The song is The last day on earth by Marilyn Manson. By now I think you've figured out my musical tastes, no?
The sky was hidden by a thick shroud of smoke, and what could be seen of it was a dull angry red, coating the land below in a sort of eternal bloody sunset. The plains upon which the battle had been fought had once been drifting sand, but countless fiery explosions had fused the dunes into cracked planes of black glass. Charred corpses, humanoid, lizard-like and monstrous, lay strewn about like forgotten toys. A lone figure stirred on the stage of death, leaning on a ruby-tipped staff as he made his way across the eerie landscape.
Yesterday was a million years ago
In all my past lives I played an asshole
The Mazoku and Ryuzoku both were no more. Over the centuries the two races had loathed one-another, but with the exception of an occasional Mazoku war - the second of which Xelloss Mettalium had been present for - they had both been content with minor skirmishes and a general atmosphere of friction. That had all changed with the resurrection of the remaining five pieces of Shaburanigdo only a few short years ago.
Now both Mazoku and Ryuzoku lay side by side in death. The human race had been utterly annihilated years back with the onslaught of the Great War, and the old races such as the elves had retreated deep into whatever hiding places they could find before they too were destroyed. Nothing was left, and it seemed that the war had been going on forever.
Xelloss Mettalium glanced about the ruined landscape, a bitter smile creasing his mouth. It was all over now, and he was the only one left standing. With everything silent about him, he found his thoughts turning inward. Over the course of his long, long life he had always played the Trickster, never allowing anybody to get too close to him. Those who had been foolish enough to believe they loved him had awoken to a painful truth and of course he had just smiled and relished their pain. Now, alone, he wondered if perhaps it wouldn't be nice to have someone with him, if only for conversation. There was one person he would like to have with him now above all others, but no. She was most likely rotting in a shallow grave of ash and rubble.
Now I found you, it's almost too late
And this earth seems obliviating
His keen ears detected movement, so he scanned his amethyst eyes over the next dune. A ragged figure was slowly pulling itself to its feet, badly hurt but still alive. Xelloss could taste the pain coming off the survivor in waves and he closed his eyes momentarily, savouring it. The figure was obviously Ryuzoku, so it would only be a matter of time before it noticed his presence and attacked. Xelloss tried to prepare himself, feeling no anticipation at all but rather an abysmal weariness. The damn war never ended, and for once he found he was sick of it.
The Ryuzoku had drawn itself up and now Xelloss could see it was a female, and though her form was battered it was still strong and lithe. The outline of her body against the muddy red sky reminded him of another Ryuzoku he had known quite intimately some time ago. The morning after she had awakened in his arms and he had smiled lazily down at her as warm sunlight drifted down through the gauzy curtain that had covered the one small inn window. Dust motes swirled lazily in the silence. Then her mouth had begun to work and her eyes widened in horror. She had leapt out of bed, dragging the sheet with her, tears already flowing down her cheeks in rivulets. She had accused him of seducing her and making her unclean, and he had only been able to smile in bewilderment. She had taken this as a sign that her accusations were the truth and so had run from the cramped little room that had served as the place of their union. He had never seen her again.
This Ryuzoku had spotted him. She was already running across the blasted glass dunes toward him, and he began to gather some dark energy in his hands. She advanced quickly despite her injuries, and he got ready to slaughter yet another Gold. The dragon raised a mace above her head, ready to smash his skull into fragments. Mace? Xelloss thought disjointedly, and at that selfsame moment a ray of bloody light pierced the haze in the sky, illuminating her face. The dark energy he had been readying dissipated instantly as he recognised her, his violet eyes widening involuntary. The dragon maiden bearing down on him obviously felt no such feelings of recognition as she brought the mace down hard and fast. Xelloss dodged, feeling the weapon slam through the air beside his head to hit the ground and splinter the glass there.
"Filia!" he cried out, but she wasn't listening. She snarled and rushed him again, panting hoarsely. Her hair was in tangles and streaked with gore, her face scratched and bleeding. She was still almost the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.
We are trembling in our crutches
High and dead our skin is glass
Xelloss launched himself at the Ryuzoku, knocking her to the ground and pinning her hands so she couldn't hit him. She struggled for a moment, still panting, then thrust her head forward and bit the area between his shoulder and neck as hard as she could. Filia began shaking her head from side to side, like a terrier, until muscle and tendon gave way and she tore a hunk of flesh from Xelloss' body. He exclaimed more from surprise than anything else as black blood coursed down around the Gold's mouth, staining her teeth and chin. "Filia!" he nearly screamed, and at last something dawned in the dragon's eyes. She spat his flesh to one side, her eyes quivering.
"X-Xelloss?" she croaked. He nodded, getting off of her. She pulled herself up warily, then threw herself at him again, using her nails to rake at his skin. "NAMAGOMI!!" she screeched. Xelloss fought her off half-heartedly. He was so tired of this; he felt numb and far away.
He came to notice that she'd stopped clawing him and was now sitting huddled in a ball, weeping bitterly into her knees. Xelloss sat where he was for a moment, feeling clumsy and slow. Then he crawled over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't," he beseeched listlessly. She shrugged his hand off, but her tears did cease. She lifted her head, eyes as blasted as the desert of glass surrounding them.
"Everybody's dead," she murmured. He nodded. She stared at the futilely ominous heavens, mouth a wavering line. Almost cautiously he reached one hand out and began to stroke at her knotted and bloodstained hair gently, attempting to give comfort although he did not know how. His gloves were shredded in places so his pale fingers protruded, raw and covered with blood. After a few silent moments Filia reached up and took his hand in hers.
"Are we the last?" she whispered, still not looking at him.
"Yes," he said after some consideration. "I think so."
I'm so empty here without you
I crack and split my Xerox hands
"It's so vacant," she muttered, more to herself than to him. He nodded. Filia let go of his hand at last turned to face him, looking almost like a child because of her dazed shock. "What am I going to do? They're all gone. There's nobody left, nobody at all. I'm alone now."
Xelloss awkwardly placed an arm around her shoulders, but she just shrugged it off. "I'm here," he reminded her. Filia stared at him for a second, then began to laugh.
"Oh yeah, right. You. The gods must have one hell of a sick sense of humour." Her laughter sounded more like sobs than anything else.
"Well, they DO," he responded. "But I fail to see how you being left alive with only me for company is a sick joke." Xelloss looked at his ragged fingertips, not sure of how to respond beyond that. Although she probably wouldn't believe it, her words had hurt him. The night they had spent in that claustrophobic little inn room had been one of the best of his life, and not just because of the sex. He had felt truly loved and for once had felt he was able to love in return. Drifting off to sleep had been rapture, with her sleeping in his arms peacefully like some sort of divine gift. He'd snuggled in close to her, breathing in her sweet perfume, content to just live in the moment and her warmth, believing that tomorrow could never come.
Filia snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised if this was my punishment for - " She broke off, flushing slightly.
"For what? No, go ahead Filia, say it. This is your punishment for fucking a namagomi Mazoku, right?" She flinched back a little from the intensity of his gaze. But only a little.
"Yes," she replied steadily enough. "Although you don't have to put it so crudely. I suppose Mazoku have no manners."
Her pompous hauteur under these dire circumstances made him laugh. Filia glared for a moment then giggled a little. It was the stress, she told herself.
Xelloss placed his hands on her shoulders and she looked away. He paid no heed but slipped his arms around her, embracing her firmly. She didn't resist exactly, but she didn't return the gesture either. He hugged her tighter, and she could feel his heart beating in his chest. Still she remained impassive. Xelloss sighed sadly then bit her ear.
"OW!" she cried. "What was THAT for?"
"Well, at least I got a reaction out of you." He looked at the eerily silent battlefield again. "You don't have to act like you hate me, you know. There's nobody left to judge us." Filia cupped her bleeding ear, her lips turned down in a pout.
"So who's acting?" she asked pertly. Xelloss glanced at her and shook his head.
"You really hate me?"
"Yes, I do."
"Are you trying deliberately to hurt me?" he asked. Filia uttered a short laugh.
"Hurt you? Ha! You're the one that hurt me, Mazoku! You ruined me, made me unclean!"
"Takes two to tango, Fi," he reminded her. His voice was soft but nonetheless dangerous.
"That night you lived up to your name, you bastard. You tricked me, made me think you cared about me!"
"Gods, why are dragons so stupid?" he muttered.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" She was getting ready to attack him again.
"It means I DID care about you!" he spat out with sudden fury. "I did and I have for all these years and I still do! Your head is just too far up your ass to see it!"
Filia stared at him, stunned.
I know it's the last day on earth
We'll be together while the planet dies
I know it's the last day on earth
We'll never say goodbye
"Liar," Filia replied at length.
Xelloss ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. His eyes were haggard and lonely. "Whether or not you believe me or not is up to you. The fact remains that ever since that night, and even before that I - " He swallowed before continuing. "I've loved you. Nobody else has ever captured me this way, although a few have come close."
Filia gawped at him. The feelings in his eyes seemed sincere enough, but it WAS Xelloss, after all. The Trickster could obviously sense her distrust and so he sighed once more. "Gods, Filia," he said. "Even when there's nobody else left on the face of the planet you can't bring yourself to trust me. Tell me this, what do I have to gain by lying to you?"
The dragon maiden considered this and could not find any logical reason why Xelloss would deceive her. But that meant that he did care for her, and wasn't such a thing impossible? Mazoku couldn't love, and if there were even a slight chance they could none would ever dare love a Ryuzoku.
"Do you mean to say that that night we spent together all those years ago wasn't just some twisted little plot of yours to seduce one of the enemy? It wasn't just your idea of fun?"
"That's exactly what I mean to say. I loved you, you know. That's not easy for me to admit."
"Then why didn't you tell me?!"
"Would you have listened?"
The dogs slaughter each other softly
Love burns its casualties
Filia thought this over. "No," she admitted. "I probably wouldn't have. I was convinced you had seduced me for your own sick amusement. It nearly killed me, sleeping with the enemy like that. I felt so dirty, so soiled..." She drifted off, casting a furtive glance his way. Xelloss looked at the ground, his eyes hidden by his bangs. When he spoke his voice was gentle but pained.
"I'm sorry for what I am."
Filia started a little. "Xelloss," she began and then realized she had no idea what she was going to say.
"It started out just like you suspected," Xelloss went on, talking to the ground. "The first time I saw you, I wanted to have you. But just in a sexual way, so I could degrade you and hurt you. After a while, however, I started to see you differently." He shrugged. "It was stupid, I know, but..." He shook his head. "Nevermind. The point is, I did love you, and you hurt me when you ran out like that."
"It wouldn't have worked out even I had listened, Xelloss. Our superiors would have fried us both."
"Maybe. But it doesn't really matter now, does it?"
Xelloss grinned a little suggestively, and she stared at him, realizing that he was right. There was no one left on earth to judge them and their actions. If they wanted, they could screw like minks and nobody would complain. "But I hate you," she muttered without conviction.
"They say love is akin to hate, Fi," Xelloss purred. "And really, what are you going to do? Kill me? Go ahead. Then you'll be alone for the rest of your long, long life. Have fun talking to yourself."
Filia started to cry again, much to Xelloss' surprise. "Everything is dead!" she wailed. "Even the humans! Oh Xelloss, life in this world will cease! What are we going to do? How could that bitch of god of yours allow this to happen?!"
"L-sama?" Xelloss asked, shocked a bit. "She's not a bitch, Filia. You do wrong to call her so. This end is the result of Chaos, so its only natural it happen. Besides, L-sama rarely steps in anyway." Xelloss chuckled a bit. "Although I must admit, this IS a little extreme. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Filia asked tiredly, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He stood and head was cocked as though he were listening. "What is it?" she asked. Xelloss was silent for what seemed like a very long time. A breeze, cool and refreshing blew across the scarred countryside, lifting his hair off his face so purple strands wavered in the air. At length, a gentle smile slowly unfurled across his face.
"Yes," he whispered. He seemed frozen and almost achingly beautiful at that still moment. "It makes sense."
"Xelloss?" Filia asked, a trifle nervous now. "Who are you talking to?"
"Oh, nobody," he said, coming back to himself. He grinned. "Just God."
Filia blinked. Xelloss plunked back down on his ass beside her and took her hands in his. "Filia," he said tenderly. She had to smile at his sweet tone. "You know, there could still be some good to come out of this situation."
"How?" she asked incredulously. "There's nobody left alive but us!"
"I know. That's my point. After all, I am male and you most certainly are female." His eyes glowed appreciatively.
"You aren't suggesting...?"
We are damaged provider modules
Spill the seeds at our children's feet
"What are humans, Filia? They aren't Goodness, like your kind, nor Evil, like mine. They are a mixture. I'm proposing we attempt to create another race like the humans. By our joining, evil and good shall mix and thus create something new."
"Neither of us is a God, Xelloss. We're imperfect. Our imperfections will be passed down to our offspring."
"Did you ever meet a perfect human?"
"No. But Xelloss..."
He rubbed her knuckles gently. "We can give the world another chance, Filia," he told her. "Do you want to pass that up based on a hatred that no longer matters?" He expected some half-hearted argument on her part, but she just leaned forward and kissed him softly. There was blood on her lips, but the taste was sweet. Xelloss sighed and let his eyes slip shut even as his mouth opened. Her arms encircled him and they sank to the blackened ground. They lay entwined in each other's embrace for untold minutes, ignoring the death around them.
"L-sama," Filia whispered, the word gold on her tongue. "Please let this be the right thing."
"It is," Xelloss assured her. "Now no more talk."
I'm so empty here without you
I know they want me dead
Years, centuries, millennia past. The new race was originally immortal, but when old disputes disguised as new began cropping up the Divine intervened. Xelloss and Filia confronted their offspring with the support of the Lord of Nightmares and decreed that all their children's children should be mortal. Soon the new creatures spread across all corners of the land.
Eventually, Chaos was mostly forgotten as being the force behind the universe. Instead, two deities representing Good and Evil were worshipped. These immortal beings were said to be locked in an eternal struggle, and it was generally accepted that Good would win one day. Most people worshipped Good, and loathed the Dark Force. Over the course of time, names and events were confused and warped.
I know it's the last day on earth
We'll be together while the planet dies
I know it's the last day on earth
We'll never say goodbye
"Well, here we are again." The Devil grinned charmingly. "It's the end all over again. You think that we would have had better luck with this bunch."
"Don't talk that way. I love them all; they are all my children."
"Our children, dear." The Devil was silent, looking at the world through a dim piece of crystal. "Well, there they go. Too bad it turned out his way."
"Yes, it is. Do you think She will find a way to start over again?"
"More than likely. We're only upon one staff of existence, you know. Maybe one of the other worlds will have more success."
"Do you think the worlds are similar?"
"Some I think are so alien even I would go mad to see them. Others, I suspect, are so similar they could be twins to our own."
The Devil embraced his companion tenderly and kissed her soft lips. "I love you, Filia," he told her. "I always will."
"I love you as well, Xelloss," she said. She smiled, a bright halo surrounding her. "Always."