Chapter 1 "Ignorance is like a delicate fruit; touch it, and the bloom is gone." – Oscar Wilde
Everything around me – devastation and hopelessness. The starvation of one king's beautiful purpose resulted into a total nightmare with us used as pawns on his chessboard.
"Ruby – Wait!" Sapphire tried to stop me, nonetheless I overlooked his tactics. "There is still time! We can defeat the Pirate King-"
"B-But Sapphire, you said we can't…" I raise my hand over the hoary wooden chest that waited patiently to be opened for the past 2,000 years. "We can't…"
"Ruby!" Pearl reached the room. "The Pirate King is boarding! We must abandon ship or…" Her loud voice turned into a mere whisper, she must've noticed the chest. "What… What is that doing here? Ruby, I thought you threw that away!"
"Pearl… I'm so sorry." I could only make an apology. She was so adamant in getting rid of it, so did everyone else however it was the only way. I knew that it was the only way.
"We're getting killed out there!" It was Quartz now. "What in HELL are you three doing?" He stopped shouting when he noticed the chest. "Why is that still on board?"
"Ruby didn't…" Sapphire started and couldn't finish.
"We all agreed, didn't we?" Quartz's voice rose. "WE ALL AGREED TO GET RID OF THAT CURSED BOX! WHY THE HELL IS IT STILL DOING HERE?"
"It is the only thing that can kill the Pirate King!" My shaking hand was still hovering over the box.
"That cursed chest is what he desires! By not getting rid of it, you welcomed our demise!" Quartz went quiet when Pearl's sobs erupted in the room. I heard clothes shuffling and saw Pearl in his arms. I knew that deep down, Quartz would always care for the girl.
"Ruby." It's Sapphire again. "Don't open that chest."
"But you said, it can kill-"
"I know what I said!" He's yelling at me again. I hate it when he yells. "But I could be wrong! So please, we can still come up with a plan-"
"It's already too late, Sapphire." I didn't realize until now that I was crying. "Onyx is dead. We don't know what happened to Crystal and Garnet. And…" I was choking in my tears. "I killed Di-"
"Diamond killed herself! It was on her accord! You did nothing to provoke her death!"
"I stole her true love!" The secret was out and I didn't care that Quartz and Pearl heard. "It's because I couldn't contain my overpowering feelings for you… it's because I love you." I heard Sapphire come closer so I placed my hand firmly on the chest, my thumb resting against the latch. He stopped instantly.
"I already told you, Ruby." He sighed like it was a mundane chore. "Diamond knew I didn't love her. She knew that I was in love with you." And yet, there was no excuse for her death except that the fault was mines.
"Please," He reached his hand to me. "We can defeat him. You and I, we can do this."
"H-How?" My entire body was shaking. "You said-"
"I know what I said and I don't care!" Sapphire snapped. "We can defeat the Pirate king without the help of the Treasure of Fire! We can do it together!"
"Don't do this alone!" Sapphire was scared. "Please… I want us to stay together."
But I was scared. "No matter how long it takes," The Pirate King could never be defeated by our weak hands. So, why should I continue to deny the forthcoming defeat when I can change it for the better? "I will find you, Captain."
"RUBY-" I opened the chest and everything went white. That was the last time I saw Sapphire.
- o -
When Lord of Nightmares, our mother, sacrificed one strand of hair to make the land, she created the existence that would live in her playground. Legend goes; Lord of Nightmares formed two noble Kings from the trimmings of her fingernails to lead her offspring into great promise and fortune. Whilst the brothers coexisted contently within each other's presence, there was a constant unpleasant discussion of which brother reigned above the other. Pride eventually tarnished the Kings' character and war for terrain established across the land their mother had generously given them. Witnessing such tyranny, Lord of Nightmares released a sorrowful tear and when it splashed against the surface of the land, it created a large mass of water and separated the brothers.
"That still doesn't explain why we can't play in the water!" A young girl sitting in the front of the old storyteller interrupted. The old man in the heavy white beard looked down at the girl. Her hands were at her hips and an irritated expression on her face, she and some of the other children shared the same pout while their parents giggled off to the side. Sighing, the old man shook his head. He reached over and took the young girl's tiny shoulder in his rough paw.
"Do you know why we call these waters, The Demon Sea, young lady?"
"No." She loudly expressed and when the old storyteller opened his mouth to answer, a loud snap from a gun exposed within range. The gathered villagers sprawled at the noise, picking their child to safety only to come to a halt at the sight of two uninvited figures at their cheerful storytelling ceremony.
One was of a tall man, wearing a lengthy navy coat with soft silver wave patterns and black pants; he wore no shirt beneath his coat. At his hip, he carried a double edged blade that hung loosely over his coat. His most prominent feature of all was his incredibly good looks and long blonde hair. He was unfailingly the first to be spotted and it was undeniably because of his bewitching attractiveness and luscious physique. But Gourry Gabriev wasn't the one who held the interfering pistol, it was his other half, his better half; the woman whom everybody dreaded.
She had on a white short-sleeve blouse with a tan-colored corset vest over, her tight red pants tucked into black knee-high boots. On her head was a red tri-cornered hat with gold trimming to match her gold hoop earrings, and on her body, she held a leather baldric belt worn around her thin waist and shoulder. On this belt, there were two 6-round revolvers and a dagger. Her red long coat was fashioned with the same soft silver patterns like Gourry's but there was a design of a dragon with eyes made of rubies. The dragon represented her reputation as the killer of the infamous Pirate Lord who reigned over the Demon Sea, Pirate Lord Philbrizzo. She is Lina Inverse.
"Humans named it 'The Demon Sea' for when Lord of Nightmares wept," The redhead with slightly curly locks blew the leaking smoke trails from the end of her revolver and smiled sinisterly while the villagers cowered upon her with fear. "The hatred that shielded the brother's hearts released frightening monstrosities that now roam freely in the ocean." Taking several steps to the terrified residents, Lina moved her prepared firearm to the chubby faces of the children. The little ones jumped at the sight of the barrel.
"In result," She pulled back the locking mechanism and chuckled. "Their hatred for one another created terrible consequences of isolation, bleakness, and of course," Her red eyes glinted evilly. "PIRATES LIKE ME."
Abruptly breaking the traumatizing moment, Gourry ran his hands over his troubled and loud grueling stomach. He smiled innocently at the scowling redhead. "I'm hungry!"
"GOURRY, YOU IDIOT!" Lina unleashed her uncontrolled fury at the whining blonde. Unable to contain their true emotions, the parents released their loud laughter, the old storyteller laughing the loudest, while the kids fearfully and unknowingly glanced around. "YOU ALWAYS RUIN EVERYTHING! WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER WITH YOU?"
"But, I'm hungry-"
"I DON'T CARE!" She slapped the man across the face multiple times. The group of children watched in bewilderment as the tiny woman overpowered her partner easily and strangled him against the dirt; her hands letting no air enter his throat.
"Now, now," The old storyteller walked past the shocked children of the village and took the aggressive redhead off the bleating man. "Beating Gourry-Kun will not turn back time, Lina-Chan." He smiled when Lina gave him a glare for calling her 'that name'.
"There is always the next story time." He told her and Lina rolled her eyes, blowing away her layered bangs.
"Great." Her arms crossed over her chest. "I have to wait another year to scare the next group of clueless, dumb kids."
"Time will go by faster if you and Gourry-Kun proceed with your everlasting engagement, Lina-Chan." An elderly woman sitting on the side giggled and Lina had to restrain herself from shooting the old hag in the forehead.
"W-What engagement?" She snarled instead with a burning blush and an angry fist shaking in the air. Immediately, the adults pointed to the emerald teardrop ornament that dangled loosely around her left wrist and as expected, Lina hid her fist behind her back. "I FOUND THAT BRACELET!"
"Gourry-Kun told us that he given it to you when you agreed to be his wi-"
"SHUT UP, OLD MAN." She had the cheeks of the storyteller smashed tightly together, preventing him from saying another word. While everyone laughed at her embarrassing expense, Gourry got up from the ground, painfully stretching his limbs and checking if Lina had broken anything this time. Fortunately for her, Gourry wasn't listening to one word of the conversation and smiled at her unknowingly as she bashfully blushed.
"Can we eat now?"
"Dammit, Gourry." Lina shoved her revolver to its place on her belt and proceeded to lecture him. "Have you already forgotten why we came here? You are such an Idiot! All you think about is food-" That's when Gourry wagged his finger at her nose, complete with his lips pursed outward, stopping her from talking on.
"That's not true!" He shouted. "I think about you and food all the time."
"YOU IDIOT!" Lina shrieked and kicked the idiot man at his ribs, sending him across the camp and straight past the shoreline where the kids were not supposed to play. Her sudden attack sent him well into the deep ends of the ocean, close enough for the villagers to see but deep enough for Gourry to not reach the bottom. Instantly intrigued, the kids rushed to the shoreline, careful to not enter the water. They watched as Gourry's limp body floated to the surface of the water, his face twisted with pain.
"Look!" One of the kids pointed. "In the water!" Swimming in a rapid speed from the far ends of the deep, a large shadow rushed to the unsuspecting man. The children gasped loudly at the sight of long green tentacles slipping out from beneath the water. They tried to get Gourry's attention but when they did, the monster had already grabbed hold of Gourry's body and pulled him into the water.
"Five days of searching and you finally appear just inches away from shore." Unconcerned for her well-being, Lina walked past the kids and bravely entered the water, stopping when it got to her knees. She sighed and put her hands to her hips. "I hope you are worth it."
In a turn of events, the giant monster with green tentacles came out of the water and shot out its mighty multiple arms at Lina. Lina merely allowed the monsters to wrap its tentacles around her body; she had no ounce of distress or fear on her face like the children behind her. Instead, she held a smirk. She stood her ground and the monster had no choice but to come to her. When it came closer and its mouth opened to gobble her up, Lina ripped out of the monsters hold with her dagger and tore into the monster's one eyeball. The green monster released a sharp shriek and shoved Lina away, tossing her into the water. It successfully pulled the sharp weapon out of its eye and spotted the kids. They screamed for their lives when green tentacles reached out for them and although they were out of reach, they all ran back on thick land where their parents stayed. And then, a loud ripping sound.
The monster froze immediately. As it was trying to figure out where the sound was coming from, the deadly point of Gourry's blade struck past the monster's thick hide and sliced it into two individual pieces. Gourry stepped out from inside of the monster, covered slightly in green slime. The kids expressed loudly of his survival with astonishment and watched him walk valiantly to Lina.
"Need help?" He offered her a hand. She angrily splashed him with water before taking it.
"I didn't need any help." As quickly as she took his hand, Lina abandoned it and made her difficult way through the water back to shore.
"You're always saying that but I'm always saving you in the end." Gourry followed with a chuckle. Luckily for him, she didn't hear him. She was taking interest in something else, so she stopped and allowed Gourry to walk past her. The kids ran out of hiding and gathered around the slimy swordsman, expressing loud praise and questions. But before their champion could answer, an identical monster with purple hide shot out from behind its dead cohort. The children, including Gourry, let out a loud yelp at the sudden sight of another monster. Purple tentacles sprang from under the water and to the terrified group; however Lina had already finished chanting her incantation and jumped in between.
"Fireball!" A large ball of scorching flames developed from within her two hands and was thrown at the face of the monster, immediately charring it into a burnt corpse. The kids took this silent moment to look upon the heroes.
"Told you." Lina winked playfully at the flabbergasted swordsman. Gourry released a shy chuckle and scratched the back of his head.
"I didn't know there was a second one."
"I guess that means," She wrapped her strong arm around Gourry's neck, pulling him down to the side of her face and loudly cheering. "You're paying for food tonight!"
"But, I have no money!"
"DID YOU USE UP YOUR ALLOWANCE AGAIN?" Lina unhanded his neck and shook him at his shoulders now. "YOU DIDN'T USE IT ON SOMETHING STUPID AGAIN, DID YOU?"
"Slug scales are not stupid-"
"SLUGS DON'T HAVE SCALES, YOU IDIOT!" The kids watched with enjoyment as the redhead towered over the blonde again, they were quite incompatible to say the least.
- o -
Sitting cross-legged on top of a large Jellyfish and eating fruit from a brown sack that he had borrowed from an invading ship, Gourry watched as that ship tragically sunk slowly in front of him. The Majestic Jellyfish was the most aggressive and largest sea monster in all of the North and Gourry was his rider. Found beached at the shoreline of his island home, Gourry took the tiny jellyfish home and raised his new friend until he was big enough to care for his own. Setting him free back to his original home, the Majestic Jellyfish got two times as big as a ship. While keeping the Northern islands safe from predatory pirates, the monster would continually visit Gourry. Together, they stopped the pirates from conquering their home bravely and successfully. It was due to Gourry and the Majestic Jellyfish that the North remained the only sector of the ocean that remained pirate-free and monster-ruled.
On top of the Majestic Jellyfish, Gourry was surveying the water for any pirate survivors. If he had found any, he was gracious enough to give them a second chance to live on one of the Northern islands or if they had already committed to a life of a pirate, he had no trouble in disposing them to the awaiting mouth of his friend. In this particular day, however, Gourry spotted a broken piece of furniture floating aimlessly within the carnage. He stopped the Majestic Jellyfish for he saw something unusual. There was a girl with red long hair straddling the furniture. Gourry saw blood spilling from her arms and her wrists were strapped together with heavy chain links. It made him frown.
"How could someone hurt a mermaid?" He asked aloud. The Majestic Jellyfish let out a soft whine and Gourry laughed.
"Of course she's a mermaid! Look at her! She's too pretty to be human!" He said simply with a secure nod. Majestic Jellyfish said nothing at his simple logic but reached over with his clear tentacle to eat her.
"Let's take her." Gourry happily said aloud. This stopped the monster immediately and let out a noisy protest.
"No, no, no." The blonde scolded. "She's not a pirate. She's a mermaid and she's hurt! She needs our help!" He wasn't about to give up, so Majestic Jellyfish admitted defeat and helped Gourry drag the unconscious girl out of the water and onto his head. The horrifying monster learned a long time ago to avoid a terrorizing headache, he needed to stop arguing with his best friend.
"Come on, Majestic Jelly!" Gourry smiled with the girl lying next to him. "Let's go home!"
- o -
Living alone in a remote island in the center of the Northern Demon Sea, Gourry took care of the young girl. He cleaned her wounds, fed her, and freed her from the chains around her wrists. It was shocking that she had legs but he came up with a solution for that too. He believed that the mermaid wanted to live a human life out of the water and he wasn't about to take her back into the sea if she didn't want too. Eventually, she did start talking to him but she couldn't remember who or how she got there.
"It'll come to you!" Gourry smiled. "I lose my memory all the time and I'm not worried, because it always comes to me later on!" The girl just nodded and allowed him to keep caring for her.
"Are you a mermaid?" He asked her one night and she took her time before answering.
"I don't… think I am."
"I think so!" Gourry immediately told her. Grasping the girl's hands in his, she blushed wildly when he peered deeply at her with seriousness. "Don't worry. I won't send you back to the sea. I will take good care of you… even though I don't know who you are, I'll take good care of you and protect you forever!"
"Lina." She suddenly said. Gourry stared at her shy expression in silence. The redheaded girl turned away from his gaze but kept glancing back frequently. "My name… is Lina."
"You remembered?"
"Just now." She looked down at where their hands were grasping each other. "When you touched my hands… I remembered my name, and it's Lina."
"Lina…" Gourry repeated and this made her blush even more. "I like that name! It's my favorite name!"
"R… Really?" She asked softly. "You… really like my name?"
"It's the prettiest name for the prettiest mermaid!" This made the blush on Lina's face glow brighter and out of pure instinct, she punched Gourry in his gut.
- o -
Majestic Jellyfish was hesitant about Lina at first, but he warmed up to the innocent redhead and viewed her as one of his own. With Gourry, he allowed the timid 'mermaid' to ride on his head and took the two across the Northern waters. She loved standing at the very tip of his head and let the soft water splash against her joyous face. She especially loved it when Gourry held her from behind and yelled at his best friend to slow down while she cheered to go faster. It was wonderful having another friend and it was more wonderful that it was Lina.
"Gourry." Lina and Gourry were sitting next to each other on a blanket at the shoreline, watching the sun set before them. "Don't you remember anything? Like your past, your friends, your family… do you remember your parents?"
"Parents?" Gourry repeated. "You mean, Mama and Papa?" She nodded and try as he might, Gourry couldn't remember a thing.
"Are you sure you don't have amnesia?" She bluntly asked without any worry of hurting his feelings. Gourry just laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't think so!"
"You really are something else." Lina returned to staring out into the calm sea but with a smile. Several silent seconds passed before Gourry broke into conversation again.
"I'm sure I'll remember Mama and Papa someday." He said aloud. "And when I do, I will also remember where they are and we'll be a family again!"
"Hopefully, you will be able to remember what they look like too." Lina teased and Gourry laughed along with her.
"At least you have hope to see your family again." Lina suddenly said while smiling. "I have a feeling that I don't have anybody." Gourry immediately stopped laughing and stared at the flawless smile on her face. She didn't seem troubled, but he knew that she was sad. Without thinking, Gourry scooped up her hand and entangled their fingers.
"You don't have to worry. I'm sure Mama and Papa are nice." He began to tell her. "They will like you just as much as I like you, Lina."
"G-Gourry…" A faint blush appeared over her nose.
"See? Even our hands," He lifted their hands so it was between their faces. "It's perfect." His long muscular hand held her small clean hand. "We were meant to be together!"
In Lina's eyes, she saw something different. His hand was so much bigger than hers and it felt like it was protecting her fingers from getting spoiled. These digits of his, he had driven them hard to get so coarse and yet, he held her hand so softly. Looking deeply into his aqua eyes, Lina could feel her heart beating aggressively under her chest and purely in the moment, she closed her eyes and leaned forward. Gourry was utterly confused. He never felt this way before. Truthfully, he didn't know what she was doing, but his face was burning hotter than the worst sunburn. The softness of her plump lips against his cheek was making the pit of his stomach hurt and gave out uncomfortable twists and knots up his chest and down to his loins.
"Gourry." She whispered his name so perfectly that he thought was going to crumble into pieces. Gourry was so confused and embarrassed that he instantly backed away when Lina leaned in for a second kiss on his cheek.
"W-What are you doing?"
"I'm kissing you." She said almost too-naturally. Kissing him seemed so familiar to her and she wanted to keep doing it.
"Kissing?" He tilted his head. Lina stared at him unclearly before finally accepting the truth. Gourry had no idea what kissing is.
"You've… got to be kidding me, right?" Gourry shook his head in true honesty, glancing away in awkwardness. Then, a different sensation poked throughout her body as she said this next line. "You are such a… a…Idiot."
"Idiot?" He questioned that too and Lina hung her head forward.
"I knew there had to be a catch…" That was when Gourry noticed a dark shape floating past his remote island. It was a pirate ship.
- o -
"I expected more from you." The large man holding the bloody sword scoffed over the two. There was an open wound on his Gourry's shoulder; he glared at the pirate with his body leaning partly against Lina as she held onto him tightly. Her wonderful story with Gourry was turning into a dreadful tale. And yet, as she held him to her chest, Lina could feel a sudden pleasure seeing this unfold before her. A soft redness developed over her nose and the knot in her belly tangled. It only got worse when Gourry pushed away from her and grabbed his sword from his waist. To wield his weapon, Gourry removed his long jacket and revealed an elegant blue dragon tattoo etched across his entire back. Lina's eyes widen at the large painting, her hand placed over her thumping heart. Why does this excite her? There is no doubt that the pirates are going to kill them, so why isn't she feeling any dread or fear? All she felt was pure excitement and joy.
"You're going to get it now." Gourry stretched his muscular long arms and positioned his sword in front of him. The wound on his shoulder didn't seem to bother him the least. Instead, it seemed that he was encouraging the pirates to attack his half-nude body. "You interrupted my time with Lina."
"The mighty Sapphire is defending his lass?" The pirate with the large sword turned to his men and roared in laughter. "That is the first in pirate history! A Pirate Captain respecting a woman!"
"P-Pirate Captain?" Lina swore her heart skipped a beat and out of a sudden, a surge of painful aches erupted within her head. The attractive man smirked, placing his double edged sword securely on his shoulder; Gourry joined the other pirates in laughter. Eventually, the pirates stopped laughing and it was only him who remained laughing.
"I don't remember agreeing to become a Pirate Captain and my name is Gourry. It's not cool like Sapphire." He said with a big smile. The greasy men sighed instantly; it seemed that they were all familiar with his infamous memory loss.
"N-Nonetheless," The pirate leader thrust his sword towards Gourry. "Prepare to finally meet with death, Captain Sapphire!"
"Like I said, I'm not a Pirate Captain." However, the blonde touched the end of his chin. "Well… I don't think that I am… Who are you guys again?"
"L-Sama!" The heavy pirate groaned. "The rumors are true! The Treasure of Fire truly has taken away your brilliance!"
"Treasure of Fire…?" Gourry questioned. "What is that?"
"He doesn't even remember the cursed gold!" The opponent pointed accursedly at him. "You were one of the greatest Pirate Captains that the Demon Sea ever seen! You and your powerful, witless, dreadful pirate crew fought bravely against the Demon Sea's mortal foe, Pirate King Shabranigdo, for control over the cursed treasure; the Treasure of Fire!"
"The legend goes," An uneasy pirate mate spoke nearby. "The Pirate King was too strong and unable to defeat him; the Treasure of Fire was opened for it contained the ultimate power given by our mother, Lord of Nightmares. In exchange for the Pirate King's defeat, the cursed treasure took away something valuable from each crew member."
"You, Captain Sapphire," The pirate leader snarled. "Your supreme intelligence was taken!"
"Oh…" Gourry shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Is that why I don't remember what I had for breakfast? But wait, my name isn't Sapphire. It's Gourry!"
"Enough of this chatter!" The pirate raised his sword high above his head, his mates doing the same. "Once I cut off your head, I will be praised as the Pirate who disposed of the mighty Captain Sapphire and the conqueror of the Northern waters!"
"Not so fast!" It was Lina. She moved around the confused Pirate Captain and stood bravely between him and the large pirate. Her hands moved to her hips while a playful smirk spread across her face.
"Aren't you forgetting an important detail in this bedtime story?" She asked so happily however the pirates glanced at each other in question. When they didn't answer, Lina groaned and blew her messy bangs away from her eyes. "Gone for four years and my impeccable reputation becomes an empty treasure chest."
"Forget it. I'm not dead yet." She snorted with a wave of her hand. Then, she turned her head to look upon Gourry's muddled expression and smirked.
"Long time no see, Sapphire." She grinned and almost instantly, Gourry's eyes widen and the blade he held dropped to the sand. The opposing pirates took a large step backwards when Lina looked back at them. There was a fearless, wicked smile on her face. Her eyes glowing brightly as her hands gathered over her chest. Twisting within the small crevice between her palms, sparks enlighten and great bursts of flames escaped past through her fingertips.
"Remember me now?" A terrible laugh left her lips and the frightened buccaneers fled from the scene. But as they tried to board into their ship, the merciless sorceress threw her ball of fire and their transportation exploded into smithereens including the occupants.
"I am back!" Lina screeched with her hands in the air. Bouncing around in the sand, she didn't notice Gourry coming from behind. She froze when his heavy hand grasped her shoulder and twisted her body around to face him; he went to his knees to take a deep and careful inspection. The shape of her tiny nose, her large doe eyes, and those perfect rose lips. Gourry tried hard to remember.
"I… I can't…"
"Let me help." The redhead placed her hands over his cheeks and leaned forward. The touch of her lips against his sent all the nerves in his body to spike. Her lips were like electricity; shocking his mind. The long-lost memories of their adventure together as Pirate Captains, the denial of their hesitant and frustrating bond, and the moment their lives came into a climax with the opening of the Treasure of Fire; Gourry recalled it all and just as Lina pulled her lips slightly away, he took the back of her head within his large palm and pulled her in for a deeper, loving, and memorable kiss.
"Ruby." Gourry whispered her name when their lips separated and Lina flustered in a deep red color that matched her vivid eyes. Smiling at each other now, Gourry affectionately moved Lina's long stray bangs from between their faces while she shyly looked away. Kissing her entire face, he came close to her lips and couldn't help but chuckle when the redhead whined for his lips. How could he ever deny his Lina?
"Lina," Giving her lips a final kiss, Gourry sat Lina onto his lap and confronted her. "What did the Treasure of Fire take from you?" Unexpectedly, the young woman blushed redder and a hand moved over her mouth. This wasn't like his Lina. She was getting embarrassed and being very secretive; so Gourry decided to look for himself.
"Oh no." He frowned very large. "The Treasure of Fire took away your boobies."
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Lina pounded her fists into Gourry's gut multiple times until he passed out. A terrible thing happened. When Lina opened the cursed treasure chest that held Lord of Nightmare's everlasting power to defeat the terrorizing Pirate King of the Demon Sea, the treasure had taken away a priceless gift from each crew member and replaced it with an overstated conflicting curse. For Captain Sapphire who was known for his tight virtuosity, the Treasure of Fire had removed his brilliance and left a handsome fool who only looked forward to a healthy meal and a good duel.
"Isn't it strange?" Lina chuckled after Gourry gained consciousness; they remained seated on the sand like before but watching each other instead. "Even though the Treasure of Fire meant to separate us, it only took me four years to find you." Gourry copied the grin on his own face until-
"Perhaps if the Treasure took away your looks instead of your intelligence, I could've found you earlier." She folded her arms across her chest. "Anyway, this would mean that you're MY idiot, right?" Lina said with a great smile.
"Wasn't it… the other way around?" Gourry remembered and she snickered.
"We mustn't look in the past, you big IDIOT." Gourry soon discovered that the cursed Treasure of Fire had taken away his sweet, adorable, lovable Lina-Chan that he was in love with and had instead given him a bloodcurdling, wrathful, shrieking, murderer that he fell madly in love with.
- o -
"What are you jabbering about?" Lina abruptly snorted with a piece of cooked squid in her mouth. Sitting atop of the Majestic Jellyfish, Lina and Gourry rode away from the island with their task done and reward of five large bags filled of delicious food. Gourry chuckled and took a bite of his roasted chicken leg.
"I was telling Majestic Jellyfish that this is where I met the prettiest mermaid in the Demon Sea!" Lina looked around her surroundings. There was nothing but carnage from a previous battle with an invading pirate ship.
"The prettiest?" She arched an irritated eyebrow. Gourry patted the top of Majestic Jellyfish, making him sing. Lina listened to the large monster and by the time he had finished his song, she had an overwhelming blush that had her ears burning.
"Y-You idiot…" She stuttered and continued eating. Gourry just laughed. As the gigantic Jellyfish monster swam across the waters, Lina and Gourry waved to the friendly sea monsters and the passing islands with villagers waving back. Everyone knew of Lina and Gourry, they were the infamous Pirates who defeated the Pirate King and were the only slimy pirates who has control over the an entire Demon Sea region. Daily, invading stupid pirates would try to sail into the deadly Northern waters and if the gigantic sea monsters didn't kill them first, Lina and Gourry would defend their territory with an iron fist. Although, they steal the treasures that the intruders would bring, they would always share the gold with any nearby villages. It took several pleads to persuade the unkind redhead to share her gold but Gourry knew a particular spot behind her right ear that could make the frightening Swashbuckler drop to her knees.
"Lina."
"What?" Lina took a bite into a fruit and wiped its juicy contents away with her jacket sleeve.
"When are we going to find the others?" He asked out of the blue. Usually, Lina would strike him across the face or kick him off Majestic Jellyfish whenever he asked strange questions, except for when he mentions 'the others'.
"Don't you remember what they said? They don't want to be Pirates again." And each time he mentions 'the others', Lina would angrily glare at the large ruby ornament on her right middle finger. "Why do you care? It's not like they care about us."
"Well," Out of nowhere, Gourry took out an opened parchment from his pocket and held it in her view. "Aren't we going to be exiled?"
"What in L-Sama are you talking about?" Swiping the letter from his hand, Lina looked it over. She ran her eyes over the beautiful script and just as she finished, her mood drastically changed when she spotted the golden stamp at the bottom of the page.
"IDIOT!" Majestic Jellyfish continued to gracefully paddle across the Northern waters; he was used to the daily beatings on top of his head. "This is from the Court of Dragons!"
"Is it food?" Lina could only groan louder.
"No, it's not food! It's a bunch of old unimportant farts who supposedly knows what is best for the Demon Sea." She patted Majestic Jellyfish to stop and redirected him. "I should've killed them when I had a chance those years ago."
"What stopped you? Was it because you were Lina-Chan and had bigger breasts?" Lina immediately glared at him, her hands ready to swing at his face.
"I don't know who I like better. Sapphire who knew when to keep his mouth shut or Gourry who needs me to teach him a new lesson every day using my fists?"
"I think I like-"
"IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!"
"Here, Lina, use my jacket sleeve to wipe your nose. That was a big sneeze."
- 001 -
IGNORANCE