A/N: Insert usual disclaimer stuff here. This is the sequel to Penance and Pursuit of Merit.
Again, I went back and chopped this fic up into chapters. If you want to read the thing straight through, with no chapter divisions, just head on over to my site, Because I chopped it up, some of the chapter transitions may be strange. Sorry about that.
Reviews are always welcome and encouraged!
He rematerialized in the corridors of Xellas' stronghold, striding through the halls. That he would get in trouble for his actions was almost a sure thing, but Xellas had never forbade him from seeking out information on what had happened the day he was dragged away from Lina. If she became upset then so be it. She would have to kill him to make him give up his daughter. A few underlings tried to get in his way as he strode toward the main chamber, but he merely blasted them out of existence and continued onward. He burst through the door of the throne room, plowing over and through anything that got in his way. Marching right up to the base of Xellas' throne, he knelt and bowed to her.
"What is the meaning of this, Xellos?" Beastmaster asked, looking down at him with an arched eyebrow.
"I am requesting leave," he said curtly.
"I thought all this nonsense was finished," she said with a sigh. "What more can I do for you, pup? Have I failed so badly in my mission to rehabilitate you?"
Xellos clenched his jaw at the word "rehabilitate," but kept calm and presented his baby to Xellas. "I request leave in order to take care of my daughter."
A general gasp rose from the surrounding Monsters, and any sort of punishment he might receive was worth the stunned look on Xellas' flawless features. "Your what?" she said carefully.
"It seems that when I was a human I fathered a child."
"A human child?"
"That's generally what results when two humans reproduce," he replied, unable to keep the smugness from his tone.
"With whom?"
"I present to you Lecia Inverse," he said in return, and she blinked at him.
"Ah, with that Lina woman," she finally muttered. "It all becomes very clear to me."
"I knew it would, Mistress."
Xellas studied him for long moments, fingers toying with long strands of her silver-gold hair. "This is a most interesting development," she murmured, drumming the fingers of her opposite hand on the armrest of her throne. Gradually a thin smile appeared on her face and she nodded. "Very well, Master Xellos. Your request has been granted."
"Thank you, Mistress," he murmured, and his thanks were sincere. "You will not regret this."
"I know," she said with a smile, and he teleported to his room.
After a couple of hours, Lecia became testy. Xellos gently rocked her, holding her up so she could see off his balcony and out to the ocean. He glanced around his well-appointed room, wondering where he should put the crib. It seemed unreal to him that Xellas would actually give him leave to do as he wished. No other Monster had ever been granted such a favor. Something did not sit right with him, and the sensation reminded him of when he had first awoken on the slab after his punishment. It was odd, but when he had visited Filia, she didn't seem to be in mourning over Lina's death at all. In fact, it was as if she knew nothing about it. Hadn't the dragon told him that she wished Lina would come back and claim the girl-child? How could Lina possibly do that if she was dead?
Lecia cried and latched onto his cloak, beginning to wail in earnest. He looked down at her with alarm, unaware that such a small creature could make such an enormous, piercing noise. "What is it, little one?" he asked her, bouncing her more vigorously. "What do you need?"
Lecia answered with more vehement cries, her pink, toothless gums exposed as she wailed her discontent. Xellos frowned at her and tried to remember all the processes his physical body had gone through. As a human he had needed sleep, to eliminate waste, fluids, and food. Perhaps one of these was her problem.
He first checked the cloth of her diaper, but found nothing. She didn't seem sleepy, but really didn't know how to tell. It had to be hunger. "Poor thing," he murmured, pressing his lips against her forehead as she flailed her chubby arms about. It was then he realized he had no idea what sort of foods she ate, or how she even could eat anything without teeth. He also realized that he had no clue as to how to refasten her diaper. Muttering under his breath, he laid her back down on the table and tied a few knots, hoping it would hold. He bounced her gently as he tried to figure out what to do, but she just cried even harder. "Oh, don't be upset, little one!" he cooed, walking around the room. He was about to head for Filia's when something caught his eye. It was golden in color, glittering from a pile of clothes near his bed. He opened a hand and summoned the object to him, gasping as a sense of Lina filled him. It was the ring, the amurium ring! Suddenly many things came together and he shook his head. Lecia let out a head-splitting cry and he clutched her to him. "You come first," he muttered, and disappeared into thin air.
"Hi," he said, returning to the physical plane in Filia's kitchen.
She spun around with a shriek, a palm pressed to her chest. "Xellos! What are you doing here?"
He smiled his customary smile and held out Lecia. "I'm afraid this didn't come with instructions," he said. "I was hoping you would help me."
"I warned you," Filia grumbled, turning back to her cooking. "They're a lot of work."
"Well, my mistress gave me some time off work to readjust," he said simply, glancing at the crying child. "Can you tell me what's wrong with her?"
Filia sighed and took the baby. "Probably. I was very upset when you took off without any of the supplies she needs, but I figured you'd be back."
"You have a spare room, don't you?"
Filia blinked, looking up at him as Lecia began to suck on her finger. "Yes, but why?"
Xellos smiled broadly in return.
"Ohhhh, no you don't," she growled, turning away from him. "You are NOT staying here."
"Why not? You can teach me to take care of Lecia," he said, teleporting to sit on the counter next to the stove.
"Because. You're a Monster. I don't want you here."
Xellos smiled his most charming smile. "But this way you get to see Lecia, and make sure I'm taking good care of her. Who knows what would happen, otherwise?"
He grinned inwardly as he saw uncertainty blossom across Filia's features. Good, she was at least considering his idea at the moment. He had bet on the fact that Filia had become attached to the child, and it looked as if his guess had been correct. "Well, I still don't need you around here making trouble. A child dragon and a human baby are enough trouble. I don't need to babysit a Monster, either."
Xellos hopped off the counter and bowed. "Miss Filia, I will be of no trouble at all. I will even assist you in your household chores."
"Oh, right, like you have any idea what that's like," she growled.
He came up to her and put a gloved finger to her lips, opening his eyes and turning the full force of his gaze upon her. "You keep forgetting, my dear, that I was a human for almost an antire year. I lived with Lina for all but a few weeks of that time. Do you really think it was her that did the cooking, cleaning, and managing of the household?"
Filia blinked and blushed, moving away from his touch. "No, I suppose not," she grumbled. "Fine, you can stay, but the second you start being lazy, you're out of here!"
"I'm not asking you to be my friend, or my caretaker," he replied. "I'm only asking you to teach me how to keep my child healthy. She's all I have left of Lina."
Filia sighed, looking down at the baby, whose cries had died down to whimpers. "She's hungry," she finally said.
"I figured," Xellos said with a nod. "But what do babies eat?"
"Well, if they have their mother, they nurse."
Xellos immediately pictured Lecia at her mother's breast and blushed. "Oh, I see. How will I feed her, then?"
"I've been using this powdered concoction the midwife gave me," Filia said. "Here, I'll do it once, and you watch. Later you can do it yourself."
Xellos nodded and took Lecia as Filia went over to a cupboard and took out a canister filled with powder. She mixed the powder with milk and put it in a bottle. Xellos handed Lecia over and Filia put the bottle in her mouth, Lecia's pink baby fingers grasping at the glass. "Make sure you hold her just right," Filia murmured. Xellos watched the whole process like a hawk, memorizing every slight detail.
"How often will she need to eat?"
"Oh, every few hours. She'll generally let you know, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to shoot for some sort of schedule."
"I understand."
Filia smiled and handed Lecia back to him, making sure he held her correctly. "She'll probably be able to start eating solid foods soon."
"I shall stay until that happens, then," Xellos declared, closing his eyes and feeling his daughter's breath against his neck.
"Thanks for asking," Filia growled.
"You're back!" a high voice said, and the two adults looked down to see Val barrel into the room. He came to a stop at Xellos' feet and stared up at the Monster. "Are you really her daddy?" the child asked.
Xellos smiled, the first genuine smile he had felt cross his face in a very long time. "Yes, I am."
"Then why didn't you come get her sooner?" Val asked, tugging on Xellos' cloak.
"Yes, Xellos, where were you?" Filia echoed, eyebrow raised.
The smile fell away from his face and all the hollow coldness rose within him once again. "I was detained," he said stiffly. "I don't think the children need to hear it."
Filia's eyes widened fractionally, but he noticed she was smart enough to drop the subject for the time being. "You know, I don't think Lecia can really understand what you're saying yet."
He looked down at his baby, feeling the hollowness recede just a bit when he took in the sight of her. "She's my child, and Lina's child. This girl will understand what we say long before she's capable of letting us know she understands."
Filia sighed and gestured to Val. The boy trotted over to her and stood still as she wiped at smudges on his face. "Get cleaned up for dinner, honey," she said, and the child went running. Filia smiled at Xellos, the expression mischevious. "I trust you won't raise her with Lina's table manners," she said archly.
"Oh, goodness, most certainly not," Xellos said with a shudder, looking down at Lecia. His face softened and he rocked her slowly, watching as her eyes drooped shut.
"With any luck she'll sleep through dinner. Put her down and give me a hand."
"I'm not ready to do that yet," he murmured.
"You mean you haven't set her down since you left here earlier?"
"No, of course not. Why would I do that?" he asked, confused.
"You can't hold her all the time!"
He cocked his head to the side. "Why not? I don't need to eat or sleep. I could hold her around the clock."
Filia growled, but smiled nonetheless. "Well, I'll say that hearing you say that makes me feel a bit more comfortable with the situation. Still, you need to let her sleep on her own and whatnot or she'll never develop normally. You can hold her for now, but I'll want your help with the dishes after dinner. If she wakes up by then, Val is more than capable of watching her for a little while."
Xellos nodded. "Okay. Until then."
