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

-x- Chapter Twenty-Six -x-

And the clouds above more closer...

Looking so dissatisfied...

And the ground below grew colder...

As they put you down inside...

But the heartless wind kept blowing, blowing...

-x- "Valentine's Day"- Linkin Park -x-

Filia couldn't help but stand in awe before the waters. She had never seen the beach on this island till now, and it was inescapably beautiful. A sort of breath taking beauty that made her heart catch in her throat as her eyes drank in the site of the ocean in awe.

The indigo sea reflected the navy sky in all it's starry-eyed glory, as the overlapping hue of the astral realm painted both the sea and sky in a dancing violet and rose luminescence.

"I…" Filia breathed, holding a hand to her breast unable to look away. "I've never seen anything quite like this. How can something that feels so dark look so painfully beautiful?"

"It's because it's so dark." He replied quietly, hanging back a few feet to take in the picturesque poetry of her taking in his world. "This island exists both in the astral realm and the human realm. The over lapping is what makes it differ, if it was in either world it would look just like any other astral or human isle."

"Yes." She whispered softly, turning back and tilting her head with a little smile. "I suppose I knew that, but I guess I just wanted to hear you say it."

Xelloss stared at her, his eyes sliding open despite remaining seemingly expressionless as he appraised her.

"What is it, Xelloss?" She asked, frowning worriedly as she tried desperately to read those ancient and knowing eyes that for once seemed almost blank.

No, not blank, this was a look of taking in far too much.

"What are you thinking, Xelloss?" She whispered, stepping towards him unconsciously as she held his gaze curiously.

Xelloss said nothing, watching with an almost fearful mix of awe and bemusement as her curiosity continued to pull her subconsciously closer to him.

What was he thinking?

What had he been thinking?

How in chaos was this still working?

"I'm thinking about fate, I suppose." He muttered dryly, reaching out and tracing her face with his hand, that blank expression still alighting his eyes as he peered deep within her azure depths to regions unknown.

"Fate?" Filia whispered, her heartbeat quickening under his touch as memories of this morning and the many times before that he had touched her reverberated in her mind. This was different then last time though, he was different.

Why then, was she not scared?

Why then was she almost… hopeful?

"I am not human, Filia." He muttered wanly, pulling her into his arms and tracing her jaw-line with his thumb watching and tasting every flicker of emotion this movement caused, drinking them in no matter how small. "But perhaps, I'm not so immune to a certain madness that seems to overtake them."

"Wha…" Filia breathed, unable to keep herself from closing her eyes to his touch.

"What sort of madness?"

"The madness of wanting to possess whatever we want no matter what the cost." He whispered in a pained tone, Filia gasped as his other hand slipped up to the bare flesh of her back. "What more is there to fate then that? A path of burning desire that ends in pyre of self-destruction?"

"Sometimes." Filia breathed, forcing open her flushed gaze to meet his meaningfully. "But sometimes that same desire burns away impurities till only your true soul remains."

Xelloss smirked, laughing softly and tilling her chin to peer even deeper into those eyes that were never quite innocent enough. "Still, in the end is death, Filia. Even for ones such as us."

"Then what are you so afraid of?" She asked in soft whisper, unable to keep herself from gently tracing the worried lines of his face. "Fading out of existence pure, and with what you want?"

Xelloss smirked, leaning in close. "Of course. How silly of me. If we could accomplish that, then we would be far to legendary to ever truly die."

"We?" Filia whispered, suddenly coming back to herself, now that is was far too late to escape.

Now that she couldn't even begin to want to.

"We." He replied huskily, his lips finding hers.

Filia gasped softly, her eyes flying wide but then closing again, her hands tightening behind his neck, one snaking needily into his hair as the other grasped his shoulder with equal fervency.

The kiss was not one of romance, but one of a nearly feral vehemence as Xelloss released all of his held back hunger, which she eagerly received.

Both were tired of worrying over what was right or wrong, they were finally content to only concern themselves with what was.

And that, was that there was something here between them. Perhaps there always had been; and it didn't seem as though it was going to fade anytime soon.

Certainly not tonight as they fell back into the sand, their writhing forms of dark and light bathed in moonlight and the dancing rose and violet of a world not quite evil and not quite sane.

A mad world seemingly made for them that they were blissfully ignorant of as they took to discovering each other.

It seemed as though hours had passed when they finally broke apart, Filia pulling back first as she panted desperately for air.

Xelloss watched her try and compose herself, her face flushed her eyes haunted and wanting. All this from a simple series of kisses, he couldn't help but run over the images in his mind of what it would be like when they crossed even the next boundary.

He had no idea what this was, but he was quite certain he'd kill anything that thought they could keep him from it.

Filia stared up at him helplessly, unsure what she wanted, terrified of the regret that was sure to come tomorrow. Or even worse, the longing that might some with it…

Was Xelloss like some potent drug?

If she took too many doses would she ever be able to quit?

She didn't want too, did she?

Why wasn't she frightened by that?

She let out a sad little laugh, collapsing back into the sand and holding out a hand to him.

"I think we're doomed." She whispered, holding his gaze as he slipped his hand into hers, pulling it close.

"You see?" He whispered wanly, placing a little kiss to it with calculating precision, unable to keep from smirking at her pained moan.

"It's fate."