Author's Note: I haven't written any Slayers fiction for a long time, but this particular idea just grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. Spoilers for the ending to Slayers:TRY. I won't be making any reference to the events depicted in either Revolution or Evolution-R, since I haven't watched either series properly yet.
In Progress
Filia thought she knew what terror was.
She'd felt it, or something close to it at least, when she and her companions had watched as the Overlord Darkstar had torn his way into the breach between his world and theirs, his rage and his hunger for destruction both insurmountable and insatiable. As she had stared into the dripping maw of that monster she had experienced a terrible moment of clarity; this was the consequence of her failure, of her naiveté and blind self-righteousness. The Golden Dragons as a race would always have the stain of genocide weighing on their souls, but she alone, Filia Ul Copt,would be responsible for the massacre of their entire world.
But the world had not ended. The human Lina Inverse had rallied their courage and bound them to her, and between them they had performed a miracle. With a single strike Darkstar was wiped from existence, taking with him Valgaav's misery and despair. What had been left behind Filia had vowed to protect and nurture to the best of her ability. She knew nothing about being a mother, but Ciephied help her, she would do this one thing. She would pour her very heart and soul into it.
So when, one bright autumn morning, she had skipped into the living room carrying a crateful of her latest pieces fresh from the kiln, to spy a familiar dark-robed figure leaning over Val's egg nestled in its bassinet she had stopped cold, the crate slipping from her suddenly nerveless fingers to crash loudly onto the floor. The man neither looked up nor flinched at the sudden noise; he remained bent predatorily over the basket, one arm folded casually behind his back, the other-
No. Please no-
His fingers were curled, claw-like, as he reached towards the fragile object. In her mind's eye Filia saw a dozen different scenarios of how her world would truly, finally end; the egg and the basket both bursting into black flame, him licking the blood and albumen off his fingers as he leered at her, maybe he would even just forgo the dramatics and opt to simply incinerate both her and the entire house to ensure the job was well and truly done-
No please not this please Lord Valbazard helpusnotlikethispleasenono
Darkstar had been the mere tip of the iceberg. It was nothing compared to standing in the door to your living room, watching as the Beast himself crushed your last hope at absolution, and knowing, feeling in your gut that there is nothing, nothing you could do to prevent this and ohgodsnovali'msosorry-
Even through the material of his glove Xellos' fingernail made a soft tink! as he tapped gently against the surface of the egg's outer shell. He smiled disarmingly at the small glowing sphere, examining it closely from behind his squinting eyes. Behind him Filia sucked in a sharp breath, resulting in a rather painful sounding gasp. Xellos straightened finally and turned to face her, his countenance impish and innocent.
"Ah! Miss Filia, there you are! How wonderful it is to see you again."
Filia remained frozen where she was, impotent with both fear and rage at his sudden appearance. Her hands were trembling; she clenched against the material of her dress, hating herself for her weakness.
Xellos cocked his head to the side, his eyebrows shooting up to disappear behind the dark fringe of his hair. "Oh my, did I come at a bad time? I was just in the neighbourhood and thought it would be awfully rude of me not to drop by to see an old friend..."
"G-get away from him."
He blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" She moved so fast that the mazoku had to teleport out of her way lest she trample him, snatching up the egg and clutching it to her breast in a last, desperate attempt to protect it. Xellos re-appeared a moment later, a little more ruffled than he had been a few seconds ago.
"Is that any way to treat a former comrade? And here I was thinking that you had at least managed to improve your manners..."
"I won't let you kill him, you filth!" She shrieked, her voice high and thin. She was backing away from him now, crushing shards of pottery underfoot. "I'll use everything at my disposal to stop you! I swear it on my life!" It was an empty threat of course, she knew it, and damned if she wasn't sure that beast knew it as well. But the tiny life cradled in her hands was all she had left. She would die a thousand times over to preserve it if she had to.
Xellos looked positively miffed, his smooth, boyish face twisted into a grimace. "What a scene you're making, Miss Filia, and over something so trivial! It seems that your ignorance and your stupidity know no bounds!" He stepped towards her then, his expression intent, and she screamed, the sound so piercing that even he recoiled from it.
"Now see here-"
"GET OUT!" She repeated the words over and over again like a mantra, as if hoping the sheer force of will behind them alone would stop him. Xellos sniffed indignantly, the corner of his mouth twitching with barely suppressed rage.
"Well then, I guess I'll just come back when you're in a more...hospitable mood."
He vanished seconds before Jillas burst into the room, panting and terrified. At the sight of him she curled up on the floor where she was and began to weep.
She fared a little better when he re-appeared to her again, just short of a year after his last visit. By then Val had emerged from his shell and was behaving as most new-borns do, except for the fact that he was a dragon, and as such had entered the world in a much more advanced state than the typical human baby. Filia was just sitting down to feed him lunch when a crackle of dark magic caused her to whirl around with a shriek lodged halfway in her throat, because she knew without seeing who had just intruded into her life. Again.
The mazoku just stood there, his eyes and his lips both turned upwards into a smile.
"Hello again."
She moved to block the infant from his line of sight. She could feel her palms begin to grow sweaty.
"What do you want, Xellos?"
"To see if your manners have improved. So far I'd say we're doing much better than last time, wouldn't you agree?" He slid easily down onto the chaise lounge and flicked one wrist gracefully. Two delicate china cups complete with saucers and a steaming teapot materialized on the smooth polished surface of her coffee table.
"Tea?"
Behind her Val burbled nonsensically, chewing on one of the pieces of meat she had softened and cut up for him. She felt her heart drop into her stomach as Xellos opened one eye and leaned back against the lounge, peering at the child, his expression unreadable.
"My, my." He clicked his tongue, the sound almost seeming to reverberate through the entire room. "He's a lot less...inanimate than when I saw him last, isn't he?"
She reached down and quickly snatched up the child; Val for his part began to whine in protest at having his lunchtime so rudely interrupted, but quieted almost immediately when he spied the strange new person sitting on the lounge. He stared unashamedly at the priest as the very young are wont to do, and Xellos clicked his tongue again.
"Really, Filia. Put the child down and let him eat. He's not going anywhere, and you can sit here and keep an eye on him while we have a spot of tea, yes?"
His voice still had that singsong, lilting quality he adopted so often when he wanted to disarm someone, but underneath the sweetness there was something darker, more authoritative. It wasn't a request or an invitation. It was a command.
Sit down here and have some tea. NOW.
Filia hesitated, weighing the options in her mind. She had no hope in heaven or earth of ever defeating him in a confrontation, and escaping from him would also be nigh impossible. The best she could do was to acquiesce to his strange request and hope that the reason for his impromptu visit simply was an excuse to have tea and rile up her emotions.
But, as she well knew, Xellos always had a darker purpose.
She swallowed thickly and put Val back into his chair and then slid onto the lounge beside the priest, keeping as much distance between their bodies as humanly possible whilst still being seated. From his high chair Val cooed, and Filia cast a fearful glance back at him.
Xellos was, for his part, either intensely enjoying her anxiety, or was purposefully ignoring it. Probably the former, she thought darkly, watching as he poured the tea into one of the delicate cups and handed it to her. Filthy beast.
He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, looking perfectly comfortable and at ease, as if having afternoon tea someone who was supposed to be a hated enemy was a common occurrence for him. He sipped daintily from his cup and smiled at her. The clock on the far wall ticked away monotonously. Outside birds chittered at one another as they went about their simple, instinctual lives. Val let out a tiny burp, and then continued to gobble down his lunch. Filia's teeth began to ache; she realised with belated surprise that she had been grinding them for the past five minutes.
Finally the silence became too oppressive. "What is it you really want, Xellos?"
He lowered the cup slowly, gently setting it into its saucer. That infuriating smile grew wider until his lips parted, revealing a set of perfectly even, dazzling white teeth. Filia shuddered; this was what always disturbed her the most about him. Not his power or his cruelty, but his beauty. A soul as twisted as his should, by all rights, have an outward appearance that reflected such evil, but Xellos' physical form was so damned flawless it was...frightening, almost inhuman.
Filia knew that if she hadn't already been attuned to sense the presence of mazoku, she would have been utterly bewitched by him moments after their first meeting. It was that realization that terrified her the most.
Xellos tilted his head at her, making him look irritatingly endearing. "You look a little wrung out, Filia. Has the stress of motherhood been getting to you?"
Filia snarled, her full pink lips curling back to reveal her draconic fangs. "The only reason I'm wrung out, Xellos, is because of you." In the back of her mind she was dimly aware of the fact that her snappish remarks were unwise; Xellos was no longer under any obligation not to harm her, as he had undoubtedly been during the DarkStar campaign, so igniting his anger would be, in hindsight, a rather foolish thing to do. Xellos had patience in spades, but even he had a limit.
Unfortunately for Filia, she had already reached hers.
"I want you out of this house, monster."
He sighed airily, completly ignoring her demand. "And here I was thinking that you'd finally learned to be a little more tolerant. I see now that I was sadly mistaken." He shook his head reproachfully; Filia was sure that she felt a few of the silken strands tickle her cheek. "Just what kind of mother do you think you will be to poor little Val if you can't even practice basic civility with an old comrade?"
The comment struck a raw nerve deep within her conscience. You disgusting-you have no right!-
She lurched to her feet with a short, bitten off scream. From his high chair, Val began to cry, upset at the sudden, unpleasant noise. Filia didn't hear him, could not hear him, because her mind was overflowing with terrified rage, her memories flashing before her in stark,bloody images; the slaughtered Ancients, the Elder's uncaring, impassive face, and Xellos. Always, it was always him. XELLOS!
"You have no right to judge me!" The porcelin teacup shattered easily between her fingers. Pain raced up her nerves as her hands were simultanesly scalded by the hot liquid and gouged by shards, but she continued on regardless, pouring her fear and her anguish onto him, knowing that he was no doubt gleefully lapping up every delicious moment of it, like a housecat licking cream from a broken glass.
"You don't even know what it is to love another being! To cherish them! How can a creature such as you even begin to comprehend..." She trailed off uncertainly as he stood and suddenly clasped her bloodied hands between his own, a gesture that could almost be mistaken for tenderness.
"Oh Filia." He turned her hands over gently, looking at the shredded flesh of her palms. "What a silly little dragon. Only you could come up with such marvellous theatrics." Then, to her utter horrified astonishment, he lifted her right palm and pressed his lips against it.
Filia shivered. His lips (oh gods save me) were impossibly soft as he kissed the torn, ragged skin, his tongue hot as he lapped leisurely at the wound, soothing away her pain and discomfort.
"Xellos..." She moaned, horrified at the wavering, pleasured tone of her voice. "S-stop..."
"Hm?" He lifted his head slightly, eyes glittering out from underneath dark bangs. A bright pearl of blood (dragon's blood) clung to his full bottom lip. "You want me to stop?" He switched his attention to her other hand, placing an open-mouthed kiss upon it. "You don't sound so sure."
"I..." She could barely form the words, transfixed by the vision before her and the liquid pleasure beginning to pool in her groin. It was blasphemous, sinful and wrong. But, Ciephied forgive her, it felt so right. She hadn't experienced such clarity of feeling in what seemed like an eternity. She wanted to fall into it, to let it consume her, to drown in the maelstrom of wanton desire and selfish, carnal fulfilment.
Behind her, Val was still crying.
The sound of his wailing was the anchor that kept her from being completely swept under. Gently, slowly, she pulled her hands away from the mazoku's grasp, folding them gingerly against her breast. She swallowed thickly, trying to calm the tremble in her voice.
"I...Val." She halted to clear her throat, and then continued on in what she hoped was a more authoritative tone. "I have to tend to Val. So, if you wouldn't mind..."
If he was disappointed or angered by her rejection he gave no indication. Instead he merely straightened and smiled politely, the facade of the benign trickster smoothly back in place.
"Yes, you're quite right, Miss Filia. The child needs looking after. And besides which..." And here he sighed a little dejectedly, "I should really be getting back myself. Lady Beastmaster probably has a few errands for me to do. So, I shall see you later then, yes?" He bowed low, and then disappeared with a sharp pop!
She stared at the spot where had just been, her hands and her heart still throbbing, the former in pain and the other with...something else.