Falling to Intrigue  

By Jessica

                The desert wasteland seemed to stretch across the whole world. Nothing could be seen for miles. No trees, no animals, nothing. It was barren. But this desert was not one of endless sand and sun. In fact, the sun only showed itself for a few short hours a day in this dead world. Snow covered the ground, built up over the centuries. Yet, despite the constant overcast, it snowed on only rare occasions. This was a true desert.

                A single figure could be seen moving across the glaciers at an impressive speed. On rare occasions an animal would get lost or separated from its group and wind up here. This one appeared to be a stray wolf. It had a thick coat of fur, protecting it from the cold. Its bright eyes glittered in the moonlight as it barreled across the snowy land toward its destination.

                It started to snow lightly, then quickly built up into a raging blizzard. Despite this, the animal continued forward with the same speed as before. Nothing could stop it from reaching where it wanted to go.

                Not fifty yards before the wolf, a dark form blurred and appeared out of thin air. It appeared to be a woman. She wore dark armor, a cape, and an angry scowl. The wolf reached her and skidded to a stop. It sat back on its haunches and studied her for a moment. A bright, pink tongue hung lazily out of its mouth as it panted for air from its run, giving the animal the appearance of grinning. The woman scowled even more deeply.

                "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

                The wolf said nothing aloud, as was to be expected of a wolf. But, apparently, the woman heard it say something because she stamped her foot irately in the snow and crossed her arms.

                "No one gets past this point without going through me," she stated firmly. "I suggest you turn back and tell your master to send someone higher up."

                She watched, unimpressed, as the wolf suddenly blurred and shifted before her eyes. A dark cape fluttered around the figure, and the wolf--now man--stood straight. The woman didn't even have a chance to react before there was a strong hand around her neck, not quite choking her, but keeping her in place. She balked as he leaned forward and put his lips near her ear. Silky, purple hair brushed her cheek, taunting her.

                "How much higher up do you WANT?" the man asked dangerously.

                The woman gasped in alarm and gripped the hand around her throat desperately. Her already-cold eyes turned frigid, and she snarled angrily.

                "Xelloss," she hissed.

                Soft peals of laughter bounced around the deserted plain.

                "I'm pleased you think enough of me to remember my name, Sherra," he said haughtily, "Now, will you continue this game, or will you let me pass?"

                "Don't think I can't hold my own in a fight," she growled.

                "Ah, but can you hold your own against me?" he challenged carelessly. His warm breath tickled her ear, making her shiver involuntarily.

                "Let go," she said evenly.

                "Is Dynast here?" he asked.

                "You know he is," she snapped, "Or you wouldn't have come."

                Xelloss laughed again and let go of her throat. Sherra staggered back and glared at him murderously. He just smiled easily and folded his hands behind his back. The general of Dynast knew it was a challenge. But if she attacked him, it would give him an excuse to kill her without the threat of facing any consequences. Besides, he was fast--and harder to kill than the idiot on an afternoon cartoon show. Such an open invitation should not even be considered.

                "Lord Dynast was expecting Beastmaster to come herself," she jeered. "Apparently she was too busy shopping for her brand of cigarettes to come."

                Xelloss opened his eyes. Violet shards of ice glared at her. Sherra kept her expression even, refusing to bow under this haughty bastard's anger. Even as she felt the paralyzing sensation of his power consuming her, she kept glaring at him.

                "Never insult Lord Beastmaster," he said softly, "Or I WILL kill you."

                "Fuck you," was the breathless reply.

                Xelloss smiled. It was colder than the surrounding air, and more sinister than he had looked as a wolf.

                "That can be arranged," he jeered, leaning in closer to glare into her now wide and frightened eyes. (1)

                "Let go," she whispered hoarsely.

                This time, he did so immediately. Sherra collapsed to the snowy ground and shuddered. Xelloss planted the base of his jewel-tipped staff in the snow, inches from her face.

                "Now," he said, his voice smiling once again, "Will you let me pass?"

                "Go!" she snarled, even as she shifted planes from the earthly plane to another dimension, "Go cower before the mighty Lord Dynast, you sick son of a bitch!"

                "Cower?" Xelloss chuckled, "Not likely."

                With that, he shifted as well, but not to another plane. In seconds, the wolf reappeared on the ground. He pranced lightly in a circle, wagging his tail jauntily, before loping off in his intended direction. Watching from her private pocket dimension, Sherra was not deceived by the little display. It was a calculated move, used by most wild beasts, intended to check the expanse beyond for danger. As a wolf, that contemptuous mazoku was more vulnerable, and he knew it. Not MUCH more vulnerable, but he was all the same. And he was watching his back for the other mazoku he had so easily angered.

                "Someday, Xelloss," Sherra whispered, "Someday, I will silence you permanently. That is a promise."

                She phased out of her pocket dimension to the astral plane and returned to her master's dwelling. It would be bad form to arrive after the messenger. And if there was one thing Sherra prided herself on, it was that she had better manners than Xelloss.

^_^

                The house was as cold as its master. The furnishings were few and far between, most of them hard and uncomfortable anyway. The walls were bare, and the floors without carpet. Xelloss walked through, noticing none of this. His years of puzzling over why Dynast chose to decorate his home this way were long past, and he now accepted it without question. After all, who why bother trying to figure out why many mazoku did anything? Most of them were half mad as it was. Although, if one were to choose the most stable-minded one of the group, Dynast would most likely be the one chosen.

                Xelloss smirked to himself as he neared the main chamber. Sherra had already arrived, as was to be expected. She could never allow him to beat her here. Not here, on her own playing field. He knocked, more out of etiquette than necessity or respect for the Dark Lord's privacy. In fact, he couldn't care less about Dynast or his rules, but the mere fact that the Dark Lord could kill him with a thought was enough to sway him in the direction of following the rules.

                The door opened, and the priest walked into the huge chamber. His footsteps echoed as he entered, until he stopped and knelt before Dynast.

                "Lord Dynast," he said, his smile never leaving his face, "I hope you are doing well."

                "Get up, Xelloss," Dynast said impatiently, "We both know this show of respect is nothing more than a joke to you. There is no need to pretend."

                "Ah," Xelloss stood straight and smiled brightly up at Dynast, "A mazoku who doesn't like to have his ego stroked, however faithless."

                "Get to the point, Priest," Dynast replied coldly, "What does Zelas have to say that she sends her most trusted follower to tell me?"

                Xelloss's grin broadened.

                "Technically, I'm not a priest," he corrected, "And Lord Beastmaster merely sent me here to inform you that she has agreed to the meeting you proposed."

                Dynast's response was a raised eyebrow. Xelloss pulled a letter out of his cloak and held it out.

                "Eyes only," he said, smirking at Sherra. The general scowled furiously at him. Dynast paid no attention to their silent animosity. He tucked the letter into his sash and nodded in understanding.

                "Very well," he waved dismissively at Xelloss, "Unless you have anything useful to say, you can leave."

                "Not at all," Xelloss chuckled and bowed halfheartedly. "Good day, Lord Dynast."

                Sherra rolled her eyes and watched as Xelloss retreated from the room. Then, he was gone. Which was odd. He had taken so long to come, yet he managed to get away from her senses so quickly. How had he done that? Or, perhaps the better question would be: Why?

^_^

                Filia sighed happily as she surveyed the clean store and propped her broom up in the corner. It had been another good day of business in the little pottery shop. She had made a good income for the week overall. And she was satisfied with the new life she had created for herself. She now knew almost everyone in the village and was often invited over as a dinner guest. It was a good life.

                She smiled and went into the back room to do a once-over cleanup before heading upstairs to her home above the shop. A bell jangled, indicating that someone had entered the store.

                "Sorry, I've closed up for the day!" she called out, not bothering to go out to greet the customer. People usually got the hint and just left. She picked up a few shards of dried clay and placed them in the waste bin. A tiny frown marred her features as she listened for the sound of the bell, indicating that the person had left. It never rang. Brushing off her dusty hands on a towel, she turned and walked out to the front shop, a smile plastered to her face.

                "I'm sorry," she said again, "but I AM closed for the day, and I must insist-"

                Her jaw dropped when she saw the grinning face in front of her. Then, she smiled.

                "LINA!" she exclaimed excitedly. (2) She pulled the smaller girl into a tight hug and pulled back to study the red-haired sorceress. "How are you?"

                "Hi, Filia!" Lina grinned and returned the hug. "I'm fine. Gourry and I were just passing through, and I recognized you through the window. I thought I'd drop in and say hi."

                "Hi!" Filia giggled, "What have you been up to? Is Gourry well? How about Amelia and Zelgadis? Are they with you too?"

                "Whoa, whoa!" Lina laughed, "Not so fast! We're heading home, he's fine, and they're in Seyruun--in that order."

                "Sorry," Filia giggled, "It's just been so long!"

                "Listen," Lina smiled brightly, "We're staying the night, and Gourry already went ahead to the diner. Would you like to join us?"

                "I'd love to!" Filia ran back to lock the back door, "I just need to change out of my work clothes, and I'll meet you there!"

                "All right," Lina headed out the front door, "we're eating at Pete's Fish and Fry(3)."

                "Sounds good," Filia grinned and ran up the stairs to change.

                She put on a frilly pink dress and a cream cloak with pink lining. Tossing a glance at her headdress, she decided not to wear it. She was, after all, not really a priestess anymore. That was a status she didn't really have the right to wear. No one would protest, of course, but she still felt wrong wearing it. Now, it was just a memento from her earlier years.(4)

                Pulling on a pair of light gloves, she turned and went downstairs. She blew out the candles at the base of the staircase and covered it again.

                "You look nice," a voice behind her said casually, "Going somewhere special?"

                As she froze in mid-turn, she would later swear that her heart stopped completely. The pain she felt was more likely caused by a sudden adrenaline rush, but that was what she felt. Finally feeling her gasp come to her throat, she whirled to face the intruder.

                "Xelloss!" (5)

                The trickster priest still had his perpetual grin plastered to his face as he watched Filia. But his attire was a bit different than to which she was accustomed. In place of his priest's garb, he had on a pair of black slacks and a dressy, black, button-up shirt. His purple hair seemed brighter against all the black, and he didn't have his customary staff or gloves.

                "Hello, Filia," he greeted. "It's been awhile."

                "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

                "So distrusting," he commented casually, "Must I have a reason to come visit you?"

                "Since when do you do anything without a reason?" she shot back.

                "Are you heading to dinner?" he asked.

                "No! I mean, yes!" she stammered, "I mean... no fair changing subjects!"

                Xelloss chuckled softly.

                "Would that be a yes or a no?" he asked.

                "Yes!" she glared at him, "What's it to you?"

                She eeped in surprise when he held out a hand, palm up, beckoning her.

                "Would you care to have a date?" he inquired softly, his eyes opening to gaze at her seriously.

                Filia stared at him blankly for a moment, her brain still processing the impossible words coming from the mazoku's mouth. A dark blush crept to her cheeks, and she scowled.

                "What are you talking about?" she demanded, "I'm eating with Lina and Gourry!"

                "I know," he nodded. Filia noticed that his eyes were still open. <<Damn him!>> she thought angrily, <<It's so much easier when he just closes those eyes! Why does he keep them open like that?!>>

                "What's your angle in all this?" she asked suspiciously.

                "Angle?" Xelloss dropped his hand. "If I was watching this scene as an observer, I'd say that there is a man asking a woman to eat dinner with him. And Lina and Gourry, of course--I wouldn't want to make you change your plans."

                Filia eyed him, not believing a word he said. He never referred to her as anything other than a dragon, as if it was a dirty thing. Yet, here he was, calling her a woman. And he seemed serious. How odd. Filia was torn. She never thought she'd hesitate in a situation where Xelloss was involved, but here she was, unable to decide.

                "I could return at a better time," Xelloss offered, after a long silence.

                "No!" Filia said. Realizing she had spoken too quickly, she shook her head and managed a small smile. "No. Not later. You can come with if you want."

                She sighed inwardly as he finally closed his eyes and smiled again. It was so much easier for her when he was like that. He held out his hand again, and she ignored it, brushing past him.

                "I hope you like fish, 'cause that's what you're getting!" she declared.

                Xelloss sighed softly and let his hand drop again. He trailed after her to the restaurant.(6)

^_^

                "This is not wise," Dynast said stiffly.

                "Relax, Dynast dear," Zelas took a drag on her cigarette and blew a soft cloud of blue smoke toward her 'date.' He scowled and waved it away with one hand. She smiled condescendingly at him, "Everything is under control."

                "I don't like this," he persisted. He tugged at his shirt sleeve a bit, straightening it. They both agreed to wear common, human clothing, so they wouldn't stand out of the crowd. Despite that, Zelas's good looks made her stand out anyway, so she had pulled her hair up in a tight bun, giving her a drawn, harsh look. Dynast barely noticed. "And you say that Inverse girl is going to be here?"

                "An unforeseen event," she replied easily, "One that I've already dealt with. Now, let's get down to business."

                He sighed and turned his attention to his wine. Swirling the red liquid in his glass, he studied it casually.

                "You've agreed to meet with me," he commented, "So I assume one of two things. One, you agree with me and wish to support me. Or two, you disagree and wish to put me in my place."

                Zelas sipped at her wine and made a face.

                "This wine is terrible," she complained, "Don't these idiots know how to make a decent batch of wine?"

                "But," Dynast went on, ignoring her comments, "Since we've met at such a public place, I assume you do not intend to start a quarrel."

                "You should try the fish," Zelas smiled, "The wine may be bad, but this fish is superb."

                "Are you willing to help me?" he asked, "Or are you just here to offer moral support?"

                "Want some of my filet?" Zelas offered, "You look like you're almost done with yours."

                "We're agreed, then," Dynast smiled coldly. (7) "You'll handle coverts, while I operate in the open?"

                "Sauce?"

                Dynast kept smiling. Zelas smiled in return.

^_^

                It's done, Xelloss thought, as he inconspicuously watched the conference from across the dining room. That does not mean fun and games for me, I suppose. More work. Always more work. *Sigh* Ah, the life of a high-ranking mazoku. It's not all the excitement people make it out to be.

                "... you think, Xelloss?"

                He snapped back to attention as he heard his name. Lina was watching him, waiting for him to respond. Only, he had no idea what she'd been saying. Whoops.

                "Uh..." he murmured intelligently, "Yes?"

                Lina gave him a strange look, and he sweatdropped. Wrong answer.

                "I just if you preferred the fish or the stew," she said slowly.

                "Oh," Xelloss sweatdropped again. Watch it, Xelloss, he told himself, you'll get yourself in trouble if you keep drifting off like that. He smiled again, "The stew, I guess."

                "See?" Lina turned on Gourry triumphantly, "The stew IS better!"

                Xelloss sighed inwardly, grateful the fiery little sorceress had not noticed his slip.

                "You seem a bit distracted tonight, Xelloss," Filia's voice grated on his ears, and he had to force himself not to wince. He turned to see her suspicious glare. "What's on your mind?"

                "That's just one of those questions you don't ask me, Filia dearest," he replied with a dark smile, "Wouldn't you say?"

                She flushed and scowled at him.

                "What are you up to?" she demanded.

                "A little over 1020 now, I'd guess," he said easily, "I lose track, though." (8)

                Filia growled irately and heaved an exasperated sigh.

                "I should have known you'd never tell me," she grumbled.

                "What would you have me tell you?" he smirked, "If I told you I was here on pleasure alone, you'd call me a liar. If I told you I was here on some assignment, you'd yell at me and demand to know more--which, of course, I could never disclose the details of any assignment to you unless told to do so if that was the case. It is a lose-lose situation for me, Filia, and I don't like running into situations without the slightest chance of winning. I haven't lived this long by being reckless."

                She blinked, surprised at the onslaught of words. It was on rare occasions that Xelloss ever spoke that much, and she was a little surprised by it. He grinned at her confusion. Filia flushed again and looked down at her dinner. When she looked up again, her eyes were no longer angry, but probing.

                "Why are you here?" she asked softly. A single, violet eye opened to consider her.

                "I'm here to monitor a meeting," he said finally. (9)

                "You're monitoring us?" Filia asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

                Xelloss smiled and lifted a glass of wine to his lips. He nearly choked as he forced himself not to spit it out immediately. Filia looked at him strangely.

                "Are you okay?" she wondered.

                He put the glass down and made a face.

                "That's got to be the worst wine I've ever tasted!" he declared disgustedly.

^_^

                That night, Filia laid in bed, unable to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about dinner and Xelloss. The questions just kept whirling around in her head, keeping her wide awake.

               Why was he here? Monitor our meeting? Did he think Lina was up to something? Something that involved me? Or not? Maybe it doesn't matter. He was so distracted. I've never seen him like that before. Was something wrong? IS something wrong? Monitor our meeting. Monitor-

                Filia sat straight up in bed with a gasp.

                Monitor A meeting!

                "He never said he was monitoring OUR meeting!" she whispered to the dark room. "I just assumed..."

                She fell back to the pillows, staring blindly up at the ceiling. Her breath came in tortured pants as she considered the possibilities. Then, her breath caught in her throat.

                What am I THINKING? she demanded of herself furiously, I'm assuming again! I've got to stop this. He doesn't matter. Nothing happened. Stop making something out of nothing!

                She laid quietly until her breath came deep and even. It took almost all her willpower, but somehow she managed to put all thoughts of Xelloss out of her mind. That accomplished, she actually drifted off to sleep rather quickly. Her sleep was dreamless and deep. For that, she was grateful.

^_^

                That same night, Xelloss was also having trouble sleeping. He laid in bed, staring thoughtfully at the wall. Thoughts of the days ahead kept him alert. So much to do. But Lord Beastmaster was giving him a lot of leeway on this one. As always, the invisible collar and leash were present, but they were practically nonexistent in this.

                Do what I want,  he thought uncertainly, What do I want? What does that mean anyway? Anything? Will there be limits? Boundaries?

                He slid out of bed and busied himself with pacing back and forth in the dark room. The typical smile was gone, his eyes open, but that didn't matter. It was dark, and he was alone. He didn't need the mask. Now, he was himself, kept awake by impatient thoughts and uncertainty. He snorted at the thought. What would Filia think now? She was so upset when I was slightly distracted. Imagine how she'd react if she saw me now.

                Opening his window, he gazed out at the starry sky longingly. On impulse--a leisure he very rarely allowed himself--he shifted and took his second-favorite form. Putting large forepaws on the windowsill, he leapt through the window and down to the moist earth below. He dashed out into the woods and began the hunt.

                An hour later, a wolf stood over a dead and bloodied dear and looked toward the stars. It reared back and howled loudly, disturbing nearby bats and forest animals. It settled down to tear apart its kill.

                Xelloss collapsed into bed, now physically and mentally exhausted. He rolled over onto his side and fell asleep gratefully. (10)

^_^

                The next day went on as usual for Filia. She opened shop, had good business, and closed shop again. And she did not think about Xelloss. Nope. She did not once think of the mazoku who'd asked her on a date the night before. She did not think about his distraction. And she most certainly did not think about how he seemed to be telling a secret somewhere in that shadowy message. Nope. She wasn't thinking about him.

                Filia groaned at the day's end and collapsed into a chair at the kitchen table and let her head rest in her arms on the tabletop. She was just so grateful the day had ended, she didn't even feel like cleaning up.

                "Gods, I wish I could just stop thinking!" she declared tiredly.

                Still exhausted from having so little sleep the night before, she dozed off as she was, at the table.

^_^

                Xelloss stared up at the small pottery shop, still uncertain as to why he had chosen THIS place to come. Of all places, this one. Sighing in resignation, he grabbed the door handle and stepped into the shop.

                No one was in the main room, so he started looking around. The pottery wasn't half bad, he decided. He grudgingly admitted that Filia had some talent. A light frown pushed his dark eyebrows together as he reached a shelf in the corner. He glanced around and realized the strategy behind this particular location. It was obscured from view by most of the shelves in the store, and, unless someone was taking the time to walk to each, individual shelf as he was doing now, it would be easily overlooked.

                Now, he picked up one of the bowls and studied the paintings around the rim. It was abstract, seeming to be just random colors and brush swipes. But, Xelloss tilted the bowl at another angle and studied it, if you looked at it just so, pictures were revealed in the chaotic strokes. He opened his eyes in mild surprise and curiosity.

                "My, my," he murmured to no one in particular, "It's Lina and Gourry."

                He picked up another one.

                "Zelgadis and Amelia," he muttered.

                Putting them both down, he continued to study the others. He felt a tingly sense of satisfaction as he allowed himself a moment to be pleased by these works of art. His hand stopped, and he frowned again as he studied one particular bowl. He picked it up and studied it intently. Strangely, he gave no reaction at all to this one. His frown smoothed out as he gazed impassively at the dish. After a long time of just staring at it, he put it back on the shelf gently and turned away. Once he'd passed that shelf, he spent only a matter of minutes on the rest of the shop.

                A door hidden in the far corner caught his eye, and he walked over to it and peeked through. It was the back room. He tsked lightly when he noticed the mess and the unlocked door after closing hours.

                "Filia must be getting sloppy," he commented softly.

                At the other end of the back room, a staircase ascended up into darkness. His curiosity piqued--he had, after all, seen Filia come down those stairs the night before--he headed up them and looked around the corned at the top. There, in what appeared to be a homey little kitchen, sat Filia, sleeping with her head on the table. Xelloss stepped into the open, half expecting her to wake up and start screaming at him. But nothing happened. She slept on. Sighing softly, he moved silently across the kitchen and looked down at the sleeping dragon.

                She was serene and beautiful in slumber, even he had to admit. Xelloss reached forward to wake her, then hesitated. Retracting his hand, he pulled out a chair and settled back to watch her and wait for her to wake up.

^_^

                Filia jerked awake and lifted her head with a gasp. She couldn't believe she had fallen asleep without cleaning up first. The shock of that thought was enough to bring her to wakefulness. She brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and rubbed her eyes a bit to clear them. Standing, she made a quick sweep of the room with her eyes. And froze.

                There, not three feet from her, was Xelloss. He had his head in his arms on the table, and appeared to be sleeping. Frowning, Filia leaned over him and studied him for a minute. When he didn't stir, she concluded that he was indeed asleep.

                How curious, she thought, shaking her head in confusion, I wonder when he arrived. And what is he doing here anyway? Why didn't he just pour water over my head, or something, to wake me up?

                She reached out and smacked the top of his head none-too-lightly. Xelloss jumped and fell out of his chair onto the floor with a surprised grunt.

                "Ow..." he muttered, picking himself up off the floor. He spotted Filia then, scowling down at him, and brought forth a smile. "Hello, Filia! You're awake."

                "And now, so are you," she shot back, "What are you doing here, Xelloss?"

                "Um..." he looked around, a light frown on his face, "I'm not certain."

                "Not certain," Filia repeated skeptically, "what are you up to now, Namagomi?"

                He winced at the name and glared back at her.

                "I'm not up to anything," he snapped, "I was wandering around aimlessly, and I discovered myself here. That a good enough answer for you?"

                Filia scowled again.

                "Like I'll believe that," she grumbled.

                "Would you have dinner with me?"

                "..." was the intelligent reply. Filia opened and closed her mouth several times, unsure of what to say. She realized she must have been giving him a strange look because he suddenly started fidgeting and playing with his staff self-consciously.

                "This isn't one of those questions where the answer will determine whether or not you live to see another day," he muttered, "Just say yes or no."

                "Why?" Filia's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

                He sighed and frowned in irritation.

                "Must everything I do have a reason?" he demanded, "All I want to do is go to dinner."

                Filia considered that for a moment. He seemed sincere, but it was always hard to tell with mazoku.

                "Yes or no, Filia," he broke the silence impatiently, "You realize the restaurants are reaching closing time now."

                "No," she said finally.

                Xelloss tensed and opened his eyes in mild surprise.

                "No?"

                "No, I will not go out to a restaurant tonight," she sighed tiredly and pushed her chair under the table, "I'm eating at home tonight. If you want to stay, I won't stop you."

                His eyes closed again, and he grinned.

                "Need any help cleaning up the shop?" he offered.

^_^

                Confused thoughts whirled through Filia's mind as she watched her 'date' across the table. He hadn't eaten much, but that was not much of a surprise. For mazoku, eating was more of a distraction than a necessity. But Filia was a bit concerned by the amount of alcohol he'd consumed. If she'd drunk that much wine, she'd be down for the count. She'd either be hopelessly drunk or fast asleep. But, he didn't seem to be showing any of the adverse affects of drinking too much.

                Xelloss, feeling her intense gaze, looked up at her and smirked.

                "Is something wrong, Filia?" he asked.

                "You're drinking a lot," she replied.

                "So I am," he took another sip of the wine, "This is very good wine."

                "Are you okay?" she wasn't worried for him, she told herself. She was worried about herself. It wouldn't do to have an angry, drunk Xelloss in her house.

                He grinned at her anxiety.

                "I happen to be an admirer of fine wines," he said, "Lord Beastmaster keeps a constant supply on the island, and I've grown rather fond of it. If you're worried about me getting drunk, don't. It takes a lot more than this to do that to me."

                "You never answered the question," she pressed.

                Xelloss opened his eyes to gaze at her calmly.

                "So I didn't," he said softly. He picked up his glass and took another sip.

                "I couldn't sleep last night, thanks to you showing up," Filia informed him finally.

                "Is that so?" sip.

                "What you said was bothering me," she continued, "You never said you were monitoring OUR meeting."

                "Very observant," sip.

                "So?" Filia fixed her glare on him, "Who WERE you observing?"

                He downed the rest of the wine and set the glass down. When he looked back at her, his eyes were open and serious.

                "A secret, Filia," he said finally, "A very big secret."

                Filia reached out absently and picked up their glasses.

                "I'm just going to refill these," she told him. "My day has been fairly stressful, and I wouldn't mind winding down."

                He closed his eyes once again and nodded. Filia backed out of the room and walked into her sizable pantry, where she stored her wine. She studied them for a minute, and her eyes came to rest on a small bottle. It was a wine that she had been saving for a special occasion--for however often those came about in her life. It had a high percentage of alcohol as far as wines go, but she didn't mind. Like she had told Xelloss, she wanted to unwind. Picking it up, she brought it to the counter and poured out two full glasses. She sipped from hers and set the other in front of Xelloss.

                "You know, Xelloss," she said, her voice sounding her curiosity. "I haven't had a terrible time tonight."

                "Who knew a mazoku could provide congenial conversation?" he replied, his voice just dripping with sarcasm. Filia couldn't help but notice how his sips had turned into swallows. She wondered how wise it had been to pull out this particular bottle of wine.

                Oh well, she sighed inwardly, There's nothing I can do now.

                She swallowed the rest of her wine, deciding she'd rather be drunk for this. She poured another glass for herself, as well as Xelloss.

                "You tell me I'M drinking a lot," he said with a smirk. "I noticed how you just swallowed almost a whole glass."

                "And boy was that painful," she replied, giggling softly.

                "You can't hold your liquor," he commented.

                "Like you're not drunk," she said, jabbing an accusing finger in his face.

                "Damn straight," he chuckled, "What is this wonderful subs... sbus... drink you're serving me?"

                "It was made back in the outer world," she explained, surprised by how clear she sounded. Yet, when she tried very hard, her thoughts got jumbled and slow in her mind. She giggled again. "I've been saving it."

                "And you decided to let me have it?" Xelloss smirked at her, "I'm flatter... flattered."

                Filia burst out into hysterical giggles at his unwitting joke. Xelloss just grinned and swallowed some more wine.

                "Xelloss, you really can be a decent guy if you work at it!" she declared.

                "And I suppose you'll serve me lots of liquor every time I come, just to get me like this," he joined her giggles. "Don't count on it, Filia love. If this stuff gives me a hangover, I'm never drinking it again!"

                "Well, Xelloss," Filia snorted a bit as she struggled to contain her laughter. "It was worth the loss of that bottle to see you like this. And..."

                She trailed off as something occurred to her. She stared at him blankly.

                "Did you just call me Filia LOVE?"

                He jerked in surprise and opened his eyes to stare at her.

                "I did not!" he gasped. Then, he groaned. "Oh, L-sama... I did."

                Filia scowled.

                "Xelloss!"

                "I can ex-" he froze suddenly, his already-open eyes suddenly turning cold. A low growl worked its way into his throat, and he stood abruptly. "Time for me to be leaving."

                Filia jumped up to grasp his wrist.

                "You still have some explaining to do, Xelloss!" she snapped.

                "Later," he easily yanked her hand off his wrist and picked up his staff. He stumbled a bit and leaned a bit more heavily on his staff than he would have liked, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He glanced again at Filia. "Thank you for a nice time, Filia."

                And then he was gone. Filia gaped after him, then sank back into her chair. She absently picked up her glass and swallowed the rest of the contents. Then, sighing softly, she put the bottle away and went to bed, not bothering to clear the dishes from the table. Something told her it was going to be another sleepless night.

^_^

                Dark eyes opened to gaze into the blackness. Sherra smiled darkly.

                "I have you now, Xelloss."

                She phased out of the astral plane and teleported to her final destination.

^_^

                "Zelas," Dynast sat near Beastmaster, sipping at a glass of wine, "Have you ever considered creating new servants?"

                "Why would I want to?" she replied, smiling, "I've got the best servant any of the higher mazoku could hope to have. Why? Are you considering replacing Sherra?"

                He shook his head gravely.

                "No. You've just had Xelloss for so long. Don't you ever tire of him?" he watched her closely, "I mean, his antics must get tiresome."

                "It can be a bit frustrating when he twists my orders around to his own liking," Zelas nodded, "but mostly, I just find it amusing. Why do you ask?"

                "No reason," Dynast shrugged, "It just seems like everyone is updating everything they have nowadays. I thought you might have been caught in the fad."

                "Look at what I wear," she commented on her ancient, Grecian style dress with a smile, "Do I look like I care about the fashions?"

                "No," he smiled, "You don't."

^_^

                Xelloss swore under his breath as he moved rapidly through the woods. He had transformed into wolf-form more for ease of travel than anything else. Still, he stumbled occasionally. He cursed his drunken state. How had he allowed himself to drop his guard like that? Snarling to ward off any curious forest animals, he continued on his way.

                Suddenly, something very hard and metallic collided into his face, sending him flying into a nearby tree. He yelped and collapsed to the ground, stunned. A hand closed around the scruff of his furry neck before he could revert back to human-form, and he squirmed as he was lifted from the ground. He froze as the sharp side of a sword pressed into his throat.

                "Well, Xelloss," he growled softly at the sound of Sherra's voice, "Long time no see."

                She dragged the sword across his throat slowly, making him wince in pain as a thin line of blood appeared to mat in his fur. Then, he dropped to the ground as she let him go. No sooner was he released, than he reverted into human-form and started coughing painfully. He held a hand to his throat and staggered to his feet to face Sherra. She smiled broadly at him, and he glared furiously. Hatred bubbled up in him, making his rage grow by the second.

                "Well, Xelloss," Sherra smirked, considering the blood on her sword. "That was too easy."

                "I couldn't let you think I had ALL the advantages now, could I?" Xelloss gasped. The wound at his throat was rapidly healing, but it still hurt. He opened his eyes to stare at her. "That wouldn't be very fair."

                "Still as proud as ever, I see," Sherra grinned and held out her sword so that the tip was only inches from his face. "We'll see how proud you are when I finish with you."

                "I'm still stronger than you, Sherra," he growled.

                "Ah, but you're slow tonight!" she laughed, "That evens things up a bit, doesn't it?"

                Without warning, his staff smashed upward into her sword, knocking it away. Sherra snarled angrily and grabbed the staff as it whizzed past her. In a sudden move, she pulled it back toward her, hoping to wrench it from his grasp. But, she should have known that he would never let go. Instead, she found herself nose-to-nose with the slimy bastard. A sadistic grin touched her face, and she pressed her lips to his. Xelloss screamed in rage, even as she shoved her sword into his stomach. His eyes grew unbelievably large, and Sherra tasted blood in her mouth as he coughed.

                Finally, she pulled back and licked her lips, never losing her smile. Xelloss coughed again, and a trickle of blood formed at the corner of his mouth. Incredibly, he managed to smile.

                "That..." he choked, "was... uncalled for... Sherra."

                "From the looks of your evening tonight, you seemed close to doing something with that dragon girl," Sherra countered, a demonic grin rising to her lips. Xelloss glared at her murderously, and she continued, "I thought you'd appreciate having another mazoku rather than having to resort to a dragon."

                Xelloss growled furiously and gripped the hilt of her sword clumsily. Sherra grinned and shoved it ruthlessly into him again. He choked, and Sherra leaned in again to capture the flavor of blood. When he tried to jerk back, she clamped onto his throat with her free hand and proceeded to strangle him as she pressed her lips hard against his.

                A savage snarl rose from Xelloss's lips as he tried to pull away. Still gripping the sword's hilt with one hand, he pressed the other against Sherra, as if trying to physically push her away. Sherra laughed silently and ensnared his hair with the hand she'd been using to choke him. He growled softly as she wrenched down on his hair deliberately.

                This is it! she thought ecstatically, This is where I utterly humiliate and destroy him! This is fitting for how he threatened me before. How ironic that he be destroyed in such a way as he threatened to hurt me! Sick bastard. It serves him right.

                She jerked back as she felt solid, dark energy shoot through her body. Both she and Xelloss staggered back, away from each other. Sherra looked down and saw the gaping hole in her chest. When she looked up again, she was alone. Just like that day when he had delivered a message to Dynast, he had disappeared without a trace.

                Her sword was on the ground, still covered in Xelloss's blood, and his staff remained on the ground behind her. Obviously, he had forgotten it in his desperation to get away.

                It was that thought that made Sherra grin through her pain. Picking up the sword and the staff, she grinned at the blood-covered clearing in the forest and teleported away. Despite the fact that she had not succeeded in killing him, she was satisfied with the way things had gone. She licked her lips, still tasting his blood there, and laughed. As she traveled, she snapped the staff in two against her knee.

                "Xelloss, you're mine!"(11)

^_^

                Xelloss stumbled and fell to his hands and knees in the deserted street. He pressed his hand against his wounded stomach, knowing his back was just as bad. That damned sword had gone straight through him. Standing up slowly, he coughed again and wiped the blood from his mouth.

                A shudder worked through him as he imagined he could still feel Sherra's lips pressed against his. His rage was palpable as he considered what she thought she could do. A sharp pain stabbed through him, around the position where his heart should have been--had he not been mazoku--and he collapsed once again to the cobblestone street. He rolled over onto his back and glared hatefully at the starry night sky.

                He would make her pay for this. She would most certainly pay for what she had done. No one assaulted him without proper punishment.

                His eyes fell closed as he allowed himself a moment of rest. The memories of her swept through him as he did, and he clenched his teeth.

                A long, enraged howl rose into the quiet, night air.

^_^

                The store was surprisingly quiet that morning, giving Filia a much-needed break. As she had predicted, she got very little sleep the night before. Now, she relaxed behind the counter and stared blankly at the front door. Her mind drifted, recalling the night before.

                Xelloss drunk. That had been a sight to see. Filia giggled as she remembered how his words had slurred together. But then he'd called her love. She frowned. How sincere had that been? Had it just been a slip he'd made in his drunkenness? Using a nickname he wouldn't normally use for her? Or had it meant something else? Filia knew most people became unbearably honest when they were drunk. But Xelloss wasn't most people. He was a mazoku. He was different, right?

                Filia sighed and shoved thoughts of that away. Then, she recalled how he'd left so abruptly and wondered why. He had not been happy, that much she knew. The strange, feral growl he'd vocalized had frightened her. It was almost like he was being threatened.

                The door jangled, and Filia snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at the customer. She had business to take care of. Thoughts of that namagomi mazoku could wait.

^_^

                It was dark in his room, as usual, when Xelloss stumbled in. He felt a cool, comforting breeze from his open window and recognized the beginnings of a storm. A low, wracking cough shook his body, and he held a hand against his stomach and winced. The wound still hadn't healed.

                This night had been one huge mistake. Going to visit Filia had been the biggest mistake of them all. If he hadn't stopped by, then he wouldn't have had all that wine, and Sherra never would have attempted to attack him. He groaned softly as he berated himself for being so careless. Crawling into bed, he rolled onto his back and stared blankly at the ceiling. He just wanted to forget that this whole night had ever happened. With any luck, he'd be healed by morning, and no one would ever know the difference. Except Lord Beastmaster, of course. He could never hide anything from her. Long ago, he'd tried, but he quickly discovered that it just was not possible. Then, he'd been punished. But he deserved it. It had been another stupid move on his part.

                A shadowy movement near the window caught his eye as lightning flashed, and he glanced over to see the curtains blowing in the wind. Thunder crashed. The now-familiar sensation of a sword being shoved into his stomach returned, and Xelloss gasped. The sword went through him and into the bed, impaling him and pinning him there. Power built up in his hands as he prepared to shoot off a blind attack into the night. But something grabbed his wrists and pushed them back down against the bed, rendering him helpless.

                "Time to finish what I started, Xelloss," Sherra's voice rang in his ears, and he stared up at her in horror. She leaned down to kiss him. Thunder crashed. He screamed.

^_^

                Xelloss jerked awake and sat up quickly, panting heavily. He felt a pair of warm arms around him, pushing him back to the bed. Panic surged through him, and he threw the arms away, amazed by how easily he had done it. His eyes snapped open to stare at the young woman on the floor.

                The girl was barely twenty. She had long, wavy brown hair and gentle, green eyes. Those same eyes were wide with worry. She picked herself up off the floor and looked at him again.

                "Are you okay?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. "Father found you on the street last night on his way home from work. He said you'd been hurt, but you look okay now."

                She pointed at his stomach, and he looked down to see that it had healed itself overnight. He swallowed hard and looked back at the girl. She rushed to say something else.

                "My name is Elena," she told him, "What's your name?"

                He opened his mouth to respond, then frowned at her suddenly.

                "My staff," he said quickly, "was there a staff near me?"

                "N-no," Elena stammered. She eeped as he started to climb out of bed and turned around. Sure enough, Xelloss noted that his clothing had been removed. He sighed and looked around for his robes. Elena fidgeted and spoke again, "Mother took your clothes to be cleaned," she explained.

                Xelloss shook his head in irritation and snapped his fingers. In an instant, he was fully dressed, and he headed toward the door. Elena jumped in surprise, expecting the man who walked past her to be indecent, but she just gaped when she saw him dressed.

                "Mr... um... sir!" she called after him, "You're still not well. You shouldn't be up!"

                She grabbed his arm. He whirled abruptly, and the poor girl found herself against a wall, a strong hand against her throat. She choked and reached instinctively for his hand to pull it away. Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared into the coldest, most dangerous-looking violet eyes she had ever seen.

                "Don't. Touch. Me." Xelloss growled. "Ever."

                Elena whimpered softly, and he dropped her. A rueful smile touched Xelloss's lips as she cowered against the wall, and he reached out to gently smooth her disheveled hair away from her face. His mind flashed to Sherra, pulling on his hair, pulling his face toward hers, and he yanked his hand back with a growl of contempt. The girl cringed, and he looked at her harshly.

                "Be glad I had enough presence of mind to just push you away rather than kill you," he snapped.

                She stared at him in horror, and he just glared back at her. Then, he turned and teleported away, leaving the poor girl to wonder what had just happened.

^_^

                "Filia! Filia!" A young boy ran through the door, his eyes bright with excitement. Filia smiled as she recognized him.

                "Hello, Evan," she greeted, "How are you?"

                "Great!" he bounced around her, "Guess what? You'll never guess what happened to my sister!"

                Filia giggled at his hyper antics and picked him up to swing him around. He giggled joyously and threw his arms out, pretending to fly. Filia set him down and smiled at him.

                "Tell me what happened," she encouraged.

                "Well, Daddy brought home this guy," Evan started, "He was hurt real bad."

                Filia frowned as he continued.

                "Elena was watching him this morning, and she said he woke up," he said, his words starting to run together in his excitement. "She said he was really upset. REALLY upset! He tried to leave, but Mom took his clothes to the cleaner," his eyes glittered intensely as he recounted the next part. "But then, she said, he was dressed. Just like that!" he snapped his fingers.

                "How odd," Filia murmured.

                "Wait! There's more!" he barely kept his voice below a shout. Filia nodded for him to continue. "Then, Elena said she tried to stop him. He was upset still. But she thought he was still hurt. So she tried to stop him. Then, he attacked her!"

                "That's horrible!" Filia gasped, "Is she okay?"

                "Yeah, yeah," Evan nodded, "She's okay. Just scared. So, he slammed her into a wall," he wrapped his fingers around his throat, then imitated the movement of pushing a person back. "Like that! And told her not to touch him, or something like that. Then, he let her go and disappeared in a flash of smoke!"

                Filia shook her head, trying to string together all the confused sentences. Evan twirled around her, making battle sounds and punching at the air.

                "Mom says he was just scared," he continued, "but I don't think so. I mean, what kind of person can have a hole in them one day and then be fine the next? And he could TELEPORT! I mean, WOW! Isn't that great?"

                "Evan?" Filia dropped down to her knees to look the boy in the face, "Evan, I want you to tell me what this man looked like."

                "Sure," he nodded and grinned at his own cleverness for remembering, "You couldn't forget a guy like that. He had purple hair, and Elena said he had scary-looking, purple eyes."

                "Did he give you a name?" Filia asked, her stomach sinking.

                "Um.... Nope!"

                "Oh, God," Filia groaned softly and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, no."

                "Filia?" Evan became concerned suddenly, "Filia, you okay?"

                She looked at him and forced a smile.

                "Sure, honey," she murmured, "I'm fine. How's Elena right now?"

                "She's great," he nodded enthusiastically, "She was scared for awhile, but now she's great."

                "I want to talk to her," she stood and grabbed Evan's hand, "Take me to her!"

^_^

                Xelloss stood in the clearing, recognizing the scent of his own blood and Sherra's. He scanned the area quickly, then more thoroughly, knowing he had left his staff here. An angry growl rose in his throat when it was nowhere to be found.

                SHE has it,  he thought furiously, she took it, and she has it. Bitch.

                He was angry about having been caught with his guard down. Being impaled with Sherra's sword was bad enough. Then, she had to go and humiliate him further. Never, in his whole life--which was saying a lot considering how long he'd been alive--had he been so hurt and humiliated. Even when he invoked the anger of Lord Beastmaster--and came out a bit worse for the wear--he had been able to just smile through it and forget about it. Now--he wanted to kill something. Preferably Sherra.

                Shifting into wolf-form, he dashed through the woods and just ran. He barreled through at full speed, not pausing to think, not letting himself relax and hunt, just running.

^_^

                High in the sky, far above the ground, just above the level where clouds formed, a golden dragon circled around. The dragon had blonde hair and a pink bow around it's tail, making it appear decidedly unthreatening. But appearances sometimes can be deceiving. Filia Ul Copt could cause a lot of damage if she wanted.

                Filia searched the ground desperately, looking for Xelloss. She wasn't sure why she thought she could find him, but she tried anyway. She gritted her teeth in frustration. All she could see were trees! She would never find him at this rate.

^_^

                The day was nearly over, and Xelloss was still running. He could always return home, he knew. In fact, he SHOULD return, but he didn't. Instead, he continued running through the dark woods, not stopping for anything.

                A dim light could be seen in the distance, and he headed toward it, hoping for a town to spend the night in. Of course, being in a public place wouldn't be any safer than staying in the woods, but he felt a need to be around people. Some mindless conversation with a drunk would be most amusing right about now.

                But as he drew nearer, he became aware that it was not the light from a town, but rather a campfire. Sighing inwardly, he continued toward. If he couldn't busy himself with a drunk's conversation, then perhaps he could get a little fun out of scaring the campers a bit. He dashed forward toward the fire.

                About twenty feet before reaching the campsite, he reached a fallen tree. Not thinking twice, he leapt onto it and leapt through the air toward the ground. Searing pain shot through him, from left shoulder to right thigh, as a sword cut through him. The first thought that went through his head was: So, she's returned to try again.

                Even as he tumbled toward the ground, he transformed into his usual form and turned to face her with an angry snarl.

                His fairly weak attack was met with another spell. A Gaav flare by the looks of it. He frowned and dropped into a defensive crouch. Sherra wouldn't use that spell.

                "What the hell?"

                Xelloss froze in shock at the familiar-sounding voice.

                "Xelloss, are you crazy?" Lina shouted. "You could have KILLED us!"

                He sighed with relief and dropped to his knees tiredly.

                "Who made the first blow?" he retorted weakly. Even as he said it, his wound had almost disappeared. Normal swords did virtually nothing to him other than inflict a small amount of pain.

                A moment later, Lina and Gourry stepped out of the shadows and crouched down near his side. He had positioned himself near a tree and was leaning back against it tiredly. He hadn't realized before how tired he really was. The past few days had really worn him out, and he was ready to take a long nap. Lina grinned at him, and he smiled back.

                "Hello, Lina," he greeted. "How have you been?"

                "Great!" she proceeded to pull him into a headlock. But, rather than tolerate it--like he usually did--he teleported out of it and stood straight several feet away. Lina fumbled with the empty air and fell on her face. "Xelloss! Come back here!"

                "And let you throttle me?" he brushed the dust from his pants, "I think not."

                "Since when do you care?" she asked suspiciously.

                "I'm just not in the mood for it right now, Lina," he sighed.

                "Have a bad day?" Gourry asked, hitting surprisingly close to the truth in his innocent question.

                "You might say that," he turned and headed toward the campsite.

                "Wait a minute!" Lina caught up with him and looked up at him with a curious frown on her face. "You had a bad day? What the hell could have happened to YOU to make your day bad?"

                "I'd rather not discuss that right now, Lina," he said stiffly, "If you don't mind, I just want to lay down and sleep for awhile."

                Lina lagged behind him and stopped, staring after him worriedly.

                "Okay," she murmured. Gourry walked up and stood next to her.

                "Gee, I wonder what happened," he commented.

                "I don't know," Lina shook her head, "But this can't be good. If XELLOSS is upset, then we've got to get to the bottom of this."

                "How?" Gourry asked, "I mean, he's not exactly telling us a lot."

                "I know," Lina stared thoughtfully at the campsite, near which Xelloss had already found a low branch to sleep on that night. "Xelloss is a master of manipulating conversations to get the answers he needs. I think it's time we turned the tables."

^_^

                Up on his branch, Xelloss gazed down at the fire in the small clearing wearily. This was a good turn of events. If Sherra was going to try something again, she'd be smart enough to wait until his guard was down--meaning he'd be asleep, already injured, or in wolf-form. He ruled out being drunk because he most certainly was not going to allow that to happen again.

                But here, with Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev, Sherra wouldn't dare approach him. He knew Lina wouldn't shed any tears if he was killed, but she would not stand by while he was being attacked. This was a safe place to rest, he knew, and he hoped his mind would settle down enough to let him sleep.

^_^

                Filia woke from a light doze to realize she was still flying. She gasped and looked around to see where she was. Night had fallen, and she was far from any place she recognized. Spotting a light below her, she descended into a small clearing a short distance away and transformed back into her human form.

                The forest was dense, but she was able to locate the campfire in the distance. She pressed through and found herself in another clearing. And the people near the fire were surprisingly familiar.

                "Lina? Gourry?" she asked.

                The two looked up from their dinners and grinned.

                "Hey, Filia!" Lina greeted, "What a coincidence!"

                "I know," she smiled, "I was out, and I saw your fire. It was pure luck that you happened to be the ones here."

                "Not that," Lina jabbed her finger up across the clearing. Filia turned and studied the darkness where Lina was pointed, "Xelloss showed up not an hour ago."

                Filia's breath caught in her throat as she spotted him. He was in a low branch, not far from the clearing, apparently sleeping. She looked closer and determined that he was indeed, fast asleep, sprawled out on the tree branch. Turning quickly, she looked down at Lina, who went on.

                "Funny thing, too," she said, "He seemed pretty uptight. He was running through the woods like a madman, making noise like you wouldn't believe, and we thought he was an attacking animal. So, Gourry hit him with his sword as he came through, not far from here, and sure enough, it was Xelloss. Then, he got all jumpy when I started asking questions and said he just wanted to go to sleep."

                Filia sat down near the fire and looked back at the sleeping mazoku. She had a hard time believing that the peacefully sleeping man in the tree was the same one who destroyed thousands of her kind.

                "I think he was hurt last night," she blurted out finally.

                Lina and Gourry stared at her strangely and blinked for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable response.

                "Really?" Gourry asked dumbly.

                "What are you talking about?" Lina asked suspiciously.

                Filia recounted the tale Evan had told her and about her conversation with Elena. Lina and Gourry just listened, astounded by her words.

                "... and although Elena was worried about what he might do to her," she concluded, "she said he seemed so distraught, she could hardly hold him accountable. Naturally, I didn't mention to her anything about Xelloss being a mazoku, or she would have been REALLY terrified. But I'm worried. If something happened, I feel partly responsible."

                "Why?" Lina frowned, "What did you do?"

                She flushed a bright red and looked down in embarrassment.

                "Well, uh..." she stammered, "Actually, he showed up at the shop last night. He stayed for dinner, and we both got pretty drunk..."

                "And he was drunk when he left?" Lina snorted as she tried not to laugh out loud, "That's rich! He probably stumbled into someone he made angry awhile ago, and they took advantage of the situation."

                "I don't think so," Filia shook her head, "Actually, we had just finished a bottle of wine, and he just got edgy. He stood and said he had to leave, and before I knew it, he was gone. It was like he sensed someone watching him."

                "Now I REALLY want to know what happened!" Lina declared, "I'm tempted to just drag him out of that tree and drill him for answers."

                "That won't work," Filia pointed out, "You saw firsthand how he responded to your methods of interviewing. He'll probably just run away if you pin him down to get him to stay in one place."

                "Great," Lina muttered, "Just great. This could be difficult."

^_^

                Zelas paced back and forth in her bedroom, smoking heavily.

                "Why isn't he coming?" she demanded to know. The empty room, of course, gave her no answers. "He never ignores my calls."

                She continued pacing, her anxiety growing with each passing minute.

^_^

                Dynast smirked as he watched the mazoku sleep restlessly in the tree. A flash to his right drew his attention away, and he looked to see his general kneeling by his side.

                "All is going as planned," he told her smugly, "You have done well."

                Sherra grinned back and stood.

                "Do you want me to finish him off, Lord Dynast?" she asked hopefully.

                "Patience," he replied with a dark smile, "All in due time. This little dragon's involvement is certainly amusing. And for some reason, he avoids drawing her into his conflicts. Interesting."

                "I think he cares about her, Lord," Sherra nodded with a devious smirk, "You should have seen him with her the other night. It was very interesting."

                "Perhaps we should play with this one a bit," he said casually, "Yes. Let's have some fun with this little gold."

^_^

                The huntress watched the scene below with a dark grin. Everyone was sleeping. How nice. It was time to make her move. She teleported away.

                Sherra materialized near Xelloss, her presence alone rousing him from a deep slumber. In a quick move, before he woke completely, she shoved him off the branch and watched with pleasure as he fell. He yelped in surprise as he hit the ground, ten feet below him. But that did very little to hurt Xelloss, Sherra knew. She also knew she didn't stand a chance in a fight against him now, but she wanted to toy with him a little longer--while he was still sluggish from the night of sleeping.

                In a flash, she was on him again, pinning him to the ground. He shouted and struggled instinctively for a few seconds. Out of her contempt for him, she gripped his hair in her hands and pulled him off the ground. She teleported out of the way as he sent a large amount of energy toward her stomach.

                By then, the others were waking up. Lina was pulling on her talismans, Gourry pulled out his sword, and Filia ran to Xelloss, worry evident on her face. Sherra reappeared behind Filia and yanked her back into a choke hold. Xelloss, who had gotten to his feet by then, glowered at her, energy already building up in his hands. But it dissipated rapidly when he saw Filia in the way.

                "Taking hostages, Sherra?" he asked, a cruel smile playing on his lips, "That's not very honorable, is it?"

                "Since when do you play by the rules?" she replied easily, grinning at him. "So, Xelloss. Long time no see!"

                He glared at her.

                "What's your point?" he demanded.

                "You look rather lost without that staff of yours," she went on relentlessly.

                In the next instant, Xelloss was behind her, pulling HER into a headlock. She lost her grip on Filia, who stumbled away, coughing. Lina and Gourry caught her and watched the scene play out with mild fear and amazement. Sherra gritted her teeth as she felt his power paralyzing her again.

                "Where is it?" he growled.

                "Now, now, Xelloss," she grunted, "No need to be hasty!"

                "Do you REALLY want me to kill you?" he asked dangerously, choking her harder.

                "Man, Xel," she managed to choke out a laugh, "You're really losing it. Whatever happened to the always cool, never riled up trickster priest?"

                "Sent straight to hell," he snapped, "Now tell me where you put it!"

                "Sure thing," she grinned.

                Lina let out a warning shout, an instant too late. Xelloss grunted in surprise and mild pain as Sherra shoved her sword under her arm and into his side. He staggered back, and she yanked her sword out of him. That act hurt him more than being stabbed, and he dropped to his knees, never taking his angry gaze away from her. His smile somehow returned, and he coughed once. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

                "Score," he whispered. "That's the second time you managed to impale me with that damned sword of yours, Sherra."

                She grinned and crouched in front of him to stare into his angry eyes.

                "Shall we repeat the entire scene?" she asked smugly.

                "Do you want me to shove your own sword straight up your ass?" he asked in return.

                She laughed and pressed the tip of her sword to his chest. He tensed and smiled darkly.

                "You going to try to stab me to death, Sherra?" he asked.

                "No," she returned the grin, "I'm just going to put you out of service for a few minutes."

                His eyes widened in surprise, and she shoved the sword forward. Blood gurgled in his throat as he choked in shock. She leaned in to smile into his face.

                "You see," she taunted him, "I didn't come for you this time. I can't win against you if you put up a good fight. This is just an added bonus."

                She leaned forward and kissed him hard, loving the flavor of blood on her lips. He choked again and tried to pull away. She pulled back and smirked at his eyes filled with hatred. Then, she twisted her sword as hard as she could, tearing it out of him. Xelloss let out a wounded cry and fell forward on his hands and knees. Satisfied he wouldn't give her any trouble for the time, Sherra teleported over to Filia, grabbed the young dragon  maiden, and disappeared again. Her job was done for now.

^_^

                Lina stared down at Xelloss in stunned horror. A single shudder worked through his body, and he let out a low, savage snarl.

                "Xelloss?" she asked softly, daring to approach him with extreme caution, "You okay?"

                "Does it look like I'm okay?" he replied, his voice low and dangerous. Still, he hadn't moved from his fallen position. Lina could see his wounds already healing. They didn't heal nearly as fast as when Gourry had hit him with his sword, but they were still closing with a remarkable rate. Either of those blows would have killed a human, maybe even a dragon.

                "No," she crouched by his side, "Xelloss, she took Filia. Why did she take Filia?"

                "I don't know," he said tersely.

                "What's your involvement in this?" she pressed.

                He didn't reply that time.

                "She took your staff," Lina pressed, "And she... well... she kissed you. That's a strange sort of love-hate relationship if you ask me."

                Xelloss growled softly.

                "Xelloss, get up," Lina ordered, touching his shoulder lightly. "You can't stay like this."

                He jerked and pulled away from her. The quick movement threw him off balance, though, and he fell onto his backside. His eyes slid open to glare at Lina. She just sighed and gazed back calmly.

                "Will you be okay?" she asked, rephrasing her original question.

                "I don't know," he replied, closing his eyes again. He let the darkness come, knowing the pain would fade if he did. His words slurred together as he passed out, "I don't know."

^_^

                Filia huddled in the corner of the cold cell, shivering in fright. She didn't know what happened. One minute, she was watching that woman attack Xelloss, the next, she was in this terrible place.

                Her blood boiled when she recalled the fight. First, that woman--Sherra, Xelloss had called her--had tried to take her hostage. Then, Xelloss had attacked Sherra from behind, freeing her from that horrible woman's grasp. It was then that Filia noticed his present lack of a staff. And he obviously wasn't happy about it. Then, Sherra had stabbed him.

                If he hadn't been so careless in his tantrum, he would have noticed that move, Filia thought with a scowl.

                Still, she had been shocked. And then Sherra had KISSED him! Filia growled softly as she thought about that. Then, she stopped and gasped at herself in surprise.

                What am I THINKING? she thought in horror, Why does that bother me so much? I don't care about Xelloss! He's a namagomi mazoku! Who cares what happens to him?

                Another little voice in her head whispered to her.

                But she was KISSING him!

                She's sick.

                He wasn't happy about it.

                So what?

                You wanted to be the one kissing him.

                "AAAH!" Filia shouted in frustration, "I DON'T CARE!!"

^_^

                The old man listened calmly to what the messenger told him. His head nodded at even intervals, indicating for the young man before him to continue. When the messenger finished, he bowed before the old man respectfully.

                "What shall we do, sir?"

                "Send in our best warriors," the old man ordered with a dark smile, "This shall not go unpunished."

                "Yes, sir."

^_^

                It wasn't a nightmare that woke Xelloss this time. It wasn't that he was ready to wake up, either. It was something much more unexpected.

                Xelloss coughed and spluttered as a bucket of cold water washed over him. His eyes snapped open, and he shouted in surprise. He found Lina standing over him, bucket in one hand, her other hand on her hip in an impatient gesture.

                "It's about time!" she declared, "I thought you'd never wake up."

                "Lina!" he complained. He rolled over and pushed himself to his feet with a soft grunt. "That was unnecessary."

                "Was it?" she met his irritated gaze with determined eyes, "You've been out most of the day. I think I was being rather generous, actually."

                He frowned and looked toward the sky. Sure enough, the sun appeared to be setting already. He looked back to see that Lina's gaze had softened a bit as she looked at him. An irrational surge of anger threatened to choke him, and he brought forth his smile.

                "So you were, Lina," he winced and touched his chest. "I see even a day hasn't been long enough for this to heal."

                "You heal faster when you're awake," Lina pointed out.

                "Yes," he nodded and impassively studied the dark blood on his fingers. "But it hurts a lot less when I'm not."

                "Since when does pain bother you?" she retorted.

                He shrugged and wandered aimlessly around the clearing.

                "Filia's gone?" he asked.

                "Yeah," Lina sighed, "And you don't know why Sherra took her?"

                "No."

                "Great," Lina tossed the bucket aside and joined in his pacing. Gourry watched them curiously.

                "What are we going to do about it?" he asked finally.

                "That's what we're trying to figure OUT, Gourry!" Lina snapped. "Xelloss?"

                "My hands are tied," he sighed, "I can't get her. She's most likely in Dynast's domain, and that automatically makes it all but impossible for me to get involved."

                "You're about as involved as they come, Xelloss," Lina pointed out, "It wasn't GOURRY that Sherra kissed."

                His smile faltered, and he opened his eyes to glare at her. Lina lifted her eyebrows in surprise.

                "That bothers you more than anything else, doesn't it?" she asked curiously.

                He grunted in irritation.

                "She's openly insulting me while I'm down," he grumbled.

                "It's not like YOU'VE never done that," Lina pointed out.

                "I poke fun, Lina," Xelloss made a face at her, "I do not assault people. I deal in pain, not degradation."

                She rolled her eyes at him, and his smile returned.

                "Anyway," she smiled as well, "Let's work on getting Filia out. First, I need to know what the reason was for taking her."

                "I told you that I don't know that," he shrugged, "I didn't know until Sherra stabbed me again that I wasn't the intended target. It was merely her intention to make sure I couldn't follow and intercept her as she ran with Filia."

                "Even with a gaping hole in your side, you would have followed her?" Lina asked incredulously.

                "It was a minor wound," he said indifferently, "As implausible as it may sound, I am much stronger than Sherra is."

                "But she beat you to a pulp!" Gourry pointed out.

                "I let her," Xelloss sighed. His smile faded, and he sat down and stared at the ground pensively, "She has my staff, and I need it back. It could take years to find it if I killed her before I learned of its whereabouts."

                Lina nodded in comprehension and sat down as well. She stared at him for a few moments, but he didn't notice.

                "She was the one who hurt you before, wasn't she?" she asked softly.

                Xelloss tensed, but nodded.

                "I made her mad a few days ago," he explained, "Threatened her. She caught me while I was tired and a bit... well..."

                "Drunk," Lina offered.

                "Uh... yeah," he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, and Lina could have sworn she saw him blush. "Anyway, she beat me up pretty bad. Returned the threat, only with the intention of carrying it out-"

                He cut off and stared blankly at the ground in front of him. Lina nodded. She forced a smile and patted his shoulder lightly.

                "Well," she laughed anxiously, "That was then, and this is now. You... did you get away?"

                The implied "before she carried out that threat" could be heard loud and clear. Xelloss smiled and nodded. Lina sighed with relief.

                "So everything's okay then!" she exclaimed. "You're upset and embarrassed--that can be dealt with later. Filia's missing--that needs to be taken care of immediately."

                "We're still without any ideas," he pointed out.

                "Well, let's head into town and figure it out from there," Lina suggested, "Dinner and a good night's rest is just what we need."

                "Sounds good, Lina," Xelloss stood and brushed the dirt off his pants, "If I'm not mistaken, there should be a town ahe-"

                Lina gasped at the same time he did. She jumped forward to catch him as he went down. Xelloss was surprisingly light in her arms as she kept him from falling.

                "Xelloss!" she cried desperately, "Oh, L-sama, what the hell was that?"

                He chuckled softly, then coughed, bringing blood to his lips for the second time that day. Ever-weakening, he brought his hand up to touch the glowing sword in his chest.

                "Why is it," he whispered hoarsely, "that everyone's stabbing me?"

                "You must be a sword magnet," Lina joked halfheartedly as she helped him sit down. "This isn't a normal sword."

                He shuddered as the sword's light pulsed softly.

                "No," he choked, "It's a holy sword..." he lifted his eyes to grin into the forest where several men were emerging from the underbrush. "Dragons."

                A tall man stepped forward and pushed long, blond hair from his face. Lina thought he looked vaguely like Milgazia, but she knew it wasn't the dragon who had helped her before. He gazed impassively at the scene before him.

                "Stand aside, Lina Inverse," he ordered, "This creature is now our prisoner."

                "WHAT?!" Lina jumped up and stood between the dragon and Xelloss. "Why? What did he do? I mean... recently!"

                Xelloss giggled softly behind her, and she knew he was losing it. Even so, she turned to look at him. He sat on the forest floor, one hand weakly grasping the hilt of the holy sword, the other on the ground, holding him up. An evil smile crossed his face as he studied the growing numbers of dragons surrounding him.

                "I think it's rather obvious, don't you?" he coughed again. "I kidnapped Filia Ul Copt."

                "WHAT?!?!" Lina shrieked. "But I saw-"

                "Please, Lina," Xelloss interrupted her. Then, through some miracle of strength, he dragged himself off the ground and stood up. He staggered slightly, caught himself, and smirked at those around him. "Why try to convince them of otherwise? They've gone to all this trouble to capture me, after all..."

                "What are you talking about?" she demanded, "Xelloss, you're delirious."

                "Maybe so," he dropped back to his knees as the sword's pulsing grew stronger. Lina saw the dragons approaching him and connected the sword to them. The closer they got to the sword, the stronger and more frequent the pulsing became. Xelloss tensed as two dragons each grabbed one arm and lifted him from the ground. His smile never faded. "But it sure beats fighting Sherra."

                With that, he passed out again. Lina shouted angrily and started yelling at the lead dragon.

                "He didn't DO anything!" she shouted, "He DIDN'T TAKE FILIA!"

                "Stand aside, Lina Inverse," the dragon ordered, "We have orders to apprehend anyone who tries to deter us from our mission."

                "You idiots!" she called after them as, one by one, they transformed and took off. "You're making a HUGE MISTAKE!!"

                She sighed as the last of them disappeared. Gourry gently rested his hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him. He smiled kindly.

                "We'll get them back, Lina," he assured her. "The dragons are a good race. They'll listen to reason."

                She smiled. Somehow, when it mattered, Gourry always managed to say something right. It was at times like this that she knew exactly why she kept traveling with him.

                "Let's go, Gourry," she said abruptly, "Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we find Filia and Xelloss."

^_^

                Zelas stared at Dynast incredulously.

                "What do you mean, he's gone?" she demanded.

                "Xelloss was captured by dragons," he explained, "Sherra was nearby, but she was unable to reach him in time to help him."

                "How did mere dragons capture him?" she asked suspiciously.

                "They had a holy sword," Dynast shrugged, "Even Xelloss cannot withstand that."

                "Why?" she asked, "Why did they do this? They could have chosen any time to do it. Why now?"

                "Dragons are a violent, irrational creatures," he said, "Who can tell why they do anything?"

                "I want him back, Dynast," she stated flatly, "I don't care who must be killed or stepped on. I want him back."

                "Why, Zelas?" he asked calmly, "You said yourself that he wasn't responding to your calls. Recall his power and create a new servant."

                "There must have been a good reason," she insisted, "He would not ignore me without good reason. I want to know why!"

                "Will you fight the dragons, then?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

                "I will kill them all!" she declared, "They cannot take Xelloss without reason and not expect some retaliation."

                Dynast nodded and turned to leave.

                "If that is how you feel, then you have my sanctification," he said diplomatically.

                "Thank you, Dynast," she smiled darkly, "Those damned dragons will surely rue the day they ever messed with me."

                Unseen by Zelas, Dynast smiled. He left the room, his grin growing as he walked. Everything was going exactly as he'd planned.

^_^

                By air, the journey to the Temple of the Fire Dragon King is only a day.(12) The supreme elder and the other elders were already assembled in anticipation for the arrival of the hunting team. A magic seal had been constructed in the main hall--holy magic, of course. Most of the dragon population had gathered in or outside the main hall to witness the coming trial. This was the biggest event to occur here for hundreds of years.

                The hunters returned and brought the prisoner into the main hall. He was conscious now--just barely. He voiced his protests when they pulled the sword from his chest. But if he hadn't liked that, he was even more distressed when they dropped him unceremoniously into the magic seal. Holy energy crackled around him, and he shouted as it assaulted him.

                After a minute, he decided that not moving was less painful than trying to escape the seal. Xelloss laid on the floor, panting from exhaustion and pain. There was still a good-sized hole in his chest, and the magic seal wasn't helping him when it came to healing the wound. As he laid there gasping, a cruel smile pulled at the corners of his lips.

                Fools,  he thought, wait until they realize what's REALLY going on.

                "Xelloss Metallium," the supreme elder said authoritatively. His voice echoed impressively through the huge hall. "You are accused of kidnapping a golden dragon in a time of peace. How do you plead?"

                He giggled softly, even that quiet sound bouncing around the room, amplified. With great effort, he dragged himself from the floor slowly and stood straight. He held a hand over the wound in his chest, feeling it heal slowly. Holy energy crackled around him, and he winced as it strained to hold him down.

                "I did not take Filia," he replied.

                "Filia was with you last," the supreme elder pointed out.

                "She was also with Lina and Gourry," he replied.

                "Where you planning to start a war?"

                He laughed.

                "So," he grinned at the elder, one eye opening to consider the dragon, "That's what this is about. You're afraid of another war between the mazoku and the dragons."

                "No one wants to see another war break out," another elder called out.

                He laughed again, ignoring the pain that shot through him every time he disturbed the seal.

                "You truly are fools," he stated boldly, "If I wanted to start a war, I would do something far more consequential than kidnap a single dragon. No one in their right mind would declare war over the loss of a single member of their race."

                "So you admit that you kidnapped Filia Ul Copt," the supreme elder lifted his eyebrows.

                For the first time since he had arrived, Xelloss showed his irritation. He opened his eyes to glare at the supreme elder.

                "I did NOT kidnap Filia," he snapped, "Stop saying that I did!"

                "You mazoku have always been noted for your lies and deceits," the elder retorted, "Why should we believe you now?"

                By that point, Xelloss was seriously ticked. He was furious that this simpleton who so boldly claimed the haughty title of 'supreme elder' continued to tell him that he did something he would never do. His violet eyes glowed brightly, and his hair and cape flew out as his power flared outward against the seal. The holy magic held, but he didn't stop.

                "I DIDN'T TAKE HER!" he growled, his rage still growing as the elder tsked and shook his head. He let out a furious shout. "You idiot! I would never hurt Filia!"

                The elders stared at him, not one of them surprised by his outburst. It just proved to them that mazoku were indeed a violent, impulsive race. The supreme elder tsked again and leaned forward to glare down at Xelloss.

                "You can't prove it," he said calmly.

                That floored him. Xelloss stared up at the elder, a bitter smile on his face.

                "I don't have to prove anything to you," he said calmly, "Just know this: I would kill any one of you without a second thought. But I would never harm a single hair on Filia's being. Believe it or not, you've got a problem. You can't do anything to me without proving that I did this. That's just not how you operate. And you won't prove it because I didn't do it. Had it been any other dragon, you might stand a chance at proving it, but not Filia," he closed his eyes and looked down. "Not Filia."

                The silence after that speech was almost painful. Xelloss sighed and allowed the holy magic to force him down again. His outburst had been physically as well as mentally exhausting, and he felt his body slowly shutting down. Suddenly, the elders began debating amongst themselves, bringing the volume in the room to a more tolerable level. Xelloss ignored them.

                Idiots,  he thought tiredly,  All of them.

                He watched them apathetically, his smile half-present on his face. Despite the protesting crackle of the holy energy around him, he fell completely to the floor and rolled over to curl up on his side. Pressing a hand against his still-injured chest, Xelloss opened his eyes again and stared blankly at the dragons collected in the hall. Most of them had their eyes on him as opposed to the elders. He was on display.

                Come one, come all!  he thought bitterly,  See Xelloss Metallium, mazoku and killer of thousands. Brought in without struggle! See how easy it was to capture him? What do you MEAN he killed so many dragons? He looks harmless to me.

                His anger grew as he stared back at all the dragons, staring at him. More than ever, he just wanted to kill them all. How DARE they insist he kidnapped Filia! Didn't they realize that he could never hurt her? It was impossible. Sure, he teased her, even dropped her from several feet in the air, but he couldn't ever hurt her. Hadn't he been the one to slip and call her love? Where had THAT come from? He never called anyone that. Not even for insult or playful nickname.

                "We will reconvene tomorrow afternoon at this same time," the supreme elder declared.

                "What?" Xelloss tore his eyes away from the crowds and looked up at the supreme elder, "Tomorrow?"

                "Tomorrow," the elder repeated.

                For some reason, he grew angrier at the prospect of being put off. He staggered to his feet, energy crackling around him, and stared incredulously at the elder.

                "Why tomorrow?" he demanded to know, "Why not now? Why not just decide now?!"

                "Tomorrow."

                "Meaning you'll set it up so that it turns out how you want it to!" the careful control Xelloss always kept locked around his temper suddenly snapped. He let out an inhuman scream of fury. "YOU BASTARD! You ARE selfish! You're afraid of me, and you'll think of any excuse to get rid of me! Go to hell! Go. To. HELL!"

                He jerked as the seal crackled around him violently, forcing him back. The elder just smiled sadly, as if to say, 'poor idiotic mazoku. It really is a creature to be pitied.' Xelloss smiled as he realized what he would do.

                "You want to kill me?" he asked, suddenly calm. "Don't be a coward. I'm here, helpless, and waiting. Gods, this is a PERFECT ending to a terrible couple of days!" he laughed bitterly and shrugged off the effects of the magic seal. "Attacked left and right by mazoku and dragons. Is this a new tradition? Pick on Xelloss week? At least Sherra doesn't try to humiliate me in front of a crowd. Well, screw you. You want to hold your triumphs over my head? Try it now."

                With that said, he stepped forward, right into the seal. An agonized scream ripped through his throat as holy energy assaulted his black magic body. He fell back, unable to hold himself there, his chest heaving as the pain threatened to overwhelm him. The dragons were shouting now, and he could sense their panic.

                Don't want me to kill myself before they have the chance to do it!  he thought with a dark grin.  Fuck them. All of them.

                Calling forth his remaining strength, he leapt forward again. This time, he was forcing his way toward freedom. He knew he wouldn't get far if he did break the seal--he wasn't daft. It was more for the challenge that he continued to struggle through--testing the limits of his body.

                Suddenly, he was through. There were frightened shouts and frantic movements. Xelloss sighed in triumph and crumpled to the floor. His body shut down, and he couldn't move. Somehow, he was able to keep his eyes open. Although he couldn't hear anything, he could see perfectly. He watched indifferently as dragons hovered around him and studied him with worry. The holy sword came into his line of vision, and he wondered vaguely if they thought they'd actually need it. It wasn't like he could move.

                Closing his eyes, he sighed one last time and passed out.

^_^

                Far from Xelloss, far from Lina and Gourry, Filia still sat in her cell. So far, she had been given plenty of food and water, so she was not hungry. Other than that, she had been alone. No one had even bothered to check up on her. And she still had her mace! Had that been planned, or was that just stupidity on their part?

                "Well," Filia murmured, "I guess I could find out."

                Standing up, she studied the bars holding her in. Just as she had thought, they were normal, iron bars--without a magical seal.

                In the back of her mind, while she was doing all this, her thoughts drifted back to Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss.

                I wonder if they're all okay,  she thought with concern as she played with the little, iron padlock on the cell door. She yanked it off easily.  Xelloss was hurt pretty bad. Why did he just let Sherra do that to him? He's stronger than she is.

                She pushed the door open and stepped through. So far, so good. No one had come to stop her. But she was not out yet.

                Did Sherra go back to finish them all off?  the terrible thought came to her, unbidden, and she moved more rapidly down the deserted corridor. Oh, L-sama! I've got to find them!

^_^

                The morning after Filia and Xelloss had been taken, Lina and Gourry sat comfortably in a diner, finishing up their breakfast. Lina swallowed the last of her water and put the cup down. She looked at Gourry.

                "Okay," she said, "One more time."

                "Right!" he pulled a small scroll of paper out of his bag and put it on the table.

                "Xelloss joins us for dinner to monitor a meeting--not ours," Lina said.

                "Check," Gourry grinned, checking off that item on the list.

                "He shows up the next day at Filia's place and has dinner with her again," Lina continued, "and gets hopelessly smashed."

                "Check!"

                "He gets antsy and leaves, and we find out later that he was attacked by Sherra," Lina frowned in concentration, "The threat she made probably has little to do with this, so we'll leave that off the list."

                "Got it," Gourry scratched some words away, "Check!"

                "Xelloss comes running through the woods at dangerously careless speeds, and we hit him, thinking he was an animal trying to attack our camp," she grinned, "Enter, Lina Inverse!"

                "And Gourry Gabriev," Gourry added with his own goofy grin, "Double check!"

                "Filia shows up, too."

                "Check."

                Lina pushed the ice in her cup around with a fork as she considered the next scene.

                "Sherra shows up in the morning while everyone's sleeping," she said.

                "And hurts Xelloss and takes Filia," Gourry jumped in, proud that he remembered, "Check."

                "Finally," Lina sighed, "The dragons come and take Xelloss to L-sama knows where."

                "And check!" Gourry checked off the last item on the list, "That's all of it!"

                "So?" Lina leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling blankly, running things through her head, "What does this all mean? Obviously the mazoku are up to something. But what do the dragons have to do with it?"

                "May I sit here?"

                Lina and Gourry both looked up in surprise at the source of the low, husky female voice that had interrupted their conversation. A tall, stunningly beautiful woman stood over them, gazing down through calm, blue eyes. She wore a long cloak over a fitted shirt and pants. The hood was pulled up, over her hair, but it did little to cover her beauty from anyone who took the time to study her. More than anything, though, Lina was stunned by her height. The young sorceress was willing to bet that if Gourry stood up, he'd be only a few inches taller than the woman. THAT was impressive.

                "We're kind of busy right now," Lina replied, "There are other tables-"

                "Are you Lina Inverse?" the woman interrupted her.

                "So what if I am?" Lina scowled, "I'm in the middle of trying to figure something out here, and-"

                "Then I must sit with you," the woman interrupted her again. Before they could say anything, she pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "I need to speak with you on important matters."

                She lifted her hand to gain the attention of the waiter and gazed intently at Lina.

                "I need your assistance," she finished.

                "Like I said, lady," Lina waved her off, "I've got important matters to take care of myself. I don't have time to run off on another mission just because you can't do it yourself."

                The woman smiled. The waiter arrived. She ordered a bottle of the restaurant's finest wine and turned back to Lina, her smile still present.

                "Miss Inverse," she said finally, "I don't think you quite understand. I don't want you to run any errands for me. I have others who would gladly carry out my orders. I just want some information that I believe you have."

                Lina gaped at the expensive bottle of wine that was set on the table between her and the mysterious woman. The woman just picked it up, poured herself a glass, and sipped it elegantly as she spoke.

                "I believe you were with someone I know, just before he disappeared," she said finally, "I have been unable to contact him for days, and I'm worried for his well-being."

                "There isn't much I can do if you don't explain who you are, and who you're looking for," Lina replied.

                The woman lowered her glass to the table, the gold bracelets on her wrists clanking together as she did so. Lina and Gourry just stared at her, unimpressed.

                "I am searching for a loyal servant," she explained, "his name is Xelloss."

                Lina fell out of her chair in shock. She climbed back up to the table, her eyes wide, and a huge sweatdrop forming near the side of her head.

                "X-Xelloss?" she stammered, "Servant? That would mean that you're-"

                "Zelas Metallium," the woman nodded, "Now, if you don't mind..."

                Lina slid into her chair again, unable to keep from gaping, open-mouthed.

                "YOU'RE the person Xelloss works for?" she gasped.

                "And as I said," Zelas sighed, "I can't find him. I believe you were with him last. Perhaps you can help me find him. I do not usually go to such extents to locate a missing servant, but Xelloss is another matter. I will not be pleased if he is killed."

                Lina burst out laughing, and Zelas frowned at her insubordination. Still, she had come into this knowing how Lina was, and she recovered quickly.

                "What, may I ask, do you find so amusing?" Zelas asked quietly.

                "Nothing," Lina panted and wiped tears from her eyes, "It's just, if you knew how many times Xelloss has been stabbed and beaten this weak, you'd be saying things a little differently."

                "What are you talking about?" Zelas stared at her with open curiosity, "If Xelloss was hurt badly, he would return home to have me heal him."

                Lina snorted as she struggled not to laugh again.

                "And I suppose you'd also say there isn't anyone with the power to beat him up?" Lina asked casually.

                "Very few," Zelas amended.

                "What about if he's overly exhausted or drunk?" Lina pressed.

                "Drunk?" a finely arched eyebrow went up a fraction of a centimeter.

                "Let's see, he was beat up the other night by Sherra," Lina ticked the items off on her fingers, "Hit by Gourry's metal sword the next day, thanks to his carelessness. Beat up AGAIN by Sherra the next day, and then stabbed through the chest with a holy sword that evening. Does that just about cover it?"

                Gourry nodded.

                "I think so," he said with a goofy grin. "Yeah, poor old Xelloss was in pretty bad shape by the time the dragons came."

                "You saw the golds take him?" Zelas leaned forward intently, "What happened?"

                Lina shrugged.

                "Oh, they just accused him of kidnapping Filia--which I know was not true--and dragged him away with that holy sword through his chest," she said casually. "And, I might add, Xelloss was getting pretty whiny about being stabbed so much in the past few days."

                Zelas stared pensively at her wine for a minute, watching the red liquid swirl around. Suddenly, she looked up at Lina, a frown furrowing her eyebrows together.

                "You said Sherra attacked him?" she asked.

                "Twice," Lina grinned, holding up two fingers.

                "Dynast's general," Zelas waited for confirmation.

                "Yep," Lina nodded, "That's the one. Oh... and she took his staff, apparently too."

                Zelas looked up sharply.

                "When did she do that?" she demanded.

                "The first time she attacked him, I guess," Lina shrugged, "I don't keep tabs on the guy. How should I know?"

                "That would explain why I can't reach him," she smiled in realization, "When he's far from home, it's very difficult for me to locate him without that."

                "But you made him," Lina pointed out, "Can't you just find his presence on the astral plane?"

                "Xelloss is very clever," she replied, "He was able to mask his presence on the astral plane to prevent anyone from attacking him from across the world. The only adverse affect of that little feat being, I can no longer locate him without some sort of amplification."

                "The staff," Lina sighed, "And if the staff fell into another's hands?"

                "It would become essentially useless," Zelas shrugged, "That staff has many magical properties, and Xelloss has mastered all of them. He is quite a different mazoku without it."

                "So we noticed," Lina sighed.

                "Well, Lina Inverse," Zelas drank more from her wine, "It appears that there is more to this than I had first suspected. You say Sherra attacked Xelloss, and the dragons accused him of doing something he did not do."

                "Sherra took Filia," Gourry added.

                Zelas smiled a dark, evil smile. Lina suddenly realized where Xelloss got his smile from. It was exactly like this woman. She stood.

                "Thank you for the information, Lina," she said, "I have a business connection to sever. Good day."

                She left the diner, and Lina turned to Gourry.

                "This is huge!" she exclaimed, "If Zelas herself is coming out to take care of things, then something big is going down! If I'm not mistaken, Dynast is about to get seriously chewed out, and I'm willing to bet that he was trying to indirectly overthrow Beastmaster."

                "Huh?"

                "Never mind," Lina sighed, "Just come on! We've got to save Filia."

^_^

                A person walked between two dragons into the hall where the elders were already assembling. Shoulder-length, purple hair with heavy bangs threw a shadow over the person's eyes. A smile played across narrow lips as the person stopped in front of the council.

                "I did not authorize this," the voice was distinctly female.

                "Knight of Cephied!" the supreme elder stood, "What is bothering you?"

                "Don't patronize me," Luna Inverse snapped at him. "You know what you did."

                She turned and walked to the center of the hall, where the magic seal was still set up, Xelloss crumpled on the floor inside. Luna looked down at him, her smile gone for the moment, and touched the seal. Holy power jumped around her hand and crackled around Xelloss. He shifted and looked up curiously. When he saw her, he smiled darkly.

                "So," he murmured, "The Knight of Cephied comes to join the party."

                Luna grinned back at him. She turned to glare up at the council again.

                "Why was this done?" she demanded.

                "He has violated peacetime," the supreme elder replied.

                "How?

                "He kidnapped a golden dragon."

                "You have proof?"

                The elder hesitated, and Luna nodded.

                "You have no proof," she stated.

                "Xelloss more than deserves this punishment," the supreme elder argued vehemently, "He has killed thousands of our kind!"

                Luna looked back as she heard the seal crackle suddenly. Xelloss pushed himself to his feet and glared up at the elders. Her sharp eyes caught his hand over his chest--the wound from the holy sword which still had not healed. And would not heal, she knew, until he was free from the seal.

                "That was during a war!" he said angrily, "Your kind killed many of the mazoku as well."

                "Far fewer than you," the elder retorted.

                Xelloss growled with fury and dropped to his knees again.

                "You pompous, self-absorbed fool," he panted, "You're playing right into Dynast's hands."

                Luna looked at him sharply.

                "Dynast?" she asked.

                Xelloss nodded and smiled evilly.

                "He's just trying to save himself!" someone shouted out, "He uses lies and manipulation to get what he wants!"

                "Punish him now!" another voice called.

                Xelloss's smile grew, and Luna turned to glare at the crowd. They were unstoppable now. It would take an act of extreme authority--that which the supreme elder possessed but would not use--to get the crowd to quiet. Luna turned back to stare at Xelloss, who had grown quite agitated by that point. His smile was still in place, but his eyebrows were jumping in irritation. She wondered how long it would be before he blew up at them. Not that it would do him any good.

                Suddenly, he leapt forward into the seal. Luna jumped back, shocked by his action. She knew that, as a mazoku, Xelloss was a bit of a sadomasochist. But she also knew that he did not search to inflict pain upon himself. That he did this greatly surprised her. An even greater surprise was how strong the seal was. Xelloss, she knew, should be able to force his way through just about any magical seal--uninjured to begin with, of course. But he couldn't even press past the first barrier on this one. His shouts echoed through the hall, stunning even those who had seen this before.

                When he finally fell back, he immediately crumpled to the floor. Luna stepped toward him again when she saw him shift slightly. She crouched down by his side and studied him. Her initial belief, when she saw him moving, was that he was trying to speak. But when she leaned in closer, her jaw set in fury. An almost inaudible whimper escaped Xelloss, and two tears trickled down his cheeks. He shuddered and opened shiny, violet eyes to stare at Luna. The Knight of Cephied's face darkened further when she saw the unfocused glaze of Xelloss's eyes. He let out a weak giggle of promised insanity.

                "What would Filia say now?" he asked hoarsely.

                His eyes closed, and he passed out.

^_^

                Zelas Metallium stood in the center of the snowy wasteland. She leaned forward and pulled a twisted brown stick from the snow. A few feet away, she located the other half, the jewel giving its location away. The gem glowed slightly at her touch, and she smiled darkly.

                "Stupid move, Sherra," she said softly.

                A new presence near her made her look up, and she grinned at the sight of a golden dragon flying high in the sky. Gripping both pieces of the staff in her hands, she teleported off the ground and rematerialized near the dragon. The golden dragon balked at her presence and swerved away, but she knew who it was.

                "Filia, wait," she called out, teleporting again in front of the dragon. Filia glared at her.

                "What do you want?" she growled. "Can't you see I'm attempting an escape, here?"

                "Take this with you," Zelas said, thrusting the staff forward. Filia stared incredulously at the pieces.

                "That's Xelloss's staff," she realized.

                "Take it," Zelas insisted. It disappeared from her hands and reappeared in Filia's claw. The dragon gripped it tightly and nodded in understanding. Zelas grinned darkly. "You make your escape. No one will follow."

                Filia smiled her thanks and pushed more speed into her flight. Soon, she was over trees rather than snow.

^_^

                Luna Inverse left the Temple of the Fire Dragon King immediately, taking only a few seconds to order that Xelloss not be killed. The elders had grudgingly bent to her will, and she departed. Now, she was on a mission to find a dragon that had supposedly been kidnapped.

                She grinned to herself as she flew over the land rapidly.

                So, Xelloss has feelings after all,  she thought,  And for a dragon, no less.

                Despite the fact that she was Cephied's knight, she was furious at the way those dragons had treated the mazoku. The severity of the seal and the wounds they had not allowed to mend were just part of it. Public trial and degrading methods were far worse. Even Xelloss deserved better than that.

                Filia,  she thought with an angry scowl, You'd better be worth it.

^_^

                Filia threw her arms around Lina and hugged her to the choking point. They had run into each other by accident while Filia was searching the streets for familiar faces and Lina was deciding on the best plan for the day. Now, Filia was ecstatic.

                "Oh, Lina, it was horrible!" she blurted, "I was in this cold, damp cell, with no one to talk to, and I didn't know what to do, and then this mazoku came, and-"

                "Whoa!" Lina protested, "Slow down, Filia! I can barely understand you."

                Filia let go quickly and blushed.

                "Sorry," she murmured. She looked over Lina's shoulder and saw Gourry standing there with a rather bewildered expression on his face. Something occurred to her then, "Lina, where's Xelloss?"

^_^

                This must be hell,  Xelloss thought tiredly. He no longer had the energy to stand up, so he just laid in the center of the seal, trying to ignore the dragons hovering around him.  Just like an animal on display,  he mused, gazing calmly into a young dragon's inquisitive face.  I wonder if that child even knows who I am. So innocent... he knows nothing of the way of this world. Such a pity that he'll someday learn.

                While the child's parents weren't watching, the young dragon reached forward to the seal. It didn't even crackle as the child was a pure, holy magic child. Xelloss couldn't even bring himself to smile at this action. The child's hand reached for his face, and then touched his cheek.

                So odd,  he thought, staring in open-eyed wonder at the dragon child, I don't feel a thing.

                The child smiled at him, and he managed a small smile in return. Then, the child's parents turned around. The mother let out a horrified scream and snatched the child away. Xelloss winced as the seal was disturbed. The child's father started shouting furiously at him, as if it was his fault. But the words were long and distorted through the haze of pain, and he couldn't discern what the dragon was saying.

                Threatening me, no doubt,  he thought as the dragon blurred back and forth around him. He closed his eyes, shutting out the confusing colors. All I need right now is a headache.

                Somewhere, in the recesses of his mind, he heard Amelia's chanting voice saying, "Life is wonderful! Life is wonderful!"

                That child must be on some heavy medication,  he mused, I wonder if what she's taking would work on me...

                With that happy thought in his mind, he faded out of reality.

^_^

                There's something to be said for small-time informants, Luna thought as she whipped across the land at incredible speeds. They take less money for better information.

                She touched down in a small village near the forest and walked down the street. No one took notice of her, having not seen her land. Spotting a restaurant, she made a beeline for it, not even adjusting her path for other pedestrians. When she looked in, she grinned at the sight of a three foot high stack of dishes on the table across the room.

                "Excuse me, Miss," a waiter stopped her, "Would you like some help?"

                "Nope," she continued forward, "Thanks."

                The waiter left her alone then, and she continued toward the table and stood behind a chair. Filia and Gourry looked up in surprise. Filia nodded respectfully, recognizing her immediately, and Gourry just stared at her, his cheeks puffed out from a mouthful of food.

                "It's been awhile, Sis," she greeted abruptly.

                "Oh," Lina smiled up at her through her chicken, "Hi, Sis."

                Luna waited, counting backwards... 3... 2... 1...

                "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lina's scream startled the diners in the restaurant as she leapt across the table into Gourry's lap. She squirmed out of his lap again and crawled under the table in fright. "Big Sis!" she cried, "What are you doing here?"

                "I've come to retrieve Filia Ul Copt," she stated simply.

                "Why?" Filia asked curiously.

                "Does this have something to do with the fact that Filia's supposed to be missing?" Gourry asked, his question surprisingly intelligent.

                "Yup," Luna grinned as Lina peeked her head out from under the table.

                "What do you want with Filia?" she asked shakily.

                "Nothing," Luna shrugged, "Someone else wants her."

                "The council?" Filia asked worriedly.

                "Nope," Luna shook her head.

                "THEN WHO?!" Filia demanded, irritated by the game of twenty questions.

                "The mazoku priest-general," Luna replied.

                "Xelloss?" Lina climbed out from under the table now. "You've seen Xelloss?"

                "Yup."

                "Is he okay?" Filia asked worriedly.

                "Nope."

                "WHAT?" Filia jumped up. "What do you MEAN 'no'?"

                Luna's smile faded, and she let her head dip forward as her anger became more evident.

                "They acted without authorization," she said, "The treatment is most uncivilized."

                "Did they hurt him?" Filia was surprised at her own concern for the mazoku.

                "Geez, Filia," Lina rolled her eyes, "They attacked him with a holy sword. YES, they hurt him!"

                "I mean, other than that," Filia scowled at Lina.

                "Yes," Luna nodded solemnly. "He's hurt. He asked me to find you, Filia."

                "Take me to him!" Filia cried, rounding the table to stand in front of Luna, "Please!"

                "That's what I came to do," Luna replied, grabbing the young woman by the wrist, "Come on."

                "Wait a minute!" Lina jumped up as well, "What about me and Gourry?"

                "This doesn't concern you, Sis," Luna replied easily, "Enjoy your break. Go kill some bandits. Relax. Matters involving dragons are my concern."

                Lina sat down in Filia's abandoned chair, a bit stunned by her sister's presence and her long monologue. She caught Filia giving her a worried glance and offered an encouraging smile.

                "Go show 'em who's boss!" she said, winking and flashing a victory sign.

                Filia smiled and then found herself being dragged out the door. Luna took one huge jump and launched herself into the air, taking Filia with her. Filia yelped and held on for dear life as Luna carried her along at a faster pace than she'd ever flown in her life.

^_^

                Dynast clenched his fists angrily as he watched Zelas's retreating form. His plans were ruined. Zelas would not take back Xelloss's power, which would effectively destroy him, thereby ridding Dynast of an annoying pest. And if she would not do that, he had hoped she would start a war, or at least attempt one. He wouldn't back her up, of course, and she would be defeated. That would leave him a very powerful mazoku, thanks to Deep Sea Dolphin's present lack of rationality. Either way, it was a win-win situation for him. Until Zelas turned the tables and backed out of their alliance.

                "Lord Dynast," Sherra appeared beside him and knelt respectfully.

                "Kill him," he said tightly, "I don't care what you have to do to get it done. Just kill him."

                "Yes, Lord," Sherra smiled darkly. She disappeared.

^_^

               The Knight of Cephied must be returning today,  Xelloss thought absently as he sensed the energy level in the seal dropping to a more tolerable level. Almost immediately, he felt his strength begin to return, and within the hour, he was able to sit up. It was at the level it had been when he was first brought in.

                They're feeling rather confident, he realized, I suppose since I've behaved myself thus far, they think I won't try anything.

                He winced and touched his still-injured chest lightly.

                They're probably right, he sighed softly and slouched down into a more comfortable position.

                When Xelloss opened his eyes, he could see everything clearly. Sounds were still a bit distorted, but he blamed that partially on the fact that the room itself was so large, thereby making every sound echo. His smile returned to him, although it took a bit more effort to keep it up, and that relieved him. After all, without his mask, he was no different than the other hot-tempered mazoku out there, and that was just not to be tolerated.

                Now, as Xelloss felt himself recovering, dragons began to file into the hall again. He watched them calmly, no longer bothered by their curious stares and contemptuous sneers. Anger poured off some of them, and he felt himself growing stronger. Strangely, his eye caught the movement of several children running around and laughing. He recognized one of them as the child who had so fearlessly approached him the day before. Then, for some reason, the children's laughter and pleasure did not repulse him. He watched them with open curiosity, suddenly wishing very much that he could scoop up the child and make him laugh.

                But it was not to be. Suddenly, he tensed and stood, ignoring the crackling seal around him. The dragons looked toward him, alarmed by his sudden movement, but he didn't notice. Instead, his concentration was on the empty air over and in front of him. The dragons had no choice but to conclude that he had gone mad. All of them quickly revised their deductions when a dark figure blurred and materialized in the air. Xelloss let out a low, feral growl.

                "Sherra!" he hissed.

                "My, my," she smirked down at him, "This certainly is quite a predicament you've gotten yourself into, isn't it, Xelloss?"

                He brought forth his smile again and returned the smirk.

                "Hello, Sherra," he greeted with false cheer, "Come to see these dragons pass judgment?"

                She laughed at his feigned ignorance.

                "As much as I'd love to see that, I have a job to carry out," she claimed, "You, Xelloss, are going to die."

                "Is that so?" he opened one eye to study her curiously, "Just how do you expect to accomplish that with all these dragons here?"

                "Do you think they'll care?" she laughed again, "They WANT to see you killed, Xelloss! Once you're dead, they'll head out and celebrate."

                "Go ahead," he taunted her, "It would be the perfect ending to this week. What you started, you will finish. Isn't that the way it goes?"

                Sherra grinned and teleported to the ground in front of him. He gritted his teeth as she reached forward through the seal and gripped the front of his cloak. The seal crackled furiously around them, but Sherra, being on the outside, received less of the attack. With a soft grunt, she pulled back as hard as she could, pulling Xelloss out of the seal.

                It took a tremendous force of willpower on Xelloss's behalf to remain standing. He choked against Sherra's grip and held onto her arm in desperate attempt to stay on his feet. She grinned fiendishly and pulled out her sword.

                "Isn't this a familiar scene?" she asked him with an evil smile.

                "I'm beginning to think you consider me your own, personal pincushion," he panted.

                "And you're such a pretty little pincushion," she sneered.

                He gasped as the sword slid into his stomach for the third time that week. He coughed and smiled darkly as he found himself once again nose-to-nose with Sherra.

                "If you kiss me again, I will never forgive you," he said through clenched teeth.

                "Does it embarrass you?" she taunted.

                "It disgusts me," he replied.

                She kissed him. In that moment, Xelloss shoved his hand against her chest and sent a stream of power through her body. Sherra fell away, and he staggered back. She looked down to see the hole in her chest. It wasn't bad, she decided, and she looked up again. Xelloss was still there, a sword in his hand. His blood dripped off the edges to the floor, but he took no notice of this. He just threw it aside and grinned at Sherra. She noted that his stomach was already healing rapidly, although it would still take him several hours to recover.

                "I warned you not to do that," he chuckled, "Now I'm mad."

                "And you weren't before?" she asked.

                "Then, I was irritated," he opened his eyes to glare at her, "Now, I'm furious. A threat as severe as the one you made really should be carried out, Sherra. Now you've lost your opportunity."

                "I can still kill you!" she shouted, leaping forward.

                Xelloss teleported away and reappeared behind her.

                "You can't kill me if you can't catch me," he laughed.

                She screamed in rage and started firing away. He dodged the first one and teleported out of the way of the second. By that point, Sherra was beyond fury. She shouted into the room.

                "I know how you feel about Filia, Xelloss!" she screeched, "I'll kill her if I have to!"

                Xelloss's angry growl bounced around in the hall, surprising the dragons, and making Sherra smirk in satisfaction. She turned and sent a blast of energy toward where she suspected he was hiding. He teleported out of the way, and the power hit the ceiling above him. Rock and marble crashed to the center of the hall, near where the seal had been. She fired again, and more marble fell.

                Frightened screams echoed around the room, and Xelloss looked down to see that the marble was about to fall on a crowd of dragons. Normally, he wouldn't have cared. But then, he spotted a familiar child in the middle, directly in the path of the falling stone.

                In the next instant, Xelloss was on the floor, next to the child. He scooped up the boy and teleported out of the way as the rock hit the ground. They reappeared far above the ground, and the boy stared up in awe at him. He smiled at the child and quickly searched for a place to set the boy down.

                "You're getting careless, Xelloss," Sherra's voice surprised him, and suddenly, she had him in a choke hold. He lost his grip on the boy, and the young dragon let out a frightened yelp as he plummeted down to the hard floor, more than thirty feet below. Xelloss watched in horror as the child fell.

                Suddenly, Luna was there, holding the boy. She grinned up at Xelloss and carried the child down to safety. Xelloss felt a wave of disorientation as Sherra teleported with him still in her grip. They rematerialized several feet above the floor, and she shoved him violently into the marble. He teleported and staggered to his feet a short distance away. A shout caught his attention, and he looked to see Filia standing halfway across the room. She held out two items in her hands and shouted again.

                Xelloss teleported to her and took the staff. He instantly returned it to its original condition and smiled happily.

                "Thank you, Filia," he said softly, then teleported away from her. She watched with a hopeful expression on her face as he returned to stand in front of Sherra. The general glowered at him, and raw energy crackled in her hands.

                "You have to die, Xelloss," she growled.

                "Not today, Sherra," he opened his eyes to stare at her horribly, "Not by your hands."

                She gasped as he shoved his staff forward, brutally impaling her through the chest. He smiled, his violet eyes glowing with anticipation.

                "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" he sneered.

                Then, power flowed through the staff, and Sherra screamed. He leaned foward and glared into her eyes as her scream died in her throat. She snarled furiously at him.

                "You know that rule about guys not hitting girls?" Xelloss asked her, a cruel smile on his lips, "Well, I think that's just a load of shit you girls made up to give yourself an advantage."

                He punched her in the mouth. Sherra shrieked in fury and pain.

                "That's for degrading me like you did," he growled softly.

                He slammed his hand into her throat--a move that would have snapped any human's neck. Sherra gurgled and choked, her pain making him smile.

                "And that's for humiliating me in front of so many people," he continued.

                Then, Xelloss let out a inhuman cry and let loose with all he had. And she was gone. It wasn't a gory death, but it wasn't painless either. Xelloss lowered his staff and smiled in satisfaction.

                "And THAT," he said softly, "is for doing all that in front of Filia."

                He sighed and dropped to his knees, letting the pain catch up with him now that the fight was over. He didn't even acknowledge it when several dragons surrounded him and wagged the holy sword under his nose. That is, he didn't acknowledge it until the sword swung down to hit him. Jerking back with shockingly quick reflexes, he brought his staff up to block the sword. Then, twisting and pushing down at the same time, he disarmed the sword bearer and caught the sword as it fell. He stood and pointed the sword in the young dragon warrior's face.

                "I would kill you, but there are children watching," he said with a dark smile.

                "Xelloss!" Filia's voice echoed around him, and his smile faltered as he saw her running across the hall.

                "Filia," he murmured softly. "Sorry."

                With that, he disappeared. The holy sword clattered to the floor, and the dragons stood there, stunned. A second later, their attention was drawn to Sherra's sword--several feet away--as it sparked violently and melted into the marble. Filia stopped in front of it and watched as the metal cooled and hardened into an amorphous gray lump that would be very difficult to remove from the floor. She sighed and sank to her knees, overwhelmed by everything that had happened over the past week.

                "Filia Ul Copt?" Luna's commanding voice made the dragon maiden look up. Luna grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think he likes you."

                Filia blinked in surprise and smiled. A little boy crept forward and looked at Filia in awe.

                "Did you really travel with Xelloss?" he asked in wonderment.

                "Yes, I did," she frowned lightly at the boy, "You're the kid he saved from the falling rock," she realized, "You must have made quite an impression on him."

                "I got to see him when he was in the seal!" the boy told her proudly. His face fell slightly, "He seemed so sad."

                "I imagine he didn't like being caged up," Filia replied, scruffing the boys hair.

                "Mommy and Daddy got mad when I touched him," the boy whispered conspiratorially.

                "You touched him?" Filia asked in amazement.

                "Touched his cheek," he added, a hint of triumph in his voice. Then, he grew serious again, "He was so alone."

                "I guess you're lucky, no matter what way you look at it," Filia smiled warmly, "It was a dangerous move--he could have hurt you. But, since you did, he didn't let the rocks hurt you. Amazing."

                The boy grinned.

                "Are you in love with him?" he asked boldly.

                She flushed a bright pink.

                "Xelloss is a mazoku," she stammered, "I'm a dragon. Natural enemies."

                "Oh," he shrugged. "Okay."

                Then, bored with her conversation, he scampered off to play with his friends. Filia sighed and shook her head.

                "I wonder why he left," she whispered to no one in particular. She was surprised when she received an answer.

                "He had to," Luna said.

                "They can't hurt him now," Filia shook her head, "He would have been safe if he stayed. There was nothing for him to be afraid of."

                "Not them," Luna smiled, "You."

                She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Filia to ponder her words. Filia sighed again and stood. Nobody stopped her as she left the hall for the final time. She vowed then that she would never come back on her own accord. She never wanted to see these dragons again.

^_^

                That night, Xelloss crawled into bed, swearing he would never come out again. He examined his stomach and was pleased to note that it was almost completely healed. Rolling over in bed, he found that, despite his exhausting few days, he could not sleep. He stared out the window into the night air and sighed deeply.

                Killing Sherra had its ups and its downs. The good thing being that she was no longer there to harrass and attempt to kill him. The downside was that Dynast would NOT be happy. Xelloss could easily hold his own against Sherra, but he didn't stand a chance against Dynast.

                Xelloss

                He jumped and sat straight up.

                "Lord Beastmaster," he whispered.

                Xelloss, appear before me.

                He was puzzled by the hesitance in Zelas's voice. She usually just snapped his name and he'd be there. Now, it was as if she wasn't sure he'd answer.

                Sighing deeply, he rolled out of bed and reached for his robes. It wasn't appropriate to-

                XELLOSS!

                He teleported out of his room, directly into her chambers, forgetting about his traditional garb. It took a moment for him to register that he'd actually appeared before his master in his pajamas, but he forced away his embarrassment and knelt before her.

                "What do you need, Lord Beastmaster?" he asked, presenting a rather comical scene. He wore a pair of black boxers and a matching tee shirt, both with little staffs on them.

                "XELLOSS!" Zelas squealed happily, throwing her arms around him and crooning like a mother suffering from empty nest. "I've been so worried! Why didn't you see me when you arrived?"

                He stood there in stunned silence for a few seconds before finally stammering out an answer.

                "I... uh... I..." he stuttered, "I went to bed."

                "I can see that, silly!" she stood back and studied him meticulously. She poked his stomach lightly, and he winced. "Still a bit sore, I see."

                He smiled weakly.

                "You got your staff back?" she asked.

                "Yes, ma'am," he nodded.

                "And you took care of Sherra?"

                "Yes, ma'am."

                "Did those nasty dragons hurt you?" she asked cutely.

                "I'm okay," he struggled not to laugh. He rarely saw her act like this, and when he did, it was when she was mothering him. And that was usually unnecessary.

                "I could destroy the temple," she offered.

                "So could I," he grinned.

                She returned his grin. But then, she stiffened, and her eyes shifted from his face to just over his shoulder. A second later, Xelloss felt it as well, and he whirled to face Dynast. The dark lord was just that. His face was a mask of fury, and it was aimed at Xelloss.

                "I want the priest-general's life," he stated evenly.

                Zelas pulled Xelloss behind her and glared at Dynast.

                "You sent Sherra to kill him," she snapped, "He had no choice but to kill her."

                "His life for hers," Dynast insisted. "I'll accept nothing less."

                Xelloss let out a soft cry behind Zelas, and she looked to see him sag weakly against the wall. Zelas whirled to face Dynast, her fury building.

                "Leave him alone!" she ordered.

                "I tried to get you to retract his powers," Dynast replied calmly, "I tried to get you to just leave him--create a new servant. It would have been so much easier on both of you if you had gone along with me."

                Xelloss gritted his teeth as he fought off Dynast's power. Sherra's sword... the holy sword... the magical seal... none of that compared to the agony he felt now. For some reason, he didn't think about fighting off the pain as much as the rest of the week.

                We'll make it an annual event, he thought as he lost sight of his last thread of consciousness, Beat up on Xelloss week. Everybody's welcome. Bring a sword, fists, magic seals... it... doesn't... matter...

                Zelas hit Dynast with a rather weak attack, stunning him into losing his concentration.

                "Get out!" she hissed, "GET OFF MY ISLAND!"

                She sent her power out, banishing Dynast from this part of the astral plane. He didn't stand a chance against her on her own turf. And he was gone.

                Zelas turned quickly and knelt by Xelloss's side. He shook his head dazedly as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. When she was certain he was okay, she dared to touch his arm.

                Xelloss pulled away and used the wall to pull himself to his feet. He didn't look at Zelas as he spoke to her.

                "Do you need me to do something, Lord Beastmaster?" he whispered, using every ounce of concentration he had to force the words out.

                "No," she backed off, "You can leave."

                He nodded and flickered slightly as he teleported away. Returning to his room, he collapsed onto his bed. It wasn't until then that the shaking started. Letting out a cry of distress, he curled up on his bed and shivered violently. The aftereffects of what Dynast had attempted were nearly as bad as the act itself. Almost an hour passed before he fell limp, his chest heaving painfully. (13)

                Life's not fair,  Xelloss thought dully, Can't I have a single day where I'm not hurt or verbally bashed?

                Do what you want, Xelloss. The words sounded clearly in his head, and he knew what Beastmaster was telling him. A smile slowly spread across his lips. Closing his eyes, he fell into an exhausted sleep.

^_^

                Filia gazed out the front window of her shop, out into the busy street. It was a slow day, which she appreciated. She just wasn’t in the mood for a lot of customers.

                As she stared out at the street, she became aware that many people were stopping in front of her store, but no one was coming in. In fact, they didn’t even seem to be focused on her shop, but rather on the shop across the street. Her curiosity piqued, she went to the window and studied the house.

                Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what everyone was staring at. A person sat on the roof of the house, staring down at her shop. And it was not just any person. It was a man with purple hair and shaded, violet eyes, which--much to her surprise--were open and calm. He sat casually, with his staff resting across his lap. His eyes never moved from the shop, even when she came to the window. She openly stared at him, and he just gazed back intently.

                What is he doing?  she wondered with a frown. Why is he just sitting there?

                Drawing away from the window, she went to the door and stepped outside. A few people sent her curious glances, but she didn’t notice, as her attention was on the purple-haired priest sitting on the roof. She noticed that his expression turned rather strange--unreadable--when she came outside. As she opened her mouth to call out to him, he faded out of view, teleporting away.

                Not them,  Luna Inverse’s words came back to haunt her, You.

                Can it be true? she wondered, as she went back into the shop. Is he afraid of me?

                She sighed in frustration, knowing that she had no way to find that answer without directly questioning Xelloss. And she couldn’t do that if he kept running away. It was a difficult situation. One that she had no idea how to approach--or even IF she should approach it. Perhaps things were better off left as they were.

^_^

                The same day, not two hours later, Filia found the store empty again. She was about ready to give up. The store wasn’t making any business. As she moved to the front door to close it, a girl stepped in. She recognized her as Elena, the girl who Xelloss had attacked several days before. And the girl seemed rather distraught.

                “Filia!” she panted, as if she’d been running away from something, “Filia, he’s back!”

                “What?” Filia frowned uncertainly at the young woman. “Who?”

                “HIM!” she insisted, “The injured man. Do you think he’ll try to hurt anyone? He’s just STANDING there!”

                “Standing where?”

                “You mean you haven’t noticed?” Elena pointed behind her, “He’s across the street, just staring at your door.”

                Filia looked out, and sure enough, there stood Xelloss. He was statue still, gazing across the street. This time, he was on the ground instead of the roof. He stood in front of the house, still quite on the opposite side of the street. Filia was relieved to note that his eyes were closed and his smile fixed firmly in place. Still, something seemed out of place. She couldn’t tell if it was his smile--seeming a bit more strained than usual--or his incredible stillness. He was usually in some sort of motion, whether it be walking around or otherwise. To see him stationary for such a long time was rather unnatural.

                “Do you know what he’s doing?” Elena wondered anxiously. “He doesn’t even respond when people talk to him.”

                “I don’t know,” Filia answered honestly. “Let me try.”

                She stepped outside. Xelloss turned and disappeared again. Filia clenched her fists in frustration.

                “He left!” Elena exclaimed, “What timing. Now we’ll never know if you could get some answers out of him or not.”

                “I guess not, Elena,” Filia sighed, “I guess not.”

^_^

                A few hours later, Filia still hadn’t closed her shop. More people came, once they heard about Xelloss. And, quite honestly, she was growing very weary of answering all the questions.

                Yes, she knew who he was. No, she didn’t know what he was doing. No, he wasn’t an old boyfriend. And she didn’t think he was stalking her.

                She sank tiredly into a chair while Elena helped her run the shop. After awhile, although no one was at the counter buying anything, Filia couldn’t help but notice how many people had come into the small store. All of the sudden, it seemed extremely busy, almost to the point where not many more people could even fit into the room. Elena, too, seemed to have disappeared.

                Standing curiously, she started pushing her way through the crowds. She held her breath as she squeezed between two rather large men and found herself on the outside of a huddle of more people. Someone turned and saw her standing there and quickly moved out of the way. She nodded gratefully and stepped into the empty space. Oddly, she wasn’t all that surprised by who she saw. (14) Xelloss stood next to a display, searching through the items carefully. Apparently, he wasn’t finding the one he wanted because he kept searching. Filia recognized the display and suddenly knew why he wasn’t finding what he was seeking. At the same time, she was surprised that he would even be looking through this particular display.

                “It’s not here anymore.”

                Filia jumped at the sound of his voice. She hadn’t realized that he knew she was standing there. In fact, she had suspected that he would just run away again if she made her presence known. But, she should have suspected as much from a mazoku. They had a heightened awareness of the thoughts and emotions of those around them. Of course he would recognize her if she was present, no matter where she was.

                “I didn’t want to sell it,” she replied softly.

                His soft chuckle made her smile in relief. Perhaps he wasn’t all that far gone. Filia waited patiently for him to turn, but he didn’t immediately. She grew anxious as he continued to stare silently down at the dishes.

                “Xelloss, why are you here?” she asked softly.

                He shrugged and continued to stare down at the bowls. Filia wondered if perhaps he WAS troubled. She reached out to touch his arm.

                Suddenly, he turned and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Filia gasped and stiffened in surprise. Her rational and irrational minds began to squabble crazily.

                ACK! A MAZOKU IS HUGGING ME!

                This is kind of nice.

                What are you THINKING?! He’s probably going to kill you right now.

                He would have done it already.

                He’s MAZOKU!

                He’s not just mazoku. He’s Xelloss, she surprised herself with that thought, I’m a dragon. But I’m Filia. No races. No boundaries.

                When her emotional mind finally overcame her rational mind, she noticed something odd. (Other than the fact that Xelloss was hugging her, in her store, in front of dozens of people.) She pulled back and stared at him in surprise.

                “You’re trembling!” she gasped, reaching up to touch his pale face.

                He smiled and caught her hand in his own gloved hand.

                “A minor side effect of Dynast's temper tantrum the other night,” he replied easily, “It'll go away in a few days.”

                “You ran up against DYNAST?!” she stared at him incredulously.

                “I DID kill his favorite general,” he pointed out. “He wasn’t very happy.”

                “How are you still alive?” she asked, suspicious suddenly that he was nothing more than a ghost.

                “A secret, Filia,” he smiled weakly.

                She sighed and shook her head.

                “Filia,” Elena’s voice suddenly made them aware that they were not exactly alone. Far from it. Xelloss backed away quickly, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Filia turned and shot a deadly glare toward her young friend.

                “What?” she snapped.

                “Is everything okay?” she asked, glancing uneasily at Xelloss. She dropped her voice down to a bare whisper. “He just admitted to killing someone! Who is this person he killed and who is Dynast?”

                Filia sighed and shook her head. Xelloss stepped forward and smiled brightly at the young woman.

                “Elena, is it?” he asked, “I remember you.”

                Elena gasped and took an automatic step back. Xelloss’s smile broadened as he sensed her anxiety.

                “The so-called person I killed was not a person but a mazoku,” he explained, “And Dynast is one of the five dark lords. Would you prefer that I had let Sherra run loose, killing and destroying everything in sight?”

                “You fought a MAZOKU?!” Elena gasped excitedly. “WOW! The bane of the earth! One less to pester everyone.”

                Xelloss sweatdropped, and his smile grew a bit strained.

                “Not all mazoku are that bad,” he protested.

                “Mazoku,” she sniffed, “Peh!”

                “L-sama,” he complained, “You make it sound like a bad word!”

                “But don’t you agree that they should all be destroyed?” Elena asked.

                Filia jumped forward to cut in as Xelloss opened his mouth to respond.

                “Uh... Elena?” she asked. “I think you should leave. In fact, everyone should leave! I’m closed as of now.”

                Grumbling ensued, but everyone filed out the door. Elena glanced back at Xelloss as he frowned after her. His dark eyes slid open to gaze at her, and she shivered uneasily. Filia shut the door behind everyone.

                Heaving a sigh, Filia turned to face Xelloss. He smiled and strolled casually over to the counter.

                “So, Filia,” he said tersely, “How have you been?”

                “I’ve been confused,” she replied, “Why did you keep running away earlier?”

                He picked up a small spoon--also made by Filia--and studied it absently.

                “That is a secret,” he muttered.

                “Bullshit.”

                His eyes flew open, and he looked over at her.

                “You’ve taken to swearing?” he asked curiously.

                Filia scowled at him.

                “Stop saying that,” she snapped, “Because that’s all it is. You’re just too afraid to consider the true reasons.”

                His eyes glittered dangerously.

                “Afraid?” he echoed softly.

                Filia held her ground. She glared into his open eyes furiously.

                “That’s right,” she nodded firmly, “Afraid. You don’t want to know the real reason.”

                His eyes narrowed, but Filia didn’t flinch. After a few moments, he dropped his gaze and sighed. Filia let her gaze soften. She surpised both herself and Xelloss by pulling him into a warm embrace. Her heart pounded in her chest as his arms wrapped around her waist, and he buried his face in her thick, blonde hair. Although she knew the reason behind it (sort of), Filia was still shocked by the way he shivered in her arms.

                “Are you okay, Xelloss?” she asked softly.

                He pulled her closer and shuddered.

                “I don’t know,” he murmured, his voice muffled by her hair.

                “Why did you come?” she pressed.

                “I-” he cut off short and pulled back abruptly to stare solemnly into her face. Filia could see the torment in his eyes. He was torn between what he wanted to say and what he COULD say.

                He kissed her. Filia’s eyes widened in shock. She found herself staring into his mesmerizing gaze. His eyes started to close he fell victim to the intoxication of the moment. Filia found herself imitating him, and she closed her eyes.

                Almost a full minute later, Xelloss pulled back, gasping for air. Filia panted from surprise and from the long time she’d spent without a breath. She opened her eyes to stare incredulously at him. Xelloss’s eyes searched hers, trying to match her expression with what he knew she really felt. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his back, holding him up as much as embracing him. He sighed and leaned against her in relief.

                “I guess that’s as good a way of saying it as any,” Filia murmured.

                Xelloss laughed tiredly, and she hugged him more tightly.

                “I thought mazoku couldn’t love,” she commented softly.

                “So did I,” he replied.

                Filia smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He smiled and let his eyes fall closed again. She grabbed his hand and started around the counter.

                “Come on,” she said with a playful smile. Xelloss trailed after her as she pulled him into the back room and began digging through a cupboard. A few seconds later, she cried out triumphantly and turned around. She shoved something into his hands.

                “I want you to have it,” she told him seriously, “Take it.”

                He blinked in surprise and looked at the object in his hands. It was a bowl he had seen before. At a glance, it appeared to be purple, black, and red swirled around randomly. But if tt was tilted at a certain angle, an image could be seen in the abstract work. Elegant, mysterious, violet eyes and matching hair. A glowing red jewel. Xelloss turned the dish over slowly. (15)

                “How did you do this?” he asked seriously.

                “How did I do what?” she asked in return, certain he wasn’t asking in the literal sense. Although she would be more than happy to explain the rudimentary process of making a bowl and painting it.

                “How did you capture me in this simple, utilitarian object?” his voice dropped to a bare whisper.

                Filia smiled and shrugged modestly.

                “Do you like it?” she asked.

                “It’s exceptional,” he replied, looking at her earnestly.

                He held it out, and it disappeared. Filia knew he was storing it wherever he stored his belongings. She stepped forward again and wrapped her arms around his waist playfully.

                “How about you and I go do something fun,” she suggested, her voice taking on an impish tone. Xelloss’s grin turned positively devious.

                “All right,” he replied, absently stroking her hair with one hand.

                They disappeared from the room as he teleported them away.

^_^

                A few seconds later, Filia gasped as she found herself high in the air. Xelloss held her close, cradling her in his arms. Filia struggled to catch her breath as she watched the ocean pass by with incredible speed. The sky was blue and cloudless. Xelloss didn’t seem to care about any of this. In fact, he preferred storms to clear skies, but he tolerated the bright sun. Filia spotted the land ahead and pointed at it.

                “Are we going there?” she asked. The beaches were beautiful. White sand met trees several yards from the water, and it was deserted. Filia felt her heart leap in her chest.

                “Close,” Xelloss grinned at her. Filia caught him in another kiss, and he smiled when she pulled back.

                Several yards before the beach, Xelloss stopped and floated just above the water. He smiled down at Filia, still in his arms.

                “So?” he asked, “What do you think?”

                “It’s beautiful,” she replied honestly.

                “I’m glad you think so,” he said, just as honest.

                “Is it y-AAAAAAAAH!”

                She let out a startled scream as he dropped her. Filia hit the water with a splash and came up sputtering angrily. Xelloss laughed and grinned down at her. He sat cross-legged in midair, just as if he was sitting on the ground. Filia coughed and glared at him.

                “What was THAT for?” she demanded.

                “Just thought you needed to cool off!” he giggled.

                She grinned suddenly and splashed at him playfully. He was well out of range of that weak splash, so he just grinned down at her, not moving.

                “I think it’s just what the doctor ordered!” she declared.

                Reaching out, she snatched onto his cape. He yelped in surprise, and she plunged him under the water. (16)

^_^

(1)-A little nasty there, Xel-kun.

(2)-Who thought I would put Xelloss here? *Grin* Nope!

(3)-Don't ask where I got this. I don't know.

(4)-Actually, I just think she'd look cool without that danged thing on, covering her pointy ears.

(5)-THERE he is!

(6)-If you were hoping for a big romance, sorry! That would not be very realistic, now, would it?

(7)-Dynast? Cold? Ooooh... bad joke. Sorry.

(8)-Smart ass.

(9)-Hmmm... Xelloss is telling a secret? Weird.

(10)-That was clear, wasn't it? Kind of abstract, but clear.

(11)-And you thought XELLOSS was bad!

(12)-Plot device right here. I'm sure it's more like five or six days (or longer), but that just would not be practical in this story, would it?

(13)-Poor baby. He's just not having a very good week, is he?

(14)-If anyone is, he or she needs to work on paying attention. Come on. How many possible people would I put here?

(15)-Ooooo! I want one!

(16)-Awwwww! A cute ending! Kind of nice after all that, isn’t it?

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