Ah, chapter 18. I still can't believe we've got this far. (looks around) But where are the reviews? (shrugs) Oh, well. No big deal. On to the fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or FMA. (Not that Envy or Ed are in this chappie, but still). I only own The Rubyeye family's mother and "Auntie".

Chapter 18: Memories and the Return of…

It was half-past midnight. The whole Rubyeye household was asleep, dreaming their own personal dreams. However, one family member in particular was reliving the past in a most convincing way.

Gaav tossed and turned in his gryphon-patterned bed, hands clenching and unclenching feebly. "Mama…" he mumbled. Nearly rolling off the bed, he continued to dream, at times mumbling the names of his brothers and sisters…

"Phibrizzo, dear! I'm going out for awhile, so you're in charge of Gaav and the others." a woman of about 27 called from the doorway of Gaav's room. She had red hair, poison-green eyes, and a sly smile. Her clothes were…not exactly healthy for that time of year, considering the snow falling outside.

"But Auntie, I don't WANNA take care of Gaav. He's a baby!" came an annoyed cry from somewhere else in the house. The woman's face grew dark. "Boy, you are going to care for your siblings, or else I'll have to lessen your food supply again!" she screamed back, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Turning, Auntie bent down and picked up the toddler-Gaav and cooed "You'll be a good boy for Auntie, won't you? Of course you will! Your big brother is a bad boy, just like his Daddy, isn't he?" The baby shook his head, and squeaked.

The foul woman stomped over to a small, dirty crib in the corner of the brightly-lit room and placed toddler-Gaav inside. "Bad boy. You stay in there until I get back." she ordered. Of course, Gaav couldn't answer back then. He had only just turned 2, after all.

Stalking out of the room, the wretched lady barked orders left and right at the other Rubyeye siblings. In a corner, Dolphin began to sob, clutching her teddy bear for dear life.

Soon, the click, clack, click of Auntie's high heels faded away into nothingness, as well as the slam of the door. All of the house seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. From his position in the crib, toddler-Gaav could see his big brothers and sister. (Dolphin was about the same age as him).

Dynast looked pale and slightly scared, his deep-blue eyes wide and worried. As usual, his jet-black hair was in perfect condition, as well as his white t-shirt and blue jeans. At the age of 4, he already knew not to show any emotion to grownups, or kids bigger than him. Auntie had made sure of that, just like she'd made sure that every one of the children feared her.

Zellas, her mouth pursed, turned to Dynast and asked "When d'you think Mommy and Daddy are coming home, Dy?" The taller boy shrugged. Tugging on her blue flower-printed dress, the blonde muttered "I hope it's soon. I miss them lots." Dolphin, wearing a dress identical to Zellas', nodded silently, tears pricking at her eyes.

Gaav—the present-day one—shuddered in his sleep. How bad he had felt, to see his siblings so scared! Well, as bad as a toddler could feel, anyway. Being the youngest was never any fun…not when you didn't have any parents. Yanking his blanket over his freezing body, the tall drummer resumed his dream.

The sound of pattering feet soon fell upon the four children's ears. A boy about two inches shorter than Dynast screeched to a halt in front of the siblings, who were moping around in the middle of the hallway. His dark hair was slightly overlong, and his bright-green eyes shone with an inner fire. Though pale and thin-looking, the boy had a aura of positive feelings about him.

Smiling, the boy hitched up his navy-blue shorts, and readjusted his rumpled grey top—he had obviously dressed quickly—and proclaimed "They'll be home soon. They called a few minutes ago!"

Everyone immediately perked up. "Really, Phib-bwi-zzo?" Dolphin questioned, in awe of her amazing big brother. "Of course!" the smiling boy laughed, and picked up his aqua-haired sister with care. Turning towards Gaav's crib, Phibrizzo plodded over and poked his finger through the wooden bars. "I'm the best big brother in the world, right Gaavy?" he asked with a giggle. "Bah!" squeaked the toddler.

Zellas snickered. "I think that means 'no', Phibrizzo." she teased. "Yeah, right! Watch—OW! Gaav, you little pest! Those teeth of yours are getting way too big!" the oldest of the children howled, sucking his finger in pain. The other siblings laughed, and patted their hero on the head (or hand) for a quick recovery.

Suddenly awake, Gaav sat up in bed, sweat beading on his forehead. "Ugh…it happened again…" he groaned, and rolled onto the floor with a thump. Crawling to his feet, the drummer shuffled to his closet and grabbed a black top with maroon pants and the yellow trench coat. He figured it'd be better if he took a walk outside for a bit, to calm himself. Those dreams—memories, each one—always made Gaav uneasy. At times, it felt as though he was the only one who even remembered their parents.

After the last bronze button had been fiddled with and his (dyed) blood-red hair had been more-or-less tamed, Gaav finally snuck down the stairs and out the door. He was just about to take a walk to the karaoke bar (non-alcoholic), when he noticed a strange woman heading towards the house.

She had raven-black hair that fell to her waist, and long bangs that obscured her eyes. Her clothes looked normal—a burgundy business suit with black high-heels. She seemed slightly overweight. Fiddling with a leather wrist-watch, the odd woman glanced back and forth worriedly. It was when she turned in Gaav's direction that the boy noticed her piercing, sky-blue eyes…

That looked just like Dolphin's.

"Holy cow…"

BANGITYBANGBANG. THUMPTHUMPTHUMP.

"Whuh…?" Phibrizzo groaned, cracking open his eyes at the sounds.

Lina was already up, yanking the door open. Dolphin and Valgaav were awake as well, and were standing at the foot of the stairs in a sleepy stupor. Dynast trudged into the eldest Rubyeye's room and yanked the blankets off of Phibrizzo, jolting him awake. "C'mon man, we've got company!" the second-eldest roared.

Phibrizzo yawned, and slid out of bed in a feline manner. "I'm going, I'm going. Geez…" the dark-haired young man sighed, and stomped down the stairs. Upon bumping into the door, the leader of the "Demon Lords" called out "Who's there? Friend, foe or pizza delivery?" A muffled voice replied "IT'S GAAV! LET ME IN!"

Surprised, the acid-green eyed teen wrenched open the door and stepped back to let the youngest Rubyeye inside. "What's wrong, man?" he asked, curious. "It's…er, well, I think it is anyway…" Gaav mumbled nervously, squeezing his clothes to get the water out. "Get on with it, Gaav. What's up?" Zellas barked, crashing down the stairs with the others in tow.

The drummer was about to answer when a pair of skinny arms enveloped him in a warm embrace.

"Oh, Gaavy! You've grown so much! You used to be so tiny, but now you're taller than me!" the same woman from before poked her head around the blushing teen's waist, and gasped in the most feminine way possible. "Zellas, darling! You look so much like your father, now! …But what's with the shocked face? Didn't I say I would come back someday? Didn't I?"

Then, the woman turned to Phibrizzo. "Oh, my. Phibby, is that you? Why, it is! My, you've become so handsome! What's wrong with your hair? It's all…gangly. Oh well, I'll give you a nice bath and we can renew our love, okay?"

On and on the woman prattled, praising each of her children. Lina simply stood in the corner of the room, feeling a lump of bile rise to her throat. This was just like back at home…when she was little…

"ANYWAY, Li-Li,"—Phibrizzo at last turned around and faced the redhead, a strange gleam in his eyes—"this is Phillipe." After a few moments, the dark-haired young man glared down at his toes, and whispered "Our Mom."

SO then! That's the end of chapter 18! Is it good? Bad? Or just plain ugly? (XD) R&R please! I'll give you Phillipe's purse if you do! (Without the money/credit cards inside).