Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers.
Why hello everyone! Some of you probably already know me and/or have read my other stories "Starlit Confessions" and "Anything Goes Dragon Slave", for which I am grateful. Those who have read "SC" recently might remember me saying something about more oneshots centering around the other Slayers couples. Well, here's a little plot bunny I've had in my head for a while now about Lina and Gourry.
This story is set a few months after Slayers Next and about two months after "SC"(just in case I plot something else for them). THIS IS A ONESHOT, but that doesn't mean I can't/won't expand on it later.
Anyway, please enjoy my little oneshot, "Blushing Rain".
"..." normal speech
'...'thoughts
Spells
**********
The dark sky rumbled overhead, as if straining to hold back the growing storage of water. Lightning flashed, present for only a moment, but threatening nevertheless. Neither of those, however, mattered to a certain redheaded sorceress. Said sorceress was in fact enjoying her favorite past-time: relieving bandits of their ill-gotten goods.
Lina Inverse, self-proclaimed genius sorceress and Queen of Destruction, grinned devilishly at the whimpering thugs who cowered at the sight of the blazing orb in the palm of her hand. She glanced at the heavily condensed clouds then back at the bandit gang and thought, rather dejectedly, 'Ah well. All good fun must come to an end sometime I guess.'
"Alright boys," she declared, prompting a flinch from the bandits, "I've decided to spare you. Just bring me what treasure you have and I'll be on my way." Her grin widened as they scrambled to complete her demand, careful not to look her in the eye. A fat drop of rain landed on her nose as she extinguished her Fireball, sending a chill through her skin.
By the time they had gathered up everything that could be considered valuable and Lina had it all tucked away under her cloak, the clouds had let loose their water, resulting in a dense rain. That, combined with a fierce wind, made it very difficult to navigate.
'This isn't working,' Lina thought after ten minutes of walking around blindly. She cast a Raywing, thinking maybe air travel would be more productive.
For what seemed like ages, Lina was pelted on by millions of sharp beads, soaking through her clothes and leaving cold needle wherever it touched her skin.
At long last, over the roar of the wind and rain, Lina heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She let the voice guide her and soon she was greeted to the comforting sight of a dull, golden mass, cutting through the dark surroundings.
"Gourry!" Lina cried, touching back down to the wet earth and running toward her partner. The blond bundle shifted, allowing Lina to barely make out the reassured look on his face, only for him to turn aggravated.
"Lina, where have you been?" he asked worriedly.
"Out fighting bandits," Lina replied, "but that's not important right now. Come on, grab your stuff. We need to get to the nearest town before we freeze." Even though she couldn't see his features, she could still tell he was angry at something. Lina shrugged it off for the moment and moved to get her things.
The duo ran in silence, the only sound the wind rushing past them and their feet slapping against the rapidly formed puddles. When they finally got to the next town, both were drop dead tired. Lina could hardly remember the walk from the inn lobby to her room, but didn't really care. She was freezing cold, dripping wet, and just wanted to sleep. Once in the room she sluggishly peeled off her clothes, dropping everything to the floor. She managed to pull back the covers just before she collapsed, dragging them over her as she drifted off into dreamland.
**********
Gourry woke to the sound of raindrop splattering against the windowpane. He lay in the bed, slightly sore from their run last night, as he thought back to Lina's little escapade.
'She's always going off by herself at night,' he pondered, oddly hurt by it. 'Why does she always try to do things by herself?' Ever since they had left Sairaag Lina had been acting strangely. It was as if she was trying to keep him an arm's length away at all times.
He sighed, confused both by her actions and why he felt so strongly about it. He gazed out the window, thinking 'Looks like we'll be staying a while.' He finally sat up, stretched, and climbed out of bed. One change of clothes and trip to the bathroom later and he was on his way to breakfast. He paused only once, stopping at the door to Lina's room, but continued on his way.
He was quick to order two servings of everything at the inn's restaurant, enough for him and Lina once she got out of bed. However, as time ticked past and the food pile was steadily consumed, Lina had yet to come down. When only the food set aside for her was left, Gourry just shrugged and ate her share.
'You snooze you lose Lina,' he thought, but he was sure to keep an eye on the staircase in case she finally came down. She didn't.
Seeing as Lina never missed a a meal if she could help it, Gourry was very concerned. With the table stacked high with dishes he soon found himself standing outside her door.
"Hey Lina, are you okay?" he called, knocking on the door. A stifled sneeze was his answer.
"Lina?" Gourry cautiously opened the door, but was stopped when a pillow hit the door.
"Stay out jellyfish!" she yelled in a hoarse voice. He shut the door, but stayed in place.
"Lina, are you alright?" he asked again.
"I'm fine. Just let me finish getting dressed and we can leave," she insisted, giving another sneeze.
"Um, Lina, we can't leave. It's still-" The door flew open, cutting him off, and Lina stepped out in her very wrinkled travel clothes.
"What do you mean 'we can't leave'?" Lina demanded.
"It's still storming outside. The streets are practically flooded," Gourry replied, scratching his cheek. "Um, Lina?"
"What?"
"Why are you wearing a mask?" Indeed she was-a red cloth that covered her nose and mouth.
"It's nothing. I've just got a little cold and this is so I don't get anyone else sick," she explained. "I'll be fine as soon as I get some food in me." With that said, she attempted to step around him, only for Gourry to grab her arm. Before she could protest his hand was on her forehead.
"Lina! You're burning up!" he accused.
"I'm telling you-I'm fine," Lina insisted right before letting loose a hacking cough.
"It doesn't sound like you're fine to me," Gourry argued. "There's no way walking around is good for you. Go back to bed and I'll bring you some food."
"I'm not a kid Gourry. I can take care of myself," she rebutted. Again she made a move for the stairs, but was blocked by her partner. She scowled.
"Gourry, move," she ordered. He shook his head.
"Not until you go back to your room." The duo glared at each other, neither willing to let the other have their way.
Lina broke the glare first, feeling like her legs were about to give out. "Just be quick about it yogurt brain." She retreated back into her room, slamming the door behind her. Loudly.
Gourry let out a sigh while he regained his hearing. He made his way back down to the ground floor for more food. This task was hindered by the fact that the chefs recognized him from minutes before. They were convinced that Gourry had already eaten more than enough. It had taken some coaxing, but they eventually agreed to whip up a small meal-well, small to Gourry that is.
Meanwhile, Lina was sulking in bed and gazing at the dank world outside. The early morning sun seemed as if it was desperately trying to break through the clouds, making a small portion of the sky blush.
"Why is Gourry being so stubborn? I can take care of myself," she muttered. Part of her was touched by his concern, but another part of her tried to shove the other part away.
She briefly considered using a Recovery on herself. However, doing that would only make the bacteria that plagued her multiply. That wouldn't do anybody good, least of all her.
Lina was pulled from her thoughts by her door opening. Gourry poked his head in tentatively, carrying a tray loaded with food.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Lina complained, sniffling. "You could have caught me changing!"
"But you aren't," Gourry said with a confused expression.
"Never mind. Just give me the food." He shrugged and entered the room, closing the door behind him. Gourry set the tray on the nightstand and, while Lina pulled off her makeshift mask, relocated a chair from across the room over next to the bed.
The two sat in silence. Lina slowly ate while Gourry quietly observed. This persisted for several minutes until Lina couldn't take the silence anymore.
"Quit staring at me already!" she ordered, keeping her gaze away from his.
"I'm not staring."
"Yes you are, now stop it!"
"...Does it bother you?" he wondered, tilting his head to the side questioningly. Lina felt her face heat even more, something she didn't think was possible.
"Nobody likes being stared at," she said as nonchalantly as she could. The room fell back into silence and Gourry kept his gaze just about everywhere but her.
"Why did you go after that bandit camp last night?" he questioned all of a sudden, causing Lina to stiffen. "We agreed to wait until morning, so why did you sneak off in the middle of the night?"
"I couldn't wait," she lied, hoping he would buy it.
"Yes you could have. You could have a few months ago," he argued. Lina gripped the bed sheets and let her hair fall over her eyes, remembering the series of events that had occurred so recently, but felt like they were a lifetime ago. "Come on Lina, just tell me the truth. Do you know how worried I-"
"Because I don't want to have to depend on you! Because I'm afraid if I do you'll get ripped away again! Because you could get killed because of me!" she yelled angrily, finally letting months of pent up emotions go. "You may not remember, but I do! Phibrizo carried you away, made you fight us, and almost killed you!" She refused to raised her head and fought back the torrent of tears that were trying to come out.
"If it wasn't for me, you would have been fine and...I wouldn't have had my heart ripped out," she whispered. "I wouldn't have had to choose between you and the world." Her knuckles were pale but her grip didn't loosen. Once again the room was silent, and Lina couldn't tell what Gourry was thinking at this point.
"I do remember," he said softly. Though she was surprised, Lina wouldn't let it show. Gourry continued, "I remember it all. When he captured me, he did something to me so I wouldn't forget what happened there." Gourry waited for Lina to say something. She sneezed and sniffled, but said nothing.
"I also remember you choosing me over the rest of the world."
"...I didn't want to be alone," she murmured finally. "I thought that if you were gone, then the world wasn't worth living in. I don't want to feel that pain again." He spotted her mask and grasped it, grabbing her shoulder with the other hand.
"I told you I would stay with you. I'll always be your protector, no matter what. Push me away all you want, I'll stay by your side through thick and thin," Gourry declared, turning her to face him.
He faltered at the sight of tears crawling down her face and her keeping her eyes off of him. He took the cloth and wrapped it back around her mouth, earning himself a questioning look from Lina. The expression changed to surprise when he pressed his lips to hers, but she didn't pull away. Even though a cloth separated them, the kiss was sweet and electrifying. A rush of heat erupted in Lina.
Gourry pulled away, sensing something was wrong. She fell against him, face bright red and eyes swirling in their sockets.
'She's unconscious.' Gourry resisted the urge to laugh and tucked her back in bed. He placed a damp cloth on her forehead and left the room with the tray.
*********
The next morning, Gourry woke to a bright sky where the rain had slowed to a drizzle. The rising sun turned everything red, orange, and pink, making the remaining rain clouds blush.
'Looks like we can leave today.' He climbed out of bed, stretched, and quickly changed, eager to check on Lina's condition. The sorceress had slept the entire day before but had gone back down to a normal temperature in the end.
He got to her door and, recollecting the admonishing she had given yesterday, knocked on the door. When nothing replied, he slid the door open a hair and peeked inside. Lina wasn't there.
On the verge of panic, he hurried down the stairs to be treated to the sight of Lina sitting at a table on the verge of collapsing under her food. He sighed and walked the rest of the way to his partner.
"Yo Gourry!" she greeted, cheerful as ever. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a day. Hurry up before I grab your share too." He took a seat, but didn't start eating. Instead, he watched Lina as she grabbed all the food withing her reach. Under his gaze, Lina could feel her face grow warm.
"Quit staring at me already!" she eventually demanded. He blinked and chuckled.
"You said that yesterday," Gourry pointed out. Lina paused in her eating.
"I don't think I did. You must be remembering wrong, as usual." She shrugged it off and continued eating while Gourry looked at her, perplexed.
"Lina?" he asked, getting her attention. "What do you remember doing yesterday?" Lina pondered it for a minute.
"I was raiding a bandit camp and it started to rain, so we came here. Am I forgetting something?"
"That was the day before."
"What?!" Gourry nodded.
"Yep. Yesterday you woke up with a fever and slept almost the entire day."
"Really? No wonder I'm so hungry. So what did you do?" Gourry started, blushing slightly.
"N-nothing much." She eyed him for a moment then returned to her food.
"You really don't remember what happened yesterday?" he inquired, prompting her to quirk an eyebrow at him.
"Nope...Gourry?" He looked at her, having stuffed his mouth full. "Did you catch the name of the town? I can't remember." He forced the food down his thought, thinking.
"Yeah, I think it was-" Gourry began when the doors to the inn restaurant flew open, revealing a buxom woman with short lavender hair. Lina stiffened, so much she thought her back would break, and tried to make herself as small as possible.
"I heard you were in town, Lina-chan. We have some catching up to do."