/
"Lina!"
whowasthatGourry
"Lina!"
damnwhyisheyellingwhathappenedthehell
"Oh my gods, Lina, are you okay? Say something!"
gonnakillhim
"Please. I'm so sorry. Lina?!"
Something wet on Lina's face. Something warm surrounding her. Pain in her back and ears. Vaguely, she noted these things.And all at once like a switch had been thrown, she could smell fire and burning wood. The air seemed full of the stuffy odor and for a second Lina was sure she would be sick.
"Lina…" Something warm touched her cheek, something touched her hair. Despite her confusion and pain addled head, Lina felt comforted and was quite tempted to sink back into the black abyss. But, there were punishments to be dealt out and if there was something that could wake Lina up, it was the thought of kicking ass and taking names.
Gourry held the unmoving sorceress and sobbed, dignity forgotten as soon as his partner had hit the dirt. Crouching down like this was uncomfortable, but any pain in his knees was ignored. Sharp pebbles bit into his legs through his pants but Gourry ignored that as well. All he was conscious of was the hurt girl in his arms.
God, what had he done? What had he been thinking? He was supposed to be her guardian for gods' sake. That stupid, stupid spell had been way to close. God, what if she was…?
Frantically, Gourry lifted Lina as best he could and pressed his head into her chest, trying to hear a heartbeat. The back of her shirt and cape were still warm to the touch, but the swordsman didn't notice. He couldn't near anything, but that might just be a side effect of the explosion. Like Lina, his ears were still ringing. Wait, wasn't there a way to tell if you touched their hand? Unsure, he lifted her hand to his face.
How did this go? He panicked and pressed his lips against her palm, then her wrist and fingers. No, that wasn't it.
Screw it. This wasn't working. Maybe the heartbeat thing again?
Without thinking properly, Gourry lifted his red-haired friend and pressed her head against his chest. Her weak struggles went unnoticed by the blond man. He waited a moment, and then heard the sweetest sound in the world--the steady beat of her heart.
Crying in relief, Gourry continued to rest his head on Lina's chest. She was alive and seemed okay. The beat had been steady and he was sure that was a good thing. Slowly, the swordsman eyes began to close; the sound of her breathing was steady and her warmth was comforting. Plus, her chest was remarkably cushy and made a wonderful pillow.
Wait…breathing?
Had she been doing that this entire time?
Gourry's red, tear-filled eyes snapped open and he stared blankly in front of him. After a minute, he noticed Lina moving against him, mumbling something and coughing. The swordsman was both frightened and very, very relieved. She was most certainly okay; he could hear her mumbling threats. Carefully, as though afraid of spooking her, he moved his face from her chest (making a mental note to compliment Lina on her recent growth.) and helped lay the sorceress down.
Free from the added pressure of being squished, Lina tried to get air in her depleted lungs. She attempted to roll over and began coughing uncontrollably. Her lungs burned, like she had swallowed a hung of burning firewood. Or some of Xellos's cooking.
The sorceress brought her knees up towards her chest, feeling vulnerable. Maybe it had been the mention of Xellos. The light seemed to stab into her eyes, so she kept them closed while coughing uncontrollably, sure that any moment she would be hacking up blood and chunks of her own lungs.
Her guardian began whacking her back, not sure if Lina was choking or not. The added pain of someone slapping her burned back only made the coughing worst and she struggled to get things under control.
Gods, the smell! Was it always like this when she used a high level fire spell? This strong? It was funny; at the moment she couldn't really remember.
Exhausted, Lina relaxed her sore muscles and tried to sit up. She was still coughing, but it wasn't as constant. After another moment, the red-haired and red-eyed sorceress opened her streaming eyes. Everything was unclear and wavering, no matter how many times she wiped at her watering eyes. Gourry was just a yellow-blue blur and she was unable to see his own tears.
Gourry happily helped her sit up and began hugging her immediately.
She was fine, alive and maybe not happy, but alive and breathing and alive. Plus, it meant no more magic lessons.
Lina lost all the air in her poor lungs as Gourry began hugging and squeezing her even tighter.
"You…jellyfish." The girl managed out before attempting to push her guardian away, using her scrapped and bleeding elbows. Her hands were in even worse shape than the elbows.
"Lina, you're alright!" Squeeze, squeeze.
"Air--" Desperately, Lina stretched her arms out blindly as though reaching for help from the nature around her and tried to breathe. Gourry only tightened his grip and began rubbing her back and hair. The pain brought stars to her eyes and she saw those Angel versions of Amelia and Zel again.
This time their horns had a black material hanging from them and both were looking mournful. Zelgadiss had a little black bowtie on and Amelia had a little black lace veil covering her face. Aside from that, they were both still naked.
Wait, what was music?
'Taps'? And why was a little nude angel version of Filia (also with black veil) laying roses on that coffin? Why was the nude angel version of Gourry (it took her a moment to move her eyes to his face) crying? Where was she?
…In that coffin?!
"I'm so sorry Lina. I never meant it to happen. I swear I'll never do anything like that again. Are you okay?"
"H..e..l..p." Lina managed out, too tired and weak to kick her guardian away. Her back felt slightly warm, as though she had managed to get a nice sunburn. Gourry's fingers were buried and entwined with her hair and while it was nice in an odd way she shouldn't quite understand, the occasional accidental yanking he was doing only made her head hurt more. Her magically enhanced clothes had offered some protection and covered her well enough. There wasn't too much pain in the back, whamming into Gourry had been worse. Lina suspected that her hands, which had been held out to soften her fall, were in worse shape.
They'd been numb for most of the time while she'd been trying to keep her lungs inside where they belonged, but now she was getting some feeling in them. Lina was almost afraid to look at them.
"What?" He pulled Lina away from him a little bit and looked into her red, tired eyes and her blue, sooty face. She responded by coughing in his face.
"Idiot." Lina murmured, slumping forward.
"I know." He wrapped his arms around her and attempted to pick her up and take her back to town. They'd find the healer guy from before and then just forget this whole mishap.
"What are you doing? Put me down!" Lina swung her fist, catching Gourry in the jaw. He winced, amazed at how strong she was even now.
"I'm taking you back to the healer—"
"No! Not yet, you still have magic to learn! Now that I know what you can do, we can start with something smaller."
Wide-eyed, Gourry stared at his crispy partner. "You're insane." He informed her seriously.
"Like a fox." Lina retorted drunkenly, pulling away. The swordsman struggled to keep her from falling.
"No more magic. You need help."
"Like an otter!" The sorceress yelled as she began falling. She managed to slap Gourry before hitting the dirt. After a second, Lina was able to regroup her thoughts and struggled to her feet. She casually brushed her dirty clothes nonchalantly, still using her elbows awkwardly, as though she were used to this treatment. Actually, she, uh, was.
"I'm fine, really. You're the one who's going to be using the magic. I'll just sit around and instruct."
"Lina—"
"It's too bad there are no zombies around. I guess you could still cast an Assher Dist." She rubbed her bruised chin thoughtfully. "Maybe a Shadow Snap…"
"Can we please leave, Lina? There could be something seriously wrong with you."
A slipper hit his head and Gourry was momentarily relieved. She seemed to be recovering somewhat and regaining her mind. Sort of. Kinda. Nearly. In a way.
"I'm fine and we're not going back yet." The red-haired sorceress hissed. "You're going to have to do some magic if you want to see a bed again. In fact, if you want to see morning, you'll do some magic."
Her temper was back at least.
"I just did magic!"
"I want to see more, damn it. That might have been a fluke or something."
At Gourry's skeptic look, Lina gave him a glare. In truth, she wanted to actually see him use magic. She'd missed the Burst Flare and wasn't sure how strong it was. Sure there was a decent bit of collateral damage, but when it came to fire spells, it was hard to judge how strong a spell was based solely on the amount of things burnt. Lina knew from experience (from when she had first begun trying magic at an early age) that a single Flare Arrow could take out quite a few trees.
And the Fireball mishap hardly counted. She hadn't seen it properly first of all. It had been under her feet after all. And for that matter, her boots had hardly been singed. And she had only flown through the air a few feet. Pitiful.
"Look, just a few more spells and we'll leave." It was as close to a compromise as she could make.
Lina crossed her arms across her chest, winced, and quickly uncrossed her arms. Painfully, she looked at her hands. Amazing. They could survive numerous spells including a Dragon Slave, but a little fall and a few rocks…and they were a mess.
Still, the gloves had protected her hands, but Lina could feel bruises forming. With a quick tug, she removed the last bits of her gloves and eyed her hands. Deeply cut and bruised, (like she's expected) they had a fair bit of dirt on them as well as blood.
Looking at Lina's hurt and dirty face, Gourry decided to just hurry up and try to learn some spells. If it would make Lina happy and allow him to take care of her, the swordsman was willing to do just about anything.
"Maybe a Zelas Gort?" She smirked at Gourry's blank face and pulled her ragged gloves back on. He tilted his head to the side and Lina couldn't help but smile. Say what you want about the swordsman's brains, he was still a very hard person to be angry at very long. She would have been amazed if she'd heard anyone had a long standing grudge against him.
"You really should rest Lina. Maybe we should go back?"
"I'm not tired. Now…"
"Ouch!"
For the third or seventh time, the swordsman held his hands close to his chest. Gods, he was getting sick of this pain and smell of his own scorched flesh. No matter how many times he inhaled that odor, it still made him sick. It reminded him terribly of burned and rotten pork.
"Don't be such a baby! And straighten your back. And look mean. And fix your hair."
Lina was so lucky that Gourry had been taught not to hit girls. He was so close to just snapping and…And what? Casting a few fireballs at her head and laughing as she ran around like a chicken with its head cut off? Oh no, he was turning into Lina.
Maybe it was time to stop before he began calling himself 'Gourry Gabriev, Magically-something or whatever, now bow before me, weaklings.'
"Once more, from the top." Lina clapped her hands impatiently and looked at Gourry menacingly. Gourry received the look, inspected it, polished it, and returned it. It became a battle of wills and the blonde wasn't going to give up willingly.
Lina strained, eyes widening as she struggled not to blink. How dare Gourry try to fight back? He was always willing to just do what she wanted him to, and this 'spine' thing that would pop up on occasion when he remembered he had one only irked the sorceress.
Gourry put his hands on his hips, imitating her. Sweat ran down their foreheads and cheeks in small streams. They fought their watering eyes.
Heaven shined down on the gifted swordsman that day. Lina sneezed.
They looked at each other, shocked. Though Gourry wouldn't have admitted it, they had both been expecting Lina to win this match.
Gourry grinned.
Lina scowled.
"I win." The blond proclaimed, smiling, doing a victory dance he had learned from his best friend. Lina took a step forward, her face dark. Immediately, Gourry stopped gyrating.
"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm sorry Lina."
The sorceress shrugged, dispelling the Flare Arrow. Her gestures were curt and quick, face struggling for impassivity.
How did Zel do this? Lina tried to arrange her face properly. But she was tired and this had been a long day. She gave up and let her unhappiness shine through.
Gourry, who had pretty much forgotten what this little fight was about, wanted to comfort her. He slung his arm his friends shoulder, ignoring the immediate elbow to the ribs. The swordsman wanted to find the words to cheer her up and make her smile, but nothing came to mind. All he could do was squeeze her shoulder and be there.
Then something occurred to him.
"Hey, how about I do a little more magic? Would that cheer you up?"
Although he spoke to her like he would a sullen, unhappy child, Lina decided to forgive him. She would be getting her way after all. And later, as punishment, the red-head would make sure to steal as much as his food as humanly possible at dinner.
"Alright, fine, fine." She waved him off, trying to ignore the fluttering to her guts at the comforting feeling of his arm around her, the sensation of him just breathing next to her and the vibration of his words from his chest…
A quick shove sent him a few feet forward and immediately, Lina began to go over different incantations; the fluttering ignored and shoved in the back of her mind for late night inspections when thoughts of him would chase her into her dreams.
They continued on in this fashion for awhile.
/
It was a magnificent Fireball and Gourry looked quite imposing wielding it. His posture was perfect; the Fireball was nicely shaped and powerful. The swordsman even had a devilish gleam to his eye that, although neither of them knew it, rivaled Lina's.
Proud beyond belief, the sorceress in front of him grinned and began a victory dance.
Gourry smiled and began throwing the Fireball. He'd toss it over Lina's head, impress the hell out of her, and then celebrate with a big meal at a fancy restaurant and a trip to the healer. Perfection.
Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned. He had done a glorious job with keeping it from burning his palm, but his aim was…off.
Just getting into the groove of her dancing, it took a moment for the sorceress to take in what she was seeing.
She did a double-take, and then dropped to the ground, narrowly missing having her head catch on fire. She could smell burning hair and raised her hands to her head, afraid of what she might find. Discovering a nice charred bald patch would just complete the evening.
The fireball continued to fly past Lina and headed for the already burnt trees. As though waiting for the opportunity, the trees caught on fire and began to burn at utmost speed.
As quickly as she felt her head completely and was sure she wouldn't need a wig made of Gourry's hair, Lina snapped to attention and began casting an Aqua Create. The small stream of water poured weakly from her hand and the sorceress cursed loudly. Stupid Gourry had been right about the fire being dangerous and growing out of control and about her being tired. Insult on top of injury.
The fire continued to grow despite her best efforts and the sorceress began casting a Grey Buster. The temperature around the clearing cooled several degrees and the fire began to slow down.
Behind her, she could hear her blond friend's own cursing and knew there wasn't much he could do to help. Blowing on it really wasn't going to do the job.
Why hadn't she taught Gourry a few water spells instead of something that could blow up? --Because she hadn't really thought much ahead and thought her guardian casting a few Fireballs would be pretty badass. Mentally berating herself, Lina continued to use water spells.
Her sister and all her old teachers were right; sometimes Lina was too flashy for her own good. All this mess caused because she hadn't wanted to listen to her friend's advice and wanted to use some 'cool' spells. So stupid…and it hadn't been worth it.
…Alright, it had been cool for a second, but now it was just causing a huge mess.
"Maybe," Gourry said as he wiped ash from a burned, exhausted Lina, "you should be the one to use magic?"
The sorceress twitched and brushed him away. Gourry noticed her too-bright eyes and realized that he'd said something wrong. She turned away, not wanting her friend to see how frustrated and close to tears she was. They'd been at it all day, and there had been pretty damn little in way of competent spell casting. Gourry just didn't even seem to be trying.
Somehow, that seemed to be the worst. She believed the healer when he'd said Gourry had a high magic capacity. The way he had handled the Sword of Light seemed to be an indication that Gourry could be…have something anyway.
He just didn't seem to care about how important this was or that it could one day saved both their butts. Instead, all he did was mix up spell incantations and go through the motions half-heartedly. It was infuriating. That slip-up with the Burst Flare had shown her that he could easily do high-powered magic. So, why wasn't he using magic?!
He didn't seem to care about magic at all, as though magic were unimportant. It…it was like the blonde man was spitting in her face. After everything she'd been through, all the training and research and studying, was no big deal to him. Like magic was some useless thing.
Sure, Lina was used to him being relaxed about things, but not over something this important. Something this…necessary. How could he not want to learn magic? How could Gourry not enjoy the power, the rush, the thrill, the wonderfulness of using magic? Why did he not want it, not enjoy it?
"Why don't you want to learn magic?" She turned around and poked his chest with one unsteady finger. Despite being nearly a foot taller than her and many pounds heavier, the swordsman took a step back. Her eyes no longer had that overly bright sheen to them, but were still frightening in their intensity.
"I'm not asking you to use the Dragon Slave, just some simple spells, and you won't even do that? I know you can, you just did, so why--?"
"Magic is your thing Lina." He mumbled hesitantly.
"What? Is that it? Well, then, it's going to be your thing too." Another stab of the finger.
"I already have a thing though Lina. I have my sword. You know, my-non-magical-sword?" He said with a pained smile, hoping that some humor might help the situation.
"Your damn right it's not magical. Yeah, a sword. A plain sword that can't do a damn thing against a real enemy." Her voice rose and Gourry winced. Her hand clenched into a fist and Lina imagined just decking him.
"A sword that's practically useless compared to the Sword of Light." Lina made a face, almost disgusted, and turned away from Gourry. The swordsman touched the hilt of his weapon and looked down.
Lina had never said anything like this before. She had liked the Sword of Light, thought it was a good weapon, but had been okay when he had given it away.
She had never…
Lina had always liked the Sword of Light, had tried to buy/steal/take the sword from him and had begun traveling with him because of it.
Could the Sword of Light have meant that much to her? Gourry had thought she enjoyed his company and that they were friends. He had thought they were friends, and maybe even more…Even he didn't miss those looks she sometimes gave him.
Grimacing, the blond man turned from the sorceress. Maybe Lina was just letting out steam and taking out her frustrations on him. It wouldn't exactly be the first time she'd hurt him just to let some of her anger out. That was alright, but…
Had she really meant what she'd said?
The fact that she wasn't hitting him was both a relief and only made him worry more. Maybe she had been telling the truth. That it had been the sword that made her travel with him.
And now that he no longer had that sword, she needed him to learn magic so that he was worth traveling with.
He, feeling oddly detached, as though this was all watching this happen to another person, looked on as Lina began pacing. Her hands kept moving, cracking her knuckles, waving a fist in his direction, and throwing her hands up. The sorceress tugged at her hair, then looked at him. She stopped, noticing the blank look.
How should would have loved to just murder him right now. If anyone asked what happened to him, Lina would just say there had been an accident. A falling boulder, a Mazoku, maybe a trip when crossing a small path on a big mountain, a few too many unsteady steps on unsteady footing along a wild river. During a storm.
Her best friend continued to look at her with an emotionless face.
'Why didn't I rescue him? I tried! But the current was just too strong; it just carried him away.' Then the tears.
Lina turned away from him, literally shaking. If she kept staring at him, she would just lose it and end up attacking him.
"You idiot." Her words were low and dangerous. It really would have been better if she had yelled at him.
"That sword is completely useless. The Sword of Light, gods—"
"I thought you were okay with me giving it up?" His words were soft and Gourry didn't look at her when he said them.
"I was! I thought we could find something better. But we haven't. And instead of learning magic, which could end up saving our lives, you decide you just don't want to. Gods, Gourry, don't you understand how important this is? Can't you take anything seriously?"
Stung, the swordsman looked up at her.
"So useless! What are we going to do now?"
"We might find another sword—"
"Might!" She pointed an accusing finger at him like a weapon. "Might. We might never find anything better. What then?"
It might have been his imagination. Really, it might have been. But Gourry swore he saw something unsaid in her eyes. An issue neither of them had addressed before. 'What then? What good are you then? Can't use magic, and no powerful sword. What then?'
In a way, Gourry could understand this. In a serious fight he would have a harder time than his companion with his magic-using friend. That didn't stop it from hurting.
What made it worse was…what if she was right? What if with magic of any kind he was useless?
It was just like home. The look she'd given him could have been his brother's.
A steady coldness overcame him. He might have stepped into an icy shower. The fiery anger disappeared and now he felt like ice. His face went blank again.
Lina should have noticed the change. She'd only seen him like this in grim situation. She should have backed off and apologized. Lina Inverse didn't do that kind of stuff though, Gourry thought with just a hint of bitterness. It would have been nice if she had. Instead, the short woman just clenched her fists and began walking away from him. Just a little space, a little privacy and a chance to cool off.
Gourry didn't make any move to follow her; he just continued to stand there and look at Lina's retreating back.\
Next to impossible…
No, it had been entirely impossible.
What had she been thinking? Actually expecting him to use magic…
With a quick turn and flick of the wrist, Lina began calling on her magic. The power and strength and control returned to her and the world was right again.
Those bushes that seemed to be laughing at her in their healthy greenness didn't stand a chance. And that arrogant tree, with its tall, strong branches, that was a goner. Not so strong after all.
She continued to walk, stomp, away from her guardian. With a ground-eating pace, the sorceress hurried to town. The sun was quickly going down and all she wanted to reach the inn where they'd stayed last night. She'd eat a huge meal, soak in the tub for a few hours, then sleep for a year.
The setting sun was a beautiful thing, but Lina refused to acknowledge it. Everything pleasant about her surroundings was dismissed or the young woman was able to turn it into something ugly.
Those cute bunnies, oh, they'll just be eaten by a hawk later on. Sure, that looks like a nice place to camp, but it's probably full of bugs. Slugs. That pretty stream was full of bacteria that gave you diarrhea and the fish were poisonous. Everything out in the world was out to get her and she was totally willing to take her revenge out on it. Hating everything was easy and Lina didn't bother to avoid doing so.
She kicked the grass and pebbles underfoot, determined to destroy something. There was something was wrong, missing, but Lina didn't pay any attention to it.
They would move on, just forgot this mess ever happened. Continue on with their lives, with time, they might actually be able to put this behind them. Then, whatever. They would find a new sword for Gourry, eventually. She would continue to use magic, maybe discover some new spells for herself. Who knew, they might end up meeting Amelia and Zelgadiss, and end up having to save the world again?
Lina could see the lights of the small village ahead, and hurried forward. She refused to look at her guardian, not so much as a single glance. All she would allow herself to say to him were a few mumbled insults. The muscles in her legs burned from traveling so quickly, but she ignored them. Something nibbled and bit at her insides, but she ignored that as well.
After reaching the well-maintained fields that separated the town from the wilderness, Lina realized what was wrong.
Gourry wasn't there.
She turned around abruptly, expecting to see the tall blond right behind her. No, nothing. She couldn't see any flashes of yellow or blue in the distance either.
For a moment, Lina just stood there, looking down the path. No Gourry. But…It took a second to compute. Gourry was always there. They had been walking together, he'd been quiet, but that was normal. She had just been talking to him--
Hadn't he been there?
She mentally rewound her memory. He had been there, right? The sorceress continue to stand there. If anyone had been watching her, they would have thought her insane. Her expression went from quizzical, to suspicious, to afraid, to shocked. And all over an empty path.
Should she go back?
He might be fine, just pouting. Or playing with a bug. Or adding more yogurt mix to his head.
But, if he's not…
Should she go back?
Of course, argued the main part of her. He's Gourry, and he might be hurt or kidnapped. But at the moment, she wasn't feeling particularly concerned about her friends welfare and health. Still, this was Gourry. No one was allowed to hurt him but her.
That decided it. Lina stood up straighter, deciding remarks and insults to berate the swordsman with when she found him.
Hurriedly, moving with energy she thought she'd lost, the sorceress headed back. She began steadily jogging; hoping to reach her friend where she'd left him before night fell. Already, the sun was setting and shadows lurked everywhere.
Lina sped up, nearly twisting her ankle on a hole that appeared from nowhere. Only a nimble jump and awkward twirl saved her. But, she couldn't slow down. Even when her breathe came out short and hot and a stitch burned through her side. It felt like she was trying to beat the clock, outrace nighttime.
She tried to convince herself she was just worried; after all, he might have really been kidnapped. Another Mazoku might have popped up: Dynast, Deep Sea Dolphin, Xellos' master. She had a brief image of Xellos, surrounded by a black aura sneaking up behind Gourry and grabbing him. No, he would just use his staff to stab Gourry. For a second, the picture was too strong.
She could see the drops of blood fly through the air, staining the grass around him. Hear his cry of pain and Xellos' sinister snicker. Could see the staff extruding through her best friends stomach, a long painful death. She would arrive just in time to feel the warmth on the body and find his blood not yet clotted. It would have been the perfect revenge against her.
It only made her run faster. Reckless. It was getting steadily darker. Her range of vision shortened and she couldn't bring herself to stop to mutter the incantation for a Lighting spell. Magic seemed to be tainted. There was no way she could use it without thinking of Gourry even further. It would drive her insane. Memories of him doing magic would only multiply and his face made a frightened voice appear, yelling at her for leaving him.
'He would never leave you behind!'
Lina clumsily dodged a bush, not noticing that she was getting further and further off the path.
'He's your guardian!' Some guardian she wanted to argue back.If anything, she protected him as often as—But she was the reason why there was danger.
A shrub full of thorns tore greedily at her skin and clothes.
'How could you do that to him?!'
She missed a largish sized rock in the dark and tripped. As she fell, it occurred to her that no, she didn't know how she could do that to him.
The red head lay on the ground, feeling twigs and small stones bite into her. None hurt as badly as the knowledge that she'd left her best friend, her guardian, the guy who'd saved her life a number of time, the man she cared for so much, more than anything, behind because she was careless. So stupid. So damn stupid.
She had no right to call him names. If anything, Gourry should be the one calling her jellyfish brains.
Lina opened her eyes, noticing that it wasn't much darker than when her eyes had been shut. It was night.
Had she blacked out there, for a minute, an hour, a day?
She was so tired…
It would be so nice and so easy to just lay here and fall asleep. Leave everything for someone else.
A brief image of Gourry, lying on his ruined and bloody stomach popped into her head. His clear, lifeless eyes opened and accusing.
Her own eyes shot open and she dragged herself to her feet. Things ached and burned, but there was no time for that. She paused momentarily, just long enough to cast Lighting and the memory of Gourry casting a fireball magnificently made her heart ache. The small sorceress gritted her teeth until the pain subsided enough to allow her to think.
Where was she? She was so off the path… The woman turned looked at down at her feet until she was sure where she needed to go. Lina had no tracking experience, but even she could tell where she'd trampled grass and shrubbery in her haste.
The path was somewhere over there. Hurriedly, Lina headed westward. Her ankle throbbed and smarted and she nearly inspected the damage for a second. She was sure it was bruised and swollen. Who cared though?
Limping a bit, the sorceress only continued on.
Eventually, she found what she was pretty sure was the path. It looked more overgrown than what she remembered, but it might just be her imagination. Or the darkness.
A superstitious part of her couldn't help but see the dark--dark even with the light spell--empty path as a metaphor or an omen. For what, she wasn't sure. It could have been a metaphor for Gourry's magic training, desolate and with only the light she provided. Or a bad omen for her future: uncertain and murky with danger hiding in every shadow. It could have just been the gods punishing her for not paying enough attention to her companion and taking him for granted…
She shook her head. This was all nonsense.
He won't be there when you get back said a voice in her head. It sounded like Xellos, always snide, looking for that dagger to twist, a wound to open.
No, it was Luna: always judging and finding her lacking. Perhaps it was one of her friends. Amelia: optimistic and wanting everyone to just get along. Zelgadiss: the voice of reason in the group, except when it came to his cure. Sylphiel: always willing to defend Gourry and so damn caring, and that made Lina wince.
No.
No, it sounded like Gourry.
Maybe the path was a metaphor for a life without Gourry--
A branch slammed into her face sending her falling to the ground, and Lina was almost grateful. Though it had scratched her cheek up, it at least was a distraction. She wiped at her face, in control of herself again.
The sorceress picked herself up, dusted herself off, and felt like crying. This path, if she was even on the right one, would go on forever. What if she'd missed Gourry somehow? What if he was back at the inn? But what if he was dead or kidnapped, that's why she hadn't found him yet?
Lina wiped at her damp cheeks, feeling cold sweat and tears on her face.
What if he was still ahead?
That decided it. She, damn it, she would find Gourry. Even if she had to go to the end of the world to find him, even if she had to search the Sea of Chaos for him, even if she had to demand his return from Lord of Nightmares--
Lina shook her head, feeling dizzy. Her head ached and she assumed it was a delayed action from all her falls.
The redhead shrugged it off, feeling her energy return. She was Lina Inverse, Sorceress Extraordinaire. No one could stand in her way, and if they tried, she knocked them right smack down. Anyone who messed with Gourry had to go through her first.
She paused, posing needlessly dramatic alone in the darkness, then began running toward what she was fairly certain was the right direction.
Gourry gracefully stepped over the small hole, his foot steps long and even. He was making good time he guessed. No, he didn't know where he was going, but still. Wherever he was going, he was probably going to get there soon. Maybe.
The swordsman shook his head. It seemed filled with blood and insects, like a rotten tooth since Lina had walked off. Everything hurt really. Despite the pain it brought to his burned hands, he had been constantly grabbing the hilt of his weapon, feelings mixed. Touching the weapon brought little comfort, but it was something anyway.
It was a good weapon. It wouldn't be much against a Mazoku, Lina had been right about that. But that didn't mean it was useless. No, it wasn't as 'good' a weapon as the Sword of Light, but it was fine. They hadn't run into an enemy since he'd gotten it that it couldn't beat.
Couldn't she see? Was Lina blind? She was supposed to be the smart one, but why didn't she see--?
Couldn't she tell that the Sword of Light didn't really matter? That it was only a weapon. And a dangerous weapon that could have fallen into the wrong hands and really hurt innocent people? Hadn't Lina been there when they'd been fighting that Dark cloud guy?
'The sword had only been a sword and a dangerous one', he chanted to himself. Lina didn't see that? How could she not know that? Hadn't she handled it? Was she so blind that she couldn't see that?
He wanted to go back and yell at her. Try and talk some sense into her. The tall man was tired, sore and hurt inside and outside.
He wanted to go back and hug her, apologize and return to their regular life. But, no. He couldn't. Gourry didn't think it was possible, but Lina had finally crossed a line neither had thought existed.
Wasn't he her guardian, a forgiving part asked. Didn't he take a vow and promise to protect her for the rest of his life.
But like she'd told him again and again, she could take care of herself. She could find another guy to beat up and get to protect her. Lina didn't need him, or want him. After all, wasn't he useless without the Sword of Light?
No; he didn't want to lie to himself. That was just an excuse. He had broken his vow and left her.
Although, technically, she'd left him.
He barrowed his hurt head in his hands and moaned. Right now, Gourry didn't want to think about anything. He just wanted to shut his brain off for a few minutes.
Maybe this wasn't the end of their relationship. They might meet up in a few years or a couple of days, or something. Right now though, even for just a night, Gourry wanted to be by himself to think about things.
'What good are you then?'
His hands began burning and he pulled them away from his face. Wet. Tears burned the cuts and burns on his hand, but in a way that was good. It proved that he was really here, really alive and alone.
It straightened his head and kept him from just collapsing and crying. Like a walking stick, the pain kept him moving. If he kept traveling, something would change.
No, not exactly. Things would return to how it was before Lina. He would be a traveling mercenary, maybe join a band of mercenaries or get a job protecting a caravan, as he once had. Sure, for some time he might be lonely. He had been before he'd met Lina. But in time he might be able to….
In a while, he might be able to forget about her.
Her voice, a thing that couldn't really be called sweet or melodious, it was too high and scratchy for that, but was never really awful or irritating either. The sound of it could relax him and set him on edge. Gourry loved to hear her when she was explaining things, that tone she used.
Her bright eyes, the irises a color he had only seen on monsters before. If she hadn't been squealing like a damsel in distress when they'd first met, the swordsman might have thought she was a vampire or Mazoku maybe. Who knew, he might have attacked her or at least been on his guard with her for a little while. They might not have been friends then. He didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing anymore. The realization saddened him.
Her small body that he loved to tease her about. He couldn't count how many times he'd upset her over those comments. That was another thing that Lina didn't appear to see. Couldn't she tell that his comments, regardless of how playful they were, showed that he looked at her? He'd made a million remarks about her, but it always went over her head. He smiled, thinking about how short she was.
That red hair. How it would change from a glowing red, like a fire, to a gold red, like a coin reflected in the light to that odd orange shade. It always depended on the light. Sometimes, he looked forward to seeing his friend just to see what color it would be that moment. No matter what, it was always bright and made everyone around her look drab.
Her always moody and energetic personality. One moment from happy to grumpy, from embarrassed to arguing with someone over a tiny issue. He remembered some of the things people had said about them: Zelgadiss kidding around and asking if he was 'over' Lina when he'd looked up Filia's skirt. How angry the sorceress had gotten. But, Gourry remember, she hadn't blushed, had she? Lina was the smartest person he knew, but she could miss a lot of things when it came to people. Especially herself.
Her small, expressive face. The small pointed chin and nose. Her full lips. Those moles, usually hidden beneath that black bandana. The set of her chin when she was determine. Even her round ears.
Her strange outfit that made her look like some weird waitress. Another thing that made her stand out of the crowd. Did Lina know how conspicuous she looked, how much harder that made his job? Had made his job.
The way she smiled at him when she was truly happy. Those little wrinkles that formed around the mouth and eyes when she did.
Gods, he missed her. For a moment, he would have given and done anything, even sold his very soul, to see Lina again. To just see her in the corner of his eyes, hear her voice, even if she just called him a jellyfish.
Gourry rubbed at his face. The burning sensation helped again. He would travel and try to forget Lina. Maybe he'd find Zel, and help him look for his cure? That wouldn't be too bad. He and Zel didn't talk a lot, but they were friends and maybe Zel wanted some company. Gourry didn't think the chimera would mind if someone accompanied him.
Or maybe go see Amelia? According to a letter Lina had gotten not too long ago, Sylphiel was living there too. He could get a job at the palace or something. Visit Sylphiel once in a while, enjoy her cooking. Amelia and her dad might want him to do that justice stuff with all the poses, but that wouldn't be too bad either. He could always make up excuses, or just be really busy.
Either chose wasn't bad.
Maybe he should just flip a coin and decide--?
As he reached into his pockets and felt around for some money, Lina found the proper path. There had been two, a split. The sorceress, using the same logic as her best friend, had flipped a coin. It had been heads and Lina went right. She didn't know why she'd assigned the right to heads, but like she'd told Gourry before, it just seemed right.
She had been walking, cursing herself, and promising to never let Gourry out of her sight again. Ever move he made, she would follow him. Everywhere. Even to the restroom and they would share a tub. It might be a tight squeeze, but she and Gourry would manage it. They would share a room, a bed, no matter how embarrassing it would be. All they needed was some earplugs and a blindfold to survive from now on. Anyone who stared at them would be fireball-ed.
She would go to a blacksmith right away and have him make a pair of handcuffs. Then if someone tried to take her guardian, they would have to bring her along too.
Lina also promised to treat her best friend better. No more hitting or yelling or insulting him. Even when he deserved it. She would even go around calling him Gourry dear, if he wanted. And she would let him eat first and wouldn't steal any food from him ever again.
She'd do anything if it meant that Gourry would never disappear again. This was Phibrizo all over again. Only this time she promised to keep her promised to keep her promises and be nicer to Gourry.
The sight of his blond hair, blowing merrily in the breeze made the air in her lungs disappear. Looking over him and realizing he was fine made lung fill again.
The knot in her stomach loosened. She could breathe properly again.
Gourry was fine, he was alive, he was over there. The cloud in the shape of his lifeless body dissipated before the sight of his sunny appearance. He was like a sun, Lina realized. She didn't understand why it took so long to figure that out, or fully why now she came to that conclusion. Her sun that always brought light into her world, even if she wanted it cloudy and stormy to match her mood.
The sorceress just stood there on the small dirt path, her light spell had disappeared at the sound of another human. The sound of mumbling and footsteps had been over a small rise. She couldn't tell whose voice it was. It might not have been Gourry she warned herself. Could just be a stranger, a merchant, even a bandit. Lina had swallowed the rock in her throat and continued along the unsteady path.
Her legs had felt like limp noodles, knees nearly knocking together and she was sure she'd made a sight. But she couldn't bring herself to care about that. Not even the thought of noodles had distracted her though it had been some time since she'd last eaten.
The light spell she made disappear. If it wasn't Gourry, then she didn't want the other person to see her. They might ask question and Lina didn't think she could talk right now. That lump she'd swallowed must have been her tongue. If someone, even her sister or a Mazoku had come up to her right now, she wouldn't have been able to say a single word or move an inch backwards. All she could do was stay silent and move forward, looking for her guardian.
Then Gourry had been there.
She looked at him, unable to think anything besides 'He's okay.' Lina just stood there and could have stood there until the sun rose, watching him. Her face, although she didn't know it, was soft and gentle.
She didn't look like Lina Inverse, Sorceress Extraordinaire, Dragon Spooker, The Enemy of All Who Lived, destroyer of several high level Mazoku, a person whose name could make bandits and townsfolk's alike knees shake. All of her friends and acquaintances, if they could even recognize her, would have taken a confused and frightened double-take. For the moment, she was just an enamored young woman looking at a young man whom she had missed.
So, Lina stood there in the darkness, watching her friend become even less visible in the darkness. His skin and hair nearly glowed despite the lack of light though. He looked taller and bigger than before, and Lina wondered what his exact height was. Although she knew she should say something, go up to him at least, the sorceress couldn't tear her eyes from him. If she did so much as move, he would disappear a part of her was convinced. The rest of her just wanted to look at him and savor the fact that he was alive and well.
Her eyes trailed over him, from the tufts of hair that stuck up on top his head to the cut of his boots, and back again. Gods, just a few hours apart and it had felt like an eternity. It had never been like this before. Not even when she'd been kidnapped by Zel and his minions, when she had gone to that healer to get her powers back, or even when they'd been separated by Valgaav and Darks Star, though that had been close. Lina didn't know what was different about this, maybe because she was completely alone and there was no immediate danger to take her mind off it. Later, she would admit to herself that she felt more responsible this time for their brief separation. But that was later.
What was she going to say to him? 'Hey, where've you been?' Or just leap at him, hug and then smack him across the continent?
Lina summoned up her torn remains of strength, and went to her guardian.
He squinted. "Lina, is that really you?"
She was not pleased at his less-than-pleased expression. Here, she'd expected him to be upset or happy or maybe dead. Lina nearly hit him before remembering her promise. But, well, Gourry was here and okay…Surely the gods would understand if she just hit him a few times…
"Of course it is. Who else would it be?" The sorceress scowled. All those kind feelings had disappeared and now she was angry that he had made her worry. Why the hell had he taken off? Or rather, why hadn't he followed her?
"I don't know; maybe a monster. A random person. Bandit?"
She forgot or disregarded the fact that she'd thought the same thing about him. Lina whacked his stomach, the blow low and powerful. The sight of him doubling over and losing his breathe made her feel better. His hair blew into her face, temporarily blinding her with gold.
It smelled girlish, of fruit and specifically, berries, and Lina nearly made a crack about it until it was in her mouth and choking her. She threw another punch, and the silky mask was gone.
It was like nothing had changed. He didn't say anything about their brief separation and Lina wasn't sure whether to bring it up or just forget everything. But no, Lina Inverse would have her answers.
"Jeez Gourry, who else would walk all this way for you?"
"Um, Sylphiel?"
The redhead gave a little start. They hardly talked about the priestess. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and defensive. The sorceress wanted to yell at him 'Yeah, if cares so much for you, where is she? I'm the one who's here.' She wanted to tell him to go to Sairraag if he liked Sylphiel so much. But that wasn't fair to the priestess or Gourry. Barely, she clamped onto her anger.
"Zel, maybe. I don't think Amelia would abandon me. Or Filia. Or Xellos."
Lina wanted to make a remark about how it was a good thing if Mazoku didn't came for you, until one of her friends remarks hit her. It was nearly a physical blow.
"I didn't abandon you!"
"You left, Lina."
"You just didn't follow! If anything, you left me."
"You left Lina." He repeated softly. His face, normally so cheerful, looked too serious. Lina swallowed, feeling self-hatred rise in the back of her throat like vomit. Her stomach hurt and she felt ill and guilty. It was like someone had placed a heavy weight on her back. Her head dropped and she was conscious of how tired she was. She wanted to apologize, but no words came.
"Lina. Is it really you?"
She looked up; the first thing to pop into her head was to yell 'of course it is, didn't you just notice I'm here?' Then hit him.
The young woman took a good look at her friend. His face was so miserable; she wanted to say something to cheer him up. To say or do something.
The blond man reached forward and her first thought was to move away. She saw how unsteady his big hand was. Then he yanked her bandana down her face, covering her eyes.
Lina tried to say something but nothing came. She just stood there, blind, mouth open. Gourry could always be good for a surprise.
"Definitely Lina. No one else has two weird dots like that."
She almost replied back with something undoubtedly stupid until Gourry poked her forehead with his first two fingers. His hands were warm and gently and Lina felt her face light up. Part of her wanted to just collapse and hope Gourry would catch her like a stupid (and now blind) heroine, while the other wanted to run away until she got her thoughts clear.
It was just the lack of sleep. That's all. That's why her insides were twisted and she didn't mind that her friend, her good friend Gourry, still had his fingers on her forehead. Then he began tracing circles around the moles and the part that said she should collapse doubled. Her breath came out short like she had finished running around recently instead of several minutes ago.
The sorceress felt this crazy longing she didn't know how to express. It was like she was hungry, but she didn't want food was the last thought on her mind. It was strong and curious enough to stop her from knocking his hands aside and fixing her bandana. She felt so vulnerable, but it was somehow okay because it was Gourry, and he wouldn't hurt her. Her eyes closed, though it made no difference.
She was just tired.
"Speaking of which…"
He took his hands away and Lina nearly let out a un-Lina whimper. That headache that had formed between the eyes had disappeared at the touch of his fingers. She licked her lips nervously, no knowing why he'd stopped.
With a-too innocent hand, Gourry patted her chest fondly. He gave a little laugh. Lina took a step back; it felt like he'd punched her.
"Definitely Lina." He repeated.
The red haired woman threw a fist out blind at the sound of his voice. He laughed easily again and avoided the blow. Maybe he should have thought of the blind-fold thing earlier. His laughter only egged Lina on and she paused to pull up the bandana. Her hand tore at her skin and hair, and sorceress was alarmed at how upset she was. She felt her throat tighten at the sight of him and her eyes burned.
Gourry, unmindful of her violent fists, grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her close. Lina barely had time to register what he was about to do before he did it.
He was warmer than she would've thought. Harder too, from the armor. She could smell his dried sweat, the polish he put on his sword, the smell of the soap he cleaned himself with, even a hint of the grass he'd rolled around in when she'd been trying to teach him magic.
Gourry was very tall. She noticed it a lot; it had been the first thing she'd noticed about it. It was one of the first adjectives she would have used to describe him. He was very tall.
But she hadn't properly realized how tall he was in comparison to her. She just reached halfway to his chest. His armor was cold too and it might have annoyed her at a different time to have it pressed against her cheek. Now it felt nice against her hot cheeks.
His long hands rested on her shoulder pads. He seemed perfectly at ease, like he hadn't pulled one of his best friends who could easily beat him into a pulp over something like this into an embrace. Not that she would beat him, at least at this moment. She was pretty tired, exhausted after walking around all night, plus all that magic used, and he was warm and pretty comfy.
Like a bed…Lina mentally slapped herself as her thoughts veered towards the side of the mind where the gutters were located. 'Bed' and 'Gourry' should never be used in the same sentence.
He sighed and Lina felt the wonderful vibration it caused.
"Let's just—"
"Yeah, yeah." She raised and waved her hand in his face, as thought trying to wave his words away. "Let's just forget about it. Temporary insanity."
"I'm sorry. Really, I just needed some time to think."
Lina let out a little laugh.
"Seriously, Lina. I won't ever leave you again. It's just…" He ran his fingers through his hair distracted. His other hand remained on her shoulder, much to Lina's secret delight. They had forgiven each other, no one was about to kill them or had just tried, and they were still touching. It was a novel and pleasant thing.
"It's okay."
"No, we should never split up. That was stupid. What if something had happened to you?"
What if something had happened to you? She hugged him back for the first time, arms not quite all the way around him.
She still remembered her image of him lying on his stomach, dead or dying.
"Okay." She slapped his back. "We won't split off again."
Gourry looked relieved, pleased. She returned his small smile. Lina felt generous and strong and good. Everything was okay. Her throat tightened again.
"And uh, let's just forget about the magic thing, alright." She abruptly turned away from him, hoping he didn't notice her current state or wouldn't rub his victory in her face.
Gourry only smiled sweetly at her before abruptly doubling over to spit out more tongue depressors. She turned and watched in disbelief, tears forgotten. Her feelings now felt under control. Lina just watched her friend being weird. The swordsman managed a reassuring smile despite the pain from the splinters.
Her laughter made him feel better. It really was Lina and things were back to normal.
Everything was relatively clear and not much ever changed? He'd been wrong about that, or at least the part about not much ever changing. He still felt the warmth of her body from the hug. Maybe there could and would be some change. And he didn't think it would be too bad.
That's that. Probably the longest L/G story I've written so far.
I'm also thinking of writing a 'what-if' sequel to Pretty Lina's Magic Lecture. Lina flips a tails, goes down the wrong path and never finds Gourry. So Gourry flips a coin to decide to see if he should go see Amelia or Zelgadiss. He flips heads, leaves and meets up with Zelgadiss to look for his cure while Lina flips a coin to either find Zelgadiss or go see Amelia. She flips heads and recruits Amelia to help look for him. It might be an even longer story though, and I'm trying to write at least three Z/A stories at the moment, plus another chapter to Good Days, and Mazoku Puberty. So, don't expect to see a sequel too soon.