A/N: Sorry again for the short chapter. I have two more chapters written, but after next week I'll be taking a few weeks off, since I'll be out of town. Some people don't like the timeline jumping around, and I apologize for that. Kaeru Shisho said it best when she said she preferred the time-jumps to uninspired writing. I tend to agree. However, I hope you enjoy this installment, and hopefully you'll get the sense that this is indeed going somewhere. Thanks for reading!

Xellos' morning had been very good. It had been several weeks since the Val incident, and his relationship with Lecia had improved now that she was being honest with him. He didn't understand why it was so hard for her to just tell him the truth, but then he remembered how her parents were. They weren't the most honest and forthcoming of people. Perhaps it would have been better to let Gourry raise her, he thought in a moment of weakness.

That was all behind him now, however. Val was once more welcome in their house, and Xellos was feeling in a particularly good mood. He woke up with his limbs entangled with Lina's, her molten-copper hair spread over the pillowed. He had lain beside her for quite some time, reveling in the milky-white smoothness of her skin and the slender musculature of her limbs, soaking up her lovely scent. When he had finally been able to tear himself out of bed he had puttered around in the garden for a while, enjoying the fresh sunlight of early morning. Eventually sounds of stirring issued from the house, so he went inside and began to prepare breakfast, a veritable fruity feast for his family. He had just sat down, watching Gorran blearily dig in to his meal, when Lecia took a deep breath.

"I'm leaving home," she said.

Xellos dropped his fork and felt unpleasantly light-headed.

"What?" Lina snapped, slamming down her coffee cup.

"Oh my," Xellos whimpered, gripping the table for stability.

Lecia's dark eyes fixed upon them all. "I want to leave home," she repeated.

"Huh?" Gorran asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes. His young face looked stricken. "But why?"

"Don't worry, I won't leave right this minute," she said, and he relaxed a bit, but still seemed sad.

"When did you decide this?" Lina asked sharply.

Lecia looked at her plate, thick lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. She pushed the food around on her plate for a while, then took a deep breath. "A couple of weeks ago," she replied. "I love it here, you know that, but I want to experience the world. I want to travel like you guys did when you were young."

Xellos noticed Lina stiffen at the "young" remark, but declined to comment. "Are you going with Val?"

Her cheeks stained red and she nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Good," he replied. "Val's the strongest non-Monster on the planet. He can protect you."

"I can protect myself!"

"No, you can't. Not against your grandmother. Or Dynast and Dolphin, for that matter. This family is marked, and you know it. Your mother and I can handle them, because of our experience and combined poer. You're strong, little one, but you aren't nearly strong enough to take on the likes of them. Val might not live through such a battle, but he could save you, and that's all I care about."

Lina's ruby-colored eyes narrowed. "So you think something's coming," she asked.

"Absolutely," Xellos replied.

"Let it," she growled.

"So is it okay?" Lecia asked.

Lina leaned back in her chair, her meal miraculously forgotten. She glanced at Xellos, but he felt too helpless to give her any input. He knew Lecia would do whatever she wanted, regardless. It was an indication of their success as parents that she even asked before she did whatever it was. "Yes," she said, and Lecia's beautiful face broke out into a grin. "But, you have to step up your remaining lessons with us, and you have to make sure you're properly prepared. It'll take a few weeks to get everything together."

Lecia scowled. "But you just took off from home when you left."

"And I regretted not preparing for the rest of my life. I had to rely on taking out bandits, which while it was fun, wasn't so great for my reputation. I'd prefer that you remain incognito because of our family's relationship to the Monsters."

"It could mean your life, or Val's life," Xellos added.

"This sounds too dangerous," Gorran protested. "I think you should just stay home."

His words were strained and Lecia's smile was small and sad. "You know you're the best brother ever, but this is something I really need to do. You'll understand when you're older."

"Maybe, maybe not," he said sharply, abandoning his breakfast and storming out of the room.

Lecia looked stricken. "Hey," she called out weakly.

Xellos reached out and placed his hand over hers. "You're going to have to break a lot of hearts if you truly want your freedom," he murmured. "I hope it's worth it."

"Me, too," Lecia said.

A few weeks later, Lecia was ready to go. Xellos was satisfied with the number of spells she had learned. Her magical repertoire was larger than many mages who had spent their whole lives gathering spells, and Lecia was capable of casting devastatingly strong spells. Filia, after much protesting, had finally agreed to let Val go with her, unable to argue once Val had stated true love as his cause. Xellos remembered her blubbering some romantic nonsense, and suddenly the boy was free to do as he pleased. Of course, the fact that Val was accompanying his daughter made him feel much better about letting her out of his sight on the one hand, but on the other he knew it would invite more intimacy between them than he, as her father, was comfortable with.

Gorran was beside himself and hadn't spoken to Lecia for an entire week after she made her announcement. He was once more communicating with her, but he wasn't pleased she was leaving. Xellos had never had a sibling, but he supposed it would be difficult, especially considering how close his children were. Gorran was also concerned about how he would get to practice while Val was away. Lina, incredibly enough, had volunteered to watch Filia's shop if the dragon would take Gorran to and from Gourry's. Filia had actually agreed and soon there was nothing keeping Lecia from leaving.
Xellos did his best to keep from crying as he watched his baby girl walk down the road, her dark hair shining in the morning light. She turned and waved, smiling, and he and Lina waved back. Tears rolled down Lina's cheeks, but not so many it seemed like she was breaking down. Gorran was sobbing, doing his best to wave, but his face was mottled and his nose ran. Lecia's eyes shone with tears as well.

Filia, however, was inconsolable. She wailed and cried and waved her white hanky at her son, and Val merely smiled back, obviously embarrassed. They watched until the youngsters were out of sight, whereupon they immediately retired to the house to nurse their aching hearts. Xellos kept himself busy in the kitchen, refusing to listen for Lecia's voice. If he was working then he didn't have to think. He didn't know how Lina did it, curled as she was on the window seat of the breakfast nook, staring out at the sky. Filia was at the table, tears still occasionally plummeting down a cheek, but she was no longer hysterical. It wasn't until he served lunch that he realized that Gorran wasn't with them.

He presented Lina and Filia with their plates and began his search of the house, quietly entering every room, trying not to startle his son should he find him. Exhausting the possibilities on the main floor, he silently made his way up the stairs. Gorran was not in his room. Xellos finally found the boy curled up on his sister's bed, squeezing her pillow. His back was to the door, but Xellos could see his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Sighing, he sat on the bed next to the child and gently rubbed his back. "Hello, love," he murmured.

"Hi," Gorran wailed.

"She'll be back, you know."

"But it'll never be the same."

The truth of Gorran's words cut Xellos straight to his heart. All the memories he had of his little girl surfaced and filled him with love and sorrow. His own tears finally spilled forth, and he took a great rasping breath. The sound must have alerted Gorran, for the boy sat up and tentatively put a hand on Xellos' arm. Xellos choked on a sob and grabbed the boy, crushing him to his chest and burying his nose in the coppery curls atop Gorran's head. "I know, love," he cried. "I miss her already. She was so much trouble, but such a dear child. Oh, what will I do when you leave me, too?"

"I won't leave,"Gorran said, eyes wide and worried. "I'll never leave."

Xellos' chest heaved. "Yes, you will. You'll feel the need to make your own place in the world someday, and your mother and I won't be there with you. You're your own person, and you don't need us always hanging about."

"But I love you," Gorran protested.

Xellos held the boy at arm's length, examining his face. Gorran's frame had started to lengthen and broaden, his face just beginning to lose its childish roundness. "Sometimes we have to leave the ones we love in order to meet our fate," Xellos murmured.

"I hope my fate is here with you guys," Gorran breathed in return.

Xellos laughed. "You'll feel differently when you find a girl of your own. I promise."

Gorran pushed Xellos' hands away and solemnly laid Lecia's pillow aside. "I miss her."

"You'll probably miss her your whole life."

"I hope she misses me."

Xellos pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the moisture from Gorran's ruddy cheeks. "She does. She loves you more than anything. I think she'll visit far more often as long as you're still at home."

They sat for a while in silence, Xellos' arm draped around Gorran's shoulder. He could feel his son's heart beating and was filled with wonder. His son was just as much a miracle as he had been the day he was born. "Is there still lunch?" Gorran asked, bringing Xellos out of his thoughts.

"Yes, let's get some," he replied, and steeled himself to move on with his life.