A Strange Romance
Xelloss did WHAT?!
by: Morri ^_^
“This isn’t going to work Xelloss! I can’t just dragon slave the thing! I’d blow all of us away too!” Lina yelled to the Mysterious Priest.
Xelloss had completely broken his innocent Priest disguise now and called upon the power of his Master to help him. To his surprise, however, Nabiki reached up and took hold of his hands. Instantly, he felt the power flowing back into his spell. The shield he’d had to drop for the containment spell reactivated itself, this time surrounding the entire party. Xelloss’ eyes opened and he turned to look at Nabiki. Sweat poured down her face. The light from the moon hit her so she seemed to be radiating her own light.
“Relax Xel-baby,” said her soothing voice.
“Nabiki! How did you…” Xelloss asked before she silenced him.
“Shh…Idiot. Do you want to break my concentration?” she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut. “Ms. Inverse, may I suggest using your spell now? We won’t be hurt by it,” she said through clenched teeth. She noticed Xelloss look of admiration and tried to smile. Her stored energy was almost spent and Lina had not used the spell yet. Did Nabiki have to do everything?
“DRAGON SLAAAAAVE!” Lina screamed as she hurled the reddish stream of
energy at the trapped dragon. The thing was suddenly engulfed in
a sea of fire and the blast expanded to encase Nabiki, Xelloss and the
others. Nabiki screamed in pure pain as she sank to her knees, her
power depleted. Suddenly, everything went black.
Nabiki came to and blinked a few times. Her head rested in Xelloss’ lap and she sat up quickly, blushing bright crimson. That was a mistake. She quickly lay back down, holding her head.
“Did anyone get the number of that freighter?” she asked. She smiled weakly up at Xelloss. “Where are we now?” she asked, sitting up more slowly this time.
He laughed briefly, “We’re still on the road to Seyruun. Are you alright Nabiki Tendo?” He brushed a stray hair out of her eyes, gently avoiding the large scratch running across her forehead. She winced as she touched a spot on her arm where she’d been hit.
“Yes, I think so. I didn’t break anything, did you?” Nabiki asked, gingerly probing his face and bare chest for wounds. *Wait…he was wearing a shirt before… * Nabiki narrowed her eyes, then saw the reason. His shirt, or what was left of it anyway, lay on the ground next to him still smoldering from the Dragon Slave. A few moments later, Gourry, carrying the unconscious Princess Amelia, Lina, and Zelgadis came to join them.
“Is she alright?” asked Lina, a bit concerned. This Nabiki girl had shown such power. She wasn’t even from this world, yet had radiated so much power that Lina truly believed Nabiki could be a better sorceress than she. She cast a healing spell on Nabiki and instantly, the cuts and gashes disappeared. Lina hesitated a moment then cast a healing spell on Xelloss too. His cuts disappeared.
“Excuse me Nabiki dear, but I need to go get us both a change of clothing,” Xelloss said as he faded out. Nabiki turned to Lina.
“Can you tell me what happened after I blacked out?” Nabiki asked calmly.
“Well, Xelloss caught you before you hit the ground, but that didn’t give him enough time to get away. We did. He threw himself on top of you and took the brunt of the explosion. That would explain why his shirt was gone, other than that not much happened. Now, I have a question for you…” Lina said, tapping her chin.
“Well, what is it?” Nabiki said distractedly.
“How in the name of L-Sama did you do that!” she cried, nearly braining poor Amelia as she flailed her arms.
Nabiki grinned. Now would be the perfect opportunity to say Xelloss’ famous phrase, but she thought better of it. “I memorized that Dragon Slave thing of yours and that RA-Tilt spell. Somehow, when I recited them mentally, I stored up all that magic power without actually releasing it. I noticed that Xel was about to fall, so I gave him that energy. Gee, I really should make him pay for that, shouldn’t I?” Nabiki smirked.
Xelloss chose that moment to walk up behind her, fully clothed and smiling brightly, “What are you making me pay for, my dear?” he asked.
“Saving your hide,” Nabiki said with an even bigger bright smile.
“Oh, then I suppose you won’t mind paying me for saving you either,” he opened his burning purple eyes and stared into hers. Quite suddenly, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, making her blush. “That will do as payment for now,” he smiled again and pulled out some clothes for her. She looked around for a place to change. When she found none, she motioned for the men to turn their backs while she changed.
A few moments later, Nabiki said, “Okay, I’m done!”
Xelloss’ eyes nearly exploded. She was even more beautiful than
before. His master had taken an interest in Nabiki and had given
her a better gown this time. Even Gourry and Zelgadis were stunned
by her looks. She strutted over and took Xelloss by the arm.
“Well, let’s go, the show isn’t going to wait for us,” she said brightly.
He bowed slightly and led her once more in the direction of Seyruun.
“That was certainly humorous,” Xelloss commented as he and Nabiki walked out of the pavilion. Zelgadis was trying ardently to pry Amelia off of his arm. Lina and Gourry walked some distance behind, still recovering from the…effects…of the dark theatre. Lina fixed her hair while Gourry re-adjusted his sword belt. Both looked extremely guilty. Xelloss couldn’t help but smile.
Nabiki held his arm again and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Mmm hmm…yeah, I enjoyed that,” she said. But her mind was clouded. She and Xelloss had held hands through the entire show. He wasn’t like other guys in that respect. Most would have tried to kiss her or something, but not Xelloss. Nabiki smiled dreamily. What a guy. Almost too good to be true…
Xelloss looked down at Nabiki. He had discovered the source of her power from Gourry and now respected her even more. If he didn’t know any better, Xelloss could almost swear that he was in love.
Lina and her friends were in good moods now, so they didn’t pursue Xelloss when he decided to take Nabiki back. The two of them disappeared with smiles on their faces.
Back at the Beast Master’s temple, Nabiki sat alone on an overstuffed
couch. Xelloss had gone to do his nightly priestly business.
She looked around the room and took the opportunity to sort out her feelings.
She was unsure of her feelings for the Mysterious Priest, but if the giddy
feeling in her stomach was any indication, Nabiki guessed that it was love.
She, the middle Tendo daughter, was in love with someone who wasn’t even
human…
Xelloss returned to find his date deep in thought. He sat down next to her and turned her face to him. He felt the knots in his stomach tighten and he almost faltered as he brought her close for a kiss. He’d kissed women before, but none had been quite as important as Nabiki. His Mozoku heart pounded in his chest and for a moment, he thought it might pop out of his chest.
Nabiki’s face turned bright red as he leaned closer. She’d been kissed before, but the other times, it had been strictly business, for her own personal gain. Come to think of it, this could be her personal gain as well…
Their lips met and suddenly, Nabiki’s mind lost focus. Xelloss
struggled to keep control of his, but he too was loosing it. The
redness drained from Nabiki’s cheeks as she closed her eyes. This
was too good to be true.
Nabiki opened her eyes to find that she was home. She lay in her bed, holding her pillow just has she had been holding Xelloss, moments before. It was morning and Nabiki looked at her clock. The timing was perfect. Almost too perfect. She looked down at herself, thinking to find her nightgown, but instead found the Beast Master’s loaned clothing.
“Then it wasn’t a dream after all,” Nabiki mumbled as she rolled to her feet. She grabbed her uniform out of her closet and went down to the bathroom. Unfortunately, it was occupied so she went into the dining room to wait for breakfast.
“Oneechan, why are you carrying your school uniform? Today is Saturday!” Nabiki’s older sister Kasumi said. Their father sat behind the newspaper and chuckled softly.
“Yes, my dear, the Basketball Tournament is today. You sister and Ranma are both competing. Are you going to go watch?” he asked, still behind the paper. Neither Kasumi nor Soun had noticed Nabiki’s strange dress, so she decided not to press the issue. Instead she simply went back to her room for different clothes.
On her way back down, she heard noises coming from Ranma’s room. Nabiki pulled out her camera and readied herself to click the shutter.
“Shhhh…” Ranma was saying as he opened the door.
“You shhh!” Akane replied, peeking out behind Ranma, holding him around the waist. Neither of them saw Nabiki yet.
“Okay Akane, the coast is clear. Start acting uncute again!” Ranma whispered. He leaned over and quickly kissed his fiancée.
Akane immediately ruffled her hair and rolled up one of the sleeves on her nightgown. She led the way downstairs into the kitchen.
“Geez Akane, you are so uncute in the mornings! Go take a shower or something!” Ranma said loudly. Nabiki grinned evilly and went down the hall to Ranma’s room. Inside, she found nothing out of the ordinary…except that the window was open and there was a piece of ripped cloth on the sill. Nabiki looked outside. She saw nothing at first, but then got the idea to look on the roof.
She deftly climbed up and found a neatly folded tuxedo and tie and another stack with a rather pretty dress and stockings. Aha! She’d caught them sneaking in…which meant that Ranma and Akane had been on a date! Nabiki pulled out her ever-present camera and took some more photos of the clothes and of the open window. Smiling, she went down to the shower.
When she finished in the bathroom, Nabiki carefully put the gown away,
silently wondering if she’d see Xelloss again that night. She smiled
happily, remembering their kiss. Her stomach started feeling giddy
again, so she banished those thoughts from her mind.
Nabiki walked to her school, ready to win some large amounts of yen. Even people from other schools had come to bet with her. Nabiki found herself wishing that Xelloss could be here to see her at work. She smiled at the thought.
Then something struck her. If he found her when she was asleep, didn’t it stand to reason that she could find him the exact same way? But he would have to be in contact with her nightgown, which would be very awkward if he showed up holding it. But Nabiki thought it was worth the risk, so she set to her task.
After about three hours of searching, she finally found him. He was had dozed off in a tree. Her nightgown was in his pouch. Apparently, he thought of the same thing she did. If what Lina Inverse had sad to her was true, she was just as capable of summoning him as he was summoning her. Nabiki smiled and reached out to him.
Suddenly, he stood before her. He smiled warmly and moved to embrace her. “Ah, Nabiki, you figured it out! How wonderful!” Xelloss said enthusiastically. He kissed her briefly and stood back. His staff held in one hand, Nabiki’s hand in his other, he said, “So, what have you got planned for this lovely day, my dear?”
Nabiki smiled back at him, “Well, first, I thought you might like to see just how much money I can get in one day. Then, later this evening, we could take in dinner and a movie.” She knew he had no clue what a movie was, but his expression never faltered.
“What a wonderful idea, Nabiki! Come, show me your moneymaking scheme, then,” Xelloss said, letting her lead him back into the gym.
When they got back in, Furinken’s boys’ team was beating the pants off of the other team. Both Ranma and Tatewaki Kuno were in rare form, felling the enemies like there was no tomorrow. The kendoist Kuno seemed to be quite the good basketball player. The game ended with Furinken up by 54 points. The crowd cheered. From her little corner, Nabiki smiled evilly as a few angered fans stalked out of the gym. She recognized some of them from the betting table. There was just a little more money for her pocket.
Xelloss was thoroughly enjoying himself and each time a vendor walked by he goaded Nabiki into paying for a hot dog or cola. By the final game, he was quite full.
The final game was Furinken girls versus St. Hibetikae girls. Akane and Ukyou Kuonji (one of Ranma’s other fiancées) were smashing into the other team with abandon. However, on Hibetikae’s side, Kodachi Kuno, Tatewaki’s younger sister (also in love with Ranma) was smashing equally many of Furinken’s girls. At the last buzzer, Furinken was behind by only one point, leaving Furinken with second place. The only girls on either team still standing were Akane, Ukyou, Kodachi, and one of Kodachi’s friends. The crowd cheered. Her business associate smiled coyly at Nabiki and held out her hand. Nabiki forked over her friend’s cash, not at all sad by the loss of money.
“Congratulations my friend, it seems you did your research. I’m very proud of you,” Nabiki said with a smile.
Her friend bowed, “I had an excellent teacher,” the girl said before fading back into the crowd. Xelloss and Nabiki left after all the money was in its proper hands and headed for the movie theatre.
Xelloss smiled admiringly at Nabiki. “Well, my sweet, that was certainly a very fine display of talent. Where are we off to next?”
Nabiki hid a grin and said, “We’re going to see the new movie. It should be pretty amusing. It’s supposed to be about a strange family that gets a kick out of blowing things up.”
As soon as he turned the corner, Xelloss’ eyes bulged. Before him was a bustling little marketplace. There were strange carriages with no beasts drawing them. Nabiki just smiled knowingly at him and led him into the theatre. There, Xelloss tried his best to contain his excitement. Somehow, magical images were being projected onto a screen. The movie thing ended and Nabiki took him to a place called Ucchan’s.
Nabiki exchanged words with the shop’s owner and soon, Xelloss was dining
on a very fine substance called Okonamiyaki. According to Nabiki,
it was Japanese pizza. He nodded and tried to hide his confusion.
He reveled in this place and wondered if Nabiki had felt this way when
she’d come to see him?
“Xelloss did WHAT?!” screamed Zellas Metallium. Her small manservant went flying across the room as she berated the messenger.
“M-My lady, he vanished. We were watching his progress and then, all of a sudden he was gone without a trace,” the Mozoku said meekly, hoping not to receive the same treatment as her servant.
“I…see,” she said calmly. “You may go boy,” she said, straining
her voice to keep calm. The man backed humbly out of the room.
The Beast Master sat for a long time, contemplating the nasty things she
would do to Xelloss when he came back.
Nabiki and Xelloss walked into the Dojo at nine thirty. Her father sat with Mr. Saotome, playing a game of Go. He looked up as they entered.
“Father, Mr. Saotome,” Nabiki said, “This is Xelloss Metallium. Xel, this is my dad.” Soun Tendo stood slowly, not quite sure what to make of this man. He wore the same cloak that he’d seen Nabiki with a few nights ago. Xelloss bowed to him and smiled.
“It is a great pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Tendo, and you as well, Mr. Saotome,” Xelloss bowed to Ranma’s father. Then he turned to Nabiki and kissed her hand saying, “Well, my sweet, I really must be going. My Master must be seething mad by now. Goodbye for now,” he laughed. The Mysterious Priest waved a finger and was gone, leaving Nabiki smiling at air.
Nabiki laid down that night fingering the pendant at her neck. Xelloss now wore one just like it. Now whenever she was lonely, she could go to him. She knew that no matter what his line of work called him to do or go, he’d always be hers and she’d always be his. No matter what…