Slayers belongs to Kadokawa Shoten.
SHADOW LINA: I have a secret!
NAGA: Nani? What do you mean?
SHADOW LINA: Well, as long as we're stuck in Atlas City for a few days, I thought I'd find
out how Lord Jeffrey feels about me! So I snuck a passion pill into his tea! I didn't think it
would hurt any! Please don't be mad!
NAGA: *Blink.* Does Jeffrey even drink tea?
SHADOW LINA: Um….
FILIA: *Grimace* Ugh! This tea tastes like crap! What do they put in this stuff!?
SHADOW LINA: *Whimper.*
Faces: After!
Part 9
Passion!
Shadow Lina's Little Mix-Up…
"Unhand me this instant!" Naga the White Serpent cried as two Atlas City guards
dragged her down the hall and deposited her in a jail cell. She immediately jumped up and
grabbed hold of two of the bars. "THIS IS A BLATANT MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!!!"
Standing not far away, Shadow Lina sighed. "Please, Miss Naga! It'll be okay! It's only
for three days! Then they'll let you out!"
Naga sniffed. "'Drunk and Disorderly,'" she huffed. "I may have been a little
tipsy…BUT I WAS CERTAINLY NOT DISORDERLY!!!!"
Filia sighed and shook her head. Jeffrey merely cleared his throat nervously. Xellos,
however was smiling, obviously amused "So, Miss Naga," he began, "Will you be using your
magic to escape any time soon?"
Naga tensed and turned red. "Er..Not for a few days, at least…" she confessed
hesitantly.
Shadow Lina and Filia nodded and went, "Oooh…"
Jeffrey blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"
The shadow coughed nervously and blushed. "Lord Jeffrey…because Miss Naga is a
woman….there are…um…occasions when…she…er…can't use her magic…"
"Why not?" the would-be-knight asked.
Shadow Lina turned an even deeper shade of red. "Well….you see…"
"Oh jeez," Naga said, rubbing her temples. "Jeffrey, I'm on the rag."
Jeffrey's eyes went wide. He knew that phrase from somewhere…yes…his
childhood…Once a month mother would…change…then Father would start to scream and…
That's when he passed out.
"LORD JEFFREY!" The shadow knelt over him and began to fan his face with her hand.
The knight moaned in his sleep. "Poor Lord Jeffrey…"
"Well, three days in Atlas City," Xellos announced. "There are worse places to be
trapped in."
"It could be worse, I guess," Filia agreed reluctantly.
"When I get my powers back," Naga was growling, "I'm going to make…the BIGGEST
frigg'n golem….anyone has ever seen….and it's going to EAT this damn city…"
(Three days…) Shadow Lina thought as she walked down the busy Atlas City street.
Usually they were so busy. They were constantly on the move. She wasn't sure they had stayed
in any one place for three whole days since they first formed their fellowship.
Poor Lord Jeffrey was back in his room, still unconscious, and Filia had suggested that
they do some shopping together to pass the time. She looked to her right and found that the
golden dragon had stopped near a shop stand, looking over some china.
Walking around gave the young shadow plenty of time to think, and as such her thoughts
ended up drifting back to the object of her heart's desire, her knight in shining armor, her brave
hero…Lord Jeffrey.
He seemed to like her. They were friends, but she wasn't sure. She wished that the
original Lina had been incredibly shy, then her shadow might have been more forward and less
likely to wilt in embarrassment by the thought of asking Lord Jeffrey how he felt.
If only there was a way to know for sure….
"You! Young lady!"
She turned. "Huh? Me?"
A large, dark-skinned woman wearing outlandish, decorative robes and a large, colorful
hat was waving to her from a nearby booth. "Yes, you, little girl! Come here!" She spoke in a
strange accent Shadow Lina didn't recognize. The shadow shrugged and walked up to her.
"Is there something I can do for you, Ma'am?" Shadow Lina asked politely.
"No, little girl, but there is something Miss Clio can do for you!" the woman, Miss Clio,
told her with a wide smile. "Sit yourself down there, and let Miss Clio tell your fortune! We
find what's troubling such a pretty girl!"
"Um…Okay…" Shadow Lina sat down on the other side of the booth while Miss Clio
got out a pack of tarot cards. She quickly put several of them face down on the booth in front of
her.
"You're a sorceress!" Miss Clio told her.
"Wow!" Shadow Lina said, impressed despite the fact that her outfit would have told
ANYONE that.
Miss Clio turned over two more cards. "You're upset about something, isn't that right,
little girl?"
Shadow Lina nodded sadly.
"You're upset about a dead relative…" Shadow Lina shook her head. "Money
troubles…" Another shake. "You're worried about a man."
The redhead gasped in shock.
"AH HA!!" the fortune teller exclaimed, sounding like a donkey's bray. "You are
wondering why this man treats you so badly?" Miss Clio asked her.
"Um…No…"
"Then he cheats on you…"
"Actually, I don't think…"
"His is a doofus and doesn't realize how you feel."
"YES, THAT'S IT EXACTLY! WOW, MISS CLIO, YOU'RE AMAZING!!"
The fortune teller smiled. "I tell you how you find out, little girl." She held up a single,
pink pill.
"Sodium pentathol?" Shadow Lina asked.
Miss Clio sweatdropped. "No, little girl! This here be a passion pill!"
The shadow shook her head. "No, I don't want to make Lord Jeffrey love me. That
would be selfish and wrong."
"It's not a love pill, you stupid little girl!" Miss Clio told her. "It's a PASSION pill!
You give this to your Lord Jeffrey, and it will magnify his passion for the one he loves! If he
loves you, he'll have no choice but to show it!"
"Wait! How did you know his name?!" Shadow Lina asked.
Miss Clio laughed. "It's all in the tarot cards, little girl! So…would you like this pill?"
Shadow Lina smiled and nodded happily.
"Ten goldpieces."
The sorceress quickly paid Miss Clio, took the pill, and bounded happily down the street.
Filia looked up as Jeffrey woozily descended the stairs and started towards their table.
"How are you feeling, Mister Jeffrey?" the dragon asked him sympathetically. He was a nice
boy. It wasn't his fault he had gotten mixed up with Naga and Xellos.
"Much better, thank you, Miss Filia," the youth replied, sinking into a chair between the
two women.
Shadow Lina watched him out of the corner of her eye and fingered the tiny pill. Now all
she needed was a way to deliver it.
"I was just about to order some tea," Filia told him gently. "You look like you could use
a cup too…"
"I'll go get it!" Shadow Lina cried, standing up. "I'll be right back!" With that, the
petite sorceress took off to the kitchen. As she placed the order for the tea, she thought about
what she was about to do. Was this wrong? It was kind of like playing Cepheid. On the other
hand, Miss Clio had told her that the pill would just magnify the feelings that were already
there…
The tea tray came, and the time for doubts was over. She bit her lip, held the pill over
Jeffrey's tea cup…
And dropped it.
*PLOP!*
The shadow took a breath, picked up the tray, and started back to her table.
"Back!" she announced cheerily. She handed Filia and Jeffrey their tea cups, keeping
one for herself. She watched Jeffrey apprehensively. What would he do once the pill took
effect? Would he ask to talk to her and confess his love to her? Or would he jump on the table
and pronounce it to the world!? Maybe he'd…
"Eww!" Filia announced, staring down at her tea. "They put milk in it. I HATE that…"
"Oh, here, Miss Filia," Jeffrey said, handing the dragon his own cup. "They made mine
without. We can trade."
Shadow Lina gasped.
Filia smiled and took the cup from him. "Thank you, Mister Jeffrey." She took a long
sip of Jeffrey's tea. Shadow Lina almost had a stroke on the spot. She began biting her nails
fearfully.
The dragon put the empty cup down and sighed. "I love good tea." She looked up at the
redhead and blinked. "Miss Lina? Are you okay?"
"I'm…fine…Miss…Dragon…Lady…." Shadow Lina muttered out between bites.
"Oh. Okay." She turned to Jeffrey and smiled. "Thank you, Mister Jeffrey. I'm glad to
see that chivalry still exists somewhere in the world."
Jeffrey returned her smile. "Oh, don't mention it, Miss Filia. I was happy to…"
"NO!!" Shadow Lina cried, launching herself at Jeffrey! She grabbed him possessively
and turned to Filia fearfully. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE DOING!!!"
Silence.
Filia and Jeffrey sweatdropped.
"Um…What are you talking about?" Filia asked in confusion.
"Miss Dragon Lady! Please!" Shadow Lina weeped. "You're feelings of love and
affection for Lord Jeffrey are artificial! Brought on by the passion pill in your tea! IT'S NOT
REAL!!!"
Silence…again.
"Riiiiiiiiggggghhhhhtttt…." Filia told her with a slow nod. She blinked. "Wait a
second?! Pill?! What pill?! Tea?! MY TEA?!"
"I'm sorry," Shadow Lina whimpered.
"WHAT DID YOU PUT IN MY TEA, MISS LINA?!" Filia shouted at her.
The shadow sniffled pathetically. "I met this strange lady in the street, and she gave me a
passion pill to use on Lord Jeffrey…" She sniffed again. "And I put it in his tea, but then you
took it and swallowed it on accident…"
Filia's eyes were the size of dinner plates. She screamed and covered her eyes!
"AIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T LET ME LOOK AT JEFFREY!!
PLEASE, FIRE DRAGON KING! JUST GRANT THIS ONE PRAYER!!!"
"Um…Miss Filia…It's not a love potion…"
Filia looked at her. "Then…what's it supposed to do?"
"Well, Miss Clio said that it would magnify the passion of whoever swallowed it,"
Shadow Lina confessed.
"So…I won't fall in love with someone just because I see them?" Filia asked fearfully.
Shadow Lina shook her head. "Oh, thank Cepheid!" the dragon gasped.
"So…What DOES it do?" Jeffrey asked puzzled.
Shadow Lina whimpered. "It's supposed to make people confess their love."
"Then I'm home free!" Filia cried happily. "Since I'm not passionate about anyone, the
pill will have no effect on…"
"Hello!"
Filia's eyes went wide as she heard the voice behind her. Her eyebrow began to twitch
spasmodically. Shadow Lina and Jeffrey blinked at the sight.
Xellos, his face in a guidebook, suddenly looked up. "Well, Little Dragon! I thought that
since we have a few days to ourselves we could see some of the sights and get to know one
another better! Atlas City has this wonderful museum of art that I…
The dragon slowly turned to him. Xellos looked at her and blinked. "Er…Little Dragon?
Are you feeling okay?"
"YOU SHALL BE MIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNEEEEE!!!!" Filia screamed as she threw
herself at Xellos!
The Mazoku was caught completely off guard and fell to the ground, the dragon landing
squarely on top of him. "Filia chan?!" was all he could get out before she clamped her lips over
his and began to kiss him.
"EEP! Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina squeaked.
"Wow…" Jeffrey noted.
Xellos tried to break away for a second for air by taking Filia's wrists in his hands, but
the dragon instead grabbed HIS wrists and pinned them to the floor above his head.
"Oh no! I have to do something!" Shadow Lina whimpered. She pointed her hands at
the two. "AQUA CREATE!"
A ball of water appeared above the dragon and the Mazoku and fell on top of them. Filia
cried out in surprise, and Xellos vanished, reappearing next to Shadow Lina.
"Hmmm," he intoned. "Is it just me, or is my Little Dragon feeling surprisingly
affectionate today?"
Filia stood up and faced him, panting for breath. Her hair was wet and dripped onto the
floor. Her soaked robes clung to her body, showing off every curve the blonde had. She smiled
at him. "Xellos," she said in her most sultry voice. "Don't run away from your Little Dragon.
She just wants to play."
Xellos blinked.
"It's my fault, Mister Xellos," Shadow Lina sniffed. "I accidentally gave her a passion
pill."
The Mazoku looked down at the redhead and smiled. "My dear shadow, you're getting a
raise!" He turned back to Filia. "Filia chan," he said with a sly grin. "Why don't you and I go
up to your room and discuss…current Mazoku/Ryuuzoku relations?"
Filia licked her lips and started for the priest, but Shadow Lina jumped in the way,
glaring up at Xellos. "Mister Xellos! You can't! Miss Dragon Lady is under the influence of a
controlled substance! You CAN'T take advantage of her like this!"
Xellos smiled at her. "My dear Shadow….of course I can! Now, if you'll step aside…"
"No! Imagine how Miss Filia would feel!!"
"During or afterward?" he asked her.
Shadow Lina balked.
"Why don't we ask what my Little Dragon wants?" Xellos suggested. "Little Dragon,
would you like to take me up to your room and…"
"YES!" Filia cried, lunging at the Mazoku again. Shadow Lina squeaked and grabbed
Filia.
"No! Miss Dragon Lady!"
"Mister Xellos!" Jeffrey cried, getting into the argument. "You'd take advantage of your
own fiancé?!"
"It's not taking advantage if she begs, Jeffrey," Xellos told him with a smile. He started
for Filia again.
"WAIT!!!" Shadow Lina cried. "Before you go….Tell me what you think of Lord
Jeffrey!"
Xellos blinked. "Well, personally, I find him to be a rather naïve, weak young man
who…"
A shadow fell over the priest.
"Oh damn," Xellos muttered.
"YOU DARE CRITICIZE MY JEFFREY!!!???"
Shadow Lina pulled Filia back as Josephine crashed down on top of Xellos, her weight
forcing the two of them to crash down into the basement! "Quick, Miss Dragon Lady!" the
shadow cried. "Run!" She dragged Filia outside into the street.
Filia blinked and shook her head. "What?! I…I….EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" she
screamed. "WHAT WAS I DOING?!!"
Jeffrey hmm'd in thought. "It looks like the pill only works when the guy she's after is
around."
"I AM NOT AFTER XELLOS!!!" Filia screamed at him. "It's that damned pill!
Please! You have to hide me! Don't let him near me!!!!!"
"Okay, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina reassured her. "Come on! We'll hide you
somewhere!" She took Filia's hand and started running down the street, Jeffrey just behind
them.
Xellos reappeared next to the hole in the inn's floor and sighed. "Yareyare…Even when
she's not playing hard to get she makes it difficult." He scratched his head and sniffed the air.
"Mmm…Little Dragon, I can actually smell your pheremones! How delightful!" He took a deep
breath, savoring the scent.
He blinked. Was this really the way he wanted to mate with Filia? The rational side of
his mind said no, but the emotional side that was under the extreme, compulsive urge to mate
with the dragon brought on by Peak said otherwise. "Hmmm….I wonder… Perhaps Jeffrey is
right…Should I or shouldn't I?"
A tiny Phibrizzo appeared on his shoulder. "Go ahead," it said. "You know you want
to…"
A tiny Gaav appeared on the other shoulder. He shrugged. "Sure, why the Hell not?"
Xellos smiled. "It's so liberating not being burdened by a conscience!" He raised his
staff into the air. "The chase…begins!"
With that, he disappeared.
Filia ran behind Shadow Lina, still stunned by her earlier behavior. She had practically
thrown herself at him! How could she?! Had she no shame at all?!
She didn't know how to describe it, but just at the sound of his voice, she had felt her
blood boil and electricity run up her spine. Even the tip of her tail was tingling.
But why? There was no way she could be attracted to Xellos! There WAS. NO. WAY!!!
"This way!" Shadow Lina cried, turning a corner and running into a temple. She
practically dragged Filia to a nearby priest. "Father!" she cried. "Quick! We need the help of a
healer priest!"
"Is there some kind of emergency?" the priest asked calmly.
"IT'S LOVE! OF COURSE IT'S AN EMERGENCY!!"
"All right, all right, child. This way." The priest turned and led them into the back of the
temple.
The priest introduced them to healer-priestess named Marsa who asked them what the
problem was. Shadow Lina weepily described the entire situation, begging Marsa to cure Miss
Dragon Lady. Marsa had Filia hop up onto an examining table and began looking her over. She
held a white crystal against the dragon's chest, checking her vital signs.
"You say it was a passion pill?" Marsa asked. "How big?"
"Itsy bitsy," Shadow Lina replied, holding her thumb and forefinger apart to show the
priestess how big.
"It's obviously something else," Filia sniffed. "A passion pill would heighten feelings
that already exist. This thing is making me…throw myself
at…an…icky…disgusting…horrible…NAMAGOMI!!!"
"How long will the pill last?" Shadow Lina asked.
"Hard to say. A few hours to a few days…"
"Can you cure it?" the sorceress asked her.
"No," Marsa replied. "The only thing you can do is keep your friend clear of whoever
causes the pill to kick in."
"That's going to be hard," Shadow Lina confessed. "He's…kind of looking for us right
now…"
"I still can't believe it would imply that I feel anything at all for that Mazoku!" Filia
huffed, her hands over her chest.
"Why don't we give your friend a minute alone to dress," Marsa suggested, leading
Shadow Lina outside to where Jeffrey was waiting.
"Is there ANYTHING else we can do?" the sorceress asked.
"Keep your friend away from him. That's all. The pill should wear off within a day,
maybe two."
Shadow Lina sighed. "Thank you, Miss Priestess Lady."
Filia was putting her gloves on when she heard it.
"Yareyare," the voice said. "This patient is going to need my close personal attention…"
She felt her blood begin to heat up as her pulse quickened. Her eyes went wide. From
her right, Xellos pulled back a privacy curtain and stood there with a clipboard in his hand. He
was wearing a white lab coat and spectacles. A stethoscope hung around his neck. He smiled
and approached her.
"Now, then," he said in a soothing voice. "Tell Doctor Xellos where it hurts…"
Filia shut her eyes and leaned back as he placed the stethoscope on her chest. "Yes,
Doctor…" she sighed.
"So that's what you have to do, Lord Jeffrey," she told him. "Understand?"
Jeffrey nodded, not quite sure of how this new plan was supposed to help Miss Filia, but
willing to give it a try. Miss Lina was pretty smart, after all.
Shadow Lina wrung her hands in front of her and tapped her foot on the floor. "Miss
Dragon Lady should've been out by now," she remarked.
"Maybe she just wants to be alone for a moment," Jeffrey suggested.
Shadow Lina looked at the door, then walked over to it. She knocked gently. "Miss
Dragon Lady? Is everything okay in there?"
No answer.
"Miss Dragon Lady?"
She thought she heard something from inside, a squeak and a murmur. Shadow Lina's
eyes went wide, and she gasped. "LORD JEFFREY! MISS DRAGON LADY'S IN
TROUBLE!!"
"Stand aside!" Jeffrey cried, drawing his sword. He screamed and launched himself at
the door, shoulder first!
And bounced off of it.
Shadow Lina pointed her hands at the door and shut her eyes. "FLARE ARROW!!!"
The door exploded inward. Shadow Lina rushed inside and gasped. Filia and Xellos
were on the exam table, kissing passionately. She held her hands up at them.
"AQUA CREATE!!!"
Filia cried out as the water hit her. Xellos disappeared again and reappeared next to
Shadow Lina, perfectly dry. "Why do you keep doing that?" he asked. "We're not on fire, you
know…"
"Speak for yourself," Filia purred at him.
Shadow Lina turned to Jeffrey, who was just now entering the room. "Lord Jeffrey!
Quick! The Plan!"
"Plan?" Xellos asked, scratching his head.
"Huh?" Jeffrey asked. "Oh! Right!" He pointed at Xellos. "Hey you! You shouldn't
call me a homosexual!"
"Excuse me?" the trickster priest asked.
"WHAT?!" they heard from behind another privacy curtain. "YOU DARE IMPLY
THAT MY WONDERFUL JEFFREY IS A HOMOSEXUAL!!!???"
"Yareyare…" Xellos sighed.
"Run!" Shadow Lina yelled, grabbing Filia's hand.
Josephine shot out from behind the curtain and smashed into Xellos, crashing through the
wall behind them!
Shadow Lina, Jeffrey, and Filia panted as they ran out of the temple and down the street.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST LET HIM DO IT AGAIN!!!" Filia cried in distress.
"It's not your fault, Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina assured her. "It's that pill. All
we have to do is keep the two of you apart for about a day…maybe even less!"
"And how do we do that?!" Filia cried. "He's a Mazoku! He can follow us anywhere!"
"Maybe Miss Naga will know what to do…" Shadow Lina muttered.
Naga sat in her jail cell and listened as the three of them relayed their story, taking turns
whenever the current story-teller ran out of breath. At the end of it, Naga laughed.
"It's not funny!" Filia cried in indignation.
"Sure it is!" Naga told her with a dismissive wave. "You know, I don't see what the big
deal is. Why don't you just let him tag you and be done with it?"
Filia turned red. "I will most certainly NOT let him 'tag' me!"
"Well why not?!" Naga replied exasperated. "You obviously want him! Otherwise that
little passion pill wouldn't be changing you into a ten-goldpiece whore every time he shows up."
She grinned.
The dragon grit her teeth and growled.
"Otherwise you have to hide," the White Serpent said with a shrug.
"Thanks, Miss Naga," Shadow Lina said dejectedly.
"I'm officially dead," Filia whimpered as they descended the steps of the local jail into
the street. "I can't hide from him forever."
"I'm sorry, Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina whimpered. "This is all my fault." She
turned to the dragon. "I swear I won't let him touch you until you're all cured! I promise!"
"Yeah!" Jeffrey piped up. "He shouldn't be trying to take advantage of you! I'll keep
him at bay with my mighty Razor Blade!"
Filia began to cry. "I'm doomed!"
"Awww! Filia chan! Don't cry!" she heard behind her. Her body went rigid. Her
breath began to quicken into a pant.
"Run, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried, giving Filia a push!
"She doesn't want to run from ME, do you, Little Dragon?" Xellos asked with a smile.
Filia tried. She really did. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her
hands.
"I brought you flowers!" Xellos announced, pulling a bouquet of violets out from behind
his back.
Filia whimpered.
Jeffrey went into action. He leapt between them and raised Razor Blade. "Miss Lina!
Get Miss Filia out of here! I'LL handle Xellos!"
"Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina gasped out.
"Miss Lina! Go! Now!" He turned back to Xellos, who was standing there
nonchalantly. "All right, Mister Xellos! You may be Miss Naga's second in command! But I
can't let you defile Miss Filia while she's like this!"
Shadow Lina, meanwhile, was practically dragging Filia away. The golden dragon
seemed reluctant to leave and was actually trying to pull away and run to her Xellos.
"I'll fight you here and now, Mister Xellos!" Jeffrey continued. Xellos started walking
toward him. "No matter what the price, I shall defend Miss Filia's honor to the very end! I
shall…"
Xellos grabbed the young man's blade and ran it through his own chest. Jeffrey stared
down at the sword, buried firmly below the Mazoku's ribcage, and blinked.
"Oh dear! You seem to have won!" Xellos told him casually, patting him on the
shoulder in congratulations. "Duel's over!" He vanished.
"Huh?!" Jeffrey turned back just in time to see Xellos reappear next to Filia and Shadow
Lina. "MISS LINA! LOOK OUT!!"
Shadow Lina squeaked and dived out of the way as Filia rushed towards the Mazoku,
throwing herself at him. "Oh poo!" the sorceress cried. "AQUA CREATE!!"
*SPLASH!*
Xellos suddenly appeared next to her, wringing out his robe with his hands.
"MUST…you do that?" he growled.
"RUN, MISS DRAGON LADY!" Shadow Lina cried. She stood up and faced off with
the Trickster Priest. "Mis…Mister Xellos…" she stuttered fearfully. "If…If you don't promise
to leave Miss Dragon Lady alone…I…I'm going to have to stop you…with
force…real…powerful…dangerous force…"
"Fine. I promise to leave Filia chan alone." Xellos smiled.
Shadow Lina blinked. "Do…Do you mean it?"
"No, not really." He disappeared suddenly and reformed right in front of Filia. "Come,
Little Dragon. I've booked us a room in the honeymoon suite!"
Filia began shaking. She shut her eyes. "Must…control…myself…"
"I brought massage oil!"
"TAKE ME!" the dragon cried, diving toward him. Xellos held his arms out and
grinned.
Before Filia could land in the arms of her Mazoku fiance, however, Shadow Lina flew by
and grabbed the dragon by the back of her robes, flying high into the air.
Xellos grit his teeth. This game was beginning to lose its appeal for him. He
disappeared.
"Hold on, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried as she flew down the street. She
looked down and saw Jeffrey running after them. He was waving at her and yelling, trying to tell
her something. "I wonder what he's saying."
"I'm quite sure it's a warning about me," she heard above her. She squeaked in surprise
and looked up to see Xellos flying just above them.
Filia heard his voice and began struggling against the shadow's grasp. "Ack! Miss
Dragon Lady! Don't fight!"
"Xellos!" Filia cried with a pout. "Rescue me….puh-lease?" She batted her eyes at him.
"Coming, Little Dragon!" Xellos assured her with a wave. He dipped and dived, flying
under the two women now. He twisted onto his back and held his arms out. "Quick, Miss Lina!
I'll catch her!"
"No way!" Shadow Lina cried.
"But she could fall," Xellos argued.
"I have a good hold of her!"
"Um…Miss Lina, I really could fall," Filia came in on Xellos' side.
"NO!"
Shadow Lina suddenly changed course and flew down a side street. Filia shook her head
and blinked again. "Please, Miss Lina! Don't let him…"
"I know! I know! Oh, what to do…" the shadow fretted. "We need to make sure he
can't find you! If only we had a disguise you can wear! Oh! I know! Can you teleport us
somewhere?!"
"Uh…yes," Filia replied hesitantly. "But not far."
"It doesn't have to be far!" The shadow quickly whispered the destination to the dragon.
A second later, they both disappeared in a flash of light.
"I don't see why Miss Clio has to be a part of all this," Miss Clio muttered, her arms over
her chest.
"Because," Filia, now arrayed in colorful blue dress and hat similar to Miss Clio's,
replied bitterly, "You sold a dangerous pill to a ditz. It's either this, or I roast you. Got it?"
"Yah, yah, Miss Clio got it…" the fortune teller mumbled.
Shadow Lina, wearing a fiery red outfit and hat of her own looked up and down the street
from behind the curtain of Miss Clio's booth. "I don't see him," she whispered. "I think we
might have lost him."
Filia sighed and sat down. "I'm so unfortunate," she muttered. "It's hard enough staying
one step ahead of him as it is. How am I supposed to keep his hands off me when I'm tossing
myself at him like some kind of common whore?"
"Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina began, "I don't think Mister Xellos sees you like
that. I think he really likes you. He's just…well…creepy."
Filia thought it over. Why her, anyway? She had never gotten that answer out of him.
Why choose her of all entities as a mate?
"Someone's coming!" Shadow Lina hissed. She grabbed Filia and took her into the back
of the tent. Miss Clio went to the front to deal with whoever was there.
"Yes? How can Miss Clio help you?"
"Um…I'm looking for two of my friends," a familiar voice told her. "A cute, little
sorceress and a blonde priestess…"
"Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina cried, hearing her knight in shining armor's voice and
running to the tent flap. She threw it open, smiling broadly. "I tho…" She stopped and blinked
at the sight that met her.
Xellos was standing there, grinning. In his left hand was his staff. On his right hand was
a little Jeffrey sock puppet. He moved his hand to make the mouth move and spoke, his voice a
surprisingly accurate imitation of Jeffrey. "Hi, Miss Lina! Can Miss Filia come out to play?"
Shadow Lina threw the flap closed and turned, her eyes wide. "Oh my god!" She looked
over at Filia, who was trying desperately to control herself. Her eyes were clenched shut, her
hands were over her ears, and she kept muttering something…
"Jeffrey naked on a cold day! Jeffrey naked on a cold day! Jeffrey naked on a cold day!"
A hand adorned with a little Xellos sock puppet suddenly pushed into the tent through the
flap. "Little Dragon! It's your playful demon! Here to take you to a magical night of passion!"
Another hand with a tiny Filia puppet appeared next to it. "Oh, Xellos!" an almost exact
copy of Filia's voice cried from outside. "We'll live happily ever after together! Take me, my
Mazoku God of Passion!"
As if that wasn't weird enough, a third puppet-covered hand appeared. This puppet had
red hair and fangs dripping blood. "Har! Har! Har!" the puppet cried in a crude, evil voice.
"You will never have her! Har! Har! Har!"
"Oh, Xellos! Save me!" the Filia puppet cried.
"Fear not! Xellos to the rescue!" A second later, the Mazoku in question appeared inside
the tent and bowed. "Thank you for watching Mazoku Masterpiece Theatre. To keep
educational shows like these playing, please call now and donate for…" He blinked.
Filia and Shadow Lina were already gone.
"They ducked out during the commercial!" Xellos exclaimed. "How rude!"
Shadow Lina and Filia panted as they ran down the street. Hiding at Miss Clio's had only
bought them a little over an hour. Both women were getting tired. They had to think of
something permanent. A place to hide…
"Miss Lina! Miss Filia!" Jeffrey's voice called out from behind them.
"Not this time!" Shadow Lina cried, turning. "AQUA CREATE!!"
*SPLASH!!*
Jeffrey stood there, dripping wet.
"LORD JEFFREY!"
"Um…Hi," he said with a short wave. "I've been looking all over for you two! What
happened?!"
"Mister Xellos is still after us!" Shadow Lina told him.
"We should get Miss Filia off the street and someplace secure then!" Jeffrey replied. He
took the dragon's hand and led her into the nearest building, which just happened to be their inn.
The two dragged Filia up three flights of stairs to the top floor. Looking around, they
soon found a room at the end of the hall. Jeffrey looked from side to side to make sure that
Xellos wasn't around, then quickly pushed Filia inside. Then, closing the door, locking it, and
bracing their backs against it, they turned. Jeffrey drew Razor Blade, and Shadow Lina readied a
spell, just in case.
They stood that way for several minutes. Jeffrey smiled.
"I'm a genius…"
Shadow Lina smiled and nodded. "He'll never find her here."
Filia stood there for a moment and sighed in relief. Safe at last…
A pair of arms reached out from behind her and encircled her waist, pulling her closer to
someone. She eep'd and struggled for a moment before she heard it.
"Shhhhhhh," Xellos whispered. "It's me."
She tensed for a moment, then suddenly went limp, falling into him with a sigh. Xellos
chuckled.
Filia's eyes snapped open. "No," she muttered. "Mustn't…"
She felt him caress her cheek with his finger. It was if fire was trailing from his fingertip
along her skin. She felt the same tingle run down her tail as before. "Now, now, Little Dragon,"
Xellos tittered. "Resistance is futile. I have something special planned…"
The dragon felt herself shiver. Fire was enveloping her entire body.
"Now why don't we come over here to the bed?" the Mazoku asked her, leading her
gently to a king sized bed that happened to be covered with rose petals. An ice bucket with a
bottle of champagne sat on the nightstand next to it.
"How…" Filia began quietly.
"Filia chan, you can either question my amazing abilities or take advantage of them, but
you can't do both," Xellos chastised her, waving a finger at her.
She tried again to resist, tried to control the emotions raging in her, tried to call out for
help from Shadow Lina, but in the end all she could do was lean up and kiss him. He gently
guided her down to the bed and smiled.
"Do you feel relaxed, Little Dragon?" he asked.
"Y…yes," Filia sighed. (Oh God! This can't be happening!) she thought frantically.
(He's about to…He's going to…) She shivered at the unfinished thought.
"Now, then, this is very important, Filia chan, so I want you to listen carefully…"
(Oh God, just get on with it!) she begged silently. "Xellos…" she whined.
"Tell me, Filia chan…Do you WANT this?"
She groaned up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'll take that as a yes…" Xellos told her and bent down to her.
Filia closed her eyes and leaned up to meet his kiss when suddenly…
She blinked.
She grit her teeth.
She began to growl.
Xellos looked down at her, uncertain. "Um…Little Dragon?"
"You…" Filia bit out. "Creepy….slimy….shameless….sleezy….
horrible….disgusting…"
"Uh oh," Xellos muttered.
"NAMAGOMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Filia screamed at him.
"Do you hear that?" Jeffrey asked, his sword still pointed down the hall.
"No," Shadow Lina told him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Thought I heard something…"
"YOU HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING CREATURE!!!" Filia screamed at him again,
swinging her mace. "YOU JUST COULDN'T WAIT TO GET ME INTO THE SACK!!!"
"Well, of course not, Little Dragon!" Xellos replied, dodging another swing and
teleporting to the other side of the room. "Who would?!"
She growled. "Thank the Fire Dragon that that pill wore off when it did!" Filia told him,
praising Heaven above at the same time. "How could you?!"
Xellos shrugged. "You're my chosen mate. It's what's natural."
"I AM NOT YOUR MATE!!!" she screamed at him. Then she did something that
surprised him. She fell to her knees and began to cry. "Why…Why are you doing this to me?!"
she wept. "Do you really hate me that much?!" Xellos blinked in shock. "Why are you
tormenting ME?!" Her mace fell from her hand and hit the floor with a thud.
Xellos watched her for several moments, unsure of what to say. He had only been
teasing. Annoy her, fine. Anger her, great. He wasn't TRYING to make her…like this…
"Just tell me why," Filia begged. "Why me?"
The Trickster Priest sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He stayed that way for several
moments, just staring down at the floor. "I…respect you," he said quietly. He wouldn't face her.
She looked up at him, her eyes searching for insult or teasing.
"No you don't," she said quietly. "You've never…"
"Filia chan," he said quietly. "By the time I realized that Peak had snuck up on me, there
was very little I could do. It's not like how it is for you or for humans. Normally, there's time to
prepare, to find a suitable Mazoku mate, but my existence has hardly been normal, even for a
Mazoku. We mate for life, so I knew that I had to make a decision and make that decision final."
Filia said nothing as he continued.
"It came down to two choices," he told her. "Lina Inverse, the most powerful entity I've
ever known. Or you. Lina chan might have given me incredibly powerful children…but… I fear
she might be TOO powerful. You don't realize the reputation she has where I come from. We
FEAR her, Filia chan. If I chose her, she…I…and any offspring we might have…would be dead
VERY quickly."
"Then why me?" she asked.
He smiled. "I told you. I respect you, Filia chan. Do you remember when we fought
Almayce at your temple?"
"Yes, of course," she told him.
"Your Elder, all those older, male, warrior caste dragons…They took one look at me and
COWERED, Filia chan. They refused to take part in that battle because they all feared me." He
hmmph'd. "Cowards, all of them. But YOU, Filia chan… You've ALWAYS stood up to me.
You threatened me, insulted me, belittled me, my people, and my faith…. And you did it fully
aware of my history with your people, and fully aware that I could KILL you any time I felt like
taking three seconds out of my day to do it."
Filia swallowed nervously.
"Then you volunteered to raise Val, even knowing that I might one day be forced to come
after him." He looked at her. "Even though you knew one day I might come to kill the both of
you." She took a quick breath at this last remark. "Even now, I respect you, Filia chan," he
continued. "Do you know how easily I could force you to submit to me? Are you aware that if
all I wanted from you was fifteen minutes in bed, I could've taken that at any time? That if I so
desired, I could have you on your knees, begging me to ALLOW you to sleep with me simply by
threatening that tiny egg at Kataart?"
"Then why don't you?" she asked.
"Because, Filia chan, it is not enough that I have you physically," he confessed. "I desire
your respect. Do you know what a blow it is to my pride?" he asked her. "That I, one of the
greatest Mazoku to ever terrify humanity and dragonhood, am forced to grant you what you will
never grant me? Honest and true respect?"
He stood up and faced her, looking down at the teary-eyed woman kneeling before him.
"You are going to be my mate, Filia chan," he told her. "But I'm not going to take your respect.
One day, you're going to offer it to me."
With those last words, he disappeared. Filia only blinked in shock. For the first time
since meeting him, Xellos had said something nice to her… and meant it.
"This mess is all my fault," Shadow Lina muttered sadly.
Jeffrey looked over at her. "Um…Why were you trying to put that pill in my cup,
anyway?" he asked.
Shadow Lina sniffled. "I just wanted to see if you liked me. I…like you."
The knight blinked down at her. "I like you too," he said.
The sorceress turned to him, starry eyed and breathless. "You do?!"
"Well…yeah," he told her. "I mean…you're nice…and pretty brave. And
you're…um…you know…." He looked away and finished his statement. "Pretty."
Shadow Lina beamed, the stars in her eyes threatening to go supernova and wipe out
humanity. "You mean it?!"
"Yeah," Jeffrey said, the blush on his face tomato red. "I just…well…figured you
wouldn't care… I mean…You're a pretty powerful sorceress…and…well… Why would you
ever like someone like me?"
"Because you're strong and brave!" Shadow Lina cried out in admiration. "Like when
you stood up to Mister Xellos! Or Miss Naga's golem! Other men would run away! But you
stayed and stood up to them!" Jeffrey blushed even redder. "You're the bravest man I've ever
met, Lord Jeffrey!" she told him honestly.
"Um…" he began. "You…um…wanna get some ice cream?" he asked.
"Sure," Shadow Lina replied quietly, suddenly demure and embarrassed. She looked up
and blinked a second later. "But what about Miss Dragon Lady!?"
At that moment, the door opened. Filia stood there, a look of dazed shock on her face.
"Miss Filia?" Jeffrey asked.
"The pill's worn off," she said quietly. "It's over."
"Really?" Shadow Lina asked. "Cool!"
The dragon looked away and took a breath. "Yeah…cool…"
Naga poured the bucket of water on her head and sighed in contentment. The Atlas City
Jail didn't have a bath, and after three days of rotting in there, the White Serpent was ready for a
good, long soak in the inn's public, outdoor bath.
Sitting nearby, Filia and Shadow Lina soaked, their thoughts elsewhere.
"So what else did I miss?" Naga asked them. The two seemed to snap awake.
"Nothing much," Filia told her.
"Oh?" the sorceress asked. She leered at them. "Tell me, Filia, did you ever tag
Xellos?"
Filia turned red and faced her angrily. "No!" she retorted, but wouldn't say anything
else on the matter. She had been giving it a lot of thought lately. Was he telling her the truth
when he said he respected her? If so, then why would he try so hard to take advantage of her
impassioned state? She had asked herself that question until she remembered Peak.
Was that condition driving him to it?
"And what about you, Lina?" Naga turned her sights on Shadow Lina. "How did your
date with Jeffrey go?"
Shadow Lina turned red…then crimson….then purple. "Youknowitwasokay…" she
answered quickly, looking away.
Naga grinned. "You know," she said off-handedly, "It's going to be interesting to see
which of you is going to lose her virginity first."
"WHAT?!" they cried.
Before either of them could reply in depth, a sound was heard from over the bamboo
fence separating the women's bath from the men's. Naga grimaced and quickly covered her
ears.
"I'm going to kill him!" she muttered.
Shadow Lina began to cry.
Filia sighed. "Namagomi!" she called out through the fence. The sound stopped. "If
you're going to play that dreadful instrument….could you at least play something upbeat?" She
smiled.
There was silence from the men's bath for a moment, almost as if the musician were
taken aback. Then, suddenly, a new harmonica tune began to play.
Something upbeat.
To Be Continued…
SHADOW LINA: I have a secret!
NAGA: Nani? What do you mean?
SHADOW LINA: Well, as long as we're stuck in Atlas City for a few days, I thought I'd find
out how Lord Jeffrey feels about me! So I snuck a passion pill into his tea! I didn't think it
would hurt any! Please don't be mad!
NAGA: *Blink.* Does Jeffrey even drink tea?
SHADOW LINA: Um….
FILIA: *Grimace* Ugh! This tea tastes like crap! What do they put in this stuff!?
SHADOW LINA: *Whimper.*
Faces: After!
Part 9
Passion!
Shadow Lina's Little Mix-Up…
"Unhand me this instant!" Naga the White Serpent cried as two Atlas City guards
dragged her down the hall and deposited her in a jail cell. She immediately jumped up and
grabbed hold of two of the bars. "THIS IS A BLATANT MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!!!"
Standing not far away, Shadow Lina sighed. "Please, Miss Naga! It'll be okay! It's only
for three days! Then they'll let you out!"
Naga sniffed. "'Drunk and Disorderly,'" she huffed. "I may have been a little
tipsy…BUT I WAS CERTAINLY NOT DISORDERLY!!!!"
Filia sighed and shook her head. Jeffrey merely cleared his throat nervously. Xellos,
however was smiling, obviously amused "So, Miss Naga," he began, "Will you be using your
magic to escape any time soon?"
Naga tensed and turned red. "Er..Not for a few days, at least…" she confessed
hesitantly.
Shadow Lina and Filia nodded and went, "Oooh…"
Jeffrey blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"
The shadow coughed nervously and blushed. "Lord Jeffrey…because Miss Naga is a
woman….there are…um…occasions when…she…er…can't use her magic…"
"Why not?" the would-be-knight asked.
Shadow Lina turned an even deeper shade of red. "Well….you see…"
"Oh jeez," Naga said, rubbing her temples. "Jeffrey, I'm on the rag."
Jeffrey's eyes went wide. He knew that phrase from somewhere…yes…his
childhood…Once a month mother would…change…then Father would start to scream and…
That's when he passed out.
"LORD JEFFREY!" The shadow knelt over him and began to fan his face with her hand.
The knight moaned in his sleep. "Poor Lord Jeffrey…"
"Well, three days in Atlas City," Xellos announced. "There are worse places to be
trapped in."
"It could be worse, I guess," Filia agreed reluctantly.
"When I get my powers back," Naga was growling, "I'm going to make…the BIGGEST
frigg'n golem….anyone has ever seen….and it's going to EAT this damn city…"
(Three days…) Shadow Lina thought as she walked down the busy Atlas City street.
Usually they were so busy. They were constantly on the move. She wasn't sure they had stayed
in any one place for three whole days since they first formed their fellowship.
Poor Lord Jeffrey was back in his room, still unconscious, and Filia had suggested that
they do some shopping together to pass the time. She looked to her right and found that the
golden dragon had stopped near a shop stand, looking over some china.
Walking around gave the young shadow plenty of time to think, and as such her thoughts
ended up drifting back to the object of her heart's desire, her knight in shining armor, her brave
hero…Lord Jeffrey.
He seemed to like her. They were friends, but she wasn't sure. She wished that the
original Lina had been incredibly shy, then her shadow might have been more forward and less
likely to wilt in embarrassment by the thought of asking Lord Jeffrey how he felt.
If only there was a way to know for sure….
"You! Young lady!"
She turned. "Huh? Me?"
A large, dark-skinned woman wearing outlandish, decorative robes and a large, colorful
hat was waving to her from a nearby booth. "Yes, you, little girl! Come here!" She spoke in a
strange accent Shadow Lina didn't recognize. The shadow shrugged and walked up to her.
"Is there something I can do for you, Ma'am?" Shadow Lina asked politely.
"No, little girl, but there is something Miss Clio can do for you!" the woman, Miss Clio,
told her with a wide smile. "Sit yourself down there, and let Miss Clio tell your fortune! We
find what's troubling such a pretty girl!"
"Um…Okay…" Shadow Lina sat down on the other side of the booth while Miss Clio
got out a pack of tarot cards. She quickly put several of them face down on the booth in front of
her.
"You're a sorceress!" Miss Clio told her.
"Wow!" Shadow Lina said, impressed despite the fact that her outfit would have told
ANYONE that.
Miss Clio turned over two more cards. "You're upset about something, isn't that right,
little girl?"
Shadow Lina nodded sadly.
"You're upset about a dead relative…" Shadow Lina shook her head. "Money
troubles…" Another shake. "You're worried about a man."
The redhead gasped in shock.
"AH HA!!" the fortune teller exclaimed, sounding like a donkey's bray. "You are
wondering why this man treats you so badly?" Miss Clio asked her.
"Um…No…"
"Then he cheats on you…"
"Actually, I don't think…"
"His is a doofus and doesn't realize how you feel."
"YES, THAT'S IT EXACTLY! WOW, MISS CLIO, YOU'RE AMAZING!!"
The fortune teller smiled. "I tell you how you find out, little girl." She held up a single,
pink pill.
"Sodium pentathol?" Shadow Lina asked.
Miss Clio sweatdropped. "No, little girl! This here be a passion pill!"
The shadow shook her head. "No, I don't want to make Lord Jeffrey love me. That
would be selfish and wrong."
"It's not a love pill, you stupid little girl!" Miss Clio told her. "It's a PASSION pill!
You give this to your Lord Jeffrey, and it will magnify his passion for the one he loves! If he
loves you, he'll have no choice but to show it!"
"Wait! How did you know his name?!" Shadow Lina asked.
Miss Clio laughed. "It's all in the tarot cards, little girl! So…would you like this pill?"
Shadow Lina smiled and nodded happily.
"Ten goldpieces."
The sorceress quickly paid Miss Clio, took the pill, and bounded happily down the street.
Filia looked up as Jeffrey woozily descended the stairs and started towards their table.
"How are you feeling, Mister Jeffrey?" the dragon asked him sympathetically. He was a nice
boy. It wasn't his fault he had gotten mixed up with Naga and Xellos.
"Much better, thank you, Miss Filia," the youth replied, sinking into a chair between the
two women.
Shadow Lina watched him out of the corner of her eye and fingered the tiny pill. Now all
she needed was a way to deliver it.
"I was just about to order some tea," Filia told him gently. "You look like you could use
a cup too…"
"I'll go get it!" Shadow Lina cried, standing up. "I'll be right back!" With that, the
petite sorceress took off to the kitchen. As she placed the order for the tea, she thought about
what she was about to do. Was this wrong? It was kind of like playing Cepheid. On the other
hand, Miss Clio had told her that the pill would just magnify the feelings that were already
there…
The tea tray came, and the time for doubts was over. She bit her lip, held the pill over
Jeffrey's tea cup…
And dropped it.
*PLOP!*
The shadow took a breath, picked up the tray, and started back to her table.
"Back!" she announced cheerily. She handed Filia and Jeffrey their tea cups, keeping
one for herself. She watched Jeffrey apprehensively. What would he do once the pill took
effect? Would he ask to talk to her and confess his love to her? Or would he jump on the table
and pronounce it to the world!? Maybe he'd…
"Eww!" Filia announced, staring down at her tea. "They put milk in it. I HATE that…"
"Oh, here, Miss Filia," Jeffrey said, handing the dragon his own cup. "They made mine
without. We can trade."
Shadow Lina gasped.
Filia smiled and took the cup from him. "Thank you, Mister Jeffrey." She took a long
sip of Jeffrey's tea. Shadow Lina almost had a stroke on the spot. She began biting her nails
fearfully.
The dragon put the empty cup down and sighed. "I love good tea." She looked up at the
redhead and blinked. "Miss Lina? Are you okay?"
"I'm…fine…Miss…Dragon…Lady…." Shadow Lina muttered out between bites.
"Oh. Okay." She turned to Jeffrey and smiled. "Thank you, Mister Jeffrey. I'm glad to
see that chivalry still exists somewhere in the world."
Jeffrey returned her smile. "Oh, don't mention it, Miss Filia. I was happy to…"
"NO!!" Shadow Lina cried, launching herself at Jeffrey! She grabbed him possessively
and turned to Filia fearfully. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE DOING!!!"
Silence.
Filia and Jeffrey sweatdropped.
"Um…What are you talking about?" Filia asked in confusion.
"Miss Dragon Lady! Please!" Shadow Lina weeped. "You're feelings of love and
affection for Lord Jeffrey are artificial! Brought on by the passion pill in your tea! IT'S NOT
REAL!!!"
Silence…again.
"Riiiiiiiiggggghhhhhtttt…." Filia told her with a slow nod. She blinked. "Wait a
second?! Pill?! What pill?! Tea?! MY TEA?!"
"I'm sorry," Shadow Lina whimpered.
"WHAT DID YOU PUT IN MY TEA, MISS LINA?!" Filia shouted at her.
The shadow sniffled pathetically. "I met this strange lady in the street, and she gave me a
passion pill to use on Lord Jeffrey…" She sniffed again. "And I put it in his tea, but then you
took it and swallowed it on accident…"
Filia's eyes were the size of dinner plates. She screamed and covered her eyes!
"AIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON'T LET ME LOOK AT JEFFREY!!
PLEASE, FIRE DRAGON KING! JUST GRANT THIS ONE PRAYER!!!"
"Um…Miss Filia…It's not a love potion…"
Filia looked at her. "Then…what's it supposed to do?"
"Well, Miss Clio said that it would magnify the passion of whoever swallowed it,"
Shadow Lina confessed.
"So…I won't fall in love with someone just because I see them?" Filia asked fearfully.
Shadow Lina shook her head. "Oh, thank Cepheid!" the dragon gasped.
"So…What DOES it do?" Jeffrey asked puzzled.
Shadow Lina whimpered. "It's supposed to make people confess their love."
"Then I'm home free!" Filia cried happily. "Since I'm not passionate about anyone, the
pill will have no effect on…"
"Hello!"
Filia's eyes went wide as she heard the voice behind her. Her eyebrow began to twitch
spasmodically. Shadow Lina and Jeffrey blinked at the sight.
Xellos, his face in a guidebook, suddenly looked up. "Well, Little Dragon! I thought that
since we have a few days to ourselves we could see some of the sights and get to know one
another better! Atlas City has this wonderful museum of art that I…
The dragon slowly turned to him. Xellos looked at her and blinked. "Er…Little Dragon?
Are you feeling okay?"
"YOU SHALL BE MIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNEEEEE!!!!" Filia screamed as she threw
herself at Xellos!
The Mazoku was caught completely off guard and fell to the ground, the dragon landing
squarely on top of him. "Filia chan?!" was all he could get out before she clamped her lips over
his and began to kiss him.
"EEP! Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina squeaked.
"Wow…" Jeffrey noted.
Xellos tried to break away for a second for air by taking Filia's wrists in his hands, but
the dragon instead grabbed HIS wrists and pinned them to the floor above his head.
"Oh no! I have to do something!" Shadow Lina whimpered. She pointed her hands at
the two. "AQUA CREATE!"
A ball of water appeared above the dragon and the Mazoku and fell on top of them. Filia
cried out in surprise, and Xellos vanished, reappearing next to Shadow Lina.
"Hmmm," he intoned. "Is it just me, or is my Little Dragon feeling surprisingly
affectionate today?"
Filia stood up and faced him, panting for breath. Her hair was wet and dripped onto the
floor. Her soaked robes clung to her body, showing off every curve the blonde had. She smiled
at him. "Xellos," she said in her most sultry voice. "Don't run away from your Little Dragon.
She just wants to play."
Xellos blinked.
"It's my fault, Mister Xellos," Shadow Lina sniffed. "I accidentally gave her a passion
pill."
The Mazoku looked down at the redhead and smiled. "My dear shadow, you're getting a
raise!" He turned back to Filia. "Filia chan," he said with a sly grin. "Why don't you and I go
up to your room and discuss…current Mazoku/Ryuuzoku relations?"
Filia licked her lips and started for the priest, but Shadow Lina jumped in the way,
glaring up at Xellos. "Mister Xellos! You can't! Miss Dragon Lady is under the influence of a
controlled substance! You CAN'T take advantage of her like this!"
Xellos smiled at her. "My dear Shadow….of course I can! Now, if you'll step aside…"
"No! Imagine how Miss Filia would feel!!"
"During or afterward?" he asked her.
Shadow Lina balked.
"Why don't we ask what my Little Dragon wants?" Xellos suggested. "Little Dragon,
would you like to take me up to your room and…"
"YES!" Filia cried, lunging at the Mazoku again. Shadow Lina squeaked and grabbed
Filia.
"No! Miss Dragon Lady!"
"Mister Xellos!" Jeffrey cried, getting into the argument. "You'd take advantage of your
own fiancé?!"
"It's not taking advantage if she begs, Jeffrey," Xellos told him with a smile. He started
for Filia again.
"WAIT!!!" Shadow Lina cried. "Before you go….Tell me what you think of Lord
Jeffrey!"
Xellos blinked. "Well, personally, I find him to be a rather naïve, weak young man
who…"
A shadow fell over the priest.
"Oh damn," Xellos muttered.
"YOU DARE CRITICIZE MY JEFFREY!!!???"
Shadow Lina pulled Filia back as Josephine crashed down on top of Xellos, her weight
forcing the two of them to crash down into the basement! "Quick, Miss Dragon Lady!" the
shadow cried. "Run!" She dragged Filia outside into the street.
Filia blinked and shook her head. "What?! I…I….EWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" she
screamed. "WHAT WAS I DOING?!!"
Jeffrey hmm'd in thought. "It looks like the pill only works when the guy she's after is
around."
"I AM NOT AFTER XELLOS!!!" Filia screamed at him. "It's that damned pill!
Please! You have to hide me! Don't let him near me!!!!!"
"Okay, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina reassured her. "Come on! We'll hide you
somewhere!" She took Filia's hand and started running down the street, Jeffrey just behind
them.
Xellos reappeared next to the hole in the inn's floor and sighed. "Yareyare…Even when
she's not playing hard to get she makes it difficult." He scratched his head and sniffed the air.
"Mmm…Little Dragon, I can actually smell your pheremones! How delightful!" He took a deep
breath, savoring the scent.
He blinked. Was this really the way he wanted to mate with Filia? The rational side of
his mind said no, but the emotional side that was under the extreme, compulsive urge to mate
with the dragon brought on by Peak said otherwise. "Hmmm….I wonder… Perhaps Jeffrey is
right…Should I or shouldn't I?"
A tiny Phibrizzo appeared on his shoulder. "Go ahead," it said. "You know you want
to…"
A tiny Gaav appeared on the other shoulder. He shrugged. "Sure, why the Hell not?"
Xellos smiled. "It's so liberating not being burdened by a conscience!" He raised his
staff into the air. "The chase…begins!"
With that, he disappeared.
Filia ran behind Shadow Lina, still stunned by her earlier behavior. She had practically
thrown herself at him! How could she?! Had she no shame at all?!
She didn't know how to describe it, but just at the sound of his voice, she had felt her
blood boil and electricity run up her spine. Even the tip of her tail was tingling.
But why? There was no way she could be attracted to Xellos! There WAS. NO. WAY!!!
"This way!" Shadow Lina cried, turning a corner and running into a temple. She
practically dragged Filia to a nearby priest. "Father!" she cried. "Quick! We need the help of a
healer priest!"
"Is there some kind of emergency?" the priest asked calmly.
"IT'S LOVE! OF COURSE IT'S AN EMERGENCY!!"
"All right, all right, child. This way." The priest turned and led them into the back of the
temple.
The priest introduced them to healer-priestess named Marsa who asked them what the
problem was. Shadow Lina weepily described the entire situation, begging Marsa to cure Miss
Dragon Lady. Marsa had Filia hop up onto an examining table and began looking her over. She
held a white crystal against the dragon's chest, checking her vital signs.
"You say it was a passion pill?" Marsa asked. "How big?"
"Itsy bitsy," Shadow Lina replied, holding her thumb and forefinger apart to show the
priestess how big.
"It's obviously something else," Filia sniffed. "A passion pill would heighten feelings
that already exist. This thing is making me…throw myself
at…an…icky…disgusting…horrible…NAMAGOMI!!!"
"How long will the pill last?" Shadow Lina asked.
"Hard to say. A few hours to a few days…"
"Can you cure it?" the sorceress asked her.
"No," Marsa replied. "The only thing you can do is keep your friend clear of whoever
causes the pill to kick in."
"That's going to be hard," Shadow Lina confessed. "He's…kind of looking for us right
now…"
"I still can't believe it would imply that I feel anything at all for that Mazoku!" Filia
huffed, her hands over her chest.
"Why don't we give your friend a minute alone to dress," Marsa suggested, leading
Shadow Lina outside to where Jeffrey was waiting.
"Is there ANYTHING else we can do?" the sorceress asked.
"Keep your friend away from him. That's all. The pill should wear off within a day,
maybe two."
Shadow Lina sighed. "Thank you, Miss Priestess Lady."
Filia was putting her gloves on when she heard it.
"Yareyare," the voice said. "This patient is going to need my close personal attention…"
She felt her blood begin to heat up as her pulse quickened. Her eyes went wide. From
her right, Xellos pulled back a privacy curtain and stood there with a clipboard in his hand. He
was wearing a white lab coat and spectacles. A stethoscope hung around his neck. He smiled
and approached her.
"Now, then," he said in a soothing voice. "Tell Doctor Xellos where it hurts…"
Filia shut her eyes and leaned back as he placed the stethoscope on her chest. "Yes,
Doctor…" she sighed.
"So that's what you have to do, Lord Jeffrey," she told him. "Understand?"
Jeffrey nodded, not quite sure of how this new plan was supposed to help Miss Filia, but
willing to give it a try. Miss Lina was pretty smart, after all.
Shadow Lina wrung her hands in front of her and tapped her foot on the floor. "Miss
Dragon Lady should've been out by now," she remarked.
"Maybe she just wants to be alone for a moment," Jeffrey suggested.
Shadow Lina looked at the door, then walked over to it. She knocked gently. "Miss
Dragon Lady? Is everything okay in there?"
No answer.
"Miss Dragon Lady?"
She thought she heard something from inside, a squeak and a murmur. Shadow Lina's
eyes went wide, and she gasped. "LORD JEFFREY! MISS DRAGON LADY'S IN
TROUBLE!!"
"Stand aside!" Jeffrey cried, drawing his sword. He screamed and launched himself at
the door, shoulder first!
And bounced off of it.
Shadow Lina pointed her hands at the door and shut her eyes. "FLARE ARROW!!!"
The door exploded inward. Shadow Lina rushed inside and gasped. Filia and Xellos
were on the exam table, kissing passionately. She held her hands up at them.
"AQUA CREATE!!!"
Filia cried out as the water hit her. Xellos disappeared again and reappeared next to
Shadow Lina, perfectly dry. "Why do you keep doing that?" he asked. "We're not on fire, you
know…"
"Speak for yourself," Filia purred at him.
Shadow Lina turned to Jeffrey, who was just now entering the room. "Lord Jeffrey!
Quick! The Plan!"
"Plan?" Xellos asked, scratching his head.
"Huh?" Jeffrey asked. "Oh! Right!" He pointed at Xellos. "Hey you! You shouldn't
call me a homosexual!"
"Excuse me?" the trickster priest asked.
"WHAT?!" they heard from behind another privacy curtain. "YOU DARE IMPLY
THAT MY WONDERFUL JEFFREY IS A HOMOSEXUAL!!!???"
"Yareyare…" Xellos sighed.
"Run!" Shadow Lina yelled, grabbing Filia's hand.
Josephine shot out from behind the curtain and smashed into Xellos, crashing through the
wall behind them!
Shadow Lina, Jeffrey, and Filia panted as they ran out of the temple and down the street.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I ALMOST LET HIM DO IT AGAIN!!!" Filia cried in distress.
"It's not your fault, Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina assured her. "It's that pill. All
we have to do is keep the two of you apart for about a day…maybe even less!"
"And how do we do that?!" Filia cried. "He's a Mazoku! He can follow us anywhere!"
"Maybe Miss Naga will know what to do…" Shadow Lina muttered.
Naga sat in her jail cell and listened as the three of them relayed their story, taking turns
whenever the current story-teller ran out of breath. At the end of it, Naga laughed.
"It's not funny!" Filia cried in indignation.
"Sure it is!" Naga told her with a dismissive wave. "You know, I don't see what the big
deal is. Why don't you just let him tag you and be done with it?"
Filia turned red. "I will most certainly NOT let him 'tag' me!"
"Well why not?!" Naga replied exasperated. "You obviously want him! Otherwise that
little passion pill wouldn't be changing you into a ten-goldpiece whore every time he shows up."
She grinned.
The dragon grit her teeth and growled.
"Otherwise you have to hide," the White Serpent said with a shrug.
"Thanks, Miss Naga," Shadow Lina said dejectedly.
"I'm officially dead," Filia whimpered as they descended the steps of the local jail into
the street. "I can't hide from him forever."
"I'm sorry, Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina whimpered. "This is all my fault." She
turned to the dragon. "I swear I won't let him touch you until you're all cured! I promise!"
"Yeah!" Jeffrey piped up. "He shouldn't be trying to take advantage of you! I'll keep
him at bay with my mighty Razor Blade!"
Filia began to cry. "I'm doomed!"
"Awww! Filia chan! Don't cry!" she heard behind her. Her body went rigid. Her
breath began to quicken into a pant.
"Run, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried, giving Filia a push!
"She doesn't want to run from ME, do you, Little Dragon?" Xellos asked with a smile.
Filia tried. She really did. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears with her
hands.
"I brought you flowers!" Xellos announced, pulling a bouquet of violets out from behind
his back.
Filia whimpered.
Jeffrey went into action. He leapt between them and raised Razor Blade. "Miss Lina!
Get Miss Filia out of here! I'LL handle Xellos!"
"Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina gasped out.
"Miss Lina! Go! Now!" He turned back to Xellos, who was standing there
nonchalantly. "All right, Mister Xellos! You may be Miss Naga's second in command! But I
can't let you defile Miss Filia while she's like this!"
Shadow Lina, meanwhile, was practically dragging Filia away. The golden dragon
seemed reluctant to leave and was actually trying to pull away and run to her Xellos.
"I'll fight you here and now, Mister Xellos!" Jeffrey continued. Xellos started walking
toward him. "No matter what the price, I shall defend Miss Filia's honor to the very end! I
shall…"
Xellos grabbed the young man's blade and ran it through his own chest. Jeffrey stared
down at the sword, buried firmly below the Mazoku's ribcage, and blinked.
"Oh dear! You seem to have won!" Xellos told him casually, patting him on the
shoulder in congratulations. "Duel's over!" He vanished.
"Huh?!" Jeffrey turned back just in time to see Xellos reappear next to Filia and Shadow
Lina. "MISS LINA! LOOK OUT!!"
Shadow Lina squeaked and dived out of the way as Filia rushed towards the Mazoku,
throwing herself at him. "Oh poo!" the sorceress cried. "AQUA CREATE!!"
*SPLASH!*
Xellos suddenly appeared next to her, wringing out his robe with his hands.
"MUST…you do that?" he growled.
"RUN, MISS DRAGON LADY!" Shadow Lina cried. She stood up and faced off with
the Trickster Priest. "Mis…Mister Xellos…" she stuttered fearfully. "If…If you don't promise
to leave Miss Dragon Lady alone…I…I'm going to have to stop you…with
force…real…powerful…dangerous force…"
"Fine. I promise to leave Filia chan alone." Xellos smiled.
Shadow Lina blinked. "Do…Do you mean it?"
"No, not really." He disappeared suddenly and reformed right in front of Filia. "Come,
Little Dragon. I've booked us a room in the honeymoon suite!"
Filia began shaking. She shut her eyes. "Must…control…myself…"
"I brought massage oil!"
"TAKE ME!" the dragon cried, diving toward him. Xellos held his arms out and
grinned.
Before Filia could land in the arms of her Mazoku fiance, however, Shadow Lina flew by
and grabbed the dragon by the back of her robes, flying high into the air.
Xellos grit his teeth. This game was beginning to lose its appeal for him. He
disappeared.
"Hold on, Miss Dragon Lady!" Shadow Lina cried as she flew down the street. She
looked down and saw Jeffrey running after them. He was waving at her and yelling, trying to tell
her something. "I wonder what he's saying."
"I'm quite sure it's a warning about me," she heard above her. She squeaked in surprise
and looked up to see Xellos flying just above them.
Filia heard his voice and began struggling against the shadow's grasp. "Ack! Miss
Dragon Lady! Don't fight!"
"Xellos!" Filia cried with a pout. "Rescue me….puh-lease?" She batted her eyes at him.
"Coming, Little Dragon!" Xellos assured her with a wave. He dipped and dived, flying
under the two women now. He twisted onto his back and held his arms out. "Quick, Miss Lina!
I'll catch her!"
"No way!" Shadow Lina cried.
"But she could fall," Xellos argued.
"I have a good hold of her!"
"Um…Miss Lina, I really could fall," Filia came in on Xellos' side.
"NO!"
Shadow Lina suddenly changed course and flew down a side street. Filia shook her head
and blinked again. "Please, Miss Lina! Don't let him…"
"I know! I know! Oh, what to do…" the shadow fretted. "We need to make sure he
can't find you! If only we had a disguise you can wear! Oh! I know! Can you teleport us
somewhere?!"
"Uh…yes," Filia replied hesitantly. "But not far."
"It doesn't have to be far!" The shadow quickly whispered the destination to the dragon.
A second later, they both disappeared in a flash of light.
"I don't see why Miss Clio has to be a part of all this," Miss Clio muttered, her arms over
her chest.
"Because," Filia, now arrayed in colorful blue dress and hat similar to Miss Clio's,
replied bitterly, "You sold a dangerous pill to a ditz. It's either this, or I roast you. Got it?"
"Yah, yah, Miss Clio got it…" the fortune teller mumbled.
Shadow Lina, wearing a fiery red outfit and hat of her own looked up and down the street
from behind the curtain of Miss Clio's booth. "I don't see him," she whispered. "I think we
might have lost him."
Filia sighed and sat down. "I'm so unfortunate," she muttered. "It's hard enough staying
one step ahead of him as it is. How am I supposed to keep his hands off me when I'm tossing
myself at him like some kind of common whore?"
"Miss Dragon Lady," Shadow Lina began, "I don't think Mister Xellos sees you like
that. I think he really likes you. He's just…well…creepy."
Filia thought it over. Why her, anyway? She had never gotten that answer out of him.
Why choose her of all entities as a mate?
"Someone's coming!" Shadow Lina hissed. She grabbed Filia and took her into the back
of the tent. Miss Clio went to the front to deal with whoever was there.
"Yes? How can Miss Clio help you?"
"Um…I'm looking for two of my friends," a familiar voice told her. "A cute, little
sorceress and a blonde priestess…"
"Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina cried, hearing her knight in shining armor's voice and
running to the tent flap. She threw it open, smiling broadly. "I tho…" She stopped and blinked
at the sight that met her.
Xellos was standing there, grinning. In his left hand was his staff. On his right hand was
a little Jeffrey sock puppet. He moved his hand to make the mouth move and spoke, his voice a
surprisingly accurate imitation of Jeffrey. "Hi, Miss Lina! Can Miss Filia come out to play?"
Shadow Lina threw the flap closed and turned, her eyes wide. "Oh my god!" She looked
over at Filia, who was trying desperately to control herself. Her eyes were clenched shut, her
hands were over her ears, and she kept muttering something…
"Jeffrey naked on a cold day! Jeffrey naked on a cold day! Jeffrey naked on a cold day!"
A hand adorned with a little Xellos sock puppet suddenly pushed into the tent through the
flap. "Little Dragon! It's your playful demon! Here to take you to a magical night of passion!"
Another hand with a tiny Filia puppet appeared next to it. "Oh, Xellos!" an almost exact
copy of Filia's voice cried from outside. "We'll live happily ever after together! Take me, my
Mazoku God of Passion!"
As if that wasn't weird enough, a third puppet-covered hand appeared. This puppet had
red hair and fangs dripping blood. "Har! Har! Har!" the puppet cried in a crude, evil voice.
"You will never have her! Har! Har! Har!"
"Oh, Xellos! Save me!" the Filia puppet cried.
"Fear not! Xellos to the rescue!" A second later, the Mazoku in question appeared inside
the tent and bowed. "Thank you for watching Mazoku Masterpiece Theatre. To keep
educational shows like these playing, please call now and donate for…" He blinked.
Filia and Shadow Lina were already gone.
"They ducked out during the commercial!" Xellos exclaimed. "How rude!"
Shadow Lina and Filia panted as they ran down the street. Hiding at Miss Clio's had only
bought them a little over an hour. Both women were getting tired. They had to think of
something permanent. A place to hide…
"Miss Lina! Miss Filia!" Jeffrey's voice called out from behind them.
"Not this time!" Shadow Lina cried, turning. "AQUA CREATE!!"
*SPLASH!!*
Jeffrey stood there, dripping wet.
"LORD JEFFREY!"
"Um…Hi," he said with a short wave. "I've been looking all over for you two! What
happened?!"
"Mister Xellos is still after us!" Shadow Lina told him.
"We should get Miss Filia off the street and someplace secure then!" Jeffrey replied. He
took the dragon's hand and led her into the nearest building, which just happened to be their inn.
The two dragged Filia up three flights of stairs to the top floor. Looking around, they
soon found a room at the end of the hall. Jeffrey looked from side to side to make sure that
Xellos wasn't around, then quickly pushed Filia inside. Then, closing the door, locking it, and
bracing their backs against it, they turned. Jeffrey drew Razor Blade, and Shadow Lina readied a
spell, just in case.
They stood that way for several minutes. Jeffrey smiled.
"I'm a genius…"
Shadow Lina smiled and nodded. "He'll never find her here."
Filia stood there for a moment and sighed in relief. Safe at last…
A pair of arms reached out from behind her and encircled her waist, pulling her closer to
someone. She eep'd and struggled for a moment before she heard it.
"Shhhhhhh," Xellos whispered. "It's me."
She tensed for a moment, then suddenly went limp, falling into him with a sigh. Xellos
chuckled.
Filia's eyes snapped open. "No," she muttered. "Mustn't…"
She felt him caress her cheek with his finger. It was if fire was trailing from his fingertip
along her skin. She felt the same tingle run down her tail as before. "Now, now, Little Dragon,"
Xellos tittered. "Resistance is futile. I have something special planned…"
The dragon felt herself shiver. Fire was enveloping her entire body.
"Now why don't we come over here to the bed?" the Mazoku asked her, leading her
gently to a king sized bed that happened to be covered with rose petals. An ice bucket with a
bottle of champagne sat on the nightstand next to it.
"How…" Filia began quietly.
"Filia chan, you can either question my amazing abilities or take advantage of them, but
you can't do both," Xellos chastised her, waving a finger at her.
She tried again to resist, tried to control the emotions raging in her, tried to call out for
help from Shadow Lina, but in the end all she could do was lean up and kiss him. He gently
guided her down to the bed and smiled.
"Do you feel relaxed, Little Dragon?" he asked.
"Y…yes," Filia sighed. (Oh God! This can't be happening!) she thought frantically.
(He's about to…He's going to…) She shivered at the unfinished thought.
"Now, then, this is very important, Filia chan, so I want you to listen carefully…"
(Oh God, just get on with it!) she begged silently. "Xellos…" she whined.
"Tell me, Filia chan…Do you WANT this?"
She groaned up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'll take that as a yes…" Xellos told her and bent down to her.
Filia closed her eyes and leaned up to meet his kiss when suddenly…
She blinked.
She grit her teeth.
She began to growl.
Xellos looked down at her, uncertain. "Um…Little Dragon?"
"You…" Filia bit out. "Creepy….slimy….shameless….sleezy….
horrible….disgusting…"
"Uh oh," Xellos muttered.
"NAMAGOMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Filia screamed at him.
"Do you hear that?" Jeffrey asked, his sword still pointed down the hall.
"No," Shadow Lina told him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Thought I heard something…"
"YOU HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING CREATURE!!!" Filia screamed at him again,
swinging her mace. "YOU JUST COULDN'T WAIT TO GET ME INTO THE SACK!!!"
"Well, of course not, Little Dragon!" Xellos replied, dodging another swing and
teleporting to the other side of the room. "Who would?!"
She growled. "Thank the Fire Dragon that that pill wore off when it did!" Filia told him,
praising Heaven above at the same time. "How could you?!"
Xellos shrugged. "You're my chosen mate. It's what's natural."
"I AM NOT YOUR MATE!!!" she screamed at him. Then she did something that
surprised him. She fell to her knees and began to cry. "Why…Why are you doing this to me?!"
she wept. "Do you really hate me that much?!" Xellos blinked in shock. "Why are you
tormenting ME?!" Her mace fell from her hand and hit the floor with a thud.
Xellos watched her for several moments, unsure of what to say. He had only been
teasing. Annoy her, fine. Anger her, great. He wasn't TRYING to make her…like this…
"Just tell me why," Filia begged. "Why me?"
The Trickster Priest sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He stayed that way for several
moments, just staring down at the floor. "I…respect you," he said quietly. He wouldn't face her.
She looked up at him, her eyes searching for insult or teasing.
"No you don't," she said quietly. "You've never…"
"Filia chan," he said quietly. "By the time I realized that Peak had snuck up on me, there
was very little I could do. It's not like how it is for you or for humans. Normally, there's time to
prepare, to find a suitable Mazoku mate, but my existence has hardly been normal, even for a
Mazoku. We mate for life, so I knew that I had to make a decision and make that decision final."
Filia said nothing as he continued.
"It came down to two choices," he told her. "Lina Inverse, the most powerful entity I've
ever known. Or you. Lina chan might have given me incredibly powerful children…but… I fear
she might be TOO powerful. You don't realize the reputation she has where I come from. We
FEAR her, Filia chan. If I chose her, she…I…and any offspring we might have…would be dead
VERY quickly."
"Then why me?" she asked.
He smiled. "I told you. I respect you, Filia chan. Do you remember when we fought
Almayce at your temple?"
"Yes, of course," she told him.
"Your Elder, all those older, male, warrior caste dragons…They took one look at me and
COWERED, Filia chan. They refused to take part in that battle because they all feared me." He
hmmph'd. "Cowards, all of them. But YOU, Filia chan… You've ALWAYS stood up to me.
You threatened me, insulted me, belittled me, my people, and my faith…. And you did it fully
aware of my history with your people, and fully aware that I could KILL you any time I felt like
taking three seconds out of my day to do it."
Filia swallowed nervously.
"Then you volunteered to raise Val, even knowing that I might one day be forced to come
after him." He looked at her. "Even though you knew one day I might come to kill the both of
you." She took a quick breath at this last remark. "Even now, I respect you, Filia chan," he
continued. "Do you know how easily I could force you to submit to me? Are you aware that if
all I wanted from you was fifteen minutes in bed, I could've taken that at any time? That if I so
desired, I could have you on your knees, begging me to ALLOW you to sleep with me simply by
threatening that tiny egg at Kataart?"
"Then why don't you?" she asked.
"Because, Filia chan, it is not enough that I have you physically," he confessed. "I desire
your respect. Do you know what a blow it is to my pride?" he asked her. "That I, one of the
greatest Mazoku to ever terrify humanity and dragonhood, am forced to grant you what you will
never grant me? Honest and true respect?"
He stood up and faced her, looking down at the teary-eyed woman kneeling before him.
"You are going to be my mate, Filia chan," he told her. "But I'm not going to take your respect.
One day, you're going to offer it to me."
With those last words, he disappeared. Filia only blinked in shock. For the first time
since meeting him, Xellos had said something nice to her… and meant it.
"This mess is all my fault," Shadow Lina muttered sadly.
Jeffrey looked over at her. "Um…Why were you trying to put that pill in my cup,
anyway?" he asked.
Shadow Lina sniffled. "I just wanted to see if you liked me. I…like you."
The knight blinked down at her. "I like you too," he said.
The sorceress turned to him, starry eyed and breathless. "You do?!"
"Well…yeah," he told her. "I mean…you're nice…and pretty brave. And
you're…um…you know…." He looked away and finished his statement. "Pretty."
Shadow Lina beamed, the stars in her eyes threatening to go supernova and wipe out
humanity. "You mean it?!"
"Yeah," Jeffrey said, the blush on his face tomato red. "I just…well…figured you
wouldn't care… I mean…You're a pretty powerful sorceress…and…well… Why would you
ever like someone like me?"
"Because you're strong and brave!" Shadow Lina cried out in admiration. "Like when
you stood up to Mister Xellos! Or Miss Naga's golem! Other men would run away! But you
stayed and stood up to them!" Jeffrey blushed even redder. "You're the bravest man I've ever
met, Lord Jeffrey!" she told him honestly.
"Um…" he began. "You…um…wanna get some ice cream?" he asked.
"Sure," Shadow Lina replied quietly, suddenly demure and embarrassed. She looked up
and blinked a second later. "But what about Miss Dragon Lady!?"
At that moment, the door opened. Filia stood there, a look of dazed shock on her face.
"Miss Filia?" Jeffrey asked.
"The pill's worn off," she said quietly. "It's over."
"Really?" Shadow Lina asked. "Cool!"
The dragon looked away and took a breath. "Yeah…cool…"
Naga poured the bucket of water on her head and sighed in contentment. The Atlas City
Jail didn't have a bath, and after three days of rotting in there, the White Serpent was ready for a
good, long soak in the inn's public, outdoor bath.
Sitting nearby, Filia and Shadow Lina soaked, their thoughts elsewhere.
"So what else did I miss?" Naga asked them. The two seemed to snap awake.
"Nothing much," Filia told her.
"Oh?" the sorceress asked. She leered at them. "Tell me, Filia, did you ever tag
Xellos?"
Filia turned red and faced her angrily. "No!" she retorted, but wouldn't say anything
else on the matter. She had been giving it a lot of thought lately. Was he telling her the truth
when he said he respected her? If so, then why would he try so hard to take advantage of her
impassioned state? She had asked herself that question until she remembered Peak.
Was that condition driving him to it?
"And what about you, Lina?" Naga turned her sights on Shadow Lina. "How did your
date with Jeffrey go?"
Shadow Lina turned red…then crimson….then purple. "Youknowitwasokay…" she
answered quickly, looking away.
Naga grinned. "You know," she said off-handedly, "It's going to be interesting to see
which of you is going to lose her virginity first."
"WHAT?!" they cried.
Before either of them could reply in depth, a sound was heard from over the bamboo
fence separating the women's bath from the men's. Naga grimaced and quickly covered her
ears.
"I'm going to kill him!" she muttered.
Shadow Lina began to cry.
Filia sighed. "Namagomi!" she called out through the fence. The sound stopped. "If
you're going to play that dreadful instrument….could you at least play something upbeat?" She
smiled.
There was silence from the men's bath for a moment, almost as if the musician were
taken aback. Then, suddenly, a new harmonica tune began to play.
Something upbeat.
To Be Continued…