Xelloss sat in his room on a stool, hovering over a canvas, his fingers covered in paint, holding the brush dextrously. He dipped the tip in the red paint again and added a few more strokes to the picture. "Hmmmm...." He thought as he examined the work so far.
"Xelloss?" Filia stepped inside, and noticed his room was an "artistic mess" once again. Instuments, music, paint, canvas', and what-not were all over the place. The painting became an obsession of his a few months ago as he realized that he could paint the images of his dreams, and Filia noted that it gave him some sort of relief to do this. Besides, he was a pretty good painter, especially when you take into concideration how long ago he started. She walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his neck. "Is this the red-head you are always talking about?" The painting was of a woman with fire red hair and matching color eyes. She was cute, smiling and making a victory sign with her hand.
"Mmm-hmm. There is the other paintings I've done from the images in my dreams." He pointed to a pile in the corner of the room, where at least fifteen paintings were piled high.
She hugged him more tightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Been busy?"
"That's an understatment. I can't stop myself. Here, let me show you some of them." She let got of him as Xelloss stood up and picked up the one on top. It was a picture of a blonde man with blue eyes and a honest face. "This guy always has this sword that looks like a blaze of light." He set it down and picked up the next one.
It was another young woman, with black hair and a darker shade of blue eyes than the previous painting had. "This is the one that was singing that horrible life is wonderful song...."
"She's cute, though."
"I don't care how cute she is, that song just gets under my skin for some reason." He set it down and picked up the next.
A young man with blue, stony skin, a solmn face and purple wiry hair. "Now there is an unusual character...he looks so depressed."
He set that one down and picked up another. This one has greenish hair that had two huge spirals down the sides of her face. "This one is hanging all over me for some reason." Xelloss scratched his head in a confused action, and Filia just snorted to show just how interested she was in that fact. The next painting.
"This is that guy Valgarv I was talking about. The one who I am always fighting for some reason."
".....He has a horn..."
"Yep."
"..........BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Filia busted up, looking at the picture.
Xelloss shook his head at her. She suddenly calmed down though as she looked at it. "There is something about that picture...I don't know..."
"What, like him?" Xelloss teased.
"No! Oh, just get on with the next one."
He smiled and set that picture down, picking up another. This one was of a blonde, absolutley gorgeous woman with animalistic characteristics about her, hoding a gold goblet in her delicate hand. She was draped over a throne with animal furs, a white, slinky dress barely covering her, and gold bracelets decorating both wrists and ankles. "Wow..." Filia sighed. "You spent a lot of time on this one. She so beautiful...yet so scary. Who is she."
Xelloss didn't answer her.
"What? Is she your lover in you dreams or something?" Filia asked, trying hard to not sound angry, opting to use a teasing tone to cover up.
"No...not lovers. More like..."
"What? A lady friend?"
"More than a friend...she's more like..." Xelloss hesitated.
Filia decided to wait and see if he would answer on his own. He did.
"...My mother." He finished, looking up at her with an embarrised grin. "She reminds me of something like a mother for some reason."
He set that painting down gently, and picked up the next, his smile fading as he picked it up. "Who's that?" Filia asked. It was a woman with blue hair, a young face, and a sinister grin.
"I don't know, but every time I see this painting I want to punch a hole through it." He set it down roughly and picked up a smaller painting of an object. "What is that? A staff of sorts?"
"Hai. I...keep think about this staff. It is one of the things I think about the most from my dreams. For some reason I feel that it is very important to me. Get's me as to why it is though." He set that painting down and turned to face her, smiling broadly. "So, you ready for day after tomorrow?"
She smiled and blushed lightly. "As ready as I'll ever be...."
"Don't you start acting like you are going to get cold feet!"
"Don't worry." She shifted her position so she was leaning her head against his shoulder. He hugged her in response and laughed a little.
"What?" Filia asked.
"Hm?"
"What's funny?"
"Who thought I would marry a loud mouthed spoiled brat like yourself." He grinned.
"Namagomi!" Filia made a fist an whacked him across the head. "Stupid boy, don't know the first thing about being romantic." She crossed her arms across her chest and looked away.
"I can't help it if your a brat!" Xelloss teased.
"I can't help it if you are a baka!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Filia made an incoherent noise and stopmed away out of his room.
Xelloss sighed as he watched her leave with so much anger inside her. He did not understand himself sometimes, why did he always provoke her into these flare ups. Something inside of him drove him to do it. He always felt a little satisfied with himself when he got the upperhand too, even though he knew he shouldn't even be starting these, let alone enjoying then to an extent.
"Oh well. Time will let her cool off, and then I will go see if she is in a sociable mood again."
*****
Xelloss looked at Filia. She was very pretty, he observed. In fact, she was beautiful in that dress. The priest responded to Filia like most people did, with a warm smile. She always managed to get people to like her almost instantaneously. She is very nervous... He thought to himself. Then he thought of his current situation. I'M very nervous! What am I doing here? How can I be getting married? Maybe I'm too young...what am I thinking? Am I crazy? I love Filia...besides, if I left her here she could KILL me. I mean, it would be an all out bloodbath. But maybe we moved this too quick, maybe I should...wait? Did the priest just say something too me? Oh, crap, he looks like he is waiting for me to say something...uh-oh. The priest just stared at him in return as Xelloss searched his mind seeing if he could remember what he said. Oh jeeze, I am going to get absolute hell for this later..."Um, gomen, could you repeat that?" Filia stared at him, but didn't seem to be mad. In fact, she smiled softly at him and looked down at her feet in almost a demure way...almost. He would have fallen for it if it was anyone by Filia.
"I do...?" Xelloss pretty much asked, wondering if that was what he was supposed to say. Ack! This whole thing is so confusing to me. Why can't they just say something like "Do you two love eachother?" And either the couple say yes or no, and depending on the answer they will become man and wife or not. This whole fiasco is annoying. There are too many people paying attention to me.... Xelloss glanced to his side to look at the onlookers themselves...rows and rows of them. All friends of his father. Meaning about 90% of them were seamen.
Apparently it was the right answer. The priest declaired them man and wife and Xelloss gladly kissed his new bride. Finally... he thought to himself. Now how much longer is it going to take for us to get out of here?
Time went by, and long after the reception and toasts which seemed to drag unbearable long for Xelloss, the new couple where finally released from their social obligation to "mingle" and tell everyone how "happy" they were. Xelloss was happy, he was just miserable with having to put up with so many people. Xelloss never felt so relieved to see a carriage when they neared it for their departure.
"Xelloss, Filia wait!" Xelloss was beginning to recognize that voice all too well, an overly affectionate woman by the name of Hilda that was a close friend of his fathers. Marner termed her to be like "his sister". Xelloss perferred to term her something less flattering, and was pretty sure he was going to blast her into th next town if she gathered him up in another one of her suffocating hugs.
"LET'S GO!" He yelled quickly, seeing the large womans rapid approach. He grabbed Filia by the waist with both arms. "Rey wing!" He took off as fast as he could.
"Little eager to get out of there?"
"I was going to kill her if she touched me again!"
Filia laughed and nodded in agreement.
About six months later, in a town called Allegrian of a continent west to the land where Lina and co. come from...^.^
Filia paced around nervously in her room, walking back and forth in the same spot so much she was certain that she was rubbing a groove into the wood floors. Stopping for a moment, she laided her hand on the wall nearest to her and sighed, thinking to herself. She was wearing a light pink soft looking sun dress that was comfortable in the heat. What do I say? What will he do? What can I do....
Turning her back to the wall, she leaned against it and played with her hair absently. Filia and Xelloss moved into their own house in a seaside city called Allegian shortly after they were married. They both felt they needed to try to get by on their own. Thankfully, this was a city known for it's love of art, and Xelloss and Filia were both gifted in that region. Whether it was selling Xelloss paintings, Filia's pottery, Xelloss composing music, herself singing for Taverns, sometimes with Xelloss playing the music himself. They got along very well in this large popular city. They kept their house small though, much to the protests of Xelloss. He wasnted something large, extensive, roomy. Filia liked the little two bedroom house though, it was comfortable and easy to take care of.
"What am I going to do....?" She whispered to herself quietly.
Suddenly, something along the lines of boom boom boom CRASH slam stomp stomp stomp rand through the house. Definatley not Xelloss, he was always so quiet that he scared her out of her skin half the time when he came in. Only one person came in like THAT...
"Dad....? Urk!" Suddenly she was gathered into Marners arms and squeezed very tightly. She had grown accustomed to calling him Dad without feeling akward about it after Xelloss and herself were married. In fact, he insisted it.
"How are ya, m' girl? Where is that good for nothin' boy of mine?" He asked as he set her down. He had not seen then since about a month after the wedding...Xelloss thought he was suffering from empty nest syndrom.
"Um..he's out in the market, selling some paintings."
"Oh is he? I still think you two were better cut out for the sea than all this artsy stuff." Marner huffed, crossing his arms over his moderatly sized chst and pounting ever so slightly.
Filia laughed and hugged him. "We miss you too."
Marner studied her face for moment, and pushed her away gently and frowned. "What's wrong, girl? Somethin' is bothering you."
Am I that obvious....? "No, I'm fine. Don't fret. I'm just thinking a bit..." Filia flushed slighly under his studying gaze and bit her bottom lip lighty.
After a moment, Marner's face lit up and he grinned. "You're going to have a baby, aren't you!"
Filia facefaulted. After gathering herself up again, she looked at him accusingly. "How do you know that?"
"I'm going to be a grandpa!" He laughed, hugging her for the third time. It was very bad timing for him to declair that though.
Xelloss stood in the doorway, in his usual outfit of black pants and a white shirt. He kinda stared off past the two of them and shook his head as if he was dizzy. "What was that?" He looked at Filia hard. "'Grandpa?' What is he talking about?"
Filia sat him down and explained things to him.
Eight months later, in the same house, Filia had her baby. The only people there were Xelloss, the midwife and Marner.
Filia was exhausted. She had never been so physically tried in her life. The whole ordeal was...exhillirating though. It filled her with a sense of pride and love that she never expriance before.
Xelloss sat beside her, holding the baby, a look of absolute curiosity filling his face. He has no idea what to do...or what to think... Xelloss had been akward about the whole situation, but took it in stride. The baby was awake, not moving much, just looking at Xelloss with dark blue eyes.
"So...what's the name?" Marner asked quietly, looking down at her with the almost mirror image of Xelloss', total curiosity. Filia smiled to herself. They are both so intrigued by this...
"We wanted to name her something related to the ocean..."
"That's why we asked you for suggestions." Xelloss finished, looking at Marner.
Marner got an embarrised flush to his face and scratched the back of his head. "Well, uh, there are plenty of things related to the sea. Le 'me see...ones that are suitable for a name. Pearl, Shell, Auqa, Ocean, Blue, Coral, Siren, Mermaid, Tsunami..."
"I like that one." Filia said.
"Which one?" Xelloss quirked an eye brow.
"Tsunami."
"You...want to name our child after a natual disaster?" Xelloss' mouth twitched in an amused manner.
"I didn't mean it like that! Maybe we shouldn't.." Xelloss shook his head at her and smiled.
"No, I think it is perfect. Any child of mine is bound to be a walking natural disaster." He joked lightly.
