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


-x- Chapter Four -x-

I woke up in a dream today…

To the cold of the static and put my cold feet on the floor.

Forgot all about yesterday…

Remembering I'm pretending to be where I'm not anymore. A little taste of hypocrisy…

And I'm left in the wake of the mistake slow to react…

Even though you're so close to me…

You're still so distant…

And I can't bring you 's true the way I feel…

Was promised by your face…

The sound of your voice…

Painted on my memories…

Even if you're not with me, I'm with you...

-x- "With You"- Linkin Park -x-


Filia smiled serenely, stepping into the kitchen the sight there violently wrenched the soft reaction from her features.

"Jilias..." She whispered horror-struck, her pulse quickening as she took a small step back. "Gravos..."

They were there, sitting at the table with plates of breakfast and drinks before them. Sitting there, gray and lifeless, large warped holes in their middles. A small whimper of fear escaped her lips and she took another step back, shaking her head as if to will away the image before her.

"Dead..." She murmured her words sounding far away even to her own ears. "You're both dead..."

As if to protest, both the fox and lizard opened their eyes in unison, reaching for her with worn hands, their now white crusted eyes displaying emotions inconceivable. Filia screamed and whirled away to run, strong gloved hands grabbed her shoulders as Xelloss appeared in her path to block her exit. She wasn't certain what was more frightening, the dead milky-white cataracts of her servants or the malicious amethyst shards that bore through her and into the very depths of her soul.

He smirked, opening those sneering lips of his.

"Wake up, Filia." He stated snidely...



Filia gasped sitting up with a start as she did just that. She still felt his hands on her shoulders and she slapped them away.

Oh, they really had been on her shoulders and she winced warily. However, Xelloss made no reaction, allowing them to fall back to his sides. Calmly he then used one to push himself off the bed and to his feet, the other summoning his staff. Filia swallowed softly, but noted that unlike in her dream his eyes were closed and his smirk appeared more bemused than snide. Of course, he was in a good mood now, wasn't he?

"They're really dead..." She murmured, it sinking in once more and she glanced down at her hands as they began to quiver along with her voice. "And I..."She forced her gaze back to his almost childish amused stance. "And I'm really yours, aren't I?"

"You can panic about that later, for now I have something better for you to get all flustered over!" He replied wanly, offering her a hand as though to help her out of bed.

Filia glared at the hand, twitching despite herself at the thoughtless of both his words and gesture. She twitched harder as it occurred to her there was actually more thought in the both moves than she'd like to admit. Too much, enough to assume he really did know all of her weaknesses. The thought was both terrifying and nauseating.

"Oh?" She bit off haughtily, crossing her arms and hopping to her feet. "And what's that? Gonna tell me all the wonderful ways you intend to put my services to use?"

"No." He replied, a little twitch of his own forming as he smoothed out a wrinkle on his cape. "I'm sure your tiny dragon's mind couldn't even begin to fathom the many deeds I have in store for you! No this isn't one of my requests..."

Filia snorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh! I can imagine quite a few things, thank you very... wait!"

Filia paused, a soft look of horror gracing her features causing Xelloss to smirk merrily. "If it's not yours than..."

"That's right!" He stated happily, spreading his arms grandiosely. "Today is the day you prove yourself to my Mistress!"

The slight bow of his head that he made at her title did not go unmissed by Filia and she found that action irritated her far more than any of his other actions thus far.

"Forget it." She stated darkly, wrenching her head away in disgust. "It's bad enough I have to take orders from you but to take orders from some smelly old mazoku Lord is beyond treason. It's... well it's just plain unseemly."

Xelloss twitched violently and in a flash shoved her against the four-poster bed post. Filia gasped as eyes far more frightening than the ones in her dream bore into her."Juuou-sama is my master..." He stated in a voice as low as it was deadly calm. Filia swallowed nervously, aware of both his gloved hand at her throat and the feel of the carved wood digging into her back. "I, am your master, as such, if you want to continue to live you must prove to Her that you are worthy for if she orders me to kill you, I shall do so without a second thought."

"Understand, Filia?"

Filia nodded, swallowing again, her head now slightly woozy from the lack of oxygen reaching her brain. Idly, it occurred to her that even if she couldn't die; she was going to go through a lot of pain while enlisted in his service. She then wondered further as too how much pain he endured while under Her service.

Xelloss smiled tightly, re-closing his eyes and releasing her calmly. Smile back in place.

"Excellent!" He commended easily, as though she had just performed an incantation correctly for the High Elder and not as though he'd bullied his view into her till she had agreed. "Now, let's go see just what She has in mind!"

He offered her his hand again and she stared at it, her own content to grip at her throat and the other at bed-post behind her. Xelloss arched a brow and fought the urge to grow annoyed, instead opting to grab the wrist of the hand clutching the bed-post and simply phase them into the throneroom before she could protest."Ah." Zelas stated coolly, taking a long and steady drag from her cigarette before letting it out slowly. "So. You are Filia."

Filia swallowed dryly. The mere presence of the being before her was far greater than any she had yet to be in. The aura of this woman her filled her with as much fear as Xelloss' own aura filled her with rage. It was all that she could do to keep from loosing herself in that calm and cutting gaze. As such, when Xelloss pulled her forcefully to her knees she didn't even bother to fight him. In fact she was almost mildly grateful for she was certain that her legs would have soon given out on her if he had not.

Zelas grinned wolfishly, the look in her eyes telling Filia that she knew precisely what she was thinking.

"Yes." She stated coolly, in answer to her own statement. "You are Filia. A Gold amongst Golds, my servant informs me."

Filia blinked turning to Xelloss in shock, searching his face for conformation to his mistress' words. She found none; he didn't even bother to look back at her, his very essence focused entirely on his mistress. Filia turned back to her, a small frown tugging on her features. While she could understand Xelloss' need to be piteous in the face of his master, she would never develop that sort attitude towards him! Forget that...Then again, proper decorum had never really been her strong suit...

Zelas smiled tightly, once she had regained the Golds attention and fingered the stone at her neck tenderly, noting the small gasp Filia made as she realized what it was and the implications tied to it being there. The Greater Beast smiled wider, for the first time since Xelloss had suggested this ludicrous, albeit highly amusing undertaking, she was finally willing to admit he might be onto something. However, first there was first the matter of loyalty to consider...

"I have a mission for you, Little Filia..." She declared softly, continuing to finger the stone as she spoke and Filia found herself unable to look away from the action. "There is something precious to me, well moreso to one of my colleagues, and it has been accosted by a group of rouge dragons serving under the Earth Dragon King... Langould, I suppose you'd prefer me to call him. Apparently, these rouge dragons felt that he wasn't taking action soon enough. Although, knowing Langould's politics I doubt very much he was entirely unaware of his minion's plans. Regardless, he refuses to give me access to them, but I know where they are."

She smiled tightly and Filia met her cold gaze with her own fearful one. "You shall go and retrieve what my friend has lost for me."

"But they're dragons!" Filia gasped, unable to contain her horror and outrage at the thought.

"Perhaps mistress..." Xelloss spoke up delicately, a bit taken aback himself at her boldness. Although greatly impressed and amused to be certain. "Something, oh... smaller... could be arranged?"

"No." Zelas replied sharply, glaring coldly at both of them. "As you pointed out Little Filia, they are dragons. This is a test of loyalty. It can only be done on a scale this great. Besides..."

She laughed throatily. "Well it's not really monsters you're going to have to learn to fight to get your darling foster son back, now is it?"

Filia felt her breath escape her at that and watched in hallow terror as the Greater Beast laughed coldly down at her from up high on her throne. What was worse was Filia knew she was right. Xelloss waited calmly, wondering what the outcome would be. He really hoped he wasn't going to loose his new toy before he even had a chance to take it out of the wrapper. That would such a terrible waste.

"I'll do it..." She whispered, the words sounding scared even to her own ears and she hardened her voice and her gaze, meeting the equally hard gaze of the Greater Beast. "But know this, everything I do for you and your servant I do for my son."

Zelas smiled icily, unable to miss the venom in her tone as she spoke of Her darling Xelloss.

"And you should know this..." She replied softly, each word stalling Filia's heart for just a shiver of a moment. "The only reason you even have a chance to save your son, is because of mine.

"Both Filia and Xelloss froze at this and she smirked, lounging back in her chair and summoning up a glass of wine for herself.

"Xelloss can show you the way..."