Love and Pain
Ramon: our new fic. Another Lina and Gourry fic, based of the events after Slayers Evolution-R episode 4.
Sunny: The Slayers and all its characters don't belong to us, it belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Arazumi.
Alandra: we hope that you people can enjoy this new fic.
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Chapter 1
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"NAMA YOU IDIOT!!!!" Lina shouted as she ran after Nama with an axe on her hand, she led the Slayers to a smelly old cave with some very old smelly objects that it is best not to mention.
"I'm sorry!!! I am so sorry!!!!" the living armour tried to apologise but Lina just continued to chase her without stopping.
Sited near a tree stands the rest of the gang watching Lina running after Nama like a killer maniac.
"Maybe I should stop Miss Lina." Amelia volunteered. "Poor Nama has suffered the enough."
Zel stopped Amelia when she was about to get up. "No, let her suffer some more."
"Mr. Zelgadiss, please, you don't need to be rude with Nama. It is not her fault that you fell down a smelly old hold full of mud."
"I don't even think that was even mud." Zel twitched his eyes. "Ever since we hook up with that thing we have been involved in even much worse, embarrassing situations that we normally get in to. She is a complete nightmare!"
Pokota agreed. "That is true, for once I agree with Zelgapistis. And sometimes I get the feeling that Nama just loves to torment Lina."
"The name is Zelgadiss!" Zel growled at Pokota, trying hard not to break his face.
"Sometimes I get the feeling that I know Nama from somewhere." Amelia thought and then looks on her right to see Gourry, lost in his thoughts. It's been like four days since that incident with Miss Mermaid and the fish men, could it be that Gourry is still upset with it? "Mr. Gourry, are you alright?"
Gourry woke up from his train of thoughts and looks at Amelia. "Wh-What?"
"Are you alright? You seem to be lost."
"Don't tell me that you are still thinking about the fish people?" Zel asked. "You know very well that you were never their father, it was all a scheme that Miss Mermaid pull."
"Oh please, say that you are over it!" Pokota implored. "That incident was so ridiculous, my back still hurts and I am sure not in the mood to carry you when you are all mushy."
"No, no…I am all over it." Gourry secured. "It is just, something else……"
"Like what?" Amelia asked.
Gourry did not respond, he simply gets up and walks away to the lake.
Amelia sighed, she knows that Gourry is dense but he really seems to be upset. In fact ever since the incident with the fish people four days ago both Lina and Gourry haven't even spoke with each other, almost like if they are angry with each other. Lina might have been happy when Gourry returned back to the team but she felt discarded when Gourry said that he wanted to stay and take care of the fish kids, Gourry might have meant well but, in some way, Lina felt abandoned, and so the pain still stands there. Lina is still not ready to forgive Gourry, just yet.
"Lina!!! Give back Nama's head!!!!" Nama cried while Lina walked back to the gang with Nama's helmet on her hand.
"Guys, lets go find a place to stay for the night." Lina suggested with an annoyed voice, and then throws Nama's head away.
"Noooo!!!!" Nama cried as she ran after her head.
"Better go find Gourry, he went to the lake to cool off." Pokota pointed to where Gourry went.
"I'll go get him." Zel stretched and then yawned.
"No. I'll get him." Lina said and then went after Gourry before anyone could reply.
"Those two have been acting really strange in these last days." Pokota said. "More than usual."
"Miss Lina is still upset with Gourry about the fish men." Amelia explained.
"Oh c'mon… The guy is back on the team, isn't that what she wanted?"
"You don't understand the relationship between the two of them." Zel suddenly spoke. "They have been together for practically four years and had a tone of crazy adventures together. They even risked their lives for one another against Hellmaster himself."
"Despite the way they act, they deeply care for each other but this incident with Miss Mermaid made Lina feel a bit deceived. And I don't know why but it upset Gourry as well." Amelia added.
With those words Pokota remembers back when he first meet Lina and Gourry, she said that they were a travelling sorceress and swordsman, for the moment. "This might be nothing but I have a feeling that Lina was trying to say that……no way, it is possibly my imagination."
"Lina is so mean! Mean, mean, mean, mean!" Nama whined as she walked closer to the gang.
"Our group became much noisier ever since a certain rabbit and the loudmouth armour join us." Zel thought.
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Lina found Gourry near the lake and called him out. "Hey Gourry! Hurry up! We are moving!"
"Wh-what?" Gourry turns around when Lina called him. "Yeah I'm going!"
Gourry walked towards Lina but stopped two feet away from her when he notice the look on her face, she is not angry but deeply serious. "What is it? What is wrong?"
Lina did not say a word and did not even move. She only wanted to hit him, hit him so hard because of the events that happen a few days ago, in the end she made it to get him back to the team, still that did not remove the isolation she felt on that week and the soreness she felt when Gourry said that he was going to stop traveling with her until he could help the fish kids. Lina felt that she was going to cry so she turns around for Gourry not to see her. "It is nothing!"
"It has to be something for you to nearly cry."
"I am not crying!"
"Yes you are."
"I am NOT!" Lina snapped and turn around. "Now shut up and come along!"
Gourry was going to say something but Lina walk away before he had the chance. He sighed sadly when she was in a far distance. "Why do you care Lina? I am nothing but your body guard, you said it so yourself."
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Minutes later the Slayers gain view of a small town on the horizon. They all decided to rest there for tonight and eat some dinner, but when they arrive there they notice that the city is completely deserted.
"This place is so scary….Nama is scare." Nama whined.
"Stop your whining!" Lina shouted.
"Still, Nama is right, this place seems like a Ghost Town." Amelia said with a bit fear in her voice as she gets closer to Zelgadiss. "I never knew that we would end up finding a ghost town along the way."
"This is mostly out of the ordinary." Zel said as he analyzed his map. "According to this map this city is habituated. If it was a simple ghost town it would not be marked in the map."
"When did you get that map?" Pokota asked.
"I got it back in Seilune right after our fight with Zanaffer. It is basically new."
"So that means that what happen to this city was practically current." Lina said as she looked around. "What ever happen here must have been huge. By the look of this place it practically sounds like there was a battle."
"I think it was Zombies." Gourry assured.
"Oh really? And what makes you say that, Mr. Jellyfish for brains?"
"Because of them." Gourry points to the group of Zombies walking towards them.
"Oh no……no more Zombies." Amelia complained.
Lina smirks. "Good, someone to blow up some steam. FIREBALL!!!!"
Lina blows away the zombies. "Man, that felt good."
Suddenly more and more Zombies start to appear from every corner of the city, surrounding the Slayers.
"Never things are easy, are they?" Zelgadiss asked very sarcastically.
"Gourry, here!" Pokota passes his sword of Light to Gourry, he will need it.
Just then the Slayers were about to attack when a light from the sky appeared.
"What is that?" Amelia asked.
"What ever it is it is doing something to the Zombies. Look." Zel points to all the Zombies that are disappearing.
"How could they disappear like that? All of them?" Gourry asked very confused.
No one respond, they simply look up and saw that the light slowly disappears to reveal a person slowly flying down towards them.
When the person landed down it revealed to be a young man practically by the same age as Zelgadiss, he has a long white hair and wearing a dark cape.
"Who are you?" Zelgadiss asked.
"You are welcome." The man replied sarcastically.
"Ok, guys, lets not be rude here." Lina said when Zel was about to reply.
"Oh, like you are not the definition of rudeness." Zel murmured.
"My name is Lina. This grumpy fellow is Zelgadiss, she is Amelia, the dumb blond here is Gourry, the rabbit is Pokota and the talking amour is Nama."
"OHHHHOHOHOHOHOH!" Nama laughed when she was introduced and was immediately bunked by Lina.
"STOP LAUGHING LIKE THAT!!!! IT GIVES ME BAD MEMORIES!!!"
"Lina? As in Lina Inverse?" the man asked.
Lina turns to the mysterious man with a grin of her own. "Yes, the fantastic, amazing and most beautiful Lina Inverse."
"And flat chest." Nama added, then received a kick on the head by Lina.
"The rumors they say about you is true. You are quite beautiful." The man said.
Lina blushed when this mysterious man complimented her, it is a first. "Why thank you….."
Lina looks back at Gourry to see that he is staring at the mysterious man with a not so pleasant look. "Hum….. I might us this to my advantage. To make Gourry jealous. Let's see how you like it Gourry!" she thought with a smirk.
Lina walks to the stranger with a sweet attitude. "I really appreciate it. But who are you?"
"My name is Jeran. I am the prince of this kingdom."
"Prince? What is the name of this kingdom?" Amelia asked.
"What are those Zombies that attack us?" Zel asked.
"Those Zombies were once people of this kingdom before a high level evil sorcerer came to this town and turn every one into slave monsters." Jeran explained. "I alone was the only survivor."
"Turn them all into monsters? Why would a sorcerer come to this city?" Pokota asked.
"The sorcerer plans to steal the priceless riches of my kingdom, so he sends off these monsters in order to eliminate me. If he kills me he can obtain the riches he seeks."
"RICHES!?!?!?!" Nama asked all excited but she was calm down when Amelia put her hand on her shoulder.
"Why are you such a threat to him? Why doesn't he seeks the gold and get on with it?" Zelgadiss asked.
"Because I study magic as well and I know the right spells to make those Zombies go away. But I am afraid that I am not as mighty and powerful as Lina Inverse here." Jeran complimented.
Lina giggled. "Who am I to disagree? So what do you say guys? Shall we help poor Jeran?"
"In order to defeat evil? But of course!" Amelia immediately agreed.
"Good then lets go!" Lina said before any one could say a word. She then wraps her arms around Jeran and both of them walk away with Gourry following them with a glare.
"Strange." Zel said when Lina, Gourry and Jeran were in a far distance. "In a case like this Lina would demand some money for the job."
"And have you notice how she is getting so close to someone who she just meet?" Pokota noted.
"And have you notice when she looks at Gourry every time she gets close to Jeran?" Amelia asked with a bit excitement in her voice.
Pokota and Zelgadiss look at each other with a confused look and then ask. "So?"
"So it is obvious that Lina is doing this on purpose to make Gourry jealous!"
Zel sighed in annoyance. "I don't believe that I am getting involved in another stupid exploit. Now why the heck would Lina do that? She is not that kind of a person to do something like that."
"I know but after what happen four days ago Lina wants to find out if she is still important to Gourry."
"Great, we are now involved in a lovers wrangle." Pokota complained. "So let's get this over with fast so we can return back to our real quest. Finding the vase of Hellmaster."
To be continued……
Alandra: will Lina's plan work?
Maliska: or is there something more with this Zombies plot?
Sunny: read and review.