Gourry woke up with a start, and automatically surveyed his surroundings. The air was chill and damp, and the sky was just beginning to lighten, although he figured that sunrise was still an hour off. He quietly rolled out of his blankets and put more wood onto the fire. Lina lay on her side, her arm and leg thrown over her blanket, cuddling it to her body. Her face looked relaxed and content. Gourry picked up his blanket and gently covered her.
"Mmmm," she mumbled and opened her eyes. She gave him a smile of pure joy, then closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Gourry felt a flash of recognition, but he wasn't sure why. Something about Lina's smile seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite remember ever seeing her smile like that before. It was completely unguarded and uncensored. Usually, Lina's smiles were a part of the face she presented to the world, rarely were they true reflections of what she was actually feeling. Sometimes, her smile promised death, but this time, she looked so happy. Gourry sighed. He wished she would smile at him like that when she was awake, but more than that, he wondered why her smile felt familiar, when it was so unlike her.
Gourry suddenly felt edgy. He assessed their surroundings again, trying to decide if there was danger nearby. The forest seemed quiet, but not unnaturally quiet, just normal pre-dawn silence. When his gaze turned towards the clearing ringed with large stones, he felt his blood go cold, and he heard Phibrizzo's laughter echo in his mind. It's time to go. Now, he thought. The feeling that had made him decide to stop here yesterday was gone, replaced with the urge to get to Sairaag as soon as possible. Gourry considered going to check his snare for another rabbit, but the thought of leaving Lina alone, even for a brief moment, made the edginess even worse. He brought out some of the travel rations, and began to break up camp. When nearly everything was ready, he went over to wake Lina.
"Lina, wake up." He pitched his tone low, while he grasped her shoulder.
Lina's eyes flew open, but she looked confused.
"It's time to go," he said in the same intent tone.
"What's wrong?" She asked quietly, suddenly very aware.
"I don't know. But I do know that we have to leave, as soon as possible. Now."
Lina looked at him briefly, and then started gathering up her belongings, taking care that she didn't miss anything, but obviously rushing. Gourry kicked dirt over their fire, and stirred it around with a stick. When Lina stood, he handed her some of the rations he had taken out, and started walking towards Sairaag. Lina took one more look around their campsite, and then followed, eating as she walked.
Gourry glanced back and saw her chewing furiously. He could tell that she was bursting with questions, but she was also restraining herself because she didn't know what was bothering him. Now that they were walking, the urgency he felt in the clearing had eased. Maybe it was just being so close to the place where he had fought against Lina and the others. Gourry wondered again what had made him set up camp there yesterday. It seemed like he spent most of the day avoiding the site, doing things like getting water or picking berries. Lina had hardly spoken to him after he returned with the rabbit, although he hadn't said much either. Gourry hated the way things were between them right now. The easy comfort they had with each other was suddenly as fragile as a spider's web. One moment they were close and companionable, and then Lina would pull away. Somehow, he had to make things right between them again, so that they could go back to the way they were before. I want it undone! The words seemed somehow familiar, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was he wanted undone.
"Alright, Gourry. What's going on?" Lina's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"What made you hustle me out of bed this morning, before dawn, I might add, and then start on the road without even a decent breakfast?" Lina sounded annoyed.
"I dunno," Gourry replied. "I just felt like it was time to go."
"You just felt like it was time to go," Lina repeated sarcastically. "Geez, a jellyfish with intuition! What am I going to do with you and these urges you seem to be suddenly prone to? Not only am I stuck taking a trip to Sairaag, the last place I wanted to go, but I'm also tired, hungry and getting rather cranky!"
Gourry stopped walking and looked at her. Although it seemed like a normal Lina-type tantrum with the typical complaints, this was the first time she had actually said that she really didn't want to go to Sairaag. "What are you afraid of, Lina?" he asked.
"Afraid of?" Gourry's question completely took the wind out of her outburst.
"Yes, afraid of. I mean, you said it yourself, there's nothing in Sairaag but ruins, no good restaurants to get kicked out of, and all. Hellmaster's gone, that Copy-guy's gone, so what are you afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid." She said it defiantly, as if daring him to contradict her. Gourry said nothing, just kept looking at her with a steady gaze. "I'm not afraid," she repeated. Her eyes narrowed. "What else do you remember?" she asked suddenly.
"Huh?" It was Gourry's turn to be confused.
"About when Phibrizzo had you."
"What? Why are you asking about that?"
"I didn't want to make this journey, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
"I didn't want you to remember. But you said you needed to come to Sairaag, and you actually remembered it in the morning." She paused and Gourry remained silent. "I hate this trip!" She burst out suddenly. "Every step that we take brings us closer to Sairaag, and I hate it! The closer we get, the worse things are getting! It's not worth it! Whatever it is you think you need," her voice made the word an insult, "it isn't worth it!"
Gourry watched her work herself up to a fever pitch. She looked almost as frantic as when there were slugs around. Except she wasn't hanging all over him like she had at Halcyon's mansion. He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake. She was right about one thing. The past few days had been hard for both of them. Gourry felt like he was on one of those fair rides, where you sat on a chair that a bunch of people pushed back and forth. When the chair went high, just before it came down you would feel really light, then it would swing down, and at the bottom you would be really heavy, then you'd go up again. The back-and-forth shifts between feeling heavy and light were fun at the fair, but going between the anger and the sadness and the silence was not, and right now, he just wanted the ride to be over.
"I don't remember much else," he said, answering her earlier question. "I know there's something important I'm forgetting, that I need to remember for some reason. But it's not just for me, Lina. I'm not exactly enjoying this trip either," he said heatedly. "Remembering what Phibrizzo did to me . . . what he made me do to you, it hurts! Part of me actually enjoyed the power I had, that I could absorb your strongest spells with my Sword, and that disgusts me! But it's worse to see you pulling away from me and hiding things! It seems like the only time you talk to me these past days is to yell or ask where the food is." Gourry paused and took a deep breath. "Lina," he began more quietly, "you usually talk to me so much. I don't always pay attention to what you're saying, but I do hear you. I miss hearing you just talk. Stop trying to protect me."
Lina sighed. "It seems like every time I say something, I end up hurting you, and if I don't say anything, I still end up hurting you. Gourry, I don't want to hurt you, but I can't seem to stop." Her voiced dropped to a whisper, "I don't know what to do." She lowered her eyes, seeming very interested in his feet, all of the sudden.
Gourry reached out and tilted her chin up to make her look at him. "Just talk to me, Lina. Stop trying to be brave. Stop trying to be the Sorcery-Genius. Just be Lina, and talk to me." He saw a half-dozen emotions flicker across her face, and then she just looked at him, her heart in her eyes. Gourry was so startled by the feelings she revealed that he nearly dropped his hands. Instead he returned her gaze with equal intensity. Her tongue snaked out and moistened her lips, and his eyes, attracted by the movement, shifted to her mouth. His right hand reached around to the back of her neck, while his heart thudded so loudly in his chest he thought she would hear it. Ever so slightly, he inclined his head forward to claim the gift she offered him. Her eyes drifted closed, a silent invitation. Encouraged by her reaction, he pulled her closer, then they both jumped apart when they heard the sound of horse approaching at full gallop.