It took all of a month for me to tell Dav I loved him. We shared life stories, and I told him about when I had tried to kill Lina. I felt like he really, truly loved me, all of me, and I returned his love wholeheartedly. On the day I confessed my love, Dav made arrangements to marry the next day. Lind was my maid of honor, and the other shrine maidens covered the temple with flowers for the celebration. My happiness and the strength of Dav's love even gave me the courage to reach out and ask for forgiveness for the terrible things I did when the madness overtook me. I sent messages to Miss Amelia and Miss Lina and dared to hope that it might be possible to rebuild the friendships I had shattered.
Dav and I had discussed the wedding customs of our cultures and so I wasn't surprised when, on our wedding night, he brought to our room a bowl of black ink and what looked like porcupine quills. "It is an ancient Rebian custom for the bride and groom to tattoo each other with a symbol of the bride's choosing as a permanent bond and mark of ownership. I do not demand that we mark you this way, but I would ask you, milady, to put your mark on me."
I felt my heart swell with love. Those were not the traditional words he had described to me. He had changed the ancient ceremony to allow me to refuse. "It would please me, husband, if we shared this custom, for I am yours as you are mine. We will share the mark of the Holy Tree, Flagoon." I showed him the sketch I had made and he nodded.
There was a certain eroticism to the ceremony. I found I was pleased to see this mark on him that said he was mine, and even pleased to be marked by him in return. It hurt, but not for very long, since I had stylized the design to a bare minimum of lines. After we were done, I bandaged his chest and cast a healing spell on my own.
"Now," he said, eyes gleaming in a predatory way. "We are truly married." He pulled me towards him and-
On second thought, that's too personal to share. Suffice it to say I had a very happy wedding night.
Morning came and went. I woke up to the early afternoon sun slanting through the windows. I reached out but the bed was empty. I looked around and felt slightly alarmed that Dav wasn't anywhere to be seen. Before I could fully explore the concept, however, there was a pounding on the door. "Sylphiel! Sylphiel, wake up! Come ON, Sylphiel!" I pulled a sheet around me and ran to the door. Lind was not someone who panicked easily and I feared the temple was in flames.
It was worse. "Sylphiel! A strange woman came and demanded to see Dav." She panted, trying to breathe and sobbing instead. "Sylphy, she put something on his face and he fell down! Before I could get past the garden gate they both vanished into thin air!" I had started to run towards my garden when Lind pushed me back into the room. "I left people searching every inch of the garden but you need to put some clothes on before you go down there. Man present, you know."
I dressed quickly while Lind politely turned her back. In less than a minute we were running towards the garden. Once there I saw the man wasn't one of the priests, as I had assumed, but none other than Gourry Gabriev. Which meant.. "Miss Lina!" I ran towards her, and thanked whatever gods had brought her to me at the exact time when I needed her most. "Have you found him?"
Lind held my shoulders as Lina shook her head absently, a look of intense concentration on her face. Finally, she spoke. "I've never seen anything quite like this. It's almost like Jillas's bombs, but not quite. All I can tell is that it's some sort of chemical causing a magic reaction." She slumped and Gourry caught her before she could fall. "I'm sorry, Sylphiel."
I fell to the ground, sobbing as I felt my heart break. I felt Lind put her hands on my shoulders in an attempt to console and comfort. "Please... Please, I need to be alone for a few minutes." They all nodded sadly and trooped out respectfully. Lina hung back for a moment, whispering and making a gesture. As she turned to leave she said, "Your powers are back, Sylphiel. We'll find the woman who took him and kick her ass."
Once I was alone, I cried. It started as grief, but with the grief came anger, a raw fury that someone dared to take what was mine. I felt power running through my body, my hair crackling with it as it filled me and began to ooze from my pores. I stood, clenching my hands into fists and then opening them, watching absently as purple rays shot from my fingertips.
"Give it back." Xellos was suddenly there, gasping for breath and clutching his staff for support. "You're draining my power. A human body can't contain it for long, Sylphiel. Give it back."
I realized I was drawing in energy in a similar way as to when I cast the Dragon Slave. I stopped but did not release any of the energy that filled me. "Start explaining, Xellos."
He gave what sounded like a laugh. "It's a long story."
"I don't care." I gritted my teeth and pointed a finger at his feet. Another ray, golden this time, flared out and made him jump backwards. His eyes opened wide, purple irises almost entirely covered by his dilated pupils, and he breathed "The Lord of Nightmares! But why..."
He sat down heavily on the lip of the fountain and leaned forward, propping himself up with his staff. He explained that he had been a human sorcerer and had become a mazoku, but that part of his human soul had been reincarnated, eventually, into me. Since we essentially shared a soul, my negative emotions drained him, and something was not allowing him to take his power back from me. He finished with, "So you see, since your body can't contain all of the power of a mazoku, you have to let me take your soul. The part that's you will return to L-sama and I will be complete and won't have to worry about being drained. It's the best way, really."
I zapped at his feet again, sending him backwards into the water. I laughed and felt my anger drain away, along with some of the power. "No chance, Xellos. You return to L-sama, I've got a husband to rescue."
I paused at the garden gate, and looked back at where he was wringing out his cape and cursing. "Have you ever heard of Rebia or Rus?"
He looked up, pushing sodden hair out of his eyes. "Yes, actually. During my human life, as a matter of fact. It was the one time I dabbled at being a prophet. Why do you ask?"
I held up a glowing hand, amazed at how easily his power came to me. "Where is it? How do I get there?" I could hardly breathe for waiting for the answer.
"How should I know? It was Ceipheed's prophecy, I just delivered it." He shook his head in disbelief. "The things I did to impress that girl.... Anyway, ask his Knight, she would know." He stood and held a hand out for his staff to fly into and then blinked away, leaving me with a lot to think about.
----------
"CEIPHEED'S KNIGHT?!?!?" Lina's eyes rolled back in her head and she slid to the floor, moaning. I had joined my friends in the dining hall, where Lina and Gourry had indulged in a light snack. Lind was still recovering from the sight.
"Hey, she's getting better! She didn't go hide this time!" Lind and I exchanged confused looks at Gourry's sunny comments. Gourry lifted the sorceress and propped her up in her chair. "Good job, sweetheart!"
Lina groaned. "I was going to go see her sooner or later. I guess it'll be sooner."
"Miss Lina?" I was still completely confused. Who could possibly elicit THIS reaction?
"It just happens that I can make the first part of your quest real easy." She took a gulp of ale, grimaced and continued. "Ceipheed's Knight is none other than Luna Inverse, part time waitress and older sister of the lovely and talented Lina Inverse."
"She scares the pants off Lina," was Gourry's contribution.
"Let's go, then!" I slammed my fist on the table for emphasis.
"Not so fast." Lina's expression kept me from protesting. "We need to gather a couple of samples from the garden to test and figure out what that woman used. At this point it's our only clue."
I nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of her words. "You're right, Miss Lina. The only other thing I know is the story he told me about his kingdoms, and I don't know if that will help. How do we find Rebia or Rus when the only direction we know is 'east of sun and west of moon'?"
Lind jumped up, startling us. "DON'T leave before I see you again, okay?" With that she ran out of the room at top speed.
Lina stared after her for a second. "Weird girl." I frowned and said, as Gourry nodded, "Miss Lina, she's my friend."
Lina shrugged. "Anyway, you and Gourry can go gather the samples. You can work on one today and we'll take the other one to my sister tomorrow."
"Will you help me with the tests, Miss Lina?" I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to get done. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as the reality crept in.
"Maybe later. Right now I need to go tell the kitchens that we're going to stay here for dinner. I seriously want some fried chicken. Oh, and coconut cream pie. And pate! Lots and lots of goose liver pate." She seemed momentarily hypnotized at the though of food but snapped out of it with a grin and a wink. "Besides, all I ever managed with a chemistry set was some truly impressive explosions. The Dragon Slave is puny compared to the time I tried to make face cream."
----------------
We left before dawn the next morning. I felt oddly constricted by my old traveling clothes, and I was sad at leaving without saying goodbye to Lind. I had looked for her this morning, but no one had seen her since she ran from the table the afternoon before. Lina, Gourry and I were almost half a mile away from the temple when we heard a desperate wail from behind us, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
Lind came barreling down the road, hair flying behind her as she ran. She skidded to a halt in front of Gourry and out a hand on his chest for balance as she bent over and wheezed for breath. I noticed she was still in the clothes she'd worn the day before but they were now liberally spattered with ink. She noticed Lina glaring at the hand still on Gourry's chest and moved it away as fast as if she's touched an open flame. She stuttered, still struggling for breath. Finally she recovered enough to talk. "I have something for you."
She held up a cloth bag and took out two books. "This is a copy and a translated copy of a book that's been in my family for a long, long time." She handed them to me and I read the title out loud, "Rebian Nights?". Lind continued, "I was working on copies for the family since the old copies are getting tattered. I finished the second one last night so you could take it with you." She blushed and dug her toe in the dirt. "It's fairy tale type stories but since several mention that east of sun thing, I thought it might help."
I reached out and hugged her tightly, my eyes filling with tears. "You are a true and wonderful friend. Thank you."
She blushed brighter. "I just wanted to help. One of the books is in the original language. I didn't know if it would be useful, but I brought it." She stood straight and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I don't want to hold you up. Good luck finding your Dav, Sylphiel. It was an honor to meet you Miss Inverse, Mister Gabriev." She bowed deeply and started walking back towards the temple.
I shouted after her, "Goodbye, Lind, and thank you!" She paused and waved, giving the victory sign before she went out of sight.
Lina stared after her for a moment. "Okay, so she's not weird. Just really nice."
I nodded and we all started walking again. Lina and I each tucked a book into our cloaks as we trudged. Lina's stomach grumbled and we walked faster. Lina and Gourry started discussing food and I tuned out in self defense when liver and onions, mince pie, chocolate mousse and codcakes were all mentioned in the same sentence.
------------
Lina had grown quieter and quieter as we neared our destination. She finally knocked timidly on the door of a small, unprepossessing house. The door was opened and someone I took to be Luna Inverse said, "Come in."
I looked at her as she led us in and gestured to seats. You had to look hard for a resemblance between the sisters. Where Lina was short with red hair and a small frame, Luna was tall, with purple hair and shoulders almost as broad as Gourry's. Her bust explained a lot about Lina's insecurities.
Once we were all seated and she had placed tea before us, she turned to Lina. "So, while you're here you ARE getting married, right?" As we all stared, jaws hanging open, she arched an eyebrow at Gourry. "Whether it's to the father or not doesn't matter to me, really, but the baby will need a name."
Gourry and I stared at Lina, unsure what to expect. Her mouth was moving and she seemed to be counting. After a minute her face lit and she said triumphantly, "I can't be pregnant, I can still cast magic! I'll show you... Darkness beyond twilight, crimson-"
Luna held up a hand and Lina sat down quickly, her mouth closed and her feet demurely crossed at the ankles and tucked under her. "Don't be an idiot, Lina. You lose your powers when your body is NOT fertile, not when it is. Although that goes away after your first child, anyway."
Lina seemed to be struggling for something to say. After a few minutes Gourry said, "Excuse us," and led her to another room, leaving me alone with the intimidating Knight of Ceipheed.
Luna calmly sipped tea as crashes and bangs could be heard from the other room. I worked up my nerve to ask, but as I opened my mouth, she spoke. "I can't tell for everyone, and not right away. I can tell for Lina because she's my sister and she's already several months along."
Gourry's exasperated voice floated in from the other room. "How do you THINK this happened? Even I'm not THAT dumb."
I winced as we heard Lina suck her breath in sharply. I thought we were all in for a dragon slave, at least, but Luna trilled out, "Don't forget what happens if you break anything in my house, Lina." All noise from the other room stopped.
Seconds later, an irate Gourry Gabriev emerged from the connecting door, Lina being dragged in his wake as she tugged on his belt, trying to drag him back into the other room. He stopped in front of where Luna sat, sipping her tea. "Look, lady, where do you get off? This house was left to both of you, so it's her house, too. I've seen the money she sends back to pay her share of the expenses. She's an adult now, and a fairly responsible one, so stop bossing her around."
Lina had slumped to the floor when he started talking, moaning and holding her face in her hands. As he continued to rant, she started to sit straighter and take her hands away from her eyes. Her jaw dropped and she looked at Gourry with stars in her eyes as he continued. "I've asked her to marry me before and I'll keep asking, but no pregnancy and no sister will force her into marriage. She'll marry who she wants to, when she wants to. If you don't like it, too bad." Gourry crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
Luna stood up. She seemed to grow and loom over Gourry, an expression like thunder on her face. Then the clouds broke as she grinned and clapped Gourry on the back hard enough to knock him off balance. "Well said! I'm proud to have you father my first niece!"
"I'm going to have a daughter?" Gourry's grin spread across his face like sunshine as his eyes rolled backwards in their sockets and he fainted.
Lina leapt over, straddling his chest as she shook him back and forth with his shirt in her fists. "This is no time to sleep, Gourry! Wake up so you can propose, you jerk! We've got to get everything ready!"
Luna pulled her little sister up by the nape of the neck. "Why don't we go get your dress straightened out and take care of the church and invitations. Sylphiel will take Gourry to the tailor and then we'll all meet back here to discuss what emergency brought you here."
------
Things went as Luna had said, and I had the feeling that was often the case. After getting Gourry fitted for a tuxedo (blue, of course), we returned to the Inverse house. Gourry said he felt tired so he went to take a nap. Finding myself alone, I took out Lind's book and began to read.
After what must have been a long time, judging by the way the sun had dropped, I looked up from the book. The Inverse sisters were approaching their home. Loudly.
"Lay off, you know I've always been irregular." Lina's voice dropped so that the last word was almost a whisper.
"Even if you ignored not getting your PERIOD for three months in a row, how could you miss that big ol' bulge?" Luna had thrown open the door and then turned around to poke at Lina's stomach. I had seen it, but until Luna's revelation, I had thought it was attributable to her eating habits catching up with her. Before Lina could do more than blush, however, a loud bang came from upstairs. It was followed by the sound of painful, extended retching. I could feel a sweatdrop form on the back of my head as the three of us tried to avoid making eye contact.
"Maybe you should go see if he needs healing, Sylphiel." Lina gave me a little push towards the stairs as the sounds of misery continued.
Luna pulled me away by the arm, causing Lina to overbalance and lunge towards the steps. "He's YOUR fiancee, sister dear. Shouldn't you go hold his hair or smooth his brow or something?"
Lina smirked. "Come t think of it, you're the strongest in white magic, O Revered Knight. Isn't it your duty to help the sick and suffering?"
Before the argument could continue, Gourry appeared on the top step. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, his skin was so pale it seemed translucent, and his mouth was quirked in the strange grimace of the permanently queasy. To put it bluntly, he looked like hell. He started to descend the stairs slowly and carefully, gripping the banister tightly to keep his balance. Lina apparently thought to cheer him up and held up a large bag. "Hey, Gourry, I brought us dinner! Admiral Ost's chicken and sweet potato pie! And I picked up some pork rinds for a snack later!"
Seconds later, the stairs were clear and the sounds of Gourry's digestive system attempting to leave his body resumed from upstairs. Lina looked confused. "Was it something I said?"
Dav and I had discussed the wedding customs of our cultures and so I wasn't surprised when, on our wedding night, he brought to our room a bowl of black ink and what looked like porcupine quills. "It is an ancient Rebian custom for the bride and groom to tattoo each other with a symbol of the bride's choosing as a permanent bond and mark of ownership. I do not demand that we mark you this way, but I would ask you, milady, to put your mark on me."
I felt my heart swell with love. Those were not the traditional words he had described to me. He had changed the ancient ceremony to allow me to refuse. "It would please me, husband, if we shared this custom, for I am yours as you are mine. We will share the mark of the Holy Tree, Flagoon." I showed him the sketch I had made and he nodded.
There was a certain eroticism to the ceremony. I found I was pleased to see this mark on him that said he was mine, and even pleased to be marked by him in return. It hurt, but not for very long, since I had stylized the design to a bare minimum of lines. After we were done, I bandaged his chest and cast a healing spell on my own.
"Now," he said, eyes gleaming in a predatory way. "We are truly married." He pulled me towards him and-
On second thought, that's too personal to share. Suffice it to say I had a very happy wedding night.
Morning came and went. I woke up to the early afternoon sun slanting through the windows. I reached out but the bed was empty. I looked around and felt slightly alarmed that Dav wasn't anywhere to be seen. Before I could fully explore the concept, however, there was a pounding on the door. "Sylphiel! Sylphiel, wake up! Come ON, Sylphiel!" I pulled a sheet around me and ran to the door. Lind was not someone who panicked easily and I feared the temple was in flames.
It was worse. "Sylphiel! A strange woman came and demanded to see Dav." She panted, trying to breathe and sobbing instead. "Sylphy, she put something on his face and he fell down! Before I could get past the garden gate they both vanished into thin air!" I had started to run towards my garden when Lind pushed me back into the room. "I left people searching every inch of the garden but you need to put some clothes on before you go down there. Man present, you know."
I dressed quickly while Lind politely turned her back. In less than a minute we were running towards the garden. Once there I saw the man wasn't one of the priests, as I had assumed, but none other than Gourry Gabriev. Which meant.. "Miss Lina!" I ran towards her, and thanked whatever gods had brought her to me at the exact time when I needed her most. "Have you found him?"
Lind held my shoulders as Lina shook her head absently, a look of intense concentration on her face. Finally, she spoke. "I've never seen anything quite like this. It's almost like Jillas's bombs, but not quite. All I can tell is that it's some sort of chemical causing a magic reaction." She slumped and Gourry caught her before she could fall. "I'm sorry, Sylphiel."
I fell to the ground, sobbing as I felt my heart break. I felt Lind put her hands on my shoulders in an attempt to console and comfort. "Please... Please, I need to be alone for a few minutes." They all nodded sadly and trooped out respectfully. Lina hung back for a moment, whispering and making a gesture. As she turned to leave she said, "Your powers are back, Sylphiel. We'll find the woman who took him and kick her ass."
Once I was alone, I cried. It started as grief, but with the grief came anger, a raw fury that someone dared to take what was mine. I felt power running through my body, my hair crackling with it as it filled me and began to ooze from my pores. I stood, clenching my hands into fists and then opening them, watching absently as purple rays shot from my fingertips.
"Give it back." Xellos was suddenly there, gasping for breath and clutching his staff for support. "You're draining my power. A human body can't contain it for long, Sylphiel. Give it back."
I realized I was drawing in energy in a similar way as to when I cast the Dragon Slave. I stopped but did not release any of the energy that filled me. "Start explaining, Xellos."
He gave what sounded like a laugh. "It's a long story."
"I don't care." I gritted my teeth and pointed a finger at his feet. Another ray, golden this time, flared out and made him jump backwards. His eyes opened wide, purple irises almost entirely covered by his dilated pupils, and he breathed "The Lord of Nightmares! But why..."
He sat down heavily on the lip of the fountain and leaned forward, propping himself up with his staff. He explained that he had been a human sorcerer and had become a mazoku, but that part of his human soul had been reincarnated, eventually, into me. Since we essentially shared a soul, my negative emotions drained him, and something was not allowing him to take his power back from me. He finished with, "So you see, since your body can't contain all of the power of a mazoku, you have to let me take your soul. The part that's you will return to L-sama and I will be complete and won't have to worry about being drained. It's the best way, really."
I zapped at his feet again, sending him backwards into the water. I laughed and felt my anger drain away, along with some of the power. "No chance, Xellos. You return to L-sama, I've got a husband to rescue."
I paused at the garden gate, and looked back at where he was wringing out his cape and cursing. "Have you ever heard of Rebia or Rus?"
He looked up, pushing sodden hair out of his eyes. "Yes, actually. During my human life, as a matter of fact. It was the one time I dabbled at being a prophet. Why do you ask?"
I held up a glowing hand, amazed at how easily his power came to me. "Where is it? How do I get there?" I could hardly breathe for waiting for the answer.
"How should I know? It was Ceipheed's prophecy, I just delivered it." He shook his head in disbelief. "The things I did to impress that girl.... Anyway, ask his Knight, she would know." He stood and held a hand out for his staff to fly into and then blinked away, leaving me with a lot to think about.
----------
"CEIPHEED'S KNIGHT?!?!?" Lina's eyes rolled back in her head and she slid to the floor, moaning. I had joined my friends in the dining hall, where Lina and Gourry had indulged in a light snack. Lind was still recovering from the sight.
"Hey, she's getting better! She didn't go hide this time!" Lind and I exchanged confused looks at Gourry's sunny comments. Gourry lifted the sorceress and propped her up in her chair. "Good job, sweetheart!"
Lina groaned. "I was going to go see her sooner or later. I guess it'll be sooner."
"Miss Lina?" I was still completely confused. Who could possibly elicit THIS reaction?
"It just happens that I can make the first part of your quest real easy." She took a gulp of ale, grimaced and continued. "Ceipheed's Knight is none other than Luna Inverse, part time waitress and older sister of the lovely and talented Lina Inverse."
"She scares the pants off Lina," was Gourry's contribution.
"Let's go, then!" I slammed my fist on the table for emphasis.
"Not so fast." Lina's expression kept me from protesting. "We need to gather a couple of samples from the garden to test and figure out what that woman used. At this point it's our only clue."
I nodded, acknowledging the wisdom of her words. "You're right, Miss Lina. The only other thing I know is the story he told me about his kingdoms, and I don't know if that will help. How do we find Rebia or Rus when the only direction we know is 'east of sun and west of moon'?"
Lind jumped up, startling us. "DON'T leave before I see you again, okay?" With that she ran out of the room at top speed.
Lina stared after her for a second. "Weird girl." I frowned and said, as Gourry nodded, "Miss Lina, she's my friend."
Lina shrugged. "Anyway, you and Gourry can go gather the samples. You can work on one today and we'll take the other one to my sister tomorrow."
"Will you help me with the tests, Miss Lina?" I wasn't sure how much I'd be able to get done. My hands were shaking uncontrollably as the reality crept in.
"Maybe later. Right now I need to go tell the kitchens that we're going to stay here for dinner. I seriously want some fried chicken. Oh, and coconut cream pie. And pate! Lots and lots of goose liver pate." She seemed momentarily hypnotized at the though of food but snapped out of it with a grin and a wink. "Besides, all I ever managed with a chemistry set was some truly impressive explosions. The Dragon Slave is puny compared to the time I tried to make face cream."
----------------
We left before dawn the next morning. I felt oddly constricted by my old traveling clothes, and I was sad at leaving without saying goodbye to Lind. I had looked for her this morning, but no one had seen her since she ran from the table the afternoon before. Lina, Gourry and I were almost half a mile away from the temple when we heard a desperate wail from behind us, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!"
Lind came barreling down the road, hair flying behind her as she ran. She skidded to a halt in front of Gourry and out a hand on his chest for balance as she bent over and wheezed for breath. I noticed she was still in the clothes she'd worn the day before but they were now liberally spattered with ink. She noticed Lina glaring at the hand still on Gourry's chest and moved it away as fast as if she's touched an open flame. She stuttered, still struggling for breath. Finally she recovered enough to talk. "I have something for you."
She held up a cloth bag and took out two books. "This is a copy and a translated copy of a book that's been in my family for a long, long time." She handed them to me and I read the title out loud, "Rebian Nights?". Lind continued, "I was working on copies for the family since the old copies are getting tattered. I finished the second one last night so you could take it with you." She blushed and dug her toe in the dirt. "It's fairy tale type stories but since several mention that east of sun thing, I thought it might help."
I reached out and hugged her tightly, my eyes filling with tears. "You are a true and wonderful friend. Thank you."
She blushed brighter. "I just wanted to help. One of the books is in the original language. I didn't know if it would be useful, but I brought it." She stood straight and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I don't want to hold you up. Good luck finding your Dav, Sylphiel. It was an honor to meet you Miss Inverse, Mister Gabriev." She bowed deeply and started walking back towards the temple.
I shouted after her, "Goodbye, Lind, and thank you!" She paused and waved, giving the victory sign before she went out of sight.
Lina stared after her for a moment. "Okay, so she's not weird. Just really nice."
I nodded and we all started walking again. Lina and I each tucked a book into our cloaks as we trudged. Lina's stomach grumbled and we walked faster. Lina and Gourry started discussing food and I tuned out in self defense when liver and onions, mince pie, chocolate mousse and codcakes were all mentioned in the same sentence.
------------
Lina had grown quieter and quieter as we neared our destination. She finally knocked timidly on the door of a small, unprepossessing house. The door was opened and someone I took to be Luna Inverse said, "Come in."
I looked at her as she led us in and gestured to seats. You had to look hard for a resemblance between the sisters. Where Lina was short with red hair and a small frame, Luna was tall, with purple hair and shoulders almost as broad as Gourry's. Her bust explained a lot about Lina's insecurities.
Once we were all seated and she had placed tea before us, she turned to Lina. "So, while you're here you ARE getting married, right?" As we all stared, jaws hanging open, she arched an eyebrow at Gourry. "Whether it's to the father or not doesn't matter to me, really, but the baby will need a name."
Gourry and I stared at Lina, unsure what to expect. Her mouth was moving and she seemed to be counting. After a minute her face lit and she said triumphantly, "I can't be pregnant, I can still cast magic! I'll show you... Darkness beyond twilight, crimson-"
Luna held up a hand and Lina sat down quickly, her mouth closed and her feet demurely crossed at the ankles and tucked under her. "Don't be an idiot, Lina. You lose your powers when your body is NOT fertile, not when it is. Although that goes away after your first child, anyway."
Lina seemed to be struggling for something to say. After a few minutes Gourry said, "Excuse us," and led her to another room, leaving me alone with the intimidating Knight of Ceipheed.
Luna calmly sipped tea as crashes and bangs could be heard from the other room. I worked up my nerve to ask, but as I opened my mouth, she spoke. "I can't tell for everyone, and not right away. I can tell for Lina because she's my sister and she's already several months along."
Gourry's exasperated voice floated in from the other room. "How do you THINK this happened? Even I'm not THAT dumb."
I winced as we heard Lina suck her breath in sharply. I thought we were all in for a dragon slave, at least, but Luna trilled out, "Don't forget what happens if you break anything in my house, Lina." All noise from the other room stopped.
Seconds later, an irate Gourry Gabriev emerged from the connecting door, Lina being dragged in his wake as she tugged on his belt, trying to drag him back into the other room. He stopped in front of where Luna sat, sipping her tea. "Look, lady, where do you get off? This house was left to both of you, so it's her house, too. I've seen the money she sends back to pay her share of the expenses. She's an adult now, and a fairly responsible one, so stop bossing her around."
Lina had slumped to the floor when he started talking, moaning and holding her face in her hands. As he continued to rant, she started to sit straighter and take her hands away from her eyes. Her jaw dropped and she looked at Gourry with stars in her eyes as he continued. "I've asked her to marry me before and I'll keep asking, but no pregnancy and no sister will force her into marriage. She'll marry who she wants to, when she wants to. If you don't like it, too bad." Gourry crossed his arms over his chest and glared.
Luna stood up. She seemed to grow and loom over Gourry, an expression like thunder on her face. Then the clouds broke as she grinned and clapped Gourry on the back hard enough to knock him off balance. "Well said! I'm proud to have you father my first niece!"
"I'm going to have a daughter?" Gourry's grin spread across his face like sunshine as his eyes rolled backwards in their sockets and he fainted.
Lina leapt over, straddling his chest as she shook him back and forth with his shirt in her fists. "This is no time to sleep, Gourry! Wake up so you can propose, you jerk! We've got to get everything ready!"
Luna pulled her little sister up by the nape of the neck. "Why don't we go get your dress straightened out and take care of the church and invitations. Sylphiel will take Gourry to the tailor and then we'll all meet back here to discuss what emergency brought you here."
------
Things went as Luna had said, and I had the feeling that was often the case. After getting Gourry fitted for a tuxedo (blue, of course), we returned to the Inverse house. Gourry said he felt tired so he went to take a nap. Finding myself alone, I took out Lind's book and began to read.
After what must have been a long time, judging by the way the sun had dropped, I looked up from the book. The Inverse sisters were approaching their home. Loudly.
"Lay off, you know I've always been irregular." Lina's voice dropped so that the last word was almost a whisper.
"Even if you ignored not getting your PERIOD for three months in a row, how could you miss that big ol' bulge?" Luna had thrown open the door and then turned around to poke at Lina's stomach. I had seen it, but until Luna's revelation, I had thought it was attributable to her eating habits catching up with her. Before Lina could do more than blush, however, a loud bang came from upstairs. It was followed by the sound of painful, extended retching. I could feel a sweatdrop form on the back of my head as the three of us tried to avoid making eye contact.
"Maybe you should go see if he needs healing, Sylphiel." Lina gave me a little push towards the stairs as the sounds of misery continued.
Luna pulled me away by the arm, causing Lina to overbalance and lunge towards the steps. "He's YOUR fiancee, sister dear. Shouldn't you go hold his hair or smooth his brow or something?"
Lina smirked. "Come t think of it, you're the strongest in white magic, O Revered Knight. Isn't it your duty to help the sick and suffering?"
Before the argument could continue, Gourry appeared on the top step. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, his skin was so pale it seemed translucent, and his mouth was quirked in the strange grimace of the permanently queasy. To put it bluntly, he looked like hell. He started to descend the stairs slowly and carefully, gripping the banister tightly to keep his balance. Lina apparently thought to cheer him up and held up a large bag. "Hey, Gourry, I brought us dinner! Admiral Ost's chicken and sweet potato pie! And I picked up some pork rinds for a snack later!"
Seconds later, the stairs were clear and the sounds of Gourry's digestive system attempting to leave his body resumed from upstairs. Lina looked confused. "Was it something I said?"
