The night was, put tactfully, restless. Koi slept soundly curled up next to the fire pit in Firia's bed roll. Xellos had apparently spent the night in one of the surrounding trees, but which one was a mystery. Firia herself hadn't slept at all; she didn't dare when Xellos was around.

"Good morning all!" Said Mazoku cheerfully roused Koi and the half-awake gold dragon. "Lookee, I found breakfast!" He proudly displayed a trio of apples and a half-dozen goose eggs.

"Where'd you get them, and what did you do to them?" Firia automatically demanded, glaring crossly at him.

"Sore wa himitsu desu." He grinned snidely, taking a bite out of the fruit and setting the eggs to boil in an ever-so-handy pot of water.

"Xellos..." She growled. "It's too damn early for those jokes."

"What's the matter, Firia?" He remarked with fake sympathy. "Didn't sleep well?"

"Shut up, Xellos." She warned him again, the tip of her tail peeking out from under her skirt.

"What, aren't you hungry?" He munched on his apple, offering her one as his eyes glimmered.

"Will you just leave me alone?!" She yelled, raising her mace.

"Please, don't fight!" Koi cried out as he awoke to their battle. "Please, don't!"

Both Mazoku and dragon looked at the youth, stunned. Firia put down her mace, and Xellos swallowed the rest of his apple whole.

"Xellos-sama, Firia-sama, you two are always so nice to me," Koi's eyes filled with tears. "Why won't you be nice to each other?"

Should I tell him? Firia thought. Tell him how this bastard killed off the rest of my race? ...No. Better not to burden a mind so young with news so dark.

I am being nice, Xellos mentally pouted. I offered the dumb dragon breakfast, unpoisoned for their convieniance, and I didn't kill her. Yet.

"I'm sorry, Koi, we'lll try not to fight as much anymore." The glare that she shot at him was shattered by his glance of authority. His expression seemed to claim a fiery desire to shelter.

"Okay." Koi sniffled, looking at the two remaining apples. "Are you guys gonna eat those?"

"One of them's for you." Firia pressed the ruby red fruit into his palm, and he tore into it with vigor.

"Is it good?" Xellos asked with bemusement as the aqua-hared youth carefully devoured it and spit out the stem and seeds. Koi nodded enthusiastically, and the Trickster Priest shot the Dragon Priestess a smug grin.

"There are eggs in the pot.They should be done soon." his violet eyes glittered, and Koi peered into the pot, counting said food-stuff.

"There are six." He said proudly of his counting skills. "Two for each of us."

"Three for you, and three for Firia." Xellos corrected.

"Aren't you going to have any, Xellos?" She asked, shooting him a dark glare. "Surely they must be fit for a Mazoku's pallete." "On the contrary, dear Firia." He stressed his words, eyes narrow with supressed malice. "I wouldn't dream of taking the meal away from two younglings such as yourselves."

"Namagomi...." She bit down hard on her lip, trying to keep her temper in check.

"Ne, Firia-sama, can I brush your hair?" Koi asked as he looked up the aureate tresses. "Momma let me brush her hair, and yours looks so much like Momma's..." The blonde found it impossible to resist the child's request, so she retrieved her hair brush from it's original place by her pack and sat down on one of the smooth rocks to allow Koi to proceed.

Xellos held out the remaining apple as an offering of their uneasy truce. Koi didn't know the bitter and bloody history the two shared; he was an innocent child and didn't need to be dragged into their personal war of hatred.

Firia glanced at the Mazoku's face, searching for any sign of the Trickster's smile, and found only sincerity. She accepted the apple and took a delicate bite. Fine by her, Koi had no place in their feud and she had no desire to involve him.

Koi happily hummed a son that neither of his companions knew as he ran the brush through her golden, silky hair. A feeling of contentment settled on the others as he cheerfully went about the ttask of braiding her long tresses.

"All done!" He chirrped at last. Firia carefully set down her apple core, which was promptly whisked off by a passing squirrel.

"Minna, the eggs are ready!" The combination general-priest set two bowls in front of them, getting into a fight with another squirrel that tried to steal one of Koi's eggs. "Give that back, you stupid little rodent! Don't you stick your tongue out at me! FIREBALL!"

When the dust cloud settled, Xellos lay sprawled out on the ground with swirly eyes. The triumphant squirrel chittered grandly from it's place atop the Mazoku's scratched up face, holding it's prize above it's head. Koi laughed in sheer delight.

"Honestly." Firia sighed, flicking a small pebble at the offending rodent and successfully knocking it out. She reclaimed the egg, giving the boy one of her own and explaining that it wouldn't be sanitary after the squirrel-Mazoku scuffle.

"Stop the world..." The Trickster whimpered, dizzily staggering to them. "I wanna get off."

"Moron." She muttered, tripping him so he landed flat on his face.

"Firia-sama?" Koi asked, finishing off his first egg. "Why do you and Xellos-sama fight?"

"Because he's a jerk."

"Because she's high strung."

"What?! You take that back!"

"No way!"

"Xellos..."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're cute when you blush?"

"Xellos...!"

"Awww, looket de cwute widdile dwagon bwushing."

"Xellos!"

"Ano, Firia-sama, don't hit Xellos-sama there! Firia-sama! He may need those internal organs! Firia-sama!"