P.O.S.S.E.S.I.O.N.

The frames of what used to be houses burnt and cackled angrily as they succumbed to the malevolent fire that licked and ravaged at their structures, the stench of burning hair and flesh at the houses feet saturated the air like thick smog. Scarlet blood froze to pristine snow, and the symbolism of that was not totally lost to the observer.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Such chaos, such destruction! Such creativity and what attention paid to detail! The empty shell of a mother held a still moving child whose cries were quickly becoming lost to the flames, a lover wept over the silent body of her companion as his once healthy olive complexion turned to ash. A teenage girl, burdened with a body nearly twice the size of hers slung over her shoulder, fell victim to the flames that eagerly consumed the ruined village as they caught up to her before she could run away.

Well dawgonit it was enough to make him giddy. Giddy! Do you realize how many eons had passed since priest Xellos Metallium was giddy? Too many. Too many! Lina Inverse should have been born millennia ago. Oh well, the mazokus patience had paid off. And what a pay off it was! The minute he had seen that small boy crawl over to the chaos child as raw energy crackled about her, he could already feel the simple manifestation of said child's mothers' spirit cry in the nether planes. If this kept up, he was going to be getting a hangover! What utter fun!

Sadly- the mazoku reminded himself with a sigh- Like good bedtime stories, all good things must come to an end. And eventually the ruby eyed sorceress had seen what she sought would not be found in this village, and so she left. Leaving behind her a very satisfied mazoku. And such power was good, but it was not enough.

No, something begged him for more power. A more specific power. And lina inverse was power. So it was only natural that he should get her. Okay, so perhaps there was something a tad personal in that.

Oh no no no, don't get the priest wrong or anything. He wasn't in love with the chit, Oh just the thought was enough to send the mazoku into a fit of the giggles. And it would have too, were he not already in said fit due to the dark energy fueled stupor. It was just a matter of personal gain. Mathematic in its simplicity, really. Lina inverse was, technically, an incarnation of the lord of nightmares. The lord of nightmares was power. That made Lina inverse the incarnation of power. So to conquer Lina inverse would be to conquer power. To achieve dominance over the chaos child was, in a poetic way, to achieve dominance over the lord of nightmares. To tear out ones name from the lips of said power, to feel them losing complete control over their body and practically give themselves to you, Well it was enough to make one jumpy with enthusiasm!

Besides, Xellos' resume needed a little pepping up anyway. You know how tiresome 'destroyer of the dragon race and feared general of the battle of monsters fall' becomes after the first hundred years? Now 'conqueror of the chaos child' could keep him going for, oh say, three hundred years.

However, like a small child scorned by a teacher, he had been forbidden to kill her. The chaos child was the mazokus greatest ally, willing or not. To be with her was to risk addiction, and the priest couldn't have that. That's why he had patiently been breaking her, to make sure when he finally did have his way with her there was no way he'd be finished with her and no longer would she plague his every thought.

But she was just so gosh darn adorable!

Especially when she gets violent. Those red, red eyes glow so fiercely they could put Shabranigdo to shame. That long hair the color of the fire to which she killed by spread behind her like wings, the angel she could never be. Yet the youthful, waiting-to-be-corrupted aura she used to sport had its own values. How her eyes would widen and face would flush. Oh well. He got rid of that already, didn't he? And what an accomplishment that had been! But don't take his word for it, The corpses spread about him spoke for themselves. Or rather didn't. Corpses cant speak! Oh dear, It seemed our trickster friend has found himself in another giggly fit.

Wiping a tear from his closed eye Xellos came to the conclusion that if he were to stay in the ruins any longer he was sure he would go into overdose. Oh dear, could a mazoku possibly go into an overdose of dark energy? And what would the side effects be like! Most likely this sudden bout of humor was one such side effect. More so reason for him to get out of there fast. Besides, his fun had just barely begun.

-

The village was now an angry red scar in a black maroon sky, contrasting vividly with the somber solidarity of the white coated horizon. Xellos sat perched on an icy branch of one of the few trees that faught the winter and kept its color, he watched with an all too familiar smirk someone whom was once also just as stubborn.

Lina inverse, chaos child, avatar to the lord of chaos, self proclaimed genius sorceress and Bandit killer, lay in fetal position in a foot deep hole in the snow. Her shoulders shuddered with silent sobs, but tears would not come. They hadn't for a while now. Xellos had made sure of that. But this…This was no fun! Had the great Lina Inverse truly been such an easy toy to break? One way to find out, and obviously Xellos was just crushed, As could be told by the opening of one of his eyes to correlate with the widening grin that slashed across his pale face.

Xellos could see the sorceress watch him with half closed eyes as he leapt down with that strange ethereal grace from where he watched her, but when realization dawned in and she recognized the figure in front of her he got what he was waiting for. On shaky knees and with her head down, body utterly drained of every drop of energy and power it once boasted, Lina inverse raised herself for the last time to face that which had caused the dark twist within her. Observing this, Xellos found himself suddenly facing a very odd feeling. How very very odd, Xellos could feel the humor begin to drain out of him, Because Xellos knew he treaded precarious ground as he watched anger flood the sorceress eyes, no longer dulled by self pity. He didn't fear her and the thought was as preposterous as it was ignorant, it was himself he feared. As life flooded her eyes, bringing with it that delicious anger, that he knew that for the first time he had failed. General and priest Xellos Mettalium had failed. Not even he could break the spirit of chaos child Lina inverse. And he hoped to all that was L-sama beast master would never know about the joy that filled him as he watched the sorceress begin to gather herself up for a fight. But it was when he heard her speak he knew it was on this night he would seal his fate by going against orders.

She panted and looked through him, Her mouth uttering a breathy call "Xellos!"

Lina powered up a mean dragon slave with blinding speed and dashed for the priest, whom took the shot openly. And much for Linas sweet dissatisfaction, happily. He would dodge every now and then, and she would rush at him with another spell, some of which he was sure she came up with on spot. Like a macabre

and violent dance they continued, she would shoot, she would hit. He would disappear then re appear behind her. She would shoot, she would hit….

Her rage saturated the air and sweetened his lips, she knew he was toying with her. But she was relentless. She was feral. She was his Lina.

Blinded by anger, desperation, and all else she continued her assault on him, watching with disgust as he took every hit with that infernal smile. Oh how he loved this. They went on for hours, and eventually Xellos had to reluctantly stop his shenanigans, Lina was losing ground. Her fire red hair plastered to her face, drenched in sweat regardless of the icy conditions. Her bosom heaved in a frantic pant as she struggled for air, and all this was for him. How special did he feel?

But now the second part of his little game would begin. As Lina gathered what remained of her power and shot for him, he retaliated by meeting her blast with one of his own. He let loose a low level spell, but high enough to send the red head reeling back, crashing against a tree with a whimper that brought a rather pleasant tightness to the mazokus stomach.

He began stalking towards the girl, and was satisfied to watch as she once again made a lunge for him. This one, however, he blocked. This time, he fought back. As much as this could be called fighting. She aimed a well backed punch for his grinning face, but he caught her fist in one hand and used her own momentum to flip her back. She leapt to her feet in a move to put most gymnasts to shame and dashed for him, powering up a nice little mega brando as she did so. He countered her attack with another one of his lower level attacks, which was once again enough to inflict just enough damage on the little sorceress so that she would be thrown back.

She powered up a little blast of a raywing and shot herself at him, he grabbed both her arms when she was inches from his face and twisted her back, effectively pinning her against a tree. He held her suspended in the air long enough for her to react to his widening grin and open amethyst eyes. When he still couldn't feel fear seep into her rage he sent a blast though her arms, an invisible wave that sent a shock through bone and muscle, Tearing at the victim from the inside. Needless to say the mazoku was rather pleased to hear the high pitched scream he tore from the girls throat. Her back spasmed in a futile attempt to relieve the pain of her bones, and she bucked in the mazokus grasp. He threw her to the trees as a child would a broken doll, satisfied to see Lina still tried to bring herself up, but screamed as her bones refused. He stalked towards her before she could bring herself up and yanked her up by the neck, smiling into her half open ruby eyes. Nope. Still rage in there. Geez, whatever would he have to do to get just a -little- fear from her? He tightened his grip on her neck until she whimpered with the pain, Still she tried another attack at him. He used her own thrust for him to land a nice punch for the girls chest, sending her once more flying back smack against a tree. Geez, humans were just so damned fragile. One little hit and their bones are all breaking, he really would have to bring this up with l sama if he ever had the chance.

"Tututut, Lina-chan" He could hear her growling at him from across the field where he stood, Oh but she was just so fun to piss off! "Are we done playing yet?" The sorceress raised herself up on her elbows, both her legs numb, the adrenaline that shot to her head used such speed her ears were pounding, but as if on purpose every word Xellos spoke came to her with crystal clarity.

When he came to stand just above the sorceress, it seemed somewhat poetic. Here the fear of all the mazoku race lay at his feet. Completely at his mercy. The same one the mazoku had counted on to rid them of Phibrizzio and Gaav, and now she was completely under his control. Well, Not completely. Not yet. God how Xellos loved waking up in the morning. He picked her up by the collar, raising her up to his height. She growled at him from behind the fist that held her above the air, anger and weariness having consumed her to the point that the shudder that went down her spine at seeing the mazokus open eyes went wholly unnoticed.

"Damn you, mazoku." Her voice came out ragged and laced with pain.

"Now now, my little fledgling. Watch the profanity." God how she squirmed at the sound of his voice! Her loathe for him was so raw it was palpable. He waited for her tantrum to end, for the tears to start, but they never did.

"I hate you. I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" At that he crushed down the thrashing girl closer to him, tilting her chin up so she was forced to look him in the eyes, forced to look at that grin that mocked her and eyes that watched her with paralyzing intensity.

"Hate me, loathe me," He jerked her up suddenly, a squeak of surprise cutting itself in between her growled obscenities. His lips brushed against hers with each word he spoke, his breath so cool on her lips.

"Fear me."

No less had he finished uttering these words before he crushed his lips to her in a hungry, fever some act that was more a show of primal power than it was a kiss. Lina squirmed and squeaked under his ferocity, but it only seemed to ebb him on, as though he genuinely consumed her protests. Her hands groped at his chest, fingers entwining around the fabric of his tunic in the only show of restraint she could put. He laughed darkly into her mouth, and she knew she was lost.

-

It were as if nothing had changed. And had it? Over the past months, Xellos had seen to the deaths of a chimera, a princess, and a swordsman. Never once staining his own hands in blood. Was that really such a difference? No. But on this night, with the bare, bruised and battered body of a sorceress spilled in his arms he saw a difference. Not, it wasn't a bout of guilt the mazoku suffered from. It was the nagging need he felt to kill her.

He wanted more of her, and thusly he had to kill her.

He could no longer have her plaguing his mind such a way, and now…Now that hed had her he felt a desire for more. How she fought, how she'd screamed…The power of it all…he could not go on with such needs tearing at him.

And so, with ruby eyes drilling the proverbial hole through his head with a stinging rage, priest general Xellos Metallium crushed his lips over hers for the second time that night. His hand brushed over her chest, her heart, and he shot a beam of energy to eternally end its ever questioned beating. The sorceress squeaked, and stirred no more. On that night, in the arms of a mazoku, Lina inverse; chaos child, dragon spooker, and fifteen year old teenage girl, took her last breath. And on that night, with the stilling body of a sorceress pooled in his arms, Priest General Xellos Mettalium went against the rule of Beastmaster for the first time since existence.

-

No, that wasn't depressing or spooky. Nooo.

I just milked whatever little sappy romance there was out of the lina/ Xellos fandom, didn't I? Well god damnit I hope so ;; I swear I did this partly out of spite for having read a summary of "Lina is a princess. Xellos is a prince." ;;. proceeds to hour long rant

In the words of my fellow lina/ Xellos fans, Xellos has some 'splainin to do…

I know. I -ed over the best part. Suffer.

Something weird happened to me writing this, It drained the evil out of me.

No! Im serious! It genuinely drained the evil out of me. Whenever Id finish writing I would be all giddy and…Bubbly. It was scary O.O I was watching Bushs' inauguration speech and I nearly hyperventilated laughing. I should really stay out of Xellos' mind frame, It will mess you up!

Reviews?