Hola! Here we are again . . .not as many reviews this time, either. I'm disappointed! There are a lot of people on my author alert list, and only a few reviews each chapter. :-(
Now to reply to reviews:
Aisha C: I'm glad to get your review! Also happy you liked it. As to Val's eyes, you have to realize that noticing something like that is very unlikely. When you were a child, before you were told about how your eyes contracted and expanded, did you notice that they did that when the lighting changed? I never did! So I don't think he would necessarily be looking that closely at his irises.
Xeria: no problem, I've been busy too. I miss your reviews, though! Poor X/F, huh? They're not dense, just subconsciously damaged. ^_^
Shahrezad: not sure what changes you were hoping Xellos to have, but he's not totally reformed. I doubt he ever will be, lol. As to the junk food, it's not quite the same as the human body. We can't control the sugars we intake in order to regulate them so that they get directed into being burned immediately. So often sugar will convert to fat in human bodies. Not so with Iyzeka! Lucky, huh? As to Val's hair, in this universe I thought I had made it pretty clear that it's the same one from Slayers, and as far as I can tell everyone has different colored hair. Look at Martina and Calley with green hair themselves, and Zelgadis had blue hair before being turned into a chimera, and Rezo had purple hair.
Meirelle: sorry that you found my fic at such a bad time! But I'm glad you're reading, and I'm honored that my fanfic is eating your scholarship!
Carla: Heya! As to Xellos learning how to have a relationship, the scary part is, they're only *friends* and he still f's it up! LOL
Angry Flagoon: I don't want to know what's tingling, lol. Glad you're reading, and really happy you got the Jehovah's witness joke.
Grace: I'm really pleased that you brought up those points. Iyzeka actually was reserved before because Xellos was more of a legend than an actual person to her. He was frightening to her, so she was afraid and tried to be on her best behavior. However, now that she's realized that he's just a big teddy-bear when around Filia, he's not so frightening and she can act like herself. LOL. Xellos' behavior hasn't really changed too much from lack of magic. His physical abilities have changed slightly because he is purposely limiting himself. Iyzeka is more disturbing she can change her mental state at will. She's the most insane one of all, by human psychological standards! LOL
MDF: No, there is no way Val will ever get with Zelas. That's just nasty, considering that she's like his grandmother, lol. Only weirdos are attracted to their grandmothers! ^o^
Beastmaster Zelas: .'[]-$*^$#!! You're in this chapter, really!
Dreaming One: Glad you're liking it, hope Xellos is meeting your approval. At least, I think I understand what you want him to be like . . .hopefully it matches what *I* am planning! ^_^
Okay, now onto the story!
Ukchana
Hong Kong, China
June 9th, 2002
The sunlight seemed to fill her as Filia bent to gaze across the sea of little faces in tattered clothes. "Hello!" she spoke, but none appeared to understand her, and the blonde rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. "Ni hao!" she tried again, her voice lilting.
A few piped up, their wide eyes cheerful, and replied, "Wo hao," synchronously.
The saffron-haired woman turned to gaze up at Xellos, and a perplexed smile wound its way onto her lips at the melancholy yet peaceful expression the Mazoku held as he looked over the young humans. "Zander, I don't really speak Chinese very well . . ."
He nodded, serenity glowing in his violet eyes. Swiftly, a song of alien words sprung from him as he stepped languidly forward to kneel next to her, the sound tripping and swaying. When he finished, he glanced to her, purple locks tossing in the zephyr. "I told them we had brought them gifts," his nasal voice rolled over her as the children began to cheer and climb on the crates.
Grinning, Filia rose and studied the dark eyes and gangly limbs of the youths as they raced around them. "Okay, okay!"
Xellos waved them off, calling, "Hao le, hao le!" and the children calmed but chattered with excitement.
With a happy sigh, the dragoness watched as her 'husband' took a crowbar from the helicopter and began prying sections of wood from the crates. As her eyes returned to the joyful youngsters, a bright dash of purple caught in her vision and she stepped forward. Heart jerking in her chest, she gazed over the ocean of moss and indigo heads, hesitantly pressing her way through the crowd of children until she stopped before the brightness.
A pixie of a girl stared up at her with deep periwinkle eyes, a mane of amethyst hair caught up in a long, full braid down her back. "Mmm?" She could not have been over five years old.
Twisted up inside, Filia dropped to her knees before the child, barely noticing Xellos as he hesitantly approached behind her. "Oh, you darling girl. You're . . . you're beautiful."
Of course, the cherub could not understand, but over her head the dragoness could hear him murmuring. "Nü'ér . . . ni shí mëi."
Pleased, the violet-haired sprite suddenly wrapped her arms around Filia, her voice chiming, "Xié, xie," sweetly. Thanks.
The blonde gazed up at Xellos, his head bowed and hands clenched at his sides, and she couldn't stop the tears that pricked at her eyes. "She looks . . . like you. She has your hair," she ran a hand over the Asian girl's head, relishing in the soft, supple strands. Another pang of longing rushed her, and she had to choke down a sob. "Just like you . . ."
Filia felt his hands on her shoulder, firm but with a single tremble. –You . . . it's not that interesting, it's just happenstance,— came his shaky mind-retort. –Mazoku don't procreate that way.—
A lone drop rolled down her face, and she smiled at the girl. This is what I want . . .
Hesitating, he spoke again in her thoughts. —Please don't be so upset . . .—
The dragoness shook her head wearily, long golden hair dancing in the breeze.
—If they DID procreate this way,— she answered finally, —this is how your child would look.— He said nothing and she could feel his emotional exhaustion and boiling fear as if it were her own . . . and perhaps they mirrored her emotions a little too well . . .
Dropping the girl gently to the ground, she touched the child's dirty face and beamed as she stood up. "These new supplies will help them a lot."
"I hope I remembered to buy children's clothes."
Filia turned to her friend and gazed at his somber features lovingly. "How could you forget something?"
His violet eyes peered into her own, and her breath caught. Slowly, she edged into his personal space as he spoke. "It's been known to happen . . . once or twice."
Drawn to him by an empty ache within her that also shined beneath the depths of his gaze, Filia wrapped her arms around him, still not understanding any of the seething sensations within her heart. I'm sure it's the eighteen-month menstrual cycle, she tried to dismiss it uneasily, but only his warm embrace could silence even a portion of the pain.
I want.
I want so badly . . .
She sobbed a bit, and found herself clutched tighter.
I want to have a baby.
The movie began to drag, so Val roused himself from his near-slumber and pulled out the locket from around his neck, opening it as if to study the inside and the lack of a photo. "Xel," he murmured very quietly, "you doing okay?"
A reply wasn't immediately forthcoming, and the girl in his arms shifted to look up at him, but finally he heard, "Sort of . . . why, what do you need?"
"Just checking to see how far you're along and when you plan on coming home," Valgaav smirked, glancing to his right, where the sky was fading beyond the glass doors of the deck, the nearly setting sun coloring everything coral and chartreuse. Our revenge still has to be carried out, after all. "Let me know when you're headed home, will you? We have to discuss what we've found today as soon as possible." Unlike you, Xellos, I can lie if I want to, he chuckled inwardly and gave the demoness a squeeze. Just as long as you don't find out, of course . . .
"Sure, I'll call you as soon as we're ready to leave," the tiny voice in his ear sounded suddenly quite dour. "See you then."
"Bye." The teen cringed and closed the locket. I'm gonna get it for THAT one. He's definitely gonna notice that we don't have anything to show for our day. And Xellos HATES it when I lie to him . . .
A punishment from his mother was bad . . . but Xellos' punishments were far worse, though quite infrequent.
Hearing mental silence from his partner, Val glanced down at the short girl leaning against him. "You okay?"
Her head bobbed, maroon bangs tossing. "I'm fine."
With a shrug, Valgaav ignored the unsettling sensation that suddenly began swirling around him. Something's . . . off . . .
Snuggling deeper into the warmth surrounding her, Iyzeka ignored the golden eyes upon her. The nagging sensation in her mind refused to let her be, and she wanted more than anything else to ignore what she'd heard.
Ancient Dragon.
She'd ignored it. Asked about his eyes. Tried desperately to not hear the information, to not paint a cohesive portrait of what she knew.
Last Ancient Dragon on Earth.
In her memory, she could see, even now, Zelas sitting next to her with a chart of the Mazoku hierarchy.
"Regent Phibrizzo is directly under Shabranigdo. Stay away from him if you can, Phibrizzo is insane and very . . . distasteful. There's me, under him, and my other equals are Dolphin, Dynast, and Gaav."
Gaav.
And under Gaav was . . . Valgaav.
Unbidden, her recollections continued to spin within her psyche, her eyes locked unseeing on the television screen.
"Beastmaster Xellos is back from his mission?" she asked Zelas as they stood in the fading sunlight of a dusky autumn day, leaning along the balcony.
Zelas smiled down at her, brushing a stray leaf from her long, honey-colored hair as she sipped from her glass of merlot. "He is. Everything is fine, now."
"What about the Ancient Dragon that threatened him?" Iyzeka demanded, gaze wide with fright. "He won't come after us and get his revenge, will he?"
"No," her mother's voice was soft and she gazed out across her kingdom. "He was absorbed by the destruction. From what Xellos says, what remains of him is not even recognizable."
She had known there was more to it, but at the time, there could not have been any way for her to realize the extent.
I thought "Valgaav" was just a name, a coincidence that a Golden Dragon be named after the last Ancient Dragon. Perhaps a tribute to the last, since Lady Filia knew him as well . . .
Lady Filia. Iyzeka forced her venire of happiness to remain, even though she wanted very much to fill with her sorrow. He must have been reborn . . . and she took him in . . . I wonder, how did it happen?
All that was clear was that Valgaav himself had no idea who he truly was.
Wolfpack Island
June 9th, 2002
Zelas glared at the book in her hand and shook it slightly. "I know you have some secret, and I want to know what it is!"
The text remained silent, the words emblazoned across the cover mocking her. All around, luxury and beauty surrounded the demoness within her bedchambers, but even with the new, color-shifting dress that her seamstress had made, the Mazoku Regent remained totally unhappy.
With a long sigh, Zelas plopped herself down on her opulent ivory bed and closed her eyes, fingers rubbing through her long pink tresses. "Ridiculous. Xellos suddenly finds a book out of nowhere that's not even supposed to be there and there's nothing about it that's of any interest?"
She couldn't pierce it with magic whatsoever. "Impossible. Argh, I should just go back to a hobby or bothering my minions or something equally dull." The Hellmaster rolled her golden eyes and began tossing little spurts of fire into the air, watching them erupt into pillars of glowing apricot before they sputtered out. "Boring."
"Hmmm . . . I wonder . . ." Eyes narrowing at the text that had, so far, given them very little information of any use, she grabbed the book, tossed it into the air and threw a ball of destructive flame at it. The sphere of heat smacked the book solidly as they both succumbed to gravity — and it sputtered to nothingness as the text thumped to the ground.
"Dammit!" Zelas rose from the bed and, fists on her hips, stared down at the offending material. "You little . . ." Squinting, she looked closer. A faint glow of magic was moving across the cover, then after a few moments, shimmered and vanished.
Suddenly pleased, the bubble-gum-haired woman cackled and spun in circles, her shimmering gown shifting from turquoise to a brilliant mauve. "Yes! Heavy amounts of destructive magic seem to effect it . . . What about more than one kind of magic at a time?"
Frowning, she set to work to crack the code, crowing, "Telling us about some old temples in China isn't nearly enough for you to waste my time, Mister Book!"
Hong Kong, China
June 9th, 2002
Filia's whole world was the sea of grain, the simmering sun and the wide eyes gazing up at her. The children received the gifts gratefully, smiles breaking across their slender faces. Beyond the grasses, groups of adults had hesitantly converged at the edge of the village, glancing over at them every so often with uncertain and ashamed expressions.
The dragoness ached for them and their pride-hidden unhappiness, wishing that she could somehow help them without damaging their dignity. Unable to stand the accusing eyes upon her any further, she returned to Xellos' side and glanced back with a downcast azure gaze.
"Come on," his soft nasal voice spoke in her ear, and she shivered. "There's nothing more we can do but leave the opened crates for them. They'll use it, no doubt of that." He paused, then raised his arms to envelope her.
The sounds of the children playing surrounding her as she glanced up at him. "Was this truly so horrible?" she asked softly.
Xellos' head dropped, amethyst eyes closing and mouth setting. "I . . ." His grip tightened around her waist, but his expression softened as he began to whisper. "It's usually a good idea for someone like me to avoid doing selfless things as often as possible. But . . ." purple head still hanging, the priest looked over at her, "I think I'm beginning to see . . . why you do them."
The blonde slowly began to smile at him, then squeezed him soundly. "I knew you'd start to turn around." Releasing her 'husband', she chuckled and headed for the helicopter, waving to the children. "Bye-bye!"
Stunned, the Mazoku blinked, then jogged after her. "Hey, what makes you think that?"
"Come on," Filia grinned at him as the little kids waved back, "we have to get back and make sure Val's alright. Anyway, aren't you hungry?"
"Don't change the subject!" he glared, folding his arms. I should have known she'd take the soonest opportunity to tease me.
"I know why you're so upset," the fair-haired woman leaned close to him and stared up into his eyes. "You like helping people," she murmured, then giggled at the fire in his eyes.
"I do NOT!"
Filia jumped into the 'copter, mocking, "Do too!" as he stalked after her into the cockpit.
As he neared her, Xellos could feel desire rising in him once again. Cornering her against the inside of the machine, the demon's eyes narrowed, violet hair tossing in the breeze. "You enjoy mocking me, hmm?" he murmured with a sly smirk, relishing the sensation of his lust instead of being rational and trying to smother it.
Her own longing and contentment undulated all around him, drawing him closer to her, until they almost touched. The black-clad blonde coyly looked up at him, a slight upturn to her lips. "Of course I do." Her wide turquoise eyes seemed to invite him nearer.
Should you really be doing this? that annoying part of himself commented in the back of his mind, but his ardor spurred him onward.
Pressing her up against the cold metal wall, Xellos kissed her, his arms trapping her and pulling her tightly against him.
Within his mind, her thoughts bloomed. —Xellos, I . . .— She couldn't begin to verbalize the plethora of emotions warring within herself, but he could sense them all . . . and the desperate need for affection rose above all else.
The Mazoku softened his grip, kissing her with a tenderness their embraces had lacked in the past. —It's alright . . .—
—Is it?— Filia's arms clutched at him, and her wave of terror caused him to pause, their lips parting. Her uncertain eyes flickered to gaze up at him.
"Filia," Xellos whispered, and simply held her. —This is the only comfort I know how to give,— he admitted painfully.
She huddled against his chest, tucking her saffron head under his chin. –I know . . . I can feel how much you want for me to be happy. — Sighing, she continued, —Sometimes I think . . . that I would gladly accept anything you would be willing to give me.— With her admittance, she ducked away, trying to hide the tears pricking in her eyes behind her long, flowing hair.
This is what happens when you kiss her, idiot, Xellos' thoughts informed him, and, bitterly, he had to agree.
Suddenly, there was a voice in his ear, and he cocked his head to listen. "You done yet?" came Valgaav's interruption. "Us kids are wondering where Mommy and Daddy are, you know. It's not like you conveniently have a cel'phone or anything."
—Val's calling,— he sent to Filia, and sighed as she pulled even further into a ball against him from sheer embarrassment. Shaking his head, Xellos moved his hand against his chest, opening the locket beneath as casually as he could.
"Cel'phones are overrated," the demon softly countered, "or don't you remember your 'grandma' saying that?"
"The scary thing is, I know she'd like it if I called her that," came the young dragon's retort through the magical speaker behind his ear. "But at least with a cel'phone we could talk 'in character' as opposed to this silly spy stuff."
"But we are silly spies, so it's only natural," he replied, voice hushed as he gently squeezed the blonde in his arms. "Anyhow, we'll be getting back soon. Keep the fires lit for us."
"We don't have a fireplace, ding-bat."
Scowling, the violet-haired Mazoku muttered into Filia's hair, "Smart-ass."
"Better than a dumb-ass. See you later!"
"Oh, Val," Xellos smiled slightly.
"Yeah?" came the reply, and the demon beamed at having caught him before he ended the transmission.
"I do have a cellular phone – I just never told you I did."
A growl came through the speaker, and Xellos chuckled at him. "You . . . I'm gonna get you for that for sure."
"Right, right. See you soon!" the Mazoku said cheerily, and ended the communication.
Iyzeka watched Val press his hand to his chest, and knew he was closing the locket. "Coming back soon?" she whispered softly, still a bit flustered over her realization.
"Yeah, they should be 'home' in a little while," the golden-eyed dragon smiled down at her. "Time to start setting up our little plan, don't you think?" He grinned, and she couldn't help smiling back.
He really has become a lot like Master Xellos, the demoness told herself, turning to gaze out of the glass doors onto the city. He's very nice, really . . . Nothing like what he was before.
So . . . Lifting her palms to gaze down at her fingers, she blinked, mouth falling open slightly. Why are my hands . . . shaking?
Wolfpack Island
June 9th, 2002
Dialing a random number from her multitude of Amerika phonebooks, Zelas sat back in her throne and looked hard at the aged text in her free hand. The receiver at her ear rang twice, even though no cord or antenna connected it to the telephone lines of the human world.
"Hello?" answered a male voice on the other line.
Manipulating her vocal chords, Zelas spoke in a deep, masculine voice, "Do you want to know what The Matrix is, Neo?"
"Who IS this?" the man snapped.
"I want to tell you about . . . The Matrix," she avoided the question, quietly chuckling as the man hung up.
Sighing happily, the pink-haired demoness punched the redial button and crossed her tanned legs.
"Hello?" the man picked up again, voice slightly annoyed.
"Neo," her base voice spoke dourly, "I MUST tell you what The Matrix is."
With a grunt, he replied, "I'm hanging up, now."
"No, wait!" Zelas said quickly in her deep baritone, "we don't HAVE to talk about . . . The Matrix. We could talk about . . . stuff. Bands . . . that you like. Girls . . . that have broken our hearts." There was a pause, and she waited a moment. ". . . The Matrix."
Click.
Chortling in glee, the Hellmaster took a quick drag from her cigarette holder and cackled, smoke billowing from her lips. "Ah, nothing like some harmless torment to sooth the mind and ease the boredom."
Eyes falling to the book in her hand, the Mazoku sighed and ran her fingers through her bubblegum hair. "Now, we'll just have to wait for our little dragons to come back before investigating your reaction to magix further, won't we?"
Hong Kong, China
June 9th, 2002
"Is it over?" Filia whispered, hands still clenching the arm-rests of the passenger's seat. Eyes closed tight, she listened to the slow droning engine as it cycled down in pitch, unwilling to believe they had actually landed and were on the ground.
Hands dropped onto her shoulders and she jerked slightly. "Yes, it's over," Xellos' wry nasal voice spoke above her.
Sighing, the dragoness opened her eyes and reached up to pull off the helmet. "Thank the – um, thank God." Turning to glance up at him, she blushed slightly at his unimpressed expression and dropped her gaze to the helmet in her hands.
"There IS only ONE, you know," he muttered softly, a smirk on his pale lips. "Come on, Val's waiting."
"Okay."
Room service arrived just as Val finished placing the last chair on the outside deck. "Great," he smiled as Iyzeka rolled the tray of food into the suite. "Is everything there?"
Nodding, the young woman curtsied in her sky-blue dress and said, "Even the bottles of wine."
"Good. Just charge it and a twenty percent tip to Zander Mettler," he waved away the bellhop, yellow eyes returning to the handle of the patio door. "Alright, all done with that. Won't be needing these pliers anymore."
The Asian man bowed and closed the door, leaving the two immortal teens alone.
Clapping his hands together, Val grinned at the amber-haired Mazoku. "Ohhh-kay. Roll that outside onto the deck, set the table and we'll be all set."
With a wink and a smile, the demoness hurried to do as he said, pushing the cart across the slate carpet, past the couch, through the doorway and onto the balcony. "Whee!" she cried, skidding to a stop and twirling in her sundress. "This will be sooo funny."
Blinking, the Ancient Dragon scratched his spiky aqua head and approached her. "Aren't you worried about getting into trouble at all?"
"Hmm . . ." Iyzeka tapped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. "I donno'. I guess I should be, but 'Zander' is such a softie!" she beamed, giving him another two-fingered victory sign.
Val frowned, eyes drawn beyond her figure to the low-hanging sun casting glitter across the cityscape. "Yeah . . . I guess he is, at that."
Basking in the afterglow of solid ground, Filia shed her flight suit and practically rushed the carriage Xellos had called for them. "Let's get home, I'm hungry, tired and irritable!" the blonde announced, glaring back at the man behind her.
Standing on the landing pad next to the helicopter, the purple-locked 'businessman' raised an eyebrow at her and returned his attention to the gentleman with him. "Here you go," he said, handing back the security key for the craft. "Thanks for everything."
The slender Britain nodded emphatically and grinned, "Anytime, for someone like you, Mister Mettler!"
Palms turned up before him, Xellos smirked, then bowed his head. "As you say." He turned away and leisurely began sauntering up to the coach. "All ready, are we, Veria?" he drawled, violet eyes smiling at her urgency.
"Yes, I am!" She gave him an affronted azure glare.
"And what was that last part?" the Mazoku queried as he let himself into the back of the open carriage. "You, irritable? Never! Ow." He glared back at her and rubbed his arm as she retracted her fist. "You're such a tomboy."
"Shut up!" she cried, tossing back her waves of golden hair and glowering at the driver's back. "Driver, take us to the Hylton immediately, before I get more irritable . . ." Serving a threatening glance to her companion, she shoved her arms into a folded position over her scarlet blouse, raised one leg to cross over the other – kicking Xellos in the process – and turned to look out onto the city, forcibly ignoring him.
She heard a sigh behind her, but continued to face her right, acting as if the man to her other side never made a sound. Why am I so upset? Filia asked herself, worry wrinkling her brow and hunching her shoulders. I shouldn't be upset at all, I just helped a lot of people, and Xellos said that he was getting used to it, and he kissed me . . . Okay, she blushed heavily, that's not supposed to be a good thing. But still, this anger inside of me . . . it almost feels directed at myself. Dammit!
Clenching a fist, Filia looked down at her curled fingers uncomfortably. I'm so upset and frustrated. But why? The fair-haired woman turned to peer up at the man to her left with unaccustomed shyness.
The solid gaze Xellos returned to her made her pause, her eyes drawn to the serious set of his mouth and the deep violet of his scrutiny. "Vee. Something's still wrong?"
She opened her mouth, the anger suddenly drained, leaving nothing but a feeling of hollow desperation. "Oh, I just . . . I don't know."
The clip-clop of the horses' hooves jangled in her ears, and she blinked, seeing the child in her mind again. That child . . . that orchid-flower that looked up at her with such innocence and curiosity . . . that looked up with her eyes, with deep, ocean eyes . . .
Filia watched her hands, half-aware, as they clenched again, and a selfish twinge tightened her jaw. It's not fair . . .
Where did THAT come from?
Shaking her head, the dragoness actually flinched as a familiar voice broke within her mind. –Filia? You're acting awfully peculiar today.—
Her jittery eyes flickered up to him, taking in the concern and then escaping it by looking out across the city and the traffic the coach maneuvered through. –Sorry. I'll be fine, really.— To herself, she reminded, Don't be an idiot. You'll have a child someday, you're still young . . . just because Xellos never will isn't something to be sad about. Firmly pushing away those little twinges of truth that tried to rise up in her mind, she continued, And don't be an imbecile! Xellos is not and will never be your husband . . . like he'd ever want to, anyway, she snorted silently. You have to get over this stupid crush! He's your best friend, for the gods' sake . . .
Taking a steadying breath, Filia closed her eyes and flushed the thoughts from her system. I CAN do this . . . I can take care of myself, I can be self-sufficient. I don't need anyone to help me.
A warm hand gently touched her leg, and she turned her head to look into Xellos' frank amethyst eyes. "I'm fine," she lied.
He slid closer to her on the seat, wrapping an arm around her while seemingly unaware of the widening of her eyes. "I never asked how you were," he told her lightly, touching her chin with his free hand. "But if I did ask . . ." the demon looked down at her kindly, "would your answer be different?"
The terror shattered her resolve like a floodgate bursting open, and she thrust her arms around him desperately. "Yes . . . yes . . ."
"You have a lot of fear," he murmured under his breath, embrace firm and comforting. "But you don't have any reason to be afraid. I told you to trust me."
Breathing slowly now against him, cheek pressed to his ebony-clad shoulder, Filia could feel her stomach unknotting and smoothing itself. –Am I losing it again?— she asked.
—Mid-life crises,— he replied seriously. —They're new to me, too. But,— he reminded her, —you're hardly old. Why not try looking at what you have, instead of what you don't have.—
What I have, she repeated within her own mind. When did I stop appreciating the gifts I've been given?
Stunned, the dragoness lifted her head and stared at him, cerulean irises constricting. "You're right. I've been so selfish."
"No," his nasal voice spoke soothingly, "not selfish."
"Yes!" The blonde blinked, disturbed, then gave him a discerning look. "Thank you," she spoke firmly, then leaned forward and planted a solid kiss on his mouth, arms clamping further around him.
When Filia pulled away a second later to give him a happy smile, Xellos' mouth fell open, his own eyes wide in surprise. "You're," he spoke slowly, "very welcome."
"The sun is about to set."
High atop a silver-lined building that swept the sky, the old woman sat, watching the blazing sphere as it settled lower towards the horizon. Sipping her tea, she brushed back her long, gray hair and cackled lightly. "Oh, Val," the aged madam whispered, and the wind stole the words before she could hear them. "I wonder how far you and your friend can get . . . how far any of you will get."
Shaking her head, she narrowed her jet eyes. "I can feel them . . . they'll be here soon, child." Her wrinkled lids dropped, and she sat, unseeing. "Yes . . . Yêxìng, you've been quite careless," she spat, her laughter rough like leaves scratching against brittle branches. "Foolish demon. Yet, I understand how difficult this is for you . . . Poor sod."
Grimacing as sensations trickled through her, the Asian monarch stood and grabbed her walking stick. "It's almost time. And what a marvelous struggle it will be."
