"Gourry!" Lina cried as she shot up and felt her heart flutter wildly as she noted his clear skin covered only by a thin sheen of sweat and light breathing. She blinked dumbly, scarcely believing her eyes. Cautiously she moved her shaking hand to his forehead. When her hand touch his head, she was assured that he was real, and that it was cool and damp. His eyes fluttered open and focused on her. "The fever's gone." She breathed, a hint of awe in her voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." He said.

Lina moved to pour him a glass of water and nearly dropped the pitcher when a new voice said, "Sylphiel told me that you're quite the sorceress. But she didn't mention that you're also a skilled healer."

Startled, Lina spun around and was stunned to realize that not one, but two additional people were in the room. She did not recognize the man with dark hair and darker eyes, but she recognized the woman beside him. Sylphiel. "I'm not." Lina said, her mind struggling to make sense of the situation. Had Sylphiel cure him? "What happened?"

Sylphiel looked at the man, her expression unfathomable as he explained, "We got in. Heard that your companion was on his deathbed. I mean, they say he had the rash."

Lina nodded she remembered the pitcher in her hands and poured Gourry a glass of water and handed it to him, "He did."

The man shook his head, "Never seen anyone survive after the rash appeared. Sylphiel wanted to say good bye of course. We came in expecting the worst, but were stunned to find him healthy and whole. I've heard a bit about you, your reputation. So, what miracle did you wrought this time?"

Lina's eyes narrowed as the realization slowly sank in that Sylphiel had not brought about his remarkable transformation, "You mean he was healthy when you came in?"

Sylphiel nodded as the man continued, "Indeed, that must have been some spell you performed to wipe you out so."

"That was sleep deprivation." Lina said wryly as she struggled to think. Her mind was still cloudy, and though she had woken she felt as though she had not slept at all. The vestiges of the dream, if it was merely a dream, clung so persistently to her mind that she was having a difficult time focusing on the conversation. "He was on death's door when I passed out." She hesitated, wondering if she should say anything about the light she saw, but shook her head instead, "I don't know how…How long have you two been here?"

"Five minutes? Give or take." he said, "Not long."

Lina's mind veered between two paths, one being relief that Gourry would be okay that was so intense that it was hard to think about anything else, the second wondering how he had managed to pull himself away from death's door. Had a third person come into their room at some point? Had Gourry merely beaten the odds? Or had her dream been more than a dream? Did she have some power she did not yet realize? She glanced at Gourry, who looked lost as usual. "So, he's going to be okay?"

"New territory. Never seen anyone develop a rash who survived. But the fever's gone. He'll likely be weak for a few days, fully recover in a week if we go by the ones who recover without developing the rash." He said, "Does that sound right Sylphiel?"

She nodded in agreement, her expression strangely downcast. Something was nagging at Lina's mind, but at the moment she was so disoriented she couldn't figure out what. "Who are you?"

"Daris." He said casually, "One good thing that came out of this plague was happening to meet this lovely lady here. We've been inseparable since we met." He added, putting an arm around Sylphiel's shoulder.

"You have a boyfriend now?" Lina blurted out.

Sylphiel gave one of her shy smiles and nodded. Lina shook her head, unable to shake the feeling that she was missing something that should have been obvious, but not particularly caring to find out what it was. Gourry was going to be okay. Somehow she'd been given another chance with him, and she did not want to mess it up again. She grabbed Gourry's hand and felt him squeeze back.

An awkward silence filled the room, broken when Daris said, "I guess we'll give you some time together."

"Thanks," Lina whispered as she grabbed a cloth to dab at Gourry's forehead, missing the expression that Sylphiel gave her as she left with Daris.

Once the door had closed Gourry gave her a small smile, "Hey."

"Hey." She replied, having a difficult time keeping her voice steady, "How are you feeling?"

"Better. The pain is gone, and I'm not coughing." He smiled, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Lina said flatly as she stared out the window, noting that it was a few hours past noon. She struggled for a few moments to figure out when she had passed out but gave it up as a lost cause. She had no idea how long she was out, and therefore no way to determine how long Gourry's remarkable turnaround had occurred. "What's the last thing that you remember?"

Gourry thought for a moment, "You telling me some of your stories."

"Hm, I did a lot of that." Lina mused. "Do you remember anything odd? Like a strange dream?"

"I never really remember my dreams." He said with a vague smile that would have been infuriating had he not had a near brush with death.

"You don't remember looking down at your body? Or at me?" Lina continued.

"Should I?"

Lina shook her head, scared to press any further. "What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said with a sigh. What did it really matter anyway? "You're okay." She said, turning to face him, "That's what matters."

She moved forward, drawing him into a tight embrace as she shut her eyes, focusing on the feeling of him, warm and alive, in her arms. He was still for a moment as if caught off guard, then he gently returned the embrace. She breathed shallowly to avoid inhaling the putrid stink of the lotion, but it was not enough to drive her away from him.

"I love you." She whispered, "I'm sorry it took me so long, I just…Just don't leave me."

He pulled away to look her in the eyes, taking a moment to stroke her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere." He said, "I love you, too."

Before she could say anything else he had pressed his lips against hers. She parted them slightly, squeezing him a bit tighter, letting him know that it was okay to deepen the kiss. He wasted no time in accepting her invitation, even as he kept his explorations slow and gentle. The sound of the wagon wheels on the marble floor reverberated through their room.

Lina's stomach sank as she pulled away, the roaring sound reverberating through the hallway hitting her like a smack as it reminded her of all she had nearly lost. The memory of the fear that had hung to her for the past few days rose distastefully within her, along with the knowledge that while she was basking in relief that Gourry would be okay, somewhere else someone else was mourning someone who meant to them what Gourry did to her. Suddenly she remembered the little boy she had seen in the wagon the previous day and morbidly she wondered if he was still even alive.

She put a hand on his knee, hoping that it seemed steadier to him than it did to her, "You need a bath." She said shakily, not wanting to bother him with all she was feeling while he was still recovering. "I'll draw you one."

"Lina…"

"Be back in a minute." She said as she rushed into the bathroom and shut the door and took a deep, steadying breath before moving to the tub.

With trembling hands she turned on the water. The pipes roared to life as the water hit the bottom of the bath, providing the perfect cover Lina needed as she sank beside it and buried her face in her hands and allowed the sounds of the rapidly filling tub to drown those of her tears.

Somehow the world seemed both right and wrong at the same time. The human population had been decimated, but Gourry would be okay. Many more people would still die, but Gourry would be okay. Her entire family may have been wiped out…

Her family! Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that Sylphiel had been to Zeferia and she had not asked her for any word of them! Lina grew appalled with herself as she wondered how she could have forgotten, how her world could have narrowed so much that all that mattered was whether or not Gourry would live.

Lina shut her eyes tightly. "I can't do anything for them." She gritted, "Not here."

It was a distasteful, but it was the truth. It would take at least a week to make it home to Zefiel City, and that was only with some intense traveling. If anyone she knew was still alive there was nothing she could do here for them to help. And if they were all dead then there was even less she could do. Still, the anxiety of not knowing was crippling, and the knowledge that she allowed the first opportunity to alleviate it slip through her fingers crushing.

Even after that dream, she was still so self-absorbed, so selfish…

She wondered about the dream, if it was a dream. Was it a warning of what she stood to lose if she didn't start to appreciate the people in her life more? (And why had it taken something so catastrophic to even wake her up to that in the first place?) Regardless, she could not deny that she had been given another chance with Gourry. She thought back to the Lord of Nightmares in her dream, asking what she had done with her 'stolen time' with Gourry after her first chance, and felt something cold run down her spine.

It had to have been a warning. Lina had no idea who, but someone was giving her a giant wake up call.

The panicky feeling boiled within her, a feeling that if she didn't treat him better, if she didn't move forward, he would be taken from her again. She clenched her hands into fists and struggled to calm herself down, vowing that she would do what it took to treat him better, to move forward, to be the woman he deserved. Hadn't she already started the process, she wondered. She'd finally told him that she loved him.

The thought helped to calm her. She was already moving forward, making changes. She needed to keep on in that direction. And she could do it, she was Lina Inverse! And, once he was better, she could see what she could do for her family back home. And somehow, she would help see the human race through this catastrophe. This new challenge was a far cry from the Mazokus she usually battled with, but she was certain she could help.

She stood up and found the tub was full. She shut off the water and was about to go to the sink to wash her face when the door opened and Gourry slowly walked in. "Dammit, Gourry!" she yelled as she moved to help him, "You shouldn't be walking about on your own yet!"

"I'm fine, Lina." He insisted, even though he was shaking with the effort of standing, "Are you?"

"You gave me a hell of a scare, but I'll be fine." She said as she helped steady him and got him to the tub. "And the last thing we need is you getting out and about too soon and making yourself even sicker!"

"I guess." He conceded as, with his typical disregard for modesty, he took his shirt off, quickly followed by his pants. Quietly Lina saw that he got into the tub without falling and splitting his head open, and then she leaned back against the sink.

Gourry grabbed some soap and then grinned at her, "I think I've got this. Unless you want to rub my back."

Lina reddened slightly, yet patted him on the arm gently, "I'd better go and change the sheets. But may be later in the week, when you're feeling stronger, we can take a bath together."

Gourry's grip of the soap tightened, causing it to slip from his hands and fly through the air. "Really?"

Lina smiled deviously and bent down to whisper in his ear, "What do you think?" she shot back, as she wrapped her arm around to his shoulder, and then brought it back, her fingers trailing his chest teasingly before she pulled away and walked over to the linen closet to grab some fresh sheets. Before he could respond she add, taking a more serious tone, "Don't you dare try to step out of the bath without calling me."

Leaving the door open, she walked back into the room and stripped the bed of the sheets. No sooner had she gathered them than did the door to the room open with a bang, and Zel rushed in, his eyes wide. "Is it true?" he asked.

"Huh?" Lina replied stupidly.

"I just heard, he's alive!?"

Lina nodded, grinning, as she started to put the fresh sheets on, "He's taking a bath."

Zel grasped the door handle, "How did you pull that off?" he asked.

Lina shook her head, "I didn't do anything."

"But, what happened? I mean, did the rash fade away, or…" he stuttered.

"I don't know." Lina said, "I passed out. When I woke up, the rash and fever were gone."

"Did you give him anything you haven't already told me about?" Zel persisted, "Lina, anything, you can think of, anything you might have done?"

Lina's eyes widened as the larger importance of Gourry's remarkable recovery started to sink in. "Nothing that I haven't already told you about." She said contemplatively.

"What do you remember before you passed out?"

Lina froze. "I don't think that has anything to do with it."

"Lina, please, anything." Zel pushed.

Lina bit her lip, "I know this sounds strange, but the room became encased in light. And I saw a shadow rise over him." She smiled wryly, "I thought it was his soul leaving his body, you know, saying good bye. But it couldn't have been, because he's here, you know?"

Zel shook his head and let out a sigh, "How much sleep had you had?" he asked.

Lina nodded, feeling a pang of incongruence as she downplayed the significance of what she had seen, "Exactly."

"When he gets out I'll draw some blood. Hopefully that will point towards something helpful. Granted, it's not as though there's a lot of people left who can benefit from it." Zel said as he sat down in the chair, looking more haggard then Lina could even remember having seen him. "Amelia's finished getting the ten who came in today through triage. Then there'll be a meeting with Sylphiel and Daris to find out what happened in Zefilia."

Someone knocked at the door. Lina opened it and saw a young woman carrying a tray laden with food. Her stomach grumbled as she smiled, "Perfect! I've not eaten since Gourry took ill."

She grabbed the tray, "Wait a minute, I've got laundry and some trash."

"Yes, ma'am." The woman said as Lina set the tray beside the bed and grabbed a sandwich and started to eat it as she grabbed the sheets and the empty container for the lotion and other herbs and gave them to the young woman.

Just as she was shutting the door Gourry called, "Hello, Zel!"

Lina turned around to find Gourry standing in the doorway to the bathroom, clad in a pair of pajama pants. "I told you not to try to get out without getting help!" she said as she swiftly walked to him and helped him back to bed.

"I keep telling you, I'm fine." He said as he got back into bed and noticed the tray by the bed, "Good, food!"

Zel smiled, "It's good to see you have your appetite back. It's just good to see you up and about. We didn't think you were going to make it."

"Lina said something like that." He commented through bites of sandwich. "Was I really that sick?"

"Yes." Lina and Zel said together as Lina grabbed another sandwich.

"Speaking of." Zel continue, "Gourry, do you mind if I draw some blood? It may help find a cure."

The swordsman shook his head as he extended his left arm while he held a sandwich with the right. Zel grabbed a box of supplies and pulled out a syringe and a few vials. "How are you feeling?" he asked as he tightened a band around Gourry's arm and started to check for a vein.

"Fine," he said between bites of sandwich. "A little tired I guess."

"That's to be expected. You should be back to your old energy level by the end of the week." Zel said as he grabbed the syringe and plunged it into a promising vein. Soon the vial was filled with blood. "Lina is right, you know. You should stay in bed as much as possible until tomorrow, and then take it slowly. Try not to do too much."

"I don't think she'll let me!" Gourry said.

"Damn straight!" Lina chimed in. "There's not a chance that he can relapse, is there?"

"Small." Zel said as he started to put the supplies up, "I wouldn't worry about it. As long as he rests, he should be fine."

Lina bit her lip as Zel stood up, "I'm about to leave to go to the meeting with Sylphiel. Are you wanting to come?"

Lina felt torn. She looked at Gourry, nervous about leaving him alone. "Go on, Lina." He said, "I'll just finish up lunch and take a nap."

Lina thought for a moment, and then nodded. Now that he was out of the woods and not going to pass away at any minute there was no reason to watch over him incessantly. It was still hard to not feel nervous over leaving him.

She told herself she was being silly and stood up, suddenly realizing that now would be a good time to show some action behind her resolve to treat him better. The only problem was that Zel was there and watching. She chuckled to herself, suddenly realizing how silly she was being. Just that morning she was crying torrents over grief for him. Everyone knew how she felt. What was a little peck on the forehead going to hurt?

She brushed his bangs back and planted a kiss there, "Get some good rest." She said as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it for a moment before letting him go.

Lina walked away feeling calmer, and thankful that Zel was staying quiet and not saying anything.

Amelia caught up to them as they approached her chambers, her excitement showing through the general weariness of her features, "Sorry I couldn't stop by earlier, we heard right when the new patients came in and I couldn't get away, but he is okay?"

Lina nodded, "I don't know how, but the idiot managed to pull through."

Amelia squeezed her arm as they walked into her office, "I'm so glad."

Sylphiel and Daris were already seated on a loveseat when they entered. "My sister is indisposed at the moment. My apologies, I will relay the necessary information to her." Amelia said as she took a seat at her desk.

Lina suppressed a snort as she sank into a plushy couch. Naga was most likely passed out drunk somewhere. "We're glad you're back safely, Miss Sylphiel," Amelia continued, "And I'm concerned, you left with a delegation of one hundred people, and yet you were the only one who returned. I gather most succumbed to the plague, but there were a few who had a high magical capacity."

Sylphiel looked at Daris, who said, "Sylphiel was the only survivor."

Lina, Zel and Amelia exchanged a look. "What happened?" Amelia asked.

Something clicked within Lina's brain. Sylphiel had not said one word since she'd seen her! "The relief party was attacked by the Cult of Shabranigdo." Daris explained.

Silence fell upon the room. "What?" Lina finally managed to stutter.

"Let me go back to the beginning." Daris said, "I was a guard at Trebor. A few months back people started falling ill. Me and my family were largely immune it seems. My grandparents were powerful sorcerers but me and my siblings were never that interested in it and stuck with swordplay. It looks like we could have had the potential if we'd gone in that direction, though. Soon the only people left alive in Trebor were my siblings, a hand full of cousins and my parents. We decided to make it to Zefiel City to see what assistance we could offer."

Lina sat up straighter as he continued, "Along the way we found that all of Zeferia was hit pretty bad. We hit ghost town after ghost town. Finally we got to Zefiel City and found it under the control of the Cult of Shabranigdo."

"But the Ceiphied Knight," Lina interjected, "She'd never let that happen…"

"The Ceiphied Knight is dead." Daris said.

Lina felt the blood drain from her face, "That's impossible, you have no idea what power she wields, she…"

"She was reportedly one of the first to succumb to the plague." Daris said.

"But…"Lina stammered stupidly as she leapt to her feet, "But she's more powerful than anyone in this room."

Daris looked at her, but did not offer an explanation. Quietly Amelia asked, "Miss Lina, did you know her?"

Lina took a deep breath and nodded, "She's my sister."

Lina felt the eyes of everyone else in the room on her and she struggled to figure out what she was feeling. Awkwardly she folded her arms across her chest. "My parents?" she asked, her voice flat, "Did you hear anything about them?"

"I heard rumors that her whole family was wiped out. Well, with the exception of you, I guess. Sylphiel?" he asked as he put his hand over hers.

Sylphiel nodded curtly in agreement. A tense silence filled the room, broken when Lina asked, "Did this cult create the plague?"

"Yes," Daris said, "But I don't think they knew it was going to spread so quickly. They meant to target Zefiel City for some reason but underestimated how contagious it was. Then it was too late."

"But why?" Zel asked, "Why create this in the first place?"

"They believe that it is inevitable that Shabranigdo will come back to power. And as mere humans, they believe their best chances of obtaining prosperity under his regime lies in allying with him and helping him."

"But how will destroying humanity in a plague do so?" Lina yelled as she took a few steps towards Daris, her voice accusing and hostile as Sylphiel seemed to grow even paler. "And don't they realize that Shabranigdo doesn't want to rule the world, he wants to destroy it?"

"How should I know what twisted logic they're thinking with?" Daris retorted, annoyance lacing his words, "I'm just the messenger."

Amelia got up and moved behind Lina, putting a hand on her shoulder. Lina glared at the ground. Daris looked at Sylphiel forlornly. "She knows, of course. But they made it so she can't tell us."

"Huh?" Amelia asked as Sylphiel's lips tensed.

"They cast a spell or something on her. She can't talk. If she tries to write something down its gibberish. I'm constantly playing a game of twenty questions with her to get any information, she can only shake or nod. If I ask anything too closely related to whatever it is the cult is hiding, though, she gets very sleepy. Hell, she's fallen asleep standing on the road more times than I can count!"

Sylphiel locked eyes with Lina as she leaned forward. The knowledge that Sylphiel was wanting to tell her something of vital importance but unable to made Lina squirm. "From what I've been able to learn from her," Daris continued, putting an arm around Sylphiel and drawing him close to her, "Is that the relief party was attacked by the cult shortly after arriving in Zefiel City, and she was taken prisoner. The others in the party were killed, well, that's if the plague hadn't already done them in."

"How did I not notice before?" Amelia mused as she considered Sylphiel, "Most curses change a person's aura slightly. Most people wouldn't notice, but as a trained priestess I can sense these things. I see now that she is under some curse, but it's not like anything I've ever seen before."

"But then again, neither is this plague." Zel said.

"They must have some top researchers in that group." Lina said caustically. "So, Amelia, any way of breaking that curse?"

"Let me see," Amelia said, before attempting a few different spells with no success. Finally after her seventeenth failed attempted she said, "I'm sorry, Miss Sylphiel. I guess it's going to take some time for me to study and break it."

Sylphiel smiled in understanding. Zel folded his arms across his chest, "So, I guess that means we're going to have to set out for Zefiel City to get some answers. Somehow, I doubt if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone."

"You've got a point." Lina said, "Give us till the end of the week to make sure Gourry is recovered, and we can come, too."

"I'll probably come as well." Amelia chimed in quietly, "With less people coming in there's less for me to do here."

"Are you sure?" Lina said, "I'd hate to see what damage Naga will rain in the time you're away."

Amelia smiled tiredly, "I sent Rudy out to rid the land of alcohol. It should help."

"If that's all," Daris said as he stood up, "It's been a long journey, and we'd like to get some rest."

"Of course," Amelia said, "We'll meet tomorrow and go over plans in more detail."

Daris started to move towards the door and, noting that Sylphiel was not following, held out his hand. She looked again at Lina, who had buried her face in her hands and was massaging her temples, before getting up and taking it. "Strange." Amelia commented as they left. "She's with him, but I don't think she's in love with him."

"What makes you say that?" Zel asked.

"She doesn't have the glow." Amelia said.

"The 'glow?'" Lina asked dubiously. "Could it be because the circumstances are so dire it's hard to glow right now?"

"Oh," Amelia chirped. "Right, I guess. Though…"

Her voice trailed off for a moment. "Though what?" Lina asked.

Amelia straightened her shoulders as she avoided Zel's eye, "Though even if she isn't in love, I guess no one wants to sleep alone right now."

Lina stood quietly outside the door, her fingers on the handle, her heart beating fast. She was terrified that when she opened it she would find that the fever had returned, or that they had been mistaken somehow and he had died. When she finally worked up the courage to open it he stirred in his sleep. She let go of the breath she was holding as she walked over and felt his cool forehead, "Go back to sleep." She said, noting that his eyes were open and watching her.

"What's going on?" he asked as she started to remove her amulets, gloves and jewelry.

"Nevermind that." She said as she placed them on the table, and unbuckled her sword belt, "If I explain it to you tonight I'll just have to go over it again in the morning. Get some sleep."

He continued to watch her as she sat in the chair and started to remove her boots. "What about you?" he asked.

She was exhausted and her head was heavy with grief. She didn't want to think anymore, she just wanted to sleep and still her thoughts. And she was terrified of waking up and finding that, after learning of her family's demise, he would be gone too. She took a breath and unbuttoned her shirt and then let it drape over the chair. "Can I stay here tonight?" she asked quietly, standing in her yellow undershirt and leggings.

"You have to ask?" he said as he drew back the covers and patted the spot beside him, "Come here."

She wasted no time in lying on the bed and snuggling as close to him as possible. He gently folded his arms around her and kissed the crown of her head, now cushioned by his chest so she could be reassured by the sound of his heart beat as it lulled her into a dreamless sleep.