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Author’s note: Okay, I lied, this title is original, but it won’t last. Just because (Edited for spoiler content) is original, hehe. All disclaimers apply, as usual. Um…I’m not really sure where this is going, so bear with me! I’m sorry!
Lina watched in awe as the Demon Lord allowed Xelloss to lead her down the small hill her ‘coffin’ was on. Filia’s eyes were narrowed and she glared defiantly at the blond woman.
"Hello, General of Cepheed. Haven’t seen you in awhile." Xellas Metallium, the Greater Beast, said softly. Her golden eyes then turned to Lina. "And who is this?"
"Luna’s sister." Xelloss supplied. "Allow me to introduce Miss Lina Inverse."
"Xellas Metallium." The Demon said graciously as she nodded to Lina. "I assume we are in the Stronghold right now?"
"Yes."
The woman smiled. "Well, let us leave this place. The Dragons must have sensed my presence by now." Xellas suggested.
"That would be nice." Lina agreed. "And Xelloss, you’d better hope that nothing happened to Amelia or Gourry, or you’re dead." Lina threatened quietly as they walked through the wall again. Xelloss sweatdropped.
"Uh…right…"
The blond laughed lightly, her voice like a clear bell. "Do not worry about your friends, Lina. I think someone is one step ahead of my dear Xelloss."
"Old woman, you’re still alive?"
The howling winds abated as if someone had thrown a switch. Zira eased out of her fighting stance and raised one eyebrow. "Who are you calling an old woman, crone?" she addressed the thin air.
Xellas laughed as they materialized in the valley. "I missed you, Zira."
"It’s been boring for the past couple thousand years, yes." Zira admitted. "I take it that everything went well?"
Xelloss shrugged. "The mission is a success. But I still have to find out whether or not Lina’s going to kill me."
"Why’s that, Xelloss-san?" Amelia asked curiously. She let out a little squeak of surprise as Lina gave her a quick hug. "Lina-san?" Gourry merely blinked in confusion as Lina gave him a friendly slap on the back.
"I’m glad you’re both okay." Lina said gently, relaxing visibly. She shot a glare at Xelloss. "And YOU. Don’t ever pull that again." Even the eternally cranky Filia smiled a little.
"Looks like a nasty little fight." Lina observed as they walked from the valley. She could see some Dragon corpses lying around. Xellas nodded.
"I wonder what happened to the rest of the Dragons…"
Xelloss grinned. "They probably decided to run away."
Gourry nodded. "It was getting close for a second."
"Zira-san saved us." Amelia declared earnestly. "We would have been killed!"
"Zira? Miss Glacier?" Lina teased. "Why, I didn’t know you cared."
"I don’t." Zira muttered. "Anyway, that isn’t important. Don’t get too used to me bailing you out, because it’s not going to happen again. I only did it because Xelloss left them behind."
The Demon Lord and her servant blinked innocently.
"I was sure the wolves could have taken care of them." Xelloss said in his own defense. Xellas patted a wolf’s head.
"Still, Xel. That wasn’t very nice. You should apologize."
"Yes, Xellas-sama. I’m sorry."
She rolled her eyes. "Don’t apologize to me. You didn’t do anything to make me angry." Xelloss blinked.
"Oh, right." He took a deep breath. "I’M SO SORRY AMELIA AND GOURRY!! CAN YOU POSSIBLY FIND IT IN YOUR HEARTS TO FORGIVE ME????"
Filia took a step back. "Eh?" Amelia and Gourry looked very surprised.
"Um…"
"PLEASE??"
"Xelloss." His master reprimanded. He had the decency to look a little guilty.
"Sorry." He murmured.
Zira snickered. "Poor little boy." She mocked. Xelloss pretended to be hurt.
"Aw, Zira, you’re too cruel."
"Enough of the reunion." Lina decided. "I’m hungry! Let’s find some place to stop for the night. And let’s eat and celebrate!"
Amelia and Gourry seconded her suggestion with loud cheers. Zira shrugged while Xellas giggled.
"Food it is."
"Oh, dear. Had human eating habits really changed that much in a thousand years?" Xellas gulped as she watched Lina, Gourry and Amelia tear into their food as if there is no tomorrow. Xelloss chuckled.
"No, not really. Those three are the exceptions." He informed her. Zira sipped her tea and set the cup down with a loud enough thunk to catch the Beastmaster’s attention.
"Where are you headed, Xellas?"
Xellas shrugged. "I don’t know yet. Things are still up in the air. I can’t do as much damage because Ruby-Eye is still asleep."
"I see. Xelloss?"
"We’ll just have to wait and see." He told her. Filia rolled her eyes.
"I hate it when you do that. Why don’t you just tell us what the heck we’re supposed to do and get it over with?" She complained. "As if all this isn’t going to get us in enough trouble already."
"Trouble with who? I really don’t care how much trouble I cause the Dragons, Filia-chan." He retorted.
"Really? Let’s see how you act when you come face to face with a Dragon Army, Namagomi. " Filia growled back at him. She took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. "We’d better have a plan if we want to survive. The Dragons know that Xellas is free. They will do anything to stop us from waking the rest of the Demon Lords. What are you planning to do if they catch us?"
Xellas raised an eyebrow as she watched her firstborn argue with the second General of Cepheed. Zira shook her head.
"Don’t bother. They’ve been like this."
"Ah."
Lina agreed around a mouthful of food. "If you ignore them, eventually they’ll run out of insults and stop."
"What?!" Xelloss and Filia half yelled. "Stop copying me!"
The Beastmaster hid a smile. Things had gotten more interesting in the past thousand years.
Much later, when Lina and company had decided to go to bed, the Demon Lord was still sitting in the comfortable dining room of the inn. Under any other circumstances, she would have been worried about Dragons and possible attacks and the future of the Demons. But she knew that Zira was here tonight, that meant both that L-sama chose to favor them, and that no Dragon will dare attack. Tonight, that is. Zira was everything but predictable.
"Xellas-sama?" Xelloss greeted as he sat down beside her with a cup of tea. "What are we going to do next?" Two wolves solidified beside him and plopped themselves down by her feet. Idly, the Greater Beast stroked their fur.
"You know where the rest of them are, right?"
"Yes, Xellas-sama."
She sighed. "I’ll return to Wolf Pack Island. Then I’ll look for Dolphin."
"Last I heard, Dolphin-dono was sealed inside her palace in the Demon Sea. Are you going to go there?" Xelloss asked. Xellas nodded.
"It’s too dangerous for you people to go. Dolphin might be Sealed, but the Demon Sea is still a dangerous place. Go look for the others on the continent. I’ll worry about Deep Sea." Xellas ran a hand through his hair. "Xelloss, tell me about that Lina Inverse."
"She’s Luna’s little sister. She has incredible potential for magic, and she can eat more than the Dragon Army combined." Xelloss replied truthfully. His master laughed.
"I knew that. It’s just that I have slept a long time, my Xelloss, and I have dreamt strange dreams, dreams of destruction and rebirth. Dreams of darkness and light, and chaos. Lina Inverse was in those dreams. Could she be the one?"
Xelloss assumed a thinking position. "It’s very possible. Even Zira has decided to come out and take Lina under her wing. Considering how hard Zira tries to not interfere in this world’s affairs…"
Xellas nodded. "Hm, I see. Your orders, Xelloss."
"Yes, Xellas-sama?" he bowed his head.
"Awaken Phibrizo, Garv, and Grausheela. Leave Dolphin to me. But keep an eye on Lina Inverse."
"What about Ruby-Eye?"
"Revive him last. If our Lord is awakened too soon, our cause will be lost. You will be taking Xelana with you." Xellas stroked the silky fur behind the wolf’s ears. "We’ll keep in touch. And watch your back, always."
"I know, Xellas-sama."
In an oddly gentle gesture, she brushed her hand against his cheek. "I know that neither you nor Xelana approve of this arrangement, but it’s the best way to go about things right now. Please understand."
"I do, Xellas-sama." The wolf beside him whimpered softly. He patted her head. "And Xelana does too, although she protests."
"Do your job well, my Xelloss. And Xelana, don’t give him any trouble. Make decisions as you see fit, but I trust you will let me know before you do something irreversible. I will be expecting reports soon." The Beastmaster began to fade. "Farewell."
"I will be seeing you, Xellas-sama."
And then she was gone.
The wolf whimpered again and settled herself in Xelloss’s lap. He gave her a look. "Hey, what are you doing that for?"
She put her head down and looked up at him.
"Really. She said to not give me any trouble."
Another look.
"Are you really going to stay as a wolf?"
No answer, not an audible one anyway.
"Geez."
"Talking to yourself again?"
He rolled his eyes, just what he didn’t need. "What do you want, Filia? I thought everyone went to bed already."
Filia glared at him and he silently studied her. The General of Cepheed didn’t look quite so dangerous when she’s not wearing her armor and carrying that huge axe of hers. In fact, she looked rather pretty in that peach colored pajamas. "Have I introduced you to my mace yet?" She asked threateningly.
"Do I want to make the acquaintance?" He asked dryly. "How about I start over? Hello, Filia. I wonder why you’re down here because it’s so late. Don’t you need your beauty sleep, Miss Dragon?"
"Are you making fun of me?"
"What do you think?" Xelloss replied snidely. The wolf sat up and hopped off his lap. "Oh, look. Now you made her leave."
"What is a wolf doing in here anyway?"
"What does that have to do with you?"
"Stop answering my questions with questions!" She said angrily.
"Why ever not? It’s fun." He peered at her with one eye open. "Oh, my. Is that your tail I see? You’re not very good at self control, are you?"
Must be calm, Filia thought to herself. Must be calm. He’s not worth getting enraged over. "I came down to ask where we’re headed. I noticed that you’ve been avoiding the question." Must not kill him.
Xelloss decided that the nice snack he got from her was enough. Really, they needed each other for this purpose they were all working towards. Better to not irritate her farther. "I’m thinking that we should start heading west. Toward Sairaag."
"Sairaag? The place with the holy tree of Flagoon? Why there?"
"Why are we even traveling together, Filia? Use your brain."
Her fist clenched until her nails dug painfully into her palm. "I gathered that there was a Demon Lord there already, Xelloss. I would like to know which Demon Lord we’re freeing and where he or she is."
"Filia-chan. I’m afraid that is a secret."
"What’s the matter, Filia? You look wasted." Lina pointed out in the morning with the subtlety of a rock falling on someone’s head. Filia glared at her.
"None of your business." She growled.
Xelloss grinned. "She lost an argument, Lina. Filia-chan’s a rather poor loser."
"Shut up, Xelloss."
"Good morning to you too."
Filia hefted her axe threateningly.
"We’d better get going," Zira interrupted. "If we’re going to get there before the world ends, that is."
"Well, where are we headed? And where did Xellas-san go?" Amelia asked, looking around for the petite blond Demon. Zira shook her head.
"She left already. It’s not a good idea to have her with us. Demon Lords attract a lot of unwanted attention. And we don’t need that." Filia straightened her cape.
"We’re headed towards Sairaag."
"Oh, Sairaag? Why?"
She shot a hostile glance in Xelloss’s direction. "Why don’t you ask him?"
"I’ll tell you when we get there." Xelloss replied, fending off Lina as she tried to choke him. "Really! Lina, you don’t need to know until you get there!"
"Don’t need to know, my foot! Tell me! Tell us!"
And so it was like that all day…
Filia…
Filia Ul Copt….
Filia sat up from her bed, surprised. "Who’s there?" Silence.
Could she have imagined that? "Great," She muttered. "Not only am I on a crazy mission, I’m hearing voices now."
They were about three days walk away from Sairaag now. Lina had tried and tried to get the name of the Demon Lord that they were freeing, but Xelloss kept his mouth shut. Filia had a suspicion though. After all, there were only five Demon Lords, four now that Xellas is free. And they were going toward Sairaag, the city with the Holy Tree Flagoon. The site of the famous battle between a Demon Lord and a Swordsman of Light. She wished she had paid more attention to her tutors now, even though it was a few hundred years ago. The dragon couldn’t be sure which Demon Lord was defeated at Sairaag. Then again, it’s Xelloss who’s leading them. This might be a trick; she certainly wouldn’t be surprised.
"Dammit." She muttered. "Can’t sleep." Thinking about him always does that to her. When she thought about him, all her muscles tensed up and she gets homicidal. It’s not a nice feeling. Filia got up out of bed, tugging on a robe. Maybe a walk will make her sleepy again; it should calm her down, at the very least.
With quiet efficiency, she got out of bed and dressed. A walk will be just the thing.
The moon was shining dimly outside, bathing the night world in a silver light. Filia walked out of the inn and along the now deserted roads of the little town that they had stopped at. The little nameless town…She wondered about the people, what they did, how they felt. What she was doing will probably bring doom upon their heads, just as it will bring doom upon many, many other people in many other nameless little towns.
I had sworn to protect life and uphold the Light, she thought. But what I’m doing…am I doing the right thing?
Filia could still see them. Her people, lying in their own blood. Her people, torn apart. Her people, destroyed. And now she’s doing this, this thing that went against all her beliefs, all her upbringing, all that she knew. If she continued, will she bring that fate to these humans? Can doing this really save them…and the Dragons? Can killing and war and pain really bring anything to anyone at all? She sat down by a tree, fighting tears and the tightness in her chest.
Almost as a sign, a clear and angelic voice sounded in the night. The rich tone floated through the cool night air, sweet and comforting. Filia looked around, surprised. "Who’s there?" She asked, standing up.
It was a familiar song, a song praising Cepheed. It filled the air with gentleness unmatched by any other singer she had ever known, somehow filling her with faith and belief also. She searched for the singer in vain, slightly unnerved by the beautiful voice. Then it stopped.
"Hello?"
A twig snapped and Filia spun around. The young man that was behind the tree yelped and hid behind the tall tree. She couldn’t see him all that well, only that he was barely an adult and that he had dark hair. "It’s okay. Was that you?"
He peered out from behind the tree. "Yes…I was just practicing for my test. I’m sorry to have startled you, ma’am."
"Come on out, you act as if I’m going to eat you." She chuckled. He laughed nervously, coming out into view.
"I’m really sorry. It was just that I was singing, then I heard you. Then you scared me. I’m sorry, I’m not a very brave person." He apologized profusely. She peered at him. The young man couldn’t have been a day over sixteen, and he was wearing the white robes of a priest in training. She noticed that he was blushing and that he was too thin.
"It’s okay. What’s your name? I’m Filia." She offered, patting the spot beside her. He looked at the ground as if it was going to bite him. "Come on, sit down. I won’t hurt you." He blushed even more at that, then hurriedly sat down.
"Sorry." He murmured.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"Nothing. Ur…my name is Phillip."
"What are you doing out so late, Phillip?"
He smiled a little. "All my friends call me Phil. I was practicing, for something."
"I noticed. Some sort of test? For the priesthood?"
He scratched his head in embarrassment. "Yeah. I’m going to take my test soon. All the local priests say I’m close to Cepheed, so I’m going to take the test and become a priest. I’m just really nervous right now."
And he was, Filia could tell by how tense he was. The young man almost seems to tremble with nervous energy. "Hey, relax. If you wear yourself out, you’re not going to do too well, are you?"
He laughed nervously again. " You're right, Filia-san. Enough about me, what are you doing here, in the middle of nowhere?"
"I’m heading toward Sairaag, with a few friends." Filia replied. Well, it wasn’t a lie…it wasn’t the whole truth either.
"Sairaag, huh?" He seemed like he wanted to continue, but stopped and shook his head. "Sairaag is a nice place. You’re going to go see the holy tree of Flagoon?"
"Yes."
"That’s nice." He looked up to the stars. "It’s really late, isn’t it? It’s not like me at all, to be sneaking out in the middle of the night like this…I’m sorry, Filia-san, for startling you, really."
"Stop apologizing, Phillip. You didn’t scare me that much." She smiled. It was people like this that she was trying to save. Even though he was only a little more than a stranger… It was people like him that made this worthwhile. "You have a wonderful voice. Please sing some more."
Phillip flushed. "That-that’s a very nice thing to say…thank you very much. But really, I need more practice. I’m just a beginner."
Filia shook her head. "You might be a beginner, Phil, but you have something the others don’t…A purity of tone, if nothing else. You sing like an angel."
Not surprisingly, Phillip was red from head to toe now. "You’re embarrassing me, Filia-san. You’re just being kind, thank you very much though…" He stuttered, stumbling to his feet. "I have to go! Thank you…" He tripped a little. "I’m sorry!"
Filia watched him as he fled, smiling in amusement. He’s cute, she thought. Like a little kid. Purity that this world has lost. She stretched and yawned. The stars were still shining; she should be able to get some shut-eye before the sun rises.
Oh my god I’m going to be late!!!
Phillip scrambled, gathering his stuff in an unorganized manner as he tried to get ready. Frantically, he dressed.
I am SO late!!
A million thoughts and accusations and regrets ran in his mind.
I shouldn’t have stayed up so late! I shouldn’t have done that! But I met Filia-san…and that was really nice…Ah! I’m STILL late!
He grabbed all the things he thought he would need and ran down the stairs. The dining hall of the inn was only about half filled. It was late morning already. He caught sight of two blond heads and turned to focus on the faces. One of them was…
Filia-san?
WHAM.
Phillip groaned as he slammed into someone, knocking both of them down.
Should have watched where I was going. Stupid. "I’m sorry!" He blurted as he tried to scramble to his feet. He seemed to be doing a lot of scrambling lately, and apologizing, for that matter. "I’m sorry, are you all right?"
The man…yeah, man, than he had knocked down was looking at him with the oddest expression. Phillip couldn’t tell if he was angry or not, so he apologized some more. The man straightened, smiling.
"It’s quite all right-"
"Namagomi! You should have watched where you were going!"
Phillip cringed as Filia-san strode up and he felt himself blush again. I hate my complexion, he thought.
The purple haired man in black looked irritated. "I didn’t run into him."
"You should have seen him coming."
"Ano-ano…" Phillip stuttered. He was LATE! "I-I have to go. I’m really sorry!" And he fled. Filia turned to watch him go and caught a glimpse of Xelloss’s face. Was that surprise and recognition in those amethyst eyes?
"Hey, Filia! Breakfast is getting cold!" Lina called from their table. Filia turned to her, irritated.
"Is food all you think about?" she called back. A chorus of affirmatives could be heard and she sighed. "Xelloss, what was that-" She stopped when she realized she was talking to herself. The Demon had disappeared without a trace. Without even a ripple of power. How did he do that? She wondered.
Xelloss smiled as he saw the boy walk up the road. Obviously, he didn’t make it on time for whatever it was he was late for. There was something so forlorn and adorable about the young man’s dejected expression that Xelloss was sure that if Filia was present, she’d give him a hug. To make that annoying dragon lady feel pity, hm. But no matter, that wasn’t why he was here. "Hello." Xelloss greeted the man when he was within hearing range. "Did you make it?"
Phillip shook his head miserably. "They left without me."
"That certainly wasn’t very nice of them."
Phillip looked up at the person he had ran into this morning. "I’m really sorry about running into you. I should have watched where I was going."
The man shook his head, it made Phillip a little nervous when he realized that the other’s eyes were closed. "No harm done. I was just curious as to where you were going in such a hurry."
"I was going with them to…Sairaag. I have to take the test for priesthood there."
Xelloss raised his eyebrows. So Fate was listening, huh? "Oh, dear. Does that mean you’ll have to travel by yourself now?"
Phillip shrugged sadly. "I guess."
"Well, young man, I’m with a group that’s heading toward Sairaag too. Would you like to come with us? There’s safety in numbers."
"With you? With…Filia-san?" Phillip glowed with excitement for a moment, then deflated. "but I’m not supposed to go anywhere with people I don’t know…"
The man laughed good-naturedly. "Oh, well. There’s not that much I can do about that. But you know Filia, right? Why don’t we go talk to her about the idea, hm?"
The reception was grand.
"XELLOSS WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?"
Xelloss fended off Filia while Lina choked him. "Ack! Let me explain!"
Phillip gulped and started edging away to the door.
"Phillip-san needs to go to Sairaag. But I think he really shouldn’t go alone and since we’re headed for Sairaag anyway-" Xelloss managed to blurt out before he ran out of air. Phillip froze like a rabbit in the face of a wolf.
Filia immediately abandoned the Demon. "Alone? Of course not! He can travel with us for sure!" Phillip felt his face heat again. Why does he always do that?
"That-that’s if it’s not too much trouble…" he stammered.
"No trouble at all," Filia said kindly. "I think it’s a great idea."
Gourry leaned so he could whisper in Lina’s ear. "She seems to be fond of him."
Lina nodded. "You’re right."
Amelia smiled. "Your name is Phillip, right?" She asked as Filia ushered him to a seat. "My name is Amelia. Nice to meet you."
Phillip was trying to make himself invisible. He really hated being so shy, "Hi, nice to meet you too…"
"I’m Lina." Lina told him. "And this is Gourry. He’s a nice enough guy, I guess, but not too bright. So don’t use big words around him, okay?"
"Hey," Gourry protested.
"Yes, ma’am." Phillip replied timidly.
"Xelloss, apologize to Phil for running into him." Filia commanded. The Demon frowned a little. Phillip shook his head hard.
"It was my fault." He quickly said. " I’m really sorry."
"This is what, the third time that he said that?" Xelloss commented. "Filia-chan, you should stop bringing it up, can’t you see it’s making him nervous?"
"It was your fault, Namagomi."
"No. It wasn’t, Filia-chan."
Phillip shrank down as they glared at each other on either side of him.
What did I get myself into? He wondered.