Gourry wasn't sure how long he sat there, staring into the fire. He was sure that while he sat there, Lina didn't move at all. She didn't make any noise, but stood where he had gripped her shoulders and stared into a clearing remembering Hellmaster's childish voice and his demand that Gourry show no mercy. Gourry understood now why this place felt wrong, but he also knew that Lina hadn't told him everything.
"Tell me the rest, Lina," he said quietly without turning to look at her.
"No." The word was short, sharp and spoken with stark finality.
Gourry turned to face her. She was still standing with the comb in her hand. Her face was very white, and looked stretched almost to the breaking point, but her eyes were very hard and determined. The haunted look was gone, but so was the laughter. She said nothing, just pressed her lips together in a thin line.
Behind them, the water Lina had placed near the fire boiled over with a hiss, unnoticed by either.
He watched as she built a wall before him, hiding all the pain he knew she was feeling. The closeness from a few moments before was replaced by a chasm that grew wider by the moment. Gourry knew why she didn't want to tell him more. He felt sick with the memory, himself. He also knew that she was trying to protect him, but the price was too high. If Lina kept it all locked inside, if she continued to pretend that these memories didn't bother her, he would lose her.
No! He couldn't lose her! Gourry felt his frustration rising. He would kill anyone who tried to hurt Lina, but the person who was hurting Lina right now was Lina herself. How could he protect her from herself? How could he make her come back to him? He had to fight Lina in order to protect Lina . . . it made no sense! Gourry's frustration turned to anger. He had to hurt Lina in order to make her stop hurting. And suddenly, it made sense.
He looked at Lina again. She still stood across from him, lips clenched and eyes angry, every bit the Sorcery Genius who had faced down Dark Lords and monsters. She was ready to face down him, and Gourry felt his anger boil over, and he rose to his feet.
"I remember kneeling in front of Phibrizo," Gourry said. Again in his mind he heard Phibrizo's voice saying show no mercy. "He told me not to worry. That he was sure you would come, and that I shouldn't hold back. You cast the Dragon Slave at me, and I just absorbed it with my Sword and hurled it back at you." Gourry's voice gained intensity as he advanced on her. "You cast the Ragna Blade, but I just parried it away, and you barely managed to nick my armor. I remember how you tried your damndest to defeat me, Lina Inverse, but I was winning!" Gourry was now yelling. "We tried to kill each other, Lina, but that's not the whole story! You remember and it's still killing you! I don't remember and it's killing me! I need to know the rest, Lina, AND YOU NEED TO TELL ME!"
Lina's mouth opened, then closed. She smiled a sickly sweet smile, one that was incredibly dangerous. "When we found Sylphiel here, she wanted to know where you were. I smiled brightly at her and cheerfully told her that you had been kidnapped by Hellmaster Phibrizo. Do you know what she said? She said she would use violence, money, and sex appeal to get you back." Lina turned away from him, clenching her fists to her side. After a moment she turned back to face him. "I wanted to come to Sairaag alone, you know," she commented in a normal tone of voice. Her face had become a mask of complete indifference. "But Zel and Amelia, and even Martina insisted that they come too." She gave a short bark of laughter. "Amelia even insisted that I not tell them Hellmaster's plan so she wouldn't try to stop me from saving you, just in case I had to do something 'unjust'." Lina paused and the mask of indifference she wore slipped as the haunted look returned to her eyes. "Hellmaster took you to force me to cast the Gigaslave," she continued. "So the universe would be returned to chaos. I just stood there, watching, as he killed everybody. Amelia. Sylphiel. Zelgadis. Zangulus and Martina. He killed them all, one by one, and then encased them in crystal." The mask was completely gone, and her face twisted with anguish as she shouted, "I just stood there and he killed everyone!" Lina took a deep breath and spoke softly. "And then he was going to kill you, Gourry. You were encased in crystal, just like the others. He said you were dying in there, and could only be freed if I defeated him. He started to crack your crystal, he said that when these crystals shattered it was the most beautiful sound." Her voice was starting to sound frantic. "I started to cast the Gigaslave to save you, Gourry! I called upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares," she paused again, " . . . and then Phibrizo killed me." She spoke those final words softly, and then she sank to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.
As Gourry listened to her, he felt his anger drain away. He wasn't sure why the part about Sylphiel using sex appeal was important, but he knew now why she didn't want to come back to Sairaag, and he also figured out what her nightmares had been about. Gourry waited for her to go on, but when she said nothing else, he spoke quietly, "Tell me the rest, Lina."
Lina's head snapped up, "There is nothing else, you Jellyfish!" she shouted. "We all died! I tried to save you, and I just got everyone killed! I failed! Hellmaster killed us all!"
Gourry was silent for a moment. "So that's why I need to go to Sairaag," he muttered to himself. Lina just stared at him, so he continued, "If we're all dead, I need to go get our lives back."