Thanks for the Memories
by Anna Nimmie Tee
The usual disclaimer that the characters belong to Kanzaka, et al. and that this is only written for pleasure, nothing else.
This is an early story, written before "Here Comes the Bride' and "Slug Guard." Some people liked it very much, although I consider it very plotless and a tad awkward. With a tiny bit of tweaking, I guess you could consider it as an extension of "Here Comes the Bride," even though written long before that story.
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Gourry contentedly patted down the earth around the bright blue pansies he had just planted and then admired the rest of his large flower garden. "Who would have thought the wandering swordsman would have settled down, let alone enjoy gardening non-edible plants," he thought to himself. "Or that Lina would make such an excellent mother?" He felt his usual satisfaction when he reflected on the fact that the sword and sorcery school he and Lina had established was doing well, as was Lina's magic shop company, Spell-Mart.
Suddenly he whirled with the hoe he held in his hand and knocked five wooden blades out of five startled young hands. He then caught the first of the blades in his other hand and, delivering several blows across young backs, chests and arms, fended off a couple more attackers.
"That, young ones, is how you use what ever you have available as a weapon. You better work more on your stalking, too. I felt your presences yards away. Lady Gabriev will not be pleased."
"Drat, Lord Gabriev, we thought we had you that time," exclaimed one of his proteges while massaging a sore shoulder. The others hung their heads and rubbed various sore spots on their own bodies.
"Please don't say anything to Lady Gabrieva," the young noblewoman from the Elmekia Empire pleaded with a shudder.
"It has to be mentioned for your own safety. And, Aheela, you've forgotten again you're not in the Elmekian Empire anymore. The female form of Elmekian last names isn't used here. It confuses people."
One cheeky lad muttered under his breath, "And feminine form doesn't exactly apply to the Holy Lady Gabriev, either."
It was unfortunate for that student that Gourry's hearing was still sharp. "Speaking of form, Jolyr, you will spend an extra hour in the exercise area re-stuffing the practice dummies."
"Yes, Holy One," Jolyr said and made a deep bow, both words and action done out of habit, instilled in him by his Sairaag parents from the time he was a toddler .
"Jolyr, how many times do I have to tell you, neither Lady Gabriev nor I have anything to do with holiness, except maybe my socks! Ok, we've survived what most mortals wouldn't have, I guess, but sheesh!"
"Yes, Hol--Lord Gabriev." Jolyr scooted off to the practice arena.
Gourry sighed and thought to himself, "Gods, Sylphiel, what nonsense you started!"
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When Gourry and Lina reappeared from the Sea of Chaos in each other's arms, Sylphiel gave up her dreams of gaining his love, because, she reasoned, anyone who returned from the Sea of Chaos must be divine and therefore beyond her reach. Hearing the tale of the defeat of Dark Star convinced her further that Gourry and Lina were special and meant for each other. The corker happened when Gourry imprisoned Xelloss in a new Flagoon...
Lina was pregnant with their first child, when she and Gourry paid a visit to new Sairaag, which Sylphiel was re-building. Gourry was nervous about Lina's survival of the birth process because she was so small, and he insisted she deliver their child with the assistance of the finest healer to be found, namely Sylphiel.
In the meantime, Xelloss was dispatched by Beastmaster to prevent the holy city's resurrection and to kidnap the Gabrievs' babe, who was to be raised to contract with the mazoku, since the powerful mother had refused to do so herself.
Xelloss was hungry, very hungry. Lina's birth pains were just an appetizer to him as he waited outside the modest birthing house. He decided he would torture Sylphiel and Gourry a long while for a full meal before he killed them. He figured they would leave the birthing house so that the new mother and child could rest and bond. He especially wanted Lina to bond with the child. "Her agony as I steal the infant will be an exquisite dessert," he thought.
Sylphiel had felt an evil presence outside and cautiously emerged first, but before she could shield, Xelloss had already raised a hand and instantly sent what felt like fire slowly burning her skin away. She gave a loud, agonized scream.
Up to then, Xelloss had thought of Gourry only as a rash idiot with no magical capabilities at all. He expected the swordsman to rush from the house with sword raised and yelling some stupidity. Xelloss' violet eyes glowed in gleeful anticipation. He wasn't disappointed. "Hello, Daddy Gourry," he greeted the former mercenary. "Here's a birth day present!" and the mazoku shot an energy bolt at the body of the father. Xelloss' eyes widened as, instead of being thrown against the house and writhing in pain, Gourry's body dissipated, and the Blast Blade descended to cleave the mazoku in half diagonally as Gourry attacked from the side. "Wha--?" the monster cried in disbelief as he collapsed.
"Side door and Cicada Ruse," Gourry informed him modestly and quickly removing a nut from a pocket intoned. "Oh Lord of the rich earth, sustaining all life, please heed your humble servant's wish. Grant this seed the strength of roots, trunk, and boughs to contain this evil that would destroy us: Flagoon Volt!" He threw the nut down on the dying Xelloss, and a new Flagoon rapidly absorbed what was left of the mazoku.
Sylphiel weakly watched in adoration and awe. "You are the true Swordsman of Light, Her Servant!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees and bowing her forehead to the ground.
Gourry scratched the back of his head, a well known endearing habit. "Ah, well, that spell has been passed down several generations, and I guess it hasn't been needed until now, although it was really, really pounded into my head when I was a kid. I knew I could only kill Xelloss, but he wouldn't die. The Blast Blade can't ruin a mazoku of Xelloss' high status. But a new Flagoon should hold him for a while. Only the Hellmaster seemed to have the power to destroy the old Flagoon. But probably any of my family could have recited that spell. I'm nothing special. The sorcerer in my neighborhood that tried to teach me despaired I'd learn anything. Hey, I guess this means you can be a shrine maiden again!"
"Gourry! What has happened out there? I heard Xelloss' voice and felt his presence!" Lina's voice asked peevishly. "Tell me quick, will the baby be safe? I hope so. We're trying to get some rest here!"
"Guess we'd better see to the new mom and the new dragon spooker, eh?" Gourry grinned and helped Sylphiel to rise.
Sylphiel thereafter took it into her head that Lina and Gourry really were true avatars of LON, despite their human appearance and personal frailties. Her fervent worship of them made the pair uncomfortable. Well, at least Gourry. Lina didn't mind being worshiped, instead of being chased out of town, but then enough was enough. The couple and their child left for Saillune when the baby was old enough to travel. In a century, thanks to Sylphiel, the inhabitants of Sairaag regarded the two as holy: Lina as Punisher and Destroyer of Evil and Gourry as Protector and Nurturer. It bemused and annoyed them both, especially Gourry, when awestruck worshipers from Sairaag came to the school. The adoration made it difficult to get those particular students to take effective defense or offensive tactics during their lessons whenever Lina or Gourry taught them. To raise a weapon or spell against the "holy ones" was blasphemy, wasn't it?
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Lina, who happened to glance out her bower window at the time the students' "attack" had begun, smirked and chuckled at the students' discomfort. "It's amazing how Gourry's reflexes and strength have kept up," she mused. "And he's still gorgeous."
Indeed he was. Gourry's hair was still long, but now silver and gold, with silver predominating. His body retained its excellent muscle tone and strength, thanks to his continued hours of exercise and sword practice. There were lines in his face, but his bone structure was superb and his skin relatively taunt, thanks to his high cheek bones. The kind twinkle was still in his eyes, and the easy smile graced his lips yet, despite all he had gone through with Lina. Lina thanked L-sama yet again for sending her such a marvelous companion and lover, even if there remained times when she had to fight the desire to fireball him for inattention and forgetfulness. Though, she had to admit to herself, he had always been uncannily sharp as his sword in battle or emergency mode. The "dumb blond" facade was useful with foes.
Lina herself was still in relatively good form. Relative, because thanks to having many children, her hips and waist were a little broader and she wasn't as flat-chested, although she still could not be said to be "full-bodied." Gourry made sure she still exercised extensively to stay physically fit and strong. To be sure, she had wrinkles, jowls, and a little tummy now, the tummy, not from lack of muscular tone, but loose skin from so many years of childbearing. She refused to employ any magic or surgery to make herself look younger. She had gained that much more confidence in herself that body image surprisingly was no longer as important an issue as it had been to her. For after all, Gourry still wanted to "get frisky" with her despite her old body. She had learned his words may have said one thing, but his eyes, hands, mouth and other body parts spoke differently. As many couples who have been together a long time discover, love can blind one to the effects of time.
Another change with age was both she and Gourry were no longer the eating machines they had been. This was a good thing, considering the appetites of the generations of children they had seen born and had fed.
Lina fondly watched as her husband handed the students' blades back to them and turned back to his garden. Then she gasped as he suddenly collapsed. Opening her window she Ray Winged down to him, her white hair streaming behind her.
"Gourry! Gourry! What's wrong!" and with the help of the students, she rolled him over on his back and supported his head and neck on her left arm.
"Ah, Lina Dearest, I'm so tired," he smiled weakly up at her.
"Can you sit up or get up?" Lina queried tremulously.
"No, [deep breath] I'm too ...tired. We've had a long, long, exciting and good life together, haven't we?"
Indeed it had been both exciting and long. With age and experience, she and Gourry eventually made less mistakes in their adventures and did more good with less collateral damage. In gratitude for their services, they at last had received the decent recognition they deserved and had been granted titles of nobility and estates by several kingdoms. Their most beloved home and headquarters was in Gourry's ancestral barony. The distribution of the management of the other holdings served to keep down family rivalries.
Lina's life had been extended a couple hundred years due to her strength in magic. The only drawback, other than surviving most of her old human friends, had been she had "that time of month" for many, many more years than she would have had, if she had been a non-magic practicing woman. Her ovi hadn't dropped into her uterus as regularly or often due to the effects of her black magic. Since her aging process was slowed, those eggs were in effect over a longer period of time. Reaching the age of the crone was quite a while in coming, resulting in 21 children, due to that longer fertility period. The Gabriev family was now the size of a small city, what with all the generations of grandchildren scattered all over their world. Several of the family stayed there to teach at the school and run the headquarters of the family magic shop company, which had stores in every kingdom's towns and cities.
Gourry's life was likewise as long because of the years he had carried the Sword of Light and the Blast Blade and his genetic mix of races. His ancestor, Rowdy, had not married the elf, Meliroon, but a descendant of Rowdy had. Such a heritage explained Gourry's long, blond hair, superhuman skills and ability to take so much brutal physical punishment, not only from enemies, but Lina herself in her very early years.
"Young ones, please help me move Gourry to the shade of that birch tree. It'll be an exercise in levitating something other than yourselves."
Once his back was gently settled against the trunk of the tree, Lina dismissed the students and finally answered Gourry's question. "Yes, it's been a wonderful life together, but we still have some time, don't we? You just need to rest, old man, and take in more fluids when you work in the sun."
Gourry only smiled sweetly at her and closed his eyes. Lina kissed his lips and suddenly felt very tired as well. Snuggling close to her husband and closing her eyes, too, she rested her head on his chest and thought about her long, eventful life with him. She smiled to think about how he had finally proposed to her.
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She and Gourry had finally given in to their long suppressed desire for each other on a journey to her parents, but he still hadn't asked "the question." A few times it had seemed he was about to, but he had chickened out.
They were almost to Zephilia once again, when they encountered Princess Amelia on her way on another diplomatic mission. In order to forestall another disaster like that of Zoana, Prince Phil had asked a visiting Zelgadis to be her body guard.
While Lina and Amelia filled each other in on what they had experienced after they had left each other's company, Zel quietly commented to Gourry, "I see you two are still traveling together after all these years, too. Are you finally a couple?"
Gourry replied, "I think so. We're definitely a lot more close. Ah, don't ask for details, Zel. My upbringing and the wrath of Lina won't let me say more. Anyway, she hasn't hit or fireballed me in long while, but I'm scared to ask her to marry me. I truly don't know if she's just tolerating me for her own convenience and pleasure, or whether she loves me as I love her." And it seemed a cloud went over his normally sunny expression.
As they crossed the borders of Zephilia, they found the grape harvest festival had already begun. Lina wanted to stall the confrontation with her sister Luna and insisted they first take part in the festivities in a small city a few days from the capital where her family lived. For propriety's sake, Lina and Amelia again shared a room and Gourry and Zelgadis another. Gourry noticed Zel was still having his re-occurring nightmare of being turned into a chimera. Gourry's friend had listened to him when he had poured his heart out about Lina, and Gourry wished he could do the same for Zel. The next morning at the usual breakfast competition (Some things never change), he asked the chimera, "Is your dream exactly what happened when Ratso turned you into a chimera?"
Zel heaved a sigh and replied with gritted teeth, "You don't change much, do you? The name was Rezo. I don't want to think about what actually happened, but yes, the damn nightmare is an exact duplication of what occurred. Now let's leave it. I don't want to remember the horrid details in my waking hours."
"Well, I may not be the highest man on the tally for smarts at this table, but have you tried writing down everything exactly as appears in your dream? Maybe then you could repeat the process in reverse, and you'd be cured."
Food and drink in the hands of the three open-mouthed sorcerers suddenly stopped midair. Lina choked. Gourry gave her a concerned look, but she gasped "I'm ok."
Zelgadiss stared wide-eyed at Gourry and smacked himself in the head. "I-I never thought of that!"
Lina was still reluctant to travel on and said she wished to have a few more days of fun before facing the punishment she knew Luna had saved up for her. They spent another day at the festival, but Zel kept wanting to go back to the inn to sleep.
"Zel, it's only four in the afternoon! There's tons of food to eat, wine to drink, and bargains to find. Come on! Ya gotta learn some of the folk dances! That'll make you tired and sleepy faster!" Lina cajoled the chimera.
They had stopped in front of a musical instrument booth as Lina said this. Hoping to make some sales or exchange of magical talismans, Lina moved on to a booth with reputed magical artifacts across the way. Amelia followed her, but Gourry's eye was caught by a rosewood flute which could be disassembled for travel.
"I haven't played one of these in years," he whispered with some emotion to Zel, put the flute to his lips, and then placed his long, slender fingers over the holes. With his eyes half closed he rapidly ran through a scale several times before exploring a slow, minor melody. The flute began to cry and warble with a purity of tone that stopped passers-by in their tracks.
Lina and Amelia looked over their shoulders to see where the music was coming from and gasped in surprise. Sunny-natured, jellyfish-brains was playing that?! He was gently swaying and seemed to be playing almost in a trance. Lina's heart felt like an empty sponge absorbing the passion of the music.
Gourry started to speed up the melody with yet more improvisations weaving their way through it. Zelgadis picked up a long-necked lute and began to play a rhythmic back-up harmony. The booth's owner, a large man with a great moustache waxed to upturned points, grabbed a big hand drum, and the music became a wild dance that grew faster and faster. The wife of the booth owner took up her fiddle, and she, Gourry, and Zel had a fierce, exuberant "musical" conversation, each letting the other take the lead for a while before playing together again. After quite a while, with a forceful head nod from Gourry, the group stopped, and a few notes slowly wailing from the flute brought it all to an end. A shout went up from all the musicians, and the crowd that had gathered and danced joined them.
Lina felt out of breath from the emotions stirred in her by the music and the dance in which she had found herself. "Gourry," she managed to gasp, "whatever that flute costs, buy it! You have a magic I never knew about!"
"Whoa, you must have been impressed!" Gourry laughed giddily. He was on the musical high a good jam produces. Even Zelgadis was grinning.
"How much is this flute?" Gourry inquired of the salesman.
"Young man, if you and your friend stay and play a while longer and join us in our gig tonight, I'll sell it to you at cost!" And he named a very reasonable price indeed. The four travelers could continue to eat well.
When they finally did reach the inn that night, Zelgadis hurriedly gave his excuses, and, clutching writing materials, practically ran up the stairs to his room to jump into bed fully clothed. Lina, Gourry and Amelia exchanged shrugs, crossed their fingers, and partook of the remaining festivities in the inn's common room with their new friends from the musical instrument booth.
The next morning Gourry awoke with a stunning hang-over and noticed Zel's empty bed with the bedding thrown back. After splashing water on his face and dressing, he encountered Lina staggering out of her and Amelia's room. He put an arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss before Amelia emerged, holding her head and moaning about the injustice of good wine drunk to excess.
They sat like lumps at the breakfast table and poked at their bland oatmeal and toast.
"Good morning one and all!" Zelgadis' cheery voice greeted them, and they stared at him as he grabbed each stunned person in turn in a big embrace.
Amelia gave a delighted squeal as she enthusiasticly returned his embrace, but, wincing in hang-over pain, softly declared, "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis, you look even cooler than you did before! Wow!"
"Way to go, Zel!" Lina cried and pumped her right fist in the air before collapsing and holding her head. "Amelia, I'll heal your hangover, if you'll heal mine," she moaned. A wry smile came to her lips, "Hey, Zel, what'll we do now for needles, pins, and toothpicks?"
"Buy them like normal people, you cheapskate!" Zelgadis retorted laughingly.
As he held the princess in his arms, Zel looked over her head at his swordsman friend and said, "Gourry, my friend, I bow to your great wisdom! As soon as I awoke, I wrote everything down and hurried to the outskirts of town to try the reversal! As you can see, it worked!" Tears of joy ran down his cheeks, and Amelia continued to hug him, tears coursing down her face as well.
Gourry just smiled a satisfied smile and patted Zel on the back with one hand and gave Amelia a "thumbs-up" with the other.
Later that day, Gourry and Zel took off on their own, while Amelia and Lina wandered through the festival.
"Ooo, look, Miss Lina! A fortune-teller!"
"You have some coins burning a hole in your pocket, Amelia? I can think of better ways to spend money."
"Oh, come on. We can laugh how wrong our fortunes are later."
"Well, ok."
"You go first, Miss Lina."
Lina entered the dark, incense filled tent. A large, heavily veiled fortune-teller sat with her arms and hands folded and well hidden within her sleeves. There was the prerequisite crystal ball. Lina rolled her eyes and thought, "How cheesy! Well, to keep Amelia happy, let's get this over with."
"Ah, Miss Lina Inverse, sorceress supreme, what do I see for thee?" the fortune teller intoned in a suspiciously high voice.
Lina started and then preened, "Well, I can tell you are at least well informed about famous little me. Sowhat do ya see, spooky lady? By the way, if you're Xelloss playing one of your tricks, there's a fireball with your name on it coming your way!"
"No, no, my dear. I'm just a poor woman trying to earn a living," the seer squeaked. "Ahem, I see a tall, green-haired prince... Whoops, sorry, wrong station. Here we are: a tall, blond bumpkin of a swordsman."
Lina blushed fiercely.
"Oh, dear, your swordsman is kinda dumber than dirt, isn't he, but at least he's brave and loves you very much."
"If he's so brave and loves me, why doesn't he ask me to marry him?" Lina scoffed.
"Rejection, my dear, fireballs, dragon slaves, etc. Well, Miss, since no one else is here, are you ready to face your true feelings for this young man? Although considering his denseness, you might wait for something better to come along."
"He's definitely NOT that dense. Ummm, just focused differently. He's a sword genius and tactical whiz, but he's kind, at least when not making jokes about my breasts." she growled, but added, "He calms me and rarely lets me down. He senses my feelings, even thoughts, and comforts me. He lets me take charge, but when the need arises, he is very capable of being the leader. He isn't shocked any more at my behavior but sticks to me like fresh rice candy, (Umm, rice candy. Must get some when this foolishness is done.) despite all the punishment I dole out to him." She blushed and admitted. "Ok, since I'll not see you again, I'll admit I do love him, but every time I try to tell him I want to spend the rest of my life with him, that I cherish him and would be empty without him, something interfers."
"How long have you traveled with him?"
"Four years."
"And you are now 19?"
"Yes. Amost 20."
"It is the right time to tell him now, Lina."
"But how?"
"Well, for one thing, you just did." And Gourry chucked off the robes and veils. "I guess all the times I've had to dress in drag finally worked my way. Uh, this was Zel's and Amelia's idea. Please don't fireball me!"
Lina did a face fault, until Gourry took a chance and leaned across the table to prop up her lower jaw and kiss her. No fireball, punch, kick in the groin, or other punishment happened in retaliation. Just sweet ecstasy.
"I think the crystal ball is showing me something small and shiny," he prophesied, and, while slightly blushing, he pulled a small elven-made ring from a pocket. "The mate will be upon my hand whenever you are ready, if you accept this now and your parents approve."
Lina greedily snatched it from his hand, stripped off her glove and put it on. She snorted, "I love my parents, but their approval isn't needed after all my years traveling without them. As soon as I can get a wedding organized, we'll say our vows before witnesses! I just hope we can find someone to officiate that won't require the trite mouthings that some feel they have to force on a couple. Hey, going home may be safer now! Luna wouldn't dare damage a bride-to-be!"
And Luna hadn't harmed Lina one bit, although she did hang edible red panties on the outside doorknob of Lina's bedroom on her wedding day, much to Sylphiel's embarrassment when the shrine maiden went to Lina's room to help the bride dress.
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Lina gave a quiet chuckle as she finished musing over the past, and then she fell asleep.
The seventh son of their seventh son and the seventh daughter of their seventh daughter found them lying very still and pale under the birch tree.
"Gramps? Gran? Oh, gods, Marluya, have...have...they returned to the Sea of Chaos?!" the man exclaimed. They both leaned over the supine couple on the ground.
"I-I-I can't rouse them. Can you, Vanya?"
"No, I can't either!"
Marluya gave a mourning wail as she and Vanya leaned down to give their grandparents parting kisses.
Two sets of eyes flew open. "Damn, haven't we earned a little rest and relaxation in our old age!" shouted Lina.
"Aaaaaa!" the younger two yelled and jumped back.
Gourry chuckled, "Well, guess we can still fool you kids, no matter how old you are!"
Vanya and Marluya stood panting and gave their grandparents a disgusted look before striding off to teach their classes.
"Gourry, you still seem very weak. Let me go get you a bite to eat," Lina said softly, and she arose and walked over to a fruit laden peach tree. She picked several ripe peaches and brought them back to her spouse. They both began munching and slurping the juicy peaches. Gourry looked down at his wife resting next to him. He grinned and gave a little lick at the juice running down in the wrinkle between her chin and right jowl.
"Gourry!"
"Hmmm. Sweet as ever, old woman" he teased, rubbing her nose with his and gently cupping her left breast in his hand.
She slapped his hand away. "Save it for indoors where the kids aren't roaming about, you randy, old jellyfish! You know they think we should be too old to still have the hots for each other. Ha!" And she winked. "I think it's time we both went back indoors, don't you?"
He chuckled, "You know I'm your guardian and hafta follow you wherever you go for the rest of my life, even though there may not be much of it left."
"All the more reason to check on the condition of our sheets!" And they disappeared from the garden.
by Anna Nimmie Tee
The usual disclaimer that the characters belong to Kanzaka, et al. and that this is only written for pleasure, nothing else.
This is an early story, written before "Here Comes the Bride' and "Slug Guard." Some people liked it very much, although I consider it very plotless and a tad awkward. With a tiny bit of tweaking, I guess you could consider it as an extension of "Here Comes the Bride," even though written long before that story.
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Gourry contentedly patted down the earth around the bright blue pansies he had just planted and then admired the rest of his large flower garden. "Who would have thought the wandering swordsman would have settled down, let alone enjoy gardening non-edible plants," he thought to himself. "Or that Lina would make such an excellent mother?" He felt his usual satisfaction when he reflected on the fact that the sword and sorcery school he and Lina had established was doing well, as was Lina's magic shop company, Spell-Mart.
Suddenly he whirled with the hoe he held in his hand and knocked five wooden blades out of five startled young hands. He then caught the first of the blades in his other hand and, delivering several blows across young backs, chests and arms, fended off a couple more attackers.
"That, young ones, is how you use what ever you have available as a weapon. You better work more on your stalking, too. I felt your presences yards away. Lady Gabriev will not be pleased."
"Drat, Lord Gabriev, we thought we had you that time," exclaimed one of his proteges while massaging a sore shoulder. The others hung their heads and rubbed various sore spots on their own bodies.
"Please don't say anything to Lady Gabrieva," the young noblewoman from the Elmekia Empire pleaded with a shudder.
"It has to be mentioned for your own safety. And, Aheela, you've forgotten again you're not in the Elmekian Empire anymore. The female form of Elmekian last names isn't used here. It confuses people."
One cheeky lad muttered under his breath, "And feminine form doesn't exactly apply to the Holy Lady Gabriev, either."
It was unfortunate for that student that Gourry's hearing was still sharp. "Speaking of form, Jolyr, you will spend an extra hour in the exercise area re-stuffing the practice dummies."
"Yes, Holy One," Jolyr said and made a deep bow, both words and action done out of habit, instilled in him by his Sairaag parents from the time he was a toddler .
"Jolyr, how many times do I have to tell you, neither Lady Gabriev nor I have anything to do with holiness, except maybe my socks! Ok, we've survived what most mortals wouldn't have, I guess, but sheesh!"
"Yes, Hol--Lord Gabriev." Jolyr scooted off to the practice arena.
Gourry sighed and thought to himself, "Gods, Sylphiel, what nonsense you started!"
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When Gourry and Lina reappeared from the Sea of Chaos in each other's arms, Sylphiel gave up her dreams of gaining his love, because, she reasoned, anyone who returned from the Sea of Chaos must be divine and therefore beyond her reach. Hearing the tale of the defeat of Dark Star convinced her further that Gourry and Lina were special and meant for each other. The corker happened when Gourry imprisoned Xelloss in a new Flagoon...
Lina was pregnant with their first child, when she and Gourry paid a visit to new Sairaag, which Sylphiel was re-building. Gourry was nervous about Lina's survival of the birth process because she was so small, and he insisted she deliver their child with the assistance of the finest healer to be found, namely Sylphiel.
In the meantime, Xelloss was dispatched by Beastmaster to prevent the holy city's resurrection and to kidnap the Gabrievs' babe, who was to be raised to contract with the mazoku, since the powerful mother had refused to do so herself.
Xelloss was hungry, very hungry. Lina's birth pains were just an appetizer to him as he waited outside the modest birthing house. He decided he would torture Sylphiel and Gourry a long while for a full meal before he killed them. He figured they would leave the birthing house so that the new mother and child could rest and bond. He especially wanted Lina to bond with the child. "Her agony as I steal the infant will be an exquisite dessert," he thought.
Sylphiel had felt an evil presence outside and cautiously emerged first, but before she could shield, Xelloss had already raised a hand and instantly sent what felt like fire slowly burning her skin away. She gave a loud, agonized scream.
Up to then, Xelloss had thought of Gourry only as a rash idiot with no magical capabilities at all. He expected the swordsman to rush from the house with sword raised and yelling some stupidity. Xelloss' violet eyes glowed in gleeful anticipation. He wasn't disappointed. "Hello, Daddy Gourry," he greeted the former mercenary. "Here's a birth day present!" and the mazoku shot an energy bolt at the body of the father. Xelloss' eyes widened as, instead of being thrown against the house and writhing in pain, Gourry's body dissipated, and the Blast Blade descended to cleave the mazoku in half diagonally as Gourry attacked from the side. "Wha--?" the monster cried in disbelief as he collapsed.
"Side door and Cicada Ruse," Gourry informed him modestly and quickly removing a nut from a pocket intoned. "Oh Lord of the rich earth, sustaining all life, please heed your humble servant's wish. Grant this seed the strength of roots, trunk, and boughs to contain this evil that would destroy us: Flagoon Volt!" He threw the nut down on the dying Xelloss, and a new Flagoon rapidly absorbed what was left of the mazoku.
Sylphiel weakly watched in adoration and awe. "You are the true Swordsman of Light, Her Servant!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees and bowing her forehead to the ground.
Gourry scratched the back of his head, a well known endearing habit. "Ah, well, that spell has been passed down several generations, and I guess it hasn't been needed until now, although it was really, really pounded into my head when I was a kid. I knew I could only kill Xelloss, but he wouldn't die. The Blast Blade can't ruin a mazoku of Xelloss' high status. But a new Flagoon should hold him for a while. Only the Hellmaster seemed to have the power to destroy the old Flagoon. But probably any of my family could have recited that spell. I'm nothing special. The sorcerer in my neighborhood that tried to teach me despaired I'd learn anything. Hey, I guess this means you can be a shrine maiden again!"
"Gourry! What has happened out there? I heard Xelloss' voice and felt his presence!" Lina's voice asked peevishly. "Tell me quick, will the baby be safe? I hope so. We're trying to get some rest here!"
"Guess we'd better see to the new mom and the new dragon spooker, eh?" Gourry grinned and helped Sylphiel to rise.
Sylphiel thereafter took it into her head that Lina and Gourry really were true avatars of LON, despite their human appearance and personal frailties. Her fervent worship of them made the pair uncomfortable. Well, at least Gourry. Lina didn't mind being worshiped, instead of being chased out of town, but then enough was enough. The couple and their child left for Saillune when the baby was old enough to travel. In a century, thanks to Sylphiel, the inhabitants of Sairaag regarded the two as holy: Lina as Punisher and Destroyer of Evil and Gourry as Protector and Nurturer. It bemused and annoyed them both, especially Gourry, when awestruck worshipers from Sairaag came to the school. The adoration made it difficult to get those particular students to take effective defense or offensive tactics during their lessons whenever Lina or Gourry taught them. To raise a weapon or spell against the "holy ones" was blasphemy, wasn't it?
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Lina, who happened to glance out her bower window at the time the students' "attack" had begun, smirked and chuckled at the students' discomfort. "It's amazing how Gourry's reflexes and strength have kept up," she mused. "And he's still gorgeous."
Indeed he was. Gourry's hair was still long, but now silver and gold, with silver predominating. His body retained its excellent muscle tone and strength, thanks to his continued hours of exercise and sword practice. There were lines in his face, but his bone structure was superb and his skin relatively taunt, thanks to his high cheek bones. The kind twinkle was still in his eyes, and the easy smile graced his lips yet, despite all he had gone through with Lina. Lina thanked L-sama yet again for sending her such a marvelous companion and lover, even if there remained times when she had to fight the desire to fireball him for inattention and forgetfulness. Though, she had to admit to herself, he had always been uncannily sharp as his sword in battle or emergency mode. The "dumb blond" facade was useful with foes.
Lina herself was still in relatively good form. Relative, because thanks to having many children, her hips and waist were a little broader and she wasn't as flat-chested, although she still could not be said to be "full-bodied." Gourry made sure she still exercised extensively to stay physically fit and strong. To be sure, she had wrinkles, jowls, and a little tummy now, the tummy, not from lack of muscular tone, but loose skin from so many years of childbearing. She refused to employ any magic or surgery to make herself look younger. She had gained that much more confidence in herself that body image surprisingly was no longer as important an issue as it had been to her. For after all, Gourry still wanted to "get frisky" with her despite her old body. She had learned his words may have said one thing, but his eyes, hands, mouth and other body parts spoke differently. As many couples who have been together a long time discover, love can blind one to the effects of time.
Another change with age was both she and Gourry were no longer the eating machines they had been. This was a good thing, considering the appetites of the generations of children they had seen born and had fed.
Lina fondly watched as her husband handed the students' blades back to them and turned back to his garden. Then she gasped as he suddenly collapsed. Opening her window she Ray Winged down to him, her white hair streaming behind her.
"Gourry! Gourry! What's wrong!" and with the help of the students, she rolled him over on his back and supported his head and neck on her left arm.
"Ah, Lina Dearest, I'm so tired," he smiled weakly up at her.
"Can you sit up or get up?" Lina queried tremulously.
"No, [deep breath] I'm too ...tired. We've had a long, long, exciting and good life together, haven't we?"
Indeed it had been both exciting and long. With age and experience, she and Gourry eventually made less mistakes in their adventures and did more good with less collateral damage. In gratitude for their services, they at last had received the decent recognition they deserved and had been granted titles of nobility and estates by several kingdoms. Their most beloved home and headquarters was in Gourry's ancestral barony. The distribution of the management of the other holdings served to keep down family rivalries.
Lina's life had been extended a couple hundred years due to her strength in magic. The only drawback, other than surviving most of her old human friends, had been she had "that time of month" for many, many more years than she would have had, if she had been a non-magic practicing woman. Her ovi hadn't dropped into her uterus as regularly or often due to the effects of her black magic. Since her aging process was slowed, those eggs were in effect over a longer period of time. Reaching the age of the crone was quite a while in coming, resulting in 21 children, due to that longer fertility period. The Gabriev family was now the size of a small city, what with all the generations of grandchildren scattered all over their world. Several of the family stayed there to teach at the school and run the headquarters of the family magic shop company, which had stores in every kingdom's towns and cities.
Gourry's life was likewise as long because of the years he had carried the Sword of Light and the Blast Blade and his genetic mix of races. His ancestor, Rowdy, had not married the elf, Meliroon, but a descendant of Rowdy had. Such a heritage explained Gourry's long, blond hair, superhuman skills and ability to take so much brutal physical punishment, not only from enemies, but Lina herself in her very early years.
"Young ones, please help me move Gourry to the shade of that birch tree. It'll be an exercise in levitating something other than yourselves."
Once his back was gently settled against the trunk of the tree, Lina dismissed the students and finally answered Gourry's question. "Yes, it's been a wonderful life together, but we still have some time, don't we? You just need to rest, old man, and take in more fluids when you work in the sun."
Gourry only smiled sweetly at her and closed his eyes. Lina kissed his lips and suddenly felt very tired as well. Snuggling close to her husband and closing her eyes, too, she rested her head on his chest and thought about her long, eventful life with him. She smiled to think about how he had finally proposed to her.
*****************************************************
She and Gourry had finally given in to their long suppressed desire for each other on a journey to her parents, but he still hadn't asked "the question." A few times it had seemed he was about to, but he had chickened out.
They were almost to Zephilia once again, when they encountered Princess Amelia on her way on another diplomatic mission. In order to forestall another disaster like that of Zoana, Prince Phil had asked a visiting Zelgadis to be her body guard.
While Lina and Amelia filled each other in on what they had experienced after they had left each other's company, Zel quietly commented to Gourry, "I see you two are still traveling together after all these years, too. Are you finally a couple?"
Gourry replied, "I think so. We're definitely a lot more close. Ah, don't ask for details, Zel. My upbringing and the wrath of Lina won't let me say more. Anyway, she hasn't hit or fireballed me in long while, but I'm scared to ask her to marry me. I truly don't know if she's just tolerating me for her own convenience and pleasure, or whether she loves me as I love her." And it seemed a cloud went over his normally sunny expression.
As they crossed the borders of Zephilia, they found the grape harvest festival had already begun. Lina wanted to stall the confrontation with her sister Luna and insisted they first take part in the festivities in a small city a few days from the capital where her family lived. For propriety's sake, Lina and Amelia again shared a room and Gourry and Zelgadis another. Gourry noticed Zel was still having his re-occurring nightmare of being turned into a chimera. Gourry's friend had listened to him when he had poured his heart out about Lina, and Gourry wished he could do the same for Zel. The next morning at the usual breakfast competition (Some things never change), he asked the chimera, "Is your dream exactly what happened when Ratso turned you into a chimera?"
Zel heaved a sigh and replied with gritted teeth, "You don't change much, do you? The name was Rezo. I don't want to think about what actually happened, but yes, the damn nightmare is an exact duplication of what occurred. Now let's leave it. I don't want to remember the horrid details in my waking hours."
"Well, I may not be the highest man on the tally for smarts at this table, but have you tried writing down everything exactly as appears in your dream? Maybe then you could repeat the process in reverse, and you'd be cured."
Food and drink in the hands of the three open-mouthed sorcerers suddenly stopped midair. Lina choked. Gourry gave her a concerned look, but she gasped "I'm ok."
Zelgadiss stared wide-eyed at Gourry and smacked himself in the head. "I-I never thought of that!"
Lina was still reluctant to travel on and said she wished to have a few more days of fun before facing the punishment she knew Luna had saved up for her. They spent another day at the festival, but Zel kept wanting to go back to the inn to sleep.
"Zel, it's only four in the afternoon! There's tons of food to eat, wine to drink, and bargains to find. Come on! Ya gotta learn some of the folk dances! That'll make you tired and sleepy faster!" Lina cajoled the chimera.
They had stopped in front of a musical instrument booth as Lina said this. Hoping to make some sales or exchange of magical talismans, Lina moved on to a booth with reputed magical artifacts across the way. Amelia followed her, but Gourry's eye was caught by a rosewood flute which could be disassembled for travel.
"I haven't played one of these in years," he whispered with some emotion to Zel, put the flute to his lips, and then placed his long, slender fingers over the holes. With his eyes half closed he rapidly ran through a scale several times before exploring a slow, minor melody. The flute began to cry and warble with a purity of tone that stopped passers-by in their tracks.
Lina and Amelia looked over their shoulders to see where the music was coming from and gasped in surprise. Sunny-natured, jellyfish-brains was playing that?! He was gently swaying and seemed to be playing almost in a trance. Lina's heart felt like an empty sponge absorbing the passion of the music.
Gourry started to speed up the melody with yet more improvisations weaving their way through it. Zelgadis picked up a long-necked lute and began to play a rhythmic back-up harmony. The booth's owner, a large man with a great moustache waxed to upturned points, grabbed a big hand drum, and the music became a wild dance that grew faster and faster. The wife of the booth owner took up her fiddle, and she, Gourry, and Zel had a fierce, exuberant "musical" conversation, each letting the other take the lead for a while before playing together again. After quite a while, with a forceful head nod from Gourry, the group stopped, and a few notes slowly wailing from the flute brought it all to an end. A shout went up from all the musicians, and the crowd that had gathered and danced joined them.
Lina felt out of breath from the emotions stirred in her by the music and the dance in which she had found herself. "Gourry," she managed to gasp, "whatever that flute costs, buy it! You have a magic I never knew about!"
"Whoa, you must have been impressed!" Gourry laughed giddily. He was on the musical high a good jam produces. Even Zelgadis was grinning.
"How much is this flute?" Gourry inquired of the salesman.
"Young man, if you and your friend stay and play a while longer and join us in our gig tonight, I'll sell it to you at cost!" And he named a very reasonable price indeed. The four travelers could continue to eat well.
When they finally did reach the inn that night, Zelgadis hurriedly gave his excuses, and, clutching writing materials, practically ran up the stairs to his room to jump into bed fully clothed. Lina, Gourry and Amelia exchanged shrugs, crossed their fingers, and partook of the remaining festivities in the inn's common room with their new friends from the musical instrument booth.
The next morning Gourry awoke with a stunning hang-over and noticed Zel's empty bed with the bedding thrown back. After splashing water on his face and dressing, he encountered Lina staggering out of her and Amelia's room. He put an arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss before Amelia emerged, holding her head and moaning about the injustice of good wine drunk to excess.
They sat like lumps at the breakfast table and poked at their bland oatmeal and toast.
"Good morning one and all!" Zelgadis' cheery voice greeted them, and they stared at him as he grabbed each stunned person in turn in a big embrace.
Amelia gave a delighted squeal as she enthusiasticly returned his embrace, but, wincing in hang-over pain, softly declared, "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis, you look even cooler than you did before! Wow!"
"Way to go, Zel!" Lina cried and pumped her right fist in the air before collapsing and holding her head. "Amelia, I'll heal your hangover, if you'll heal mine," she moaned. A wry smile came to her lips, "Hey, Zel, what'll we do now for needles, pins, and toothpicks?"
"Buy them like normal people, you cheapskate!" Zelgadis retorted laughingly.
As he held the princess in his arms, Zel looked over her head at his swordsman friend and said, "Gourry, my friend, I bow to your great wisdom! As soon as I awoke, I wrote everything down and hurried to the outskirts of town to try the reversal! As you can see, it worked!" Tears of joy ran down his cheeks, and Amelia continued to hug him, tears coursing down her face as well.
Gourry just smiled a satisfied smile and patted Zel on the back with one hand and gave Amelia a "thumbs-up" with the other.
Later that day, Gourry and Zel took off on their own, while Amelia and Lina wandered through the festival.
"Ooo, look, Miss Lina! A fortune-teller!"
"You have some coins burning a hole in your pocket, Amelia? I can think of better ways to spend money."
"Oh, come on. We can laugh how wrong our fortunes are later."
"Well, ok."
"You go first, Miss Lina."
Lina entered the dark, incense filled tent. A large, heavily veiled fortune-teller sat with her arms and hands folded and well hidden within her sleeves. There was the prerequisite crystal ball. Lina rolled her eyes and thought, "How cheesy! Well, to keep Amelia happy, let's get this over with."
"Ah, Miss Lina Inverse, sorceress supreme, what do I see for thee?" the fortune teller intoned in a suspiciously high voice.
Lina started and then preened, "Well, I can tell you are at least well informed about famous little me. Sowhat do ya see, spooky lady? By the way, if you're Xelloss playing one of your tricks, there's a fireball with your name on it coming your way!"
"No, no, my dear. I'm just a poor woman trying to earn a living," the seer squeaked. "Ahem, I see a tall, green-haired prince... Whoops, sorry, wrong station. Here we are: a tall, blond bumpkin of a swordsman."
Lina blushed fiercely.
"Oh, dear, your swordsman is kinda dumber than dirt, isn't he, but at least he's brave and loves you very much."
"If he's so brave and loves me, why doesn't he ask me to marry him?" Lina scoffed.
"Rejection, my dear, fireballs, dragon slaves, etc. Well, Miss, since no one else is here, are you ready to face your true feelings for this young man? Although considering his denseness, you might wait for something better to come along."
"He's definitely NOT that dense. Ummm, just focused differently. He's a sword genius and tactical whiz, but he's kind, at least when not making jokes about my breasts." she growled, but added, "He calms me and rarely lets me down. He senses my feelings, even thoughts, and comforts me. He lets me take charge, but when the need arises, he is very capable of being the leader. He isn't shocked any more at my behavior but sticks to me like fresh rice candy, (Umm, rice candy. Must get some when this foolishness is done.) despite all the punishment I dole out to him." She blushed and admitted. "Ok, since I'll not see you again, I'll admit I do love him, but every time I try to tell him I want to spend the rest of my life with him, that I cherish him and would be empty without him, something interfers."
"How long have you traveled with him?"
"Four years."
"And you are now 19?"
"Yes. Amost 20."
"It is the right time to tell him now, Lina."
"But how?"
"Well, for one thing, you just did." And Gourry chucked off the robes and veils. "I guess all the times I've had to dress in drag finally worked my way. Uh, this was Zel's and Amelia's idea. Please don't fireball me!"
Lina did a face fault, until Gourry took a chance and leaned across the table to prop up her lower jaw and kiss her. No fireball, punch, kick in the groin, or other punishment happened in retaliation. Just sweet ecstasy.
"I think the crystal ball is showing me something small and shiny," he prophesied, and, while slightly blushing, he pulled a small elven-made ring from a pocket. "The mate will be upon my hand whenever you are ready, if you accept this now and your parents approve."
Lina greedily snatched it from his hand, stripped off her glove and put it on. She snorted, "I love my parents, but their approval isn't needed after all my years traveling without them. As soon as I can get a wedding organized, we'll say our vows before witnesses! I just hope we can find someone to officiate that won't require the trite mouthings that some feel they have to force on a couple. Hey, going home may be safer now! Luna wouldn't dare damage a bride-to-be!"
And Luna hadn't harmed Lina one bit, although she did hang edible red panties on the outside doorknob of Lina's bedroom on her wedding day, much to Sylphiel's embarrassment when the shrine maiden went to Lina's room to help the bride dress.
******************************************************
Lina gave a quiet chuckle as she finished musing over the past, and then she fell asleep.
The seventh son of their seventh son and the seventh daughter of their seventh daughter found them lying very still and pale under the birch tree.
"Gramps? Gran? Oh, gods, Marluya, have...have...they returned to the Sea of Chaos?!" the man exclaimed. They both leaned over the supine couple on the ground.
"I-I-I can't rouse them. Can you, Vanya?"
"No, I can't either!"
Marluya gave a mourning wail as she and Vanya leaned down to give their grandparents parting kisses.
Two sets of eyes flew open. "Damn, haven't we earned a little rest and relaxation in our old age!" shouted Lina.
"Aaaaaa!" the younger two yelled and jumped back.
Gourry chuckled, "Well, guess we can still fool you kids, no matter how old you are!"
Vanya and Marluya stood panting and gave their grandparents a disgusted look before striding off to teach their classes.
"Gourry, you still seem very weak. Let me go get you a bite to eat," Lina said softly, and she arose and walked over to a fruit laden peach tree. She picked several ripe peaches and brought them back to her spouse. They both began munching and slurping the juicy peaches. Gourry looked down at his wife resting next to him. He grinned and gave a little lick at the juice running down in the wrinkle between her chin and right jowl.
"Gourry!"
"Hmmm. Sweet as ever, old woman" he teased, rubbing her nose with his and gently cupping her left breast in his hand.
She slapped his hand away. "Save it for indoors where the kids aren't roaming about, you randy, old jellyfish! You know they think we should be too old to still have the hots for each other. Ha!" And she winked. "I think it's time we both went back indoors, don't you?"
He chuckled, "You know I'm your guardian and hafta follow you wherever you go for the rest of my life, even though there may not be much of it left."
"All the more reason to check on the condition of our sheets!" And they disappeared from the garden.