Hi there~! Chapter 36! Yay! (This one put my brother to sleep, so hopefully it's not that bad… heheh…) And a special note to the readers in the United States- Happy Memorial Day! ^_^
As per the normal disclaimer, I don't own the characters in any way, I'm just playing with them for fun!
36- The Stresses of Psychological Warfare
Breathing heavily, Lina turned around, completely terrified of the sight she couldn't bear to think could possibly be behind her.
"V-Vireas…?"
Nothing. There was nothing there. Lina almost sighed in relief, but Vireas' voice had been too real for her to ignore. She continued searching around her, just to see.
"Even if you look around, you're not going to see me. I'm using telepathy, of course! I'm not ready to come out just yet- but trust me, I'll be there eventually, don't worry."
"Telepathy…?" Lina gasped. Of course! That was it! "How are you able to communicate with me?"
"When you hit me with that lovely Ragna Blade attack, you created a magical link, allowing our thoughts to be connected- how sweet of you! I'd never be able to talk to you otherwise! You're so thoughtful, Ginger, even when you're trying to kill people."
Lina clenched her teeth. So it was the Ragna Blade that had done this, huh? Figures… "What do you want? Where the heck are you?"
"Ooh, so now that I'm the one playing hard-to-get, you're interested, are you? Hah! I knew it would happen!" Vireas laughed.
"Tell me where you're hiding." Lina growled angrily.
"Sorry, Ginger, but I can't let you know where I am just yet. Too risky for both of us, you know? So I'll just lie low for a little while- but don'tcha worry about me! I'll be around! I can talk to you on occasion. It'll be fun!"
"V-Vireas? Tell me where you are! Vireas!" Lina yelled.
"Sorry, Ginger, but no dice. You wanted to play hard-to-get? Now here's a taste of your own medicine. Hope it tastes sweet! Our reunion will be sweeter! I've got to go now, since the longer I'm consciously talking to you, the longer it'll be before I can come back. Be sure to take care of yourself and your family while I'm away! Especially the little one- now that's something I'll have to keep my eye on. Later!"
Lina choked. "Z-Zara? You stay away from him! I'm telling you, if you lay one hand on that boy- if you so much as think about hurting him, I swear-"
"Chill, Ginger! I didn't mean it like that! I was talking- oh never mind! We'll talk later! See ya~! G'bye! And good luck!"
"W-wait! No! Come back! Vireas? VIREAS!" Lina screamed. She stood still for a few moments, but the voice never returned. Vireas was gone- or at least dormant again. Still, she couldn't believe what she'd heard. Was it real? She certainly hoped not. Lina walked to the edge of the balcony and clutched the icy railing, not caring how much the ice hurt her bare hand. What she'd heard from Vireas was disturbing, to say the least.
Zara? He was interested in Zara? What did he see in the boy? Lina was worried about that, though she also noticed that his last words were 'good luck.' And just what would she need good luck with?
Everything. She'd need luck with everything. This stupid Dark Lord seemed intent on making her life insane- but she was going to find him before he could do anything terrible. She'd destroy him- if it was the last thing she did, she'd destroy him once and for all!
Engrossed in her thoughts, Lina was not aware of anything around her- that is, she wasn't, until someone grabbed her from behind. She stiffened in fear, remembering Vireas' cold voice talking to her earlier.
"Hey there. What are you doing out here in the cold? You'll get sick, and if you're sick then there'll be no one to save us from monsters!" Gourry's voice nearly made Lina smile. He was so blunt and always had the funniest things to say.
Lina calmed down considerably , sighing with relief. Maybe it had been just a paranoia-induced hallucination. She was tired, cold, and irritable. Perhaps she should forget everything that had just happened…
"Lina? You okay? It's cold out here!" Gourry said again. "What's wrong with you? Why are you up so late? What happened to getting some rest?"
"Oh… sorry… I, uh… I was feeling kind of achy, so I stepped out to get some fresh air." Lina replied.
"Huh? Really? You're not getting sick, are you?" Gourry asked.
"No, idiot. I said 'achy', not 'sick."
"They're the same thing."
"No they are not! 'Achy' is… 'achy!' 'Sick' is… well… 'sick!' They're totally different!" Lina defended. "And anyway, what are you doing out here? Last time I checked you were out cold!"
"I got lonely." Gourry replied, shrugging.
"I was gone for fifteen minutes- and you were asleep for most of it." Lina replied.
"Well, it's still lonely." Gourry said. "Are you coming back inside, or not?"
"Of course I'm coming back inside, Jellyfish-brains. Why would I stay out here and become an ice sculpture? Use your head once in a while!" Lina laughed, and suddenly remembered her hands. They'd been sitting on the icy railing of the balcony so long that they'd become numb. She quickly pulled them away. "Anyway, you've got to let go of me for me to go back inside." Lina continued, pulling Gourry's arms from around her shoulders.
"Ah~! Ow! Lina, your hands are so cold!" Gourry gasped.
"Well of course they are! Everything out here is cold!" Lina replied. "That's why we need to get inside. Now."
"Okay then!" Gourry replied, following Lina inside. She closed the door, locked it, and after a moment of contemplation, closed the drapes for good measure.
"What's the matter, Lina?" Gourry asked, getting back in bed. "Something out there spook you? You looked so pale, I was really worried about you."
"Wha? Huh?" Lina stammered. She couldn't tell him that she was hearing voices of Dark Lords inside her head! That when she nearly defeated Vireas with the Ragna Blade, she had set up a mode of communication that the Dark Lord could use to infiltrate her mind and exact his psychological warfare upon her? Was that what it was? Psychological warfare? What if he was trying to drive her insane- or at least make everyone else think she was insane. What if he really was interested in Zara? What did he want with the boy? What if…
"Hey! Lina! Are you okay? You look like you're panicking about something!" Gourry exclaimed.
"What? Panicking? Oh, no! No! I'm fine, really! I was just pale because of the cold! That's it! No problem! Nothing's wrong at all!"
Gourry looked unconvinced, but decided that whatever had scared Lina, it was her business. "Well if you're really that cold, then you should come and get back in bed. I'll make sure you're warm again right away!" He smiled comfortingly.
Lina laughed, despite her insecurities. "That would be nice of you. Thanks!"
Lina tried to fall asleep again, thinking only of the warmth and companionship that she had with the swordsman beside her, but unfortunately her mind was not going to shut out what had happened so easily.
All she could think about was how much she hated Vireas. Usually when Lina hated something or someone, she attacked them and blew them up into little tiny pieces. And if she really hated them, she'd blow up the little pieces as well. But Vireas… he wasn't that simple. He was like Phibrizzo- he knew how to get to her, and that was what she hated. If it was only the fact that he wanted to take over the world, that would put him in the same category as so many other opponents she'd faced.
But no. Vireas had his own way of getting on Lina's nerves and messing with her so that she was unable to think about anything else. Psychological warfare, indeed.
Finally, Lina fell into a deep, yet fitful sleep.
She woke up the next morning with a headache, and Pokota yelling at her that they didn't have all day to let her sleep in.
What a wonderful way to start the morning.
Her head wasn't bothering her nearly as much as the pain-in-the-neck stuffed animal that was still yelling at her. Had he been taking speech lessons from Amelia?
Lina batted him aside. "Outta my face, stuffed animal. You're making me sick to my stomach."
"I don't need your complaints! There are people out there who have real illnesses to worry about!" Pokota spat.
Lina reminded herself that he was right. There were people who were actually sick- not just disturbed by the psychological stresses of having telepathic links with obnoxious Dark Lords.
Actually, now that she thought about it, Lina actually envied the people who only had the Durum Plague to worry about.
"Right, don't worry, I'm getting up. Geez, don't be so pushy." Lina replied, getting up out of her bed. She began to walk, but suddenly almost fell, and had to grasp the wall for support.
"Lina!" Gourry- already awake and dressed- rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine… Fine…" Lina nodded.
"You don't look fine to me." Pokota said. "You look pretty sick, to tell the truth."
"I'm not sick." Lina growled.
"Well I should hope not." Pokota replied. "We've got places to be. Hurry up, will you?"
"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying." Lina assured them.
"Pokota, don't push her." Gourry scolded. "Lina, are you positive that you're okay? We could always stay here for a little while longer and let you rest if you think you need it."
"I don't need it." Lina defended. "I've just… got a little headache, is all. It'll go away, I promise."
"Do you think that some breakfast would help?" Gourry inquired.
"Yeah… actually, that sounds great!" Lina murmured, straightening up, as the dull ache in her head seemed to dissipate slightly. She just needed to wake up a little- that was all.
"Of course!" Gourry sighed, smiling in relief. "I know that there's nothing a little food can't fix for my Lina, right?"
"Right!" Lina exclaimed, smiling again. Breakfast never failed to cheer her up.
The group made their way to Seyruun City- with the transportation arranged by the King, they made excellent time. They were in the city in just under three days.
Along the journey, Gourry became increasingly worried about Lina. She seemed to be a bit out-of-it, and apparently was having trouble sleeping. When she did wake up, she took some time getting back to her usual self. On top of that, she seemed to be keeping an almost paranoid eye on Zara- was she afraid that something was going to happen to him?
Lina hadn't heard from Vireas again, but every waking moment she was afraid that she would. And the way he'd mentioned Zara… well, she was afraid that he had some sort of fascination with the boy. That, she did not want.
Of course, all the stress seemed to be making her unwell. She noticed that she was feeling a bit under-the-weather as of late. Of course, it couldn't be because she was sick! Of course not! She didn't get sick- she couldn't! She was just… worried… yeah, worried! And with good reason.
Eventually, they did reach Seyruun, however, and went immediately to the royal palace. Pokota was beyond anxious to see Amelia and Zelgadis.
"Do you know where the princess and prince are?" Pokota demanded a castle guard. "We need to see them right away! Are they well?"
"Erm, well, for the most part. I was told that the princess had taken ill a few days ago and has not fully recovered, though-"
"AMELIA! Where is she?" Pokota exclaimed.
"Calm down!" Lina said, trying to subdue the animal atop her head. "We'll find her! You know Amelia! She's strong. She wouldn't let something like this get her down!"
"Quite right." the guard nodded. "The princess is in her room, though I will alert her of your arrival. If you would follow me."
The guard led the anxious group through the palace, until they reached the room that they often visited with Amelia. Told to wait in the room, Lina, Gourry, and Zara made themselves comfortable while Pokota paced nervously. For a few minutes, no one said anything. Zara broke the awkward silence with an "It's kind of quiet…"
"Yeah, we noticed." Lina replied.
The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway caused them to pay more attention. "Miss Lina? Mister Gourry? Zara-chan? Poko-"
Amelia was only halfway into the room when Pokota jumped up and rushed toward her. "AMELIA~!"
"Oh, Pokota~!" Amelia's huge smile showed her evident happiness at seeing the stuffed animal again. She hugged him tightly, spinning him around. "It's so good to see you again~!"
"A-Amelia… you're okay…" Pokota choked, though his relief was evident.
"Of course I'm okay!" Amelia assured him. However, a certain chimera who was entering behind her seemed to disagree.
"Amelia! What do you think you're doing out here? You're supposed to be in bed!" he exclaimed
"Oh, come on, Zelgadis. I'm not seriously not sick- really!" Amelia protested, letting go of Pokota, who perched on top of Zel's head.
"Yeah, you don't look sick." the animal observed.
"I don't feel sick either." Amelia agreed.
"Well, you've been feeling so bad these past few days, I don't want you getting sick again!" Zelgadis defended.
"You know, something about this conversation seems ironically familiar." Lina commented.
"Does it now? I suppose you're right." Zelgadis replied. "Though it has been awhile, hasn't it? A lot has happened."
"You can say that again." Gourry laughed.
"I've been worried about you guys the past couple of months." Pokota said. "I mean, you weren't in Seyruun, you didn't write… when two whole weeks passed with no letters from you- well, then I started to get really worried… and then a month.. and then two… then three…"
"Aww~ I'm so sorry Pokota~!" Amelia exclaimed, pulling him off Zel's head and hugging him tightly again. "Everything happened so fast, we couldn't find time to write! We're such terrible friends, I know! We just-"
"No! I… I heard what happened. Lina and Gourry told me about everything. It's so… so… I can't describe it…" Pokota replied.
"I know. I feel the same way. It's almost as if it hadn't happened… but all the sickness going around Seyruun is…" Zelgadis began, unable to finish his sentence.
"So there's an epidemic here too?" Lina asked.
"Yeah. A bad one. It seems like it's mostly a severe strain of influenza- that's what Amelia came down with a couple of days ago. Thankfully, she's recovered quite well… but…" Zelgadis' voice trailed off.
"But there's still so many people…" Amelia sighed.
"Right. It was hard getting a healer just to look after Amelia- they're all out working with the people who need help the most." Zelgadis agreed.
"I see. Of course." Lina nodded. "That would, after all, make the most sense."
"Yes, it would." Amelia nodded, yawning.
"You tired, Amelia?" Pokota asked, looking concerned.
"I think we all are." Lina said, copying Amelia's yawn.
"I know I am." Gourry agreed.
"It's late, after all. We shouldn't be awake…" Zelgadis commented.
"Then let's get some sleep!" Lina exclaimed. "There'll be time for catching up later!"
"Right." Pokota nodded, glancing at Zelgadis and Amelia. "There will."
Gourry woke up the next morning feeling rather refreshed. He got out of bed, careful not to wake Lina just yet, and opened the curtains. It was a rainy/icy day, just as it had been in Taforashia. Gourry sighed. The lack of sunlight was not going to wake up Lina this morning, that was for sure.
He stepped back from the curtains a little bit, and spoke to her instead. "Lina? Hey, Lina! G'morning!"
The sorceress didn't respond, and Gourry found that odd. Usually she said something, even if it was a quick "leave me alone" or "five more minutes." Was she just tired, or…?
Moving over to Lina's side of the bed, Gourry examined her for a moment. "Lina~." he murmured, grabbing her shoulder and shaking her gently back and forth. She moved limply until he let go, and then fell on her back with a slight groan.
"Gourry…" she murmured laboriously. The swordsman saw how pale her face was, and was sure that he blanched to a similar colour.
"L-Lina? Hey, Lina! Come on, wake up! Are you okay?" Gourry placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can't you answer me? Lina!"
"Gourry…" Lina groaned again. "I… don't… can't…" She stopped, cringing as though it was too hard for her to even talk. Gourry quickly put a hand on her forehead, but suddenly recoiled at the touch.
"L-Lina! You've got a fever! A bad one!" he choked.
Lina let out a prolonged whimper this time. "No… I… just… I'm not…"
"Don't try to argue with me Lina! This is bad, I can tell! You need help, and fast! Don't worry, I'll be right back!" Gourry exclaimed, rushing out of the room. The hallway was empty, and so he attempted to yell for someone instead, searching frantically for his companions- or anyone for that matter.
"Amelia? Zelgadis? Pokota? We need a healer! Now! Someone? Anyone?"
(A/N: Oh no! Poor Lina~! It's always worse when the people who claim that they can't get sick get sick, because not only are they sick now, but it's also a blow to their pride... *sigh*)