For the Love of Evil
Dreams of a Future Past
By: Kiavie Willowroot

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Filia woke up suddenly, hearing someone screaming in the middle of the night. After her heart slowed down, she hurridly jumped out of bed, not bothering to put something on under her long shirt. "Not again..." She whispered as she walked up to Xelloss's door. She stepped inside without knocking and winced when her suspicions were comfirmed.

He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide open but glazed over, he was panting like he had been running for a long time. She noticed he didn't even bother to change out of his clothes from earlier that evening. Filia walked up to his bed and sat beside him, wrapping her arms around him and talking into his ear quietly. Marner appeared, like usual, with the same concerned look he always adopted when this happened.

"One of his nightmares again?" He asked tiredly.

"Yeah, he's not awake yet. I'll make sure he doesn't wander around this time."

"Has he started calling out to people yet?"

"Ju-ouu-sama!" Xelloss yelled out, jerking around in Filia's arms. She kept a tight hold though, and kept Xelloss within her embrace.

"Now he has." Filia said in an accusing tone to Marner.

"Sorry, didn't mean to jinx you. I'll go to bed, hollar if you need help with him."

"I think he'll be fine in a while."

Marner nodded and left the room.

About a half an hour later, though several fits, Xelloss finally woke up. He noticed Filia was there, but at the moment he was just too tired to muster the strength for any verbal battles. He leaned his head up against her shoulder and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah...just wish sleeping didn't make me so tired sometimes...."

"What did you dream about this time?"

"I'm not sure, it's always a jumble. I remember a red-head with a mean temper though, and for some reason she had me in a headlock. And some hyperactive girl singing this horrid "life is wonderful" song over and over and over....AGH! Drove me bonkers! And I was in this fight with some man named Valgarv...it was all so odd. I am a different person when I dream."

"Was I in the dream again?"

He laughed quietly. "Sore wa himitsu desu."

She knocked him across the head lightly. "Baka. Just answer."

"Yeah, no matter in or out of dreams, you call me namagomi."

Filia laughed. "Did I have a tail again?" She joked, remembering what had startled him the last time.

"Yep. Pink ribbon and all."

She tightened her hug, laughing lightly at the thought of her with a tail, and felt something in his pocket. "What's that?"

"Eh?" Filia let go of Xelloss as he reached into his pocket and felt the braclet. "Oh! I forgot this was even in there." He pulled it out, handing it to her.

"It's the braclet I was looking at!" She exclaimed happily, immediatly sliding it on.

"No, it isn't."

"But it looks exactly like the one I was looking at."

Xelloss noticed it was too dark where she was sitting to see the color of the stones. He gently took her elbow and led her to the porthole, where some of the moonlight was spilling in. Xelloss put her wrist under the direct moonlight and smiled. "See?"

"........they're amythist. It's so pretty...."

Xelloss was suddenly quite happy with himself as he watched her examine the braclet with total awe.

"Fi-chan."

"Hm?" She looked up, only to meet his lips to hers. She was so startled she didn't move. After a few seconds, he pulled away and smiled.

"Thank you."

"Huh......?" Filia was totally dazed. This was something she did not expect. Name calling, yes, arguing, yes, annoying the hell out of her, yes....the bracelet and the kiss did not fit under any of those catagories.

"It just seems that you have done something for me....though to be honest I am not sure what. But thank you." He pulled her to himself again, this time in a hug.

After a long moment, Filia returned the hug and sighed."Thank you for the bracelet." Xelloss kissed the top of her head and placed his cheek where he kissed. I can't say it. He thought to himself, felling akward, but perfectly happy at the same time.

Say what? She thought back at him.

Oops...forgot that you can hear me at close range. But that's only when you are trying to hear me.

Or trying to be hear, which is the case. You made that a very loud thought.

He flet himself blush slightly and he swollowed a little. I...ah...well, I was thinking of calling you a name...and I thought it would be inappropiate right now.

You're lying.

Oh, and what makes you think that?

You are hugging me tighter like you are nervous about something, and ou sounded nervous when you thought that. You are never nervous about calling me a name or throwing an insult. It's in your nature.

Hey, that was harsh.

Lifes rough sometimes. So tell me what you are so nervous to talk about.

I don't what to. He let her go suddenly and walked over to his bed and sat down on it hard. Leave me alone.

Why?

"Because!" He snapped outloud.

"You're getting angry Xelloss."

"So what if I am! Just leave me along, quit trying to pry!" He turned his head away, facing the wall.

Filia walked up to his bed and sat on in next to him. "Xelloss, why do you always insist on keeping secrets?"

"Sore wa himitsu desu."

Filia made an annoyed sound. "Why do you always say that?"

"Sore wa himitsu desu."

"Arg!" She grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. She brought her nose up to his and yelled at the top of her lung, "What is with you?!"

"Sore..." He didn't finish his sentence before Filia's fist came crashing down on his other shoulder. "Ow! Filia!"

"JUST TELL ME YOU LOVE ME AND GET IT OVER WITH!!" She screamed again, even louder than before. Xelloss' mouth dropped open and he stared at her with disbelief.

"Nani? Are you nuts?"

"Xelloss, tell me the truth, and it will spare you a lot of pain." Filia developed an evil glint in her eyes and she locked him in a stareing contest.

"..............."

Filia sighed. "Fine, let me rephrase that for you. Do you love me, yes or no?"

"..............."

"Why wont you answer me?" Those fangs were popping out again.

"Becasue you are going to beat me up either way I answer! This is a lose/lose situation!" He blurted out, cringing away from her slightly.

"I promise I wont hurt you if you answer. However, I will hurt you if you don't. Now, do you love me?" She asked patiently.

"....sore wa himitsu desu." Xelloss grinned.

"I'm going to kill you, namagomi!"

"YES! YESYESYESYES!" He backed away from her to the furthest corner of his bed, covering his face with his hands.

Now that she got her answer, she didn't know how to react. He loves me....? Do I love him....?

"YOU PUT ME THROUGH ALL THAT AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU LOVE ME?!" He yelled, reading her thoughts.

"Well....um...that is to say...ah...." Filia fumbled around in her mind, playing with her fngers and sorting out her feelings. Was what she felt for him love? She wasn't sure, she never loved anyone to have any experiance to go off of.

"You have three seconds." He said in a deadly tone.

"To what?" She asked nervously. I don't like being on the recieving end.

"Tough cookies. You have three seconds to either tell me that you love me, don't love me, or run like hell."

"Uh...."

"One."

"You wouldn't."

He grinned. "Two."

"You would...." She turned around and bolted out the door.

"Three, Fi-chan!" He jumped off his bed and chased her down the hall that lead to the upper deck. The sun was starting to come up, and Marner had woken up to take the wheel. He watched as Filia bursted out from the lower decks in nothing more that her night shirt, wailing and a frightened look overcomming her face. Xelloss followed close behind her, wearing the pants from a day before, his hair slighlty tangled.

"You are not going to get away from me! This is a ship, there isn't many places to hide!" He called, stopping to block the entrance to the lower deck so she couldn't go back inside. It was easier to keep track of her here.

"You stay away from me and leave me alone!" She yelled back.

One of the crew mates looked at the two of them and laughed. "Another lover's spat?"

Filia turned red and glared at him. "Shut up!" Filia walked to the edge and looked like she was ready to jump.

Xelloss placed a hand on his hip and gave her a sly look. "Don't even think about ray-winging out of here."

"Oh, and why not?"

Marner yelled out. "We aren't close enough to any shore for that!"

"You are NOT helping!" She shouted.

"Besides that...everyone will be able to see your underwear up that little shirt of yours." He purred.

"Eep!" Filia used her hands to cover her underwear as if it were showing through the shirt. "Henti!"

Xelloss rolled his eyes. "There is a simple way out of this you know, Fi-chan."

"Oh? How?"

"Simply answer my question: yes or no."

"............."

By now the entire crew was watching them with interest. These two were always good from some amusement.

"If you don't answer my question, Fi-chan, I will do something drastic."

"Humph. Like I am afraid of you and your pathetic pranks."

Xelloss was starting to worry. He just confessed to her about his feelings, and he was beginning to wonder if they were returned at all. "Fine, then you wont mind waking up with short hair in the morning."

"You wouldn't!"

He raised his eyebrow.

"You would...." She was still red all over from the underwear thing, now she turned a darker shade. "....yes."

He felt like jumping all over the place, but kept his joy restrained to a smile. "Now, was that so hard?" I have to rub it in just a little

"I HATE you!"

"Now don't go contridicting yourself, Fi-chan."

Marner watched all this with absolutley no understanding until the last two statements. "Oh, he was trying to get her to admit she loved him." He looked at his first mate, who smiled crookedly in rsponse and shrugged his shoulders.

"We all saw it comming years ago. I personally will never understand those two."

"Neither will I."

The argument continued.

"Admit it! You think I'm cute!" Xelloss yelled, pointing at her. He planned on making her suffer in front of everyone for what she put him through.

"YOU admit that you think I'M cute!" She yelled and pointed back. They stood there, glareing eachother accusingly.

"You're a brat, that's for sure!"

"And you are an arrogant son-of-a...."

Marner sighed and decided now would be a good time to interrupt the show. "Oi! Don't you two think you've made big enough fools of yourselves?"

Xelloss turned and looked up at Marner, flashing a triumphant grin. "Yes, I believe we have." He turned and headed back for his bedroom, Filia not far behind, running for all her life to hide from the world in general.

"Now that they admit they like eachother, what are we going to tease them about now?" The first mate asked lightly, smiling as he looked out to the ocean.

"About when they are going to get married!" He laughed in response.

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