navy = flashback
Long, pale fingers slowly turned the shiny pages. Perfectly painted nails tapped thoughtlessly on the plastic covered photos. Here they rested on one in particular, the page-turner letting out a sigh at the sight of this photo. It was a picture of a sunny day, and two young children, a little red-head and a boy with shocks of purple-black hair were playing together in the sand box. The reader closed their eyes and at length began to drift into the past.
The young boy bowed politely to the little girl playing in the park. "Excuse me, do you mind if I play with you?"
The little girl looked up and observed the boy meticulously. "Okay, but I'm not sharing my toys. You'll have to use
your own."
The little boy nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." He rolled up his pants so as not to get sand on
them, and stepped into the sand box. "My name is Greater Beast Xelloss."
The little girl grinned cheerfully. "That's means you have to do whatever I say, right?"
Xelloss's eyes opened wide, surprised. "Huh? No... that means you have to do whatever I say."
"Why?"
Xelloss almost fell over. "Because I'm Greater Beast Xelloss, and that means my mom's Great Beast Master Xelas!
She's a Dark Lord!"
The little girl looked at Xellos through half-closed eyes. "Exactly." She waved her hand as if she was bored. "Which
means you have to do whatever I say, because I'm Lina, and my daddy is your mom's boss."
Xelloss staggered, his plans of having a subbordinate playmate quickly going up in hell fires. "You're Lord
Shabranigdo's kid?!"
Lina turned to face Xelloss head on and stared at him with her ruby eyes. "Well, duh. And... I wanna play cowboy
now, so, your my horse." She grinned darkly. "Get on your knees now, or I'll use spurs."
Presently, the reader opened their eyes and started turning pages again. Once more the fingers stopped and tapped at a photo. This one was a picture of two little boys and a little girl in a forest. The same purple haired boy and red-head girl were in this one, but sitting in the tree with the boy was another boy with wisps of aqua hair. The reader smiled through ruby lipstick and and drifted again.
Xelloss grinned and pointed downwards. "Our target has arrived."
The aqua-haired boy gaped. "Are ya insane, ya freak?! Do ya have any idea how much trouble we'll get into if we
dump that bucket of water on Ruby-Eyed Lina?!"
Xelloss smiled and patted the other boys head. "Don't worry Val, I'll handle it. And if there is any trouble, big
brother Xelloss will take the rap."
Val shook his head, a reluctant frown on his face. "I dunno... you're just used to yer mom's punishment... but when
my dad find's out about this..."
Xelloss put an arm around Val, and explained slowly. "Now see here, little brother. My darling step-daddy Garv
isn't going to touch neither you nor me, because he'll want to put up a good impression for his lady love, my mom, and
show her what a caring and kind father he is."
"I still think he's gonna ring our little necks, but okay."
Xellosss grinned. "Allright, on three.... one... two... - "
"Fireball." Lina pursed her lips. "Come down out of there, and bring your bucket too." Lina inspected the two
crispy-fried boys who slithered out of the tree. "Greater Beast Xelloss and Chaos Dragon Val... hello."
The boys ducked their heads and chorused. "Hello, Ruby-Eyed Lina."
Lina's fanged grin grew. "I feel like playing soceressess and bandits. You go set up fort, and I'll come blow you
sky-high, okay?"
The two nodded wearily and trudged off to make a bandit camp.
The fingers slipped down to the image below that one. The three children from before sat a picnic table, but a lavender-haired boy with an icy complexion and a tiny girl with black hair sat with them. Soft, feminine laughter filled the room at the memories of this picture.
"Xelloss! Yer hoggin' everything!" Val smacked his step-brother across the head.
Xelloss pouted. "But little brother... I'm a growing boy... I need to eat."
"I need ta eat to, ya know!"
A dark blue hand hit both the boys on the head. "You are both hogging the food. The rest of the table would
appreciate it if you would see fit to pass the potato chips, hot dogs, ketchup, and whatever other food stuffs you might
be hording down there."
Lina grinned. "How sweet! You made them give me the food! Dynast Zelgadis, I'm gonna tell my dady to give your
dad a raise!"
Zelgadis bowed politley, before hiding his mouth with his napkin and sticking his tongue out at Xelloss and Val.
"Dynast Zelgadis is a true gentleman! A man of manners and politness and true goodness! Unlike those other nasty
demons at the end of the table who I will now smite with the mustard bottle of justice preparetodie!!!!"
Xelloss and Val dodged the flying girl and stared at her klutzed-out figure lying on the floor. "My, my, Deep Sea
Amelia, have we forgotten that we're also going to be a Dark Lord when we grow up?"
Amelia stood and brushed off her clothes. "Of course not. However, I am going to be a good dark lord that will
spread joy and happiness and justice-loving flowers and the ability to do rightful dramatic speeches with rightful
dramatic poses and rightful dramatic backgrounds all around the world!!!"
Lina looked on as Amelia trounced off. "And you say her mom's worse?"
Zelgadis, Xelloss and Val all solemly nodded. "Much."
The reader stifled their giggling and and turned to one last photo. Six little children at the red-head's birthday party... A favorite photo of the reader.
Lina grinned at her stac of presents. "Allright... inventory time... make sure I got everything I wanted. The Book of
101 Uses for the Dragon Slave from Greater Beast Xelloss. My very own orange trench coat from Chaos Dragon Val.
Those gorgeous diamond... or maybe ice, not sure... earrings I've always wanted from Dynast Zelgadis, a gentleman
through and through. A... um... homemade Tuna Casserole from Deep Sea Amelia.. made with love and justice... And
from... hey! I haven't gotten your present yet!"
All eyes turned to the girl with long balck hair. "Here." She mumbled sweetly, handing over a tiny box.
Lina opened it and her eyes glistened. "A beaded necklace? Wow! These aren't beads! These are people's souls,
right? Hell Master Sylpheel, you rock!"
The reader shut the book and tapped the perfectly painted nails against it, pursing lip-sticked lips. "Ruby-Eyed Lina... come here."
A beautiful red-haired woman entered the room. "Yes, Lord of Nightmares?"
The Lord of Nightmares pouted. "You know I don't like that. We're pals... call me what my friends do."
Ruby-Eyed Lina smiled. "Of course, Gourry."