Author's Notes: ………………………………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.………
Xellos: *poke poke* I think she's tired.
Filia: Poking doesn't help.
Xellos: It checks if the person responds to outside stimuli. ^_^ And it is so much fun!
Filia: *looks at a paper* Anyway Riven doesn't own Slayers. Otherwise there would be a fourth season where Dolphin comes in, and everyone gets… *throws paper down* I refuse to read more! (...everyone gets together. ^_^)
Xellos *picks up paper and reads it* It's a good thing she doesn't own it, and I refuse to work under those circumstances with you.
Riven: *wakes up* Oh and spare, Fluffers is still with Amelia, Verin is not addictive, and yes I wrote more see? *points to ficcie below* Now Minna-
Xellos: *interrupts after minna* Sha-la-la-la-la.
Riven: Please leave a review! *goes back to sleep* …zzzz…
~ ~ ~ (Busy author lady... tired author lady...) ~ ~ ~
Xellos looked at Filia. No one else could tell that he was looking at Filia. It was one of the advantages of having your eyes closed most of the time. That and he was walking behind the group.
Filia had been acting strangely ever since he got the accidental second dose of the Verin. She had been more polite to him and tried to keep her fury in check. All she did was give him a strange expression that he couldn't read and then look away whenever he tried to get a rise out of her. It was really starting to bug him.
And speaking of Filia, she was slowing down and matching pace with him.
They walked like that until Filia broke the silence. "So I hear you like eat foods once in a while. The next town is a well-known desert city."
"Sounds like you've been there before for the same reason." Xellos shrugged, "So that's where you must of put on that extra weight."
Filia's red aura, fangs and glowing eyes only appeared for a moment before she took a deep breath and composed herself. "Maybe a little. You could spend the night at the inn with us perhaps."
"Why would I?" Xellos calmly replied. 'Almost had her that time.'
"For the company of course." Filia stated.
"With a bunch of sleeping humans and a selfish dragon?" Xellos raised an eyebrow.
Twitch. "Well we put up with you don't we?" Filia poked him to emphasis her point.
"I'd rather stay outside anyway." Xellos continued to manage his indifferent attitude though he was starting to get annoyed at Filia for not getting angry.
"If you say so." Filia increased her pace and joined back up with the others.
Xellos quietly muttered to himself that he was annoyed because he had grown used to feeding on her. Now he'd have to go somewhere else to feed, well to get a full meal at least.
~ ~ ~ (….zzzzzz….) ~ ~ ~
Xellos was pondering at a different table from the others. He remembered what Filia had said after the Verin wore off for the second time.
"Oh Xellos, I know a secret." Her words echoed eerily in his mind
'What had she meant?' Xellos being a keeper of many secrets wanted to know. He looked over to Filia and saw her eating with the others. He wasn't about to go and as her what she had meant. If he did that, he would be admitting she had a slight edge over him. He needed to find another way.
Xellos picked up his teacup and was about to drink when he paused. Warily glancing at the tea, he inconspicuously sniffed it and deemed it safe to drink. 'Considering how often Verin seems to pop up lately, I can not be to careful.' He still took a small taste test any way to confirm if it was safe.
He couldn't force it out of her. If he did that Lina and the others would get mad, and he needed to stay on their good side. Otherwise he might end up like every other mazoku (only exception being himself) who met the group and he certainly didn't want that.
He could try to enter and search her mind when she was sleeping, but that could backfire easily. Maybe a potion or… Xellos mentally berated himself. The answer was obvious. Verin.
Xellos's smile broadened. He knew where he was going to visit tonight…
~ ~ ~ (… /\ _ /\ …) ~ ~ ~
The morning's breakfast was the normal battlefield that the Slayers have.
Filia had finished her meal long ago and was sipping her fourth cup of tea. There was a slightly familiar flavor that she couldn't place.
Xellos watched Filia out of the corner of his eye. 'She's gotten a big enough dose. All I have to do is wait now.'
Sitting away from the group at another table, he wasn't having any tea. Putting the Verin into the store of tea last night had been too easy, after he had acquired some from Nipperton.
When no one was looking he blink out and reappeared high above the city sitting cross-legged looking down. Yes, all he had to do now was wait, and he couldn't help but smile.
~ ~ ~ (Verin is becoming popular between them isn't it?) ~ ~ ~
As always the Slayers spent one day exploring the town they stayed in if they weren't in a hurry. Zelgadis and Amelia went to library in the town square, Lina and Gourry checked the market and the bazaars in the center of the town, and Filia was checking out a pottery shop at the edge of town.
Filia walked into the quaint shop and saw a, to put it nicely, unusually shaped pot. 'It looks like a bumpy pumpkin thing.' While Filia would normally be a bit more fascinated for how it was made, she found it to be hilarious.
The disgruntled owner shooed the laughing dragon out of the store. Luckily he didn't notice the gold tail that had popped out during Filia's giggle fit.
Not feeling like going back town, she wandered into a forest nearby still chuckling. Calming down a bit she looked at the huge ancient moss covered trees.
"Hello Filia." Xellos greeted from one low branch of one of the trees.
Filia blinked, and laughed pointing up at him.
Xellos frowned, she wasn't supposed to laugh at him.
Filia calmed down and cheerily waved up at him. "Hello Xellos."
Xellos hopped down and landed a few feet away from her. "Filia, I want you to tell me…" Xellos tailed off and opened his eyes in surprise when Filia barreled over to him.
She screeched to a halt a foot in front of Xellos. She leaned forward and put her hands behind her back. "Tell you what?" Filia drawled her words a little having a familiar genki expression on.
Xellos resumed his normal expression as well. "What secret do you know?"
"I know some!" Filia pranced around the bewildered Xellos.
"Care to tell me?" Xellos was starting to get dizzy from watching her.
"Scritchy scratch!" Filia scratched to back of Xellos's head.
"Eh?" Xellos blinked confused.
"Awww… no purr for me today?" Filia pouted.
"You know about that?" Xellos had a few blue-black lines over his head.
"Yes I know you purr!" Filia then continued in a singsong voice. "And I know something else!"
Xellos snapped back to attention. "What?"
"That the," Filia glanced to her right and left and lowered her voice, "zombies are coming."
Xellos sighed and put one hand on his head when Filia ran in circles around him spouting out a nonsense little tune. Then he heard what she was shouting over and over.
"We came to see the trees, over the great green blue sea! I know something, I know something, why yes indeed I do! I like him and he likes me, sooner or later I hope we can be free! We'll travel over hill and dale, and hope that we'll never fail!"
Xellos managed to keep most of his composure and only blink twice. Though most of it was nonsense he managed to pick out one line that confused him.
"I like him and he likes me, I hope we'll be a happy family!"
At that line Xellos lost all his composure and face-faulted. With wide eyes he looked up at Filia. "What?" he asked incredulously.
"You know silly." Filia plopped down next to the still shocked mazoku. "You like me," Filia tilted her head to the side and smiled cheerily, "and I like you. You even gave me a pretty shiny."
"Pretty shiny?" Xellos echoed.
Filia latched onto his arm. "The very pretty shiny."
Xellos shook his arm a little trying to dislodge the dragon attached to it.
"Do you remember the pretty shiny?" Filia inched closer.
Getting flustered from the all the information, losing the circulation in one arm, and the strange acting dragon next to him Xellos didn't reply and looked blankly at her.
"I show you the pretty shiny again!" Filia chirped.
No sooner had Filia said that something hard whacked Xellos in the back of the head. Wincing slightly, he rubbed the sore spot with one hand and looked up at a golden tail waving in front of him. Filia's tail had a new addition, the Kirei Stone was over a silver bow's knot. It was actually a very nice combination.
While Xellos was looking at Filia's tail, Filia decided to get into a more comfortable position. Xellos didn't notice when she let go of his arm (it was asleep), but he did notice when she reattached herself to his waist and began to trill.
'This gets stranger and stranger.' Xellos thought with a sweat-drop. 'If Filia or I get any more Verin, I wouldn't be surprised if this happens frequently. I wonder what would happen if we get the same dose at the same time.' The thought made him shudder. 'I don't want to find out.'
Xellos looked down at the sleeping Filia. 'I'd better get her back to the inn before anyone suspects anything. I can't risk teleportation with a dragon, I'll have to carry her back.'
Lifting her up he began to trek out of the forest, and everything was going well until they reached a shallow river.
Xellos almost slipped on the slippery rocks under the surface, but managed to catch his balance without dropping Filia. Sighing in relief he continued to carefully cross the river.
Then Filia decided she need stretch and turn in her sleep. Xellos who was in a precarious position already didn't account for this sudden movement and the result, SPLASH!
Filia sputtered and sat up rubbing her eyes. "How did I get here?" (The river was very shallow)
Xellos sat up, coughed out some water, and took deep breath that sent him into another fit of coughing. When he finally stopped coughing he realized that Filia had woken up and was staring at him as if he had sprung up out of nowhere. (Which he did to her point of view.)
Filia blinked a few more times and then broke the silence. "Ahahaha!" She pointed at him while she laughed.
Xellos blankly stared at her finger and then frowned when she laughed at him. "What?" He raised one eyebrow, though you couldn't tell under the wet bangs that nearly went down to his nose.
Filia managed to say through her constant giggles "Your hair!" She continued to point with one hand while the other was over her mouth.
Xellos quizzically stared back until he realized what she was talking about. Grumbling slightly, he flipped his wet bangs so they didn't cover his eyes anymore.
Filia stopped her giggles and calmed down. "Xellos how did I get here in the middle of a river?"
"Well Filia, I was in the forest when you came along." Xellos replied truthfully. "You were acting strange, and you wouldn't leave me alone."
"And I followed you and tripped you into the river." Filia concluded. "Don't take what I said seriously, I think I got into some Verin this morning."
Xellos shrugged and didn't correct her on her idea, otherwise she might figure out he gave her the Verin. "I would like to get back to town, but I can't do that while a heavy dragon is sitting on me."
Filia growled slightly but did get up when she realized with a slight blush that she was sitting on him. However she did splash him to return the insult. Once again she began to laugh at his wet hair as well as his expression.
Xellos stood up and once again flipped his bangs away from his eyes.
In an unsaid truce, the two non-humans walked back to town sopping wet.
~ ~ ~ (*blinks* Oh, the chapter is done.) ~ ~ ~
Author's Notes: *stretches* There, it's done for now. Sorry it took so long but I couldn't think of an idea. ^^; And I still need one for the next chapter too. Any idea givers I will worship, if I use your idea I will mention you and put you on a pedal of worship. And I only still own half of this idea already. The other half is Zee Metallium's kitty nipper. *bows* Now excuse me please while I go work on the other fics I have to do. *scurries off to write more of the other fics* … *runs back* Oh I almost forgot to say any reviews may give my brain a kick start into creativity! ^o^ \V/ *scurries off again*