He always comes out of nowhere, and when he does…. He smiles at me, only me… A smile full of secrets that only I can see… As if I were special… I don't know if that's his own doing or just an order…

… But I don't dislike it….

It has been a year since the events of Taforashia, while Xelloss had saved my life from the ghost of Ruby Eye Shabranigdo, he warned me that the next time we meet, he could very well be our enemy… But I… I…

The rain was coming down hard, water splashing on my face at a rapid rate. But I didn't care, I was searching, searching for something, someone… What was I searching for? My body just seemed to be moving on its own… I was breathing rapidly, pushing myself through the waters. The lightening flashed through the sky with a loud roar of thunder, lighting up the otherwise black sky. Exhausted, I kept going as I felt water crashing against my legs, was I walking on the ocean? This was the strangest dream, but at the same time I felt like I've had it before… But my body refused to respond to myself trying to wake, the water from the sky still coming down.

I felt like I was getting closer to my destination, when suddenly something strong was holding me back, a firm grip on my wrist. I fought for control, trying so hard to yank my hand back when I heard a voice growl at my ear. "Miss Lina! What are you doing out here in the rain like this?!"

The velvet voice finally startled me into my waking state. My ruby eyes flashed wide open to find my 'dream' wasn't exactly a dream, somehow I found myself sleep waking into the rain outside. I noticed I was several miles away from the inn Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis and I had stayed at. "Again…?" I breathed, this wasn't the first time I found myself sleep walking, Zelgadis found me one other time, it took him some time to wake me up too… But this time only a shout woke me, because of the voice… His voice… "Xelloss." I breathed his name, looking back to see the violet haired Mazoku holding my wrist firmly, his amethyst eyes looking at me bewildered.

I merely found myself grasping his cloak with my free hand, still looking at him in shock. He was here… He was really here after all this time… Was he here on orders? Was he here because the Mazoku finally felt I threatened them enough? Why did he find me right now? A million questions circled in my head, but I couldn't voice them. I was soaking wet in the rain, only wearing my pink nightgown which was drenched in water.

Xelloss slowly closed his eyes in his usual fashion, looking at our surroundings and his head turned towards a nearby cave. "We must get you out of this rain." He said, placing one arm under my knees and lifting me into his arms.

I felt my cheeks burn as he pressed me against his chest, this wasn't the first time Xelloss held me like this… During the Darkstar incident he held me like this while allowing me to fire a weapon. But the question still remained in the back of my mind… Was I still dreaming?

After a moment I placed my hand on his cheek, trying to test that for myself. "Xelloss…. Are you real?"

He looked at me with open eyes again, his eyebrows creased for a moment. "Miss Lina…?" he then closed them, showing me his usual smile. "… Yes, I'm real. See?" he chuckled. "You must still be a bit startled."

I gave his cheek a smack, just testing to see if I was seeing things again. "… But why?"

Xelloss opened one curious eye at me. "Pardon me?"

"You went back to Greater Beast Zelas, didn't you?"

He pursed his lips as he closed that eye, floating above the ground as he took me towards the cave. "I did, but I came back because I had something left to do…"

I took a moment to process that. "… so you're going back after that is done, right?"

He paused, but nodded. "Yes, after I am finished with my mission my master will expect me to return again."

"I see…" my head lowered, I finally got to see him again and I'm in this kind of mess.

"Miss Lina?" he asked, as he entered the cave and placed me back down onto my feet. "We need to dry your hair and clothes. I shall gather a few logs for you to use a fireball alright?" he then stepped out for a moment, gathering several leaves, tree branches and other such items to burn.

I just nodded, throwing a quick Fireball at the items to start a small fire. I sat next to the flames, my body was shivering from the wetness and cold.

Xelloss was silent for a few moments as he added more to the fire, then he turned towards me. "Miss Lina, before you said again… Has this happened before?"

I jolted when he brought it up, but rubbed my cheek as I nodded. "Yeah, it's been happening a lot lately, the sleepwalking…" I admitted, rather embarrassed about it. "When I come to, I'm in a totally different place and sneak back, but it's like I'm searching for something, but I can't find it." I sighed, shaking my head. "Usually I wake up before I wander too far, and normally when it's this wet outside I can pull myself out of it, for some reason this time I couldn't wake up no matter what I did." I suddenly sneezed. "Dammit!"

Xelloss reached out a gloved hand to run through my hair, making my face flush again. "Your hair is completely soaked, as are your clothes… You're going to become ill if you don't warm up."

I shrugged him off. "Yes I know…" But then I suddenly noticed his face was right in front of mine, amethyst eyes open with a serious look at me.

"Please take off your clothes."

I felt my face turn completely red as I tossed a Fireball at him. "WHAT?! YOU PERVERT WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!"

Xelloss took the Fireball but he didn't even seem fazed by it, just still had that serious look on his face. "Your clothing is soaking wet and you could freeze to death if you keep them on." He then closed his eyes and chuckled slightly. "Oh Miss Lina, have you forgotten I'm Mazoku again? I clearly didn't mean it that way…."

I calmed down when I thought about it, he is kinda right… "Oh… Well yeah I guess you have a point."

And then he gave me an annoying smug. "Then let me help you undress!"

I couldn't help myself, I cast a Visfarank on my hand and punched him straight into the wall of the cave. "NO WAY YOU DAMN HENTAI!" I growled.

He groaned a bit, rubbing his sore cheek from the white magic spell. "Miss Lina, is this how you thank your savor?"

"No it's how I punish you for saying stupid perverted shit like that!" I snarled at him.

"But Miss Lina, I'm asexual remember?" he chuckled.

"Shut up! Sit there and don't turn around! And don't start thinking some perverted thoughts!" I growled, looking for an idea where I could hang my clothes.

"You don't trust me very well, do you?" Xelloss asked, a pouting sound in his voice. "And after all we've been through…"

"You said it yourself, you're a monster, remember?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "I should never trust you, you Mazoku piece of shit."

"But have I ever given you reason not to trust me?" he whimpered.

"Offering my life to Valgaav." I pointed out.

"Now, now, that was an order from my Mistress, and technically I offered for the person who was responsible for Gaav's death to be dealt with…" Xelloss wagged his finger as he spoke. "And if I recall, Lord Phibrizzo did that, did he not?"

"You stole that Darkstar weapon from me, that hurt when you knocked me out you prick!" I growled.

"And had I not, those two would have clearly killed you just to take it." He countered. "I weighed the options and it was better in favor for them to chase me for it."

"You said yourself the next time we meet we might be enemies." I finished with.

"Might, which that is not the case right now." He chuckled slightly, but then took a more serious tone. "Have you been well since we last met, Miss Lina?"

I felt my cheeks burning again for some reason, what the hell was happening to me? "Well… Other than the wandering I'm ok I guess…" I was still struggling with figuring out what to do with my nightshirt as I hadn't taken it off yet for this reason. "Hey Xelloss, you still have that staff with you?"

"Of course I do, its part of me after all." He replied.

"Let me borrow it then!"

He shrugged, without turning he handed me the brown staff. With a shift motion, I dug the tip into the ground, grinding down so it would stay put.

Xelloss quickly turned around. "MISS LINA! W-what are you doing?!" he was cringing a bit as I continued to drill the staff into the ground. "I can feel that you know!"

I merely shrugged. "I'm using it to hang up my clothes, aren't I a genius?"

"WWWHHHAAATTT?!"

I slightly chuckled at his response, I usually didn't get to see him so riled up. I scoffed at him, punching him one more time with a spell. "Oh cut the damn complaining and turn back around! I said no peeking hentai!"

He merely sighed and went back to sitting facing away from me. "Very well…"

I quickly removed my nightgown and hung it on the staff, along with my underwear which was completely soaked from the rain as well. I groaned as I crossed my arms over my chest, but I was still freezing. I felt Xelloss' cloak next to my leg and grabbed at the edge. "Hey Xelloss I'm going to borrow your cloak ok?" I pulled to just wrap myself around the edge of it, but then as I tugged it just came right off and landed on the floor.

"Go ahead Miss Lina, I know you need to warm up." He spoke after a moment.

"Thanks." I smiled, wrapping the cloak around myself and latching it. "But still don't look this way, got it?" I reminded him.

Xelloss nodded. "I won't, so please warm up. You're technically human so…"

A fuse snapped in my brain, I smashed my fists to the sides of his head. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TENCHINCALLY YOU FRUITCAKE MAZOKU?!"

He winched a bit. "Sorry… Sorry, I take it back."

There was a few minutes of awkward silence, so I decided to speak again. "So…. What's this business you have to do?"

"Oh Miss Lina, you know very well that's a secret." Xelloss chuckled.

That didn't surprise me. "Well knowing you guys it sure can't be charity work."

He laughed at that one. "If that were the case, we wouldn't be Mazoku."

I couldn't help myself but giggle. "That's true." Weird… I really am enjoying this moment with him… I wonder why? I felt my cheeks burn again, and I felt happy right now…

That's when suddenly I felt two arms snake around me, and pulling me close that I yelped for a moment, until I realized it was Xelloss… Hugging me? He pulled me into his lap and held me against his chest. "X-Xelloss?!" I gasped. "W-what are you…?"

"I thought you would be warmer this way." He merely answered. "You still feel cold even with my cloak around you, and I can sense from your emotions it doesn't bother you that badly for me to be this close. Besides, that cloak is a part of me, so it's no different than my doing this right?"

I felt the blush getting a LOT worse now. And here he just had told me that! I guess I just didn't think of it in the same way… "Fine, but if you start getting weird, you're dead."

He chuckled at my response. "I won't die so easily, Miss Lina."

"Not even if I use the Ragna Blade on you?" I grinned.

There was a moment of silence. "I won't do anything your emotions clearly tell me not to."

I always seem so off pace with this demon… If it were anyone else, I'd smash them in an instant. But there was just something different about Xelloss… He understood me on a level no one else did, and he'd been alive for over a thousand years, so much knowledge and information I'd love to learn from him… And he wasn't like any other Mazoku I ever met, after all what kind of demon always tells you the truth? Sometimes I wished Gourry or Zelgadis could understand me the way he did…

I felt a shiver through my body then, and my cheeks flushed. Xelloss' face was right next to mine, he didn't breathe nor was there a heartbeat, but it didn't matter, just having him this close made my body react strangely, a twitch and I had to shut my eyes. What the hell was wrong with me…? I can't be possibly turned on by…

Xelloss must have felt the change in my emotions, as he spoke. "Miss Lina…? Are you alright?"

I brought up a finger to my mouth and bit down on it to try and control myself. My other hand was slowly moving between my legs were the pressure was building up, I was hoping to somehow just release it before it going to drive me crazy… But I had no idea what to do, the pain of being a virgin and I never really studied sex much, I never desired a man before but when I was with Xelloss like this, I felt it before the last time he held me in his arms and I dismissed it, but it was happening now, and with me naked….

With both my hands no longer holding his cloak around me, part of it opened up, exposing my breasts again with my nipples still hard, even though I was warming up. I made a muffled noise against the finger I was biting down on, as my one hand tried rubbing at my private place.

Xelloss stayed silent for a few more moments before taking one hand to remove the finger from my mouth, taking my jaw into his slender fingers and turning me to face him, his eyes open again and looking right at me. "Miss Lina…. Your emotions… Is it that you…?"

I couldn't take it anymore, I pushed my head forward to close the distance and kissed him. He didn't do anything for a moment, just allowing me to bump my lips against his and with my inexperience I had no idea what I was doing. But after a few moments, I felt his lips move against mine, and his fingers moving to caress my cheek. When I pulled back, I know I just had to be blushing all over.

"This isn't right…" I breathed. "Why am I feeling this? But I don't dislike it…"

He chuckled, smiling at me. "Not right you say Miss Lina? You know the answer why you are feeling this, don't you?" I shook my head at him. "It's the feeling of lust towards things you're not supposed to. It's a different kind of thrill you're getting as opposed to killing bandits when you think about it."

I pursed my lips. "I'm not just doing this for a thrill you damn fruitcake! Is that how you really see me?!"

He frowned at my words. "I didn't mean it like that… Actually… I am the same as you." He turned his head a bit. "We are of total opposite existence… But I still understand you perfectly. I've never met another human like you Miss Lina, but I assumed I would never have you due to what we are."

My eyes opened wide at his words. "I think I finally understand what the sleep waking is now… It was my feeling that I knew but kept denying…. Feeling my true heart… What I was looking for…" I brushed my hand into his violet hair. "… Was something that is not to be touched, a Pandora's box… I was looking for the one mystery I could never unravel and got away from me…. Xelloss…"

He smiled at me again. "As a Mazoku, to have these kind of feelings and emotions… I must really be a defect, aren't I?"

"… What are you talking about?" I asked, my fingers still dancing in his hair.

"I stayed with your group much more than I was supposed to." He explained. "My fascination with you is not normal for my kind, and very looked down upon. It's why I left the way I did, or else I fear Lord Beastmaster would disapprove of my… Affection towards you. But you are hardly a normal human, aren't you?"

I smirked slightly at him. "You bet your ass I'm not normal… But I also must be crazy having feelings for a… Mazoku." It then struck me. "I'm not hurting you am I…? My emotions…"

"Your confusion and sexual frustration is sedating me for now." He merely answered, closing his eyes again. "But yes, I felt that sting in your emotions once they turned positive towards me. The truth is no human can remain either completely positive or negative all the time, and us higher level Mazoku can… Tune out certain emotions… Just some humans like Miss Amelia are a tad TOO positive for my taste."

"So just piss me off again like you always do for a recharge." I snapped.

He laughed again. "And that's why you fascinate me so much, Miss Lina. Very few humans are as chaotic yet open to one of my kind being around you. Your anger is like a fine wine each time I feast on it, I suppose you could say it's why I enjoy those headlocks you've given me in the past."

I flushed when he said that. "Well it explains that goofy look you'd have on your face, fruitcake."

He brushed his lips on my cheek as a response. "So perhaps now I should repay you for those meals?" his hands moved to cup my breasts. "… Stop me if you dislike it."

"Ahhhh…" I closed my eyes and let the moan escape my lips as he moved my breasts in a slow, rubbing motion. "X-xellooooss…"

I heard him chuckle as his lips moved to my throat, kissing my skin as he continued to fondle my breasts, a tingling feeling flowing through my body. "Women's breasts are so soft…. Or is it because it's you, Miss Lina?"

"I… don't know…" I moaned out, my cheeks flushing again. Xelloss was the only one never to mock my breasts, and to hear him praise them just made my heart flutter.

"You're not resisting at all, how long have you desired me this way?" Xelloss chuckled at my ear, planting a kiss there.

"Shut up fruitcake." I snapped, my eyes closed as his hands slowly moved down, caressing my body even more and licking behind my ear, which I swore turned red.

"Can you blame me? This might be the first and last time I hold you this way." He said in a soft, velvet voice as his hands caressed her thighs. "Because the next time…"

"We…. Might be enemies." I finished for him. "If Zelas decides I'm a threat and orders you to destroy me… You have to obey, I know."

"To tell the truth I am not sure who would win the battle, you destroyed Lord Hellmaster, but you had to call on the Giga Slave to do it." Xelloss spoke, his hands still moving around my body, sending shivers all over. "It saddens me to think of ending your existence. The chances of us killing each other at the same time are actually rather high… Perhaps then we could meet together at the sea of chaos…"

"Then let this… Be our goodbye to each other." I spoke, opening my eyes and looking at him. "It'll be our secret…"

He opened one eye, smirking at me. "My favorite kind." His thumb moved to touch my clit just barely, making me yelp again. He then slipped one gloved finger into my folds, my juices dripping onto the garment, yet it felt like an actual finger inside me, not a gloved one.

"Xelloss…." I moved my hips unconsciously bucking now.

"Miss Lina, you're so wet even inside now… While I am not human, I can attend to your needs if you wish me to." Xelloss said, both his eyes open and looking at me. "But I must ask one more time if this is what you want, your first time with a demon?"

"You are not getting me this far and stopping asshole." I growled at him, wrapping my arm around his neck ready for a headlock. I turned my body with his help to face him now.

"Very well, and while you have concern what your emotions are doing to me, perhaps the pain from your first experience will do." Xelloss kissed my lips again, and I felt something poking between my legs. My best guess was that he manifested something there, as clothes were part of his being so it would figure that he didn't need to remove them.

Before I knew it, he tore that length creation right into my pussy, tearing through my hymen in one thrust. I know he did that to help me get through it fast but also give him the much needed pain emotion to feed on, as I bit his lip through the scream that escaped through the kiss as he held me tight. He didn't stop though, as he seemed to lift me on and off of him, there was a strange noise I heard as he violated my most private area… I flushed from the lewd sound of it, as the pain slowly went away.

I had to break the kiss to breathe though, winching still a bit from the pain. "D-do you even feel anything doing this to me?" I just had to ask between the moans coming out of my mouth as he moved in and out of me.

"Not exactly the same way YOU feel it, but through your emotions I get a similar experience." Xelloss chuckled, still moving at a steady pace. "So let's reach ecstasy together, my Lina-chan.."

I nearly growled at him for the nickname, but let it slide for the moment as I felt my walls getting tighter and tighter. He kissed me again and I groaned as the pace picked up a bit more, and that's when I felt the explosion happen, the pressure finally relieving as I felt fluids spill all down my legs and onto his lap. I felt so happy in that moment, this was what I must had been searching for so much, because I'd never felt happier in my life.

I slowly opened my eyes when the kiss broke and I gasped at what I saw next. "Xelloss! Your hand!" I could see right through his left hand that had reached out and stroked my cheek, I quickly grabbed the gloved hand, seeing that his body was starting to fade. "You're falling apart!"

He sighed, opening his eyes again. "It seems I can't maintain this body much longer…"

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Oh no is it my positive emotions…?"

Xelloss shook his head. "To put it simply, let's just say my balance of feelings and body are at my limit…" he said, placing his hand over his face as if trying to hold himself together. "This body is not my true form after all… And my soul is very unbalanced and Un-Mazoku like right now."

I tilted my head. "Unbalanced soul?"

"I am a full blooded Mazoku you know." He pointed out, his amethyst eyes glaring at mine. "… But I still have these feelings… Tainted feelings…" he chuckled, moving his hand to his temple, shaking his head. "…. To think that I would come to love a human such as you so much…." I blushed horribly as he continued, watching him grip the vanishing hand at the wrist with his other hand. "To have something I'm not supposed to have, Mazoku are supposed to be unable to love… So my body is causing a reaction from the unbalanced soul."

"Xelloss…" I wish there was something I could do, something that could help him… But this was why I denied my deep feelings and longing for him, a Mazoku should not love a human, and that is killing him…

"Can you answer my last question at least, dear Lina?"

I bolted my head up when he asked that, blinking as my eyes met his. "… what?"

He looked at me, completely serious. "… what do you think of me…?"

I felt my face flush again, tears had welded up in my eyes at the thought that I was causing him pain with him having feelings for me and my positive feelings for him hurting him. I turned my head, I couldn't cause him more pain saying that I wasn't sure myself…. "… I'm not telling you."

He merely sighed, then smiled as his legs were vanishing now, he kissed me on my forehead. "Don't go sleepwalking anymore, alright Lina-chan?"

I shivered at the tone of his voice. "You're leaving."

"I'm afraid I must, my form can't remain here any longer." Xelloss said, leaning in and kissing my cheek one last time. "Goodbye, Miss Lina Inverse." And with that, he vanished.

"Goodbye… Xelloss…" I sobbed, sitting there for a moment…. And just let my anger out. "BASTARD! MAZOKU JACKASS! HOW DARE YOU JUST LEAVE ME HERE!" I continued to sob over that idiot until I finally pulled myself together to return to the inn, luckily no one had noticed I had been gone.

One month passed and I hadn't heard a word from Xelloss since that night. I didn't even know what happened to him… Would I ever see him again? And if I did…. Would we be enemies?

I sighed after finishing my breakfast with Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis. I just sat at the table, my head held up by my hand and just thinking about that damn Mazoku…. Was he alright?

"Miss Lina are you ok?" Amelia asked me.

I shrugged her off. "Yeah I'm fine." I've got to pull myself together at some point…

"You didn't even fight Gourry for half the food like usual." Zelgadis pointed out.

"Maybe Lina's sick?" Gourry asked.

"No I'm not sick Gourry." I grumbled. "I'm alright."

"Hmmmm, you really don't seem well."

"Geez you guys I said I'm ok!" I grumbled, sticking a fork into a leftover piece of meat on the table. "So stop worrying-" and that's when it hit me. That voice did NOT belong to any of the three of them, and in fact it came from behind me. I jolted my head around and my eyes widened. "XELLOSS?!"

"Hello Miss Lina." Xelloss greeted me with a smile.

"Oh hey Xelloss, long time no see!" Gourry said.

"Oh Mr. Xelloss when did you get back?" Amelia asked.

"Just now actually." He answered.

"Great, now go back." Zelgadis grumbled.

"Nice to see you too Mr. Zelgadis." Xelloss chuckled.

I just stared at Xelloss dumbfounded. He was completely fine! Acting like nothing ever happened! "Xelloss…. Why are you here?"

"Lord Zelas decided to give me a break! And I didn't want to be lonely traveling myself so I was wondering if I could come traveling with you again!" Xelloss said with a cheerful grin, until he obviously felt my anger rising. "Is something wrong?"

I quickly stood up and grabbed him by his cloak. "WHHHHHHAAAATTTT?!"

"Miss Lina why are you so angry?" Amelia asked.

"Probably because she doesn't want his annoying ass around here anymore than I do." Zelgadis shrugged.

"But she never minded Xelloss traveling with us before." Gourry pointed out.

I looked at the group and knew this was NOT the place to talk to Xelloss about what happened, so I quickly bolted out of there. "COME HERE YOU CRAZY PRIEST!" I growled, dragging him along. I can't imagine what they thought of me doing this, but I NEEDED to talk to him alone.

After I got far enough away from the group, I dropped him and crossed my arms, turning to him with a scowl. "Alright, start explaining. NOW."

Xelloss was still chuckling at me. "Miss Lina, are you angry at me?"

I grabbed him by his collar. "HELL YA I'M MAD AT YOU!" I started shaking him. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SEEMED 'DYING' LAST TIME I SAW YOU! I DON'T HEAR A WORD OUT OF YOU WHAT HAPPENED FOR A MONTH AND YOU JUST WALTZ IN HERE LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?! ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT?!" I growled, then dropped him on the floor, feeling the tears welding up.

Xelloss chuckled nervously. "Ha ha ha, well see I was surprised too you know…" his eyes opened when he saw me crying though.

"I… I thought that you were…." I sobbed, rubbing my eyes to hide the tears. "And you just appearing like that I feared the worst, that you were here to…"

His featured softened a bit. "After I returned to the Astral Plane I was able to recover normally. Nothing really bad happened to this body, I just seemed to need to… Adjust a bit." He then smiled at me again. "When I gave my report to Lord Beast Master, she told me to finish up a few duties and allowed me some time off. So I came to you as soon as I could and-"

"YOU COULD HAVE LET ME KNOW SOONER YOU WERE ALRIGHT JACKASS!" I growled at him.

"Oh dear Lina-chan…" Xelloss chuckled, lifting a bit of my hair from my forehead, planting a kiss there. "Don't be so mad."

And that blew the fuse in my brain like before, I blasted him with a Dragon Slave into the air. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

He then crash landed next to me, laughing again. "And that's why you're my Lina, unpredictable as always."

I found myself smiling though. "So Zelas is alright with you being a fruitcake that has feelings for a human? We don't have to worry about-"

"She seems to wish to see how this plays out, so in other words I have permission as it were to court you." He explained, getting up and shrugging his shoulders. "If you'll have me along with your group that is."

"Why not then? But we're not telling the others about what happened between us." I said, a firm hand on my hip as I spoke.

"Of course, that will be our secret." He winked at me, leaning in to kiss my lips sweetly.

The answer to how I think about him… I still don't know the real answer yet. But what I do know is… I just want to enjoy this time we have… Together.