DISCLAIMER: … I do not own the Slayers or any quotes I have listed at the top of the chapters…

Chapter One

Your eyes vacant and stained...
And in saying you loved me…
Made things harder at best…
And these words changing nothing…
As your body remains…

And there's no room in this hell…

"Early Sunsets Over Monroeville" My Chemical Romance

"So Zelas, my dear." The icy eyed and ebony locked Lord of the North began coldly. "Have you come to a decision?"

He smirked in what could have been a seductive manner were not his eyes so cold. "I would love for you to rule this world with me, as my Queen."

He traced a hand over her silver gilded throne, tracing the moon and beasts engraved into it. "Dolphin, although quite lovely, in stature is a more than a touch mad. Not to mention a lousy conversationalist."

Zelas flashed him a wolfish grin. Xelloss noted this from from his prostrate position at the base of her throne and held back a sigh of relief. Perhaps she would take the offer after all. He honestly couldn't comprehend why she was against it in the first place.

"Indeed." Stated the Greater-Beast, causally taking a sip from her wine glass. Both Xelloss and the other Mazoku Lord held their breath as she swallowed the wine and swirled the glass, taking in it's scent. Oh, how she loved that scent. It was then that Xelloss knew she was going to turn him down. He was screaming on the inside and yet he could say nothing. He dare not speak against his Mistress' wishes, even if they were suicide.

Zelas sat the glass down and rose regally from her throne. Each step calm and poised she walked over to stand beside her servant. Xelloss swallowed on impusle, feeling his shoulders quiver from the anxiety not to speak. By now Dynast Grausherra's smirk had fallen and his gaze held a faint thaw of sadness. Xelloss felt it and smirked bitterly at the ground. Dynast had always wanted to rule her but she would rather die than be ruled. Xelloss found he both loved and hated her for that.

"Forgive me, Dynast." Zelas began, meeting his eyes and holding both her tone and gaze level. "But your plan will most assuredly destroy the monster race as a whole."

Dynast opened his mouth to speak but the ancient look in her eyes forced him to remain still. Xelloss smirked bitterly. How could he have ever thought it would be he ruling over her? It was so painfully obvious even now when she was mere moments from destruction that she was too much for him. Too much, for his desire for her was far too great. Xelloss supposed he understood now why the terms were join or die. In the end it seemed Zelas-sama was not only his Mistress, but Dynast-sama's as well.

"Humans." Zelas continued with an amused smile. "Are far too rebellious of creatures for you to ever truly conquer."

She smirked and glanced beyond him to appraise the idigo and starstuded horizon as the Huntress Moon, her moon, began to rise over the sea.

"Granted they can be forced into temporary submission by fear, lust, pride, or greed, but there are always some humans out there who are born with the ability not to be deceived, others with a sort of natural leadership. Some with an undying desire simply to do what's right." She smiled in bitter amusement. "Many of these banded together, would possess the power to overthrow us all if they so willed it."

"Indeed?" Dynast asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Xelloss glared at the floor. The Ice Lord was hardening himself to be able to kill her when the moment came and as such he was missing everything his Mistress was saying. Worse however, was that he was doing so by choice. His folly was unforgivable.

"So, if such a group of sensational mortals does exist." Dynast replied with a smug smirk, his gaze frozen once again. "Then why have they not banded together and ridden the earth of us yet?"

Zelas smiled indulgently and just briefly the ice in his eye shuddered, but it did not thaw. "Because, no one has ever given them reason to. This war would be reason enough, Dynast."

"Hmm." Dynast replied dryly pulling his long icy sword from its sheaf. "I fear I grow bored of this fanciful talk."

Xelloss clutched his staff tighter, he had never felt so helpless. With one word from his Mistress he could end this, or at least give her enough time to escape. Alas, he already knew no word would come. She would die tonight, proud to fall beneath this, her Huntress Moon. Yes, she would fall, and that would be the end of the Greater-Beast's reign.

It all seemed such a tragic waste of glory and blie.

"Who would have thought you, Zelas, of all the Mazoku Lord's would be capable of believing in such simpleton human philosophies." He kicked Xelloss hard in the ribs with a mocking smirk. Xelloss winced, but silently held his ground. Dynast couldn't help but admire this. He was truly his Mistress' servent. "I would have expected this rubbish from the mouth of your servant. His head was always shoved in a book rather than learning how to wield a sword."

"And where you in the war of the Monster's Fall!" Xelloss asked cheerfully, adding the extra cut to his words. "I do believe only myself and Gaav-sama were present at the front lines!"

He lifted his head and cracked an eye. "I daresay I did quite well without a sword!"

He closed his eyes and grinned boldly up at the evil about to annihilate his Mistress. "Am I mistaken?"

Dynast glared at him, secretly furious he was right and yet undeniably proud that he had the guts to say so.

Zelas laid a hand on her servant's shoulder and Xelloss went back to staring at the floor. She smiled bitterly at Dynast. "He will remain silent throughout the rest of this, Dynast. Continue with what you wish to say."

She gazed off at the horizon as the Huntress Moon cast its blue glow on her forest. She could see thousands of amber, steel, and amethyst eyes gazing back at her. Her faithful and loyal servants. Silently she told them to all stand down. "I wish to die whilst the moon is still young."

Dynast hardened his gaze on her luscious and bare back and held his sword level, placing a hand to its' flat to steady its' linear thrust. "The time for words has long since died, my dear Zelas."

Zelas smirked out at the tree line, where it stood peacfully bathed in soft moonlight and swaying in the gentle evening breeze. "Too true, my darling Dynast, too true."

Dynast took one finally look at the silhouette of the only thing he'd never rule and drove his blade through her middle. Zelas gasped softly and gazed down at the blade, its' cold tip poking through the exposed flesh of her abdomen as a small bit of chaos dripped from her mouth.

For Xelloss, time seemed to come to a cruel and bitter halt as the realization of what he was truly witnessing sunk in. Some of Dynast's blades didn't cleave to kill, but rather took their time, freezing you from the inside out. Freezing you in both time ans extience, a dreary limbo of cold stasis. Xelloss smirked at this in bitter appreciation; Dynast couldn't rule his Mistress so instead he'd keep her as an ice sculpture for all time.

How very poetic.

Dynast pulled the blade back through the way it came. Gently, mind you, he had already done all the damage he intended to do to his prize. Zelas fell back into his arms softly, now unable to stand on her already frozen legs. She gazed weakly up at him in a priceless look of wild-eyed terror. Dynast smirked back at her and removed a white handkerchief from within his armor, dabbing up the chaos at the side of her mouth.

"You should have known I would never be able to handle killing you without yet claiming you, Zelas." He replied softly.

Almost as if he truly cares for her… Xelloss thought bitterly.

Dynast smirked down at the glowering, yet still unmoving Lesser-Beast. "You, Xelloss, will be left alive. You shall rule her kingdom in her stead. For after I complete my conquering of earth I shall return here to best you."

He lowered, the still conscious, Lord Beastmaster into her General-Priest's arms. "However, she too shall remain here."

He rose to his feet and began fading away. "For only with her champions defeat can I truly say I have won her."

Xelloss glared at the voice reverberating around the walls and let out a deep and gutteral growl that could be heard from all the inhabitants of the island.

"So that's your game Dynast!" Xelloss sneered. "Then I suppose you shall be waiting forever!"

Snarls of approval met his statement and Xelloss grinned, pleased his Mistress' troops would aid him.

"… Xel… Xelloss…" His Mistress whispered weakly from within his arms.

Xelloss gazed at her with open eyes. His fear of loosing her was more than evident in their wild amethyst depths.

"Hai, Mistress?" He replied softly to keep his voice from breaking.

"… ge… get… the Inverse child…" Zelas continued softly clutching her servant's robes, the icy grip of Dynast's weapon was nearing her bosom. "… a… and… the others… they will… fight… against him…"

"Hai, Mistress." The ice had reached her bosom, Xelloss felt like he was choking on a heart he couldn't have

"… tell… tell… Luna of this… aid her and she'll… be free… to aid… us" Her hands were starting to loose their pull on his robes. He didn't like that, didn't like it at all.

"Hai, Mistress"

"… re… remember… I… care… for you Xelloss, dar… darling…" The Greater-Beast gazed fondly at her servant and Xelloss struggled to keep his face and being calm as the ice touched upon her throat.

"Hai, Mistress."

The ice was now coloring her chin in the same blue hue of her captivaing Huntress Moon. "… Xel… Xelloss…"

"Hai, Mistress?" Xelloss asked, braving his own emotions to gaze into her eyes.

They shone with a mild amusement back at him. "… I'd… I'd… really… like… a… cigarette…"

With that final request exhaled from her lips, icy blue seized her mouth and began to quickly overtake her head.

"Mistress?" Xelloss asked shaking her softly. "Mistress!"

He shook her again, this time almost franticly. "Zelas-sama! Mistress!"

He collapsed, holding her against him and an agony he'd never felt before welled up within him, exiting in a primal scream of rage and grief.

His wolf-like screams echoed out of the palace and across the grounds where they were intertwined with the howls of the wolves. Howls that went up to their Mistress, the one true Huntress of the Huntress Moon.