Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers For the Future: The Prophecy of Inverse ❯ Desperately Seeking a Father Figure ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "The Slayers."

Chapter 4

Desperately Seeking a Father Figure

Hiero was enjoying his third birthday immensely, since his mother went out of her way to make it a surprise party. Though it was only the local sect members and his mother, having "Surprise!" yelled in an off-key chorus was very amusing to him. He'd only had six birthday parties in his first life, and none of them were as interesting or as fun as what his new mother, Lina, threw for him. He honestly smiled, even if he couldn't see anything real well, as Ripper kept swinging his little head around.

His mother took his hand after that and he channeled through her eyes to see, which was far better than the colorless sight a dog had. It was the first time in a long time that he'd seen any colors, or the faces of the priest and priestesses that had been coming off and on to teach him how to speak properly and write. He knew he was blind, but by channeling, he re-educated himself in writing and reading, for the sake of passing as a small child.

'The boy that knows too much….soon I'll know more. This world is definitely more interesting than Terrian was. There's so much more fun things to partake in….once I appear old enough I can dabble in it all. And no one to control my actions, I got two wishes out of this rebirth thing, freedom and a mother. Hmm just wish I knew what she looked like, with my own eyes. And my father, when is he going to find us? I want this to be a complete family, not poor Mom all alone. She still loves him.' He thought, smiling as his mother planted another kiss on his small cheeks.

She was very nice, much better than his first mother, who was very vain and a braggart. This Lina woman was into bragging, but that was before she began censoring herself for him. He missed her true self, the one he'd grown in, looking at the world and his father through her eyes. He didn't much care for having to watch them kissing while we was still inside, but he understood love well enough. He had to bet this separation from Zelgadis was tearing the chimera apart just like his mother.

"Hiero….honey, did you hear me?" his mother voice rang out, shaking him out of his thoughts. He looked, rather past her than at her, but he wasn't aware of that. Being blind gave a person a good excuse for not looking someone in the eyes. "No, sorry. I was thinking about how nice the party was and all. Thank you, Mama. I love you." He smiled, and he meant it.

He got another few kisses across his face, warm and mixed with joyful tears. He reached towards them, getting his little finger tangles in the long cool locks of his mother's hair. He enjoyed pressing his face against her hair, the warmth of a loving parent being greatly missed by him. His first mother had never been that affectionate.

She gave him things then went on bragging that she did and about her and his great beauty. Lina Inverse took the time to care for him and talk to him. Though she was against magic, still oblivious to the fact that he had already mastered most of it, he still loved her. As if she'd always been his mother, always there for him and keeping him safe.

'Have to hold back on Nightmare magic until I get into my man age, don't want to be stuck in a toddler's body the rest of my days.' He thought, laughing in his child-like voice against his mother's kisses, as if they tickled him. He finally felt her set him down, placing Ripper in his lap.

"Now, I have to go to town and pick up your birthday present. You be a good boy and play with Ripper while I'm gone, all right?" she told him, not talking in any cutesy voices, just her normal voice. He liked that about her too, she treated everyone like they could understand her, that they didn't need special treatment to pay attention to what she was saying.

Hiero nodded and gave off a smile as he nuzzled his head against his puppy. Ripper still looked like a puppy being a wiener dog, but he was a bit longer now than he was a year ago. He fidgeted a lot more too.

His mother patted him lightly on the head and left, closing the door behind her. Hiero got out of his chair and walked outside after a good hour had gone by, heading through the woods that surrounded their house. "Time to practice my Shamanism magic more, Ripper. I need your eyes to aim….oh darn, you're squirming again. Looks like you'll never learn, Enhance Calm!" he shouted at the dog, the spell working on the dogs small mind for the millionth time, Hiero ordering him to keep his little eyes forward and still.

~

He never glanced back at the house as he walked out of it's sights, but if he did, he would have seen a purple-haired man floating several feet behind him, holding a large staff, grinning like an idiot with his eyes closed. 'Ah, magic lessons again….let's see if you've mastered the spirit yet. Xellas….she's still waiting for the Nightmare magic to surface….she's got a long wait. A three year old mage isn't very intimidating….or fast at the old cut and run.' Xellos thought, watching the young, sapphire-haired boy and his dog walk ever so calmly into the woods.

~

"ARGHHH!!" was the first thing Hiero heard before he was going to try out his Elmekia Lance spell, the loud, hoarse shout making his ears hurt. Then he waited, listening for more noises. He got them, it sounded like someone panting, gasping for air harshly as grumbles, growls and grunts filtered in around it.

'Maybe trolls or goblins….attacking someone. Hmm, maybe I can save a tree today and test this spell out on living targets. Oh….I've always wanted to use this on some poor dope, evil dopes make it far more enticing.' He thought, shutting his eyes in case the victim saw him and followed the noises.

It didn't take him long to find the source of all the commotion and he wasn't even noticed by the pack of goblins that had encircled a gasping young man. The dog was still under his spell, but the goblins were blocking the man from Ripper's view, so Hiero couldn't see much of him. All he knew was that he was lying on the ground and sounded like he was in pain. Hiero raised his hand up as one of the goblins prepared to strike the man with a killing blow.

"Halt you slime-wads!" he shouted, and went silent when all the goblins turned towards him, bunching up together in a crude line before their prey. They looked like they were laughing at him, but he couldn't blame them. He was a three year old boy calling them names and ordering them to stop attacking, he would have laughed if it had happened to him.

He waited and stuck his tongue out, trying to taunt the goblins, but them went on laughing. "Ah, your mothers were humans!" he grumbled, sick of being laughed at for a good ten minutes while the young man was still hurt behind them. That got them, each bead eyed, green-skinned head and body jerked up at the rude comment, any goblin would detest being related to a human being, and their mothers being insulted by a small upstart child was not something they liked.

When a few started to walk up to him, snarling and drooling with death in their eyes, Hiero raised his hand up again. "Finally.... Elmekia Lance!!" Hiero shouted, sending our javelins of spirit energy crashing into the first wave of pissed off creatures," Flare Arrow! Flare Arrow! Flare Arrow!" Once stunned, the flare arrows he sent out made short work of most of them. They fell dead on impact, but there were still a few left, one of which was going back for the young man lying face-down in the dirt.

"NO! You stop it, you creeps! Earth below me, submit to my will! DUG HAUT!! Flare Arrow!" he cast, slamming his small fist into the ground as hard as he could. A blast of spirit energy rushed out from the spot he'd hit and ripped through the ground with earth tremors, the spirits within the land racing to shake dangerously beneath the goblin in question, the flare arrow able to engulf his wailing as he fought to stay steady. The two remaining goblins looked at the spot the other goblin had been in, only his blade remaining next to the young man, then they looked at the boy.

'Run away, assholes. I'm not a nice guy when it comes to murderers like you.' He thought, hoping his eyes were set on them and not something else. When Ripper's eyes registered that they were charging him, Hiero just face-falted at their great stupidity. "Dam Brass!!" he yelled at them, swiftly letting go of Ripper as flights of lightening bolts flew from Hiero's small hands, frying the last two goblins where they stood. They fell over when he was done and picked Ripper back up, trying to stay standing. All that casting had taxed his small body, he was hungry and tired all at once.

'Good thing Mom went shopping yesterday. Oh, I could eat a dragon about now.' He thought, sighing in relief as the two charred goblins ran away screaming bloody murder. He fell on his rump for a moment, letting himself restore some of his energy. Then he remembered the man gasping a way from him, the scent of strange blood reaching his nostrils.

Hiero wobbled his way towards the man, noting the familiar light clothing, the long cloak, though now it was stained with blood. A hood was over his head and his left arm was lying near it, but his right was weakly clutching his bleeding side. Hiero examined it, checking the man's face to find him asleep. "He passed out from the pain….poor guy….hey, his skin is….hard, like stone…." He said aloud, pulling off the hood carefully.

"Zelgadis, my father. He finally found us." Hiero said in his rapture, wishing he had the energy to jump up and cheer, but his body wasn't fully prepared for using so many high level spells. He couldn't mistake it, it was Zelgadis Greywords, the man his mother still loved, the man who'd probably been heartbroken and lonely ever since she disappeared, the chimera father he'd never really met till now.

Hiero saw he had a bloody wound on his side and had to put Ripper down once he got a good grip on his father's stone hand to pull it off the wound. It was a long slash, not terribly deep, but enough to make even the chimera bleed. 'Must have been an enchanted blade….I guess I can give that to Mom for her birthday. She might like a magic sword, she never has to know I killed a goblin for it Oh Father, don't worry, I am getting stronger again. Hold on for a few minutes so I can cast recovery.' He thought hard, holding his father's wound.

He pulled off his father's cloak, ripping it in the process to pat the wounds, so he would see it more clearly when he would need Ripper again for the spell. Turning his father over was out of the question, he was way too heavy for a small boy to even move let alone flip over. He was forced to pull at his father's shirt, pulling the slashed fabric away so the wound could be touched.

Once he felt his strength get better, he reached to where he had placed Ripper, picked up the now whining puppy and made it look at the wound. It wasn't so bad, especially in black and white. He was a bit upset that dogs were colorblind at this point and time. He liked the memories of him in color in his mother's head.

The boy slowly put one hand on the wound, then put his puppy down again to put his other hand on the bleeding wound. "Blessed, humble hand of God. Life and breath of Mother Earth, I pray thee, come before me and show thy great compassion to deliver us! Recovery!" he chanted, the healing powers fluxing out of his hands and into his father, sealing the wound.

He heard his father give a slight sigh, then just his soft breathing. He used his telepathy to peer into his mind, getting images of his mother, the battles fought on his journey to locate her. Hiero was touched. 'At least he can still think….he'll heal perfectly if I get him to safety.' He thought, pulling out of his father's mind slowly, so as not to put him in metal shock.

"Good, I did it….now to get home before Mom finds out. I'll just lie and tell he I heard a noise at the door and found him out there. Not that'd she'd believe I dragged him inside, but she might since she usually takes a few hours in town, no matter what she was getting," He said aloud, then just shook his head and picked Ripper up in one hand and held onto his father's," Ray Wing! Man, I am so hungry….this is really going to make me look like a pig….ah who cares? I have my father!" With that, he floated himself, his dog, and father back to the cottage.

~

Zelgadis was not dreaming, all he saw blackness, with the brief moment of soft white light was touching his body. He never should have annoyed those goblins for information. They were bandits after all, they might have known where Lina was, and they did and insulted Lina with all the Drammata and lousy, rude nicknames she'd been given. He'd send fireballs at them initially before their leader cut him, with an enchanted blade of silver no less.

He hated being hurt, it had been quiet a while since a sword had ever managed to get through his skin. He had started running after that, too many attackers at once and the pain was clouding his thoughts. The last thing he remembered was the leader about to run him, silencing Zelgadis forever, never to find his precious Lina-chan ever again.

Zelgadis had passed out at that moment, vaguely noting that the goblins has all started to look away from him, as if something was bothering them. Right now, he didn't care. He knew he was still out cold and trapped in a void of nothingness. The Astral Plane just wasn't linking well with him, he was hurt and very tired. Maybe he was dead and this was hell for him, for all his sins, for letting Lina get away.

Then he felt a slight pressure forming on his stomach and his foot itched. 'Wait, do the dead itch? Do they feel?' he wondered, struggling with his eyes. They were opening, a soft candlelight filtering around him. He blinked a few times before his eyes managed to take his new surroundings in, finding he was no longer out in the woods. He was in a room, wooden ceiling above him and soft bed beneath him. The pressure remained on his lap, then shifted a little with a sigh.

Zelgadis lifted his upper half up, propping himself weakly on his elbows to take in the sight of the most angelic looking little boy. His hair was like liquid sapphire, the silken bangs about his face cradling his delicate features perfect, kept up with a black headband. He was wearing all white, tunic and all and little white boots. His eyes were shut with his head facing him, yet not really moving much. There was a dog next to him, a rather small coppery colored one with big brown eyes. It was licking the boy's hand at first, then noticed that Zelgadis had sat up and barked and yipped at him.

"Bad Ripper, be nice to the man." The little boy said, bopping the dog on the head with his tiny fist, or tried to, he hit the dog's tail instead and made it yelp. It got off the bed and ran out of the room, making the boy start pouting.

"You feeling better now?" the boy asked, his voice soft and musical, unusual for such a small child. "Yes. You found me? How did you get me into your home?" he asked the boy, getting a shrug. "You passed out on our doorstep. My Mommy wasn't around, so I had to drag you to her room. You're heavy. You were real hurt." The boy replied, his eyes still shut quiet gently, the exact opposite of Xellos cheerful mask. The boy looked much like his grandfather had, stubborn and shy at the same time, his small lips in a thin line.

Zelgadis looked at where his wound had been and noticed both his cloak and shirt were missing. He blushed, but the boy's eyes were still shut. Zelgadis smirked when he thought of a possible reason. "I'm sorry if my appearance disturbs you. It might disturb your mother a lot more if she sees me. Chimeras aren't the prettiest creatures." He said, but the boy started chuckling, shaking his head in an odd manner.

"My eyes are different, that's why they are shut. I know what you are, Ripper helped me see that. In black and white, but I still saw you. You look ok to me, even if you're a bit too serious." The boy chuckled, rubbing his closed eyes a bit.

"Ripper….your dog? Why would you see through his…eyes?" Zelgadis asked, but at the boy's abrupt halt in laughing, he already knew the answer. "I'm blind, been like that way since I was born. I'm three years old now. Ripper is a good creature to channel through, even if people show off more color in theirs. My Mom always let me hold her hands when we go on picnics, so I can see the summer flowers bloom. She's very nice. I doubt she'd make a fuss about you, not in the way you're thinking." The boy replied, his tone suddenly sad.

"She sounds very nice. I'm sorry, I should have known. My grandfather was blind. He did a sort of channeling thing to sense the things around him. Ah, never mind about him. Where's my shirt and cloak?" Zelgadis told him, not wanting to relive the terrible memories of Rezo.

"Ripped up. I had to get to your wounds somehow and your clothes kept getting in the way. I put them in the laundry room, Mom is real good at sewing clothes up for me….I think. I've never seen them, but I know they keep me warm." The boy told him, then started reaching out. Zelgadis felt bad for him, the poor boy trying to grab for him and he didn't know how far off Zel's chest was from his fingers.

Zel smiled and picked the little boy up, getting off the bed as he held the child in his arms. When the boy started feeling Zelgadis' face, his closed eyes scrunching as he did so. The chimera was a bit puzzled. 'He's kind of cute for a little squirt….but why is he touching my face? If he saw my face with his dog, why touch? Is he that curious?' Zel thought, chuckling as the boy's fingers gripped on of the pebbles embedded in his blue skin.

"You feel like obsidian. Smooth….these stones in your face are smooth too. You must be popular with girls." The boy commented, shocking Zelgadis. "Not….ahem, really. Maybe once, but that was a long time ago….hey stop, that tickles, kid." Zelgadis chuckled, the boy now batting a finger at Zel's steel and silvery bangs. The boy's face seemed to light up at the touch, making the child giggle a bit with wonder. Zel was simply shocked the boy hadn't cut the tips of his fingers.

"Hiero! I'm home! Hiero? I have your birthday present!" Zelgadis heard, freezing in place as the hauntingly familiar voice rang throughout the house. He stayed quiet, but the boy had the most impish smile on his face. "In your room, Mama!" the boy now known as Hiero yelled at the top of his little lungs. Zelgadis nearly dropped him as the yelling nearly deafened his sensitive ears. He felt terribly betrayed by the child when he heard footsteps approaching the room, figure with long, fiery red hear filling the doorway with its slender, dress wearing form.

It was a beautiful green dress that hugged the familiar figure lovingly, only the figure a little more busty, not by much but enough to be noticeable. Her ruby eyes seemed to quiver when she saw Zelgadis holding the small boy in his arms, a look of panic on her face that he bet he was wearing as well.

"Zelgadis….how….I…."Lina sputtered, Zelgadis not proving to be of much help as he thought he'd be searching for Lina forever with no luck, just like his former quest for a cure. "Lina…." Was all he could manage out. Hiero proved yet again to be good at shocking Zelgadis when the child threw his small arms about Zelgadis bare neck and cried happily. "Daddy!"

"DADDY?!" he balked, looking down at the small boy who was now looking up at him with his eyes open, eyes exactly like Xellos, without irises though. They were as sapphire blue as his hair and glittering up into Zelgadis' own sapphire slits, not as focused as Zel's were, but the boy was trying. "Daddy found us, Mama." The boy said, hugging Zelgadis' neck tighter.

Zelgadis looked over at Lina, who was now standing in front of him, gently tugging on Hiero's little form. He complied and released Zel from the small hug and leaned happily against his mother's chest, holding onto her hair gently as she cradled him in her arms.

"Yes, Daddy, he's….he's our son. Hiero, our son, our three year old son." Lina said quietly, kissing the blind child's forehead. "But you said….not that this isn't wonderful news, but I thought females that practiced L-sama's magic couldn't have children. It's a side effect of all the negative energy, right?" Zelgadis said, his voice quite calm and his eyes focused on his son.

"Yes, that's what it is, but….it just happened. I got pregnant….and….that's well….why I left. You wanted your cure so badly and with me pregnant and all, I would have made you worry too much and slowed you down. I left so you'd have an easier time." she told him, quite tearfully and moving closer to Zelgadis.

He noticed her cheeks were turning red as she stared at him, then he recalled his shirt was gone. He promptly picked up the quilt that was at the end of her bed and wrapped it about himself. "I realized that. Well, I never imagined you were pregnant, but I knew I'd done something to drive you away. I should have known, from our love, that I didn't need a cure so obsessively. I was a fool to put my cure needs over our love. I'm so sorry, Lina. Please, don't leave me again." He told her, his tone pleading.

"Mama was scared….scared I'd get killed cause I was being born, Daddy. Inverse is not well liked….boy Inverse's born of a great sorceress like Mama are called evil. Mama said so." Hiero let out whimsically, making his mother balk at him.

"You talk in your sleep, Mama. You had such bad nightmares. I can hear you all the way from my room. You sounded so sad, calling out for Daddy. Now that he's here, no more nightmares, right?" Hiero added, seeming to take note of the uncomfortable silence.

"Uh….Hiero, why don't you go to your room for until supper is ready? Then you can have your present, ok?" You know the way, right?" Lina asked the boy, setting him down on the floor. He gave a nod and smiled, his little blind eyes sparkling again. He walked very slowly, one hand feeling about for the doorway. When he found it, he went out it and then turned left before vanishing from sight. Lina went to the door and stared out for a while. Zel heard a door shut, then Lina came back in the room, shutting her door.

"You look great. I've never seen you in a dress….eh, heh, heh." He laughed nervously, blushing a bit. Lina blushed as well, tears still leaking from her eyes as she stepped up to him.

"Zel….thanks, but it wasn't your fault. I panicked….I thought it'd ruin your chances for a cure and….really, deep down, I was scared of what was going to happen. I mean me, pregnant, the enemy of all that live, do you have any idea how the world would have taken that? " Lina breathed out," I mean, it would have not only slowed you down with me being with child, but if anyone ever found out about it, tons of enemies and creeps would come out of the woodwork, either to stop the pregnancy or to steal him. I'm lucky he's remained a secret from the world for so long. I didn't want to risk his life when he's barely begun to live his life. I didn't want to see either of you suffer because of who I am."

"Lina, I never minded who you were to others, you were just my beautiful Lina, the woman I love with all my heart and respect as a woman and fellow magic user. Lina, I died out there when I found out you were gone. I've been searching three long years to find you….to apologize for ignoring you, my reason for living. Please Lina….don't ever do that to me again. You could have told me, I would have overjoyed to know I was going to be a father. To see we have such a beautiful son, I'm even happier now to know I have one. Lina, you didn't have to be scared. I would have understood." Zelgadis told her, quickly forgetting his modesty and wrapped his stone arms around Lina's shaking body, making her tears flow more rapidly.

"Oh Zelgadis, I've missed being held by you so much. Oh….you don't know how much I've missed you." She wept against his stone skin, breaking the last of his resolve before he began to weep crystal tears upon her silken red hair.

"So have I. I've missed you more than life itself," He whispered gently, kissing the her hair gently," I don't want to be apart from you ever again. I want to be with you and our son. We'll raise him together from now on. Lina, my love. Oh Lina, don't cry, you're making me cry." He told her, his soft tenor growing shaky.

"I'm sorry, Zel, I promise, no more tears, no more separation. Together forever. My sweet Zelgadis, cute little chimera boy." She sniffled, pushing out a familiar giggle. They looked at each other, eyes stained with tear trails on their cheeks, her ruby-red eyes shimmering loving into his sapphires. "I love you, Lina Inverse, I always will." He told her, kissing her softly.

"I love you too, Zelgadis Greywords. Now and forever…." She whispered right before their lips met.

~

Within his room, Hiero had been leaning against his wall to listen the conversation, metal and spoken, all in all it was a very touching moment. When things grew silent for a while, he assumed they were doing something he wasn't yet big enough to do. 'Doesn't matter, my wish is complete now. I have a family and may heaven help the bastards that try and rob me of it. I so swear it.' He thought, grinning as wickedly as the man floating outside his window, the man he never saw watching him the entire time.

To Be Continued….