PART SEVEN

PART SEVEN

~~~~*~~~~*


All of this time, guess I must have been blind
Not to see, you and me, we're picture perfect

~*~

Gourry raced ahead of the others, worriedly searching the forest for the source of the scream. It had been Lina, of course; he knew her voice almost as well as he knew his own. And if she was in trouble – mentally he berated himself for not taking better care of her – then he had to go save her. She'd be okay, he told himself. She *had* to be.

The blonde swordsman stopped short, hearing hushed voices coming from a small clearing ahead of him.

"So what should we do with the girl?"

"Ah, just leave her here. She's already caused enough trouble for us." A pause. Then – "Is she even alive…?"

A third voice. "Dunno…we beat her pretty bad. Let's just get the hell outta – "

Gourry had heard enough. He ran forward into the clearing, sword held at the ready, Amelia and Zelgadis right behind him. Three bandits – the owners of the voices he'd heard earlier – spun around, startled. And on the ground, lying in a crumpled heap, deathly pale and with blood trickling down one temple, was –

"LINA!!!!!"

Gourry advanced towards the stunned bandits, gripping his sword so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Kisama! What did you do to her?!?"

Then he was upon them, sword flying in a flurry of vicious strokes, eyes blazing with fury. All three of the blonde swordsman's unfortunate targets, momentarily paralysed with terror, saw that it was futile to even *try* to retaliate, and, gathering their wits about them, promptly turned tail and fled.

The clearing was suddenly filled with a deafening silence. Gourry dropped to his knees beside the unconscious sorceress, gathering her to him with trembling arms.

"Lina?" He shook her gently, almost frantic with worry. "Lina, c'mon, wake up…please…"

Zelgadis and Amelia stepped up behind him, eyes shadowed with worry.

Quietly kneeling down beside Gourry, Zelgadis deftly checked Lina's wrist for a pulse.

"Her pulse is faint, but steady." He nodded, and touched Gourry's shoulder gently. "C'mon, let's go get her healed and rested."

Nodding numbly, the blonde swordsman picked Lina up, cradling the petite frame tenderly in his arms, and dazedly turned to follow Zelgadis and Amelia to the nearest town.

Author's note:

Thanks for reviewing, monmon! :)