Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any of these characters, and I don't wish to make a profit from this story.

Author's Note: This is basically going to be a series of drabbles and one shot set in the idea of what would have happened if Zel had been taken in by Lina's family and was raised as her brother. There's no overall plot to this story right now, but there might be one later especially regarding what will happen when Zel and Lina encounter Rezo. Till then, I hope you enjoy these drabbles I'm having far too much fun to write.

The Beginning

It had all happened so fast. It was unreal. Rezo could still feel the heat of the flames on his skin. How had it come to this? He merely came to talk to his grandson and his wife, to persuade them to continue to help him as they had before. Jacque had disappeared so suddenly. He wasn't himself when Rezo had broken that seal on the temple and accidently caused an earthquake in the town at the foot of the mountain. Fifty people were injured and five were killed. Rezo knew the incident bothered him, but Rezo never imagined that Jacque and Maria to leave without telling him where they went. He had to find them, Jacque and Maria were two of the few people he could truly count on, the only family he had left.

It took a year, but Rezo found the couple at last. They were living in a simple log cabin in the forest. He was shocked to find that the pair was now a trio. Maria had named the baby Zelgadis, an odd name, but the girl had always held odd tastes.

The argument went so fast. Jacque revealed that he and Maria no longer felt safe, especially when Maria found out she was pregnant. "You're becoming too obsessed!" Jacque yelled. "You risked that entire village for one spell. How do I know you won't risk us?" He squeezed Rezo's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but you're scaring us granddad and I have a wife and child to protect."

Anger fanned inside Rezo. Jacque made him sound like he was an insane murderer. Rezo yelled and called Jacque unpleasant things. Maria tried to calm them down, but neither of them would listen. Rezo shouted how he never should expected Jacque to understand what it felt like to not see the world around you.

Jacque grabbed him by the shoulders. "This isn't about your sight granddad, this is about you turning into a monster!"

Something dark and cold snapped inside Rezo. It was a force he couldn't control. Magic was cast. He felt flames spark and consume the wood around him. Maria screamed. Jacque yelled to grab the baby. It become hot as an oven but Rezo continued to chant his magic. It was the sound of Jacque crying out, and wood snapping that woke Rezo from his dark daze. He yelled for Jacque, but there was no answer. Rezo heard more wood crack and realized the house was falling apart.

Quickly, Rezo cast a wind spell and blew out the blaze. He panted as the flames were wiped out. He knelt to the floor, reaching to the spot where he had heard Jacque scream. He found a hand, but though it was slightly warm he felt no pulse.

He called for Maria, but there was no answer. Rezo used his magic to scry for her presence, but she and the baby were gone. During his fury, she must have taken the baby and run out of the burning house.

Rezo now stood outside the freshly burnt remains of the house. He felt numb inside. The scent of charcoal stung his nose. He gripped his staff and the rings gently clanged. "I'm not a monster, I'm simply following my own path." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I wonder where Maria and the baby went?"

Elsewhere, a wagon pulled by a donkey bumped its way along the road. The wild flowers and weeds growing in the middle were strong hints to Raulf that hardly anyone used this short cut. "Granted," he muttered out loud. "Most sane people would take the main road to Zefielia and not take a shady short cut through the woods."

He sighed. Raulf only learned about this short cut from eavesdropping on the old men in the bar. Normally, he would take the easier option, but he was supposed to be home the day before yesterday. The more time it took to get home, the more time Lana would have to find the biggest frying pan to hit him with.

"Why did I marry such a violent woman?" he grumbled. "I hope Luna doesn't inherit that side of her, but I doubt Lady Luck is with me on that. Women tend to stick together."

The cart suddenly halted. Raulf had to brace himself to stop from falling forward. "Hey, Daisy, what's the hold up?"

His faithful donkey twitched her ears and stared ahead. Raulf removed the piece of straw he been chewing. Daisy would ignore most things and pretend she was the only living being in the world. It was unusual for her to suddenly stop in the road like this, unless danger or food was involved.

He looked towards the trees. He saw no sign of bandits or an ambush, but his old mercenary training kicked in. Something wasn't right. He could sense it in his gut. Raulf took his sword and went into the forest. He heard breathing, and the person was worn out just from achieving that. He listen carefully, it sounded female. A woman?

He saw a glimpse of a hand and a pair of bare feet behind a tree. "Hello?" He called out. He didn't want to frighten her if she was injured. There was no answer. Concerned even more, Raulf went around the tree trunk. His eyes widened.

The woman was horribly burned like she had been dropped into a tub of boiling oil. Her feet and hands were covered in scratches and dried blood. Her clothes were scorched and small sparks lingered in her hair. She laid on her back, clutching a wrapped bundle to her chest for dear life.

Her breathing slowed for a moment. Fearing she was dead, he yelled and reached for her shoulder.

"Hey! Wake up!" He was relieved when the woman opened her eyes. She seemed fearful, and Raulf suddenly remembered his sword and dropped it. She calmed and let Raulf put his arm around her shoulders and leaned against the tree.

The woman's breathing seemed to grow worse as she sat up, but she still clutching the small bundle to her chest like it would vanish if she let go. Raulf wrapped his cape around her shoulders. The burns he could see on her bared arms and legs made him sick. Who would do this to a woman? "Hang in there," he told her. "I'll carry you to the next village-"

"My baby," the woman panted.

Raulf blinked in shock. "Baby?"

She held out the bundle in her arm and pushed it against his chest. The warmth from it surprised Raulf as he took it. He unwrapped the cloth and sucked air between his teeth. A squirming baby stared back at him. The child had a thin layer of blue hair on his head. Unlike the woman, he had no burns or scratches.

Raulf's fury increased tenfold. He could only conclude that the mother had used her body to shield the baby from the flames from whoever attacked her. It was sinful enough to attack a woman, but to attack a young mother and her child? That was the work of a monster with no heart. Raulf knew he would kill anyone that tried to pull that stunt with his family.

"Zelgadis." The woman's voice brought Raulf's attention back. She had leaned back against the tree. "His name is Zelgadis." Tears ran down her cheeks. "Please, protect my son."

Raulf sucked air between his teeth again. She was dying, and they both knew it. He gently reached for her hand, her fingers were already growing limp. "I promise."

The woman gave a frail smile as her eyes shut and her hand dropped from Raulf's hold. He bowed his head and and glanced down at the baby. The baby stared up and began to cry. Raulf gathered him up and hushed him. "Don't worry little guy," he smiled. "An Inverse always keeps his promise."

Night had fallen and Rezo had found no traces of Maria or or Zelgadis. He performed a modified version of the tracking spell to track her footprints, but to his surprise it led him to a fresh unmarked grave. There was no longer doubt that Maria was dead. Yet, there was still no sign of the baby. It was brief, but he made sure to use his magic recognize the baby's spirit, just as he had done with Jacque and Maria. While he could sense the traces of energy left behind from Maria's dying spirit, there was none of Zelgadis. The baby was not here. It was highly possible a wild animal had taken the baby for its supper. The chances of him being alive were slim.

Rezo showed no emotion as he swiftly turned away from Maria's grave. He was now truly alone.

0808080808080808080808

Lana poured the cup of tea and placed it in front of Raulf. "So, what did you do then?"

Raulf sniffed the sweet blend of tea and drank a mouthful, although he would have preferred a good cup of ale. "I buried her of course and then took the little guy with me here."

Lana glanced over to the basket the baby was currently set in. She had been ready to scold her husband for being four days late coming home. She had heard the door knob turn and seized her weapon that had been freshly cleaned and sitting on top of the stove. She had the frying pan in hand, but froze in midswing as Raulf yelled and exclaimed he was holding a baby with him. When she told him to bring her a souvenir, a baby was the last thing on her mind.

They still had Luna's old cradle, but it was in the storage shed and it was far too late to be digging it out. She was thankful Luna was sound sleep when Raulf came home. It would have been impossible to get her to go to sleep if she knew about the baby. She sat in the chair and leaned on her hands. "Didn't you think of looking for the baby's father?"

"From the way the woman was talking and the state she was in, it seemed safe to assume he was dead." Raulf's eyes hardened and he grasped the cup, letting it warm his cold fingers. "I did see smoke rising in the distance as I left the forest, but it gave me a bad feeling." He drummed his fingers against the porcelain. "I can't explain it, but something told me I had to get him out of there."

Lana wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I trust your judgement, you know I do, but now we need to decide what to do with him."

Raulf reached out and intertwined his fingers with Lana's long braid. "You mean either keeping him or finding him another home?"

"We do have our hands full with Luna and the shop." She gave a tired groan at the thought of chasing two children around the shop. "I'm not sure if I can handle another child yet."

Raulf tapped his chin. "We could give him to the Andersons."

Lana choked. "The Andersons? You can't be serious! They already have seven children."

"What about Judy? She just got married last year."

Lana's snorted in disgust. "The woman can't even boil water and you want to give her a baby?"

"The Smiths?"

"They're snobs."

"What about the Roberts?"

"I just hate them."

Raulf threw his hands up in the air. "Lana, you're being fair too picky-"

Zelgadis suddenly gave a cry from the basket. Lana patted Raulf's shoulder and scooped him up. "We'll discuss this later, poor little thing must be hungry. Have you been feeding him?"

Raulf rolled his eyes. "No darling, I let him wander outside at night so he can fend for himself like a cat." His hand reached to massage the knot out from his neck. He could use a long hot bath right now. "Why do you think I'm so late getting home? It took me forever to find milk for him at the next village and take enough with me. You're lucky I didn't just end up buying a goat to milk along the way."

Lana didn't appear to listen as her mother instincts began to take over. She held the baby with one arm and entered the kitchen. "I'm certain Luna's old bottle is here somewhere." She opened the cupboard door and scanned the inside. "Anyway, don't you think Leon or Sebastian would be a better name for him?"

Raulf put his feet on the table when Lana was out of sight. "Zelgadis was what his mother called him, I think we should respect that."

Lana sighed as she pulled out the jars from the cupboards. She stood on the tips of her toes to glance into the higher shelf "I know, but I don't think the poor woman realized what a terrible name that is."

"It's was his mother's dying wish!" Raulf shouted.

"No, it was for you to take care of him, not to let him keep a strange name. Hah! Here it is!" She pulled out the bottle and inspected it for cracks in the glass.

Raulf opened one eye. "Oh, so if anything happened to us, your spirit won't mind that Luna's name was changed to say Naga or Mary-sue?"

Lana entered the room and kicked Raulf's chair. "Feet off the table and fine you made your point." She went back into the kitchen. "But if someday our son asks why he has such a strange name you're taking the blame."

Raulf blinked. "Wait, he's our son now? What happened to discussing it?"

Raulf's question was tuned out by a hungry cry. Lana rocked and cooed Zelgadis. "Yes, yes, I know you're hungry. Just wait, Mama will get it."

Raulf shook his head and laughed quietly. "Must be mother bear instinct."