Author Notes: My theory is that three month old babies like to sleep a lot ^^

Also I think darkish blue is Filia's eye color, I checked the anime and that looks right ^^

Within the boundaries of this story I consider the contraction "I'm" to be one word

The Status Quo

Chapter Two: What Mazoku Can Do part 2

A teacup came to rest on its coaster, "So she really ate the camel!?, well knowing Lina I'm not surprised" Filia couldn't help but laugh at Xellos's humorous recount of one of his past misadventures with Lina-tachi. "Well I was surprised then, but times did get tough traveling through the desert" Xellos commented as he took another sip of his own tea.

"Waaaaaaahhhhh!" It was at that moment that Val decided to alert them that he was hungry. Reacting swiftly Xellos reached down to grab Val exactly at the same moment Filia was. The result of course being that their hands touched both attempting to grip Val who continued to bawl. It was an instantaneous moment that they both felt the contact of each other, Xellos looked up to see Filia look up at the same time.

"I'll feed him" they both said almost simultaneously, Filia chuckled before grabbing Val from his basket and retrieving a bottle from the compartment, "I'll get him, I feel like I haven't spent any time with him today" she commented as she propped Val up on her knee to administer the bottle.

"oh, is that so?" Xellos commented thoughtfully before taking a bite out of the sundae he had ordered.

It was already stretching into the early afternoon at this point, Val had decided to take a nap after his formula, Filia stared at his peaceful form for a moment before turning back to Xellos.

Xellos watched as she resumed eating her own desert, strawberry shortcake, he watched her golden hair sway in the breeze, her dark blue eyes shining in the sunlight. "She is pretty" he thought casually as he sighed, "I wish things could stay as they are; I think I'm beginning to enjoy the good times as well as the bad times with you, Filia" he looked at her face again her forehead knit in concentration,

"Is there something you want to ask me?"

Filia was slightly dazed, "huh?"

"It's written all over your face that something is bothering you"

Filia laughed nervously, "Is it that obvious?" I guess this is as good a time as any, better start slow...

"hai Fi-chan, what's up?" Xellos leaned slightly back in his chair hands behind his head

"Well, I was wondering about that song, the one you were singing to Val awhile ago" she responded tentatively

"Song? Oh that, you heard that didn't you..." his voice kind of trailed off losing its previous joviality

Filia was just about to ask what was wrong when Xellos continued, "it was from my mother, a lullaby she used to sing to me a long time ago..." his head was slightly bowed, his voice serious, "it's not something I like to talk about" he finished his voice regaining its usual tone as he took another sip of tea.

Filia was surprised, "you had a mother?!" was something she wanted to say, but knew that it would sound foolish, it was just so strange thinking of Xellos being anything other than what he is now, especially not a baby. A distorted mental image of some dark cave came to mind where a tiny, deformed, purple haired version of Xellos appeared. Filia shook her head violently to clear it,

"daijobu desu ka?" was Xellos's shaky reply a sweat drop forming,

"Anyway... It was a really nice song" and you have a really nice singing voice...

"hai, it was..."

I think that's enough probing for one day... Filia thought casually as it seemed these memories were painful for Xellos, I can always ask him about Val later...

Xellos and Filia finished their desert/lunch/tea as the afternoon sun was beginning to fall across the sky, it began to cast its shadows and create a beautiful orangish glow. They agreed that it was time to leave, Xellos reached down to pick up Val's basket, but suddenly retracted his grasp, It wouldn't be right...

Filia turned to see Xellos standing in mid grasp of Val's basket, he stood up from his position and turned to see her, "could you carry him for the rest of the way?" he asked, his voice sounding a little strained, "sure" she responded still smiling though a little disconcerted.

They began to walk down the short rode, already the grove at the town limits was visible. Xellos walked alongside Filia, his head was slightly bowed in thought, suddenly his left hand clenched tightly, "I have to do it, I have to do it soon or else... I will die" and then...

They had reached the grove when Xellos stopped, it was a few yards of walking before Filia noticed. She thought she heard him sigh deeply and turned to feel a cold wind blow through the grove.

She saw that Xellos was standing in the entrance to the grove a few yards away. His head was bowed slightly and she could feel a terrible dark aura surround him, his cloak had reappeared as well as his staff, which now glowed a dark red aura.

"Xellos...What's going on?" she ran toward him stopping when he lifted his head up, her eyes widened. His pupils now seemed smaller and even paler, the whites of his eyes a reddish tinge.

He looked directly at her with a wide smile, "well Filia it was fun today, it's really a shame it all has to come to an end" his voice on its highest jovial setting,

"eh?" was all she could mutter as she stood there watching Xellos, she had an unconscious urge to remove Val from his basket, now that he was safely in her arms she felt some of the disbelief fading, "what do you mean Xellos? What's going on?" she could only question weakly,

"It's very simple" he commented nonchalantly, "I have been ordered to kill you at noon tomorrow on this rode..."

Filia's eyes widened in shock, but then by some force of will she remained on her feet, "So that was your plan from the beginning, eh Xellos?" it was so very hard to keep the tears from flowing, "I should have known that nothing could change a Mazoku's ways, you really played me for a fool" her voice was barely holding together, she wanted so desperately to fall to her knees, "and we are also going to take the Ancient Dragon with us" Xellos said smirking

Filia held her Val closer to her using both hands she wrapped them around him protectively. "I won't let you hurt a hair on his head Xellos, I'll kill you!, even if it means my death!" she screamed straight into his smirking demeanor,

"as you have so often mentioned to me... well goodbye for now Filia I hope to find you well come noon tomorrow" he smiled broadly as he waved with his free hand before disappearing into an enormous gust of dark energy. Filia collapsed onto the ground...

Val had awoken during the shouting and now lay in her arms bawling tears rolling down his little face. Filia tried so hard to comfort the infant as she kneeled there on the ground, "there there Val it's alright mommy won't let that...that nanogami touch you ever again" she said her voice trying to be soothing, but cracking as it did. For all her effort Val just seemed to cry more, "shh shh It's alright Val It's...are? Why am I?" tears were falling down her own cheeks now as she sat there trying to comfort her child but finding her unable to comfort herself as the tears continued to flow. Suddenly she felt a presence behind her as she sat, felt warm, supportive arms around her for the briefest of instances she turned to see Xellos's face. Not that of the terrible demon who had spoken to her moments ago, but as she gazed into his eyes she saw, honesty, trust, caring. And for the briefest of moments he whispered into her ear, her brain barely had time to process their simple contents before he disappeared once more from her as if he never was. She sat for a moment before suddenly getting up and running wildly toward the house. Tears still flooded from both her and Val, "I don't know going on!" she screamed as she ran to no one and everyone in particular...

Zellas sat in her throne enjoying the scenes that played out before her. The Golden Dragon's anger, sadness, fears, and resentments were as delectable to her as ice cream or a fine wine. Xellos appeared before her in a flash of darkness his position already in what she had come to expect, on one knee, bowed, his staff resting on his lowered head.

"Was that menacing enough for you?, my master" his voice was low, serious, almost solemn

Zellas had a very broad smile covering her features as she sat/lay on her throne, her legs crossed. "Yes, it was quite satisfactory"

Xellos got up from his position as if to exit her chamber, "although..."

He froze in his tracks turning to face his master, "I am far more interested in the words that were not heard as apposed to those that were"

Xellos felt a chill, "You were following us were you not? I assumed what I said would have been heard like everything else"

"Yes that would be true excepting of course the hot spring scene, I am sure you are aware that we would not follow you there, Xellos" she commented uncrossing and recrossing her legs before adding, "we Mazoku do have some sense of decency"

"And secondly the scene at the very end, when you phased into the astral plane my minion thought that you were returning and thusly returned himself, he was only able to catch you in a compromising position with the Golden Dragon within one instant of your final departure" she finished maintaining her sultry image throughout her lengthy analysis

Xellos seemed uncomfortable at the mention of the 'compromising position' and didn't seem to be answering, "If it's uncomfortable for you Xellos I could always force it out of you" she smiled gesturing toward a place in the wall where three weapons lay, two swords, one short and the other broad, and the third a black whip that flared with a reddish aura all around it. Xellos panicked, "If she uses that she could ask me anything she wants" that would be very hazardous...

Zellas was bored, indecision was not something Xellos was known for, "alright then Xellos your not going to tell me the contents of your conversation at least tell me this, she casually phased from her position on the chair to the bottom of the stairs and then in front of Xellos in an instant, a large smirk on her face, "was it two words or three?"

"eh?" was all Xellos could respond, "two or three" Zellas repeated dangerously, the whip appearing in her hands, Xellos could do nothing, but put a hand behind his head and laugh nervously, "two, actually" he finished with a round of nervous laughter,

Strangely Zellas looked both surprised and disappointed at his answer, she sighed, "very well then you may return to your courters for the remainder of the day" she walked back to her throne, the whip disappearing from her grasp and back in its place

Xellos had trouble processing the strange order of events that had just taken place, but decided it best to exit quickly. He left Zellas's chamber only to collapse against the rock wall. The day may not have been physically tiring, but emotionally it had drained him severely. He lumbered off toward his chamber which was only a dozen or so yards from Zellas's throne room for practical reasons. He collapsed on his bed, next too which the scenes from yesterday morning still flashed in a loop. "Was that yesterday? It seems so far away now" he spoke into his blankets, the image of Filia's teary face replaced that which was shown on the screen in his mind. He rolled over on his bed staring at the plain rock roof that was generated when his room was cut out from the mountain rock. He lay there thinking of all that lay ahead the most prevalent thought being, I hate seeing her cry...

Filia sat on her bed, Val was now laying in the middle of her bed, his tears had subsided and he merely looked full of malcontent or at least he did to Filia. She sat still looking at the ground, but no seeing it, now and then a fresh tear would roll down as she recalled a memory of the past. "This is stupid!" she suddenly rose from her bed her hands clenched into fists as she stood, "everything was a lie! It was all one of his sick games and now he's going to come back and finish me off and take Val! He's evil and he never...he never changed at all" more tears fell, which she violently wiped away. She collapsed back down on her bed, "but then why did he say that to me..." I'm sorry...

Those two words that he said with such emotion in his eyes it just haunted her. She tried to shake it away, but she only found herself staring at the flowers he had given her that morning. "What's that?" she noticed something hidden within the sunflowers that she hadn't seen before. She walked over to the bouquet and pulled out a card from within...

I'm sorry Fi-chan by the time I managed to get out here all the flower shops were closed, I promise to replant them later...

Love,

Xellos

Filia could feel herself welling with anger as she crumpled the card in her hand, "oh Xellos! I'll bash him to the end of the earth for messing with my garden again!" she brought her arms down from their outstretched 'righteous anger stance' only to bring her hands and the note down to her chest, "I'll bash him.. I really really wanna bash him" her voice was filled with sorrow as she stood.

Xellos didn't know how long he had been laying on his comfortable bed with his eyes shut, sleep or what little a Mazoku could get or in fact needed didn't come. He felt that he was just about able to relax when he heard from behind a deep throated growl. The kind of growl that could only come from a pissed off, post pubescent, female wolf. Xellos could just feel the slobber dripping on his forehead. He opened his eyes to see all too familiar features, he laughed nervously, "now Snowy I expected this from just about everyone, but you" he grabbed her two front legs and tossed her up into the air and onto another part of the bed, with a yelp of surprise she landed on the jumbled up covers. Xellos couldn't help but laugh though the events still wore heavily on him no one could avoid the charm of a wolf attempting to free itself from a bunch of blankets. Between bouts of laughter he managed to get out, "Serves you right for getting slobber all over my head"

Snowy managed to get free from her imprisonment in time to retort, "I can't believe you would stoop so low as to go out with that, that Golden Dragon and her little brat! Don't you have any pride in you Mazoku heritage?" she exclaimed/questioned Xellos

"but onechan you know I just love her!" his voice became ultra childish using the word 'tsuki'

Snowy shuddered at the use of the word, "and I love you too onechan! And I love all of Lsama's creatures!" he exclaimed going into one of Amelia's justice poses

"Stop saying that word!" Snowy exclaimed still feeling a slight chill from it, "I just can't understand what you see in her that you don't see in me" she said her voice slightly deeper, "Well, that's kinda complicated onechan, I think I'll tell you when your older"

"And stop calling me your onechan, I'm not related to you and I'm 300 years old!" Snowy retorted snarling viciously,

Xellos contemplated for a moment, "you may not be related to me, but I've known you ever since you were glued to you ma's teat, so I think you'll always be my onechan, Snowy" If wolves could blush from embarrassment Snowy would be

"Well we could give our relationship a chance, you know go on a date like you an that Golden Dragon did" she mused her tail waging happily, "Well that wouldn't really work seeing as you don't have a human form yet, and I don't possess a wolf form, things would just get weird"

"I could learn, or you could pretend" she trailed off sounding hopeful

Xellos's eyes narrowed, "and exactly how far do you want that pretending to go?" a hint of implication in his voice. If wolves could blush from embarrassment Snowy would be.

It was only then that Xellos noticed that the images of Filia on the screen had continued to advance forward, she was now in her room looking at a card. Oh shit! Was all he could think as he gazed into the screen, "If I'm still able to see this then master is too" he rambled off quickly as he dashed out of the room leaving Snowy to stew in her own malevolence, she hopped off the bed and padded over to the screen through which Filia could be seen.

"Damn you, Golden Dragon!" she exclaimed to herself as her form suddenly shifted from a pure white wolf to that of a fourteen year old girl with gorgeous flowing white hair and deep red eyes. She stared fixedly at the picture before attempting to lash out at it with her hand, she felt even more angered when it just turned into mist and reformed in front of her. She growled fiercely before clasping her hands to her head and crying softly. "I'll kill you myself and then Xellos and me will be happy together" she lowered her hands a fierce determination flaring in her eyes. A previously invisible red mark in the shape of a bird with its wings down blazed on left upper arm as the reason for its existence raged inside of her.

Xellos ran out of the room and dashed into Zellas's chamber in moments, she was still sitting in her throne examining the screen, "Is there something I can do for you, Xellos?" she commented still gazing into the screen, "Yes, Lord Beastmaster I request that you allow Filia to do what she wishes for the time she has left without being watched" he respectfully hung his head down in her presence. Zellas leaned back slightly in her chair, "and why would I do such a thing as that?"

Xellos suddenly smirked his voice regaining some of the menacing tone it had had earlier, "because what fun is tracking down prey when you know exactly where they've been and what they are doing" his voice sounded completely predatory, devoid of any form of emotion beside the pleasure of the hunt. Zellas found his sudden change of mood intriguing, "Alright then, I will grant your request for now, Xellos" she said waving her hand, the screen before her disappeared, and with another calm gesture the signal was sent for the spies to return from their mission. "However when this is all over I would like a more satisfactory answer to why you are taking this course of action"

Xellos bowed, "yes, my master"

Filia had left the house after wrapping Val securely in a blanket, the night had seemed to provide ample cover. She walked through the outer rodes of the town heading toward a house far from the center of town. A woman who she had messaged earlier came out from the cottage, they were both wearing thick cloaks with the hood up so to hide their identities. Filia reluctantly handed Val over to her, she kissed his sleeping head goodbye before hugging them both, "Thank you so much Merri, I don't know how to thank you"

"Don't mention it, I know you would do the same for me, even if it was against an all powerful Mazoku lord" she smiled confidently as she waved Filia off. She had to hurry, there was much left to do before Xellos's arrival...

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Chapter Two: What Mazoku Can Do part 2 end

Getting excited? I know I am :

A few words in here that most should know,

onechan – little sister

tsuki – love (more childlike than daisuki or aishiteru)

daijobu desu ka? - are you alright?

Honestly I think that was it...

Next up Chapter Three: Outcome! Blood and Loss

A special thanks to all my wonderful reviewers/followers you are my life blood