There was a second echo far along down the hallway. Amelia ran and flung
herself onto her bed still crying. Her curtains were drawn, filtering out
the sunlight from outside, the candles she had burned to their bases. It
didn't matter to her though. The darkness was better then the light right
the moment anyways. Even the bit of sunlight that had escaped into her room
hurt to look at for long. She lay there thinking to herself, the events and
actions repeating themselves, banging against her head, threatening an
awful headache. She pushed herself up, twisting herself to sit sideways on
her knees. She stayed there, motionless, staring at the hand that had
graced Lina with its spite.
"Why.?" she whispered weakly to herself, "What's happening? I cant believe I." the picture of her slapping Lina entered and faded in an instant.
Pain filled her. It was the first time she had ever broken her top rule: be just and never unjust to what others don't deserve. 'But.' Amelia's thoughts clouded her again. 'But. . . didn't they deserve that? Then am I truly wrong, was I really unjust?' A thought came to pass. 'Why did I. Why did I do that in the first place.? What was my reason again? . . No, I couldn't. It couldn't have been because. .' Her conversation with Xellos followed her emotions to the surface again. That word came again. Pawn. She WAS a pawn in their little game, wasn't she? A toy, a marionette, whose strings were easily pulled to follow its puppet master and onto the stage set just for her. Her fists clenched at the thought, her frustration flooding back. She was about to thrash out her room, when something struck her thoughts like a lightening bolt. He was right. 'Xellos? Right? . . Ridiculous.' She remembered all those times he'd helped them and hurt them all at once. How in no matter what situation, that. . that smile was on his face!! He had come to her originally to feed off her emotions and to taunt and tease her. 'What happened?' What had happened in between all that to cause him to want to help her?? Her justice loving side batted at her brain, shouting, 'He's a Mazoku! Remember what your sister has said! Killing anything without a true reason is UNJUST!! He must be tricking you! He's got to be pulling your strings as well!!' But another side in her spoke up. One side she didn't even know she had, 'But then. if that were true, then everyone is unjust. Even yourself. You've killed before, just as he. There is no difference anymore. He said he was going to help you. He's doing this of his own free will, remember? He has no master to take orders from. It's just him. .' Her justice side prodded her again, but this time, to her surprise, it was much different. 'I'm never unjust. Never, never! Am I?' To escape her troubling thoughts, she pushed it away and began to sort out what she knew for a fact.
"He is a Mazoku, Filia is a dragon. He almost killed Filia's entire race in the War of the Monsters Fall, but her people killed ALL of Valgaav's kind," her eyes widened, she gasped, "It's an almost to all. Monsters and Dragons have always been enemies, that war was inevitable. But the Ancient Dragons are related to her race and they killed them all!" Too many emotions hit her from every side. She didn't know what she wanted more. To cry, to scream, to blow the palace to rubble, to laugh at the irony of it all, or to just end it all right there in her room.
Her mind paused tearing back to the surface, before making a sudden decision, 'Filia is more unjust. She's been caging you and keeping you from your dreams!!! Xellos is gonna help those dreams become a reality! If he can get you out, you don't need to stay with him!! Go, just go and leave him as soon as you're out in the wild blue!! It'll be so quick, you wouldn't even miss it!' Amelia looked up at her ceiling. She had wondered what she wanted to do with her life and for once she agreed with her rebellious side. Xellos is a mazoku and does not care whether she lived or died. If he got her out of the castle she'd be free to go wherever she wanted and find the love of her life to finish her unwritten story! It was so wonderful, too wonderful to be wrong!
"It's perfect," she murmured, her enthusiasm growing by the second, "It's perfect. Perfect! PERFECT!" her fist thrown high into the air, one foot on her bed post, a new plan implanted in her mind. There was only one question left. Where was Xellos???
It had been days since he had come to visit her, and Amelia still waited in her room. She hadn't felt hungry or thirsty, she was filled with anticipation. No one dared enter her room, unknowing at how she'd react at their faces considering she had screamed every time they had tried so far.
Filia, who had not yet recovered from the escapade from earlier in the week, had put up a few extra strong holy spells to keep any "namagomis" from teleporting. If he wanted in, he'd have to use the door! This came as a new frustration to both Amelia and Xellos, for Amelia it would mean she'd have to wait longer and for Xellos, for obvious reasons.
Now she sat, clacking a few beads together, her anticipation overflowing. What could be taking him so long? It was already nighttime and he had been gone for almost a week!! She growled at his being so expectedly late. Standing, Amelia began to pace quickly through her room, a black streak forming on the floor from the days she had walked over. Her fists her tight, her teeth were bitten down hard, her steps loud. She wanted to scream. Turning to look out the window every other minute to make sure he was out there to no avail. Everyone had gone to sleep again. It was only her now, still very much awake and very much annoyed. Her fists began to be enveloped in magic flame, the knuckles white from stress. Amelia pulled her arm back, fed up with waiting. About to punch a very large fiery hole in the wall, instinct told her to hold for a moment for there was something else afoot.
"Well, well, so sorry I'm late. Holy spells are a bitch to handle." A voice resonated from behind her.
She turned to see Xellos sitting calmly on her bed, turned to look at her. Her feet pivoted and unknowing to her, she clicked her feet across the floor, running and throwing her arms around him, filled with overwhelming happiness. This took him by surprise, causing him to fall back slightly to catch her and also to stare blankly at her.
"Um, my Amelia! What's this?" he asked with a smile. Amelia, having not realized what she was doing, snapped out of her daze to find herself nearly lying on top of him.
"Uh, uh, uh.AAH!" The reaction made her statically leap from her spot to her feet across the room like a cat waking up under a new sprinkler. She turned away from him, her face redder then Lina's hair. Again she mentally slapped herself. 'What the hell was THAT all about??! Snap out of it Amelia!!! That was just weird!' Clearing her throat, stopping her stutter, but still not turning around due to the fact her face was still burning red, she interjected to avoid mentioning what had occurred.
"You're late," she tried to say sternly.
"Ah, sorry about that Amelia! It took longer then I thought it would to get back!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Nevermind that! So, what's this idea you said you had?" Amelia croaked, shaking out the thoughts in her head. Xellos sat up, folding his arms across his chest.
"Oh yes! About that matter, it would be quite simple actually. Stage a false kidnap!" he said almost too cheerfully for the situation.
The idea first hit her as a major suspicion, but then it sounded like a good idea. She stayed silent for almost five minutes before answering, her mind playing tug-of-war again. One side yelled, 'Mazoku plus kidnap situation. NOT A GOOD COMBO!! Mazoku, bad! Bad, bad, BAD!' while another cheered her on. 'Yes! It's a good plan! Let him take you out of there, then go while the getting's good!' But then that new strange side whimpered to her, whining almost. 'Do you have to leave him? Can't you just stay? Won't you miss him?' She cleared her thoughts.
"Alright, it's a deal! And I've got a few things to add to it too! But remember, as soon as we get out of here, we go our own separate ways! Got it?" she crowed, pointing at him in a justice-like pose. He stood and nodded full heartily.
"Of course, Miss Amelia! Shall we go?" he asked, motioning toward the door. Amelia ran to the door and turned the knob.
"Yes we shall!"
~Authors Note~ Hello! Gomen if this seems like a short chapter! Should I continue? Hmhm? ^_^ I'm enjoying it a bunch, thank you thank you for your reviews, Minna!
"Why.?" she whispered weakly to herself, "What's happening? I cant believe I." the picture of her slapping Lina entered and faded in an instant.
Pain filled her. It was the first time she had ever broken her top rule: be just and never unjust to what others don't deserve. 'But.' Amelia's thoughts clouded her again. 'But. . . didn't they deserve that? Then am I truly wrong, was I really unjust?' A thought came to pass. 'Why did I. Why did I do that in the first place.? What was my reason again? . . No, I couldn't. It couldn't have been because. .' Her conversation with Xellos followed her emotions to the surface again. That word came again. Pawn. She WAS a pawn in their little game, wasn't she? A toy, a marionette, whose strings were easily pulled to follow its puppet master and onto the stage set just for her. Her fists clenched at the thought, her frustration flooding back. She was about to thrash out her room, when something struck her thoughts like a lightening bolt. He was right. 'Xellos? Right? . . Ridiculous.' She remembered all those times he'd helped them and hurt them all at once. How in no matter what situation, that. . that smile was on his face!! He had come to her originally to feed off her emotions and to taunt and tease her. 'What happened?' What had happened in between all that to cause him to want to help her?? Her justice loving side batted at her brain, shouting, 'He's a Mazoku! Remember what your sister has said! Killing anything without a true reason is UNJUST!! He must be tricking you! He's got to be pulling your strings as well!!' But another side in her spoke up. One side she didn't even know she had, 'But then. if that were true, then everyone is unjust. Even yourself. You've killed before, just as he. There is no difference anymore. He said he was going to help you. He's doing this of his own free will, remember? He has no master to take orders from. It's just him. .' Her justice side prodded her again, but this time, to her surprise, it was much different. 'I'm never unjust. Never, never! Am I?' To escape her troubling thoughts, she pushed it away and began to sort out what she knew for a fact.
"He is a Mazoku, Filia is a dragon. He almost killed Filia's entire race in the War of the Monsters Fall, but her people killed ALL of Valgaav's kind," her eyes widened, she gasped, "It's an almost to all. Monsters and Dragons have always been enemies, that war was inevitable. But the Ancient Dragons are related to her race and they killed them all!" Too many emotions hit her from every side. She didn't know what she wanted more. To cry, to scream, to blow the palace to rubble, to laugh at the irony of it all, or to just end it all right there in her room.
Her mind paused tearing back to the surface, before making a sudden decision, 'Filia is more unjust. She's been caging you and keeping you from your dreams!!! Xellos is gonna help those dreams become a reality! If he can get you out, you don't need to stay with him!! Go, just go and leave him as soon as you're out in the wild blue!! It'll be so quick, you wouldn't even miss it!' Amelia looked up at her ceiling. She had wondered what she wanted to do with her life and for once she agreed with her rebellious side. Xellos is a mazoku and does not care whether she lived or died. If he got her out of the castle she'd be free to go wherever she wanted and find the love of her life to finish her unwritten story! It was so wonderful, too wonderful to be wrong!
"It's perfect," she murmured, her enthusiasm growing by the second, "It's perfect. Perfect! PERFECT!" her fist thrown high into the air, one foot on her bed post, a new plan implanted in her mind. There was only one question left. Where was Xellos???
It had been days since he had come to visit her, and Amelia still waited in her room. She hadn't felt hungry or thirsty, she was filled with anticipation. No one dared enter her room, unknowing at how she'd react at their faces considering she had screamed every time they had tried so far.
Filia, who had not yet recovered from the escapade from earlier in the week, had put up a few extra strong holy spells to keep any "namagomis" from teleporting. If he wanted in, he'd have to use the door! This came as a new frustration to both Amelia and Xellos, for Amelia it would mean she'd have to wait longer and for Xellos, for obvious reasons.
Now she sat, clacking a few beads together, her anticipation overflowing. What could be taking him so long? It was already nighttime and he had been gone for almost a week!! She growled at his being so expectedly late. Standing, Amelia began to pace quickly through her room, a black streak forming on the floor from the days she had walked over. Her fists her tight, her teeth were bitten down hard, her steps loud. She wanted to scream. Turning to look out the window every other minute to make sure he was out there to no avail. Everyone had gone to sleep again. It was only her now, still very much awake and very much annoyed. Her fists began to be enveloped in magic flame, the knuckles white from stress. Amelia pulled her arm back, fed up with waiting. About to punch a very large fiery hole in the wall, instinct told her to hold for a moment for there was something else afoot.
"Well, well, so sorry I'm late. Holy spells are a bitch to handle." A voice resonated from behind her.
She turned to see Xellos sitting calmly on her bed, turned to look at her. Her feet pivoted and unknowing to her, she clicked her feet across the floor, running and throwing her arms around him, filled with overwhelming happiness. This took him by surprise, causing him to fall back slightly to catch her and also to stare blankly at her.
"Um, my Amelia! What's this?" he asked with a smile. Amelia, having not realized what she was doing, snapped out of her daze to find herself nearly lying on top of him.
"Uh, uh, uh.AAH!" The reaction made her statically leap from her spot to her feet across the room like a cat waking up under a new sprinkler. She turned away from him, her face redder then Lina's hair. Again she mentally slapped herself. 'What the hell was THAT all about??! Snap out of it Amelia!!! That was just weird!' Clearing her throat, stopping her stutter, but still not turning around due to the fact her face was still burning red, she interjected to avoid mentioning what had occurred.
"You're late," she tried to say sternly.
"Ah, sorry about that Amelia! It took longer then I thought it would to get back!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head.
"Nevermind that! So, what's this idea you said you had?" Amelia croaked, shaking out the thoughts in her head. Xellos sat up, folding his arms across his chest.
"Oh yes! About that matter, it would be quite simple actually. Stage a false kidnap!" he said almost too cheerfully for the situation.
The idea first hit her as a major suspicion, but then it sounded like a good idea. She stayed silent for almost five minutes before answering, her mind playing tug-of-war again. One side yelled, 'Mazoku plus kidnap situation. NOT A GOOD COMBO!! Mazoku, bad! Bad, bad, BAD!' while another cheered her on. 'Yes! It's a good plan! Let him take you out of there, then go while the getting's good!' But then that new strange side whimpered to her, whining almost. 'Do you have to leave him? Can't you just stay? Won't you miss him?' She cleared her thoughts.
"Alright, it's a deal! And I've got a few things to add to it too! But remember, as soon as we get out of here, we go our own separate ways! Got it?" she crowed, pointing at him in a justice-like pose. He stood and nodded full heartily.
"Of course, Miss Amelia! Shall we go?" he asked, motioning toward the door. Amelia ran to the door and turned the knob.
"Yes we shall!"
~Authors Note~ Hello! Gomen if this seems like a short chapter! Should I continue? Hmhm? ^_^ I'm enjoying it a bunch, thank you thank you for your reviews, Minna!