As Amelia promised, Lina had a huge funeral. It started with Lina's hand crafted casket being brought out of the palace gates, which were flooded by people trying to catch a glimpse of the white casket with gold lining around it. On top if it was a gold frame in the shape of roses and in the frame was a picture of Lina, Gourry and Liana. It was a gorgeous casket, one fit for a king; no one had ever seen anything like it.
The casket was brought out on a large cart pulled by two huge black horses. Following the cart were all of Lina's family and friends. Gourry and Liana followed closely to the cart, and Zel and Amelia were right behind them. As they made their way through the winding road of Seyruun to Lina's burial spot, people had gathered around from miles to see Lina Inverse make her last journey. As they past the ever-growing crowd, Gourry noticed flowers flying from each direction, they he realized that the people on the sidewalks were throwing them onto Lina's casket. They were mostly purple and white flowers, a few red and black roses mixed in with the pastel colored flowers. Liana marveled at the crowd, at first she thought all these people knew her mother at sometime.
As they got closer to Gourry's home, he looked up at the hill and saw the tree looming over it. The tree cast a small shadow over the hole dug in the ground, only a little light was shed and that was on the tombstone that had been carved specially for Lina. On the top of the tombstone, a detailed unicorn lying down with it's head pointing down toward the main body of the stone, it looked as though it were mourning the name written on it. The main body of the tombstone read:
"Lina Gabriev
Loving wife and mother. Lina will always be remembered for her kind heart and good nature. Although Lina was a powerful sorceress, her love was even more powerful. She will be sourly missed by the world, especially by those who knew her, but she will never be forgotten.
Rest In Peace our little Angel."
Gourry took a large gulp as they neared the hill. It broke his heart to even think of Lina being put in the ground forever, but he knew that this was what would close the final chapter of Lina's life. The horses stopped at the bottom of the hill, they couldn't handle taking the cart up the hill, so the casket was carried by four men who were hired for the job, but Gourry insisted that he at least be able to support the bottom of the casket up the hill. All the way up Gourry cried, he couldn't believe that his precious Lina was inside this box. He halfway expected Lina to pop out and yell at him for burring her, but it never happened. He knew she was gone.
Once at the top of the hill, the men placed the casket beside the hole. Gourry knelt by the casket's side, as he done so when he knelt by Lina's bedside. Gourry folded his arms across the casket and buried his head into his arms and cried.
"Daddy?" Liana's voice made Gourry jump slightly. Ever since Lina's death, no one had really spoken to him except Zel and Amelia, but he had basically shut them out. Gourry looked and saw Liana's pleading eyes staring straight into his. "Oh baby girl." He said in a soft and painful tone of voice. The child fell into his arms and started crying. She hugged him tightly as he held her close. "Gourry." A little voice made Gourry look up to see Mark Grewords holding a purple flower in front of his face. Gourry reached up and took it, he looked at the small offering for a bit, then pulled Mark in and hugged him with his daughter.
Gourry looked around him and saw that the hill was covered with people. He recognized most of the faces there, like Zel and Amelia, Martina and Zangulus, Filia, Xellos, Sylphiel and even a few people that they bumped into in their journeys. All of them were crying or were close to it. Gourry looked at his daughter, she was sitting next to him, clutching her teddy bear with her head on his arms sobbing as she stared at the glistening casket. The priest gave a beautiful speech about Lina, but it was mostly on how every one saw her, Lina the sorceress who saved the world numerous times and defeated dark lords etc. But when Luna stood up, she gave an incredible speech for her little sister. She had so much trouble giving it though, the tears that she tried to hold back wouldn't obey, the flowed like rivers down her face, but she managed to finish the speech. When Luna got back to her seat, nobody moved, it was so still.
Just when it seemed that the silence would last an eternity, Liana got up from her seat and approached the casket. She placed her hand on top of it and traced the gold frame and gently put her fingers on where her mother stood in the little picture. Liana suddenly lifted the casket, revealing her mother. Lina looked so peaceful. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were closed, she looked like she was asleep. Liana leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek and then placed her precious teddy bear next to Lina, then closed the casket and returned to her seat where Gourry gave her an encouraging hug.
The four men hired to carry the casket up the hill went to it and started lowering Lina into the earth. Gourry got up from his seat and threw the flower given to him on top of the casket and when Gourry turned around, he found Amelia coming over to do the same thing. Suddenly every one came over and tossed the flowers on the casket as it lowered.
A slight breeze rustled through the large oak tree and everyone there could almost hear Lina's voice whispering to them, her words were different to each person, but to Gourry, Lina was saying 'Good-bye my love, I'll always be watching over you.' Gourry looked up into the flowing leaves and smiled. By the time the dirt had been replaced back into the hole that now held Lina, the sun had set and the sky was turned to a crimson red. By then, only Amelia, Zel and Gourry's friends remained; they wanted a private moment with each other. Gourry was relieved when everyone else went home. Lina's mother had cried into Gourry's shoulder so hard he could feel the small woman shake from the tears that refused to stop. Lina's father had to pull her off of Gourry and one last hug from Luna and they left. Gourry wasn't sure when he'd see them again, if he'd ever see them again. The only link Gourry had to them was through Lina and that link was broken now.
"Gourry, I'm so sorry. I wish that there was something I could do for you." Filia said. She didn't quite understand human deaths, but loosing Lina made her feel the hurt that the others were feeling. Gourry nodded and turned back to watch the sun set. After every one left Xellos popped up and placed his hand on Gourry's shoulder. "Beautiful isn't it?" Gourry looked at the mazoku and nodded.
"Yes it is. Hard to believe that I use to watch the same sunset with Lina." Gourry took in a deep breath and let out a long sigh as he turned back to watch the sky.
"Yes, but remember this Gourry, where a day ends, a new dawn will arise." Xellos opened one of his eyes and smiled at Gourry. Even though Xellos was a monster, he too had feelings.
"I don't understand Xellos. When the day ends, there's night, then the dawn comes." Gourry looked at the bleeding sky as it slowly gave way to the stars.
"You'll see, someday. You'll see." Xellos patted Gourry on the back then disappeared again.
The setting sun gave Gourry a sense of comfort, he felt as though it was Lina's way of waving good-bye to him. He still didn't get what Xellos meant though. He figured he probably never will.
****Probably forgot that you were reading a flash back, huh? Back to the present!****
The sun rose and the light flooded the room waking Gourry up from his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked around the room as if for the first time. Little did he know that letting those memories unlock themselves would finally let Gourry find some closure in a part of his life.
From then on, Gourry lived as though he had Lina beside him. He knew that she was with him were ever he went and as Liana got older, Gourry saw more and more of Lina in their daughter's youthful nature. Never again did Gourry dream of the sad days leading up to Lina's death, instead, he dreamed of the times he treasured most with her; the first time they met, their wedding, and the most precious moment of all, the birth of their child, Liana.