Three Roses
By Xellina-san
(*Xellina's note: I almost made this one a Lina-Zelgadis, and perhaps it would have worked better, there's some major OOCing here, but it was already half-written in Lina-Xellos format, so I said, "Oh, the heck with it," and just finished it up the same way. Prepare for sappiness!^_^*)
Lina turned away as Gourry slipped the ring onto Sylphiel's finger. She was happy for the priestess . . . really. As the red-headed sorceress watched the radiant smile on Sylphiel's face, she felt a sudden wave of loneliness, so strong it brought tears to her eyes. Somehow, being the greatest sorceress in the world, the Bandit Killer and Dark Lord Slayer of so much fame and notoriety just wasn't doing it for her anymore. She wanted something . . . more, like the something in Sylphiel's eyes right now. Unable to stand it anymore, Lina got up, muttered something about wanting some more food, then bolted out of the inn before anyone could see her tears. Gourry, ever the concerned friend, followed her. "Lina! What's wrong?"
Lina turned away and sobbed. Gourry patted her awkwardly on the shoulder, then gave her a hug. When she'd calmed down a bit, the tears spent, Gourry asked hesitantly, "Lina . . . I thought you were . . . you said you were over me, didn't you? I didn't mean to hurt you . . ."
Lina rubbed at her eyes, ashamed of her outburst, and tried to sound calm. "I am, Gourry, don't worry. It's not that."
He blinked, perplexed. "Well then . . . what is it? Or is this one of those things I should be able to figure out for myself?" the blond swordsman inquired.
Lina laughed a little. "No! It's just that, well . . ." she hesitated on the verge of confession, then ploughed on. "I'm all alone, Gourry! I mean, I have friends and all, but I don't have anybody . . . special. I want somebody special! Amelia has Zel, Xellos has Filia, and now you have Sylphiel! Even Martina found somebody! But I have no-one, Gourry, and for once I'm tired of it!" She ran out of things to say then, and finished lamely with, "Well, that's all, I guess."
Gourry sighed and gave Lina another hug, then the red-head's words finally percolated through to his brain. He stopped, blinking. "Xellos has Filia?" he repeated incredulously. "Where in the world did you get an idea like that? Filia's got some dragon guy that she's always writing mushy letters to. She and Xellos are just friends, and barely that!" At the shock in her eyes he said carefully, "I thought you knew that, Lina. Heck, even I did!"
"Xellos . . ." Lina repeated in a small voice.
Gourry tilted her chin up so that she was looking into his eyes. "Lina . . . Xellos loves you. He always has! Do you really mean you didn't realize that?" (Told you this was OOC. But Gourry can't be dumb at everything, can he??)
Lina gaped in utter shock, too stunned for a moment for words, then a slow, incredulous smile began to creep across her face.
Gourry squatted down and hugged her again. "Hey, Lina, you know I'll always be there for you, right?" he asked seriously. She nodded, still smiling. He gave her a gentle peck on the forehead. "I know you'll find someone, Lina, and I bet it'll be soon, too, okay? Real soon." He winked. "So cheer up, okay?" With a smile, he stood. "You gonna be okay now?"
She nodded, for once not minding when he ruffled her hair. "Thanks so much, Gourry," she said warmly. "You're a good friend." She sighed and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I think I need a little time to myself, okay? I'll be back in a little while." She smiled at him and turned away.
"You're welcome, Lina," he said softly, watching her walk off, then turned to go back inside.
As he reached the door, a shadow detached itself from the other shadows. Gourry paused. "You heard?"
The shadow nodded, and Gourry smiled tightly. "Good. You're all set. Go to her." He hesitated a moment longer, looking off to where Lina had disappeared into the gathering dusk. "Take good care of her," the big swordsman said quietly. "She's my best friend, and I might have loved her more than life if I hadn't met Sylphiel."
The shadow nodded again, and moved silently off into the twilight. Gourry turned with a smile and went back inside to celebrate with his new bride-to-be.
Lina walked through a maze of bushes and flowers in a garden near the edge of town, her boots crunching faintly on the gravel of the path. The evening was peaceful, twilight slowly deepening towards night. The air was heavy and warm. I love this time of year, she thought with a smile, listening to the crickets begin their nightly chorus. Funny how on nights like this everything just seems so much clearer. She smiled again.
There was a secluded arbor in the garden, twined with red and yellow roses, where she supposed couples sometimes came to be alone. The arbor was empty, so Lina went into it. She stood in the gathering darkness, inhaling the fragrance of the roses with the blood singing in her veins at the realization that he loved her. The man she truly loved, whom up until about half an hour ago she'd thought was unattainable. She smiled and hugged her arms across her chest.
"Would the lady like a rose?"
At the familiar voice, Lina's stomach flip-flopped, and she turned, startled, to see the man himself standing there.
Xellos was there, his face half in shadow, half in twilight, and in one hand he held out a yellow rose to her, both his eyes open and intent upon her face.
Lina's heart fluttered like a startled bird and took and impromptu swan dive into her stomach. She felt herself flushing. "Thank you." She took the flower from him. "It's beautiful."
He smiled. "Not as beautiful as you, Lina."
She blushed again and buried her nose in the rose. "Mmm . . . smells heavenly," she said, to cover her embarrassment. "Thank you, Xellos."
She could just see his smile; a true smile, not his Trickster's smirk. "You're quite welcome, Lina." He paused. "May I join you?"
Lina hoped it was too dark for him to see her flushed cheeks, damning her fair complexion. "Uh, sure, go ahead," she replied, managing to sound normal.
He came in and sat down, and Lina sat down beside him. "So, how did you find me out here?" Lina asked, after a brief, awkward silence.
His eyes sparkled in the darkness. "Sore wa . . ."
She smacked him lightly, but without real anger. "Cut it out, Xel, I'm being serious."
Xellos chuckled for a moment, then leaned his face close to Lina's, serious again, though his heart had leaped when she'd finally used his nickname. He was gratified to see that she didn't pull away. "The how doesn't matter, Lina," he said quietly, holding her eyes with his own, "only the why."
Lina gulped, not from fear, but from anticipation, wondering what he was going to do. "Well then . . . why?" she asked, licking dry lips and suddenly aware that she was blushing again, for no apparent reason.
Xellos smiled at the pretty sorceress, and leaned back a bit again. Reaching into his cloak he brought forth another rose, this one a rich, deep red even in the dusk. "You know why, Lina, Gourry told you. It's because I love you, and have since the day I met you, I think." He smiled again, but she could tell he was still being serious. "I want to be with you, Lina, I want you to love me too." He stumbled a bit on the word "love", and Lina realized how hard this had to be for a monster to do. Xellos smirked and looked down for a moment, acknowledging the difficulty, then looked back up, holding out the rose to her. "I do love you, Lina, and always will. Can you do the same for me?"
Lina gasped, then smiled. She started to reach for the rose, then paused to think about it. She had to be sure of this before she did it, because she sensed there would be no going back. She smiled again.
Xellos, still holding both the rose and his breath, trembled a little. He saw her check her movement towards the rose, and he wondered how he would bear it if she rejected him now. But he needn't have worried. After a few moments of thought, Lina smiled warmly. She met his eyes again, then reached out and took the red rose from him. She kissed its petals, then inhaled its fragrance. "I love you too," she murmured.
He smiled, then laughed with mingled relief and triumph. Standing up, he pulled her to her feet as well, then kissed her. They explored each other's mouths for a time, then he broke the kiss and embraced her. "Come away with me," Xellos whispered in her ear.
"Huh?" Lina asked, confused.
His eyes twinkled again, and his customary smile was back in place. "I'm going to kidnap you and elope with you, Lina Inverse!"
She laughed, although she'd felt a thrill of joy. "Are you serious?"
"Quite serious," he replied, grinning, then abruptly was serious again. "I meant it when I said I'd always love you," he said. Reaching into his cloak again, he brought out a third and final rose, this one pure white. "I know my own mind, Lina. I will marry you, if you will have me." He held out this rose as well.
Lina was too stunned for a moment to respond, then she started thinking. Did she really love him enough to marry him? Marry a monster? The part of her that had been taught to hate all the monster race rebelled at the thought, but the wiser part of her quelled that voice of unease. She wasn't being asked to marry the entire race, just one part of it. Just Xellos. She looked up at him, and what she saw in his eyes mirrored her own heart. She laid her hand over his, then took the rose from him, and kissed it, the simple gesture more meaningful than any words. "I will have you," she whispered, with a smile. She put the white rose with the other two, then paused, suddenly unsure. "What will Gourry think if we just leave?"
Xellos smirked and put one arm around her waist. "Oh, you needn't worry about that. It was Gourry's idea, actually, and Sylphiel knows as well. That swordsman's not as dumb as he'd like us to believe, sometimes." He grinned down at her, freeing his arm from around her waist to take her by the hand instead. "Come on, Lina. We'll get your things and then go."
"Where are we going?" she asked him as they walked back out into the gardens, the three roses clutched in her free hand. He shrugged and winked. "Oh, we'll know when we get there, I suppose. Why worry about it?"
She laughed, and together they walked into the night.
The Legend of Three Roses:
Yellow for friendship, red is for love, and white is for eternity.
At the end of all, at the end of time, white will bring you back to me.
(AAAAAGH!!! *SPUTTER* GAK! THAT'S UN-BE-LIEV-A-BLY SAPPY! ARGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE I WROTE THAT! WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME? *SIGH* Oh well. As always, commentary is appreciated, flames will make me cry. ;.; ~Xellina-san~