Title: Sunset
By: Chrissy Sky
Fandom: Slayers
Pairing: Xellos/Zelgadis
Rating: PG? Maybe?
Warnings: Character death, not-quite-angst-because-I'm-a-sap
Summary: Written for Rose Thorne and her Detour universe. The time has come and Xellos has a hard time letting go. Brand spanking new fanfiction!

The time had come. Xellos could sense it in the air and it filled him with a dread he didn't show.

Zelgadis had been too weak to move around much for some time, having outlived most of his friends, and so had stopped traveling sometime ago. He had not gotten wrinkly and worn so much as grey, everywhere.

Xellos wondered if the deterioration was his fault, that perhaps before Zel's time in the tank and the former priest reconstructing his soul, the chimera had been expected to live longer. But every time he tried to look at Zelgadis' soul, the still-much younger man would smack him. Age did nothing to lessen the blow of a backhand swing from his lover.

But they had made do. The years had been very good to them, all things considered. There had never been any married bliss, as Lina and Gourry eventually had. Instead there were companionable silences, darkly humorous stories, and other such unusually precious moments that they both treasured.

Xellos brought Zelgadis his breakfast that morning like always. At times he had brought the chimera some unusual dish from across the ocean, most of which were too disgusting to eat. In such cases, Zelgadis had thrown the food in his face and demanded something edible "or else!" But today he was nice and brought normal food, offering it with a smile.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at the smile. "Why so gloomy?"

"Eh?"

His human was amused. "I've lived with you long enough to interpret your smiles, idiot."

Xellos twitched. "Ah, is that so?"

Zelgadis nodded. "That's so." He ate tentatively, his attention mostly on the Mazoku. "You knew this day was coming," he added, as though he had accepted the inevitable long ago.

Xellos sighed, his eyes opening. "I have," he agreed.

"You lived before me; you'll be fine when I'm gone."

"You think so?" Xellos wondered noncommittally, too prideful even now to admit a weakness to Zelgadis. Even this one.

Zelgadis smiled slightly as though he knew anyway.

"I have a proposal," the former priest continued suddenly.

"I told you, I'm not marrying you in front of a blood alter to Shabranigdu. Not only am I agnostic, I can't stomach cutting up the goat…"

Xellos pursed his lips, not wanting to laugh. "My idiot chimera. That's not it."

"Okay, what?"

It was a long time before Xellos asked, needing to gather his thoughts, but he eventually did. "Would you become my priest?"

Zelgadis was surprised at first, then angry. "What--?"

Xellos held up his hands. "Please hear me out. You would be my priest and general, as was my former rank. You would be powerful enough to have a human form close to your original."

"You bastard," Zelgadis snarled, coughing as he got himself worked up, "don't tempt me with that!"

Xellos patted his back gently until the dying man calmed. "Please, Zelgadis." He could not say more, could not be expected to. Whatever changes had occurred to him over the years, he was still what he was.

Zelgadis shook my head. "You can't expect me to say yes. I want—wanted to be human, not even more of a monster. And if you do it without my permission, I'll hate you forever!"

Xellos smiled like steel. "Forever is a long time." He was willing to chance it if Zelgadis would just live.

The chimera handed him back the tray, anger slowly abating. It gave him time to form his next words. "I'm ready, Xellos. I've lived my life. Perhaps it didn't turn out as I wanted it to, but it wasn't a bad life. A large part of that was because of you, bastard. Don't ruin the last hours we have with fighting about it."

Xellos sighed quietly, averting his eyes. Zelgadis was the only creature capable of defeating him now and he hated it. But he had a Mazoku's pride and a peculiar sense of justice, different than a dragon's. If Zelgadis did not agree willingly, then not only would the chimera be angry, but he would not forgive himself either. Still the temptation was there and it was so very tempting…

"Alright," he acquiesced eventually.

Zelgadis smiled in relief and opened his arms. Xellos went into the embrace willingly, pressing his ear against Zelgadis' chest.

The rest of the day was spent either in silence or talking about adventures long past and grievances long forgiven. Then after a particularly amusing round of play fighting, Zelgadis laughed himself into a coughing fit and claimed he was tired.

"Sleep," Xellos said gently.

"Just for a bit. I want to see the sunset."

"Yes."

He fell asleep easily. Xellos listened as his heartbeat slowed and then grew still.

Zelgadis missed the sunset. Xellos watched it for him.

*

It took him a week to figure out how to destroy The Body. It had been nearly impenetrable even with Zelgadis' Spirit inside, but now It was more solid than rock. Xellos placed The Body on a cliff overlooking the ocean and just kept the fire going until It was nothing but ash.

"Thanks," Zelgadis told him, smiling.

It had not taken more than a few hours after his lover's death for Xellos to start hallucinating. It had to be a hallucination – Xellos would not accept anything else. Though the human appearing in what his form should have been, without Rezo's influence, was a nice touch on his insanity's part.

If it wasn't a hallucination, then She was certainly working in Mysterious Ways.

"You're welcome," he answered anyway.

Zelgadis eyed him. "You know, I'm not a hallucination."

"Of course not, dear."

"It's you that kept me from crossing over completely. You could be grateful."

"I am, dear."

Zelgadis threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Argh!"

Hallucination or not, it comforted Xellos. "Come," he said, smiling brightly. "I'll show you how Mazoku watch the clouds."

"Do you shoot at the ones that look like dragons?"

"But of course."

The end. Drop a line and let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!

16/06/08 - edited because I still wasn't entirely happy with the final product. In fact, I'm still not satisfied, but perhaps at a later date I'll figure out what bugs me.