Song from the Hunchback musical by C. Rainey Lewis
Xelloss leaned his head against the wall and gave a great sigh. The wall was hard, made of jagged rock that poked out at odd angles, but being partial to pain, he didn't particularly mind. What he did mind was being stuck in the boredom of this stupid cave while a blizzard howled outside like the voices of a thousand tortured souls. Now, this appeared to have been a great opportunity when first examined, but he was getting sick of waiting. Sick, and hungry.
He glanced over at the small curled up by the far wall of the cave, her winter cloak pulled tightly over her fragile figure. Xelloss muttered crossly to himself. She wasn't even facing him! Could he take any more of this? The little group of humans he found so amusing had been busily searching the North for some sort of fabled artifact when he dropped in on them. Keeping tabs on Lina Inverse & Co. was one of his primary duties. But he would have "visited" them anyway, regardless of his mistress's orders. In any case, the Mazoku had been taunting his cute little Amelia quite some distance from the others, where she had gone off to be alone, when the blizzard hit. At first it had only been light snowfall, and the danger wasn't realized until it was right upon them. Xelloss had no problem with cold or snow, but Amelia was only human and had instantly panicked.
That's when he had gotten his idea. Yes, he could have just teleported them both to safety, but what would be the fun in that? He'd just let Amelia believe that they were lost in the snow. Every direction was the same, and none led them back to the campsite. He hadn't realized how soon the cold would take effect on Amelia's body.
Never wanted to love you
Loving you was not my choice
Never wanted to be haunted
By your voice
The Mazoku had been half-carrying her by the time they "discovered" the cave. Guess who'd been the one to stop up the entrance with rocks? Amelia had staggered into the cave and slumped over, dropping off to sleep within minutes. Which totally killed his original plan. Well, at least until she woke up.
She was wet now, the snow on her clothes and in her hair melted hours ago by the makeshift fire she slept by. It had died fast, only a few embers left to mark its existence. The little princess'd had to make that for herself before she slept; Xelloss would not suffer from the cold like she would. And he wouldn't hunger like a human, either, especially after that nice meal gleaned from Amelia's earlier annoyance.
Well, he would still hunger. But not for nourishment.
Loving you is not something
I've got under control
Loving you is like giving
Up my soul
He wasn't feeling any sort of emotion from her now. Odd. Didn't most humans dream when they slept? "Hey," he called out across the cave. She didn't move. Curious, the Trickster crept over to her sleeping body. "Hey," he said again, louder. Still nothing.
Xelloss reached out and touched one of her little hands and was shocked to find that it was cold as ice. That was bad for a human, wasn't it? Her face looked kind of bluish to him, and her wet clothes were starting to freeze against her. The Mazoku felt a pang of worry and shook her furtively. "Amelia?" No response. This was bad. He'd seen humans die from this sort of thing. But what to do?
He hurriedly grabbed some dry branches from the back of the cave and stacked them where the old fire lay dead, reigniting it with a toned-down fireball. That wasn't going to do much, so he stripped her out of her wet clothes and lay her down by the fire on top of an old blanket he had found crammed behind some rocks in the back. It was torn and dirty in places, but was very thick and soft.
Xelloss stepped back and sat down on the other side of the fire, watching her progress with a hunter's intent gaze. It had been a while since he'd seen her body uncovered like this, and never so blatantly exposed. No, he didn't feel bad about his voyeurism. It was like getting a preview before seeing the actual show. And it was well worth it. He swallowed hard, looking over her small body with his own eyes and not his astral vision.
But I see something
In your eyes
Why do you try
To run and hide?
It wasn't the time for that, he reminded himself. It wasn't the time to be the Big Bad Wolf lusting over Little Red Riding Hood.
The purple-haired Mazoku rose from his seat to see how she was faring. Not good. Although her breathing was even, her skin was still blue and cold as ever. Xelloss thought quickly. What was a way to raise the temperature in the cave without burning it down? Body heat. His eyes widened at the revelation, a lewd grin replacing his worried one. Though he was Mazoku, he did give off body heat equal to that of a human. Xelloss quickly stripped himself and cuddled close to Amelia's body, tucking his own cloak securely around them.
That was a good move on his part, he decided later. After a while, the color began to return to her cheeks and her appendages didn't feel quite so cold. In fact, she was very warm against him. Xelloss made a contented purring sound and pulled the girl into his arms. This was the closest he'd ever been able to get to her. And it made his hunger ten times worse.
Don't be afraid of what you see
It's just
One of the faces of love
And when you
Think of love, just think of me
I'm one of
The many faces of love
Amelia awoke slowly, her mind very muddled and drowsy. The fact that she was warm confused her; wasn't there a blizzard raging outside? There was softness all around her, enveloping her and soothing her. She shifted slowly and felt her skin rubbing against the warm thing she was pressed against. Cracking her eyes open, she was confronted by a wall of flesh that curved into a strong male shoulder and neck. Purple shone somewhere beyond her vision. Amelia closed her eyes again. She snuggled into this warm person, feeling vaguely content.
Her eyes snapped back open. Person???
Xelloss. The princess's cheeks turned pink in embarrassment at being so close to the shirtless Mazoku, and bright red upon the realization that a shirt wasn't the only thing he was missing. He smiled triumphantly at her, his long hair falling in soft wisps upon the blanket beneath them. This was when she noticed he wasn't the only one sufficiently lacking in garb. "Xelloss?" she managed to squeak.
His arms were wrapped around her, pressing the weight of her breasts into his chest. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he murmured, his tone thick and sultry.
Love is hate, only backwards
Love is hate gone right
Hate is love gone wrong, crying out in the night
Amelia blushed deeper, too shocked to move. "Wh-what are you..." she sputtered, trying very hard not to think about the feel of his long body stretched out beside hers.
He shrugged. "I couldn't very well let you freeze to death."
She looked away, her cheeks flaming. "Oh." She couldn't meet those blazing violet eyes, those eyes that threatened to swallow her up. They seemed to see right into her soul, to reveal all her darkest and most secret desires. Especially the ones she had been trying very hard not to admit. The princess shifted nervously and was startled to hear Xelloss gasp aloud at the movement. "Are you all right?"
The Trickster took a deep breath and forced himself to open his eyes, smiling down at her. "I'm fine." In actuality, he wasn't. His instincts screamed at him to hurry, making patience nearly impossible. But the timing, the timing...
Amelia shifted again and his body urged him to throw caution to the wind. The pressure between his legs was unbearable and the thought of actually taking her there and then made his hunger go wild. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to concentrate on breathing.
"Xelloss?" Amelia's timid voice interrupted. "Are you - " Her eyes widened suddenly as her leg came in contact with exactly what was bothering him, and her entire body blushed. She might have been naive, but not stupid.
The Mazoku smiled at her expression and leaned in close. "Tell me, Amelia, have you ever had someone make love to you before?" he asked softly, teasingly, before placing his lips over hers in a single shocking movement.
The hunter burns for the hunted
Is that love? Who can say?
Don't tell me that the tiger doesn't love his prey
She broke the kiss after a few moments, terribly frightened by this prelude. "No," she begged, trembling.
"What better time?" he asked. "There's no one here...no one will see us. And I know you want this very much."
"...how?"
"I'm a Mazoku, my dear. It's not very hard to sense others' desire. Oh, don't cry," he whispered, stroking her hair. "Why are you so afraid?"
The tears poured from Amelia's eyes, tears of shame and fear and a hopeless wanting. So he'd known all along that she cared for him. So he'd known about that deep, world-shattering, unjust desire she held for him? It was terribly embarrassing. Did he know about her dreams of him? Or those nights when she'd touched herself, thinking of him?
"Shh, shh...I promise not to hurt you." He hissed softly, not so sure he could go slowly with her even if he wanted to. His lips nibbled urgently on the white skin of her neck.
Amelia swallowed hard. No, there wasn't anyone else there. They could do this, and no one would ever have to know about it. She could play out her fantasies with him and quench that flame inside her. Of course, when it was over, she might be more miserable. After all, she might awaken to find it all a horrible nightmare. "I...want to," she admitted, gasping slightly, "but..."
"No buts," he interrupted. "This isn't about thinking. Just feel."
The need is great
The hunger strong
To feed, to take
To be as one
Her gasping increased dramatically when his hands cupped her breasts expertly, only to be silenced by his mouth and invasive tongue. Amelia's mind shut down for a while, her body basking in his warmth and pleasant caresses. When she came back to the moment she found herself flat on her back, Xelloss's weight pushing her into the plushy blanket beneath them. He was doing the most marvelous things with his hands and tongue, making her breasts ache madly with desire. That desire flowed through her veins to the very tips of her fingers and back again, centering mostly in the places he hadn't yet explored.
"Ah!" she exclaimed as he quickened his attentions, unintentionally pushing his violet hear harder against her chest. That was the way she'd always imagined he'd make love, slowly and gently. But from that wild look in his eyes she had the feeling he wouldn't be holding back much longer. Oddly this was both frightening and exciting at once. The thought of being taken in such an animalistic way made her legs tremble and a burning heat rise within, more intense that before. The princess longed to feel his lips on hers again and pulled him up from her chest, covering his face in little kisses.
Don't be afraid of what you see
It's just
One of the faces of love
And when you
Think of love, just think of me
I'm one of
The many faces of love
Xelloss ran his hands over her, determined not to go too fast. He knew well the pains of virgins; he'd used that knowledge as a device of torture before. But this time...
Love me!
Oh love me!
You got to love me!
You must...
Amelia cried out when he finally touched the most sensitive part of her body and weakly tried to close the legs he knelt betwixt. His fingers...oh, his fingers... She squirmed helplessly, wanting him so badly that she thought she might burst. The princess rose up on her elbows to watch him, finally getting a good look at that lean body and the frightening appendage that would steal away her virginity. Her eyes were wide as she watched him, shaking with need, and she knew his patience had worn thin.
Come on and love me!
Oh love me!
Why won't you love me?
You must...
It was painful. Yes, it was the worst pain she'd ever felt in her life, like an open wound that continuously received the most vicious of friction. Xelloss kept petting her hair and murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," but all she knew was the hurt. She'd known it would be like that. But she'd been under the impression that it got better after the initial entry and was disappointed to find that it only hurt more. Amelia tried to focus on Xelloss, on his sweat-drenched hair and the muscles that stretched and strained themselves on his body.
Face the face of fear
My love
It masks a passion
Unheard of
She closed her eyes and clutched him tighter to her as her hips moved involuntarily upward, into the pain, trying to match motions with his. There was something intense behind the hurt, concealed by it, and her body seemed determined to unveil it.
The princess was making little squeaking noises of mixed pleasure and pain beneath him. That was all Xelloss could focus on besides the smell and feel and taste of her delicious body. He clutched blindly at her, animal instinct ruling every fiber of his being. "Ame-chan," he gasped, shuddering. She whimpered loudly and looked up at him with pleading eyes, shining with a desire he'd never seen there before. She raised her hips frantically and the oldest dance known to life enveloped them both.
Don't be afraid of what you see
It's just
One of the faces of love
And when you
Think of love, just think of me
I'm one of
The many faces of love
"I love you!" Amelia cried out at the moment of ecstasy.
Later on when they'd managed to disentangle themselves, Amelia began to weep despairingly, trying not to let the Mazoku see. But she couldn't hide that from him, and when asked, wept harder. "I'm sad," she finally whispered.
Xelloss knew this, but the reason was, as always, hidden from him. "Why?" he asked, surprised. Did she regret their hasty union?
"Because I hear the storm dying outside," she sobbed, "and I will never be able to experience this with you again!" Tears dripped from her thick black lashes and splashed onto the old blanket. "How can I go on knowing what it's like to be with you?"
The Trickster watched her, confused. "What do you mean? You think I don't plan on doing this again?" he asked with a particularly lewd grin.
Her tears flowed like a river. "You're Mazoku!" she blurted out. "You won't return my feelings," she whispered, quieter. "You'll take me and leave me and not care either way what happens to me. Oh, Cephied, what have I done?"
Don't be afraid of what you see
It's just
One of the faces of love
And when you
Think of love, just think of me
One of the faces of love
Xelloss stared. Amelia was torn between Mazoku stereotypes and her own inexperienced judgment, and everything he had worked so hard to create was crumbling before him. She wanted to believe that he cared for her, but was scared for her own security. Xelloss coughed nervously. "I won't leave you, Ame-chan. I promise."
"Why?"
Xelloss looked startled, and seemed to shrink back into himself. He looked away. "Because..." he hesitated.
"I knew it. I've been used and manipulated," she whimpered, her heart breaking within her chest. Oh, she should have listened to her own doubts. She should never have let herself fall in love with him. What had she done to deserve this? She hugged herself despairingly as the tears continued to flow, feeling so alone that she felt she might die.
"No, no, don't think like that," Xelloss was trying to reassure her, looking stricken. "I won't leave you. I could never leave you."
"Why?"
He swallowed hard. "Because I..." He paused and cleared his throat, distressed. "I..."
She wiped tears from her face and watched him squirm. "Why, Xelloss? Why would you stay with me?"
"B-because I...I...lo-love you," he finally said in the queer, stuttering way people speak words they have never said before.
Amelia launched herself into his arms, her face alight with inexorable joy. "Oh, Xelloss...!" was all she could say, her eyes now wet with the tears of happiness and utter relief.
One of the faces of love
One of the faces
The many faces, faces
Some time later the Trickster cocked his ear toward the cave entrance and gave his companion a little smile. "Sounds like the storm is over. We should get going before Lina-san and everyone come looking for us."
"Okay." Amelia sat up and rummaged around for her clothes. A sudden blush tinged her cheeks. "Um...Xelloss? Y-you wouldn't happen to have a handkerchief with you, would you?"