Slayers Resurrection
Part II
Chapter Five
In the past three days, Lina had grown to hate sand. Before, when she lived near the ocean and every summer would be spent on the fine white fields of sand on the beach, she had actually enjoyed the stuff, enjoyed rubbing herself with it, enjoyed feeling the waves wash it away from her, enjoyed walking back to the car with encrusted feet, loved the way it felt beneath her toes. But that mindset seemed hopelessly lost to her now. Sand was no longer a luxury associated with pleasant warmth and days near water, oh no. Now, in her mind, sand had become part of 30-degree winds blowing in her face, thick with topsoil, gravel and hard dirt that wore away the skin on her cheekbones. Sand was the little rivers of mud that would run down her back when she sweated under the layers of clothing she wore to protect herself from the cold winter weather of New Mexico. Sand was the cupfuls of pebbles that she poured out of her shoes each night. Sand was the little cushions of earth that collected in her socks each night. Sand was squinting in order to peer out at the brown whirlwind in front of her. Sand was holder her hands before her face to shield herself from the wind. Sand was in her hair, in her eyes, on her skin, it was everywhere and it was everywhere all the time.
She stopped walking and turned around. Immediately, when the wind was at her back, she felt the relentless push of it, blowing her jacket tight around her body and her short hair into her eyes. With one hand, she did her best to restrain her hair, and the other she cupped around her mouth and shouted back to the two shadowy figures that were Zel and Amelia. Her throat, raw from shouting almost constantly ever since the windstorm started three days ago, (just after that fateful day when Amelia had cast the Ra Til) at first refused to make any coherent noise. Finally, though, she was able to call "HEY!!"
She saw the vague outlines of Zel and Amelia pause and saw Zel form a makeshift megaphone around his mouth just as she had. Barely, she could hear his response, but because of the howling of the wind, she could not understand it. Frustrated, she motioned him to come closer. He turned and, putting his mouth very close to Amelia's ear, spoke to the other girl. Then, putting his weight against the gale, he pushed himself forward. It took him five minutes to get close enough to her that they could shout to each other over the whistling noise of the gust blowing through the trees. He put his mouth near her ear and managed to say "What is it?" in something close to normal speaking volume.
"We're getting close", was her answer, when they had both turned their heads so that he could hear her.
"Close to where?"
"To where we're going." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Walk with me", she said, noticing that Amelia was catching up, and she didn't want to bother with speaking to her right now. A one-to-one conversation was hard enough was it was. They both turned and started moving along the dirt road again. (Why, oh why did they have to have, of all things, DIRT roads in a country that was already plagued with so much dust??)
"So where are we going again?" Zel asked, casually peeling at the remains of normal skin on his right arm to reveal more hard, blue rock, the stuff that was all over his body. She remembered it now, after seeing it, and remembered the old Zelgadis's thirst for a cure. She remembered, and it puzzled her, because now Zel seemed to want more of it. Personally, she thought it was gross.
Now, seeing him pull it away, she wretched, which led sand to coat the inside of her mouth, which made her pause to cough it up. When at last she had turned around, she was angry. "Why do you have to do that in front of me?? It's nasty!"
"Why?" he asked, platonically, baring more of the blue stone and flicking the large strip of flesh into the wind. Lina glared at him. Noticing, he explained: "Skin gets irritated by sand. Stone doesn't." Then he continued peeling as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Where are we going, by the way?"
With relief, Lina noticed that the wind had slackened, and now they could speak with out the complicated head motions. Even still, she took her time answering. She hadn't told either him or Amelia their destination for days, partly because she hadn't decided and, when she had, she hadn't wanted them to think that she was running away from the danger they all knew was stalking them. And the shelter she had chosen for them was just that-a shelter. Zel would recognize it for what it was, even if Amelia didn't. And he would realize along with that knowledge that she was running from what Amelia had caused.
And this would lower his esteem of her even more, because none of them knew, precisely, what it was that was pursuing them. They knew it was there, on their trail, tracking them down, and Lina assumed that it was a mazoku, and they all knew that they had encountered it before this particular life, but no specifics. She could remember none of her dreams lately, but all left her with a sense of hopelessness that she knew she didn't want to have that ever happen again. In the back of her mind, she suspected that whatever it was that was following them, she had failed to defeat it before, and she never wanted that to happen again.
"Lina?" She was called out of her thought's by Zel's voice, and realized that in all her thinking she had stopped walking. Hurriedly, she caught up with him, but not before turning to check on Amelia. The slightly smaller girl looked to be okay, if rather put out that Zel and Lina were leaving her out of important decision making and discussion, so Lina was free to turn to the young man beside her.
"We're going-to my grandmother's house."
Sabrina woke up early, as she did every morning, even on Saturdays. This particular weekend, she was up before the sun, and in the clear blue light of winter mornings, she showered, dressed herself and started the stairs to begin breakfast, still toweling her hair. All of her family members were usually asleep at this time, which was why it surprised her to find Phib sitting at the table, his legs folded under him, his hands clasped below his chin, obviously deep in thought. Determined not to disturb him, but annoyed to have him spoil her lovely morning, she went about pulling eggs, cinnamon and milk off their respective shelves; today felt like a French toast morning.
She purposely made noise, more noise than usual, while beating the ingredients together. She clanked the forks together in the silverware drawer, then decided that she wanted a whisk instead and went over to get it, taking care to stomp and clank the various things that were stored with it. When pulling a plate and bowl from the shelf, she actually dropped one of the plates on top of the other, causing a large clatter that rang through the silent house.
Immediately she was ashamed that she would let her brother, her own brother that she loved, bother her so much. It was just that, ever since he had changed three years ago, he had put her nerves on edge. Of course, they had always been different, but not wildly. He was a sweet, outgoing little boy, with thick, curly black hair. Or, at least, he had been. Until he went to middle school, he made friends with everyone, and every person that met him couldn't help but love him. In fact, their parents would lie awake at night and ask why their daughter couldn't be more like little Phib, back then Sabrina hadn't had many friends and had been solitary and somewhat anti- social. That had all changed on Halloween of the year she started ninth grade. She had met and befriended Fiona Drygoon, and her brother had . . . changed.
Now, instead of the unfailing love that they had once had, there was a false calm that allowed them to tolerate each other. They spoke no less than was absolutely necessary. Still, Sabrina tried to be nice to him. It was the least she could do.
An hour later, when her parents came down the stairs, they were greeted by the smell of frying bacon, French toast neatly laid out on the table for them, and their son, sitting peering off into space.
"Why, Sabrina, this is a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much!" Her mother's sweet-as-honey voice was the first to break the silence that had dominated their house.
"It all looks terrific!" her father intoned, not to let his wife out-do him in cheerful enthusiasm.
Sabrina sighed. Yeah, mom, some surprise. It's not like I don't make breakfast for you every morning on the weekends. Your welcome. Father, you know, it looks just like French toast always does. But she didn't voice her somewhat-less-than-nice thoughts. Instead, she smiled her thanks and sat down to eat.
"You know, mother, it is as surprising as it is pleasant. Sabrina cooks breakfast for us every morning, and anyway, it mostly tastes like crap. Excuse the expression, sister dear. Father, if I may comment, it does not look terrific, it looks mostly like French toast usually does. But enjoy, by all means. I think I am going up to my room." And with that little speech, which basically filled his talking quota for the week, Phib stood up from the table and left his gaping parents looking after him.
There was a moment's pause. Then breakfast continued as usual.
Lazily aware of the cool yellow light that was spreading through the room behind her eyelids, Fillia spread her arms above her head, now, more than ever, grateful to the luxury of extra time in the morning at the Dragon Temple. When she used to live with her parents at the nesting grounds, it was up at dawn and straight to work. There were patrols to completed, envoys to be sent out, eggs and young to be tended, and, of course, food to be caught, rooms to be cleaned and laundry to be done. Those menial tasks had always seemed, to her, so stupid, so insignificant. After all, dragons controlled the earth, represented all that was good and fair in the world. Why, then, did they have to do their own laundry? Cook their own food? Clean their own rooms? The tasks her race had been created for were far nobler, far more wondrous.
Now, living in the temple, she was able to reach what her species had been promised when they had been created by the Gods. She was able to serve the wishes of the Divine Beings, under the leadership of the Elder. There was, of course, a lot to do, but the days started later. So it was a full fifteen minutes after she woke from her somewhat-troubled sleep before she opened her eyes.
There was a second's pause before what she saw registered with her. There was another second of mind numbing fear. Then, she screamed.
"Now, now, Fillia, there is no reason to be so loud!"
Fillia's teeth ground at the sound of that voice. Her back stiffened, her mucles tightened. Anger apparent in every line of her appearance, she sat up, to face a smug, purple haired young man, who was floating three feet above the floor in a sitting position, holding a curious staff. She did not recognize him, at first, but she knew him immediately to be what he was. "Mazoku" the word was a hissed breath of air between her clenched teeth.
The monster inclined his head, as if he was receiving a compliment and didn't want to seem too conceited.
"What are you doing in here?" she demanded, glaring. Then, she looked around again. "Where is here? What am I doing here? How did I get here?" The obvious conclusion hit her before he could open his mouth to respond. "You! You brought me here, didn't you?"
He sighed, and looked up at her through cat eyes. Eyes like a cat, she thought, closed in self-pleased contentment. Fillia had never cared much for cats.
"Well, first things first. I did not bring you here. I believe it was, instead, your precious Elder who made you . .ah . . awake" at her puzzled look, he continued "into this room. As to why you are here, I do not doubt that it is a project so holy that I cannot even comprehend it. This room is in a house that is in a city near the ocean in a country that you are not familiar with. And, as far as why I am here, that-" Fillia inhaled in expectation "is a secret."
There was a second of calm, rather like the ocean before a typhoon.
Then, the golden dragon was out of bed, had grabbed a long object from her bedside table (in actuality a lamp) and started beating the dirty mazoku with it. "You" smack "will" smack "tell me who you are!" smack smack smack. He lifted his hands in defense, but that did nothing to block the flow of her tirade. "You will tell my why" smack smack "you are here!" smack smack. "You will tell me everything you know, and if you do not, then I will kill you, you dirty, stinking pile of rotten garbage!!" She accented the last ten or so words with another hit with her weapon, before she realized that she was hitting air; the man had moved from under her.
"Over here, Fillia." She looked over, and saw him sitting in his former position on her bed. ("Get off of there you--") He interrupted her angry words. "I will tell you what I am able, after all, I did come here to ask for your help." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. "My name is Xelloss" she drew in her breath again, this, then was the general of the Beast Master, who had killed a thousand of her kind with one finger in the wars. "I see that you know me. As I said, I am here to ask for your help. Everything I know would, undoubtedly, disgust you and not be of much interest or use anyway. Before we continue this little . .ah . . chat, I have one request. Please, Fillia, act with the dignity attributed to your race. I do not want to be attacked again, or else I might have to use" he looked down at his staff "drastic measures and that would be unpleasant for you, and make this whole visit a waste of time for me."
She opened her mouth to ask him what he wanted her help with, before he hurriedly continued. "Well, maybe not a complete waste of time but I'm sure you wouldn't want to know how much pleasure torturing you would bring me." In response to his jibe about dignity, she closed her eyes, reopened them, and then continued as if nothing had happened.
"What was it that you wanted my help with again?" "Very proper, Fillia. Very smooth. Actually, I need you to fly me somewhere." Noticing the angry look on her face, Xelloss again held up his hand to still her. "I can't go myself, if that is what you were about to ask. It's across the country, and I couldn't fly that long. As to teleporting, the body I am currently can't transfer to the spiritual plane."
Here she interrupted him. "The body you're using? What? I thought that you dirty mazoku were made up of energy that was purely grounded on the spiritual plane!"
"Yeah, well, things change. At any rate, I need you to fly me somewhere."
"Where?"
"It's southwest of here. In a desert-y place. I know how to get there."
"Why? What's in it for me?"
"Well, actually, one of the people that I will monitor in this desert knows your elder, and can take you to him once I've arrived there."
Here Fillia felt, for the first time, relief. Since she had awoken, the knowledge that she had no idea not only where she was, but where the person most important to her cause, and thereby to her, was. The elder, she knew, had sent her here for some reason, but she did not know what. And, what was worse, she didn't know how to contact him. When the mazoku had appeared, she had distracted herself with her hate for him. The fear, however, had remained, lurking in her subconscious. Knowing that she could see him again, ask him why she was here, what she was supposed to do, brought her relief, sweet, pure relief. It was joy.
She laughed, feeling her chest mucles release, throwing her head back, letting her thought subside and her sudden relaxation take over her. When tears began to gather at the sides of her eyes, she didn't care, just laughed harder. The display of emotion didn't last long, but she enjoyed it as long as it did.
When she had finished, she sat up in bed, still giggling soflty and wiping tears from her eyes. Her cheeks ached from smiling so hard and her stomach hurt from laughing. Facing Xellos, at last, she caught a scowl on his face before he replaced it with his normal, pleasant smile. "So, did you come to a decision though that display?" One eyebrow raised questioningly. She felt like smacking it off his face, but was too tired.
"I'll take you wherever it is you want to go, mazoku."
"My Lady." He knelt, acknowledging the tall, graceful woman in front of him with a slight inclination of his head. He could feel her eyes burning into his head, could feel her assessing him, answering the questions she was about to ask. Finally, he heard the soft clink as her wine glass touched the table she was standing next to.
"You may rise." Xellos stood, looking at the Beast Master, his creator and lady. Xellas watched him, one elegant eyebrow raised. "Tell me."
"I went to the dragon, as per your orders" he began, feeling her eyes on him again. Determinedly, he stared at her wrist, watching the graceful bracelets fall together with clinking motions as she moved her hand. "She did not remember this life, only the one she led in the First World. I did not enlighten her." He felt a soft smile cross his Mistress's face. "I told her that her Elder had brought her there on some mission. That satisfied her curiosity. I also told her who I was, and why I had come. She was not particularly inclined to fly me there, but eventually she agreed, when I told her that one of them knew her elder and could lead her there. She will take me as soon as I need to go."
"Good" came the soft murmur, and Xellos felt the thrill that always accompanied Her praise. "Now remember, when you get there, you are not to interfere. I only want to know what it is Phibrizzo and those little pawns Gaav and Dynast are up to. I want also to know what the enemy are doing. And when she takes you back, you remember your orders?"
"Yes. I am to follow the former shrine maiden Fillia Ul Copt to her Elder and destroy him, eliminating main force of the dragons from the upcoming struggle."
"Very good, but it is only what I expect of you, my Trickster." She turned from him, and he heard a soft hiss as she lit her pipe. Looking up, he saw gray smoke billow around the back of her head. "You may leave immediately. Report to me as often as possible."
"Yes, my lady."
Xellos left then, casted a flying spell and rose into the clouds and quickly tracing the quickest past back to Fillia's house.
The wind had abated, somewhat, and Amelia had caught up with Lina and Zel. She had missed most of their conversation, but was able to catch the very end, Zel saying "Why are we going there?"
"Because, it's safe. And we need money, to fly back. I don't know if you remember, but then the mazoku could appear wherever they wanted whenever they wanted. What's to stop them from coming here immediately? We have to leave fast. I expected an attack the day we started moving. We might of lost them but--" she cut off, noticing Ami for the first time. "Hi Amel- Ami."
"Hi." She fell into step next to them, rejoicing that there was no longer any reason to wear her shirt over her mouth, the dust storm seemed to be over. Peeling the makeshift bandana from her face, she looked at the redhead to her right. "Miss Mel-ah, Lina, I was wondering where we were going, and if you could tell" she trailed off, stoping along with her companions.
Up ahead of them on the barren road, a road on which she had seen no vehicles of any kind for the past three days, a road that had been completely empty save for them for the past three days, up ahead on that road was a could of dust unmistakably left by some kind of automobile. The three of them stood stalk still, staring at it as it drew nearer and nearer and nearer, until it had pulled to a stop next to them. It was, indeed, a car. A nondescript white car, seats four, with the little Amelia knew about cars she thought it might be BMW.
The driver's door swung open. Mel tensed next to her, and she felt Zel readiying a spell. Amelia herself reached within herself for the power for an Almechia Lance. Someone appeared out of the car. A woman, an old woman, with short white hair that was pulled back in a headband. Her face looked like wax that had melted and was dripping down her scull. Her neck was more wrinkled than Amelia's clothes after three days of wearing them and sleeping in them. She was wearing a blue down coat and blue plaid pants and ski boots. Her hands were covered in white gloves and she was smiling. "Hello there" her voice was as ancient as she was.
"Who are you?" Zel demanded, glaring at her.
"Yeah, tell us!" Amelia said, a green ball of light forming between her hands. "Or else I'll blast you!"
"Grandma?" Lina's voice was full of wonder. Ami was so shocked she dropped her spell and it evaporated.
"Hello darling! I've been expecting you three. Come on in!"
Lina turned to the rest of them. Amelia was surprised to see her smiling. "You guys, this is my Grandma, Aquamarine Rivers. You can call her Auntie Aqua."
A.N.: What did you all think?? Haha!! Yes!! Plot's moving!! Yeah!! Okay, there are actual reasons why it's taken me so long to post. Seriously. I was on vacation, and then I was at home but was struck down with a case of terminal laziness. But I finally am putting this up, and I made it nice and long for all of you. Part II is coming to a close, it'll be over pretty soon now. Don't expect the next one to come so soon. And I definitely am not taking this in Xel/Fillia directions, if anyone was wondering. No! Bleh. I do not like that paring. (Sorry to all you X/F fans.) I'd love some more reviews!!!!!!!! (As in more than one!) Thanks so much to Nel for continuing to read this fanfic. I appreciate it.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Divine Firefly.
Part II
Chapter Five
In the past three days, Lina had grown to hate sand. Before, when she lived near the ocean and every summer would be spent on the fine white fields of sand on the beach, she had actually enjoyed the stuff, enjoyed rubbing herself with it, enjoyed feeling the waves wash it away from her, enjoyed walking back to the car with encrusted feet, loved the way it felt beneath her toes. But that mindset seemed hopelessly lost to her now. Sand was no longer a luxury associated with pleasant warmth and days near water, oh no. Now, in her mind, sand had become part of 30-degree winds blowing in her face, thick with topsoil, gravel and hard dirt that wore away the skin on her cheekbones. Sand was the little rivers of mud that would run down her back when she sweated under the layers of clothing she wore to protect herself from the cold winter weather of New Mexico. Sand was the cupfuls of pebbles that she poured out of her shoes each night. Sand was the little cushions of earth that collected in her socks each night. Sand was squinting in order to peer out at the brown whirlwind in front of her. Sand was holder her hands before her face to shield herself from the wind. Sand was in her hair, in her eyes, on her skin, it was everywhere and it was everywhere all the time.
She stopped walking and turned around. Immediately, when the wind was at her back, she felt the relentless push of it, blowing her jacket tight around her body and her short hair into her eyes. With one hand, she did her best to restrain her hair, and the other she cupped around her mouth and shouted back to the two shadowy figures that were Zel and Amelia. Her throat, raw from shouting almost constantly ever since the windstorm started three days ago, (just after that fateful day when Amelia had cast the Ra Til) at first refused to make any coherent noise. Finally, though, she was able to call "HEY!!"
She saw the vague outlines of Zel and Amelia pause and saw Zel form a makeshift megaphone around his mouth just as she had. Barely, she could hear his response, but because of the howling of the wind, she could not understand it. Frustrated, she motioned him to come closer. He turned and, putting his mouth very close to Amelia's ear, spoke to the other girl. Then, putting his weight against the gale, he pushed himself forward. It took him five minutes to get close enough to her that they could shout to each other over the whistling noise of the gust blowing through the trees. He put his mouth near her ear and managed to say "What is it?" in something close to normal speaking volume.
"We're getting close", was her answer, when they had both turned their heads so that he could hear her.
"Close to where?"
"To where we're going." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Walk with me", she said, noticing that Amelia was catching up, and she didn't want to bother with speaking to her right now. A one-to-one conversation was hard enough was it was. They both turned and started moving along the dirt road again. (Why, oh why did they have to have, of all things, DIRT roads in a country that was already plagued with so much dust??)
"So where are we going again?" Zel asked, casually peeling at the remains of normal skin on his right arm to reveal more hard, blue rock, the stuff that was all over his body. She remembered it now, after seeing it, and remembered the old Zelgadis's thirst for a cure. She remembered, and it puzzled her, because now Zel seemed to want more of it. Personally, she thought it was gross.
Now, seeing him pull it away, she wretched, which led sand to coat the inside of her mouth, which made her pause to cough it up. When at last she had turned around, she was angry. "Why do you have to do that in front of me?? It's nasty!"
"Why?" he asked, platonically, baring more of the blue stone and flicking the large strip of flesh into the wind. Lina glared at him. Noticing, he explained: "Skin gets irritated by sand. Stone doesn't." Then he continued peeling as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Where are we going, by the way?"
With relief, Lina noticed that the wind had slackened, and now they could speak with out the complicated head motions. Even still, she took her time answering. She hadn't told either him or Amelia their destination for days, partly because she hadn't decided and, when she had, she hadn't wanted them to think that she was running away from the danger they all knew was stalking them. And the shelter she had chosen for them was just that-a shelter. Zel would recognize it for what it was, even if Amelia didn't. And he would realize along with that knowledge that she was running from what Amelia had caused.
And this would lower his esteem of her even more, because none of them knew, precisely, what it was that was pursuing them. They knew it was there, on their trail, tracking them down, and Lina assumed that it was a mazoku, and they all knew that they had encountered it before this particular life, but no specifics. She could remember none of her dreams lately, but all left her with a sense of hopelessness that she knew she didn't want to have that ever happen again. In the back of her mind, she suspected that whatever it was that was following them, she had failed to defeat it before, and she never wanted that to happen again.
"Lina?" She was called out of her thought's by Zel's voice, and realized that in all her thinking she had stopped walking. Hurriedly, she caught up with him, but not before turning to check on Amelia. The slightly smaller girl looked to be okay, if rather put out that Zel and Lina were leaving her out of important decision making and discussion, so Lina was free to turn to the young man beside her.
"We're going-to my grandmother's house."
Sabrina woke up early, as she did every morning, even on Saturdays. This particular weekend, she was up before the sun, and in the clear blue light of winter mornings, she showered, dressed herself and started the stairs to begin breakfast, still toweling her hair. All of her family members were usually asleep at this time, which was why it surprised her to find Phib sitting at the table, his legs folded under him, his hands clasped below his chin, obviously deep in thought. Determined not to disturb him, but annoyed to have him spoil her lovely morning, she went about pulling eggs, cinnamon and milk off their respective shelves; today felt like a French toast morning.
She purposely made noise, more noise than usual, while beating the ingredients together. She clanked the forks together in the silverware drawer, then decided that she wanted a whisk instead and went over to get it, taking care to stomp and clank the various things that were stored with it. When pulling a plate and bowl from the shelf, she actually dropped one of the plates on top of the other, causing a large clatter that rang through the silent house.
Immediately she was ashamed that she would let her brother, her own brother that she loved, bother her so much. It was just that, ever since he had changed three years ago, he had put her nerves on edge. Of course, they had always been different, but not wildly. He was a sweet, outgoing little boy, with thick, curly black hair. Or, at least, he had been. Until he went to middle school, he made friends with everyone, and every person that met him couldn't help but love him. In fact, their parents would lie awake at night and ask why their daughter couldn't be more like little Phib, back then Sabrina hadn't had many friends and had been solitary and somewhat anti- social. That had all changed on Halloween of the year she started ninth grade. She had met and befriended Fiona Drygoon, and her brother had . . . changed.
Now, instead of the unfailing love that they had once had, there was a false calm that allowed them to tolerate each other. They spoke no less than was absolutely necessary. Still, Sabrina tried to be nice to him. It was the least she could do.
An hour later, when her parents came down the stairs, they were greeted by the smell of frying bacon, French toast neatly laid out on the table for them, and their son, sitting peering off into space.
"Why, Sabrina, this is a pleasant surprise! Thank you so much!" Her mother's sweet-as-honey voice was the first to break the silence that had dominated their house.
"It all looks terrific!" her father intoned, not to let his wife out-do him in cheerful enthusiasm.
Sabrina sighed. Yeah, mom, some surprise. It's not like I don't make breakfast for you every morning on the weekends. Your welcome. Father, you know, it looks just like French toast always does. But she didn't voice her somewhat-less-than-nice thoughts. Instead, she smiled her thanks and sat down to eat.
"You know, mother, it is as surprising as it is pleasant. Sabrina cooks breakfast for us every morning, and anyway, it mostly tastes like crap. Excuse the expression, sister dear. Father, if I may comment, it does not look terrific, it looks mostly like French toast usually does. But enjoy, by all means. I think I am going up to my room." And with that little speech, which basically filled his talking quota for the week, Phib stood up from the table and left his gaping parents looking after him.
There was a moment's pause. Then breakfast continued as usual.
Lazily aware of the cool yellow light that was spreading through the room behind her eyelids, Fillia spread her arms above her head, now, more than ever, grateful to the luxury of extra time in the morning at the Dragon Temple. When she used to live with her parents at the nesting grounds, it was up at dawn and straight to work. There were patrols to completed, envoys to be sent out, eggs and young to be tended, and, of course, food to be caught, rooms to be cleaned and laundry to be done. Those menial tasks had always seemed, to her, so stupid, so insignificant. After all, dragons controlled the earth, represented all that was good and fair in the world. Why, then, did they have to do their own laundry? Cook their own food? Clean their own rooms? The tasks her race had been created for were far nobler, far more wondrous.
Now, living in the temple, she was able to reach what her species had been promised when they had been created by the Gods. She was able to serve the wishes of the Divine Beings, under the leadership of the Elder. There was, of course, a lot to do, but the days started later. So it was a full fifteen minutes after she woke from her somewhat-troubled sleep before she opened her eyes.
There was a second's pause before what she saw registered with her. There was another second of mind numbing fear. Then, she screamed.
"Now, now, Fillia, there is no reason to be so loud!"
Fillia's teeth ground at the sound of that voice. Her back stiffened, her mucles tightened. Anger apparent in every line of her appearance, she sat up, to face a smug, purple haired young man, who was floating three feet above the floor in a sitting position, holding a curious staff. She did not recognize him, at first, but she knew him immediately to be what he was. "Mazoku" the word was a hissed breath of air between her clenched teeth.
The monster inclined his head, as if he was receiving a compliment and didn't want to seem too conceited.
"What are you doing in here?" she demanded, glaring. Then, she looked around again. "Where is here? What am I doing here? How did I get here?" The obvious conclusion hit her before he could open his mouth to respond. "You! You brought me here, didn't you?"
He sighed, and looked up at her through cat eyes. Eyes like a cat, she thought, closed in self-pleased contentment. Fillia had never cared much for cats.
"Well, first things first. I did not bring you here. I believe it was, instead, your precious Elder who made you . .ah . . awake" at her puzzled look, he continued "into this room. As to why you are here, I do not doubt that it is a project so holy that I cannot even comprehend it. This room is in a house that is in a city near the ocean in a country that you are not familiar with. And, as far as why I am here, that-" Fillia inhaled in expectation "is a secret."
There was a second of calm, rather like the ocean before a typhoon.
Then, the golden dragon was out of bed, had grabbed a long object from her bedside table (in actuality a lamp) and started beating the dirty mazoku with it. "You" smack "will" smack "tell me who you are!" smack smack smack. He lifted his hands in defense, but that did nothing to block the flow of her tirade. "You will tell my why" smack smack "you are here!" smack smack. "You will tell me everything you know, and if you do not, then I will kill you, you dirty, stinking pile of rotten garbage!!" She accented the last ten or so words with another hit with her weapon, before she realized that she was hitting air; the man had moved from under her.
"Over here, Fillia." She looked over, and saw him sitting in his former position on her bed. ("Get off of there you--") He interrupted her angry words. "I will tell you what I am able, after all, I did come here to ask for your help." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. "My name is Xelloss" she drew in her breath again, this, then was the general of the Beast Master, who had killed a thousand of her kind with one finger in the wars. "I see that you know me. As I said, I am here to ask for your help. Everything I know would, undoubtedly, disgust you and not be of much interest or use anyway. Before we continue this little . .ah . . chat, I have one request. Please, Fillia, act with the dignity attributed to your race. I do not want to be attacked again, or else I might have to use" he looked down at his staff "drastic measures and that would be unpleasant for you, and make this whole visit a waste of time for me."
She opened her mouth to ask him what he wanted her help with, before he hurriedly continued. "Well, maybe not a complete waste of time but I'm sure you wouldn't want to know how much pleasure torturing you would bring me." In response to his jibe about dignity, she closed her eyes, reopened them, and then continued as if nothing had happened.
"What was it that you wanted my help with again?" "Very proper, Fillia. Very smooth. Actually, I need you to fly me somewhere." Noticing the angry look on her face, Xelloss again held up his hand to still her. "I can't go myself, if that is what you were about to ask. It's across the country, and I couldn't fly that long. As to teleporting, the body I am currently can't transfer to the spiritual plane."
Here she interrupted him. "The body you're using? What? I thought that you dirty mazoku were made up of energy that was purely grounded on the spiritual plane!"
"Yeah, well, things change. At any rate, I need you to fly me somewhere."
"Where?"
"It's southwest of here. In a desert-y place. I know how to get there."
"Why? What's in it for me?"
"Well, actually, one of the people that I will monitor in this desert knows your elder, and can take you to him once I've arrived there."
Here Fillia felt, for the first time, relief. Since she had awoken, the knowledge that she had no idea not only where she was, but where the person most important to her cause, and thereby to her, was. The elder, she knew, had sent her here for some reason, but she did not know what. And, what was worse, she didn't know how to contact him. When the mazoku had appeared, she had distracted herself with her hate for him. The fear, however, had remained, lurking in her subconscious. Knowing that she could see him again, ask him why she was here, what she was supposed to do, brought her relief, sweet, pure relief. It was joy.
She laughed, feeling her chest mucles release, throwing her head back, letting her thought subside and her sudden relaxation take over her. When tears began to gather at the sides of her eyes, she didn't care, just laughed harder. The display of emotion didn't last long, but she enjoyed it as long as it did.
When she had finished, she sat up in bed, still giggling soflty and wiping tears from her eyes. Her cheeks ached from smiling so hard and her stomach hurt from laughing. Facing Xellos, at last, she caught a scowl on his face before he replaced it with his normal, pleasant smile. "So, did you come to a decision though that display?" One eyebrow raised questioningly. She felt like smacking it off his face, but was too tired.
"I'll take you wherever it is you want to go, mazoku."
"My Lady." He knelt, acknowledging the tall, graceful woman in front of him with a slight inclination of his head. He could feel her eyes burning into his head, could feel her assessing him, answering the questions she was about to ask. Finally, he heard the soft clink as her wine glass touched the table she was standing next to.
"You may rise." Xellos stood, looking at the Beast Master, his creator and lady. Xellas watched him, one elegant eyebrow raised. "Tell me."
"I went to the dragon, as per your orders" he began, feeling her eyes on him again. Determinedly, he stared at her wrist, watching the graceful bracelets fall together with clinking motions as she moved her hand. "She did not remember this life, only the one she led in the First World. I did not enlighten her." He felt a soft smile cross his Mistress's face. "I told her that her Elder had brought her there on some mission. That satisfied her curiosity. I also told her who I was, and why I had come. She was not particularly inclined to fly me there, but eventually she agreed, when I told her that one of them knew her elder and could lead her there. She will take me as soon as I need to go."
"Good" came the soft murmur, and Xellos felt the thrill that always accompanied Her praise. "Now remember, when you get there, you are not to interfere. I only want to know what it is Phibrizzo and those little pawns Gaav and Dynast are up to. I want also to know what the enemy are doing. And when she takes you back, you remember your orders?"
"Yes. I am to follow the former shrine maiden Fillia Ul Copt to her Elder and destroy him, eliminating main force of the dragons from the upcoming struggle."
"Very good, but it is only what I expect of you, my Trickster." She turned from him, and he heard a soft hiss as she lit her pipe. Looking up, he saw gray smoke billow around the back of her head. "You may leave immediately. Report to me as often as possible."
"Yes, my lady."
Xellos left then, casted a flying spell and rose into the clouds and quickly tracing the quickest past back to Fillia's house.
The wind had abated, somewhat, and Amelia had caught up with Lina and Zel. She had missed most of their conversation, but was able to catch the very end, Zel saying "Why are we going there?"
"Because, it's safe. And we need money, to fly back. I don't know if you remember, but then the mazoku could appear wherever they wanted whenever they wanted. What's to stop them from coming here immediately? We have to leave fast. I expected an attack the day we started moving. We might of lost them but--" she cut off, noticing Ami for the first time. "Hi Amel- Ami."
"Hi." She fell into step next to them, rejoicing that there was no longer any reason to wear her shirt over her mouth, the dust storm seemed to be over. Peeling the makeshift bandana from her face, she looked at the redhead to her right. "Miss Mel-ah, Lina, I was wondering where we were going, and if you could tell" she trailed off, stoping along with her companions.
Up ahead of them on the barren road, a road on which she had seen no vehicles of any kind for the past three days, a road that had been completely empty save for them for the past three days, up ahead on that road was a could of dust unmistakably left by some kind of automobile. The three of them stood stalk still, staring at it as it drew nearer and nearer and nearer, until it had pulled to a stop next to them. It was, indeed, a car. A nondescript white car, seats four, with the little Amelia knew about cars she thought it might be BMW.
The driver's door swung open. Mel tensed next to her, and she felt Zel readiying a spell. Amelia herself reached within herself for the power for an Almechia Lance. Someone appeared out of the car. A woman, an old woman, with short white hair that was pulled back in a headband. Her face looked like wax that had melted and was dripping down her scull. Her neck was more wrinkled than Amelia's clothes after three days of wearing them and sleeping in them. She was wearing a blue down coat and blue plaid pants and ski boots. Her hands were covered in white gloves and she was smiling. "Hello there" her voice was as ancient as she was.
"Who are you?" Zel demanded, glaring at her.
"Yeah, tell us!" Amelia said, a green ball of light forming between her hands. "Or else I'll blast you!"
"Grandma?" Lina's voice was full of wonder. Ami was so shocked she dropped her spell and it evaporated.
"Hello darling! I've been expecting you three. Come on in!"
Lina turned to the rest of them. Amelia was surprised to see her smiling. "You guys, this is my Grandma, Aquamarine Rivers. You can call her Auntie Aqua."
A.N.: What did you all think?? Haha!! Yes!! Plot's moving!! Yeah!! Okay, there are actual reasons why it's taken me so long to post. Seriously. I was on vacation, and then I was at home but was struck down with a case of terminal laziness. But I finally am putting this up, and I made it nice and long for all of you. Part II is coming to a close, it'll be over pretty soon now. Don't expect the next one to come so soon. And I definitely am not taking this in Xel/Fillia directions, if anyone was wondering. No! Bleh. I do not like that paring. (Sorry to all you X/F fans.) I'd love some more reviews!!!!!!!! (As in more than one!) Thanks so much to Nel for continuing to read this fanfic. I appreciate it.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Divine Firefly.