Lina hurt all over. She had asked Gourry to help her with her sword fighting, and he was brutal! She hadn't thought she was that bad, but after this afternoon's practice, she was beginning to change her mind.
"No, all wrong," he commanded as he hit the stick out of her hands. She squealed.
"Your form is all wrong," he said, showing her the movement again.
"Gourry, I'm losing my patience," she said through gritted teeth.
"Look, you asked for my help. This is the only way I know how to help you. You can't find these in books; you just have to do them over and over. Here, let's try this again"
Twenty minutes later, she collapsed in the nearest hay bale. She was exhausted, her knees hurt, her shoulders hurt and she was pretty sure her calluses had calluses, and she knew this would help her, but she was beyond caring. She just wanted to leave this crappy barn and go take a bath.
'I can't do this,' she told herself as Gourry sat next to her.
"You've improved a little," he said, smiling. "I didn't get it the first day either. We can try again tomorrow."
'Dammit,' she muttered as he helped her up. Her legs were like jelly and she could barely walk back to the inn. She leaned on Gourry until they entered their room and collapsed on the nearest chair.
"Ugh, I suck," she said breathlessly, kicking off her boots and massaging her toes.
"I think you did ok," Gourry said, smiling. He sat on the bed and slid off his boots.
"Bullshit. I haven't been serious about swordplay in five years. I didn't think I was that bad. And what was all that 'It's all wrong!' bullshit? Were you trying to piss me off?"
"Well, my teacher was tough with me, and that was how I learned…"
"You kicked me into a wall."
"You were supposed to block it." Gourry started, looking up. He caught Lina, sitting on the bed, angry and healing herself. "Sorry."
Lina sighed and grabbed her things.
"Forget it, I'm going to take a bath. There will be punishment for that."
Gourry turned back to his sword.
"She'll forget that all after her bath."
Alone in her bath, Lina silently fumed. How dare he make fun of her, couldn't he see she was actually in pain?
"I'll show him," she said to the tile.
"Lina?" Gourry asked, sticking his in his head a few minutes later. "Lina, I'm sorry I worked you so hard. Tomorrow I promise I'll go a little easier on you. I guess I forgot that sometimes I need to go a little easier on you because you're not a guy."
"No, I'm not," she bit back, sliding deeper into the water.
"Lina, I'm sorry. We don't have to practice anymore if you don't want to."
"No, I still want to, but your punishment is coming. Just be prepared. No one makes a fool of Lina Inverse."
"Gabriev," Gourry butted in. The look she gave him sent shivers down his spine. He was going to regret that too.
The next day, they found an abandoned barn to practice in. It still smelled like cow dung and chicken feed. It was just outside of town, and even though it reeked, Lina was glad they were so far out of town, so no one could see how much she sucked.
That's how the next few hours were spent. Learning proper sword technique, how to not strains muscles when thrusting and slashing, and basic sword moves that Lina figured a slow five-year old could learn and remember. Even she still remembered them. Her muscles cried for a break, but he wasn't done with her yet. She still had much to learn, he continued to tell her as he sidestepped her attacks. When she collapsed on a nearby pile of hay, Gourry collapsed with her. Sweaty and dusty, she lay there panting, staring at the ceiling. Gourry gently slid the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She turned to look at him.
"OK," Gourry stared, throwing her other stick-sword they had had been practicing with. "I was kinda hard on you yesterday, and because I'm not big on sleeping on the floor again tonight, I'll go a little easier on you. Let's try it again, how we practiced it yesterday."
"Maybe I should have had Zel teach me," she panted. "I would have actually learned something.
"Could Zel do this when you did a good job?" he asked, smiling, quickly kissing her.
Instinctively, she deepened the kiss. Her body screamed at her, but she ignored it. Her muscles cried out that she should stop, get up and go take a bath, but when she felt her husband's hands on her, those thoughts disappeared.
Two weeks later, as Gourry returned from his bath, he was met with a locked door. Puzzled, he knocked. Lina answered clad head to toe in pink. Her hair was pulled up into a half-ponytail and her robe, which he could only assume was the Sorcerer's Guild robe she said she found a few weeks ago fell to her ankles. She said she found it stuffed into one of her astral pockets, with a note attached to it. The note was quickly disposed of but the robe clearly stayed.
"Lina, what are you-?" he began.
"Ah, Master Gourry. Please put your things over here," she motioned to the table in the corner.
"Lina, why are you wearing that?"
"No, now if you don't use my proper title, I shall have to punish you more."
"More? Lina, is this about that practice a few weeks ago? Because if it is, I already apologized."
"Title, or I shall punish you further."
"Ah…Miss…Gabriev? Inverse? Inverse-Gabriev?" he questioned.
He wasn't really sure why Lina was doing this, but she was talking funny. Was it one of the role-playing things they had discussed a while ago?
"Nevermind, I see you're not one for formalities. Good, because you're not going to need them. I've taken a liking to you since you've been at the Guild."
Wait a minute, Guild? She had never discussed this one.
"I'd be willing to forego all the tests if you prove yourself in bed."
"Lina, this is great, but could you please tell me what's going on?"
"Just do what I tell you," she said, pushing him to the spot where she wanted him.
"You're a long way from home," she started, in a different voice. "Do you have a lover at home?"
"Lina, of course I do," he protested. Why didn't she just tell him what she wanted him to say? It was driving him crazy.
"What does she look like?" she asked, bemusedly. She wasn't going to let him ruin this.
"She's…uh…she's a little short, but that's OK, because then I can pick her up to kiss her," he shifted his weight. Was she setting him up? "Her chest is small and I…used to tease her about it but I, uh…like them now because they can fit in my hands, and her hair fits her…it's fiery and out of control."
"Hmmm, it sounds like me," she said smirking. It was working! "This will make it more enjoyable if you have experience. So many of my other students just gape like they've never seen breasts before. I think you'll do well."
"Lina…"
"Take off your shirt, and your pants, I want to look at you."
He stood there naked as Lina drank him in. He had been there before, many times, but for some reason, he found himself blushing this time. Suddenly, he remembered what she had said a few weeks ago, something about nobody making fun of her, and how she was going to punish for it. Why didn't she tell him before?
He kept trying to deviate from the plan. If he went too far off course, she'd lose it. It took all her will to slide into the robe and not destroy the mirror. As if that wasn't bad enough, pink wasn't the best color for redheads. She swallowed down her anger and pulled her hair back. She made up a story that she hoped was believable and stood by the door until he came back from the baths.
"Yes," she drawled. "You'll do nicely."
If Gourry looked close enough, he could have seen drool. She tugged at the belt that gathered her robe and dropped it to the floor. She wore no shoes, but that was because she didn't have time to find them.
"Sit down," she commanded, pushing him on the bed. "I just can't resist."
She got on her knees and brought her hands to him. She lightly massaged his sac as he groaned.
"You're allowing me? Clearly, you respect your elders."
Elders? She was seven years younger than him! Oh, it didn't matter anymore, now that her mouth was on him. Oh gods, it was so soft, and was that her tongue? He gripped the edge of the bed and lost all coherent thought. She sucked the tip slowly; she was trying to make him lose control. His head fell back and he said her name, broken and mangled. His erection quivered and she stood up abruptly. She removed the band in her hair and he watched it fall past her shoulders.
"I have been called insatiable by many people," she started and Gourry strained to think of what that word meant. Had he used another word that meant the same thing at some point? Hungry, maybe? "You're challenge is to cure me."
So the punishment ended with sex? How was this bad?
"Lina?" he questioned as she sat on the bed.
"I don't care about my plan anymore," she said with a sigh. "It's making me wait and I don't like to wait. I think it's over once you start enjoying it."
"So I have to prove myself. Mrs. Gabriev?" he grinned, bringing her back into the game.
'Ugh, why did I let him call me that?' she asked herself. 'Now he's never going to stop. What is it with men and last names?'
"Yes. I trust you know what you're doing""
"Oh, I think so."
He slid her robe up to her knees and slid to the end of the bed. Following her example, he brought his lips to hers. She gasped as he licked her folds and roved inside her. Slowly, he brought his tongue to that place that made her go crazy. And go crazy she did! He had barely rubbed it when she bucked her hips violently, causing him to jolt backwards.
"Uhh, Linaaa! It hasn't been that long.? He protested, trying to get his bearings again.
"Oh, but it has," she said lustfully. "It's been two weeks since I've been kissed down there."
Two weeks? Gourry thought. He'd been down there sooner than that. Oh no, that's right, he hadn't, but that was because they were camping and after that time with the bandits, he didn't wanted to do anything outside.
"Sorry," he muttered.
She opened her legs, ready for him. He brought his lips to her folds and slowly worked his way up. It was working! She writhed on the bed, knotting the blanket into her fists. She mouthed his name and wanted to the end the charade, just wanted him to take her, like he would sometimes, flat on her back, while she let him have control, and then her first orgasm wracked her body. Her hips bucked, the sheets knotted and she cried for him.
"Was that good enough?" he asked, looking up at her.
"Yes," she said breathlessly. "Now c'mere."
She brought him to her, she felt him slide inside her. God, why did she wait so long? They had been married for nearly a month and maybe only slept together a dozen times. Granted, the first week was spent with more family business than she had ever wanted, Luna made sure to keep her busy. That was also the week of the Sorcerer's Guild incident, and the whole graduation mess. The next two weeks was the swordplay fiasco and last week they made camp. At least the robe was being put to good use, she thought briefly, as her mind was brought back to current affairs.
"Lina, I need you to move," Gourry whispered in her ear.
"Hmm?" she asked, happily.
"I want you on your stomach."
She gave him a look of disbelief.
"Trust me, I've heard this works. Come on Mrs. Gabriev, you told me to please you, and I plan to."
Once on her stomach, he plunged into her. She shuddered; it was better this way.
"Oh god," she moaned as he slid back out. He moved slowly above her.
"Nonononono, faster," she commanded, and he followed.
He leaned over, gaining momentum. His hair brushed her back and she could feel his breath hot and labored on her neck as he pounded into her.
It bubbled up inside her and she tried to save it; she bit her lip until it bled, clenched the sheets so hard, the skin on her knuckles split, balled her toes to keep it in, but he kept hitting that spot and she couldn't take it anymore. She let it all out in one scream, mangled as she tried tied to call his name at the same time. He convulsed above her, reaching his pinnacle and he cried her name to the heavens before collapsing on top of her.
The lay like that for awhile, hands entwined, trying to catch their breath until finally, Lina spoke.
"Hey Gourry, can you move? I want to take this off, it's itchy."
Protesting lightly, Gourry got up. Lina made a little hum as he slid out of her. She lay there for a minute, dreamily soaking it in before the robe over her head.
"Well, I can get rid of this now," she said, throwing it in a pile by the table.
"Awww.," he protested. "Can't you wear it just for me?"
"Maybe," Lina answered, sliding under the covers. "But I was trying to teach you a lesson."
"And what was that?" Gourry asked, propping his head up on his elbow.
"I can't remember anymore," Lina said with a yawn. "But I'm sure it was important."