Author's notes: This chapter is now officially up! I really didn't expect to finish this, but now that I have a few reviewers watching me I guess I have to. . >.> I have to right?

Relentless Affliction

Darkness had slipped in unnoticed as the two figures rested peacefully on the floor Filia had unintentionally fallen asleep, but the coldness of the night was slowly beginning to stir her awake. Her eyes slowly drifted open, and the first thing she saw was her kitchen table…

She sat up and took a look around. It was dark and she couldn't see very well, but this was definitely her kitchen. What was she doing sleeping on the floor?

"Filia's awake…" a soft voice said from the darkness. It was then Filia realized that Xellos was no longer lying in her arms.

She could see the silhouette of the monster that was standing by the kitchen window. The moonlight illuminated him, and she was able to see that he had something in his embrace.

She pulled herself to her feet and carefully moved towards him. He took a few nervous steps away from her and clutched the object closer.

"I didn't hurt him…" he said quickly, revealing that it was Valgarv's egg he was holding.

When she saw her Valgarv in Xellos' possession, she bristled instinctively and advanced on him. He continued to retreat until she had him backed up against the far wall. He held the egg out to her and cringed when she took it from him. It was only then, once she felt that Valgarv was safe, that she began to unwind.

"You shouldn't have done that Xellos," she scolded him as she cuddled the egg close.

The monster slid down against the wall, trembling involuntarily as he began to suffer once again from the affects of his past torment. It struck him over and over again, shredding him to the core. Instead of screaming his agony however, Xellos threw his head back and laughed. His demented laughs echoed through the house, and Filia clutched her ears against the twisted sound.

Filia wanted to go bury her head under a pillow and block out the noise, but instead she grabbed a hold of his arm and yanked him back to his feet. This startled him out of his madness, and he managed to suppress himself from making another sound. Why wouldn't the hurting stop? He winced as each internal blow bit into him.

"Are you alright Xellos?" Filia asked as she placed the little Valgarv egg back into the basket and took him away from the window. The window; it was still open she suddenly realized as the cold night's air gently drifted in. She turned back to Xellos in surprise. If he hadn't taken the egg away from the window, it could have become too cold and then… Filia felt sick just thinking about it. Even if ancient dragons where adapt to the cold, she really didn't want to risk having the egg exposed like that.

"Xellos you…"

"I was wrong!" he cried. "It was bad! I was bad…"

"No," Filia said gently. "I was wrong. I thought…"

How was she supposed to put this lightly? His insanity disturbed her, but he probably already knew that.

She thought about it as she closed the window. The moonlight still shone in, but it was still too dark for her to move around freely. She went to fetch a candle and decided that perhaps it was best not to say anything.

She rummaged around her cupboards until she found a candlestick. She lit it then placed it in a holder before carrying it over to the table. The tiny flame flickered and illuminated Xellos' amethyst eyes. Why was he watching her? Filia set the candle down before taking a seat at the table. She wasn't sure if she should go to bed or not. What if Xellos suddenly had an attack in the middle of the night? It probably already was the middle of the night.

If she hadn't taken that little nap on the floor, she probably would have gone to bed regardless.

Xellos was being very quiet. It was a little unnerving. His gaze had switched to something beyond the candlelight in the other room. Was it the broken clock? She thought about getting Jillas to take a look at it in the morning. If anyone could repair it, he could.

"I…" Filia began, but she wasn't really sure what to say. Xellos wasn't giving her much to go on. What did he want to talk about? They both couldn't stand around the whole night not speaking to each other… That'd be very awkward.

"What was I created for Filia...?" Xellos quietly interjected.

Oh no… It was the epiphany that followed insanity. She held her head as though she though a headache would form any second. How was she supposed to answer something like that?

Luckily for her, Xellos hadn't been expecting a reply. He continued, "Was it for war? I've done that. Was it for amusement? I've done that too… I've done everything."

"We all sometimes wonder why we were put on this earth," Filia told him. "Most of us don't know why…"

"I don't have a reason anymore," he said sadly. He bowed his head and felt a jolt of pain run through him. It was going to have to do a lot better than that to get the desired reaction… "Lord Beast Master hates me."

"You're exaggerating," she stated. When she saw the sadness in his expression however, she began to doubt what she said. What did she really know about a Dark Lord's relationship with the ones serving under them? "I mean, you're her only creation aren't you? How could she hate you?"

Xellos flinched and clasped his chest. If he hadn't been a monster, Filia would have thought he was having some sort of heart attack. He forced a smile and brought his free hand up and waggled a finger at her.

"That is a secret Filia," he replied in a hushed tone, as if he thought speaking any louder would destroy him completely.

She smiled thoughtfully at him as she got up from the table at hugged Valgarv's basket close. It was late, and no matter how awake she was, she knew she needed to get some rest for the next day. She took the candle with her free hand and started towards the stairs. She stopped when she noticed that Xellos wasn't moving.

"Are you coming?" she asked. Realizing that this was a little weird for both of them, she nodded to the basket she was carrying. "I need to put him to bed, and then I'm going to sleep. I don't want you down here by yourself."

She continued up the stairs and looked back to find Xellos following her at a much slower pace. She took Valgarv into her room and set him on the dresser across from her bed. He was only an egg, but still. She tucked him in and whispered a few goodnights before putting out the candle and getting into bed herself.

Xellos' presence in her room was far more uncomfortable than she had imagined. She opened her eyes a few times, and each time through the darkness she saw him standing in her doorway. He wasn't doing anything, but that was the problem. Finally she sat up and regarded him properly.

"You can't just stand there you know," she told him. It was late. She was beginning to get irritated. "Could you at least pretend to sleep or something?"

"Sure Filia," he said closing his eyes and settling on the floor. "I can pretend. I always do."

She tossed a pillow to him before turning away to sleep. Even though the feeling of having a monster nearby made her dragon senses uneasy, she was able to drift off.

When Xellos' accidentally woke her during the early hours of the morning by crying out against the pain, her first reaction was to throw another pillow at him. It hit him and he quieted a little. It was only a few moments later when she forced herself to get up, that she noticed the second pillow lying next to the monster. Puzzled, and thinking that Xellos might have taken it off the bed himself, she decided to just let it drop. She didn't need a headache that early in the morning.

"Are you feeling any better today?" she asked. His eyes blinked open, and he groaned as he lifted himself up off the floor.

"I can't feel worse," he replied wearily. "Sometimes I think I can, but when I do that..." He flinched and it took him a few moments to recover himself.

While she had been sleeping peacefully, Xellos had been fighting against the memories of his torture and the affect it had undoubtedly caused on him. There were physical marks of his struggle. Long cuts along his arms and across his body had become visible. They started fading, but Filia was still worried. What was happening to him..?

The monster hadn't noticed this however… When he saw her staring at him, he gave her a questioning look. She shook her head and managed a smile.

"I need to go to the shop today," she said grabbing some clothes from her dresser. With the bundle in her hands, she disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. A few moments later, she came out clothed in a blue dress that looked surprisingly similar to her pink one.

She scooped up Valgarv's basket and headed downstairs with Xellos in tow. The sunlight was flowing in through the windows, reflecting the warmth of the day. It was going to be a good day today Filia told herself. The bright golden sun was a good omen. At least it was suppose to be...

More notes: This chapter gave me a hard time! I wanted to throw a shoe at it or something… I mean, I wasn't sure what to do with them until a brilliant idea suddenly hit me. Like a shoe. Let's get them upstairs! Yeah well, after that it was all good.