*********
Val awoke to a horrible grumbling sound. He leapt to his feet and looked for the attacker.
"Sorry," he heard Lina say. "It's just my tummy." He looked down where the sorceress sat. She smiled and patted her belly. "I'm hungry." Val's empty stomach chose this time to speak up.
"Me too."
"Let's go. Gourry lives near here. We can have dinner with him!" She started off. Val followed, of course.
*****
They reached a medium-sized house and knocked on the door. It was answered by a girl of about six with straight, dark hair.
"Mommy! Daddy! Lina-san is here!" she shouted in an annoyingly shrill little girl voice. "Hi Lina-san! Whose your friend?"
"Hey, Nierry. This is Valteira," Lina said, patting his shoulder.
"Lina? Hey, Lina!" came Gourry's voice. He and Sylphiel appeared.
"Gourry! Sylphiel!" "Lina-san." Val stood back until the hugging and shouting of names was finished.
"You remember Valteira," she finally said, gesturing to the green-haired boy.
"Val…who?" Gourry looked blank. Lina bonked him on the head.
"Welcome, Valteira-san," Sylphiel said, taking his hands and pulling him into the house. "You've gotten so big! But you're a teenager now, aren't you?"
"Yes, Sylphiel-san," he said, trying not to gag. He HATED this.
"Val!" exclaimed a tiny girl. "ValteiRAHAHAHA!!!!!" She laughed an annoying two-year-old laugh.
"Lina, this is our youngest, Delfi," Sylphiel said, picking up the girl.
"Sylphiel," Lina shivered. "How can you have so many kids?" She thought of the pain, the screaming, the diapers… They were cute, but not cute enough to put up with all that.
"Gourry and I only have three," she laughed. Sylphiel obviously enjoyed having a family. Lina shivered again.
"Val-who?" Gourry asked.
*****
Val and Lina sat in the guest-room while Sylphiel made dinner and Gourry and the kids washed up. They could hear the kids running around.
"Actually," Val was saying, "I haven't seen them in three years."
"Two and a half for me," Lina said. "They're my friends and all, but I'm not big on little kids."
"So you didn't like me?"
"Especially not you! Filia made me change your diaper once, and you bit me!" Val's eyes bugged out, and his face turned an interesting shade of red, which went quite well with the trim on his jacket. "At least Sylphiel and Martina never made me change diapers!"
"You changed my diapers?" Val's mouth worked, but only those words came out. (Fishy! Glub glub.) Lina nodded.
Silence. They could hear Nierry telling her daddy to stop setting such a bad example for Junior.
"So, the kids are the real reason you stay away?" Val said hesitantly. "Filia mentioned that you and Gourry seemed close when you were traveling together…"
"Did she?" Val missed the warning glare in Lina's eyes.
"And Amelia-san wondered when you were going to settle down…"
"Oh really?" Strike two.
"And then Sylphiel-san married Gourry-san and they said 'How sad. Lina-san let him get away. She…'"
Strike three. POW! Val's out.
He rubbed his cheek. She'd only punched him. No fireballs. Thank goodness, for Gourry's house's sake. "What was that for, Lina?"
"Idiot."
"What?!"
"Stupid kid! Gourry and I traveled together! Why does everyone always think there was more to it?!" Lina was stomping and shouting (in Super-Deformed Angry Mode). "Sylphiel loved that jellyfish-brain! I don't think he's smart enough to know what love is if it FIREBALLED him!"
"Lina?" Val didn't want to hear it. He retreated to the corner, cowering in Super-Deformed Scared-of-Lina Mode.
"I only love food! Money! Power! The IMPORTANT stuff!"
"Lina-san! Valteira-san!" Sylphiel's voice drifted upstairs like an angel of mercy (at least for Val). "Dinner!"
"Dinner?" Lina's eyes glowed with joy. She bolted downstairs. Val sighed, and thanked Ceifreed for sparing him.
*****
Dinner at the Gabriev household was a war-zone. Gourry, Lina, and Junior, a nine-year-old copy of his father, battled over the food. Val desisted, for politeness' sake. Filia had always stressed dinner-table manners. Sylphiel and her two daughters ate like ladies at court -with utensils.
"Valteira-san," Sylphiel said, smiling. "Help yourself, before there's nothing left." She laughed sweetly. She was so much milder than Filia. Val idly wondered if Sylphiel kept a mace under HER skirt as he joined the fray.
*****
Lina leaned on the windowsill in the guestroom. 'Was that boy trying to make me mad?' she thought. 'Me and Gourry. How funny is that?' She didn't smile though. 'I do miss the jellyfish brain.' She sighed. It was lonely being the world's greatest sorcery genius.
*****
Val pulled his pillow over his head. Gourry Junior snored like Grabos and Jiras combined. 'Grabos. Jiras.' His thoughts paused there (mostly for dramatic effect). 'Mom…' He wasn't surprised when tears started soaking the pillow.
*****
Somewhere in the world, somewhere in the dark, a gold dragon sneezed as she heard a voice call her name. It might've been her memory, it might've been her future, but most likely, it was just the writer being over-dramatic.
*****
Sylphiel snuggled up to Gourry as he stood on the porch. "What are you thinking about, Gourry-sama?"
"That kid. He looked familiar. Is he one of Martina and Zangulus'?"
"No, Gourry-sama. He's Filia's son, Valteira."
"Oh." He looked up at the stars. "Who's that?"
