Author's notes: I'm back, oh and lookie, here's the next chapter. Yup, more chapter goodness in every box.

Falling United

The gentle warmth of the sun woke Filia who had slept restlessly all night. She slipped out of bed and into her slippers before stepping over to close her curtains. If it wasn't for her shop she probably would have stayed in bed, but she had a duty to keep it running. She got dressed before taking Valgarv's basket and heading downstairs for her morning tea.

Her slippers slapped against the wooden floor of her kitchen as she went to the cupboards to find a clean teacup. She glanced around the room and sighed. Once again she had fallen behind on her dishes... and now she didn't have a clean teapot to use. Instead, she settled with a cup of cold water and a piece of bread that was already beginning to harden on her counter. After tending to the shop today, she'd have to run out and get a few things… after cleaning up the broken clock and doing the dishes of course.

With Valgarv's basket in her arms, she left the house and tripped over something that had been sitting just outside her door. She yelped and fell forwards, curling around Valgarv's egg to protect him from the fall, and hit the ground. Stunned, she lay there until worry set in and she got to her feet and looked over the egg to make sure it hadn't been harmed. She turned around and saw exactly what she had tripped on. It was Xellos.

At first she was relieved, but relief soon turned to anger. What the heck did that monster think he was doing tripping her like that? He probably knew she would do something clumsy… stupid piece of monster filth...

"What are you doing here in front of my house Xellos?" she snapped before she could stop herself. Of course he didn't know what he was doing. Why couldn't she remember that? Oh Ceifeed... She kept expecting him to be "normal."

"I don't know.." Xellos replied as he forced himself to stand. The tear in his astral being was making it's self painfully noticeable. He hadn't taken the time to repair himself yet, not that it mattered… He'd be dead soon. "Why am I here..? To say good bye? Yes. That's right. I remember now. Good bye Filia."

Filia gawked at him as he turned to leave. What did he mean good bye? She snagged him by his cape to keep him from disappearing on her; he didn't seem to notice that he wasn't going anywhere anymore. She sighed, and waited for him to regard her. After a few moments she became aware that he wasn't going to, so she pulled him back.

"You're not making any sense," she told him. "Where are you going?"

"To die," he responded. His voice lacked any emotion. It was like a part of him was gone…

"You can't really mean that," she said sounding a little dismayed that he would say something like that. He couldn't mean it, but his lifeless expression told her otherwise.

"Soon everyone will know…" he said through clenched teeth. His eyes squeezed shut and he fought down the need to scream. It hurt… it always hurt. Talking made it worse though. No. Talking about it made him think, and that's what tortured him, but Filia couldn't know this.

"Know what?" she questioned, and Xellos hesitated before replying "That's a secret Filia..."

"How can it be a secret if you just told me that everyone will know about it?" she demanded. Her voice softened a little. There was no use getting worked up over this.

"I want to know what's going on Xellos…"

The monster sighed. She was right of course. What was the point of keeping these secrets anymore? Maybe he should tell her everything. It was strange for him to even consider giving up any information freely. Everyone will know... The whole damn world was going to know.

"Remember Dark Star?" he asked suddenly, surprising Filia.

"Well uh… Yes," she replied. "But I'd rather not." She looked down at Valgarv's egg with a peaceful expression on her face. It was hard to believe that only a few short years ago he had been a bitter half monster.

Before his mind could wander away from the subject, Xellos quickly continued, "Well I was supposed to get some power from Dark Star to wake up Shabranigdo…"

"Yes you told everyone that," Filia interjected, and she gave him the evil eye. "I didn't approve of course." She saw the pained look on his face and immediately grew silent. He was struggling to keep his wits about him through the torment that was raging inside his body.

"I failed, but that was ok. Lord Beast Master said so. She changed her mind. She wanted Dark Star to destroy the world. I pretended I didn't know, but I did. I don't know why I decided to keep going. Maybe it was what Valgarv said, or maybe it was you..." he paused for a moment and forced himself to smile. "Anyway, she got mad and tortured me for a few years. I deserved it. I know that. But then when she told me I could leave, I came straight here and now everyone will know what I did it, why I saved the world. It was for you Filia… I did it for you. I did it for Lina, and Gourry, and for Amelia and Zelgadis, ok maybe not Zelgadis, but mostly for you…"

He stopped and swallowed down a cry. He hated hurting like this. Why wouldn't it stop? After a few quick breaths, and coming to the realization that breathing was both painful and pointless, he continued.

"Now everyone is mad at me. Monsters don't save worlds, especially for our enemy. It's not supposed to happen, but it did. I made it happen. Lord Beast Master thinks I betrayed her. I didn't. I could never... But that's what she thinks and I can't change that!"

He fell forwards to his knees and brought his hands up to his face. His hands were shaking… He cried out; it was a cry filled with the pain of hopelessness.

Filia had never seen Xellos break down like this before, not that she could blame him… She had lost everything too, but she had the unhatched Valgarv egg to cling too. Even then, she couldn't imagine how she would have felt if Milgazia and the Clan that served the Water Dragon King had rejected her…

"How could you say that everyone is mad at you?" she asked, forcing Xellos to consider her. "You don't know how the other Dark Lords feel about it do you? You haven't even talked to them, am I right?"

Xellos let his hands slip away from his face and gave her a startled look. Why would she say something like that? In the eyes of his master he was a traitor to not only her but his whole race. Of course the other Dark Lords would feel the same way. That's why Lord Beast Master had gotten rid of him when she did…

"They won't talk. The facts are there. Already there… They're going to kill me…" He visibly flinched at the idea. A few hundred years ago he never would have guessed that circumstances would lead him to die like this. It was ironic how he had helped kill a traitor of his race only to be labelled a traitor himself.

If Garv was still alive, Xellos would have killed himself right then and there…

"I've got to go… before they come," he said as he slowly pulled himself to his feet.

"You don't even know if they're coming," Filia argued. She wasn't even sure who Xellos meant by "they" though she doubted it would actually be the Dark Lords themselves. Maybe Xellos was just being paranoid… though if a powerful monster did show up on her doorstep, she wasn't sure what she could do. Despite being a fairly powerful ex-priestess, if Xellos was able to absorb her most powerful magic attack, 'Chaotic Disintegrate,' then another monster could probably do the exact same thing.

She wasn't given anymore time to think about it. A man had appeared in the sky. At least he looked like a man, but Filia's senses told her otherwise. She glanced at Xellos who had moved to her side. She couldn't read his expression, but the way he held his arms close to himself she could tell he was hurting.

"See Filia? I said so. They're hunting already," he said trying desperately to keep himself from sounding anxious.

The monster in the sky drew his sword and pointed it strait at Xellos. His lips curled into a smile as his ice blue eyes swept over the two standing below him.

"A golden dragon," he stated shaking his head. "Just a simple everyday lizard, I can't believe you'd fall for such a creature…"

At first uncertainty had kept Filia rooted in place, but the monster's comments hit her dead on and she began to shake with fury. How dare a stupid no good rotten monster say that about her? If she was any stronger she would have blasted that monster into the next world...

"Now, who should die first? The traitor or the traitor's pet?" the evil intent in his voice made Filia snap out of it. She glanced down at the basket in her arms and suddenly the urge to get away became unbelievably strong. She had to escape to protect Valgarv. In a blur of movement, his target had been made, and both of the monsters had vanished.

"If anything happens, don't be afraid to seek me out."

Milgazia's words echoed clearly through her mind. Would he be willing to watch Valgarv for her? She didn't feel comfortable trying to deal with this mess with an egg in her care, and as far as she could tell, the monster only seemed interested in her and Xellos. She needed to get to the Kaakato Mountains, though the prospect of putting her fellow dragons in danger deeply troubled her, there weren't many options right now.

Another something else suddenly struck her, something she had overlooked until now. Xellos didn't have a weapon. His staff was still in her house. After he refused to take it, she put it in the closet for safekeeping. Before she could think about what she was doing, Filia had torn back into the house to retrieve the staff. A table was knocked out of the way and she nearly ripped the door off its hinges. Good, the staff was still there. She brought it back outside, but Xellos and the other monster were no where in sight.

"Xellos!" she called hoping beyond hope that he could hear her from wherever he was.

"Looking for this?" the voice of the other monster questioned callously.

A tear opened up a few meters away, and Xellos was tossed out of the astral plane. Filia gasped. Her eyes grew wide when she saw how badly beaten and torn up he was. She wanted to go to him to reassure him, but before she could even muster the strength to take a step, his body broke apart and he was gone…

The other Monster started towards her. Filia clutched Valgarv's basket closer and stared down the assailant. She held Xellos' staff as a weapon; she was determined to protect herself and Valgarv. Tears pricked her eyes. He was gone… She couldn't believe it…

In a blur of motion, the monster wielding the sword was in front of her. She didn't even have time to scream. She felt the cold demonic sword strike her in the neck, and everything suddenly faded into white light.

More notes: You can tell who my favourite character is when… I kill them or torture them to insanity. Makes me wonder what I'd do to my second favourite guy. Anyway. That's the end. I'm done… just kidding. P (Milgazia you are my idol! Uh oh… better run!)