The Human Ingredient

Title: The Human Ingredient
Pairing: Z/X
Rating: Nc17
Summery: All mazoku servants receive their power from their creators. As for Beast Master Zelas, she decided to give her servant a little more...Over a thousand years later the piece that made Xelloss the most feared and powerful of all mozuku servants has been cast aside to the mortal world below to be left in the charge of a unpredictable comrade. In such dangerous company, will this ‘human’ ingredient find the will to live in the mortal world, or return to his Master?

++The Human Ingredient+++


Chapter Two


The first thing Xelloss’ conscious mind registered was that he had been sealed off from the astral plane. The thousands of doors that had allowed him to explore freely from one dimension to the next had been sealed and shut, leaving him just a single organic plane as the one and only outlet. Within the few seconds the former mazoku had awakened into his new world, he was already experiencing the first strings of claustrophobia.

Very slowly, Xelloss’ eyes opened to meet with the grey sky above. Dark clouds raced across the sky, spurned on with the promise of a storm. Long grasses framed his vision, as well as the tops of pine trees. He could feel the stalks of grass move against his skin, the cold wind blew over his naked flesh, causing his prone body to shiver.

‘Where am I?’ Slowly, Xelloss lifted a hand up to brush his tousled hair from his eyes. He paused to examine the hand: a pale, slender wrist topped with long fingers. Blood pumped underneath the skin, he could see the surface veins pulsing faintly below the palm. The arm was his. It was organic, and very human.

With some effort, Xelloss pulled his body up to a sitting position so he could gain his bearings. He had been dumped in the middle of a grassy field, with no shelter and clothing to protect him from the elements. From what he could see from the ground, the terrain resembled that of the mountain trail in which Lina Inverse and her party had traveled.

A sudden gust of wind blew across his body, sending even more terrible wracks of shivers to travel up and down his spine. He hugged his naked form as he shuddered from the cold. ‘I must find warmth.’

Out from the corner of his eye, he saw a farmhouse on the edge of the field bordering the forest. Observing the farm more carefully, he spotted a white sheet had conveniently been hung out to dry. ‘A little too conveniently.’ A corner of Xelloss’ mouth pulled. Mistress Zelas must be finding his plight terribly amusing.

Commanding his body to move correctly was like trying to wake it from a deep sleep. In his mazoku form, the physical body could be controlled with no more than a flicker of a thought. This organic body had to be manipulated by extending and contracting muscles in unison. With a bit of practice, he was able to control his body with enough instinctive ease to snatch the sheet from its branch and steal away without being noticed.

As we walked down the path towards the village, Xelloss set himself to work on clothing himself. With a hole torn through the middle, and a strip of the linen as a belt, he fashioned the cloth into a crude tunic. It did little to protect him from the elements. Ironically, Xelloss had visited Dynst Grauscherra’s ice realm in the North Pole recently and had not been bothered by the cold. Now, this autumn weather was almost more than he could stand.

After nearly ten minutes of walking through wet mud, Xelloss decided to risk performing some magic. He had no idea how much power he had retained as a human from his previous existence as a mazoku, and was afraid of losing control. Now with the cold gnawing at him, the risk no longer seemed so great.

Knitting his brows together, Xelloss tried to gather magic to form into his hand. A simple fireball would do, it’s warm. He bit his lower lip in concentration as he reached within his being to draw forth the power into his palm. He could feel it, waiting to burst forth as soon as it became untapped. But like a stubborn cork, the magic refused to emerge. Something was in the way. Xelloss’ lips curled down in frustration.

So intense was his concentration that he failed to avoid brushing his bare foot against the razor sharp edge of a rock embedded in the mud. With a yelp, Xelloss fell heavily to the ground, gripping his foot in an effort to staunch the pain. His breath hissed through clenched teeth as he inspected the wound: A jagged cut ran alongside his toe, bright red blood oozed out to mix with the dark mud.

It was then, that Xelloss tasted a strange feeling in the back of his throat, one that derived a small amount of pleasure from his human form receiving physical pain.

“No.” Xelloss shook his head and pushed back the feeling far from his mind. He was both confused and repulsed at his strange reaction to his demonic nature. “What is happening to me? Does this human form reject my Mazoku nature?”

Xelloss shuddered at this realization. He leaned up against a tree to bandage his bleeding foot with torn strips from his tunic, muttering his thoughts aloud as he did so. “Human and Mazoku do not mix well” he mused. “Its an unnatural combination.” He sighed miserably, then gazed up to the cloudy sky above. Xelloss understood his Mistress well, and knew that she rarely withdrew a decision once it has been made. He could expect neither help nor pity from his former master, he was completely alone. Xelloss felt utterly pathetic.

White clouds glided across the sky, obscuring any glimpse of the blue sky underneath. ‘Its all so white.’ Xelloss thought as a whisper of an old memory formed itself into being. ‘White is the color of purity.’

****

Long Ago...

“--White is the color of purity.” The head priest Cronus said, gazing about the room as he continued his monthly sermon. “We wear this color to symbolize our dedication to the Goddess and as a rejection to all worldly things. White is the color of purification and above all, devotion and obedience to our order.”

Twelve years had passed since Cronus had brought the little orphaned boy to the temple. Now, that child of prophesy chosen by the esteemed Goddess herself, was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

“Wake up Xelloss!” A young apprentice a few years older than Xelloss roughly elbowed him awake. Xelloss yelped aloud from the jab, and caused the entire assemblage, including Cronus to glare at him in disapproval.

Xelloss withered under their glares, and smiled apologetically.

Cronus cleared his throat and continued with his speech.

***

“Gah, I HATE these bi-monthly sermons!” Kris, the apprentice who had jabbed Xelloss complained as they walked together along the white marbled corridors to their rooms. “High Priest Cronus has a tendency to drone on and on when fewer words would do.” Kris stretched his arms above his head and scratched his sandy colored hair. “When I become a priest of his status, I promise to give speeches that are more to the point!”

“I don’t think that Cronus likes me.” Xelloss muttered, he had not been listening to his companion’s complaints.

“Hm?” Kris glanced over to his friend. “Why would you think that? Don’t forget that it was High Priest Cronus that saved your life all those years ago.”

Xelloss scoffed. “Sometimes I wished that he didn’t. Besides from you, everyone in the temple and the village distances themselves from me. They greet me with smiles but it doesn’t reach their eyes, its almost as if they’re waiting for something horrible from me.” The young apprentice shook his head sadly. “I sometimes feel like a lamb being led to the slaughter with all this ‘Child of Prophesy’ business.”

“You shouldn’t say that.” Kris said firmly. “There are plenty of people in the order who care about you, Cronus included.”

“I don’t know...” Xelloss shrugged. “They just feel so...hollow towards me. By the Goddess, I wish I could leave it all and go with you tomorrow!”

Kris stopped walking. “What? Do you mean my missionary assignment?”

Xelloss smiled meekly, and scratched his head in embarrassment. “I am a bit jealous, you know that I’m not even allowed to leave the island. By the Goddess, I wish I had the freedom that you do to see the world!”

Kris smiled warmly, and clasped his hands on his young friend’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’ll come back to rescue you from these gloomy farts. You’ll see!”

Xelloss returned the smile. “I hope so.”

The next day, the young Xelloss waved fervently from the town docks to his Kris as he sailed swiftly out to the mainland. All of Xelloss’ most happy memories stemmed from the company of his childhood friend, as well as all of his hopes and dreams for a brighter and happier future.

Sadly, those hopes and dreams were not meant to be, and it would be the last time Xelloss would be alive to see Kris.

***

Now...


It had began to rain.

Xelloss sneezed. The sudden combination of moisture and cold brought forth a multitude of new scents which bothered his sensitive nose. The rainwater soaked through his thin tunic and chilled his already freezing body. Xelloss decided that he hated the rain. He had adopted a broken branch to lean on for his injured foot, which throbbed constantly and stung whenever he tried to put weight on it.

Through the trees, he could spot the tops of several steeped roof buildings. ‘That must be Leavenworth. Apparently that is where my savior awaits’ he thought glumly. Xelloss paused to tap his walking stick on the soggy ground as he mulled over his next move. ‘My Mistress has never lied to me. She said that she would place me near a mortal friend. If I had been suspended for a day than Lina should still be in town.’

For as much trouble he had caused Lina Inverse in the past, Xelloss had little doubt in his mind that she would coldly turn him away in his condition. In spite of everything that Lina claimed to be, she remained one susceptible to human compassion. It was that compassion Xelloss would have to rely on. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from the forest and into the town.

***

Zelgadis stepped outside Delmaar’s one and only library, which also doubled as a book store. Noticing the rain, he pulled his hood down over his eyes. “Che, I hate this mountain weather” he grumbled to himself.

The Chimera was mildly pleased that his venture into the basement of the dusty library had not been entirely uneventful. He had found a broken down trunk pushed far into a forgotten nook which contained a multitude of early chimera research notes and journals. Zelgadis was already familiar with the information the old notes provided, but was able to find in one of the journals, some hints of a hidden laboratory not too far away. Zelgadis was satisfied with discovering this new lead, and he fully intended to pursue it. ‘Probably not in this rain.’ he thought, gazing up into the stormy sky. Magic or no magic, it was dangerous to trek mountain trails during a full fledged storm.

“Hey, what the hell’s up with that weirdo?”

Zelgadis’ left eye twitched at the comment he heard behind him. ‘That punk is asking for a Gaav Flare in the face.’ With fangs bared he turned to cnfront the speaker, then realized with a start that he was not the target for scrutiny.

At the end of the road leading out of town, a hunched figure stood leaning heavily on a broken branch, he was dressed in a tattered sheet, pale limbs stuck out from the white cloth, contrasting greatly with the travel stained garment. Shoulder length hair the color of fading twilight hung in dark strands from the weight of the rain. The hair plastered against a strained face, taut with agitation and unease with the unfamiliar surroundings.

It was a face that Zelgadis knew too well. “What the–?!” he sputtered, rage overcoming his initial shock. “Xelloss!”

The said figure in the tattered sheet looked up at his name, and balked at the sight of the angry Chimera fast approaching him. ‘Oh no, not him. Anyone but him!’

“What the hell are you doing here?” Zelgadis snatched at the loose linen to pull his most hated rival close to his face. “You have some nerve showing your face after what you just said yesterday!”

“I-I-I...” Xelloss had not expected to be deposited near Zelgadis, and was at a total loss for words to explain himself to the Chimera’s violent temper. “I n-need your help” he finally stammered, his voice sounding incredibly small to his own ears.

“Eh?” Zelgadis paused, finally noticing the ragged state Xelloss was in. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“I have faulted my Mistress, she has sentenced me into a mortal form.” The words poured from Xelloss in a rush, he tried vainly to keep the anxiety from seeping in his voice. Now was not the time to panic. “My Mistress left me here for a mortal friend to find me, I swear to you that I’d thought that she’d leave me with Lina!”

“Bah!” Zelgadis threw Xelloss into the muddy street, where he fell on his back. “I’m no friend of yours. Don’t take me as someone so naive as to fall for your tricks [i]Mazoku[/i], even with that pathetic human costume. Whatever it is you are up to, I will not be some pawn for you to play.” With a final glare, he turned to leave. “If you really are a mortal, freeze to death for all I care!”

Xelloss scrambled to his knees, despair welled up inside him as he watched his only link for survival walk away. “No, don’t!” he whispered, clutching his frame. “Don’t leave me here to die.”

As the former Mazoku was still unaccustomed to using his newfound human senses, he did not notice that several men with ale heavy in their breaths had approached him. “Well looky here boys! We got ourselves a peddler in our town!”

Xelloss turned to find the source of the gruff voice, but was dealt a punch to his chest before he could see his attacker’s face. Reeling from the explosion of pain that coursed through his body, he laid gasping on the ground. A second voice chuckled cruelly. “What’s this fella up to? He seems to like rolling in the mud!

“We don’t take to your scum in our town!” A third angrier voice chimed in as he rained kicks on his victim’s unprotected back. “Getaway and go beg somewhere else afore you’re dead!”

Xelloss curled into a ball in a desperate attempt to protect himself from his assailants. It was all that he could do. Blood began to mix with the mud that flew from the fight.

Zelgadis could not help but hear the beating with his keen hearing. He paused, the sounds of cruel laughter rang in his ears, and the metallic scent of blood stung his nostrils.

“Dammit” Zelgadis muttered a chant under his breath and turned to face the thugs with palms glowing red. “Fireball!”

The assailants scattered immediately, howling with both rage and terror as they beat the flames at their clothes. As with all bullies, they were cowards at heart, and did not try to retaliate against the intrusive sorcerer.

With a few long strides, Zelgadis came upon the bruised and bloody form sprawled unconscious in the mud. Xelloss’ narrow chest rose in shuddering breaths with what sounded like a broken rib.

“Hmpf, pathetic” the Chimera muttered as he carefully gathered the limp body. For the moment, the Mazoku appeared as a badly injured human, and Zelgadis’s conscience could not ignore that, enemy or not. ‘Whatever the hell scheme you have going on, I’ll only play with it so far until I can get some answers from you.’

With Xelloss draped in his arms, Zelgadis hurried back to the inn.

***
TBC

Please R/R!!!