Author's notes: This ill-fated side story to Memories has been languishing on my computer for well over a year. Originally my cowriter from Memories was going to handle Gourry's side of the story, but she never got around to it, so I finally thought up 'what came before' Memories. I'd love to continue it, but since it would basically be a rehash of the original story, and since Gourry is more complex to write than he seems, it's not inspired me. I liked this too much to just let it rot on my computer though. I put it on my site a few months ago, but I've never heard any response from anyone about it, so I thought I might as well post it here, too.
If there's still anyone out there who has yet to read Memories, this isn't a bad place to start, since it reveals just how Lina came about losing her memory.
She's at it again. Earlier today Lina heard about a bandit gang, the "Fists of Fury" or something, and had to go after them. It didn't take long to find the camp. It didn't take much longer for Lina to wreck havoc.
There weren't even that many bandits around, so I didn't have to do anything other than stand here and look menacing. I don't see why; Lina is enough to send them into a panic.
She's currently cramming as much treasure into her cape as possible. I never did figure out just how she can fit so much in there. I know it has something to do with magic. Oh well, at least we'll be able to have a decent meal tonight.
"Hey Lina, are you almost done?"
Lina chuckles as she continues to take more of her stolen treasure. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to call it that...
"Just about, Gourry. I want to make sure I didn't leave anything behind."
SNAP!
What's that? I glance about the ruined site. Got to keep Lina safe from any threats. I know it came from behind the far wall...
There! A fat bandit is trying to sneak up on Lina! She looks to me and grins. Good, she knows he's there, too.
"Who do you think you are? You can't just come in here and steal our treasure!" The fat man charges at Lina, his sword drawn.
Lina smirks and stands up to meet the threat. "You bandits learn nothing. Dil Brand!"
Wow, glad I wasn't caught in that. It's going to be a while before he lands. Lina seems unfazed, and is already back to picking up loose change.
I can't help but yawn. It would be nice to have at least a small challenge every now and then. Lina already took out all of the bandits, though. I wonder if that fat guy's falling yet?
I have to shield my eyes from the bright sunlight just to look up into the sky. Ah! There he is! By the looks of it, he's going to land...right where Lina is!
"Hey, Lina!" I call, as I walk across the grounds.
"Gourry, I'm almost done! Just hang on a moment."
"But Lina!" I start to run now, he's getting really close!
"What, Go-erf!"
Too late! Oh man, she's going to be mad at me for this!
I dash to her side, only, the guy's totally covered her up. I shove him out of the way and prop Lina up.
"Lina, are you okay? Lina?" Uh oh, she's not responding.
Then I notice she's got a gash on her head.
"Hang on, Lina." I pick her up in my arms and quickly dash back to the town we left earlier today.
It's a good thing the bandit camp wasn't too far away. It didn't take long for the town to come into view. Just got to find someone that can help Lina...
Weapons shop, bakery, inn...ah ha! A healer! I fight my way through traffic and enter the small building.
"I need help!" I yell out. Please, somebody be here!
An old man walks into the room. I guess he looks like a healer. So long as he can help Lina. He easily spots Lina's still form.
"Quickly, bring her here!" He points to a table, so I set her down gently. "What happened?" Already he's tending to her wounds better than I ever could.
"Uh..." What do I say to him? Better stick to the basics. "Somebody fell on her."
He stops what he's doing and stares back at me.
"Is she going to be okay? She wouldn't wake up." She looks so frail just laying there.
The old man goes back to working on Lina. "Well, she has a mild concussion, but she ought to be fine with rest."
Rest? She's been doing that since that bandit fell on her! "Will she wake up soon?"
He nods. "Yes, given time. But be sure to keep an eye on her. If anything unusual comes up, bring her right back." He smiles at me. "Okay?"
"Okay." I nod back. "How much do I owe you?"
"For that? Don't worry about it. Just be sure to take care of her." He smiles at me again.
"Thanks." I carefully lift Lina up off of the table. She'd kill me for doing so, but she has no choice in the matter right now. I need to get her some place where she can rest. That inn is probably my best bet at this point.
Getting a room was easy enough, the innkeeper was very understanding. I laid Lina on the bed, then removed her cape, belt, and boots. The last thing I need is a sore and cranky Lina!
Although, at this point, I'd take it. She's just been laying there all day. A glance out the window lets me know that it'll be early evening in a few more hours.
Wait! That guy said she had a concussion, which is basically a really bad headache. Maybe a cold compress will make it better, and wake Lina up?
I look back to Lina. She's content to sleep on. I shrug my shoulders. It wouldn't hurt to try it. Maybe the innkeeper has something I can use.
"I'll be right back Lina."
I quietly walk out of the room. At least the innkeeper's always downstairs in the main hall, so finding him won't be a problem.
"Oh, hello sir. How is your friend doing?" He saw me before I even got to the counter.
"She's still sleeping. Actually, I came to see if you had a bowl and cloth I could use."
"Of course! We always keep such things on hand." He ducks back into the back room and comes back out with the bowl and cloth. Wow, he even filled it with water!
"Thanks!" I take the bowl and cloth and make my way back to the room. Just got to make sure I don't spill this. I quietly enter back into the room.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?" The sudden sound nearly caused me to drop the bowl, but I easily steadied it and looked up to see Lina -awake! Thank goodness! Guess I didn't need this stuff after all.
I set the bowl down on her night stand and approach the bed. As I approach I can see that she's looking alarmed. I know Lina doesn't like me being in her room when she's asleep, but she's not sleeping any more.
She keeps creeping further under her covers though, so maybe she's still tired?
"What do you want?" Why does she sound so scared? She knows I'd never do anything to harm her.
Maybe she's still not feeling well, after all. I reach out for the bowl and take out the cloth, wringing out excess water, before placing it on her forehead. She must be feeling worse than she looks, because she recoiled from it. That's funny, I always liked having a cold compress when I had a headache.
"What are you doing?" She still sounds scared. Lina, what's wrong?
"I'm just trying to make your head feel better. You got a big bump on it the other day." I speak in a quiet voice. If she has such a bad headache, I don't want to make it worse.
She just looks back at me blankly. "What happened?"
"Relax. You're at an inn now. I got you to a healer after that bandit boss fell on you. You really need to be more careful." I shake my head. She can be a real handful at times.
"Huh? B-Bandit boss?"
Why does she keep looking at me like I'm spouting off nonsense? She should know, she was the one that caused it! Maybe she's testing me.
"Yeah, remember? You cast that one spell that sends them into the air...and when he landed, he landed on you."
That must be an awful headache! She's tossing her head around an awful lot, and it pains me to see that look in her eye. It's been a long time since I've seen Lina confused!
"What are you talking about? And who are you?"
Who...am I? Is she serious?
"Lina, are you okay? It's me, Gourry."; I have to stay calm. There's nothing wrong with her, there can't be!
"Gourry?" She asks, but she's saying my name kind of weird.
"Yes, Lina." I smile at her.
She just looks blankly back at me. "Gourry who?"
This can't be good. I am Gourry. Gourry is me! How can she not know me?
"Uh...Gourry me?"
"Me? Nice to meet you...Gourry Me." If she wasn't looking so sincere, I'd think she's trying to pull my leg.
"Umm...Lina?" Please let this be a dream. She can't have lost her memory. It can't be true! The uneasy feeling in my stomach is getting worse. Time to see if she's kidding or not. "You do know who I am, right?"
I'm not liking how long it's taking her to answer.
Finally she answers, "A water boy?"
I am so dead.
Yes, that's it. I had hoped to finish this, but it's just not happened. Perhaps some day I'll finally be able to complete this, but for now...das ist alles! It is the end! Makes me feel bad for Gourry...