Wedding Bell Blues

by Omoni

The title says it all, really. Once again, it has no reference to Revo/Evo, and is in sequence with my other stories.

Wedding Bell Blues

"Hmph."

Gourry looked up from the spear head he was polishing. He was seated on the floor of the shop, surrounded by rags and a couple of bottles of oil. Lina was standing behind the counter, her cheek in her hand, her eyes half-open.

"Linaaa," Gourry called, trying to make her smile. "What's wrong?"

Lina sighed, deeply. "So, tell me something," she said, her eyes unfocused. "We have our little shop. We have our little home. We have our trade, a mailing address, and a thread of customers."

Gourry nodded. "Of course. What's so bad about that?"

Lina looked over at him. "Don't you think it's time we get married now?"

Gourry blinked, then thought about it. After a few seconds, he nodded, looking back down at his work. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

Lina nodded, closing her eyes. Inside, her stomach was full of insanely happy butterflies, and the girly side of her wanted to shriek and giggle and become an idiot. On the outside, however, all she said was, "Alright. I'll look into that."

Gourry grinned, shaking his head slowly. Mentally, he started counting down, from ten to one.

When he reached one, he felt something hard crash into him and tackle him to the ground. Gourry relaxed, submitting to the wrestling and pinning. Lina sat on him, her eyes blazing, her face bright red. She opened her mouth to yell, but Gourry was already laughing, and she closed it, her face going even redder.

She snatched up the spearhead and brought it down onto his head, shrieking about taking nonchalance too far, and he yelped, but couldn't stop laughing.

And that is how you get engaged.

X X X

Once Gourry had regained consciousness, they decided to speak seriously about it. Lina wanted to return home to Zephilia for a while, to plan the wedding with her parents and sister ("but not Dilgear," she growled). Gourry thought this was a good idea ("But you're going to have to invite him anyway, if you want Luna-san to come."), and they closed up shop and set out.

It took them a few days, but only because they were taking their time. Lina knew that during this whole time, it would be hard going to find time alone together until it was over, and she wanted to get her fill now while she had the chance. Gourry was the same way, although he harboured the delusion that he would be able to still see Lina in-between planning.

Once in Zephilia, after a flurry of greetings and shouting, Lina sat her family down and stated the news.

Luna started laughing. She actually snorted, before covering her mouth. However, it wasn't enough, and she started laughing and laughing, tears running down her cheeks.

Luka and Delmas had a more calm reaction. "That's very nice, Lina-chan," Luka said calmly. "You certainly had been stringing him along long enough, don't you think?"

Delmas nodded. "Poor Gourry-kun," he agreed sagely.

"Excuse me, you stupid people, but if Gourry wanted to marry me sooner, he would have said something!" Lina snapped, talking over Luna's laughter.

"Uh, no I wouldn't of," Gourry admitted meekly. Lina turned and fixed her worst glare at him, and he squeaked out, "When it comes to things like this, I always follow your lead, Lina."

Lina's glare intensified. Slowly, she held up one hand, and a spark of fire burst to life. Luka reached forward and jerked Lina's hand away, breaking her concentration and forcing the spell to vanish. Lina turned to her mother, her teeth bared, but Luka rolled her eyes, lunged forward, and grabbed Lina into a headlock.

Lina shouted out in protest and embarrassment, but Luka didn't move or relent. "Anyway," Luka said calmly. "Do you have a date planned?"

Lina paused, then sagged in her mother's grasp. "No," she answered sullenly. "I wanted your help with that. I want to invite everyone."

"Everyone?" Gourry blinked.

Lina smiled at him. "Everyone! Everyone, everyone!"

Delmas blanched. "That's going to be expensive..." he said worriedly.

Lina grinned wider. "We can ask Amelia to foot the bill! Plan it in Seyruun and everything!"

Luka pouted. "I was hoping you would get married here at home."

Lina made a face. "No way!" she snapped. "People will start calling me 'Lina the Pink' again! I barely lived that down last time!"

Gourry smirked. Lina tried to free herself from her mother's grip to kick him, but Luka held her firm.

Delmas was rubbing at his beard thoughtfully. "But Seyruun is quite a hike from here, don't you think?"

Luna ceased her laughing, gasping for breath. "It is..." she agreed. "But it's a good place to meet up. Do you plan on getting married before Ciephied, Lina-chan?"

Lina gave such a poisonous, disgusted look that Luna twitched. "And why not?" Luna asked.

"Do I look religious to you?" Lina demanded.

"Ciephied isn't part of RELIGION, Lina-chan," Luna said quietly. "Ciephied is a part of CREATION."

Gourry pondered. "Um, but I thought that the golden lady, what's-her-name, was the creator of all things?"

There was a stunned silence as everyone stared at Gourry in awe. Gourry blinked, tilting his head to one side. "Isn't that what Valgaav said?" he pressed. "When we fought Vol-what's-his-name?"

Lina stared at him. "You remember THAT, but you still forget my birthday every year?!"

"You forget Lina-chan's birthday?!" Delmas demanded. "How can you forget it? It's in SEQUENCE!"

Gourry blinked, trying to make himself shrink. "Ah, sequence? And besides, she never tells me or gives me hints until AFTER!!"

"Your ass? KICKED!" Lina lunged at him, and this time, Luka let her go. Soon, there was more laughing, more shrieking, and very little planning.

X X X

It took several months to get it all planned and for everyone to be contacted, but eventually, around fall that year, the plans were in their final stages. By that time, pretty much everyone was there.

In the end, after much yelling and accusations, Lina resolved to allow the wedding to be held in Zephilia. Amelia was, in her opinion, being cheap about it, and even Prince Phillionel offered to host the event, but Amelia flat-out refused, and who could deny the crown princess?

Well, Lina could, but apparently that didn't MATTER.

Some of it was awkward. When Zelgadis arrived, Amelia had already been there a few days, and there was a huge silence that stretched between them. Zelgadis was still, apparently, refusing to give up on his search for a cure, and Amelia was still rather hurt and resentful about it, (and with reason, especially if you judged it from one of Zelgadis's previous vists...).

However, by the end of the day, after much teasing at Lina's expense, they were able to patch it up as much as they could, and eventually Amelia dropped the "-san" from Zelgadis's name once more.

Sylphiel was the hardest to reach, since she was probably the worst offender when it came to inconsistent letters. When they finally managed to find out where she was, she had already left there. This happened several times before Sylphiel caught wind that someone was trying to contact her and set out to find out who it was. After that, it was easy, and soon the priestess in question was in Zephilia with them.

Lina was worried about this, to be honest. The last time she and Gourry had seen her was in that tiny hamlet when she was afflicted with the Fire Fury spell. It had been embarrassing, and awkward, and Lina still had doubts that perhaps the older girl still harboured feelings for Gourry.

However, Sylphiel shocked her. When she arrived, she walked over to Lina, hugged her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, congratulating her with utmost sincerity. Then, she went to Gourry, did the same, and actually TEASED him about it, demanding to know what had taken him "so damned long". It was a refreshing surprise, and instantly Lina relaxed. She liked Sylphiel, and didn't want to lose her as a friend.

Filia almost didn't make it, barely managing to arrive before the sun went down on the eve of the wedding. She arrived with a basket, which Lina instantly knew to be Val's makeshift bassinet. She peered inside, and saw a very tiny, very leathery little lizard.

"He's not done yet," she grinned.

Filia puffed her cheeks out. "He's hatched, and that's that," she said, unable to hide the pride in her voice. "He's in an incubation period right now, but he'll be up and about in a few weeks." Filia's gaze softened, and she looked into the basket with warm eyes. "He's even changed to a human baby a couple of times."

Lina blinked in shock. "That's amazing...are you sure you want to bring him?"

Filia instantly looked scandalised. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!" she snapped. She turned, shouted for Gravos and Jillas, who were hiding from Lina, before making her way into the inn.

Possibly the worst arrival was that of Martina and Zangulus. It had been a long, long time since Lina had seen either of them, and they were still just as gross and embarrassing as they had been back in Sairaag. Lina vowed to make sure that they stayed in the back rows, as far away from her as possible.

The night before the wedding, after seeing her guests to their rooms in the inn, Lina stood alone in her childhood bedroom. She looked around. Everything had been cleaned out ages ago, when she and Gourry found their home on the outskirts of town. The single bed still remained, looking sad and lonely in the tiny room.

Not much is going to change, she admitted. It was silly to think otherwise. It was a ceremony, nothing more, that was meant to cement what they already had. But, still...it was hard to shake the nervousness, the finality, of what was going to happen.

"Lina," a voice whispered loudly from her doorway. She looked up, and saw the shadowy form of Gourry. She blinked. "Gourry, get lost!" she snapped. "My mother is a stickler for tradition! If she catches you, you're dead!"

Gourry darted in, closed the door behind him, and walked over to her, closing the distance in one quick second. When he reached her, he pulled her to him, dipped her, and gave her a full, long kiss. Lina blinked again in surprise, her arms limp at her sides, totally unsure of how to react to this.

Gourry pulled away, grinning, his eyes full of mischief. "It makes it exciting, doesn't it?" he wondered.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Gourry, you idiot. You couldn't have waited a night?"

Gourry shook his head so hard it made her laugh. "Why not?" she demanded.

His eyes met hers, and he pulled her out of the dip, reaching down her legs and grabbing hold of her at the backs of her knees. He tugged her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and she squeaked, then looped her arms around his neck, smiling.

"Think of it, Lina," he breathed, his voice husky with his excitement. "Just think of it. Tomorrow, it's like a whole other adventure."

Lina smiled at him, playing with his hair. "Not much is going to change, kurage," she corrected playfully. "We'll still be us. Don't tell you're a traditionalist at heart, too!"

Gourry's eyes wavered, and Lina wondered if she had said something bad. He moved backwards a little, then sat down on the bed, still holding her close. "Listen," he said softly, reaching up and cupping her cheeks with his hands. "When I was a kid, I didn't have much of a family. When Oba-san died of old age, I felt like I had nothing else to live for."

Lina bit her lip, but let him continue.

Gourry's eyes stayed on hers. "It was horrible, and all I wanted was to find a reason to live. I did mercenary work, was a soldier for a while, but even though I made some friends, I didn't find an answer." Lina felt her heart stutter when Gourry's eyes suddenly filled. "It sucks, you know. Thinking you have nothing to live for."

"Gourry," Lina began softly, but he put a finger to her lips, and she shut up.

"And then I saw it in a tiny little red-headed kid travelling alone. I thought, I could protect her! Wouldn't that make living worth while?" Gourry reached up and rubbed at his eyes, looking a little embarrassed. "I never thought that you would grow on me, or grow up, for that matter."

Lina buried her face into his neck. He wasn't finished. "The thing is, Lina, that I never really had a family. With you, it's like...you're my whole family. I can't wait for tomorrow. I need you now, because...I want to make sure it's real..."

Lina pulled away, pressing herself close to him, touching his nose with hers. "It's real, love," she whispered. "I'm real."

"Kiss me," Gourry pleaded softly.

She did, and he grabbed onto her, pulling her down on top of him, reaching up and pulling her clothes away. She did the same to him, and soon their night was filled with nothing but eachother, the first real night of their shared future.

X X X

Despite Luka's pathetic pleading, Lina flat-out refused to wear her old dress. Instead, Lina had one made for herself. It was a custom-made affair, completely untraditional, and instead of white, it was a dark red colour. It was sleeveless, with a high, split collar, And it fit her like a glove. The sides were slit up the leg, to the knee, and she completed it with very high black gloves.

It made Luka glare at her everytime she walked by. Lina took it with good spirits; she looked good and knew it. Besides, she had recently submitted to Luka's suggestion that Lina wear her own dangly gold earrings, which matched the look perfectly.

"Bleck," Luna snorted from the corner of the room, as Lina preened into front of the full-length mirror. "You look like a moron."

Lina glowered at her in the mirror. It was early, still, and they had about an hour before the actual ceremony was scheduled to start. Lina took the opportunity to fine-tune her look, pinning up her hair and curling some of the strands that fell out.

"No make-up, Lina-chan?" Luka wondered moodily.

Lina grumbled. "Ugh, I'll feel so gross for the rest of the day," she answered.

Luna threw up her hands, and Luka scowled. Sylphiel, from another corner, said softly, "I think you look wonderful, Lina-san. You look like you're walking on clouds."

There was a very faint wistfulness in the older girl's voice, and Lina felt a stab of both regret, jealousy, and petty pride for a moment, but it passed. It would pass, she knew. She smiled over at the priestess and nodded. "Thank you so much," she said honestly.

Amelia was sulking, too. "I think you should wear make-up," she said flatly.

"Stop whining," Lina snapped. "Phil-san was the one to offer the catering. Don't get huffy with me."

Luka suddenly jolted. "Ack," she said, her eyes wide. Her gaze was fixed out the window. "Speaking of which...Luna-chan, come outside and help!" She turned and darted out the bedroom door, Luna at her heels.

Amelia tilted her head, then looked out. "Oh, Daddy!" she cried happily, following the two older women with a squeal.

Lina stared in shock. Sylphiel giggled. "You've been abandoned," she mused.

"No kidding!" Lina growled. "Who's wedding is this, anyway?"

Sylphiel stood up slowly. Lina pouted. "Not you, too."

The older girl nodded. "Sorry, Lina-san, but I'm supposed to help with the place settings, remember?" she smiled warmly. "See you soon." She waved, and soon was gone, too.

Lina sighed deeply, turning back to the mirror. She had always been a little (okay, very) vain when it came to her looks, but even she had to admit that she looked really good. She smiled, the image of Gourry coming to her mind's eye. It was silly, but she hoped that he thought so, too.

And then suddenly, she was not alone. She felt a chill, and she clenched her fists. Thanks to the mirror, she could see that, behind her, someone was standing in the doorway. But the door was closed, and it had never opened. She turned, her moves jerky, her mouth dry, and faced the intruder.

"That certainly took a while," Xellos said mildly, rubbing the back of his head. "I had to wait so long to see you alone, Lina-san."

Lina opened her hands, the gesture allowing twin bursts of fire to spark to life. She glared at him, shaking from head to foot, feeling nothing but her fury and rage.

Xellos turned to her, smiling widely. "Wow, that's almost too much for me to handle, Lina-san!" he chirped.

"I told you never to come back," she snapped.

Xellos nodded. "Oh, I know you did, and usually I would be true to your wishes, but this was something I couldn't pass up." He looked at her closely, his eyes opening just an inch. His eyes trailed over her, up and down. "You look amazing, of course."

Lina closed her eyes, swallowing a scream of rage. She clenched her fists, snuffing out the fire, before bringing herself up to her full height. She breathed out, then opened her eyes again. "Why are you here, Xellos?" she demanded.

Xellos nodded. "Let's get to the point, then, shall we?" He didn't wait for a reply. His eyes locked onto hers. "You're wasting your life."

Lina blinked, the words throwing her. "I'm what?" she wondered.

"You're wasting your life. You're making a huge mistake, marrying Gourry-san and tying yourself down to one place." His eyes shimmered a little, and Lina stared, the words drying up in her mouth. "You're not meant to be a wife; you're better off being a free spirit, as free as the wind."

Lina stared at him in shock, bringing a long silence between them. She just couldn't think of what to say. It was just so...uncalled for, so completely out of the blue...there were no words for something like this.

"Don't do it, Lina-san," Xellos said finally.

Lina suddenly found her voice. She smiled, her mean smile, and put a hand on her hip, the other tossing back her hair. "And since when do you tell me what to do, Xellos?" she demanded.

Xellos opened his mouth, but she drowned him out. "It was fun for a while, but I'm bored with all of that, now. It's way more interesting to do this. Besides," her eyes wavered, and the smile softened. "Besides, I love Gourry, and this is a new adventure all on its own."

Xellos lowered his head, turned away, and then vanished in a rush of displaced air.

Lina blinked, the smile fading. She gazed at the place where Xellos had stood for a long time, her face grave. She wondered, deep down, if what she had just done would come back to haunt her one day. She also wondered if, this time, Xellos would actually listen to her and leave her alone...

But then, it was Xellos. He was annoying like that. He would probably pop up when no one wanted him to...

There was a knock at the door. She jumped, looking up. "Uh?" she stammered.

Delmas peeked in, looking clean and shiny in his suit. He smiled at her. "You look lovely, Lina-chan!" he shouted, bringing a laugh from her. "Are you ready?"

He held out his arm, and she took it without any hesitation. Together, arm-in-arm, they walked down the hallway.

I'm so ready, she thought, her eyes shining. Bring it all on.

X X X

All in all, it was a huge success. The ceremony went by smoothly, without any conflict or incident. It was only afterwards, at the dinner, that some problems surfaced.

"Ugh," Lina grumbled. "Get out."

Dilgear narrowed his eyes at her, slamming the dish of food in front of her. "I can't," he snapped. "I've been hired as a server, since I had the free time, being UNINVITED and all."

Lina sneered at him, sticking out her tongue, before ignoring him and digging into her meal. Dilgear, unable to help himself, reached out and gave the top of her head a hard tap. Unfortunately, it was far harder than he anticipated, and sent Lina face-first into her food.

Needless to say, it was the first wedding in Zephilian history that could boast a series of explosions.

When both that mess and Lina were cleaned up, everything went by as normally as it could. When it wrapped up, Lina sought out both Zelgadis and Amelia, making sure that Gourry was too busy (being lectured by Delmas, apparently, althought about what, Lina was sure she didn't want to know) to interrupt.

She dragged them away and told them what happened. Both paled in front of her, and Zelgadis's eyes blazed with fury.

"Listen," Lina hissed. "I need you to keep this to yourselves, alright? I'm trusting you with this, because I thought you should know. But...please keep it from Gourry."

Amelia blinked. "But, why, Lina-san?" she wondered. "You just married him. Doesn't he have a right to know?"

Lina sighed, closing her eyes. "I'll tell him eventually, but not today, alright? I don't want to ruin this."

Zelgadis said, rather moodily, "And yet you didn't mind ruining it for us."

Lina glowered at him. "You're a little whiny prat, Zel," she growled. Oddly, it brought a short laugh from him.

"Okay, Lina-san," Amelia said seriously. "We won't say anything to Gourry-san, but you really should tell him, you know."

"I know!" Lina snapped. "Besides, I don't think it MEANS anything...I think he was just trying to rattle my cage, you know?"

Zelgadis looked doubtful, but didn't voice it. Amelia nodded slowly, shrugging. "I guess?" she said weakly.

Lina sighed. "Thank you," she said honestly. She reached up, threw her arms around the both of them, and hugged them, tightly. Then she squealed, "I'm married! To Gourry!"

Despite themselves, they both laughed and hugged her back, Amelia returning the squeal. "Yes you are!" she agreed.

Lina pulled away, her face pink, her eyes bright. "Okay, I'm going to harass my new husband now!" she turned and ran off.

Amelia bit her lip, her smile fading. "What do you really, think, Zel-san?" she wondered.

Zelgadis sighed. "I think it's a sign of something. Maybe a last-ditch effort on his part. But we should keep an eye on it, don't you think?"

Amelia nodded.

"Augh!" Gourry's agonised cry could be heard from that far away. Lina was on his back, laughing and trying to get him to run. "I'm not a horse!"

"Mush!" she cried, squeezing him with her legs. "I'm your wife now; I should never have to walk again!"

"That's not giving me the reaction you desire!" Gourry wailed, his face bright red. Lina shouted and smashed her fist on the top of his head, forcing both of them to topple to the floor in a heap.

Amelia stumbled, and Zelgadis slapped his hand to his forehead. "Ugh," he said softly. "They're so made for eachother, it's insane."

X X X

Needless to say, it was a roar of a wedding. While there were some issues, and some conflicts, the whole point was that it was a success. They stayed the night in Zephilia, then went back home, carting all of the gifts that Lina had suggested (demanded) of her guests. Once they settled in again, they were finally able to talk about it.

"Not much of a change," Lina admitted, her cheek in her hand, her eyes unfocused.

Gourry looked up from the dagger he was sharpening. He smiled. "No, I guess not," he replied.

"Hey, Gourry," she went on, her voice quiet. "You're not bored already, are you?"

Gourry dropped the dagger so suddenly it startled her. When she looked over, he wore such an angry expression that she stared in shock. "Of course I'm not bored!" he answered hotly. "Don't be a moron!"

Lina smiled. "You sound like me," she teased lightly.

Gourry sniffed, picking up the dagger.

Lina stared at the door, willing it to open. She wanted money.

"You know," Gourry said suddenly, "if we get bored, we could always have kids."

Lina's insides turned to ice. She stared at Gourry, who was looking so sombre that it terrified her a little. Them suddenly, his face twitched, and she was on him in a second, pummeling him as hard as she could.

And that, my dear friends, is how you get married.