Time for your early chapter, as my v-day gift to everyone!
Got some reviews:
Beast Master Zelas: You have no idea how insane Iyzeka really is. ^_^ Actually, I don't believe you are in this chapter . . . sorry . . . but you will be soon! Kendar has his ups and downs. LOL. Once Xellos returns home, you won't be nearly as bored!
Akai, glad that you really liked it . . . finally . . .(sweatdrop) For a while there I thought I'd never win you over completely! ^_^ Yes, Iyzeka will get her revenge . . but not in this chapter . . . lol.
Bob the Insane: Iyzeka is often caught up in things, unfortunately. As to Mu Tsu and training potties, he is . . . (looks at calculator) almost 30 years older than he was then. And he only used it once or twice . . . so I think he's beyond that. Besides, in the fic he *did* say that if Xellos was a competent fighter, Mu Tsu could not under any circumstances use his weapons. Or else Xellos would use his gun, and that would be bad if he shot at Filia. Mu Tsu would have to have some responsibility to be the director of a posh resort. ^_^
Shahrezad: Iyzeka, Iyzeka. She just doesn't know what the real world is like! LOL. Hopefully things will continue to be smooth sailing, writing-wise. I'm definitely writing more lately. ^_^
MDF: You get your website to have *links* to the stories, and I'll put mine on, lol! (hugs) And the teleporter? Or do you mean posting it on the yahoo site? ^_^ E-mail me!
Jadelitfireflies: I always loved your name. And you posed a very good question: In my fanfic, Mazoku were created so that they could feed off of any emotions. It's just social brainwashing that causes them to think they can only feed on negative ones and that positive ones harm them. At the moment, Xellos is still fighting that conditioning, but he's progressed enough that positive ones don't hurt him unless he thinks about them really hard. Thus, on the island when Filia was getting weepy over him, if you go back and look, he gets slightly ill.
Also, this might be of interest to everyone: the reason I believe this and don't consider it to be Alternate Universe is because, in the series, whenever Lina and Gourry were eating, or when Zelgadis was blushing from something Amelia did, or when Amelia was happy, Xellos never got ill. If positive feelings made him ill, he would have died whenever they ate. Yet, when they obviously said nice things, he got sick. Thus my belief that when he consciously thinks about it, it makes him ill. (kind of like someone who is afraid of heights and gets ill from looking down at the ground far below. If they don't think about it, they don't get ill)
As to Amelia, sadly, I probably won't get into that for a little while. But I do intend on it coming up. Let's just say that not everyone was as knowledge-less as Filia or as lacking in the will to care as Xellos. ^_^
Grace, your reviews are very helpful! Though I have to admit, yes, both chapters were something of fillers. If you want chaos, btw, well . . . chaos will be coming soon. Or at least, bad stuff. If the fountain was removed, the stone would eventually gravitate there, but it would take probably another twenty years at the least. What Lon was saying is that it is the second strongest spot for chi. Xellos actually might start to like feeling emotions, but I doubt he will like feeling the bad ones. ^_^ As for Fruits Basket, I've heard of it. I'll try to see it if I get the chance. Your questions are interesting, and I'm glad you asked them. ^_^
Thanks, Aisha and Tbiris for reviewing. Tbiris, I made you laugh and cry! Whee! BTW, CEP isn't convinced that you aren't a Vulcan. (Aliens from Star Trek who have complete mastery of their emotions and are logical and have great common-sense.)
Smishie: Xellos is an idol? ^_^ You wanna be like Xellos? Interesting . . . LOL. Well, since Xellos has a plethora of psychological problems IMO, that's quite the idol you've got there! ^_^ Though I must admit, he's pretty damn cool. Iyzeka just gets more interesting from here on in . . .
Thanks, all, and I hope you enjoy this new chapter, especially for you all!
Love,
Ukchana
Hong Kong, China
June 9th, 2002
Xellos open the door to the helicopter and held out his hand to the blonde standing outside. "Now that you're not trying to kill me, I'll let you in to see all the supplies I got for you," he beamed cheerily.
Rolling her eyes, Filia took his hand and allowed him to pull her up into the machine. "Whatever. So, what did you get?" Excitedly, she turned to the stacks of strapped down wooden crates lined up in the back of the helicopter.
"Well," the black-clothed priest began, "the basics. Canned food, decent clothes of various sizes, medical supplies," he coughed and turned slightly red, glancing away, "feminine products, you know, the necessities that they might not be able to afford."
Tapping her foot and turning a azure glare back at him, the golden-locked dragoness snorted. "Well, good, then. Time for your good deed, 'Zander'," she stated, then smiled and folded her arms across her scarlet blouse. "This ought to be fun, seeing you squirm!"
He merely shook his violet head and turned to head for the cockpit, strangely glad that she was at least slightly approving of his attempt. "I'm not that bad," he muttered, but couldn't keep the joyfulness from his voice. "Anyway, let's get going."
—
Filia nodded and stepped forward, a sudden nervousness coming over her as he began flipping the multitude of dials to begin the engine start-up. "Um, yeah."
"What's wrong?" the demon glanced up as the deep whine of the engine began to rise in pitch.
Chuckling timidly, she inched forward, rubbing her arm. "Oh, nothing . . ."
His brows rose slightly, and he waved her over towards where he sat. "Don't be afraid, I'm a good pilot." Mouth quirking into a gentle smile, he took her hand and drew her nearer to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. The heat of intoxication began again within him as her fear and anger washed over him, almost as if the slightest of emotions became a catalyst for the entire fire to burn anew.
"Hey," Filia protested lightly to his manhandling, but that faded as her azure eyes began to widen even more as the blades hit their highest pitch. "Oh, dear . . ." Hands pallid on his shoulder, she squeezed hard, making him wince.
"Um, Veria, dear, that hurts . . ."
"I can't fly in this," the dragoness began to moan.
Xellos looked up at her, gaze traveling her body, and frowned, logic forcing its way through the heady haze. "Well, no, you can't. You'll freeze. That's why I brought a flight-suit for you!" He hopped to his feet, ignoring the trembling woman who gazed up at him, and marched over to the piles of roped-down crates. "Here, put this on over your clothes, it'll keep you warm."
Eyes huge, the dragoness gaped as he tossed the jump-suit to her, then grabbed it at the last moment. "But . . ."
"Come on."
"Oh, okay." Shakily, Filia shook out the suit, then unzipped it and began pulling it over her clothes. "Stop watching me!" she snapped at him as she tugged it over her hips. "This is embarrassing enough without you staring!"
His feline violet eyes twinkled slightly, but he ducked his head, dark hair swishing as he turned away. "I'm fairly certain we've seen each other in more embarrassing states," he commented smarmily, "not more than two or three days ago, to be exact."
Filia watched in slowly building rage as he sat down at the drivers-seat again. Once she had zipped up the black flight-suit, she stomped up to him and bent over to angrily stick her nose into his face. "After that stunt you pulled," she shouted as he turned to stare at her, "you think you can just—" Her breath caught in her throat when she suddenly realized how near she was to him, and a blaze rushed up her, cheeks reddening. "Um . . ."
—
Xellos glanced down at her mouth, his own lips parting slightly and heat flooding his body. No, no, this isn't what we're supposed to be doing at all! Suddenly, the drug-like feelings sent him into a tail-spin and he found himself unable to even think straight in the slightest. "This is wasting time, we have mongrels to feed," he blurted, then turned back to the instruments, hoping to push her out of his mind. I can't believe I just said that, what's wrong with me?
Floored, Filia's jaw dropped and one hand grasped at her long yellow hair. "What?! MONGRELS?!"
"Just sit DOWN!" he snapped, a hard frown on his face as he began flipping more switches and pressing buttons. Dammit, I'm being so clumsy. Maybe it's because I've been without any significant magic for so long . . . could I be having withdrawal pains? After such an eventful day coupled with the emotional high he'd irresponsibly allowed himself, the thought of shutting down his lust didn't even register within his mind.
"But . . . I . . ." the dragoness stared in shock as Xellos grabbed what looked like a throttle and gradually started to slide it forward. The high-pitched whining began to increase even further, and Filia grabbed the back of his seat desperately. "Ahh, why is it getting louder?!"
"Oh, that's right, you need a flight helmet," he said distractedly, suddenly remembering to suppress his desire. Imbecile! I should have controlled my instincts before. I have to, for Filia's sake. And, if possible, I must find a way to absorb all of this energy as soon as I can. "Too bad mine broke, unless there's another one around here somewhere." Waving her off, he suggested loudly, "Why don't you go back there and look around for them?"
Her eyes saucered and began to fill with tears. "I have towalk around while this is going on?!"
"What?" Xellos cried over the almost deafening scream of the blades. "I can't hear you!" Grimacing in frustration, he glanced around the cabin of the helicopter, eventually looking under his chair. Finally, something starts going right for a change. Raising his head he called to her over the noise, "Here, look under the passenger seat, there's probably a helmet there for you!"
The blonde clutched her ears and stumbled over to the chair; ironic, since the machine wasn't even moving yet. While she rustled under the seat, Xellos pulled the helmet from beneath his chair and waited for the dragoness to find her own.
Rising to her feet, Filia held up her prize a bit too triumphantly, then set about glaring at it. "It's too small!" she yelled.
I was expecting this, the demon mused ruefully. "No, slam it on!" he said, pretending to punch the top of the helmet in his hand.
With an affronted gasp, she held the black orb to her chest and cried, "You PERVERT!"
"NO!" he rolled his purple eyes and shook the flight helmet at her. "The HELMET!"
"We will NEVER use that!" she roared, backing into the door.
His mouth fell open and he almost dropped his helmet. Lips working but unable to form words, Xellos began waving his palm-raised hands up and down, staring at her with incredulous affront.
Glaring back, the long-haired woman shook her hands back and forth in front of her as well, shouting, "WHAT – ARE – YOU – DO - ING?" with every toss of her arms.
"I – DON'T – KNOW," he replied as he flailed his arms wildly in front of him, "SO – SIT – YOUR – ASS – DOWN!"
She stood still as the blades thrummed, glaring at him, then flounced into the passenger seat and began stroking her golden hair haughtily. "Whatever!"
Growling, Xellos stood, walked over and grabbed her helmet from her, then pulled down the speaker control from the inside and covered her saffron head with one hand. "Hold still!" Strangely enough, his own anger seemed to frustrate him so much that it melted through the haze of inebriation to clear his head.
"Hey!"
He set the helmet on the top of her head and began to push. "Keep your neck straight, you shouldn't even need my help to do this!"
Fire sparked in her turquoise eyes, and she slapped his hands away. "Fine, I'll do it myself!"
Peering up at the ceiling, the violet-haired demon tossed his hands into the air and turned away from her to lean against her chair back. "I give up." How unfair. I get all the drawbacks of a marriage with none of the benefits. This mission was doomed from the start.
-Sometimes I wonder about you,— Val glared over at the young demoness walking beside him. They were now alone on the busy streets, just teenage tourists pushing through the throngs around them.
—What do you mean?—her reply returned, and somehow she had found the dragon head again without using any magic that he could sense and was tossing it into the air and catching it. Her tinkling laughter filled the air as the tassels on the beard of the Chinese dragon mask glistened and danced in the afternoon sunlight.
—Well, sometimes I wonder- —
—What my bra size is?— she interjected happily, grabbing the mask a final time and placing it over her maroon head. —I can tell you.—
The lanky youth closed his mouth and slowly forced himself to begin walking again, his skin turning a rosy shade below his thatch of aqua hair. —NO! What I was about to say before you interrupted was—
—It's thirty-two C!— The Chinese dragon nodded at him and began clapping its hands as it started skipping down the street, scaring pedestrians out of its way.
"Dammit!" Flushing heavily, the real dragon sprinted after her, his golden eyes slitting as he forced his way through the startled crowds. "You need to calm down!" he cried in frustration.
"And you need to have more fun!" the dragon-head returned in a muffled female voice as it skipped down the streets of Hong Kong. "Come on, let's go do something interesting!"
Val caught up easily and grabbed her arm, his frustration and annoyance finally reaching the limit. –Now, listen up!— he yelled at her in her mind, and she skidded to a halt and took off the festival dragon head, green eyes wide. –I am unable to have fun because I do NOT WORK the same way that YOU DO.— His thoughts hardened as she turned to look up at him in shock. –I am not a high-energy type of person and I just can't deal with it, especially when there is so much at stake right now for us to succeed. Do you understand?—
She nodded sadly, mouth working, but for naught. "I . . ." Her free arm clutched the foam and plastic construct desperately.
At her flood of sorrow, Valgaav slumped and dropped his teal head. "Let's go back to the hotel and talk, alright?"
Iyzeka nodded again, and, almost hesitantly, touched his hand. –I'm sorry. I . . . I didn't think . . . I thought you were just . . .—
—Annoyed easily? Frustrated by the mission?—
Her burgundy head bobbed miserably, and a few plump tears began to roll down her face as they gradually made their way down the sidewalk.
"Oh, don't cry," he winced and put his arm around her shoulders in an awkward attempt to comfort her. "Listen, it's not that bad, if you could just . . . act differently. . . That sounds stupid," he grimaced and looked away in shame.
—
Iyzeka gazed up at the taller teenager forlornly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, not for me," she whispered. –I'm very sorry, Val,— she told him silently. —I should have realized that you were so unhappy because of my change in attitude.—
—What do you mean, 'not for me'?— he asked after a moment.
They passed a group of street-sellers hawking food and trinkets, and for a moment the afternoon sun glittered on the nearby windows. —Just that I can control how my body uses my energy and what it uses it for. That's one reason I've been eating so much junk food; it has a lot of sugar and fat and fast carbohydrates in it, which this corporeal form can process easily and keep me from getting tired.—
Valgaav nodded, getting more interested already in the discussion. —So I figured, but I'm wondering now if Xellos is aware of that. He never had to go without using magic for very long before.—
—Greater Beastmaster Xellos is more set in his ways and I'm certain he stayed away from junk-food because it doesn't suit his palate,— the redhead spoke calmly, and smiled up at him with a level of peace he'd not seen in her before. –It's already working. I'm channeling it into my brain, speeding the synapses and charging them with the most beneficial energy. I'm also trying to stimulate some endorphins to help my mood, and some depressants to ease the body into a slower heart-rate and curb the adrenaline it's used to.—
Frowning down at her in curiosity, the dragon blinked. –And you're controlling all of this while we're talking?—
—Of course!—she smiled cheerily and began swinging the foam dragon head in her hand back and forth gently. –A body is actually quite difficult for most Mazoku. Only the very powerful can handle all the necessary functions. Controlling all of the chemicals in the brain is actually something that I discovered myself, though. The majority of Monsters with corporeal forms only control the physical aspects, because they still have a mental block about the brain. They don't realize that the body's brain CAN affect their own mental facilities because the spirit form is merely controlling the body through the brain like a puppet. We're housed within the skull,— she poked the side of her head, —and our energies control the brainwaves without even having to try. It's the creation of the body that is so tiresome. So once the Mazoku make the body, they just control it by instinct.—
By this time, they had neared the hotel and began walking up the steps to the doors. —So,— Val put together easily, —you've discovered that you can control the brain intentionally to get better effects.—
—Yes, and it uses practically no extra magic whatsoever.—
—Does Xellos know about this?—
Taken aback, the redhead blinked her large emerald eyes and glanced up at him. —Well . . . I always assumed that he did. He's a genius, really, something that few Mazoku can appreciate . . .—
—At the risk of bruising his ego,— Valgaav told her as they passed through the sliding doors of the Hylton, —I'd suggest you make certain. That would definitely be helpful when he's around my mother . . .—
—I'll mention it to him, then, as long as I know he won't kill me,— she joked, then blinked and spoke aloud. "I'm sorry I acted so badly." Hanging her head slightly again, Iyzeka glanced around the hotel lobby, wondering how exactly to begin. "Do you want to get something to eat? We can at the hotel's restaurant and charge it to your dad," she giggled and mock-curtseyed, holding out the skirt of her azure dress.
"Um," Val flushed slightly, his pleasure radiating like warm sunlight, "sure, I guess."
—I'm sure hungry again!—the demoness beamed as they headed for the swanky dining establishment, passing statuary and plush seats to either sides of them.
The lanky dragon smirked down at her as they found a wide, lushly upholstered booth to sit at. "I guess what the old man doesn't find out until we're back home, won't hurt him."
"Aiiiiieeeee!" Filia screamed into the radio microphone, her keening battling for supremacy with the piercing wail of the rotor.
"Veria, sit down! I can't SEE!"
The helicopter tipped slightly, hundreds of feet in the air, and Xellos freed a hand from the flightstick to shove the helmeted blonde from his lap and into the space on the floor between his chair and the console. "You should really be sitting in your own seat!" the demon commanded angrily, his words transmitted by the short-wave between their helmets.
Tears began to pour out of her eyes as Filia launched herself at his waist, her arms wrapping around his lower back in a death-grip. "Ohhhh, please don't make me go over there! I'm so SCARED!"
A wave of warmth suddenly rushed through Xellos and he studiously avoided looking down, concentrating instead on piloting the craft as they flew towards the outlying villages. "Um, Veria, darling, you probably shouldn't do that." The Mazoku straightened the helmet on his head and clenched his teeth as his 'wife' rested her cheek on his thigh from where she was crunched into the tiny space available. "Really, I mean it." Must try to shut down feelings, he told himself, then winced as his struggles to quell the testosterone proved to be for naught. Dammit . . . it's not WORKING!
The fingers tightened on his waist and he inhaled sharply, his eyes locked on the scenic view below and hands on the flightstick. –Filia . . . What's going on? You're acting very . . . strange.—
A slow, heady sensation began to grow, and with silence being her only answer, Xellos was struck with the realization that it emanated from Filia herself. Blinking, his eyes widened slightly. –Um, Filia . . . am I just hallucinating, or are you getting aroused?—
She jerked a bit, hitting her helmet on the dashboard. Blue eyes gazed up at him, her expression miserable. –Well . . . yeah.— Tears welled up and she began crying softly. –I can't help it, it's hormones. I feel horrible and I can't control myself at all.—
—Well, you are technically at a female dragon's sexual prime,— he teased, then swore silently as she paused and began to sob into his stomach. "Vee?"
"I-" she cried, "I'm never going to have a baby! I'll never get pregnant! I'm at my peak and. . . and . . ." The wailing matched the rotor.
With a self-depreciating sigh, the violet-locked demon patted her back with his free hand, regret sourly twisting his mouth. –Shhh . . . oh, Filia. Come on. It's . . . You . . .— He just couldn't think of anything to say.
—This is as close to married as I'll ever be!— the dragoness sobbed within his mind, tears soaking his flight-suit. —I'll be a spinster for the rest of my life!—
He blinked, gaping as she wept. "I . . . but . . ." —No, no . . . you . . . you won't be.— It didn't seem to do much good, so he kept rubbing her shoulder. –Listen, I told you before that . . . we can find someone, I'll help. There still might be a golden or black dragon somewhere out there and if there is, we can find them.—
—Wouldn't you already know?— she asked suddenly, face still pressed against his thigh.
He crested a forest in frustrated silence, then finally spoke in her mind. –No. The only dragons I've really been at all concerned about in the past six-hundred years have been you and Valgaav. But I can quickly become re-acquainted with their whereabouts. I promise you, Filia,— Xellos dipped his amethyst head, —you won't be alone.—
In the resulting quiet, the Mazoku swallowed against a mouth suddenly dry, strange emotions churning within him. A deep, all-encompassing ache settled into his gut, and his mouth worked fiercely.
What's wrong with me?
Glancing down at the blonde in his lap, he slowly released a long breath, the pain intensifying with every stray consideration. Filia married . . . Filia married . . . married . . .
Xellos' teeth ground together and he glared at the wide field in the distance; their damned destination. Ridiculous. I should be happy for her; I AM going to be happy for her when she finds someone. I'll be the match-maker, after all.
Throat tight, he roughly uttered, "There's our landing spot. We'll be there soon."
I just haven't coped yet. That's it, Xellos justified it to himself. I just have to get used to the idea of . . . not having Filia around. Once she's married . . .
The fair-haired woman raised her head, and in the afternoon light, her locks shined like molten gold. "Really?"
He nodded, looking away. "Really."
Valgaav stretched out on the couch and looked, upside-down, at Iyzeka from where she sat in the leather easy-chair. "So, now what?"
"Movie?" —We can speak as ourselves while we watch it.—
The teal-haired teen shrugged and grabbed the nearby remote. "Sure. We can select it and it'll be charged to Dad's account."
Giggling, the Mazoku girl quipped, "I guess he shouldn't have left us in here alone!" —Not that Master Xellos would care, of course.—
—We have to keep up pretenses.— Flipping through channels but still prone, Val sighed and slowly let the negative energy leave his body.
—Can I ask you something?— the demoness began easily.
—Sure.—
—Your aura . . . it's very different than anything I've seen before,— she beamed as the movie started.
—How so?— he carefully asked as he rose to turn off the lights.
—Well, it's larger, for one. And there's this strange sense that something more is behind it, or that I'm missing something important . . .—
Off-put only slightly, Val paused. –Well . . . it's probably because I'm not exactly the kind of dragon you're probably used to seeing.—
—Oh, you and your mother are the first dragons I've ever seen!— the redhead replied easily.
The teenage boy glanced at her a bit, his thoughts confused. –So, how did you know what my mother was supposed to feel like? Zelas told you?—
—Of course! But your aura doesn't match her descriptions of a Golden Dragon aura.—
—Well,— he thought to her slowly as he sat back down on the couch, —That's probably because I'm not a Golden Dragon. I'm an Ancient Dragon.—
A jolt of something familiar shot through him as Iyzeka sat down next to him on the couch and snuggled up to him, but he couldn't discern it, and then it was gone. –REALLY? Wow, that's so cool!—
—You've heard of them?— Something in her demeanor suggested there was more, but he sensed nothing unusual.
—Yes, the most powerful of the dragons, in every way. But I was told by Mistress Zelas that all of them were wiped out.—
—They were,— he frowned at the screen, saffron eyes narrowed slightly. –But I guess I was the last.—
—So, you were adopted?— The unusual sensation faded, yet there was still something he couldn't explain in her essence.
Val's head dipped in agreement as he tried to ignore the inconsistency. –Mom adopted me when I was just an egg, and she was a great mother. For a little while there, though, I really wanted to find out who my biological parents were.—
—How did you go about that?—she asked, maroon head burrowed into his arm.
—I asked Xellos to help me out. He said that as far as he and Zelas knew, I was the very last remaining Ancient Dragon on the earth. Xellos never lies,— Valgaav sighed regretfully, —so I knew it was true. But I really love my mom, and I don't think anyone could have a better parent.—
A few moments passed where they sat together in peace, then Iyzeka raised her head from his elbow and gave him a viridian gaze. –So, do you have a real girlfriend somewhere? I don't actually know very much about you.—
—No, no,— chuckled Val in her mind, his saffron eyes sad, —no girlfriend. Girls don't seem to like me very much. I guess I'm just too dorky or I'm ugly or something,— the lanky boy joked, but more than a sliver of doubt and self-consciousness flitted across the link.
—Oh, well that's because they're afraid of you,— she replied.
—But why?— His chin fell as he looked over at her.
—Because you've got cat-eyes.— She peered up at him as his mouth fell open.
—WHAT?— he stared, flabbergasted.
—Yep, cat-eyes. They slit vertically, up and down. You never noticed before?—
Leaping up from the couch, the teen rushed into the nearest bathroom, flipping on the light and staring into the mirror, holding his eyes open with his hands. "No way!"
"Val!" The girl stood behind him, hands on her hips. "Come on, what are you doing?"
Shocked, Valgaav ran a nervous hand through his spiky teal hair and then once again leaned in close to the reflection. "What the hell . . ." He glared at himself, then shut off the light. "Just wait."
"Va-aal," she drawled warningly, and sent him a message. –Is this the best thing to be doing right now?—
Standing in the darkness, he closed his eyes, then quickly flipped the switch and opened them. In the mirror, hit by the sudden illumination, his pupils contracted in an obviously felinoid manner. "Holy shit." Stumped and ignoring her for the moment, he laid his hands on the countertop. "Mom's don't do that," he muttered to himself.
Glowering, the short-haired sprite crossed her arms and said, "Can we get back to the movie now?"
The slender dragon blinked, then peered up at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Movie." Casting a final stare at the mirror, he left the bathroom, a worried Iyzeka on his heels. What was she trying to say in my head before? he asked himself, an unsettling churning growing within his stomach.
—You have possibly blown our cover,— she sent to him, and Val winced.
Oh, yeah. Cover. Shit!
Xellos watched Filia discreetly as he helped unload the crate, gazing at her from under his messy bangs.
They had both removed the helmets as soon as the helicopter had touched down and the engines died, and now the late summer winds of China were tossing the dragoness' hair like strands of amber in the sunlight. The hollow feeling within him remained as they set down another wooden box, the demon's eyes drawn once more to his companion's face. What's wrong with me? And why have I found myself asking that same question so very often? Xellos followed her back to the machine, a step behind her and his mind caught up in something indistinct.
As the blonde turned back to him, hair cascading and catching across her face, the priest saw his own painful sensations mirrored in her soft cerulean eyes, and he winced. Her sadness . . . it's affecting my own emotions. And I can't seem to have any control over how I feel at all!
Stepping up to her, he held out his arms, and she sank into the embrace. "Xel-" she whispered, and he sighed heavily.
Their feelings simmered between them as they stood in the early evening light, the sun only a few hours from dipping below the horizon. The empty, morbid sensation – the sadness and desperation of her certainty that she'd never share the joy of a child of her own with a man that she loved – Xellos knew not how, but it was eating into his mind.
Now I feel like crying, he scoffed angrily, but the rage was swiftly drowned in supreme sorrow. Something must really be screwing with my ability to stay calm. I feel like I'm having a mental breakdown . . .
Before he could figure out how to solve this new and terribly confusing dilemma, high-pitched voices could be heard in the distance. He raised his head, one hand still running through the silken strands of her hair as she held him. "Veria, I think some of the village children have come to see what all the noise is about."
She raised her head and gazed out into the lush fields of straw and grasses dancing in the wind. Blinded for a moment by the low-hanging sun, only the silhouettes of tiny bodies scampering in the waving grains could be seen.
The two immortals turned in their embrace and watched the children arrive, and Xellos could feel an unusual calm settling over the hole within his abdomen where the grief had stored itself. As the dragoness slipped slowly out of his arms and turned to smile at the little children who gathered around them, he rubbed at his face, blinking against the grittiness in his eyes. I've never . . . absorbed anyone's emotions like that before! What the HELL was THAT? It was more like the feelings . . . absorbed ME . . .
—
Kendar sighed in the space between the astral plane and the corporeal one, then let himself sink further into the void.
Having just witnessed Xellos' struggle with his emotions and subsequent loss of control only made him more depressed. I have to report what's happened. They've just been reacting too much to their inner dialogues, and what with the sudden odd behavior of the children, it's just become too obvious. He hung his dark brown head, listless hair drooping around him unattractively; merely another self-inflicted punishment.
So much for keeping Xellos safe from Telgaln. I have a bad feeling that it's all just going to get worse . . .