Author's place of note: Hello again everyone! In response to a few comments I am well aware that a lot of fics have Deep Sea Dolphin being insane or affected mentally in some way by something or someone, usually as a device to make her nice/happy, in my version she's blind and there is a reason for that in conjunction with her character.
I would also like to mention that this following chapter should be fairly dialog heavy, you have been warned all those who hate words :P
Also I know that 'anata' means you in Japanese, however it is the really really informal you often translated as meaning 'dear' it is something married or otherwise couples say to each other, an endearment thing, I hope that clears people up... and now on with the show!
The Status Quo
Chapter Six: Mazoku Can't Love... Can They?
The door swung open revealing a little room. It's walls were a dim blue accentuated by a small light that flickered to life as they entered. The light was situated on a small table between two beds, one had a pink comforter and the other blue. This seems strangely suggestive... Filia sat down on the pink comforter, it felt very soft under her.
"This feels pretty nice" she admired the bed as she felt soft material of it, she heard a hard rocking sound, looking up to see that Xellos had plopped down on the other bed. "hai, Lucile-san always had the nicest beds, I didn't get enough chances to come here..." he leaned into the fabric of the bed savoring its softness.
Filia thought it odd that a being that didn't need sleep would like the beds so much, but didn't feel like mentioning it. She looked from the Xellos to the center of the two beds where a window stood looking out into the starry night sky... but wait
"How can there be a window here, doesn't that point to the another room?"
"Every room here has a window that sees out into the night's sky, its an illusion" Xellos yawned sounding very sleepy all of a sudden,
"is that so" Filia marveled at the window and the beauty she saw through it before resting her head on the pillow. A million thoughts buzzed through her head, what she had just witnessed seemed to defy all that she knew, "Mazoku can't love, its impossible" was one thought that prevailed amongst the others, "but then... what was that?" the scene from moments ago flashed through her mind. That Mortieri kissing Lady Deep Sea Dolphin, her blushing expression, it looked... it looked almost normal, natural.
She lay for a time thinking, "but then... that look of unease when she asked him to call her 'anata' just for an instant" her mind continued to ring with questions, "how can a mazoku be blind anyway!"
She sat up slowly, "ne, Xellos..."
"How did Deep Sea Dolphin become blind?" she looked over as she questioned only to see the Mazoku lying sprawled on the bed, breathing softly, apparently asleep. Filia sweatdropped, "and I thought Mazoku didn't need sleep"
"well then Xellos" she smiled softly, "How did those two meet? How did they fall in love? Can Mazoku love? Can you?" she almost chuckled to herself as she finished asking questions, it was a real load off the mind to ask them even if she didn't receive an answer.
Still the thoughts in her mind persisted, "I think I need to take a walk" she crept from her bed across the room, slowly opening the door.
She looked down the darkened corridor before walking out into it. Her footsteps sounded off the rock floor as she made her way, deep in thought, through it toward that throne room of Deep Sea Dolphin.
She walked through the corridor thinking the same thoughts as before, "The bathroom is to your left, third door on the left" a familiar voice floated from the throne room,
"huh?" Filia turned to see Lucile sitting on the smaller chair, papers strewn over her desk. Her hands were moving over the words written on them, they glowed momentarily as she passed. "You were walking around aimlessly and seemed agitated so I assumed you needed to use the bathroom" she commented sweetly as she picked up a pen.
Filia walked into the throne room and stared as she skillfully signed on the dotted line. She stared as Lucile passed her hand over what she had written, it glowed as the other writing had done.
"I can't see the writing so, with the help of many others, I was able to develop a spell that reacts with the ink so that I can see it" she remarked as she put the pen down on the desk and turned to the direction of Filia, "by the way, I never caught your name"
Filia couldn't think of what to say or ask, but she managed to word out, "Filia, my name is Filia... so that would mean that you are blind then?" Filia felt very strange saying this
"hai, I've been blind my whole life"
Filia was screwing up her courage to attempt to ask what she had been wondering and thinking over for some time now, "Lucile... err Lady Deep Sea Dolphin, I was wondering... what I really wanted to know was, can..."
"Have you ever walked along a beach at night, Filia?" Lucile interrupted folding her hands in her lap,
Filia felt deflated just as she was about to ask a very important question, "no, I don't think I have..." she could only answer weakly,
"Then why don't we go for a walk, along the way you can ask me whatever troubles you" she stood from her chair, feeling her way forward. Filia saw this and took her hand, "do you want some help?"
She smiled sweetly, "it's nice of you to offer, but I've walked down these rooms many times, I'm not so helpless"
Filia released her hand as they walked side by side through the throne room and then down the tightly wound stairway. Their footsteps plodded down the stone steps of the stairway leading ever farther down. At each passing step the sound of lightly crashing waves became more pronounced. Filia looked to see that Deep Sea Dolphin was deftly managing the curving, uneven stairway without having to hold on to the wall or to her, for someone who cannot see she's pretty remarkable... She thought whimsically as they rounded the last bend...
Filia turned forward to see a magnificent sight. The light of the full moon and clear starry sky illuminated the sandy beach. The beach stretched out for miles, encompassing all that could be seen. The waves came upon the beach, at times lapping gently, at times crashing forcefully against the sand.
"Kie" was the word that came to mind and instantly to the lips of Filia who stood at the entrance to this splendor.
"isn't it?" Lucile stepped out into the sand, "I have always loved the sea at all times of day, but the night has always been the best" Filia followed her as she instantly came in step with the tide line, the water just lapping against her ankles as it came rolling in.
"Forgive me for asking, but if you cannot see the sea why would the night be any different than any other time?"
Lucile slowed her pace down eventually coming to a stop facing the sea. A cool breeze blew swiftly as a larger wave crashed sending forth a cascade of tiny droplets. "I like it best at night because..." she paused reflecting, "of the cool breezes during summer, the smell that always seems sweeter at night, and..." another wave crashed to the sandy surface, "enjoying these things with the one you love"
"What was that?" Filia hadn't heard her whispered comment standing next to her, "nothing" Lucile walked a few steps down the beach, "I'll tell you in a minute..."
Filia walked a little quicker to catch up to her, What should I ask first? Came to mind as she again reached the side of Deep Sea Dolphin. Alright then how about this...
"umm, Deep Sea Dolphin?"
"hai?" she turned her head from the front to look at Filia
"I was wondering, a short time ago when you addressed Xellos you said 'and with a lady friend' How did you know I was there?"
Lucile chuckled slightly, "oh that, being without sight as I have been your other senses become heightened... I can sense many things that anyone with sight couldn't, like emotions"
"emotions?" Filia was slightly puzzled
"hai, only women feel a certain way..." she trailed off as another wave crashed to the surface, another thought came to Filia
"Then without even knowing me, how did you know that my baby was an ancient dragon?"
Lucile stopped suddenly her face serious, "well, you see..."
Filia stopped next to her turning to see her face break into a smile, "I saw you and Xellos and just assumed that, well..."
Filia's entire face turned beat red, "Your wrong!" To think that she would think I had a baby with Xellos! She thought angrily as Lucile had a moment of laughter
"I'm just kidding! Just kidding" she managed to control herself enough to say, "but then again your amount of blush does tell me something, hmm..."
Filia just humphed, "Actually I heard of it the same time the rest of the Mazoku and Ryuzoku heard of it... the last Ancient Dragon in the world does not go unnoticed" her voice seemed solemn toward the end
"Nani?" why is Val so important to Mazoku and Ryuzoku, what is so important about ancient dragons anyway! She thought angrily staring at the sand below her, her hands clenched, she bottled this up inside before looking back at Lucile, her hands were clasped in front of her as she gazed back at the sea the moon had dipped to the latter half of its flight across the sky.
Filia looked to see that she wasn't wearing a ring, a fact that puzzled her,
"Lady Deep Sea Dolphin..." she knew this question would bring her down a very uncomfortable road, but it had to be asked... it just had to,
She turned toward Filia, "Call me Lucile"
Filia nodded slightly, "Lucile you are married to that Mortieri right?"
"hai" her voice brightened at the mentioning of his name, "for many happy years now..."
"Well, I wanted to know..." she screwed up her courage to ask this another wave churned up the sandy surface,
"Mazoku can love"
Filia felt as if the whole world stopped for a moment, the words that she had heard Lucile say were... were... impossible, improbable, unlikely, terrific, happy, wonderful....true, a small voice spoke in the back of her head, a blush crept up on her which she shook off quickly, "but how can that be? How can you..."
Lucile turned to her, "well, we have to have some kind of affection or else we wouldn't be able to procreate"
Filia blushed lightly, "I see, but what about..."
"The fact that we 'eat' hatred, sadness, and pain?"
"umm, hai" she felt strange having her sentences finished for her
"Well, to say that we 'consume' hatred and so forth isn't right" she ran her hand through the frothy waters that lapped up from the sea.
"It would be more accurate to say that we as a whole are sustained by these things, that are existence in this world is sustained by the dark energies emitted in this world"
She stood up straight, still facing the sea, "A man stubbing his toe would feel pain and anger, I would say that there are enough people in this world stubbing their toes to sustain all Mazoku for much of eternity" she faced Filia again, "some have said that when they witness the pain and sadness of others that it tastes good, that each has its own unique flavor like they were describing food, but the only thing it does for them is to give them a little boost of energy or a euphoric feeling"
Filia could only look at her feet as she processed this information, So that is how it is...
"Then what... what does it feel like? For a Mazoku to... love" was what she had wanted to ask ever since she had seen the blushing face of Lucile that short while ago...
She watched as Lucile walked a pace further into the throng of water that spread from the sea, a hand clasped to her chest, "Some say it feels terrible, like you enter a place where nothing seems certain and the actions of others seem unclear... some say it hurts and they are weakened by the very thought of it... this is why most relationships between our race are one night stands where monogamy and polygamy are not even factors" she paused staring wistfully into the sea, "For me, at first it was much like this, I would see him and my heart would beat faster... I would blush when he approached me and suddenly the whole world didn't feel right... everything seemed unclear and in truth to this day it still feels this way"
She walked from the water onto the dry sand, "It's like a battle, you have seen hundreds of them and know much about them, but each time it is different, each time you are uncertain and feel afraid"
Filia was filled with a strange feeling staring into the face of Lucile, the feeling she had described sounded so much like puberty, the feelings of a normal girl in love...
"But that's impossible!" a stronger more familiar voice burgeoned forth in her mind, "she's a Mazoku they can't love! They feed off of death and terror and hatred! They can never..."
What about Xellos? The small voice struck up again
She was broken from her reverie by Lucile's voice, "but beyond that feeling is something wonderful, something that makes life worth living... that is what I have found" she smiled sweetly, though she seemed slightly uncomfortable, moreso though she seemed contented
"is that the same for all Mazoku? That feeling..."
She shook her head slightly, "I can't speak for all Mazoku... is their someone in particular you want to know about?" her smile widened, her voice containing a hint of suggestion, Filia blushed slightly her face turned slightly to the side, "I'll just tell you about one Mazoku who sticks out in my mind as different from any others I know" she continued, staring off into the moon as it continued to move slowly toward the horizon.
"Everyone who has ever spent time with Xellos has remarked that he was different, that there was something about him that wasn't normal"
"eh! In what way?" she wanted desperately to know what she meant...
"They say that, among other little things, he is strange in that he is able to do affectionate things, commenting about love without shuddering or showing any kind of insecurity that most if not all Mazoku would"
Filia felt very strange, her memories of the past few months coming to the surface in a jumble. Then from this, or possibly as a way to staunch the onslaught of emotions and memories that were now flooding her mind, a thought came to her mind as she stared at Lucile,
"Lucile, if you are married then... why don't you have a ring?"
Lucile stared at her, she felt her hands for a moment, her ring finger in particular. A kind of longing appeared on her face, "It was decided a long time ago, for the good of the world that we wouldn't wear it anymore" her voice was filled with a strange tone of remembrance
"Forgive me for asking this, but what does that mean?" Filia's curiosity was bulging from her as she heard her tone of voice.
Lucile stared at the moon that was now ¾ of the way along the sky, she seemed slightly uneasy at the question, "I think that that and the matter of the Ancient Dragons are something which you should ask Xellos about, as for me..." she raised her head slightly a slight smile, "I have a lot of work to get to.."
Filia facefaulted, after picking herself up "I understand" she said though her mind still buzzed with unanswered questions and even more startling answers...
"It was a nice walk... I wish I could stay longer, but a kingdom is made up of 10% personality, 10% reputation, and 80% paperwork" she smiled slightly, a single wave crashed to the sand the spray outlining this,
"Would you like me to walk you back or shall we find our own way?"
Filia was a little dazed but answered, "I think I can make it back by myself"
"Alright then..." she finished with a wide smile, "Have a good night" she concluded before promptly disappearing into darkness...
"ha" was all Filia could utter as she kneeled to the ground. The sand felt rough and gritty against the material of her dress. The sea breezes blew by her, the waves lapped up near her and for a moment the world around her was peaceful. With this her mind cleared, she opened her eyes to stare at the sand, grasping some of it in her hand she watched as it fell through her fingers,
"The sea is a really... nice place" she smiled lightly before getting to her feet once more and disappearing in a flash of light...
Two or three teleportations later and she was at the door of her room. She opened it slowly to find the light off, the light of the full moon shown from the window illuminating Xellos as he lay sprawled on the bed. Filia stared at him and for some reason she couldn't stop, she approached the bed and kneeled before it.
What am I doing!? The familiar voice resounded in her head. She gazed down at Xellos, he had turned during the night and his head now rested on his hand facing her. She could hear his shallow breathing, his face was clearly visible to her, her eyes casually wandered over it briefly stopping at his lips.
She immediately drove them away her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced back to his face remembering the incident a day ago...
By some force she had fallen on top of him and... and had kissed him. What happened... why did I do that? Her face flushed at the memory, "you didn't do anything it was all that Mazoku's fault! Or if it wasn't him directly then something else pushed you!" the voice continued its tirade
She blushed furiously, she found herself being pulled closer to him, by her own action or by some other force she wasn't sure, but for some reason she was drawn closer to him. She was only inches away from him, she could practically feel his slow breathing on her face. What am I doing! What's going on! I don't want to do this! Or do I? Of course I don't! But!.... But...
She closed her eyes...
"okasan"
She stopped suddenly, her eyes flew open as she heard Xellos's whisper, she saw...
Xellos's eyes had fluttered open slightly, she stared into two pools of amber. The moonlight reflected from those deep pupils, within them she saw... she felt pain, sadness... loss,
Xellos rolled over on his back, his eyes were fully closed apparently never leaving unconsciousness.
Filia cocooned herself under her blankets, she brought the covers up to her head, "what the hell is going on!" she mentally screamed as she pulled the covers over her head...
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Chapter Six: Mazoku Can't Love... Can They? End
Well, I enjoyed righting this, although over the course of writing it, it didn't get into nearly as much of what I wanted it too, I'm sure I'll be able to correct that...
Next Up! Chapter Seven: What Trickster's Do...