"Xel-san, can I ask you a question?"

"Mmm? What is it?"

She swung her legs nervously, the breeze ruffling her long skirt. Sunlight pierced through the dense foliage above and reflected off her golden hair, illuminating her face. The young Ryuzoku shifted her position on the tree branch so that she was facing away from her companion, too scared to look him in the face. "Do you like me?"

The air was silent for several seconds, the only sound that of birds and other tiny woodland creatures. The dragon girl trembled, her thin shoulders shaking slightly beneath her plain gingham dress, unsure of whether she really wanted to know his answer or not. If he said no, she'd never be able to face him again. If he said yes, she didn't know what she'd do. His lilting voice reached her ears. "Mmm, I think so."

Careless, but full of hidden meanings. That was the way he always spoke. She peered at him from behind a thick wall of golden locks, hiding her flushed cheeks. He was lounging in the crook between the branch and the trunk, his violet head leaning back and his eyes closed. One leg swung idly beside the branch. Her blush deepened, watching him in that state of relaxation. He might like her, but she loved him. She loved her mysterious stranger in the woods.

At least that was what she used to call him. She'd met him in the deep woods one day while straying from her own property, disobeying her parents' wishes by exploring there. He'd been sitting much like he was now, lazy and nonchalant. Like a cat. They'd exchanged words briefly and she had gone back home, afraid that her mother might come looking for her. But she hadn't forgotten him. The woods eventually called to her and she entered them again. The young dragon met the purple-haired man for a second time, and a third, and a fourth. He was her friend, her advisor, her confidant. And she loved him for the entire two years she'd know him. At fourteen she was content to be his friend, but before sixteen she wanted to be his lover.

That was the curse of being a dragon, especially a female dragon. Young females are highly susceptible to bonding with males of their liking, much like the adolescents of any other species. However, dragons mate for life. Once a female dragon consents to physical relations with her male counterpart, she will not be able to pursue such relations with any other male. This rule does not bind male dragons, for it was created in the most primitive of days, when buck dragons ruled large groups of females, much like the lions of Africa.

As a result, female Ryuzoku must be very cautious when choosing a life partner, and the parents of young females must be equally cautious in ensuring that their daughters do not prematurely engage in otherwise ruinous activities, whether they consent to it or not.

"Is something wrong?"

She blinked, then flushed as she realized she'd been staring. "N-no. Nothing's wrong."

"You're very quiet today," he observed.

"W-well...I just..."

"Filia!!" A voice calling from her house. Saved! "Filia!!"

"That's Momma," she said, sliding off the tree branch and dropping to the ground below. "I have to go. She probably wants to talk about party arrangements for my birthday tomorrow. Ja!"

"Ja ne," she barely heard him say as she ran off in the direction of her backyard, hoping her mother wasn't standing on the back porch looking for her.

No such luck. "Filia Ul Copt, what in the name of Cefied are you doing back there? I've told you a million times not to go into those woods!"

Filia winced and trotted slowly towards her mother, a short woman with red hair wound up in two buns on the sides of her head. "I was looking for a ball," she explained lamely.

"Well, next time tell your father to get it," her mother harrumphed. "Come inside, your sister and I need help making dinner. And take those muddy shoes off before you walk across my clean floor."

"Yes, Momma."

Her younger sister Kaley was sitting at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes and trying to keep her unruly red braids from coming undone. Quietly Filia joined her in her work while her mother set about boiling water on the stove and keeping the baby, Danae, occupied. The three worked in silence for several minutes, broken only by Danae's occasional bouts of childish laughter. Filia stared mechanically at the potato she was working on, her mind elsewhere. "Momma?"

"What?"

"Tomorrow's my birthday."

"I know that, sweetie. It would take a real daftie to forget that, what with you reminding us nearly every day."

"Momma...do you think I could invite a friend over tomorrow?"

"But we've already invited all your friends!" Kaley piped up. "We told them all to - oops!" She quickly covered her mouth. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that," she mumbled, biting her lower lip.

Her mother smiled. "Don't worry about it, dear. She would have found out about it sooner or later. Yes, Filia, all your friends are coming over tomorrow, so there's no need to ask about them."

But one friend won't be there, she thought, bowing her head.

The next day's party went off without a hitch. All of the young Ryuzoku's companions showed up to celebrate her birthday, all except the one she really wanted there. She was showered with gifts and food and party decorations, and, like any young person would, had a wonderful time. Even Xel's absence couldn't put a damper on the happiness she felt that day.

"Filia! Filia! Open this one!"

"It's gorgeous, Rumie! Thank you!"

"Filia, open mine next!"

"No, Daphne, I want her to open mine!"

Her parents were smiling proudly at her, watching her interact with her friends and the other party guests. She took pride in their pride, glad to know that she pleased her family. She loved them, no matter how they acted. Her mother may have been strict, but she was also kind and understanding. Her father may have been aloof, but he was also loving and caring. The life they provided for her may have been simple, but it was filled with their love. She smiled at them from across the picnic table.

"Filia, who's this one from?"

"There's no name on the tag..."

The blond girl took the gift from her little sister's hands and examined it. No, there was no name on it. "I don't know who it's from."

"Open it anyway," Kaley urged.

She carefully unwrapped the gift with her lithe hands, eyes widening as the paper fell away. It was a crystal music box, one that portrayed a girl sitting in the branch of a tree. "Sugoi!" one of her friends exclaimed, leaning in for a closer look. "Turn it on, turn it on!" Filia wound the box, smiling as she recognized the melody that played from its crystal innards. It was one that Xel had often hummed while sitting with her.

"That's so beautiful!" Kaley gushed.

"I wonder who it's from! Maybe Filia's got a secret admirer!"

"Maybe he's here at this party, right now!"

Filia blushed and shook her head at them. "Minna, please..." she mumbled, feigning embarrassment.

"Look! She's blushing!"

"I bet it is a secret admirer!"

Yes, Filia thought, turning the box over in her hand. But he's not as secret as you may think.

"Ah, so you liked my little present?"

Filia nodded, her yellow hair bobbing up and down. "Yes, it's wonderful! Thank you!" She studied her companion's face worshipfully, his lips pulled into their usual sly grin. Cefied, he looked so cute when he was acting naughty! She slid closer to him, leaning her weight against the sun-splashed rock upon which he sat.

"How was the party?"

"Eh? Oh, it was fun. Momma and Kaley invited all of my friends over for lunch. Except for you," she quietly added. She fumbled with the folds of her skirt for a few seconds, trying to muster up the courage to say something. "I..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I..."

Several seconds of hesitation passed. Xel gazed at her out of the corner of his eye, able to appear sly even from the side. "Yes?" he prompted, almost as if he already knew what she was thinking.

"I..." She slid even closer to him, until they were almost touching. "Xel-san, I..." The words just wouldn't come out. Filia nearly stamped her feet in frustration; why couldn't she say it?! Why couldn't she tell him?! "I..." she tried again, to no avail.

Xel's hand clamped gently on her shoulder, his eyes locking with hers. "I know." Filia completely froze up when he advanced his lips upon hers, pulling her into his warm embrace. She'd dreamed of that moment for a long time, but that was not the way she expected she would act. All she could do was sit there while he kissed her, probing the inside of her mouth with his tongue. The dragon maiden didn't know what to do; she'd never been kissed before! Hesitantly she put her arms around him, clutching the soft fabric beneath his cloak. So warm.

The need for air caused her to break away, gasping over his shoulder. Filia was very close to him now, almost in his lap. Actually, he was almost in her lap, holding her tightly against him. She gulped, her heart racing and her blood throbbing in various parts of her body. She loved him.

"Filia-chan, do you want me to..." he hesitated. "Can I...have you?"

The young Ryuzoku trembled. She wanted this male so badly. She wanted him to be her life-mate. She loved him. And he loved her too, she thought. Perhaps he had been waiting as long as she for one of them to make a move, and perhaps he wanted her just as badly. She'd been told the act of mating had a strange effect on males, that they enjoyed it immensely. Perhaps if she gave herself to him, she could persuade him to stay with her forever? "Okay," she whispered, a little scared. He took her hands and stood with her, lacing his fingers through hers. He bent and kissed her again, numbing all of her senses at once.

When she came back to herself she was lying on the ground with her skirts gathered about her waist, panting. Xel stood above her, refastening his trousers. The first thing she noticed was how brightly the sun still shone in the sky, casting its comforting beams down on her. Was it still afternoon? She closed her eyes, sighing.

She felt warm breath on her face, warm lips planting a kiss on her forehead. "Fare thee well, aisuru," a voice next to her ear whispered. Filia didn't move, too overcome by the combination of contentment and pain. She heard his heavy footsteps fading, and a much lighter pair of footsteps rapidly approaching.

"Filia-oneechan! Filia-oneechan!" Her sister's voice, sounding frantic and concerned. "Filia-oneechan! Did that bad man hurt you??"

Cefied. What was Kaley doing there?? How much had she seen?

"Filia-oneechan!! You're bleeding!"

She opened her eyes and forced herself to sit up. By golly, there was some blood there. It hurt to move her legs, too. She hadn't been told that would happen. "Kaley? I...hurt."

Her sister's eyes were full of tears and her voice shook with concern. "Come on, Oneechan, I'll get you home." Kaley pulled her to her feet and helped her to stumble in the direction of the house. She was surprised at how much it hurt to walk, and didn't have to fake the pain on her face. She would have to fake the story, though. There was no way she could tell the truth to anyone.

Kaley ran screaming into the house as soon as the entered the backyard. "Momma! Momma!!"

Several minutes later she was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of hot tea and a blanket, her mother hovering over her and her father stalking about the kitchen, looking ready to kill someone. "Did he hit you a lot, baby?"

Filia trembled, tears filling her eyes. "He..." She dropped her face into her hands. "I can't."

Her mother rubbed her shoulders reassuringly, worry lining her face. "Can you tell us what he looked like, sweetie?"

"I..." She shuddered and shook her head, weeping. She didn't even have to fake the tears; they were tears of physical pain. "I just want to go to bed," she whimpered, sounding pathetic. "Momma..."

That was too much for her mother. "Go on," she whispered, trying very hard not to burst into tears herself.

Filia limped off in the direction of her bedroom. As she left, she heard her sister murmur, "Momma, I saw...from behind a tree. I saw her. She...she didn't fight him, Momma."

There was a pause. "You saw him, then. What did he look like?" Then Filia was in her room, crawling into bed and pulling the covers up to her nose. The last thing she heard before dropping off into sleep was the loud crash of a cup falling to the kitchen floor and her mother's strangled exclamation.

In the morning all the families in the area burned the forest to ashes. Filia watched them complete this task with horror, praying to every god that Xel hadn't been in the woods at that time. She didn't know why they were taking such extreme actions for a common "rapist."

The day after she was sent away to become a priestess.

Filia hadn't known what Mazoku were at that time, nor humans. She hadn't even known what Ryuzoku were, for she'd never been told there were races other than her own. Thus she'd never heard of the feared Xelloss Metallium, nor known how to sense Mazoku through magic.

They'd taught her all that in her training to be a priestess, to sense Mazoku through magic. Especially that one Mazoku. But she never made the connection, for she'd never seen what this Xelloss Metallium looked like. Not until a few days earlier, anyway, while taking on a quest of the utmost importance. And the shock had almost killed her. She'd recognized Xel by sight, but had felt the magic signature of Juushinkan Xelloss Metallium. Xel. Xelloss. Why hadn't she seen it before?

Filia slammed her hand down on the mattress and wept harder. Damn Saichuro-sama for sending her on this mission! Damn Lina Inverse for attracting all these Mazoku! Those old memories were painful enough! She didn't need to add logs to the fire. She'd have rather remembered Xel as he was, dead, than to find out he was actually a Mazoku, alive. A Mazoku. She'd fallen in love with a Mazoku. She'd given herself to a Mazoku, bonded with a Mazoku! "Why?" she whimpered into her bedsheets, more than heartbroken. "Cefied, why??"