A/N: Boooo Slayers R hiatus until January :(. Had to fill it in with something ;). Here's a little fanfic to sate our desires for the moment.

This one is a lemon? Well it's close to one, so read at your own discretion. Keep those innocent eyes averted, young ones.

A Night With You

Tonight would be a special night--or at least, that was what Lina had initially told herself. Fifteen minutes in, however, she realized that she had been played the fool.

It was a large banquet to celebrate the anniversary of the union between Saillune and Taforashia. Two years had passed since she journeyed with Prince Posel (Pokota for short), and since then his kingdom had been rapidly restored with the help of neighboring countries. This night was to celebrate that accomplishment, along with the blossoming friendship Saillune and Taforashia shared.

Lina grabbed a golden-hued champagne glass from one of the suited men walking around, balancing large plates full of the sweet liquor on their shoulders. She promptly downed it before she could appreciate the taste of the drink; she would much sooner appreciate its effects. It wasn't that there was something in particular that upset her about the party--it's just that she was expecting something more.

And by more, she meant attention from the opposite sex.

She could never understand what it was about her that did not appeal to men. She had the curves, the cuteness, and by all means the self-confidence, so why then did men not find her attractive? Was it because she was too bold? Or could it be--heaven forbid--the lack of assets?

A glance to her right convinced her she was right. A bumbling fool was courting a lady with rather large breasts. Lina wrinkled her nose and mumbled, "For Pete's sake."

A glimpse of blond hair out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she quickly put the glass down so she could catch up with her companion. "Gourry!" she called as she clumsily clattered after him in her heels (she mentally regretted her poor choice in shoes).

"Oh, hey Lina!" he exclaimed as he set eyes on her. She grinned and tossed her hair a bit, expecting to receive a compliment from him. He opened his mouth to speak, paused to consider something for a second, then raised the object in his hand.

"You've gotta try this! It's delish--"

Any anticipation Lina had disappeared as Gourry stuffed food in his mouth and chewed on it happily, lackadaisically. Her excitement was suddenly replaced by disappointment as he continued, "Want some?"

He immediately went plummeting to the ground as her fist made contact. "No, thank you," she growled, and grabbed a drink from the butler passing by. She poured that one down her throat, too, then stomped away.

"Lina!"

She whirled around, lips still in contact with the glass in her hand. Her eyes brightened. "Zel!"

"Have you seen Amelia? She told me she had something to say… Hey, are you alright?"

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was her anger, but her face was completely flushed. She lowered her head so her angel-curled bangs covered her eyes and replied, "No, I haven't seen her."

Zelgadiss, unsure of what to do and uncomfortable with the heavy air, sought the quickest escape. "Thanks," he mumbled, and slipped away before things got any worse, leaving Lina all alone on the floor.

She wasn't sure what was worse--having this happen to her or just being flat-out ignored. If she had known things would turn out this way--that this night would be just like any other night--she would have stayed home. She wouldn't have dressed up; she wouldn't have curled her hair and put on make-up and--

"Why, hello there, Lina-san"

She lifted her head. Shocked, she quickly wiped her tears away and exclaimed, "Xelloss! What are you--"

"Now, now," he said, waving his finger at her. "We already know the answer to that."

She choked in an attempt to cover the laugh that was about to escape her lips. She couldn't believe what was happening--Xelloss was cheering her up? Impressive. Not to mention entirely unheard of.

A tactitian with words, Xelloss knew exactly what to say next. "You look lovely."

Startled by the compliment, Lina met his eyes briefly, then dropped her eyes in embarrassment. "Th-thank you," she stuttered, looking down and smoothing out the wrinkles in her dress to hide her discomfort. She noted how, ironically, her dress tonight happened to be dark violet, and suddenly made the association between that color and the trickster priest standing next to her. She had chosen it because it looked good--and she liked the sexy, slender look it gave her. It made her look like a woman.

"Lina-san."

She lifted her head, but then suddenly a dizzy spell swept over her and she felt her knees buckling. Unable to do anything, she fell forward against his chest, supported by his weight. Then she froze.

What the hell is happening this is Xelloss and we're standing so close my hands are up against his chest almost as if--

She heard the sound of a glass being set down, and realized a butler had come to pick up Xelloss's empty drink. She kept her face inward, too embarrassed to show it now that she knew someone else had seen them.

The brief moment of silence felt like an eternity to Lina as she debated what she needed to do. Her cognitive functions were drastically hindered by the alcohol being pumped into her blood; she could feel the heat in her face, but whether it was from the drinks or from her embarrassment she did not know. All she could do was wait for Xelloss to take the lead.

He shifted his weight, and she swallowed as he lowered his lips to her ear. She held her breath in anticipation.

"Come with me?"

Three simple words--she felt something click, something telling her that this was her chance and she had to say yes. And then there was something else--a warning telling her that this was a mistake and she needed to say no.

Oh, what the hell.

She nodded silently and kept her head down as he took her hand, stepped away, and pulled her along behind him. She stumbled, wobbling in those awful heels of hers (she wished she had chosen the other pair).

Then he suddenly stopped, turned around, lifted her feet one by one and removed her shoes for her. Her face turned bright red. "Wait--"

"Do you really want to hobble around everywhere, Lina-san?" he asked her. When she dropped her head in shame, he added reassuringly, "Besides, you look attractive enough without them."

She felt her heart pound. There was something different about him today (or maybe it was the alcohol), but she felt like he was…gentler--sweeter. The thought that he might be up to something briefly crossed her mind, but she wished so strongly for it not to be true that it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Tonight would be a special night, she promised herself. And she wouldn't let anything ruin that.

He guided her around the crowd, avoiding tables, traffic, and people all the like. They reached an emptier end of the party, and she watched as he magically undid one of the locks that sealed the crowd away from the balconies. She followed him as he led her outside, closing the doors back up behind them as they walked out into the brisk night.

And that was where he stopped and turned to face her, pulling her close. She looked up into his eyes and, catching the hint, pressed her hands gently against the sides of his face and pulled him down into a kiss.

It wasn't a dream, she told herself repeatedly. I'm here kissing Xelloss…Xelloss!

It kind of surprised her not to find anything abnormal about his lips and his kiss--he felt just like any other human would. Her eyelids slid down over her eyes as he threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her in deeper, and she felt herself sinking.

They paused briefly for air (or at least, Lina needed air), but were immediately swept up in another exchange, this time a bit more passionately than the last. Lina threw her arms around his neck and felt herself being tipped backward as their lips hungrily sought each other out. And then she felt his tongue brushing against her lips and opened her mouth, sighing inwardly as her own tongue went forward of its own accord.

Then a cold breeze swept through, and she shivered violently in his embrace. She pulled back, startled, and gazed up into his violet eyes, an act that she would later regret.

They were definitely glowing, she noted, fascinated by the sight. I wonder what would happen if I…

She hugged him, closing her eyes in a dreamy state as she ran her fingers down his spine. His broad back felt warm, even through the many layers of classy clothes he was wearing, and she suddenly felt the desire to share his warmth.

He must have read her mind, for his lips were suddenly on her bare neck and his hands wandering around her petite body. She stiffened as his hands slipped down her back, her waist, her hips, and her legs. She remained still as his hand curled around her leg and started its way back up.

"At first, I thought I'd undress you," he said, running his hand up the inside of her thigh. "But after seeing you, I thought the color of this dress suited you so well."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Stop talking and kiss me."

"Very well," he agreed, and found her lips once more. He ran his hands over her legs, her stomach, paused along the track to fondle her breasts, then once again swept down the sides of her body, over the buttocks. He squeezed one soft butt cheek and pressed her hips forward, grinding his arousal against her as she shivered from the anticipation.

Little puffs of hot air escaped her lips as she watched him lift each leg to peel her leggings off, all the while staring down at her with a rather predatory gleam in his eye. She reached up and pulled his head down to her bosom, arching her back as his lips brushed like feathers across her skin. Then he steadied himself, balanced her against the wall, and penetrated into her deeply.

It was beyond anything Lina could ever have imagined. Sex with Xelloss could not be described with words, but it was hot--oh so hot. His strokes were smooth, long, and deep--he was obviously a conditioned veteran at the experience (she imagined this had something to do with the thousand-and-twelve years minimum he had been in existence). He knew exactly when to thrust--exactly where to touch, to caress, to kiss. When she felt herself letting go, he ran a finger down the bottom end of her spine, pulling her back down. Not yet. But I--Not yet.

He kissed the exposed areas of her breasts; as promised, he made sure not to undress her. Nonetheless, she could feel his hot fingers filling her body with the craziest sensations, even through the velvet fabric that separated them. And again she felt herself nearing release, but a tender touch dragged her back down to earth.

"Xelloss," she whispered breathily. Her panting was silenced by a hot kiss, and she felt herself genuinely melting in his arms.

"Shh," he whispered back, hushing her. Then he wrapped his tongue around her earlobe and whispered, "We can make this even better."

He reached down and rubbed the tiny area just above their sex, sending Lina up in a sea of flames. She gasped and shuddered, digging her nails into his shoulders as she tucked her head in towards her chest and cried out for release. And again there was that touch that pulled her down, and she threw her head back as she clutched his head to her chest--

Please--

And then he let her go, watched her spread her wings as she found her freedom, at last. And then he, too, gave in to his own release and was washed away by her tide.

Lina's body went limp, covered in the sheen of post-lovemaking. The violet dress was matted to her body, drenched in her own sweat. Xelloss pushed her wet bangs to the side and kissed her forehead; she glanced up at him, surprised and searching.

"What?"

He tapped his index finger against his lips, looking down on her with that tricky smile on his face. Then he kissed the tip of it, pressed it against her lips, and promptly vanished, leaving the large empty balcony all to Lina. She found the strength in her arms to push herself up--because that seemed like the thing she ought to do--and tried to understand what had just happened.

But she couldn't.

Lonely and hurt, Lina tip-toed away to find the washroom, all the while fighting the hot, angry tears--the little tidbits of remaining heat--that threatened to spill.

Reviews are much appreciated :D.