Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Slayers. I did just order all five movies though! I'm so excited!
Note from Author: This is my first fanfic ever, be gentle! Also I'm going to apologize in advance, my spelling and grammar is not the best, be warned!
This means a future character is talking or whatever.
Chapter 6- Dinner and Goodbye's?
"Tell me again why the screen is blank?" Lina asked as she stared at the screen
"I think the screen is blank because his "Master" is taking part in something not suitable for all ages." Xelloss grinned wildly, looking at the lump hidden under the blanket besides him. He didn't need to see her to feel, and taste, the embarrassment Filia was letting off. He laughed out loud, still, if this future was true, that would be twice in one day, he grinned to himself.
"Glad to see someone is pleased with themselves." Nexus said testily.
"Good gods Filia." Lina said over the couch. "It's still really weird to think of you with Xelloss." Filia threw the blanket off of her glaring up at Lina. "I'm not!" she shrieked.
"Well not yet anyway." Zelgadis replied.
"Oh Fi-Chan, Loosen up babe!" Xelloss said wrapping his arm tightly around the dragon. "It was bound to happen eventually anyway. Well, with my good looks, a charismatic personality, and your need to depend on someone, your violent nature, you needed a strong partner that could live through a day with you." He grinned.
"M-Miss Filia?" Amelia said fearfully, staring at the flames coming off of Filia.
"Na- Na-" She trembled, causing Xelloss to look down at her curiously. Her head snapped up, her eyes completely red, laser breath on the tip of her tongue. "NAMAGOMI!"
"Whoa Filia! Calm down!" Zelgadis jumped up as Filia began shooting laser breath around the room, which magically healed it's self, but he doubted the same thing would happen to a person. Zelgadis ran up to her and splashed water on the Dragoness, who blinked in horror and raised her hands to her mouth. "What did I just do?"
"Filia," Lina spoke calmly, "WHAT THE HELL?"
"Wasn't she wonderful?" Xelloss laughed enjoying the chaos, "That's my girl."
Zelgadis hit his head with the pale he found the water in, as Lina groaned. Gourry looked at each of their faces then smiled. "I think they're cute together." He said giving his blessing.
"Gourry, how can you take a terrible situation, and make it worst in five words?" She asked her vain on her forehead pulsing. Gourry looked down at Lina confused. "What? Do you disagree?"
"Yes Gourry, I completely Disag-" Lina paused looking at Xelloss and Filia, "WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR ARM AROUND HER?" She shouted scratching her head franticly.
"Miss Lina seems to be frazzled." Amelia said sadly, as she took the pale away from Zelgadis, which could no longer be recognized as a pale.
"When you all are ready, I will resume, of course I will skip forward the parts we don't want to see." Nexus said, drawling everyone's attention. Quickly everyone returned to the long couch. Xelloss, who ended up getting a seat between Filia and Lina, reached over Filia, to Zelgadis, "Popcorn?" he asked innocently, his arm grazing Filia's chest.
"No thanks." Zelgadis replied, as Filia hit Xelloss with her mace her vain on the verge of exploding, taking the popcorn from him. The magic screen began again.
Filia, was placing things on the top of Xelloss desk, that had appeared to fallen off. Whoops.
She sighed quietly.
"What's the matter?" Xelloss asked from behind, wrapping his arms around her. She looked around the room, and replied, "I was just thinking of how to tell Odile I'm leaving tonight." Filia replied saddened.
"How do you do it?" she breathed, turning in Xelloss embrace. "How do you find the strength to leave every time?"
"Well first,-" he stated tapping her nose. "I enjoy my job, plus I like to please Lord Beastmaster." He said. She frowned at this answer, which was not helping her. "I am also use to doing it, since I have done it ever since I was created." He continued.
"But, it helps, to know when I return, you will be there waiting." He finished, as she smiled warmly at him."Has it been a lot easier, since you began controlling your emotion fix?" she asked.
"Since Nexus revealed how Monsters can feed off positive emotion?" He asked, as she nodded her head.
"The thing is, Lord Zelas at least, kind of figured that one out already. It was harder then it seemed to practice something like that." He said thoughtfully out loud. "But I try, and when I come home, sometimes your happiness catches me by surprise and I can't defend against it." He grinned at her, as he sat down in his desk chair, sitting her on top.
"But eventually, I will learn how to control it. And then we will have no boundaries." He grinned up at her.
"It was hard for me when Odile was born." She said quietly. "To control my happiness."
"You did wonderfully." He smiled at her, his soft amethyst eyes locked on to her clear blue ones. "And now, she is learning from Lord Zelas, to feed of positive emotions as well." Filia stiffened, then slowly, tears began to spill over her eyelashes on to her red dress.
"Filia?" Xelloss asked confused.
"I-It's just; Zelas gets to spend so much time with her. I am better at controlling my emotions around her; it never seems to bother Odile anymore, so why-" She sniffed, "Why can't I be around her more?"
Xelloss sighed not knowing how to gently answer this question. He gave Filia a few moments to collect herself. "You know that if your mission is successful, Lord Zelas will begin to send you out on more missions." He told her, she looked at him and nodded her head. "I figured that."
"Well, if anything were to happen to me or you, isn't it a good thing to know that someone like Beastmaster will be watching over her?" He asked, avoiding her original question. Filia's eyes widened, and then said, "Your right."
"Eventually I will not be around, and Zelas will always be there for her." She reasoned. Xelloss looked at her apprehensively, "We'll I did mean it like that silly."
"But it is true; my time comes closer to an end every day. Either I am slain in battle, or I die of old age, eventually I will be gone." She said bluntly, brushing her hand on his face. "I am not immortal."
"Filia, you're not going to die any time soon." Xelloss said seriously then broke in to a big cheesy smile. "You can't escape me that easily." He said as he pulled her closer to him. Even though he was joking with her, there was an edge to his tight embrace. Suddenly she sat up straight, causing him to release his embrace.
"Alright, no more frowny faces." She said, even though he was smiling, "We haven't had everyone together in over six weeks! Let's have some family time before we leave this evening!" she declared. Xelloss grinned, scooping her up, and phased.
They appeared in a large room where, Odile and Haleron were in full out study mode. Odile, had a stack of large books in front of her, a pen in her hand, drool falling out her mouth. Odile's expression was fierce, as she slept on the top of Haleron's extended arm, who was also deep asleep.
"They are real overachievers." Giggled Xelloss, as Filia, grabbed the edge of the table, lifting it up, letting it drop to the ground. This startled the two, waking them. She looked down at them unpleasantly. Odile rubbed her eyes and looked up at her mom. "What was that for?" she yawned.
"It would seem you two are done studying for the day." Filia said glaring down at the both of them. "So I will be taking Odile for the evening." Odile's face brightened up and looked at her parents. "Really! Are we going to spend time together? All of us?" she asked merrily.
"Yes ma'am!" Xelloss replied to his enthused daughter. She jumped up in to his arms smiling widely. "Well what are you waiting for? Let's go!" She smiled happily, looking down at Haleron, "Be prepared to tell me your secret tomorrow!"
The three of them phased to a large library, where Val was looking over a book, with Dexi sitting next to him, also engrossed in a large volume. He looked up at his family and sighed out loud. "Let me guess, family time?" he said putting his book on the table.
"That's right mister." Filia said to her son. Val looked at them for a second then looked down at Dexi.
The red-head smiled at him warmly. "I think I'm going to hangout in here for a little longer, so I'm gonna skip out this time."
"You don't have to." Filia said to her.
"No really, lots of things to research for the boss lady." She waved her hand egging them to leave. Val shook his head at her before he bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Ow." She responded to the affectionate gesture, as she waved her hand too Val as he walked over to his mother and grabbed her hand. Then they all phased away.
They appeared in one of the many kitchens at Wolfpack Island. The kitchen seemed deserted at the time.
"Hm, that's odd." Filia said looking around the kitchen. "Nobody is here."
"Maybe we should try another one?" Val said, not seeing any one.
"That's silly." Xelloss grinned, causing Filia's body turn to ice, knowing what was coming next. "We can just make dinner ourselves." He grinned rolling his sleeves up.
"There is no way I'm eating anything you make." Filia said in a dead serious voice. "Your "cooking" Is a lost art of potion making, to kill even the toughest of foes."
Xelloss looked at her in shock. "And I thought I hid it so well." He pouted.
"Maybe it would be fun if we all cooked together!" Odilia said joyfully.
"I'm not interested." Val said, sitting down. Filia sighed and walked into the kitchen and looked at the stuff that was in there. "What is everyone hungry for?"
"Meat."
"Pasta."
"Chocolate!"
Filia's vain popped as she stared at her family, ok, since Odilia was still young, she craved meat a lot. She got that. Getting an idea from Val was usually futile, so for once, his idea seemed to be welcomed, she reasoned then she glared at Xelloss."
"We are not, having chocolate for dinner. It might not matter what YOU put in your black void, but my babies need real food to help them grow." She mothered.
"I'm full grown man." Val defended dully.
"I can eat whatever I want." Odile reasoned, which was true, she seemed to have a habit every now and then to eat mass amounts of food, and it had no effect on her whatsoever.
"What kind of pasta did you have in mind Val?" Filia said ignoring them as they teamed up against her.
"How about spaghetti with meatballs?" Val replied. Odilia smiled brightly and added. "I will make desert!"
"Ok, Val, you're going to make salads and drinks, Odile, you can use that kitchen to make whatever you want, Xelloss-" She glared. "You can wait here." She said stiffly turning to make the spaghetti.
Xelloss pouted and decided to follow Filia in to the kitchen anyway.
"Don't think you're going anywhere near the food." She said sharply. "I still haven't forgotten that time you made me "cupcakes" eight hundred years ago!" she said bitterly.
"Aw, I worked so hard on them! They were gold and purple remember?" he reminded her.
"I remember spending a lot of money replacing the table you sat them on, after they charred the finish and ate through it." She said sourly.
Xelloss giggled gleefully at the memory, as she pulled a box of pasta strings down. She placed a big pan on top of the stove, and filled it with water.
"So, how are we going to tell them?" He asked after a few minutes of waiting on the water to boil. She sighed and turned to him. "Well, Val knows I'm leaving already at least." She said.
"Odile with be upset." He said, "That will be inevitable."
"I know that." Filia whispered.
"She will be fine." He added.
Filia poured the pasta strings in the pot, and began to stir them apart. "I know that too."
She walked over and grabbed some meat and began making meat balls, "Will you stir the noodles, GENTLY." She commanded. Xelloss walked over the the pot of wet noodles. He grinned evilly, and began to stir the pasta.
"You know, this would taste great with -"
"No." She replied, not even wanting to know what he was thinking, keeping an eye on him at all times. He smiled as she continued her work. When she finished her meatballs and put them in the oven she began making the sauce, as he continued to stir the noodles.
"What exactly did Lord Zelas tell you?" Filia asked quietly.
"She told me that you're going to represent all living things, asking for information on Domink, and search for a way to heal Rufus." He said quietly back. "Is there more?"
Filia sighed, so Zelas didn't tell him the whole truth. "I swore not to tell." She whispered sadly.
"Then you can't." He replied simply.
"Is it hard for you?" she asked.
He grinned devilishly. "Always, when I'm with you."
"Namagomi, I meant not being ever to tell me the whole truth, about all of your missions."
"Sometimes I am thankful for it." He said, stirring the pasta thoughtfully.
"What does that mean?" she asked displeased.
"Filia, even though we have moved forward more than anyone ever could have hoped to, I am still a monster." He said not looking up.
Filia looked down at her tomato sauce thinking of what he just admitted. Of course she knew that half the missions he went on, she would not have been happy about them. Not sharing was better than knowing in some ways. On the other hand, that just meant she was overlooking who he was. She knew that he, and everything her life was now, was against everything she ever was in the past. But, not knowing about it, made if feel ok, made it feel like it was alright.
"It is hard not knowing what you're going out to do. It is hard for me to know that where you are going, I cannot watch over you, or protect you." He said breaking the silence, causing her to smile as tears weld in her eyes. Typical Xelloss, saying something that makes her second guess herself and then, follow up with something so unexpected and so, so pure. Then the weight of his words crashed down on her. Cut off. She was going to be completely cut off from him.
She dropped her sauce spoon as she felt the weight of terror and fear take over her. Of course Xelloss will not be there for her. Even though she doesn't like to be a damsel in distress, at least she always knew that somehow some way, if she was in trouble, he would always be there for her. This time, if he were to somehow be needed, and appeared, he would ruin the whole plan Zelas had set up, not to mention lose their chances of finding out what the dragons were up to. And Filia was their only way to do this peacefully.
"How long will we be apart this time?" She whispered out loud.
Xelloss keep silent as Filia, finished her sauce, with a clean spoon, and mixed the noodles and meatballs together with the meal. He could feel the uncertainty in her heart, and the fear she felt. He knew that he wasn't allowed to follow her on her mission, and he knew whatever Zelas was planning, he would not like it. This is why his wise master had not shared this information with him. His mission was more of a distraction from Filia than anything, he knew that, and he respected his master's plan and trusted her and Filia enough to know what had to be done, needs to be done. But that didn't make things easier.
"It's ready." She said dully looking at the meal, with a sudden loss of appetite. That will not do, he decided. This would be the last time they were all together for a long while, and she would regret it if she spent it moping around.
"I guess it will do, but if it were me, I would have added some peppers and more spices in the meat." He criticized, looking down at them meal disapproving. "The meat balls could have been bigger too."
Instead of getting upset, Filia knew what he was doing, and grabbed him, pulling herself on to him and began to weep in his chest. Xelloss held her close, tasting her pain, getting HIS dinner. She sure had been crying a lot today. She must have been holding it in since she learned her mission. He pulled her from him slightly, raising her chin with his hand. "Filia," He spoke gently. "Everything is going to be ok."
She looked up at him with red eyes, snot running down her nose, he would had giggled out loud at her, if he didn't respect the sensitiveness of the situation. He handed her a napkin to allow her to adjust herself. Then when she cleared her face up, he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't a passionate kiss, full of need; instead it was completely for her, to comfort her, to gently tell her, that he was there for her, that he wanted her to feel at ease. He felt her fear and worry ebb away, and when they broke a part, she had a faint blush on her checks. He tenderly kissed her forehead, and then said, "No more frowny faces." He repeated her statement back to her. She looked back at him, smiling a genuine smile, making him feel a pang of pain. This was pure joy, pure love; and his untrained Mazoku soul, could not defend against it.
"Alright." She replied grabbing the pot of spaghetti. "This is our last evening together, I want happy memories to think about while I'm away." She said walking out to the dining room. Xelloss sighed sadly, and then looked up at her sharply. Filia, he thought, you have no idea what you do to me.
He joined her out in the dining room, along with Val, who was immersed in a book, and had a salad bowl sitting in the middle of the table, and a pitcher of iced tea. He had even gone through the trouble of setting out the plates. Filia walked over to him and kissed his forehead, causing the ancient to blush. "Mom! Cut that out."
"I can't help it; I have the most wonderful son." She said on the verge of choking up. But she kept it together as she sat the dinner on the table. Odilia came in to the room, with a white apron on over her orange dress, which was spotless.
"It should be done in twenty more minutes." She replied sitting down.
"What is it?" Xelloss asked excitedly.
"A Surprise!" she said happily. Unlike Xelloss, Odilia was very good at cooking.
Filia passed the Salad around, as Val poured tea for everyone. Filia felt very happy. It was like a perfect picture of the family she always wanted. Perfect, at least on the outside.
They enjoyed their dinner together, talking about the things Odile had been learning with Zelas and Haleron, and Xelloss entertaining everyone with a story of a peddler he met on his previous mission that tried to sell him holy artifacts to ward off demons.
When the plates had been cleared, left for the staff to clean, because they were too lazy, Odilia appeared with four, hot chocolate soufflé's. All were perfectly made.
When they were almost done, Filia decided it was time.
"There is something your father and I, need to talk to you to about." She began. Xelloss and Val looked up at her apprehensively, as Odile looked at her mom in suspicion.
"After dinner, we will both be leaving on separate missions for Lord Zelas and neither of us are sure when we will be returning." She said solemnly.
"You're both leaving?" Val asked in alarm.
"Mommy why?" Odile said sadly, looking at Filia with her bright amethyst eyes searching for an answer.
"Lord Beastmaster has a mission only I can do." Filia told her. "And I care about her and I want to make Lord Zelas happy."
"I love her too mommy," Odilia said, her eyes filling with tears. "I want her to be happy. But what will I do without you?" she said, taking Filia by surprise. Filia's eyes filled with tears, and held her arms out for her daughter, as she wrapped her arms around her tightly.
"Mommy is wondering the same thing." she whispered to the girl, her bright blue eyes shining, "I love you very much."
Odilia looked from Filia to Xelloss, "Father, will you be gone for a long time again?" She asked sadly.
"I will, but I will be able to stop back anytime you need me." He said winking at her. "You only need to call for me with your mental link we practiced."
Odilia concentrated really hard, and sent to Xelloss mind, I love you daddy.
Xelloss smiled back at her. "And I as well."
"Val," Filia said looking down at her son, "I trust you to take care of things while I am gone." She said looking at him motherly. "I have faith in you."
"Of course mom." The man said.
Filia stood up releasing Odilia, "I only have ten minutes before I leave." She stated, looking at them sadly. "I will expect a hug from all of you, when I return." She said, "So I have something to look forward to while I'm away." She stated.
She stared at each of them, Odilia's eyes full of tears, smiling bravely, Val, looking at her with worry and confidence, she would remember this, showing her the true hearts of her children, and Xelloss, his eyes wide open, emotions she couldn't place behind his fierce gaze, but she translated them as, Filia go, Filia Stay, Filia, my love.
She smiled at them and bowed her head to them. "I love you all. I will return successful." She said turning to walk out of the room.
"Filia," Xelloss called after her. She turned to look at him, feeling her resistance to cry crack. "Yes?"
"If you are in a situation, where your life is in danger, do not hesitate to slay your enemy. I know how you are, and you're merciful to a fault. You will return to us, and you will return whole." He said fiercely. She looked in to his eyes for a long second, swallowed, and nodded her head, then walked out of the door.
She phased to Zelas room, where Salvia, Daemon, Kurokei and Zelas were waiting on her. Her face was masking the sadness and fear inside her, which of course each monster in the room could feel. But they either ignored it, or feed off it silently because nobody said anything about it.
Zelas stood in front of them, her light orange hair like dawn, as it curled around the frame of her face, then cascading down her back. She had a Egyptian style clothes on, with gold bangles on her hands and feet, the white fabric of her clothes, covering only what it needed to concealed, leaving the rest of her sporty, tall body showing. She held a long thin cigarette holder, with a lit cigarette, her deviant eyes sweeping over the strange gathering of two dragons, her gate keeper, and her human relation counselor.
"We are all here now, shall we begin?" Zelas spoke in her deep, rich voice, taking a drag of her cigarette.
Amelia blew her nose loudly, wiping the tears from her eyes as she watch the lifetime story unfold in front of her eyes. "How sad m-miss F-Filia!" she sobbed.
Zelgadis patted her back hesitantly as she weep irrationally, even though it was slightly cute.
Lina looked at Filia in anger, "I want one of those chocolate things!" she yelled at the dragoness, as if she had been holding out on her.
Xelloss was still smiling, with an edge to his grin.
Gourry, had fallen asleep already and was undisturbed by everyone.
Filia looked up at the screen still thinking that it was all fake. It was false, it wasn't real. But then again she thought as she touched her face wiping away the wetness that had trailed down her check; it was very hard to look away.
"Now, this is where your answers begin." Nexus said, "On to the Fire Dragon Temple."
here...