*CHAPTER ONE*
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*MISSION*
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"Xellos!"

Xellos winced as he heard his name shouted loudly in his mind. Sighing, he left his dark room which looked more like a cell, and teleported to Zelas's throne room. He knelt down on one knee, one hand on his upright staff, the other across his chest. "Hai, Ju-ou-sama?" he asked respectfully.

Zelas was sitting proudly in her large throne with arms ending in the heads of wolves. Her white-blond hair fell over her eyes, and her white tunic contrasted sharply with the dark gray of her throne behind her. A lit cigarette hung loosely from her graceful fingers. "Xellos, I have a mission for you," she said after taking a long drag from her cigarette.

"Hai," Xellos said, not getting up from his kneeling position, though inside he was dreading what awful task she'd have him do this time.

Crossing her legs and leaning forward to look down at Xellos, Zelas said, "I want you to go to the house of Filia Ul Copt."

Xellos's eyes flashed open. What would Zelas want with her?

"I want you to bring her here," Zelas told him.

"Would I be allowed to ask why?" Xellos asked cautiously. He wouldn't want to be presumptuous by asking right out, but if he asked if he was allowed to ask, then it wouldn't be considered as disrespectful.

Glancing down at Xellos through half-closed eyes, Zelas said, "You would be allowed to, but I wouldn't tell you. You don't ask questions in this profession. You just do as you're ordered."

"Hai, Ju-ou-sama," Xellos said. Inside, he was seething. Zelas never told him anything about his jobs most of the time. And what in L-sama's name would she want with Filia? But the only thing Xellos could do was obey Zelas's orders, so he teleported away from there and appeared above Filia's mace and vase store.

Putting on his mischievous grin, Xellos landed on the ground, and knocked on the door of the shop.

Filia opened the door, her bright blue eyes ready to greet a customer or an unexpected guest. Instead, she saw Xellos. Her eyes narrowed, her eyebrows furrowed, and her grip on the doorknob tightened. She hadn't changed since Xellos had seen her last, except she no longer wore the talisman on her chest that signified that she was a priestess.

"Xellos!" Filia growled through clenched teeth. "What are you doing here?"

Grinning, Xellos reached into his cloak, and held out a package. It was wrapped in yellow paper, tied up in red ribbons, and topped with a bright blue bow. "Happy birthday," Xellos told her. He knew, of course, that it wasn't her birthday, but he had to have a good laugh before he took her to see Zelas, the reason for which he sincerely wished he knew.

Filia glared at the present, and said tensely, "It's not my birthday."

"It isn't?" Xellos asked, affecting shock. "Hmm... I think I'll just take this, then."

For a second, Filia didn't say anything. Then, "Wait!"

"Yes?" Slyly, Xellos started to put the package back in his cloak.

"I still want it," Filia told him, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Unsure, Xellos said slowly, "I don't know..."

"Please?" Filia begged. "I really want to see what it is!"

Xellos shrugged, and held out the package again, his grin back.

Filia took the box in both hands, and took the bow off, followed by the ribbons and wrapping paper. She was about to open the box, she looked up at Xellos and asked, "Is anything going to jump out at me?"

Xellos shook his head, his smile unwavering.

Cautiously, Filia opened the box a tiny bit and peeked inside. When nothing leapt out at her, she opened it the rest of the way. She lifted out the gift inside, and found herself looking at a beautiful snow globe. Inside was a view of the Dragon Valley, the details in the sharp cliffs remarkably realistic.

Filia cooed with awe. "It's so beautiful," she said slowly.

"Shake it," Xellos told her, not dropping his grin.

Without thinking, Filia shook the snow globe. Little tiny gold and black dragons started floating around in the scene. But as soon as the first dragon touched the bottom again, the snow globe exploded, creating a giant cloud of smoke around Filia's face.

"XELLOS!" Filia growled.

In front of her, Xellos was laughing his head off, using his staff to keep him standing upright.

When the smoke cleared away, Filia's hands were still held out as if she were holding the snow globe, but it was gone. In its place was a pile of ashes. Her hands were charred black, as was her face. "XELLOS!!!" Filia shouted, reaching for her mace.

Xellos saw that movement, and stopped laughing. He had no wish to be smacked by Filia's hefty mace. "Maa, Fi-chan--"

"Don't call me that!" Filia yelled, holding her mace out at arm's length.

"Actually, I have a purpose for coming here this time," Xellos told her. "Other than teasing you, I mean."

Filia arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" she asked, completely sure that he had no legitimate excuse for being there. "Tell me, then."

"Um... Lower the mace?" Xellos asked warily. When Filia did so, he went on. "The reason I'm here, is because Ju-ou-sama told me to. She wants me to bring you to her estate."

Filia's mace dropped to the ground, and her eyes and mouth opened in shock. "Me?" she asked incredulously. "Why does Zelas want me?"

"You have as much knowledge on this as I do," Xellos told her. "Ju-ou-sama just said to bring you to her estate."

For a moment, Filia was speechless. Then she crossed her arms, turned her head away, and said, "I won't go."

Xellos nodded, and said, "I figured you'd say that. And that's all well and good.... But if I don't show up with you at her estate, I'll be the one to get punished?" He paused a second to let Filia absorb that. "So, I have no choice but to take you against your will."

"You'll do no such thing!" Filia yelled at him, her fists down by her sides.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Xellos asked, grinning mischievously. Before Filia could utter a protest, Xellos grabbed Filia's arm, and teleported away from the shop with her, leaving the mace behind on the floor in the small crater it had made when it was dropped.