Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or any involved character. I'm also not earning money with this fan fiction; I wrote it for my own personal amusement.

AN: Gods, it took so long to write this chapter and I suffered under some really bad kind of writer's block. Seems to be usual when it gets to continuing one of my stories.

Thanks a lot for the reviews I received; I hope I hadn't you waiting for too long!

As always: Considering that English's not my native language, constructive criticism is highly appreciated!

Music: James Blunt – Goodbye my Lover; The Stands – I will journey home

Morning Glory

Chapter Two – Periphery

The next morning brought a welcomed breeze of chilly cold air along.

Filia blinked briefly, then huffed as she stretched out on the bed.

She'd let the window adorning the right wall of her currently occupied room open and was quite grateful for her previous decision now. It certainly helped her calm her temper that risked to flare up again as she remembered what the last day and especially evening had brought to her. She bit down on her lip to keep it in control and quickly stored the latest memories deep away in the back of her mind. That was all she'd done since the incident with Dark Star; storing away. Her mind had begun to seem like an endless system of drawers to her, every memory squeezed and pushed into one tiny drawer, too slight to contain it for long. From time to time they would manage to push their drawers open, ripping the seal of despair away she'd plastered on the worst memories and gathering in her mind to get a good kick of fun out of her helplessness to do something against it while they were having a nice little party of nostalgia in her mind.

And sometimes, a person or a thing that was connected to them would accidentally or on purpose help the memories in fleeing from their mental cage. The made connection would tug and pull endlessly against the drawers' handle until her memories got their wanted vacation.

Like Xelloss did… like he always does…

A bitter smile crossed Filia's face. Accidentally? Did she really just think of such a possibility? Was she still that naïve? "On purpose" certainly suited him better. She was sure there was nothing in his existence that he hadn't planned out, that wasn't well organized or directed by orders.

Her life had once been like this, but then reality had shattered it and as her life had fallen into pieces in front of her, she'd desperately tried to gather the pieces and to put it together again, the sharp edges only cutting more and more into her soul. And what had she achieved by that? Only the recognition that there were some pieces missing, that her whole trying had been futile. During all that he'd been not far away, observing her and amusing himself by her useless stumbling, gathering, mourning and trying, having noticed long ago that her way of life ended in a dead end, but not even starting to think of warning her of that. While her soul was cut and ripped apart, he'd stepped away a bit and had watched her from safe distance.

And yesterday…

He'd wanted to see the recognition in her eyes, had wanted to feel the cold panic and boiling rage that soon followed. Like always he'd chosen his moment of entrance and his words well, getting an excellent grip on the situation and using it as it pleased him, pushing the right buttons in her in the wake. The result was that she hadn't been able to relax for the whole rest of the evening which was understandable because Lina had completely devastated the dining room's furniture as well as the glass front that offered one a pretty view over the blooming gardens placed in the middle of the palace – as long as they had been standing, of course. Amelia had absolutely not been happy about Lina's quick changes in the palace's architecture and the sorceress' comment that she would now be able to get a delicious meal and a breath of fresh air certainly didn't fall on fertile soil.

The princess had offered to have tea and some biscuits in another room and Filia had all of a sudden been overcome by the idea of a nice, hot cup of tea in front of one of the palace's fireplaces. Lina and Gourry quickly agreed and, after Amelia mentioned that she'd already ordered that the needed things were taken to one of the smaller rooms to have some privacy, raced each other down the hall way, knowing the palace well from their previous visits. Filia felt tempted to accept the offer; it sounded just too pleasant to sit down on a comfortable couch with the people she'd grown so fond of and to share some conversation with them…

Then she'd heard Xelloss utter his acceptance.

Her previous idea faded instantly and was replaced by the idea of spending the evening with Xelloss; the idea itself caused panic to wash over her once again, leaving her feeling horrified. She'd forgotten about him. How could she? He was always there, had always been there; omni-present and never careless. She'd shuddered as she'd felt his gaze on her.

She quickly refused Amelia's offer and came up with some pathetic reason along with an apology. The expression in the other girl's face caused her heart to contract painfully, but she was too busy to hurry up the stairs the next moment. Once she'd gotten to her room, she'd leant against the door, panting heavily. The panic she'd felt earlier wasn't there any more, but now a well-known feeling of guilt had spread itself out.

Filia sighed as she eyed the elaborate ornaments that were carved into the wooden frame of her room's ceiling. Fine curves and circles built up a floral pattern, only slightly touching each other. It was dark wood, like mahogany, illuminated a bit by the sun light and contrasting well with the light colour of the ceiling, but the whole pattern seemed tender and fragile to her.

The whole furniture was of high-quality and noble, but not imposing, everything made out of dark wood with light coverings. Filia made a mental note to thank Amelia for this room again; it was obvious that this room wasn't usually occupied by common people. Warmth crept into her body as she thought of the kindness she'd always received from the princess and she couldn't help but smile, feeling content and welcomed. Yawning, she only wanted to snuggle deeply into the blankets again to get a little bit more of sleep and to enjoy the rare feeling of satisfaction…

"So, you still like Pink, Filia-san?"

If someone would ask her, Filia would insist on her opinion that there had been no cell in her body that didn't jerk in that special moment. Sitting up, she backed away against the headboard slightly as soon as she got her suspicion of who dared to disturb her this morning confirmed.

"Namagomi! What are you doing here!" she shouted at him, feeling too shocked by his appearance to revel in panic again. Xelloss was sitting calmly on one of the comfortable looking chairs that stood in the near of a small round table. He was holding her pink dress in his hands, stretching his arms out to be able to eye it fully. At her comment, he turned his gaze towards the terrified dragon, keeping his eyes closed to her relief – for now. The Mazoku raised one brow, then made a "tsk"-sound as if he was scolding her; to say the least, it was irritating.

"Already that rude in the morning, Filia-san? To answer a question with another question is incredibly inappropriate."

She was tempted to say that she didn't give a damn if she behaved appropriately in his company, but resisted it, choosing to be silent instead. And as she noticed, Xelloss didn't really care if she participated in the conversation or not. Giving the dress one last glance, he folded it neatly and laid it back onto the table.

"To be honest, I've to admit that Pink suits you well; but don't you think the dress is a little bit out of mode?" His smile widened only slightly as her brow twitched.

Breathe, Filia… just breathe… in… out… in…

While she was trying hard to contain her self-control, Xelloss stood up, pushed the chair into his previous position and leaned elegantly against the table. A little bit too elegant, for her opinion. Who does he want to deceive with such behaviour?, she thought, getting angrier with every second that passed with him being in the same room. Although his words hit a sensitive spot in her, he kept his tone polite. They could've stood on a full market place, talking and being heard by everybody around them, and still people would wonder why she was seriously trying to kill him; nobody except her would get his meanings. Some people would think of this as ironic, but she felt like it was the worst thing that could've ever happened to her.

"But…" Xelloss continued, while watching her intently, "White certainly does suit you as well."

For a moment, she didn't get what he meant. Then she realized that she wasn't wearing her usual dress.

Because it is lying on the table…, Filia added dryly to herself, Excellent observation, Filia…

Looking down onto her clothing, she found herself wearing a simple white nightgown, which barely reached her knee. Only small strips held it to her shoulders, ending in a round décolleté. As much as she liked the feeling of the silk against her skin, she felt terribly uncomfortable in it now. She felt Xelloss' gaze travel from her now flushing face down to her décolleté, over her waist line down to where the gown ended just above her knee, then back up again where his gaze seemed to grow very fond of her cleavage again.

Filia trembled under his gaze, then gripped the blanket tightly and pulled it up quickly until it covered her whole body up to her chin, too embarrassed to even scream.

Xelloss smile turned into a disastrous smirk, as he approached her, then sitting down at the bedside.

"Why so shy, Fi-chan?" he asked softly, reaching out, cupping her chin with one hand and tilting it towards him. His voice was smooth as he spoke her name, and she couldn't help but react to it, even though the affectionate undertone of a lover was missing.

He is a Mazoku, after all…, a voice in her mind scoffed, shaking its head, but it went unnoticed. She was too entranced by his now open eyes, panic mixed with adrenaline rushing through her veins. Cat-like pupils in pools of liquid amethyst, reaching too deeply into her mind and soul, pulling, searching and remembering her too much of everything she'd shared with him… and had yet to share.

"You know, there's nothing I haven't seen before." he continued and an expression that she couldn't quite put her finger on flickered through his eyes.

Oh, he couldn't just shut up, could he!

She growled, catching up with reality again. "Go away."

He simply chuckled. "That certainly is the dragon I know!"

In the next moment, he was on top of her, holding both her wrists beside her head in his hands. Filia opened her mouth to shout at him, her surprise loosening her tongue and tearing away any kind of reserve she possessed, but quickly used it to gasp for air as his hot breath came into contact with one of her sensitive earlobes. All reason went to hell as he took it gently between his teeth and lapped his tongue against her flesh.

"But don't forget, Fi-chan, that this is the position I like to have you in."

And with that he was gone, leaving a panting dragoness behind.

It certainly felt wrong that one small action of him could ruin her day that easily. But it did. Filia felt like a nervous wrack and she decided with much resignation to send herself to a mental hospital as soon as she'd be able to speak again.

She'd taken breakfast with the others, not because of their company, but because she thought that something to eat would maybe help her body to keep her hands from shaking. Before she went down, she had unwrapped the blanket from Valgaav's egg, using it as a soft and comfortable cushion, and had laid the egg on a chair that she had pushed in front of one of the high windows, so that the morning's sun warmed it. Finding the dining room the princess has decided to take the breakfast in was easy; the sounds Lina and Gourry were always making while eating – screams along with a few dull reverberating punches – helped her much in locating them.

She had to admit that Seyruun's palace was – to be honest – impressing to no end. Light walls and crème-coloured carpets, plants and flowers everywhere and from time to time some paintings of the current royal family and their ancestors. She found a modest painting of Amelia, another one showed a tall and bully man with a bushy moustache, grinning triumphantly at the viewer and giving him the "victory"-sign; and there was a painting of a woman, who showed much resemblance to Amelia with her dark raven hair and her delicate face. The other ones she found were older with slightly bleached out colours, the people portrayed wearing older traditional clothing.

Although Filia liked the way that the palace was furnished, she couldn't imagine living in such a building. Countless hallways lead through it, ending here and then, doors framing them to each side. She met no one on her way to the dining room and it just seemed cold to her.

What she wanted to live in was a small house, not in such a big city as Seyruun, but in the near of it or in a clear village somewhere. Two-stored and with a fireplace would be nice. she mused, a smile tugging timidly at her lips.

It wasn't like she hadn't tried to find a home for herself and Val before she came to Seyruun, but it had been a hard and strenuous trip. As a single woman she wasn't gifted with much trust when it came to purchasing a house or a flat and she had listened to too much malicious insinuations and hints to act with such naivety in this case again. One estate agent had thrown her out after noticing the egg she'd hidden in a basket, having draped a woollen blanket over it; another one had tried to talk her into going out with him rather then to talk her into buying one of his houses and flats. It seemed like every men would suddenly loose any respect for her as soon as they found out that there wasn't a husband at her side who would usually order her to simply sit down and let "the men do the business".

She hadn't searched on her continent for a place to live, but she had her doubts that the situation would differ much from the situation here on the others' continent; and didn't she have enough reasons to want as much distance between her and her elders' temple as possible? The thought of living in the near of them and feeling their presence constantly through the astral plane had disgusted her and so she'd made her choice quickly.

Of course, there was still the question of what to do after finding a place for her, but she'd ignored it. She dreamt of living peacefully, but "living" wasn't an occupation, it was a condition she wanted to keep up as long as it was possible. She was aware of the fact that the presence of various Mazoku was much more threatening on this continent and she didn't even vaguely gloss over the fact that she was too weak to be able to defend herself and Val for long in a fight against one, but she believed deeply in her opinion that a single dragon, living somewhere other than in a temple ruled by the Ryuzoku, would catch their attention.

At least it would be better for you if no other Mazoku gets interested in you.., the small voice in her mind had murmured under its breath, Juushinkan certainly is enough.

And could anyone please tell her where that came from!

After the breakfast, Amelia had wanted to take a walk with Lina and her. She hated to turn the girl down and there seemed nothing wrong about a walk with the two girls – except that Lina still was in a bad mood because Gourry had finished the pancakes before she made it to the dining room; Filia quickly forgot to mention that she didn't get much at all. Amelia led them over the courtyard out to one of Seyruun's main roads that build the pentagram the city was known for, babbling carelessly about the weather. Filia and Lina followed, at least the first waiting patiently for the princess to get to her point.

Lina's patience only needed half a minute to wear thin; she stopped and folded her arms over her chest. "Oh, quit that, 'Melia! What do ya really want to talk to us about!"

Filia lifted one brow uncharacteristically as the princess stopped, too, her shoulders hunched and obviously deep in thought for one moment, but said moment didn't last long. Straightening her shoulders, Amelia turned around, rubbing her index fingers against each other sheepishly.

"Well… I promised you a party, didn't I?"

"Yeah. And a buffet and lots of presents.", Lina counted on her fingers.

"Right…", Amelia murmured, "And I thought that a ball would be appropriate. I mean, it's your 18th birthday, your entrance into womanhood, into your life as an adult with a family and children –"

"I. Don't. Dance."

"But Lina-san! Imagine how much fun it would be!" Having lost the creepy fairytale-glimmer in her eyes for a moment, it was now back again and Amelia was obviously very determined to get Lina to resign herself to a wonderful ball for her birthday.

"Not a little." the petite sorceress scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "So, now that that's decided, if you'd excuse me! There's lunch waiting for me…"

"Lina-san…" the princess whined, staring teary-eyed at the sorceress that was now turning her back to her. Filia could see how Amelia's gaze literally bored into it. "Think about the advantages…"

"That would be..?"

"You could go with Gourry-san to the ball … I mean with him as…" Amelia's brows furrowed as she searched for a term that wouldn't upset her friend. "…as your partner?" In the end, it sounded more like a question than a statement.

Lina opened her mouth, her eyes widening. "Whoa! What do ya mean by that!"

"I… already asked him…?" A question again.

Filia had to swallow nervously as a dark foreboding crossed her mind. This will end so bad…

The scream that Lina let loose in the next moment was heard by everyone in Seyruun itself and in its surroundings – that was for sure. The sorceress' face had taken on a crimson colour that didn't differ much from her eyes' colour, and she looked ready to strangle Seyruun's loved-by-everyone princess to death.

"You… you did WHAT!" she breathed, huffing, the position her hands took reminding Filia unfortunately of the incantation of a fireball. Small, but hot enough to burn your skin thoroughly… She stepped back quickly.

"It isn't that bad, Lina-san!" Amelia quickly added, holding her hands up defensively in front of her. "You wouldn't be the only one! Zelgadiss-san's coming, too, and Filia-san –"

… will be gone from here as soon as a chance appears. Filia thought contently, nodding to herself.

"- could go to the ball with Xelloss-san!"

"WHAT!" Filia bridged the distance between Amelia and herself in a movement that certainly couldn't be seen by common people, grabbing the princess by her collar and shaking her in a not so characteristically way. Lina had somehow managed to keep her temper in check - maybe because another person was now hard at the border of getting seriously violent – and sighed. "Put back those teeth, Filia. She'll get her punishment soon enough." Filia blushed, embarrassed, and released Amelia as quickly as she had grasped her. "Sorry…" she murmured, a bitter feeling twisting her stomach. She had never intended to hurt the princess – at least not seriously - , but she also didn't want to attend the ball. Especially after the last few days she didn't feel like making conversations, dancing and having to hide her emotions once more. Before she'd ruin Amelia's plans in this case and Lina's birthday in particular, she'd rather lay awake in the nights which still remained between her and this date to come up with a good and plausible excuse.

Lina however was now grinning widely at the innocently blinking princess. "So, Zel's coming, eh?"

Amelia's face went red. "It has nothing to do with Zelgadiss-san, of course!"

"Oh, come on, 'Melia-chan…", the sorceress purred, poking her softly with her elbow, "We all know your little crush on Rocky. And I guess that as soon as you heard that he's coming, this little idea popped right into your small. Naughty. Brain, ne?" Lina laughed cordially as Amelia flushed more, pouting just a little and suddenly very interested into the street's condition, and ruffled her small friend's hair. "You're planning to use your womanly charm against our innocent chimera, huh? Isn't that unjust?" Lina quipped ruthlessly.

Amelia stuttered: "It… it isn't that bad to help someone notice the advantages of love, is it?"

Filia suddenly felt pity for the small girl, suppressing a sigh that dared to escape her lips. Running after a man for years had to be strenuous and heart-breaking. If said man happened to be Zelgadiss, with all his complexes and fears, it was something a sensible person would give up on right away.

"Well… not at all. And if you're planning to play a little matchmaker in her case as well…" the sorceress leant over to Amelia, whispering into her ear and looking quite conspicuously at the only dragon present, "… then ya can be sure that ya'll have my support, 'kay?" She chuckled and even Amelia's face adorned a pleased smile now.

She forgot that dragons could hear much better than humans.

"What do you mean by that, Lina-san?" Filia's voice was way too calm to trick someone who knew her into thinking that everything was fine and okay; her twitching brow certainly gave away that fact.

Lina straightened her back, shot her an unmistakable glance and rolled her eyes.

"As I said before…" she pointed out, in a scolding tone that small children were used to listen to, "… come ON! Your oh-so-unsubtle flirting with Xelloss gets on my nerves! Get it done finally! It isn't such a long way to his bed, is it?" Lina's grin was sadistic.

"Lina-san! Don't be so loud! The people are looking already!"

Filia let out a strangled sound that sounded like a protest. Then fainted.

This had to be a joke.

She would so be gone before the two girls would have a chance in getting her together with that Namagomi.

End, Chapter Two
AN: Click the button!