Wow, a lot more reviews this time!  Thank you all, this time it's 
worked, and it's not another half-year between chapters.
     To deal with the reviews in order...  First of all, Ludacris and 
S*N, your questions will be answered here, at least in part.  (Well, 
aside from the question of when this chapter would be out, which is 
already answered.)  Aside from that...  Yes, these chapters are short, 
but they're being written when the muse strikes me (and I do wish 
T-sama'd stop hitting me _so_ hard) and they're as long as they want to 
be and no shorter & no longer than that.

     I should admit ahead of time, this part is somewhat influenced by 
several of Irk's fics.  If you haven't already read them, you really, 
really should.  (No, I'm not saying this simply because she reviewed 
this, I really do mean it -- and I'm very happy that she's reviewed this
 story.)

     Slayers is the creation of Hajime Kanzanka and Rui Araizumi.  I 
don't own it; they and a lot of other people do.  I'm not making any 
profit off of this story.
     All lyrics quoted in this story belong to This Mortal Coil.

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Mr Somewhere
+=== A Slayers Fanfic by Ryo Hoshi
02 +===+ Dreams are Like Water

       When you were a child unhappiness took the place of dreams
             Dreams are like water, colorless and dangerous
             Without the strength to love, way beyond fear
              You could care less if you could care at all
                             -- Dreams are Like Water

     _Oh, Lord..._ he thought, not sure if that was in thanksgiving or 
of he was pleading for mercy.  The trio of cloth rustling, bed frame 
creaking, and flesh on illusory flesh filled his ears, with the 
occasional moans or groans -- his own, Filia's? -- joining in.  They, 
and the emotions that were so thick that they could ice a cake, were 
intoxicating to him, adding to the disorientation...
     _Think of Zelas-sama,_ he told himself as the memory of last 
morning, and the thought of the almost-certain repeat of it to come, 
floated through the chaos the pleasure had turned his mind into, only to
 have it resolve itself for much, much too long.
     _eeep._  His eyes, open but unfocused and ignored, went even wider,
 and his pupils turned into pin pricks.
     _*Don't think of Zelas-sama don't think of Zelas-sama don'tthinkof
Zelas-sama!!!!*_
     Xelloss forced himself to calm down, and forget the image _that_ 
had produced and only think of the pleasures of the purely sensual 
aspects of what was happening.  _Just enjoy it,_ he told himself.  
_Don't think about it, don't think about *why*, just...enjoy it._
     _Just forget that she's only using you._  That seemed to work, and 
not too long afterwards matters reached a mutual climax.  She 
dismounted, not a word said by her, and was soon asleep, leaving him in 
her arms to brood on why he didn't like this anymore...
     It hadn't mattered the first time that he had not felt any love 
from her, only lust.  But he had not expected her reaction the next 
morning, not at all.  He had thought that she'd remember what she had 
done, what _they_ had done, not that he'd be hit in a place that was 
sensitive even for him, and unjustly accused of something he hadn't 
done.
     The feeling of being _discarded_ was really what had hurt.  He was 
used to being merely used; he could never forget that no matter what, 
ultimately he was Zelas's to use.  But Zelas never made him feel like he
 was simply a _thing_.  She always rewarded him when he had pleased her,
 always treated him like a good servant.

     Filia slept, and dreamed.  Her dreams were the same nightly, a 
prophetic jumble, confusing and disturbing.  She kept trying to grip 
them, but the images only flowed through her fingers like water, leaving
 her feeling strange. There were persistent images, though, repeating 
themselves night after night since the dreams had started.
     The most persistent of the images was that of a tower in a desert, 
holding a red jewel that was a match of the one in Xelloss's staff, and 
an aura of ancient betrayal.  Other images and emotions also turned up, 
though not as frequently and without the same feeling of importance.  A 
woman sitting in a throne, smoking, with long, wavy blond hair and 
bangles, with Xelloss (a young Xelloss, she knew somehow) kneeling at 
her feet.  A man, a Gold Dragon of the Water clan, and a previous Knight
 of Ceified, with his throat slit and a look of surprise on his dead 
features.  A different man, not completely anything, with long red hair 
and golden eyes, sitting in that desert tower, its bored lord and 
master.
     The only thing connecting the images was a voice, golden and black 
and feminine, telling her _something_ very, very important that she 
could never remember or hear clearly but left her feeling very much 
alone and scared.
     The dreams, and the voice, had been getting clearer since they had 
first started, not so long ago, and the feeling of urgency surrounding 
them was growing...

     Xelloss tensed up as he sensed Filia start to wake up, and the arm 
she had at some point during the night looped around his neck tightened.
  Sometimes, it paid not to have to breathe, but not having to breathe 
did _not_ mean he didn't feel strangled.  Still, it was an improvement 
over the last time's blow to his crotch.
     That, however, did not mean it was comfortable.  He made some 
pointed some pointed choking noises when he realized that she was in no 
hurry to wake up.  Not only did this seem to only cause the arm around 
his neck to tighten, her other arm around his waist started to squeeze 
him uncomfortably.
     She muttered something about a broken squeeker, and opened her 
eyes.  She blinked as her brain processed the meaning of the amethyst 
eyes looking pleadingly into her own, and then let go of him completely 
with a blush.  "Did I...use you again, Xelloss-san?" she asked quietly.
     "Yes," Xelloss replied, just as softly as she had asked.  "You 
did."  He wasn't quite sure what to make of this morning's treatment, 
though aside from been squeezed he wasn't going to complain about it.
     Filia slipped out of her bed, and silently pulled her robe on.  
"I'm sorry, Xelloss-san."
     She left, leaving Xelloss lying, stunned, in her bed.  He had not 
really expected her to apologise to him, not after yesterday morning.

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     Well, there's not much I can say in the way of author's notes on 
_this_ chapter.  It's short, transitional, and the middle scene's 
important to the rest of the story.
     At this point, I can't really promise much, except that eventually 
the mysteries will get answered, and that while this may get 'darker', 
it will manage to retain a sense of humor about things.  It'd be hard 
not to, after the places it's found humor so far.
     Oh, and if you're wondering if the song quotes have anything to do 
with the story...  I haven't the _least_ idea if they do or not.  Sorry!
  But they _are_ very pretty songs!
     As always, reviews are adored, and along with bribes of chocolate 
(dark preferred, milk accepted) will encourage me to try to get T-sama 
to give me the next chapter sooner.