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Chapter Eight On reflex, Filia reached for her mace as she whirled around to face Xellos. "What are you doing here?" she gasped in surprise, and grimaced inwardly when it dawned on her that her mace was in the living room, where it wouldn't do her any good now. "I just thought I would drop by to see how you were faring, Miss Filia," he replied, still smiling cheerfully. "Is there a problem?" "You never just ‘drop by' anywhere without a reason," Filia said, watching him warily as she backed up against the well. "Did Beastmaster send you here?" He just smiled. "Sore wa himitsu desu." Unsuccessfully fighting down a twitch, she snarled at him. "Why am I not surprised?" "Tsk, Miss Filia. Such a temper. I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything else from a violent dragon, but I thought that perhaps you were warming up to me." "I'd never warm up to you, namagomi!" His smile grew momentarily tense. "Even after saving my life?" Filia looked away with a slight shrug. "You saved mine. We're even." "And here I thought we were perhaps allies." "The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Xellos," Filia retorted, looking at him. "That phrase mean anything to you?" "More than you will ever know." Something about the way he said it sent a cold chill down her spine. "You seem to be making quite a lovely little home for yourself," Xellos continued, looking over to the kiln. "I foresee quite a bit of success for your little shop." "Listen to me, you namagomi. It's been a long day, I'm tired, I'm not in the mood for chit-chat, and least of all chit-chat from you!" Filia growled. "So either get out, or tell me why you're really here." Xellos' expression shifted slightly to reveal a hint of a closed-eye scowl. "Is this how you always conduct yourself with those who are merely concerned for your welfare?" "You? Concerned for my welfare? Don't make me laugh." "Why is that so difficult for you to believe? I wouldn't want harm to come to my little dragon, after all." Filia twitched. "Your dragon? Your dragon? I am nobody's dragon and least of all yours! In fact, I'll do that one better! I'll never be your dragon! Not in a million years! Not even in a billion!" He definitely scowled at that, and she thought for a moment that perhaps his eyes opened to slits. "Very well, then. I simply don't know what I was thinking, coming all the way out here to warn you, taking time out of my busy day. You're still a selfish, violent, and childish dragon." "Right. And I bet whatever you were going to warn me about is a secret too," Filia sneered. "You keep that attitude up, and it will be!" "The only thing I have to worry about around here, namagomi, is you." No sooner were the words out of her mouth when he suddenly reappeared directly in front of her, his staff horizontal against her upper back, his hands gripping it, pulling her forward, pinning her to him tightly. Then, he opened his eyes, staring straight into hers with a malicious glee. "Yes, Fi-chan," he purred softly, his tone taunting. Filia shivered uncontrollably, suddenly deeply afraid. "You should fear me. It's ever so delicious when you do. You seem to have trouble remembering who I am, what I am." "I know what you are," Filia whispered, trying with precious little success not to stammer. "You're...you're..." She trailed off, unable to muster the courage to provoke him. "I'm what, Fi-chan?" Xellos released a hand from the staff, but it still pinned her to him with a strength impossible to counter. He trailed his gloved fingertip down her cheek, his touch almost tender. "Baka namagomi? Is that what you were about to say? Oh, but I'm so much more than that, remember? I killed thousands of your kind by merely pointing a finger. I could crush you like a dry autumn leaf." "Let me go," she murmured, trying to breathe. Fear formed too solid a lump in her chest, constricting her lungs. "And what if I do not wish to?" he murmured back, his face mere inches from hers. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his terrible eyes, compelling and hypnotic. "Never forget who the top predator here is, Filia. Never forget that you are not on the top of the food chain here." Filia tried to close her eyes, but only managed a slow blink before they opened again of their own apparent free will. "You're scaring me. Is that what you wanted to hear?" The way his gloved fingertips brushed over her face was a stark contrast to the unyielding way he pinned her against him. "No, Fi-chan. I can feel your fear. I can taste it. Dragons always made for the most delicious meals when frightened." His chuckle, soft and low, made her whimper. "You are all so accustomed to being at the top, you are unprepared for the sensation of being prey." "Is that all I am to you?" she stammered. "Prey?" Xellos' lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Sore wa himitsu desu." "Then what do you want?" "I want to hear you say you're sorry." Somehow, she managed to will the words into forming. "I'm sorry..." As suddenly as he had gripped her, he disappeared, returning to her vision a second later, a few feet away. His eyes were closed once more, his expression cheerful. "There now!" His tone was lighthearted. "Was that so difficult?" Filia tried to will her knees to stop shaking. "What were you here to warn me about?" she asked, ignoring his question. "Oh, yes! There is that little matter!" Xellos took on a closed-eye expression of concern. "Valgaav is still alive." If Filia had thought she was scared before, it paled in comparison to the sensation of dread that froze her clear down to her bones. She tried to respond, to regain some normalcy, but nothing more escaped her lips than a faint squeak. Please, let him believe I'm just scared of the prospect of Valgaav surviving. Please don't let this be the reason why he hasn't come back yet! "Oh, dear me, Miss Filia!" Xellos exclaimed, frowning as he walked over to her side. "Perhaps you should sit down. How callous of me. I hadn't realized how afraid you were of him. It is a good thing I am here, then. Don't worry, little dragon, he won't harm you." Breathe, she ordered herself, looking at Xellos. "H...how do you know?" "Why, I saw him, of course," he replied. Filia felt nauseous. "And of course, it occurred to me that you might be in danger. After all, he might wish to complete his revenge by killing the last Golden. Come. You're far too pale, Miss Filia. Let's go inside." Filia let him lead her into the kitchen, and she sank heavily into a chair. "You worry over nothing, Miss Filia. I won't let him harm you." "What are you going to do?" Filia closed her eyes, resting her head on the table. Xellos tenderly stroked her hair. "Sore wa himitsu desu, and nothing my little dragon needs to worry about." A snarl from the doorway caused her to look up in alarm, every nerve jangling and on edge, expecting to see Valgaav. "Oneesan?" It was just Jillas, but there was a murderous glint in his remaining eye as he glared at Xellos. "Is this Mazoku hurting you?" "Hurting Miss Filia?" Xellos sounded appalled at the thought. "Why, certainly not! I am merely warning her of danger. Isn't that right, Miss Filia?" She felt like she was standing on the outside, watching herself nod automatically in response. "Now, I'm afraid I must be gone, duty calls and all that, but don't you worry, little dragon." He gave her head a soft pat. "I will be watching you." Perhaps it had been meant to sound reassuring, but to Filia's ears, it sounded more like a threat. "Get out of here!" Jillas snapped, raising his hand, which was wrapped around the butt of a metal object he'd invented, called a gun. Xellos merely chucked in amusement, giving Jillas his trademarked, closed-eye smile. "Well, well, well. You would seem to have a loyal little pup willing to snap at a Mazoku's ankles. But say! Weren't you Valgaav's servant?" he asked Jillas, then looked to Filia. "Irony certainly seems to like you, Miss Filia. The servant of the very one who would see you dead is now your loyal protector?" Filia just stared at him, trying to will him to leave. "I see I shall be leaving you in good hands." There was just a trace of sarcasm in his tone. "Good eve, Miss Filia. I shall return." With a dark flash, he vanished. Closing her eyes, Filia doubled over where she sat as she started to shake uncontrollably, one arm tightly over her stomach, the other hand pressed to her mouth. All the adrenaline began to taper off, leaving her feeling spent, terrified, and ill. A second later, she felt Jillas hugging her firmly. "Are you okay, oneesan? He didn't hurt you, did he? Oneesan? Talk to me." "He knows Valgaav's alive," Filia whispered. Jillas was quiet for a moment, then he stroked her hair. "Lord Valgaav will be fine," he assured her. "He knows how to take care of himself." "He's not Mazoku anymore," Filia reminded him. "He's no longer a match for Xellos." "Don't be so quick to count him out. Mazoku or not, he's a clever one, that Lord Valgaav. He'll figure out something." Jillas paused. "Does he know Lord Valgaav's staying here?" "I don't know," Filia murmured, sitting up a bit straighter as she drew in a deep breath, trying to still her nerves. "He saw him though." "That baka Mazoku's lying." "No." As much as she despised him, Filia knew otherwise. "He doesn't lie. He just...tends to leave out important details. But I've never known him to lie." Jillas didn't seem to have an answer to that immediately. "Lord Valgaav will be fine," he repeated firmly. "But what of next time? What if when he returns, Valgaav is here?" "Then we will deal with that when it happens. For now though, don't be so scared, oneesan." Originally, Gravos had been under the assumption that they would be departing the next morning. Valgaav had been quick to correct that. Gravos or no Gravos, he would stick to his original plan. It was the utter solitude, the peace and quiet, he craved. The chance to be completely alone with himself, to try and deal with events, both recent and distant past, in his own way, on his own terms. He had been there a little over a week before he realized something which disturbed him. He actually missed Filia. It hit him full force when he was recounting to Gravos some of the things that had happened in the last three, almost four months since Darkstar's defeat, and the easy banter she had with Jillas. When the troll burst out laughing over a humorous recollection, Valgaav remembered the sound of Filia's laughter, and the way she had become flushed and breathless over the same incident before she was able to stop laughing. Even then, she hadn't been able to stop laughing entirely. She kept dissolving into giggles as she cooked, and it was a half hour before they finally ceased. Filia's good humor had been so infectious, Valgaav had caught himself smiling in his own amusement at her carefree manner. That had brought that little particular chat session with Gravos to a screeching halt as he stalked off, trying to argue himself into believing that missing her was nothing more than a brief lapse of sanity on his part. A week later, he finally capitulated and admitted to himself that she wasn't an enemy, and there was no reason whatsoever to dislike her. On the contrary, there were plenty of reasons to like her. Her wit, her compassion, the way she would get exasperated over being called oneesan, and more. In the meantime though, the flashbacks and nightmares didn't stop. Not all of them were centered on the distant past; some of them were more recent. The loss of Gaav, the events surrounding Darkstar, and other moments that spanned a thousand years. Valgaav finally acknowledged that if they weren't abating yet, they likely wouldn't, or at least not for some time. Meanwhile, he was growing restless, and Gravos was more than ready to be reunited with Jillas again. Gravos' shock at seeing his lord become fully dragon amused him, at least until the grip of the strong beast's arms around his neck was nearly enough to choke him as they took to flight. Valgaav timed his flight to arrive at the village after sundown, under the cover of darkness. When he landed on the outskirts, Gravos slipped off his back and hit the ground on his knees, practically hugging it. "Oh, sweet ground! I missed you! I'll never leave you again! Ain't natural!" Valgaav rolled his eyes and transformed into his more familiar form. "Knock it off, Gravos," he told his servant. "Let's head home." It was a strange sensation, and not entirely an unpleasant one, when he realized that was how he'd come to think of the little cottage where Filia lived. Home. He could smell intense heat and burning wood as they approached, and as he walked past the front where the parlor had been, he saw how much work the two had accomplished in the meantime. The store was completed, and inside, he could make out the dark silhouettes of merchandise. "Is this it?" Gravos asked as he continued around to the front door. He noted with relief that he could see lights still burning within the house. They were still awake. "Yeah, this is it." Valgaav opened the door and walked inside, his ears picking up the sound of voices coming from the kitchen. Filia and Jillas. Smirking a bit, he crossed his arms and stopped, leaning in the doorway. "Told you I'd come back." Jillas jumped, and Filia's wide-eyed gaze snapped around to look at him, and he saw her face was an ashen gray. He didn't need his Mazoku nature to know something had her scared. Gravos didn't notice anything amiss, and he lumbered past Valgaav. "Jillas!" The fox-man's countenance lit up brighter than the fire. "Boss! You're alive!" "Sure am! It would take more than that sorcereress' lousy spells to get rid'a me!" Valgaav ignored them, wondering what had happened. "Filia, are you all right?" Hearing his voice seemed to snap her out of her bewildered daze. But that turned out to not be a good thing. "Get out!" she shrieked, causing all three of them to jump and stare at her as if she'd just grown another head. Valgaav looked at her, feeling totally confused. "Uh, call this a crazy notion I'm getting off the top of my head, I haven't put a lot of heavy thinking into it, but, did I miss something here?" Filia got to her feet, pointing to the door. He could see her trembling. "I said get out! I don't want you here! Any of you! Go away! Leave me alone!" she shouted. Valgaav stared at her, wondering what in the hell brought this on. The irony tasted bitter to him. He'd come to realize he'd missed her, had wanted to come home, had begun to think of this place as home, and now she was taking that away from him. "Go! Leave me alone!" She was shaking, her voice almost a hysterical scream, her eyes panicked. He felt sickened at the realization that maybe she'd come to be afraid of him. "Fine," he snapped, the confused hurt making his tone harsher than he intended. "If that's how you feel about it." He turned on his heel to leave. "I won't bother you ever again." "Lord Valgaav, wait!" "No, Jillas. The lady wants us gone." "Oneesan, knock it off! He'll be fine!" Jillas shouted at Filia, then lunged at Valgaav, grabbing his arm. "Xellos was here!" Valgaav froze as everything snapped into crystal clarity. "Jillas, shut up!" Filia shrieked, but he could hear the strain in her voice. She was almost to tears. "Who was here?" Valgaav asked, his tone dangerously soft. "That baka Mazoku, Xellos," Jillas replied. Valgaav slowly turned around, looking at Filia, the sting of her words evaporating. He could see her tremble as she sank back down into her chair. She was petrified, definitely, but not of him. For him. When was the last time someone put his welfare before their own wishes? Rather frequently -- in the last three months, at least. "You've got to go," she said quietly. "He'll be back. He might even be watching this place now. Can't you understand that? You can't stay here." "Filia..." He stepped over to the table. "No!" she whimpered. "Stay away from me. Just go! It's not safe for you here anymore!" Valgaav sighed, ignoring her protests and reached for her arms, pulling her to her feet. "Do you honestly think I'd leave now, knowing he's been sniffing around?" "Valgaav, he was making threats about you!" Her eyes were teary, her voice desperate. She struggled against his grip, but it lacked conviction. He shrugged. "So? Let him. It wouldn't be the first time anyone has." "But you're not--" "I'm not a Mazoku anymore, right. But I'm still a hell of a lot better equipped to deal with him than you are, and I'll be damned if I leave you alone now." "But he won't hurt me..." "He's the poster child for the Mazoku race, Filia. I thought you realized that. He'll hurt anyone if it serves his purpose." Valgaav studied her for a moment, brushing her long bangs out of her eyes. "Besides, he's already hurt you, terrorizing you like this." "I didn't save your life just for you to throw it away," she whispered. "And I'm not some miscreant who'll leave a female unprotected just because of a little threat." She didn't answer, and he sighed. Cupping her chin, Valgaav brought her head up to look at him. "You had to have some kind of faith in me to start with, if you thought I was worth helping. I'm gonna ask you to have a little more. If Xellos thinks I'll make an easy target, he's got another think comin'." Filia sighed in weary defeat, her shoulders sagging. Raising his hand to smooth back her hair, Valgaav looked over to his servants, who were standing there in the doorway in silence, watching. "We'll be staying," he told them. "Jillas, why don't you help Gravos find a place to sleep?" "My room's big enough," Jillas replied, and beamed happily. He had his family back, and they were staying. That was enough for him. "Wait till you see all I've helped oneesan do!" he told Gravos, grabbing the troll by his arm and leading him away. "Oneesan?" Gravos asked, confused. "That's my name for Miss Filia. She says she doesn't like it, but I can tell she really does. There was this time..." Their voices faded as they retreated. Valgaav looked back down to Filia. "Besides," he said quietly, "there's another reason I'm not leaving." "What's that?" He drew in a deep breath. "I missed you," he said quietly, the words coming out in a single, rushed breath. She started crying then, pressing her hand to her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she held her breath for a moment, trying to bring the tears under control. "I missed you too," she whispered. "Aw, Filia..." Closing his eyes, he gently hugged her, resting his chin on her head. "It'll be okay. I promise you that. I'm not letting anything happen to any of you. Not anymore." She hugged him back tightly. "I really am glad you came back. I was just scared." "I know." Watching from his vantage point, Xellos scowled slightly. His little dragon had played the part he had cast her in like a master. Every note was perfection. Every move perfectly choreographed, following his exact direction. She had reacted to his visit, and to that interloper, exactly as he'd desired. What he hadn't counted on, though, was Valgaav himself, and that fox-man. No matter. He had time. Sooner or later, he'd find a way to get rid of Valgaav. He wouldn't kill him. No. Killing him was much too easy. Xellos would find a way to take his dragon back, and let Valgaav suffer. After all, there was nothing Valgaav could do to him now. And none of them were a match for him. Smirking at the cottage once more, Xellos returned to Wolf Pack Island. |
to be continued...
Chapter Nine