Okay, chapter number one, here we go! (hands out Copy Rezo's staff) Hope you enjoy 'em!
Audience: (jinglejinglejingle)
Hehe! Now then…
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers, except for Zellia, Zeila, and Garrizo (now deseaced).
Please note: From here on out, this fic takes place several years after Phibrizzo puts the curse on the Greywords family, and Garrizo's death. SO, Rezo and Eris are now in their early forties, Zelgadis' parents are in their twenties, and Zelgadis is only four.
Chapter One
Zellia growled angrily at her husband. They hadn't stopped fighting since Hellmaster Phibrizzo had placed the horrid curse on the family. With a sigh, Zellia began to form a shamanistic spell, one that would hopefully stop her husband from harming anyone. "Laguna Bl—" she began, then stopped in horror as her husband, the son of the wolf-men Chief, dropped dead. "Th-that curse…it's destroying us all…" Zellia muttered, her hands shaking. Little Zelgadis toddled in, munching on a banana. "What's wrong, Mama?" the boy asked. "Why is Papa lyin' on the floor like dat?" His mother took him by the hand, and led him outside. "O-Oh, he's just resting, that's all. I told him about your wonderful drawing of him as a huge mouth, and he fainted from fright!" she said with a forced smile. Zelgadis smiled. "I'm glad he liked it, Mama!"
Zelgadis looked up at the mound of dirt that his father's body now kay underneath. It was so weird. His Papa was a very nice man; why did the family put this rubble on him? Turning to Rezo, he asked "Grampa, is Papa gonna get outta there soon?" Rezo bent down to his son's height, and said "You'll meet up with him again someday, when your older." Zelgadis blinked in confusion. This was his first time dealing with death. It would not be his last.
Zellia sighed. It had been two months since her husband's death, and Zelgadis was not coping too well. He had locked himself in his father's bedroom for the past few days, and, if the sounds coming from the room were anything to go by, he cried endlessly for his father. Eris had magically opened the door, and was at the moment consoling the boy. After all, she too had been rather fond of the gruff-yet-kind man. Standing up with determination, Zellia marched to the room where her son and Eris were. "Mom, I think it's my turn to talk with him." She stated, smiling fondly at Zelgadis. Eris stood up quietly, smiled knowingly at her daughter, and walked out the door. Zellia's black hair melded into the darkness, and her gold eyes, like Eris', gave her the essence of a cat. Her simple tunic brushed against Zelgadis as she sat down. "I miss your Papa too, Zelly. He was a great man. What do you know about him?" Zellia asked her son with a small, sad smile. Zelgadis shrugged.
"Well, he was the son of a wolf-man, as you know, and had a reputation of being the most feared of his kind. However, your grandparents and I found him on our doorstep one night, bleeding from a terrible head wound. After healing him, we taught him a bit of our speech. He told us much of his past, how he had been forced to slay his family by a evil enchanter, and beaten out of his tribe by the rest of his clan. A bond began to grow between the two of us. Eventually, we married, and had you. The rest you know already." Zellia replied, tears forming in her eyes. Zelgadis then smiled, and hugged his mother. "I'm glad I now know more 'bout Papa." He told her, his face looking so much like the father he once knew. Zellia pulled her son close, and they began to cry together, their anguished voices becoming one, mingling with the ringing of the mansion bells…
One year later, those same bells awoke Zelgadis from his sleep. Leaping up, the boy remembered that today was his first day of school! "Oh, gosh! I'm gonna be late!" he yelled, as he ran out the oak door. Brushing his hair once quickly, Zelgadis grabbed a piece of toast from the kitchen, kissed his mother and grandfather hurriedly (his grandfather was too busy learning White Magic spells to teach), and ran out the door, all in the space of five minutes and forty seconds. He was halfway down the road when he noticed he was still in his boxers. "DRAT! This means I hafta go all the way back home and get properly dressed!" Zelgadis fumed. He was just about to make a quick dash back to the Greywords Mansion when—
"OUT OF THE WAAAAAY!" came a yell. Zelgadis had barely a second to turn around, when someone grabbed him and charged off down the road. "Uh, who are you! And LET ME GO!" he asked, twisting around to face his captor. The boy came face to face with a boy his age, with purple hair, closed eyes, a staff, and a pair of violet overalls with a long, baggy shirt. "Hello, my good sir! I'm Xellos, your fellow student. The reason that I'm not letting you go is because, well, I accidentally squished some old hag's petunias, and she's on the warpath. Please 'scuse the inconvenience." the kid practically gushed, smiling a smile that nearly split his face. Sounds of an old lady cursing and hobbling along at a gait that was impossible for someone of her age were soon heard. Zelgadis blinked, amused slightly, and asked "Where are we going, Xellos?" To which Xellos replied, placing the boy on the ground: "Your house, of course! We'll lose the old goat in a minute, just you watch!" Zelgadis didn't know it then, but at that moment he had just met his future best friend. With a laugh, the two youngsters leaped over the many fences that lined the town, crawled under wheel barrels, and skirted carriages that crossed their path as they headed for their destination, the fear of being late momentarily gone from their minds.
What do you think? R&R! I'll give you Zelgadis' sword if you do! Oh yes: remember, this is an AU, so Xellos doesn't act like he normally would. Yes, he will annoy Zel sometimes, but otherwise…he'll be a prankster, smart student, and companion of Zelgadis! (grin)