Disclaimer: Mm yeah, I dont own Slayers. But I do own the lives of these ants!! Bwahahaha!! -Gets bitten by an ant-
Oww.
My laptop is being swarmed by ants. Seriously. they keep appearing!! And Im not even eating!! .. Well not really.
This chapter is going to be a little... emotional in the anger sense. Filia explodes in this one. I'd always wondered what it'd be like if she actually almost lost all her mind, not those cute anger marks that pops up around her head whenever Xellos teases her.
But I promise this is just her releasing her frustration. She doesn't really hate Xellos. Even if she seems to. Well fine she does in a way, but...
I should probably stop typing now.
Setfiregirl: Ooh I didn't expect anyone to read up to here and still bother with a review after all those unpopular chapters. Do you like X/F pairing then? Thanks a bunch!!
The innkeeper was about to serve the dinner pies, but thought much better of it when everyone were suddenly quiet and staring at a blonde priestess who was turning red rapidly.
"I thought you hated Xellos," Zelgadis said.
"Yeah, so did I!" Lina had enough to think about already, and if one of the team members were going to start getting attracted to someone cruel, evil and most of all annoying, then she might as well stop all this rubbish and go on her way to make some money like she was doing before. "Filia, I think it's time you explained exactly what happened when Xellos took Val's egg. And don't try leaving out any details."
"I-I was..running into some trouble with the locals and then Xellos suddenly appeared and scared them off and then I invited him into the house and then he scared me too and I kind of destroyed the house and lost sight of Val and then when I turned around to face Xellos he had put Val's egg in that bag of his and then he made a preposition to get him back and of course I had to agree because I didn't want anything to happen to Val, so I..I.."
Filia was shaking and her eyes went slightly red, but no tears fell.
"Lina! You've gone a bit too far this time!" Amelia rushed over to Filia, trying to comfort her.
"I'm not done yet, Filia. I know it's good to repay debts and whatever, but you invited an evil monster into your accomodations? And most importantly it was Xellos! Sheesh!"
"It was a leading question! If I'd told him to get lost, Val would have been taken anyway!" Filia was now on the defensive, having recovered from her momentary despondence.
"What's a 'leading question', Amelia??" Gourry whispered to Amelia, who was having difficulty answering.
There was a momentary pause.
"I'm sure Filia had her reasons," Zelgadis said, weary of the conversation.
"No, Zel, I don't think it's so simple. From what Xellos said, he wasn't aiming for Val at all until - "
"So now you're believing what he said?"
"Hell no, I'm just trying to clarify something with Filia!"
"Both of you, stop it!" Amelia was clearly upset at the quarreling. "Miss Filia is a responsible and knowledgeable woman - have some faith in your friends! I'm sure she didn't mean it. Xellos must have tricked her somehow!"
"Well, I have fooled cleverer, I must agree."
Everyone turned as the sound of Xellos phasing filled the inn.
"Xellos!"
"Get lost, namagomi! Go jump in a lake!"
Xellos opened one eye and arched his brow.
"A very good evening to you too, Filia dear."
"Xellos, stop that, dammit!" Lina was geting worked up too.
Ahh, the taste of strife!
"Stop what, Linny?"
"Xellos-san, where do we go from here?" Amelia questioned, trying to direct attention elsewhere. In the background, Zelgadis and Gourry were trying their best to hold back a Dragon Slave-caster.
"Well!" Xellos pulled out a map from his bag and opened it before the Slayers. Xellos tapped the map, and everyone instantly followed his finger.
"You see, everyone, if we follow along this trail past the borders to Amorteria, then camp here and here and here, then ... It's a secret!"
The map snapped back together and burnt to black, shrivelled pieces.
...
"Let go of me Gourry, I HAVE to send that bastard at least a fireball!!"
"Lina, you musn't use words like that!" Amelia too, was straining to hold her back.
--
"Xellos," Filia said softly but firmly.
"Hello!" Xellos waved his fingers.
"Look, I'm being serious here, Xellos."
"Oh?"
"I want..to know.. when I can have Val back. "
"When you've finished your little jobs like good little dragons of course!"
"But..!"
Xellos opened both his eyes, revealing callous and condescending eyes, void of emotion and pity. But Filia was made of slightly sterner stuff. This concerned her foster son. The last of the Ancient Dragons. Her debt and responsibility. She would do anything if just to give him a fighting chance - no, she didn't want him to fight anymore. There was enough bloodshed as it were. She didn't want him to ever be related with the Mazoku lords ever again. In the slim chance she would get him back...
"I just want to know some information about this ...Mazoku that we're hunting, if he or she is real. How far is this mazoku? What's his or her power?"
Xellos remained silent.
"And..how long do you expect us to really complete this task in?"
Xellos let his lids fall, and in seconds he was the trickster priest again. His smile was a touch more genial, and his eyes seemed to have softened, even though it was impossible to see them.
"That is also a secret!"
Everyone else stopped fighting and turned at the scene. Filia's head was hanging - her hair hid her hurt (5 h's!) expression. Xellos slightly shook his head in disapproval. To have fought all the while back in the older days just to find that her efforts were stolen. He disliked the resilient to be emotionally wounded too much. It only made them grew stronger - and Filia had grown to be more resilient than he'd prefer.
"You...you.."
Her breathing became harder and her jaws tightened.
"Hm?"
"You NAMAGOMI!!" She swung her mace - which Xellos dodged and sent flying away - but that was only fa distraction. In moments, she transformed into a more lethal than cute dragon which caused the roof of the inn to explode and shatter furniture.
The rest of the Slayers ran outside.
"Filia!!" Lina yelled as the golden dragon flew about in blind rage, sending laser breaths around where Xellos would have been if he hadn't phased away.
"Just leave her. She'll calm down soon." Zelgadis said, drinking a cup of coffee that he managed to save before the whole inn collapsed.
"Zelgadis-san! How can you say that! Miss Filia is clearly at a loss and very upset! Can you not comprehend the maternal feelings of a foster mother trying to save her son? We must help her to find the light again! Don't you agree, Gourry-san?"
"Well..sort of.. I guess. What's 'maternal'?"
At this moment, the innkeeper clambered out of the rubble and strode angrily towards the four, holding up a huge sign which read 'You just destroyed my inn! How are you going to pay for my loss?!'
It was somewhat regrettable that Filia, defeated, landed on the innkeeper at this point in moment as well and pinned him down. Xellos followed to phase nearby, forever smiling at a defeated opponent.
"I h-h..."
"Mm?"
"H-hate you."
"Oh, dear."
"I hate you. I HATE you."
"Well there's a surprise," mumbled Zelgadis.
"Remember to breathe, Fil-chan! The impossible lack of air is making you quite delirious."
Then he turned to Lina and tossed a tattered paper at her. Lina caught it and examined it.
"What the hell's this?"
"It's a map! I drew it myself. Not bad, don't you think?"
"It's only got this town and Amorteria on it connected by a stupid line you bastard!!" Lina threw the map at Xellos.
"Well then, I'm sure all of you know where to go next then." Xellos flicked the map off him and it too, like the map before, left no traces as it caught fire and disappeared.
Xellos looked up at the darkened sky (actually he just faced the sky without actually opening his eyes).
"Well then, that's enough for me today! Bye-bye!"
Shakily, Filia got up among the other cowering Slayers. She raised her head, gritting her teeth.
"DAMN YOU, XELLOS!!"
She could almost hear his disembodied laughter echoing in her mind as she slipped into unconsciousness and the 'comfort' of Zelgadis' arms who really just happened to be there.
"What do you say we get to another inn and forget all this in the morning," Zelgadis said, exasperated. A golden dragon was heavy.