secret. The silence was almost unbearable when it was broken by shouts from the others. Zelgadis immediately ran back into the room.
 

He was greeted in the doorway with the sight of a young man with long red hair cascading over his shoulders. His face was characterized by a long scar across one cheek and his eyes glowed an unearthly green. Xelloss appeared in the room holding his staff and smiling mirthlessly.
"I thought you'd left, Ayashii¹," he said. "Obviously I overestimated your intelligence."
"Xelloss," the man hissed. "Finally you have the guts to fight me face to face."
"I thought I already did that back in the room with the wolves. Your spells were as weak and uncreative as always."
"Still as charming as ever, I see," Ayashii replied, hate evident in his every word. His eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the Mazokou. "It is time for you to finally pay for what you did to me."
"You know you cannot beat me, but I will enjoy destroying you if that is what you want," Xelloss said lightly as his staff began glowing red.
"Hold on a second!" Lina shouted. "What is going on here? Who is this guy, Xelloss?" Zelgadis turned from looking at Ayashii to looking at the priest. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the latter.
"Yes, I know I cannot beat you, not here anyway," Ayashii continued, ignoring Lina. "That is why it is not here that we will fight." He dropped his head slightly, then suddenly disappeared. He reappeared seconds later beside Zelgadis, pulled the chimera's arms behind his back then teleported them both into the pentagram in the centre of the room.
"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia screamed. "Let him go, you monster!" A green light emanated from Ayashii's hand and Zelgadis screamed in pain, dropping to the floor.
"Zel!" Xelloss shouted as his black aura fired up around him, snaking to the ceiling and pulsating with anger. "Let him go!" Ayashii merely laughed.
"Do you think that will work? He is my prisoner now. If you want to get him back, you must visit me in my domain." He disappeared, taking the now unconscious Zelgadis with him.
"No!!!!" Xelloss screamed, but it was too late.
 

Zelgadis awoke to find himself chained to the wall of a large, dimly-lit cavern.
"Why am I always being chained these days?" Was his first thought.
"Who are you and where am I?!" He shouted into the shadows of the cave. Laughter echoed back as Ayashii stepped into the light of a single torch that stood beside Zelgadis.
"I am Ayashii, one of the Mazokou. You are in my domain. I cannot tell you where it is, for it does not have a definite location. It merely exists."
"Why am I here?"
"To bait Xelloss."
"He won't come. He's a monster, like you. Why would he want to save me? He doesn't care for anyone." Ayashii laughed again.
"Doesn't he? Hmmm, I don't think I believe you. In fact I think he cares for you a lot. He has let himself grow soft and emotional since we last met. Quite pitiful that he should fall in love with someone who is only one third Mazokou. What is it that they call you? A chimera? He could have done so much better." Zelgadis ground his teeth, trying not to let the creature's words get to him.
"In love? You think Xelloss is capable of love?"
"Possibly. That is really not my concern. I will have my revenge for what he did to me, and you shall be my means of getting it."
"I wonder what Xelloss did to this guy that made him so angry," thought Zelgadis. "I'm not sure if I want to find out. Knowing Xelloss, it was probably something horrific."
"Don't you want to know what your lover did to me? Or has Xelloss already told you everything about his past?"" Ayashii asked, anger blazing behind his eyes. Zelgadis just smiled.
"That is a secret," he replied sarcastically. Ayashii roared in rage, a green light bursting from his hand and striking Zelgadis.
"Whatever that spell is, it's extremely painful," the chimera thought as he slumped forward in his chains and heard the footsteps of his captor recede into the distance.
 

"Xelloss, who the hell was that guy?!?!?" Lina asked moments after Zelgadis disappeared. She hurriedly stepped back to avoid being engulfed in Xelloss' wildly out of control aura.
"Mr. Xelloss! You must tell us so that we can go and rescue Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia shouted. Xelloss grappled to regain control of his feelings.
"How dare he take Zelgadis," he said quietly, as his rage calmed down. He turned to speak to the others. "You can't rescue him because you can't go where he went. Only I can go."
"Well then, get going!" Lina shouted. "Unless you want Zel to die!"
"It's not that simple! I can't just go there, rescue Zelgadis, and be back in five minutes!"
"But you just said you could easily beat him! Were you lying about your powers, Mr. Xelloss?"
"I could easily beat him here ... but that's not where he is."
"What are you talking about, Xelloss?" Lina asked impatiently.
"He's gone back to his domain. Any monster is, of course, strongest on their home ground ..."
"He's a monster?!?" Amelia shrieked. Xelloss nodded then continued.
"However, it's more than that. He has a powerful magical amplifier. I don't know if I could kill him when he's so close to it."
"So you're just going to leave Zel there?!?" Lina shouted, extremely frustrated.
"Of course not! But do you really think that a Mazokou would just leave me a trail back to his domain that was as easy to follow as a line of breadcrumbs if he wasn't sure that he could beat me when I got there?!? If I just go charging in Zelgadis could die." Xelloss managed to fully control his aura and make it disappear. The others stood in silence, staring at the pentagram on the floor.
"Why can't we go with you?" Lina asked eventually.
"Two reasons. The first is that you would have to pass through a high-density magical barrier, and I don't know if you'd survive it. The second is that once you're there I don't think I could protect you and save Zelgadis at the same time, and without my protection you would all be an easy target for Ayashii." Lina stared at him.
"Protect us? Xelloss, why would you want to protect us?" Xelloss smiled secretively.
"I have many reasons, but at the moment you can just assume that Zelgadis would not be very happy if I let you die."
"But how could Mr. Zelgadis survive the magical barrier?" Amelia asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "You don't think he could already be ... dead?"
"Don't worry, Miss Amelia," Xelloss said, turning his attention to her. "Zelgadis isn't human like the rest of you. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't affect him."
"Ungh!" Lina shouted in exasperation, running her hand through her hair. "So what you're saying is that we all have to wait here because we're too weak to go with you! And while we're sitting around both you and Zelgadis could be killed?"
"Don't worry, Miss Lina, I don't die that easily."
"But what about Zelgadis?!?"
"If I survive, so will he." The group lapsed into silence as they all stared at the spot where Zelgadis had disappeared. When they looked up, Xelloss was also gone.
"Oh! Why does he have to be so damned secretive?!?" Lina shouted.
 

The torch beside Zelgadis flickered, although there seemed to be no breeze in his prison. He tried to move into a more comfortable position, but his body ached however he placed it.
"I wish I knew exactly why I'm here," he thought. "Xelloss obviously did something to Ayashii a long time ago and he wants revenge. If Ayashii hadn't shown up I could be human now ... and if I was human I might not have survived his attacks ..." his thoughts trailed off as he remembered Xelloss' words. "I wonder if that spell Ayashii cast would have killed me if I was human? Maybe Xelloss was right when he said that becoming human would make me much weaker. I have to think seriously about this before it's too late. Why did I want to be changed back to a human in the first place? Why did it become my sole desire? It was because I was lonely. I wasn't accepted anywhere and I felt like a monster. I looked so strange that I didn't even dare to make normal human contact, so I set off on a quest with other misfits, like Rodimus and Zolf. They didn't care what I looked like, they were just my friends ... but they're gone now. When they were killed I was alone once more so I set out on a quest by myself to find my cure. It was the only thing I had left, my only reason to live. I didn't know what else to do with my life ... but then I started travelling with Lina ... and I had friends again. There were people who cared for me and would help me, when I let them ... but I kept on leaving them and going off on my own. Why? Because I always doubted their feelings. I convinced myself that they couldn't be the friends of a freakish chimera, so I kept searching ... I think in the end I forgot why I was searching, it just became the habit of so many years that I lost the reason ... or the reason became redundant. What's my reason now? Was what I told Xelloss true? I don't want to settle down! I don't want to go and live in a town somewhere ... but that's what I was fighting to attain with my cure. That's the lifestyle I was searching for ... but he's right, it wouldn't make me happy. So what should I do with my life? Just carry on travelling with Lina? But in the end Amelia will have to go back to being a princess and Lina and Gourry will probably want to settle down, so then what will I do? I know I could live with Amelia ... but I don't want that. So where would that leave me? Alone again ... I don't want a normal human life, but I can't keep living like this forever ... and I wouldn't want to," Zelgadis paused in his thoughts. He'd known for a long time what he really wanted, but he had circled his true desire, trying to avoid admitting it to himself because it scared him. Finally he sighed and lowered his head. "I don't know if what Xelloss said to me was true. Maybe he wasn't lying when he told me he didn't want to live without me, but I can't know for sure. It doesn't matter what his feelings are though ... I know I can't live without him. I ... I love him."
 

Xelloss took a deep breath then transported himself to Ayashii's domain.
"I don't know what's wrong with me," he thought. "Why am I nervous? This is an unexpected turn of events, but that doesn't usually bother me. I think I can defeat Ayashii, but that isn't the problem ... I'm worried about Zelgadis. If he's hurt, then there will be hell to pay ... but Ayashii's right, I am becoming weak. This must be why humans are so feeble, they care about each other, like I care for Zel ... But I don't want to stop caring about him, no matter how vulnerable he makes me. I can't lose him ... especially not to a human death! Why does he still want to become human? Doesn't he care about me? I want to spend eternity with him ... I can't let him die ... He doesn't realize how short a human's lifespan is ... and I'm going to have to watch him fade away in the blink of an eye! I really have become sentimental, but I don't care about that. All I care about now is Zelgadis." Xelloss reappeared in Ayashii's domain, a few feet away from the chimera. Immediately relief flooded his body, Zelgadis wasn't seriously harmed.
The chimera looked up and greeted the priest with the words:
"Xelloss, you idiot, you shouldn't have come."
"I'm glad to see you too," Xelloss replied sarcastically, as he freed the chimera. Zelgadis collapsed the moment the chains ceased holding him up. The priest pulled him back onto his feet and started to cast a healing spell.
"We don't have time for that!" Zelgadis said impatiently. "We have to get out of here!"
"No," Xelloss answered, shaking his head. "I already gave Ayashii the chance to live when we first entered Zanokou's home. He squandered that chance and so now he has to pay."
"He took away our magic powers and controlled the wolves, didn't he?" Zelgadis asked. Xelloss smiled secretively as the chimera stood up, fully healed.
"He only took your powers Zel, I never lost mine." Zelgadis stared at him.
"What an idiot I was to think he could have lost his powers!" The chimera thought. "Of course he didn't, he just wanted to make me think he did so that I felt safer being alone with him. Typical Mazokou. But that doesn't matter, I'm still happy to see him."
"Surprised?" Xelloss asked. Zelgadis shook his head. "Well, you're no fun!" Xelloss pouted.
"Xelloss, I think I deserve an explanation of all this," Zelgadis said, trying to keep the conversation on a serious level.
"You're probably right, but there isn't really much to explain. A long time ago, before you were born ..." the priest started, as if telling a fairy tale.
"Don't patronize me, Xelloss."
"Fine," the Mazokou sighed. "Ayashii is a Mazokou, as I'm sure you've guessed. He used to be quite a powerful member of the monster race, but he wasn't a careful one. He made enemies of all the wrong people, including me. I've forgotten what he did that annoyed me at the time, probably some insult or another, but I was bored, and I was sick of him, so I decided to play a little joke."
"How unusual," Zelgadis commented dryly.
"I started to spread rumours that he was affiliated with Gaav, who was one of our major worries at that time. Many Mazokou thought there might be a spy in our midst, and they were already suspicious of him, so, with a few well placed comments and a bit of planted evidence, they soon came to believe Ayashii was a traitor."
"Then you ruined his reputation and his life all over some stupid insult you can't even remember?" Zelgadis asked in disbelief. "And he's waited all this time to get his revenge on you?"
"Zel, you've got to understand that ruining a monster's life isn't a great crime. He is evil, you know, and he always was obnoxious and arrogant."
"So are you."
"That's not the point," Xelloss said laughingly. "He deserved everything he got, so don't feel sorry for him. Anyway, I was lenient, I let him live. I'd forgotten he even existed until a few days ago when he surfaced again. It's a good job he did, in a way, because it revealed Zanokou's true colours. We don't like monsters who harbour 'traitors' as she obviously did. I would have even overlooked his petty attack, in fact I was thankful for it because it gave me some time alone with you." Zelgadis scowled at this comment. "But then he made it personal by kidnapping you, and so now he must die."
"But why should I trust you after you've told me all this? What makes you any better than Ayashii? Why don't you deserve to die like he does? I'm sure you've committed more evil acts than he has, and with less remorse!" Zelgadis said, failing to justify Xelloss' actions for himself.
"Zel, there are good Mazokou and bad Mazokou, just like there are good and bad humans. You don't know Ayashii, and you never will get to know him now. You're just going to have to trust me when I tell you he doesn't deserve to live. As for me, I'm not going to defend myself. You walked into this relationship with open eyes, knowing exactly what I am. Either you accept that, or you don't," Xelloss said, desperately hoping that Zelgadis' feelings for him hadn't changed. After the incident with the Clair Bible, and the way the chimera was acting so coldly now, he wasn't sure. Zelgadis looked at him for a few seconds, then smiled.
"Unfortunately for me, I like you just as you are ... and I'd be a hypocrite if I rejected you because of your less desirable qualities." Xelloss smiled back. "He's right," Zelgadis thought. "I do have to accept his Mazokou nature ... and I already have. That isn't what bothers me. What I'm worried about is that his Mazokou nature will cause him to cease to care for me ... I couldn't stand that. He just said he ruined a man's ... Mazokou's life for no reason at all, why won't he do that to me? I'm still not sure how he feels about me ..."
"I'm sorry to break up this touching reunion," Ayashii's voice broke into Zelgadis' thoughts. "But I believe that Xelloss and I have some unfinished business."
 

"Good evening Ayashii," Xelloss said, without turning to face his adversary. "Are you finally ready to die?"
"You killed me years ago when you exiled me from the Mazokou race!" Ayashii answered angrily. Xelloss turned and opened his eyes.
"I gave you the chance to live. You could always have joined forces with Gaav."
"What? And become the traitor you made me out to be? I would never stoop low enough to give you that satisfaction!"
"Then let's end this now. You're already boring me," the priest said. Ayashii smiled as he faced his opponent, which seemed odd to Zelgadis.
"Why is he so confident?" He thought. "Surely he must know how powerful Xelloss is. Why did he let Xelloss into his domain and why is he so calm now? I'm worried that he's hiding something. If there's one thing I can fairly accuse Xelloss of it's being too arrogant in battle. I hope he doesn't underestimate his enemy." Zelgadis assumed his battle stance, ready to assist the priest.
"This isn't your battle, Zelgadis, don't try and fight it," Xelloss told him.
"You're right, for once," Ayashii agreed. "So let's make sure he doesn't interfere." A green bolt raced towards Zelgadis which Xelloss immediately blocked with his own body.
"I can look after myself," Zelgadis said, feeling a little hurt that Xelloss didn't believe in his fighting abilities. Across the cavern, Ayashii grinned.
Zelgadis watched as the two Mazokou fought in front of him. It seemed obvious that Xelloss wasn't using his full power and was just playing, but Ayashii didn't seem to be exerting himself either. The chimera wished the whole thing were over so that he could have a chance to talk to Xelloss again.
The battle seemed to be getting fiercer and fiercer, when suddenly Ayashii split in two. Xelloss was stunned for a second as he saw one form hurtling towards him casting a barrage of spells, while the other disappeared. He blocked the spells easily, and turned around, expecting to see the other part of his opponent behind him, but Ayashii wasn't there. Xelloss heard a strangled cry on the other side of the room and turned to see Ayashii holding Zelgadis by the throat.
"Surprised?" The form of Ayashii holding the chimera asked.
"Damn!" Xelloss thought. "He's used his magic amplifier to allow him to split into two, and now he has Zelgadis!"
"You obviously care for this creature and want to protect him, Xelloss," Ayashii continued. "Now what are you going to do? If you try and attack either of my forms Zelgadis will die before you can harm me. So it's all comes down to a simple choice: you, or him?" Xelloss ground his teeth. He couldn't let Zelgadis die ... but he couldn't surrender! There was only one thing to do ...
Zelgadis stared at the priest, trying to tell him with his eyes to leave him to die. He couldn't speak because Ayashii held his throat, but his mind was racing.
"Well, in a way I should be thankful to Ayashii, I suppose," he thought as he watched Xelloss making his decision. "At least after this I will know conclusively how Xelloss feels. If he chooses to save me, I'll have to live my life alone knowing I lost the only person I ever truly loved ... and if he chooses himself then I'm glad I won't be alive to feel the pain of knowing he doesn't truly care for me ..."
"I'm sorry Zel," Xelloss said, breaking the silence. "I know we had so little time together ... but I can't let you die. Release him Ayashii, I've made my choice."
"I knew that your love for this pitiful chimera spelt your end, Xelloss! Now I have won and I will have my revenge for all these years of exile!" Both of his forms laughed cruelly as they simultaneously shot rays of light into the priest's body. Xelloss screamed in pain and fell to the ground, light pulsating all around him.
Ayashii dropped Zelgadis and the chimera fell to his knees, unable to speak or move, tears streaking down his cheeks.
"Xelloss ... Xelloss you can't die!" Was all he could think. Ayashii joined his two separated halves and continued laughing as he walked over to the prostrate form.
"You've no idea how happy it makes me to finally see you die. You always were a careless bastard, and I knew I would be the one who sealed your fate. In the end, you were defeated by your own idiocy! How worthless you are!" He looked down upon Xelloss' unmoving body as the light died away. "And now I'll send your little lover to join you!" Zelgadis heard his words, but didn't care. He didn't want to live if Xelloss was dead. Ayashii could do whatever he wanted, nothing mattered anymore. His only reason for living was lying face down in front of him ... and he had done nothing to save him.
Ayashii had raised his arm ready to kill the chimera when he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. He whipped round to look at where Xelloss had been lying, but the priest was gone.
"You have insulted me in every way possible," Xelloss' voice said from somewhere in the room. Ayashii desperately whirled round to try and locate him, but he couldn't see the priest anywhere.
"Where are you, damn it!!!" He shouted at the cavern walls.
"But I think the two things that annoyed me most," the priest continued. "Were your attack on Zelgadis and your presumption that your weak magic could possibly kill me. I'm sick of all these games. It's your turn to die." Xelloss materialized inches away from Ayashii's face and put his hand to his opponent's chest. Before Ayashii could move, he cast a spell straight into the lesser Mazokou's body. Zelgadis, as if in a dream, saw his enemy's face turn white, then heard him fall to the ground behind the priest. Xelloss turned round and smiled. "Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?"
 

"Zel? Zel?!? Will you snap out of it?" Xelloss asked anxiously, gently shaking the chimera's shoulders. Zelgadis stared intently into Xelloss' eyes then took his face in his hands and deeply kissed the Mazokou.
"I love you," he said when their lips parted. Xelloss gazed back down at the chimera, debating whether or not to tell him ...
"I love you too," he replied after a few seconds.
"So you are capable of love!" Zelgadis said, smiling. "Or you're just a very convincing liar."
"Well, maybe we should go somewhere more private and you could convince me of all the reasons why you're worthy of my affection." Zelgadis kissed him again.
"No, we have to go back and let the others know we're not hurt," he said seriously.
"So you're still desperate to regain your human form?" Xelloss asked, turning away.
"No, not any more," Zelgadis replied quietly. "I want to be with you for as long as I can. I'm willing to sacrifice a human appearance if it means I get a few more years with you ... even a few more seconds," he said, thinking of what had just happened. Xelloss turned back round and stared at the chimera.
"You're sure?"
"Positive," Zelgadis assured him.
"Good, because I don't think I could have half as much fun if you had a human body," Xelloss replied, a mischievous glint appearing in his eye.
 

Lina paced backwards and forwards in front of Amelia. Both had been silent for a long time.
"If Xelloss is worried about how powerful Ayashii is, then Zelgadis might be in real danger. If something happens to him I swear I'm going to kill that Mazokou! It's all his fault that Zel is involved in the first place!" the sorceress thought.
"I know I've thought some bad things about Mr. Xelloss, but I really think he does care for Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia thought. "The way he acted when Mr. Zelgadis got kidnapped ... I think he actually loves him ... I don't care just as long as Mr. Zelgadis is safe! I just want them both to be alive!"
"You're all very quiet," Xelloss commented cheerfully from his position leaning against a pillar on the other side of the room.
"Zel!" Lina shouted, seeing the chimera standing beside him. Both she and Amelia ran up and flung their arms around him.
"We were so worried! Are you ok?" Amelia asked quickly.
"Don't get too friendly, Mr. Zelgadis is practically a married man!" Xelloss said.
"Shut up Xelloss! I'm fine," Zelgadis answered them, blushing at their show of affection.
"Zelgadis! Glad to see you're back!" Gourry called, coming up behind the other two.
"Tell us what happened Zel!" Lina ordered. "We've been going crazy wondering what happened to you both!"
"I'm too tired to tell you now Lina, can we just get out of this place and have a decent night's rest first?" Zel asked wearily.
"Does a "decent rest" include you and Xelloss sharing a room?!?" Lina snapped angrily.
"Well of course it does Lina, it wouldn't be a decent night otherwise!" Xelloss replied, putting his arm around Zelgadis.
"Can I have the Clair Bible, Lina?" Zelgadis asked, shaking Xelloss' arm off and giving Amelia a worried look. The princess smiled back weakly.
"Sure, Zel," Lina said, handing the book over. "But are you going to do the spell now? I thought you were too tired."
"I'll just keep it for now," Zelgadis replied. "I don't want to be too hasty over casting that spell."
"What?" Amelia asked incredulously. "Mr. Zelgadis! You're not going to turn back into a human straight away? But you are going to turn back, right?"
"Maybe some day, but for now I'm happy the way I am." Lina, Gourry and Amelia stared at him with open mouths.
"Oh, I don't believe this!" Lina shouted. "You've been searching for your cure for all this time and now you won't use it! I don't understand you at all, Zel."
"I'll explain it in the morning ... at least some of it," Zelgadis replied as he started to leave the room.
"Can I put my arm around you now?" Xelloss asked huffily.
"Yes, but I'm trying to consider Amelia's feelings because I know you won't. It's going to take a long time for her to get used to the change. Talking about us sharing a room wasn't exactly the most sensitive thing you could have said."
"Are you going to be angry with me all evening?"
"I'm not angry," Zelgadis said with a sigh. "And I'm glad you're here. Please don't leave me tonight."
"I won't leave you," Xelloss replied, then added in his head: "I don't ever want to leave you."
 
 
 

¹ I got the name Ayashii from a Japanese-English dictionary. It gave me the translation of "questionable or suspicious." So now you know!