Family

Xellos and Filia hovered expectantly over the egg as it began to rock gently.

“I’ve seen it twice, but I still don’t understand how you do it.” Xell whispered.

“Do what?” Filia asked.

“How you always manage to predict exactly when an egg will start to hatch.”

Filia smiled.  “That’s just one of those little secretswe girls have.”

The door to the nursery creaked open and a little head with two lavenderbraids peeked in.

“We have a visitor.” Xellos whispered.

“Kombanwa Aiko, couldn’t you sleep?” Filia asked as she gestured for her little daughter to join them.

“I woke up.” She said.

“Of course you did love, your little brother’s calling.”  Filia patted her head, “You didn’t wake Val did you?”

The four-year-old took on a very serious expression.  “Of course I didn’t wake Val.  He’s been sick, and he needs his rest.”

Filia nodded.  “I’m proud of you.” She told the four-year-old, “You remembered very well.”

Aiko nodded.  “If he gets better soon, he’ll be able toplay with me again sooner.” She said with a grin, her gamin littleface looking just like her father’s.

“Do you want to sit on my shoulders while we wait?” Xell asked his little daughter.

“Yay!” she cheered and started to flap her little wings. 

When she was about a foot off the ground, Xellos reached out to catch her. 

“I can do it Daddy.” She said, her face screwed up in concentration and her tongue peeped out of her mouth as she slowly rose into the air. 

When she got to his shoulder level, Xellos caught her and lifted her over his head to settle her into her favourite perch.

“Love you Daddy!” Aiko said and wrapped her wings around Xellos’ head.

Filia covered her mouth to mute her laughter.  It was just too much!

“Wha’so funny?” Xellos asked, his voice slightly muffled voice.

“Oh nothing, I just wondered what any other Mazoku would think if they saw you like that.” Filia chuckled.

Xellos went cold.  He reached out to touch Filia’s arm. ‘Don’t suggest it even in jest!’ he said mind-to-mind,“Zelas mustn’t ever find out about Aiko, she’d never lether live!’

Filia looked at her beautiful daughter, so happy and innocent; she looked at her lavender hair and eyes, her coppery-bronze wings and tail, and her dusky skin tone and silently added, ‘neither would my people.  They are so set in their ways.  As it is, if they knew about you, Iwould be cast out.’

Xellos pulled his Kizunabito into his arms for mutual comfort.  ‘Don’t worry, my love, we’ll keep our secret safe.  No one’s ever going to tear us apart, I promise.’

Just then, both Filia and Aiko startled, Aiko’s wings snapping back and Filia's tail popping out.  As they looked toward the egg, Xellos’ sensitive ears (now uncovered) heard a crack as the shell began to split.  The three of them watched in awe as the first split was joined by more and more, until finally a little red wedge-shaped head peeked out through a hole in the egg which had been its home for the last six months.  Filia rushed forward and began to pull the shell apart. 

As the fragments fell away,they saw a baby dragon not much larger than a cat, with wetly glisteningskin the colour of the precious and rare southern red gold.  Filia whispereda quick spell and he shifted, now a tiny baby boy with sparse red hair, violeteyes, and still with a red tail.  She dried him off, then wrapped himin a blanket and handed him to Xellos.

“Your son, my Love.” She said with a proud smile.

Xellos took him in his arms and looked into his open, slightly unfocussed eyes.  “His name will be Shinta.” He said.

Aiko leaned down, and Xellos held Shinta up so she could see him better.

“Hi Shinta!” she said, “I’m your ‘Neechan,Aiko.”

Shinta cooed and gripped her tail which she had been trying to tickle him with.

The door opened again and Val slipped into the room.  Aiko pulled her tail loose from her baby brother’s grip and took a (literally) flying leap, gliding down to the ground, then running over to him.

“Vallie!  Feeling better?” she crowed and took his hand, tugging him over to Xellos, “Come meet my little brother Shinta!”

Val knuckled his sleepy eyes.  “’Kay Ai-chan, I’mcoming.” He said.

Xellos sat down to the two four-year-olds could see the baby.

“His eyes are the same colour as yours, Ai-chan.” Val said, leaning over to see better.

Shinta reached instinctively up toward Val’s face, and his little hand latched onto Val’s just-budding horn.  Aiko laughed at Val’s disgruntled expression.  Filia smiled gently as Xellos carefully helped Val out of his predicament.  Deprived of the object of his fascination, Shinta began to cry.

“I think he’s hungry.” Xell whispered to Filia.  She unbuttoned her nightdress and set her hatchling to her breast, where he quickly latched on and began to suckle. 

The room was filled with the soundof gulping and sighing, and Aiko yawned and crawled onto one of the nursery’scushion-beds.  Valtierra, who had been sick recently, after all, laydown beside her, and they curled up together and wrapped their wings aroundeach other and fell back to sleep.  Filia sat down on another cushionand Xellos sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulder.  Filialeaned against him, closed her eyes and began to trill.

One Year Later

“Guess what!” Aiko said excitedly to her little brother.

“Wha-wha-gethwa…” Shinta sang back at her.

Aiko giggled.  “Mommy said today me’n Val get to learn how to fly FOR REAL!” she said ecstatically

“F’y!  F’y!  Aiko f’y!  Vaa f’y!” Shinta crowed, catching his Neechan’s excitement.  He toddledover on still-unsteady little legs, trying to balance himself with his tail,and hugged her.  “See Mommy.” He demanded.

“Okay.”  Aiko picked Shinta up and carried him a littleawkwardly back into the house.

As soon as he saw Filia, he wriggled out of Aiko’s arms and ran asbest he could over to her, arms outstretched. 

“Mommy!” he squealed as she picked him up, “S’inf’y too?”

Filia smiled at him.  “You’re too little yet to fly on your own, Shin-chan, but I’ll take you with me, how does that sound?”

“Wai!  Wai!  F’y wis Mommy!”

Filia laughed.  “Yes, you’ll fly with Mommy.”

“What about me?” a deeper voice asked from behind her.

“Anata!” Filia spun around, “You made it back!”

Xellos hugged her.  “I promised I’d help you teach Aikoand Val to fly, didn’t I?” he said as he hugged her.  Silently, mind-to-mind, he asked ‘What’s wrong?  I
can feel your anxietyand fear even if you are trying to hide it.’

Filia laid her head on his shoulder.  ‘In the past three daysyou’ve been gone, I’ve detected four different mid-level Mazokunearby…I tried not to frighten the children, but…’

Xell rubbed her back soothingly with one hand, and used the other to disentangle little Shinta and give him a big hug before setting him down.

“Go get your sister and brother and tell them Mommy says it’s time to get ready to go.” he said.

“Go, go, time go, ready go…” Shinta toddled off looking for Val and Aiko. 

Once he was out of sight and earshot, Filia let herself show the fear she’d been hiding.  She buried her face in Xellos’ neck and began to sob.  Xell stroked her hair slowly and just let her vent.  When her sobs had died down to hiccups, he gently drew her face away from hisshoulder and looked at her seriously.

“It will be all right, Itooshii, I promise I’ll make it all right.” He said and kissed her, then hugged her tightly.  “They will NEVER hurt you or the children,” he growled, “I’ll make sureof it.”


Shinta only lost his balance twice while he was looking for Aiko, as he was SO proud of himself!  When he found her he had a big grin on his face.

“Daddy home!” he called to his sister, “Mommy said, time get ready go f’y.”

Aiko grinned.  “Vallie!  Time to go! She called to Val, who had been just about to start climbing one of the fruit trees nearby.  He ran over excitedly and Shinta raised his arms imploringly.

“Vaa Cawwy?”

Val grinned and picked the little Ryuumazoku up and carried him back into the house.

Xellos looked up with a smile.  “Here comes the flying class.” He whispered to Filia.

She wiped the last traces of tears from her face and couldn’t helpbut grin as the threesome tramped around the corner.  “Is everyone ready?” she asked.

“I’m ready!” Aiko called.

“Me too!” Val echoed.

“Ready, ready!” Shinta said happily.

Filia and Xellos gathered the three children into their arms and teleported to the glacial valley they had chosen as a training range.

“Everyone spread out!” Filia ordered, and Aiko and Val stoodabout five meters on either side of her.  She kissed little Shinta onthe forehead and placed him on the ground, whispering “Stay there”,then backed up a couple of meters.

She muttered her incantation to transform, and since, for the first 12 years of their lives, her children’s forms were tied to hers, Aiko, Valtierra and Shinta shifted as well.

Xellos grinned and shifted to his wolf form, expanding until he was a little larger than Filia.