Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Xellos and Filia: A Twisted Fate ❯ Going Crazy? Filia's Dilemma! ( Chapter 3 )

When Xellos arrived in Filia's home, instead of being greeted by the mace as usual, he was greeted with Filia's back as she polished a vase. Baby Val was sleeping beside her on the couch. Her colorful curses were the only sound in the room along with little Val's breathing. Xellos smirked but internally he was relieved. Looks like Lord Beastmaster hadn't come calling after all… or so he thought until he actually heard what Filia was muttering.

She was cursing him out so badly that even he winced. Did she have to be so…graphic? He wasn't even sure if he'd ever had ancestors or pets but they were being just as defiled as he was by her insults. He shook his head. At least she was creative… But this tirade of insults only meant that Lord Beastmaster had shown up and probably related to Filia all the details. Wait a minute! Why the hell did he care?! He had the right to sleep with whomever he damned well pleased! Why was he worried about what she would think?!

"What the HELL are you doing here, XELLOS?!"

Xellos muttered a little "eep" when he heard her; the evil voice she was using startling him out of his thoughts. She'd already sensed his presence, huh? He turned to her and saw more than just anger in her big blue eyes. He saw hurt.

Oh, damn. Not what I need right now… But why the hell do I care?! Yet, even though Xellos thought that, he still heard himself whisper, "F-Filia…"

"Get the hell OUT OF MY HOUSE! I never want to see your smug face AGAIN!"

His eyes opened now, his consoling face gone. She did not have to be so rude. "Filia."

Her eyes closed tightly, tears seeping as she trembled. "Just… get… out…"

The baby woke up then. Filia's bellowing hadn't woken him up, but the anger and hurt twisting in her voice did. He began to whimper on the couch, his golden eyes on both adults.

The baby gave Xellos an idea. He smirked. "But what about Val? Won't he be upset if he doesn't have his pet Mazoku to play with? You don't want to make the baby unhappy, now do you?"

"I don't care if he brings the world down with his screams!! I never want to see you again, MAZOKU!!!"

Xellos blinked in surprise. Filia broke down then, collapsing onto her knees, tears spilling from her eyes. Xellos' heart twisted in his chest.

"Why…?" Filia murmured to herself as the tears dripped down onto her dress. "Why am I crying…? I shouldn't be… Not over a stupid… Why? I…I…" Her head shot up, her eyes blazing. "I HATE YOU!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!" Her head dropped into her hands and she began to sob.

Xellos was torn. Part of him wanted to run away as fast as he could…and hide somewhere in the depths of nothingness where he couldn't hear her sobs. And another part of him wanted to grab her to him and kiss her tears away until she was moaning his name. But he knew he would hear her words no matter which one he did. I HATE YOU!

He took a step toward her.

"STAY AWAY!!" she cried, her sobs still racking her body as she scooted farther away from him. "JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"

Val began to cry and Garbos and Jillas came in at that time. They had their weapons drawn as they faced him.

"What did you do to Miss Filia?!"

"What did you do to Lord Valgaav?!"

Xellos ignored them and turned back to Filia. He…hadn't been expecting this. What was going on here? What was happening? Did she really mean what she said? I am going to find out.

He knelt down beside her, but grabbed her arm before she could move away. He seized her chin and turned her tear-stained face to him. His heart clenched. Dammit! His violet eyes burned into her watery blue ones.

"Very well, Filia. I'll leave you alone…forever. But there is something I want from you before I go."

Filia tried to break of his hold and shake her head, but his grip wouldn't be shaken. Xellos abruptly moved forward and kissed her, shocking Garbos and Jillas into statues. His lips moved seductively over hers, her lips quivering with the force of keeping them closed. But when Xellos licked the corners of her mouth, her will shattered and she opened her mouth to him. He groaned as his tongue thrust into her mouth, drawing a moan from the depths of her soul. He devoured her, holding her place as he kissed her, feeling her grow hot, smelling her desire, and tasting her need. The hand that was holding her arm released her and she didn't move away. It dropped to her skirt and moved beneath it till it cupped the heat of her…where she was wet for him.

Xellos pulled back from the kiss then, his hand on her; her desire soaking through his glove. His eyes stared into her wide shocked ones. He stroked her once and she whimpered, her hips thrusting toward his hand. He smiled down at her.

"I have my answer now, Filia." And with that, he promptly vanished.

Filia's eyes were wide as her skirt settled about her, her heart hammering against her rib cage. Garbos and Jillas stared at her with open jaws and wide eyes. The baby just sniffled from the couch. Filia's face flamed up and she let out a scream that shook the entire town.

"DAMN YOU, XELLOS!!"

* * *

Lina blinked as she heard the scream and the ground shook beneath her feet. She hadn't been able to make out the words but it sure was a helluva of a scream. It had made her almost drop her turkey leg.

"Lina, was that an earthquake?" Gourry asked, the corn dog in his hand forgotten.

Lina gave him a crooked smile. "Truthfully, Gourry, I could have sworn someone just screamed, but that would definitely have counted as an earthquake too!"

"A scream?" Gourry asked. He blinked for a moment. "Lina, the only person I know that screams that loud is you-" POW! "or Filia…" Gourry finished from the floor, his eyes swirling.

She froze for a moment and thought. She then turned to Gourry. "Hey, jellyfish brains! You might be right for once! Filia is the only one who could probably cause an earthquake with a scream! Besides, isn't this where Filia lives now with Jillas, Garbos and baby Val?" Lina hauled Gourry up and took a bite out of her turkey leg. She began to drag him in the direction of Filia's store.

"But if it really was Filia," Lina murmured to herself, "I could have sworn I heard Xellos' name in that scream. Oh well." She shrugged it off.

When they arrived at the store, Garbos and Jillas were outside blinking at the door. Lina tilted her head in confusion and stood beside them. They didn't even notice her. A vein pulsed.

"YO! YOU GUYS!"

Jillas and Garbos jumped and turned to a pissed redhead. The blond warrior beside her was scratching the back of his head in confusion. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING OUT HERE WITH THAT DAZED LOOK IN YOUR EYES?" Lina bellowed at them.

Jillas just pointed to the door. "Miss Filia told us to get out if we wanted to live."

Garbos nodded. "And we kinda like living."

Lina blinked. Okay… Now this was getting weird… "Well… Fine! Sure, I can understand that. I'm going in. You coming, Gourry?"

"Uh, Lina? Didn't you hear what they said? If Filia was the one who screamed-"

"She was," Jillas and Garbos said at once.

Gourry blinked and then turned back to Lina. "Maybe it isn't a very safe idea to go in there right now…"

Lina's eyes were narrowed. "Gourry?"

Gourry gulped.

"Since when do you have ideas?!" she bellowed at him. "Now that I know Filia is the one who screamed I have got to check this out." Lina turned to the door and then looked over her shoulder at him with a grin. "Besides, Filia can't kill me and the curiosity is going to if I don't find out what happened."

Gourry sighed. "There's no hope for it. I might as well go with you then."

Lina gave a shrug. "I thought you were spooked by Filia, Gourry. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Like I'm going to let you go in there alone when she's in one of these moods."

Lina smiled at him and turned back to the door. "Well, then, let's do it. Jillas, Garbos, you two stay out here. And no matter what you hear, don't go inside."

"But if you start hearing a Dragon Slave, run like hell the other way!" Gourry whispered to them behind Lina.

She clobbered him.

"OW!"

"Let's get going, jellyfish brains. I want to know what's up with Filia."

Gourry just grumbled as he followed her inside.

It took Lina a while to locate Filia. She wasn't anywhere in plain sight, but she could hear Filia sobbing. That worried Lina. One thing was Filia mad, another thing was Filia depressed. And the longer it took Lina to find her, the more worried she got.

When they did find Filia, she was huddled in a corner of Val's bedroom, holding the baby close to her as she wept. Lina approached her tentatively, her hand outstretched, ready to…

But before Lina could even attempt to offer any comfort, Filia had turned around and blasted laser breath at them. Lina and Gourry barely ducked in time as Filia blew up half the house. Filia blinked when she realized who had sneaked up on her.

"M-m-miss Lina…?" Filia sniffled. "M-m-mister Gourry…?"

Lina and Gourry were on the floor, hands over their heads. Lina's eyebrow ticked.

"Dammit, Filia! You could have killed me!"

Filia only sniffled at her and tears spilled over her face once more. She let out a wail and clutched the baby close to her. Baby Val just blinked as Filia continued to ball. Lina mimicked the baby and got up.

Just what the hell was going on here?

"Filia?"

Filia looked up at her and Lina's breath caught. "Oh, Miss Lina…"

Lina was at a loss. She wrapped her arms around Filia and let her cry. Lina shot Gourry a glance and he nodded. He stood up and headed for the bedroom. They would find out what happened later. For now, Filia needed comfort and that's what they were going to give her.

* * *

"All right, Filia. Start talking. What's wrong?"

Filia looked up from her cup of tea. Lina and Gourry had taken her to her room, built a fire, wrapped her blanket around her and made her some tea. Lina was holding baby Val in her arms. Filia smiled at them. They had come from nowhere and just helped. What good friends…

Filia sighed and took a sip of the warm tea. She let the tea soothe her parched throat. She had cried until she had been all dried up, until her sobs were only dry heaves wracking her body. The tea spread through her body like a warm, healing balm, and the pounding headache she had was slowly fading away. She inhaled the scent of the tea, took a deep breath and then smiled at Lina. What the hell was she going to tell them?

"Well? I'm waiting, Filia. I've never seen you so depressed and broken up before. I want to know what the hell is wrong with you. And you are going to tell me."

Filia blinked at Lina. Gourry still looked worried, but Lina was already looking a bit putout. Filia smiled. "It's…a long story, Miss Lina."

Lina shrugged. "I've got time. I want to know what's got you depressed."

Filia stared down into the tea and saw her churning reflection. Her eyes and nose were puffy… She was such a fool. "Miss Lina, I can summarize my depression in one word. Just promise not to go crazy in here when you hear it. Promise?" She looked up at Lina to see her eyes narrowed suspiciously. After a few moments, Lina sighed. Looks like curiosity won.

"Fine, Filia. I won't go crazy, or get mad or anything. Just tell me what the hell is going on here. I don't care if you do it one word or twenty. I only want to know what's wrong with you! Why are you acting like you're ready to die?"

"All right, Miss Lina. As long as you promised."

"I promise already!"

Filia sighed and braced herself. "Xellos."

"EH?!"

Filia nodded. "That pretty much sums up what's wrong with me." She looked up to see if Lina was all right… Filia just widened her eyes in shock.

Lina had handed Gourry baby Val and was now crackling with red energy, her head bowed and her right hand fisted by her face, a vein pulsing vividly there. Gourry was hovering behind her, trying to calm her, but he was failing miserably considering he had Val in his arms. He finally gave up and dove under the bed with Val.

Filia gulped. "M-m-miss Lina…?"

Suddenly the red glow began to fade and Gourry poked his head out from under the bed. Val poked his head out right after Gourry. Lina slowly lifted her head. On her face was a firmly planted smile and her eyes were sealed shut. "See, Filia," she said. "I can keep my promise. Can you excuse me for a moment?"

Filia nodded and Lina got up quickly and flew out the window. Gourry and Filia went to the window (Gourry still holding baby Val) and the three of them stared after her. A few miles off they saw the Dragon Slave. Several other blasts followed afterwards. Filia, Gourry and the baby just watched the explosions. The baby gurgled happily at the big booms. Filia looked up at Gourry but he just shrugged at her.

"I think Lina would rather be doing that to Xellos for you."

Filia smiled at him and took Val. Gourry watched her put him to bed as they waited for Lina to return.

Lina came back after ten minutes and dusted off her hands when she came in, looking much more collected. Filia lifted an eyebrow. "Miss Lina, you promised you wouldn't go crazy-"

"-In here."

Filia blinked. "Huh?"

"You said for me to promise not to go crazy in here. So I went a couple of miles off to blow stuff up. Though I would have much rather preferred it to be Xellos." Lina marched over to where Filia was with her hands on her hips. "All right, Filia. Now why don't you give me the details so I know why I'm going to kill Xellos."

Filia felt heat creep up her cheeks. "M-miss Lina…" She looked up and saw Lina's paling face. Lina took a step back.

"You're kidding, Filia. He… He didn't…"

Filia covered her burning cheeks and closed her eyes. "I don't know what to do, Miss Lina! He won't leave me alone! I don't know what he's doing to me! It's happened just so quickly! And then Beastmaster gets involved and I'm jealous and I don't know why and I hate him but I don't hate him at the same time and AAARRGGHH!!" Filia grabbed her mace in rage and hurled it across the room. "DAMN HIM!!! WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS DOING THAT TO ME?! AND IN FRONT OF VAL, JILLAS AND GARBOS!!!"

Gourry and Lina ducked in the nick of time. The mace flew over their heads and smashed through the wall and clanged onto the stone street.

Filia looked at the mace and the steam and rage left her. She fell, boneless to the floor; Gourry scarcely had enough time to catch her. Filia looked up at Lina's worried face, and then suddenly her image began to go blurry. Filia barely felt the tears slide down her cheeks. "Miss," sniff, "Lina…" Lina became even blurrier. Filia shook her head and threw herself out of Gourry's arms and into Lina's. "Miss Lina!!"

Lina and Gourry only stared at each other as Filia wept against Lina.

* * *

A week later…

"Are you sure, you're all right, Filia?"

Filia nodded. "Yes, Miss Lina. I'm all better now. I'm really glad you both came by. You've really helped me a lot. I've got my strength and my resolution back. I'm not going to let that stupid Mazoku work his mind games on me anymore!"

Lina and Gourry only nodded and waved at her as they went on their way. They heard Filia bellow in the background.

"All right, you two! We're back in business! So get back to work!"

"Yes, miss!"

Lina and Gourry turned to each other.

"What do you think, Lina?"

"I think Xellos is out of his mind and Filia is going crazy."

"Why?"

"Xellos is out of his mind for even starting this kind of battle between them. And Filia is going crazy because I think she's actually starting to fall in love with him. And that's insane." Lina shook her head in disbelief. "That's just insane…"

"They've gotten themselves into a real mess, huh?"

"That's the understatement of the century, Gourry."

"Lina?"

"Mm?"

"What's an 'understatement'?"

POW!