Quite possibly the best thing about exploration was opportunity. It was always endless, as endless as the eye could see. There were countless amounts of it, and sometimes, it wasn't enough to quench Lina Inverse's thirst for adventure.
Gourry Gabriev, over the years, had grown to realize this, but it suited him just fine. After all, he was the same way. Staying in one place made them both restless, anyways, and now that they had brand-new lands to explore, once again opportunity was in the air.
The two walked together, side by side, the weather of an unseasonably good day getting to them. Both were in chipper spirits, looking forward to what such a day could bring.
"Say, Gourry," Lina blinked over at him, smiling. He knew what that look meant. He waited for it. "There's a library over there…we should check it out!"
She pointed ahead of them, at a small limestone building. It looked like it was going to fall over at any time, but that just added to the allure for Lina. She was just guessing on the library part, but she was pretty sure it was; the space over the doorway had an open book over it.
It was a weird place to have a library. Even she admitted that. There weren't many houses in the area. So, if she were to think about it, it meant that it was a leftover from a now-gone town, or it was meant to be segregated from nearby life. Both options sounded really appealing to her; after all, both options meant that the books inside hadn't been touched in years.
Gourry, however, wasn't so sure. "It looks like it's going to fall over," he said flatly.
Lina rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm going, so if you want to head on alone, be my guest." She turned on her heel and started down the path towards the library. She knew full well that Gourry was going to follow. She knew, after all of these years, and especially recently, that he wasn't going anywhere.
Gourry sighed and followed her.
x x x
It took them about ten minutes to actually find a way in. The place had been so neglected over the years that moss had grown over the doorway. And it wasn't average moss. It was thick and impossible-to-get-rid-of moss.
So, Lina climbed through a window. Being slender and small, she had an easy time doing so. Gourry, however, had to struggle to get in this way, and by the time he managed, Lina was already taking books off the shelf and looking at them.
The place was pretty small, but its walls were covered in books. Lina was in heaven. The whole place smelt like old paper and rotting limestone, but she didn't care. The books were still here, still in tact, and still good. She examined each row of books, looking at the spines. Most of them had boring titles. She wanted something flashy, something bold; something that she knew would be just perfect for her to read.
Gourry just stood around, looking at the books and the floor in no specific order. This endeavor was for Lina, and he knew that. It was doubtful he would find anything interesting here, so he just mucked about, looking for something interesting to glance at. He knew she would be a while.
Finally, Lina's hand landed on a book that sounded like it had promise. It was called "The Fire Fury". She yanked it out and examined it. Sure enough, a magical symbol was indented on the front. She sat down on a random patch of floor, leaning her back against the bookcase, and opened the book up.
On closer examination, she noticed it was a book of far more advanced magic than was ever intended for this region. She was curious how a book like this could come into such a threadbare area, seeing as how the average sorcerer in these parts could only cast lame spells.
Well, whatever, she was game.
It took her an hour to figure out what exactly the titled Fire Fury was. Apparently, it was advanced magic, used in the days of capital punishment, and was used to have the culprit suffer excruciating pain until death, as a reward for their crimes. The spell, depending on the capacity of the caster, could either be deadly as hell or merely annoying. Sometimes, if the caster was inadequate, the spell would merely cause a fever.
Lina wondered what kind of society needed a type of magic to use on its criminals, and what kind of people would even think of inventing a spell.
However, even though one would think she would have better judgment when it came to things like this, Lina decided to learn the spell, anyways. She wondered if it was a mistake, even bothering, but she figured it couldn't hurt. There was nothing wrong with having a huge range of spells, from harmless to murderous, right? Didn't that make her more dangerous?
Even though she had justified it to herself, she still felt a little uneasy about it. She shrugged it off, figuring it would be gone once she learned the spell. Whether she actually used it on anyone or not would be another story.
Gourry, however, was bored out of his mind. He was through looking around and was now sitting a bit away from Lina, looking off into space. He decided that now would be a good time to have a nap, so he lowered his head and shut his eyes.
Lina read the incantation several times. Once she was sure she had it memorized, she set the book down in front of her and prepared to cast the spell. Of course she wasn't going to use it on anyone; she just wanted to see if something would come from it.
She chanted out the words, calling out spirits of vengeance and justice, calling on the elements of fire and wind to make the spell swift and dangerous. She said them quietly, so that she wouldn't disturb Gourry, but the results were the same as if she had said the spell loudly.
From between her hands, there came a glowing mass of orange-white light. It pulsed, eager to be released. She swallowed, feeling the intensity from the spell, the heat coming from the raw contents enough to make her nervous. She had handled spells much worse than this, but still…it still made her uneasy.
Finally, the spell was complete. She was ready to let the spell fade. There was no use in keeping it around. She could cast it, and that was all she wanted to know. She was dead certain, however, that once they left the library, she would probably never use it.
However, once she started clearing her mind for the spell's shut down, something hit the back of her head, hard, and she lurched forward onto the ground. Unfortunately, on the way to her fall, her hands had been in the way, and the would-be released spell was let loose, without restraint.
The spell hit her right in the chest, and it knocked the wind right out of her. She gasped, collapsing on the ground, her hands clutched to her chest. She felt pain, like small little needles were making their way through her chest and into her body. She shut her eyes tightly, gritting her teeth, waiting for it to pass.
Gourry, however, had woken up, and was at her side before she could even blink. He had grabbed her, and was trying to shake her out of it. She wanted to shout at him to knock it off because that made it worse, but she was rendered speechless by the force of the hit.
Gourry scooped her up into his lap and held her, calling out her name and trying to get her to snap out of it. He was scared, worried, and above all, frustrated, because in situations like this, situations that involved magic, he had no idea what to do.
Gradually, the initial shock of the spell receded, and Lina was able to focus again. Slowly, mind you, but it was enough. Gently, she placed a hand on Gourry's arm, pushing his hand away from her face, and she opened her eyes. "Ouch," she mumbled, the most underestimated thing she would think of saying.
Gourry instantly was relieved. On impulse, he grabbed her up and hugged her tightly. She squealed a little, but hugged back, the sound made mostly from shock. When he pulled away, she blinked hard, her eyes a little dim.
"Are you alright?" Gourry asked, feeling worry creep up on him again.
Lina frowned. "I think so," she lied. She knew damn well she wasn't okay. She also knew that telling Gourry that would make him panic, and she really didn't want that. Not when it wasn't needed. In fact, she felt warm, like she was overheated from a sunny day, as well as tired. She decided that she wasn't going to say a word until they got to the next town. That way, they could find a healer and all would be taken care of.
"What happened?" Gourry wondered, slowly taking hold of her and helping her to her feet. Instinct told her to snap at him, but she was too grateful for the support.
"The spell…I cast it wrong," she lied again. "It didn't work. I think I just used up too much energy."
"Oh," Gourry nodded, none the wiser. "Well, we should be close by to a town. Once we get there, we can get something good to eat, and you'll be able to get your energy back."
She smiled faintly. "Yeah," she agreed. "That sounds good."
Gourry made sure she was steady on her feet. When he was sure she was, he asked, "Did you want to stay longer?"
Lina shook her head. "No, I'm done here," she admitted. She was honestly nervous of what else she would find. Or, more specifically, what had made her miscast the spell to begin with.
Gourry shrugged and helped her out the window, then shortly followed her.
The book was left behind. Lina had no desire to ever see it again.
x x x
When they had left the small little library, Gourry had figured Lina was just fine. After all, she said she was, and he tended to trust her judgment.
Lina had thought so, too. Yes, the manual had said it was pretty deadly magic. She wasn't an idiot. However, she had always assumed that if a caster accidentally cast the spell on themselves, it wouldn't be an issue. It would be like hitting yourself on the head; it hurt, but after a while it didn't hurt as much as it would it someone else had done it.
Which was why it was such a surprise when Lina started to feel light-headed. She didn't say a word to Gourry; what was the point? She would be fine. She could handle her own.
However, as they kept walking, it came crystal-clear to Lina that she wasn't going to make it.
She could tell by how hard it was to walk. She could tell because every step was a chore, every breath was a strain. The slow warmth she had felt since casting the spell was growing into a glaring and painful heat, and already she could tell she was soaked in her own sweat.
Lina started trailing behind him, unable to keep up to his able-bodied strides. She was determined not to say a word until they were both at an inn and she could wallow in her own self-anger in peace. As the trek progressed, however, she knew she wasn't going to make it. She was just to damn weak, and trying to keep herself awake was taxing her strength too much.
She staggered, stumbling off the trail and landing hard against the nearest tree. She grabbed it, held on tightly, and with all of the strength she could muster, kept herself in an upright position. The sweat that had beaded on her forehead was now unpleasantly making its way into her eyes, and it stung, badly.
Gourry noticed by now. He noticed that not only could he sense her lagging, but that she had stopped. He turned around, and saw that she was leaning against a tree. He doubled back, rushing towards her, feeling a peal of worry snake through his insides. When he reached her, he noticed that her face was red, and covered in sweat. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, her teeth gritted, and her hand clutching the tree hard.
"Lina?" He whispered, afraid to get close. It wasn't that she scared him, per se; more like he was afraid to make it worse by being near her.
"I need to get to a healer," she murmured through her teeth. She could feel her body trembling; indeed, it was taking a lot to keep awake. "The spell…when it backfired…my magic capacity…" she broke off her words, coughing harshly. The sound had a horrible moist sound to it, and she shook her head, as though disgusted by it.
Gourry hovered close, feeling the worry spread through his body all the way, now. "The spell backfired, Lina?" he asked her gently. When he got close enough, he could feel the heat coming off her, which worried him.
She nodded, lowering her head and burying her nose into the backs of her hands. "Can't… make it, Gourry," she whispered, already feeling her body defensively shutting down. "I need you…a healer…can you…?"
Gourry nodded. "Yes," he agreed, his voice catching in his throat.
"Thank goodness," Lina whimpered. Her hands slid from the tree, and slowly, like a stack of cards, she just tumbled over. Gourry grabbed her quickly, holding her awkwardly in his arms. He tapped her cheek, but she was out like a light.
Now, by this time, he could feel himself shaking. He had spent many years with Lina to know that if she couldn't even stay conscious, there was something very, very wrong with her. She was so strong that even the worst beatings from the strongest Mazoku couldn't get her to succumb.
Now, that finally something had managed to best her, he was a little scared. For her, for her life. He scooped her up in his arms, and she felt very hot and heavy. She lay as limp as a rag doll in his embrace. It was like a reality check for him, that one simple thing.
He started running, as fast as he could, down the dusty trail, towards what he hoped was civilization.
x x x
It was quick work, he was told later. He had managed to get Lina help just in time, the assistant healer said. Otherwise, any second later, she would be dead. It brought him a relief to hear these words, because surely, now, she would be okay, right?
"However," the assistant said calmly. "We have to bring her fever down. Right now, she's delirious. We managed to wake her up for a moment, but all we can get out of her is nonsense. If the fever doesn't break by nighttime, it'll kill her for sure."
Gourry felt his insides turn to ice. He didn't see anything in front of him anymore, not even when the assistant waved a hand in front of his face. Lina was dying. Right in the other room, and he couldn't DO anything…
"Let me see her," he pleaded suddenly, coming back to himself. He stood up, grabbing the assistant by the collar. "Let me see her!"
The assistant looked at Gourry like he was insane, and maybe he was. Quickly, he let go, and the assistant took several steps away, as if whatever insanity Gourry had would catch. Gourry stayed on his feet, however. He could feel himself shaking again, like he had when Lina had fallen the first time.
"No one can see her right now," the assistant said, suddenly gentle. "It's probably for the best, sir…she's not really normal…"
x x x
The two healers had to keep restraining her.
She could hardly feel their hands on her. She could feel resistance, but she couldn't actually feel what was keeping her down. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't. She growled, could feel it in her throat, the low rumbling of her anger, but they ignored her.
She was so hot. She could feel it, all over her. It was a burning pain inside of her, on her skin, everywhere. She wished she could escape her own body, find some way to leave this burning-up husk and escape to a normal body, and finally feel relief.
She could feel something dripping from her mouth, but she couldn't figure out what it was. It tasted too weird to be normal saliva. She choked on it a few times, while she was trying to escape from the stuffy room with the stuffy bed and the stuffy healers.
She tried to tell them to let her go, that she needed fresh air, but they wouldn't listen! That, and whenever she opened her mouth, she choked and the words came out in gurgled messes.
She heard them talking to her, from far away, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. She was trapped in her own mind, seeing darkness and shadows, feeling nothing but heat and pain. Her words were lost, and all she could taste was something thick and sickly.
Gradually, she discovered she couldn't fight against the restraining anymore. It hurt too much, and she was much too hot. She closed her eyes, still trying to speak, but soon she felt the hands working over her body. She felt as if they were…no, they couldn't be…she felt a wave of fear and nausea overcome her, and she started fighting again, thrashing as hard as she could. They were UNDRESSING her. She wouldn't let them! Sick or not, she wouldn't let them compromise her.
However, she was just too sapped for strength to fight for long, and she eventually tired herself out. Once again, she felt their hands on her clothes, and she felt them taking them off, but she couldn't fight them anymore. Indeed, it felt like a chore to breathe, let alone fight them off.
Her humiliation was short-lived, however. Soon, she felt something impossibly cool and moist on her body. She purred, the feeling lessening the burning on her skin. It was enough to calm her heart from its constant racing, enough to sooth her turmoil. She slipped, she fell, and she didn't want to wake up.
x x x
Gourry sat, and waited, his head cradled in his hands. He couldn't think about anything. He had to keep his mind empty, lest he started thinking about what was happening in the next room.
It seemed like he was waiting ages, but finally, one of the healers came out. He stood up so quickly he felt dizzy, but he ignored it. He opened his mouth, but the healer beat him to it.
"She's stable now," she said, dragging her hair out of her face. She quickly went on to explain the situation, and how it had happened. Apparently, from what he could gather, the spell had worked its way through her, reacting just like the spell was intended to on an unwilling victim. The heat made her delirious, and she fought against them, even though they were trying to undress her to cool her down. Once they managed that, she had fallen asleep.
Gourry was worried, and it must have bled on his face, because the healer smiled gently. "Sleeping is a good thing, sir," she said. "It means her body can try and fight off the spell. It can also mean that her fever is close to breaking."
"Wait, fight it off?" Gourry repeated, his mind suddenly clicking into place. "I thought you had healed her. The assistant said you had."
The healer frowned. "No," she answered. "We tried to use normal healing spells, but they wouldn't work. Unfortunately," now she looked embarrassed, "the one healer that knows Resurrection is on a sabbatical, and she won't be back for a few days. All we can do until then is keep her dry and keep her cool."
"You mean…" slowly Gourry understood. "You mean she still has that spell in her?"
He wasn't sure what that meant, exactly. Spells were over his head most of the time, and this time was not an exception. But he had seen, with Lina, what it could do to a person, and if it was still in her body, surely that meant that her time was running out, didn't it?
When the healer slowly nodded, he felt like the world was giving way under his feet. The healer grabbed him and kept him from falling, and slowly walked him over to the nearest chair, where he sat, feeling numb.
The healer was talking to him, but he knew what was going to happen. He didn't need to hear the words of false hope spouting from the healer's lips. He knew the truth.
Unless the healer came back from sabbatical early, Lina would die.
x x x
Gradually, the tremors ceased, and Lina was able to sleep peacefully.
Before, it had been so bad, the trembling of her body would wake her up, and she would either scream from the pain or throw up some sort of thick black goo. Then, the healer in the room with her would cast Recovery or Sleeping, and she would be okay again, until the next tremor hit her.
About an hour of this treatment soon left Lina in an uninterrupted sleep for almost an hour, which was a record. By that time, the healers decided that she would be well enough to wear something and accept a guest, sleeping or not. Carefully, they changed her into a sleeveless shift, worried they would wake her, but they didn't. Whether it was her body's defense mechanism making sure she stayed alive, or that it was because she was simply too tired and weak to care what they did to her anymore, it didn't matter. It worked in their favour.
They summoned Gourry into the room, and he walked in, scared. He didn't feel at all like himself. He felt rubbed raw, and he wasn't sure he wanted to see Lina in this state at all. But it felt like he owed it to her. And, alone, he didn't feel good, anyways.
The healers left him alone at the doorway, and slowly, he walked into the dark room. There was daylight seeping in through the windows, but heavy curtains kept most of the light hidden. Slowly, Gourry turned and looked at the bed, where he knew Lina would be.
And he felt his heart lurch with such pain that he couldn't hold back the small cry.
She was just…lying there. Sprawled out on her back, eyes shut, hardly moving. She was covered, head to toe, in sweat, and even her shift was damp with it already. But she didn't seem to notice it. All she did was lie in the dark, sprawled out like that, breathing hard and fast.
Gourry edged closer to the edge of the bed, trembling. Of all of the people he had seen fall in his lifetime, never once did he think he would see Lina in that same state. Especially since it sounded like she was just trying hard to keep breathing.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling a stinging in his eyes, the start of rare tears. Lately, he discovered that his tears usually came into appearance when Lina was involved. Now, obviously, was no exception.
The sound of Lina's soft moan started him out of his reverie, and he looked down at her to see that she was slowly stirring, her teeth gritted against the pain. Her hands clenched, and she choked out a sob.
Gourry reached forward and put his hands on her face, feeling her skin clammy with sweat. He wasn't sure what else to do, and although he knew this gesture would more likely than not be useless, he felt the need to do it, anyways.
The moment his ice-cold hands touched her skin, she jolted. Her eyes opened briefly, and he saw the colour was faded and dim, and there was no focus to them. This was that the healers must have meant when they said she was delirious. She closed her eyes again, relaxing against the bed, and her stirring ceased.
Gourry kept his hands there, feeling his eyes stinging again. This time, he felt the hot tears well up in his eyes, and he let them come. He leaned over, suddenly overcome with grief and fear, and he pressed his face against the mattress, his shoulders shaking. He let go. There was no one to judge him. He let it all out, his pain, his fear…he let it all out on the sheets of Lina's bed, all while keeping his hands on her face.
x x x
During the next day, Lina didn't wake up.
Gourry knew. He sat on the bedside, right beside her, keeping watch on her. Throughout the night, she hadn't moved. He knew this, because when he had woken up from his cry in the morning, he discovered that she was still in the same position. When he saw her like that, he panicked, grabbing onto her tightly. It was only when he leaned in close to her that he could hear her ragged breaths, and he managed to relax again.
During the day, he and the healers took shifts watching her, periodically giving her water and cold soup. Most of the time, these liquids would merely dribble down her chin, or she would choke on them and throw up again, but occasionally, she managed to keep some of it down, and that alone gave Gourry hope.
On his breaks, he would rest, trying to keep himself alert incase something happened. He rarely ate, and only sometimes remembered to drink or use the bathroom.
But throughout the whole day, she wouldn't wake up, and she wasn't making progress. In fact, one grey-faced healer admitted sadly, she had actually gotten worse.
When the second night came, he went back into the room and stayed. This time, when he looked in, he saw that the healers had laid Lina on her side. He wondered why, but then he understood that because she had been throwing up, in case they couldn't catch her in time, they didn't want her to choke to death.
Gourry often had a reputation for being slow. He knew this. He also knew that in most cases, it was true that he wasn't the brightest. He knew basic life skills, he knew how to do basic things, but things that required deep thought often eluded him. It was times like that that he was grateful that Lina was there, so that she could break it down for him in ways he could understand, despite how angry she got doing so.
However, just because he was slow, it did not mean that he had no clue what was happening to Lina. He knew how serious it was, and he knew that if something wasn't done soon, he was going to lose her. He felt stupid. He wished he had the brain for spells so that he could do it himself, or even better, he wished he had put up a fight when Lina insisted on going to the library.
Gourry moved to the other end of the bed, kicked off his boots, and lay down right behind her, propping his head up on one arm. He stroked her hair with his other hand, feeling how wet her hair was and how hot she felt just lying there. He felt sick with worry, sick with fear, and worst of all, sick with sadness.
But he wouldn't give up on her yet. He would keep watch. He spooned up close to her, holding her tightly in his arms. She felt light and damp, but she still felt the same, so he was content with that. He pressed his face into her hair and shut his eyes, listening to her breathing.
x x x
The second night was quieter than the last. Lina had slept through the night successfully. Although this seemed like good news to Gourry, the healers looked apprehensive about it. Working from what they had to deal with, as well as what Gourry had explained to them (secondhand information from Lina), they knew that the worst was far from over.
"So you know what this is?" he asked on one of his breaks. In the other room, Lina was being bathed again, and he didn't want to intrude on that.
The healer frowned in thought. "It sounds familiar," she admitted. "I've lived here all my life, and from what you've told me, it sounds like that library was used by people who now live here. The spell, and what it's doing to her, sounds like an ancient punishment spell that was banned decades ago."
Gourry looked down at his hands, unsure of what to say. When that happened, he said nothing. There was no point in saying anything if you had no idea what to say. He had learned that young.
After Lina's bath, Gourry was allowed to try and feed her again. Gourry didn't trust anyone else with this task, because whenever the healers did it, she tended to throw up. He didn't like that, so he insisted that he was in charge.
He came in, soup in hand. He looked in, and froze. Lina was lying there, as usual, but she wasn't moving, not even to breathe. He listened, his heart beating hard in his ears, and he couldn't hear it. He couldn't hear her breathing.
He dropped the soup, rushing over. He grabbed her and shook her, panic flooding into him. He shouted her name, over and over again, and that caught the attention of the healers, who quickly came into the room. Gourry ignored them, his eyes on Lina, who wasn't moving. He looked closer, and saw that her lips looked blue.
He cried out, and one of the healers, the larger one, grabbed him and yanked him back. The other healer and the assistant came forward and hovered over Lina, too close. Gourry tugged against his captor, the tears flooding into his eyes. The healer held him tight, probably used to restraining people.
The healer rested her head on Lina's chest, listening for a heartbeat. When she sat up and shook her head, the assistant came forward and tilted Lina's head back. Carefully, he administered resuscitation, and the healer, afterwards, pushed down on Lina's chest, trying to get her heart beating again.
Gourry felt a paralyzing fear fill him the second time they tried. He felt his legs give out, and the healer holding him had to struggle to keep him upright. He couldn't see; his eyes were blurred with tears.
The third time, however, Lina's body jerked, and she coughed, hard. Quickly, they lay her on her side, and she coughed for quite some time, gradually bringing up more blood and bile. She groaned, the sound filled with the agony of her wounds, and quickly, the healer treating her cast Sleeping. The spell quickly brought her back into sleep, but her breathing was rougher, harsher.
Gourry collapsed, the relief too much. He lowered his head and just shook from head to toe.
The rest of the day, Gourry felt like he had been rubbed with sandpaper. He was raw, inside and out. He stayed at Lina's side, clutching her hand between his own, staring down at her. He didn't say a word, but he rocked slowly, trying to will his own health back into her. He kept hoping the head healer would walk in any minute now, fresh from vacation and ready to save Lina.
However, as the day slowly dipped into night, the head healer did not come, and Gourry felt his hope go down with the sun.
He took a break, a short one. It was on that break that one of the healers gave him the worst news he could ever hear.
"You may want to let her go, sir," she said sadly. "She's suffering, to the point of agony. The next time she stops breathing, you might want to let her go…it's not worth it to keep her going."
Bewildered, Gourry shook his head. "But you said…the other healer…"
The healer shook her head. Lowering her head, she murmured, "Even if she comes back tomorrow, the young lady will die during the night."
He shook his head this time. "No," he answered. He kept shaking his head, repeating the word over and over again, until he just walked away from her, back into the small room where Lina was.
He sat down next to her, his eyes on her face. She was still sleeping, but it wasn't a peaceful one. Occasionally, she would jolt, the movement accompanied by a slight cry of pain, and drops of dark blood would drip from her mouth.
Gourry knew then that the healer was right.
He held Lina's hand to his cheek, keeping his eyes on her for so long that sometimes they would blur out of focus. He wasn't going to sleep tonight. He would make sure that she would make it through the night.
x x x
The night crawled by slowly. Gourry felt his own exhaustion tugging at him, but he wouldn't leave, nor would he sleep. He kept holding her hand, pleading to whoever was listening to spare her, and he would do anything.
After what seemed like hours of lost time praying, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and stared, unable to believe that the person right next to him was there.
Gaping, he managed to recover. "Syl…Sylphiel!" he stammered, his heart racing.
She smiled at him gently, her eyes sad. "Yes, Gourry-sama," she agreed. "It's me. I'm the head healer, here."
Gourry didn't waste time. "You know the spell!" he said, hope filling his eyes with tears. "You know the spell! You can heal her!"
Sylphiel nodded slowly. "I can try, Gourry-sama," she agreed. He nodded quickly, and she walked to the other side of Lina's bed. Sitting down, she held her hands over Lina and cast Resurrection.
The shimmering green light filled the room, and Gourry could finally see Lina clearly. She looked so small, so diminished, that it didn't seem like Lina anymore. However, he knew she would be back soon. He kept her hand between his, eyes on her, waiting for her eyes to open.
It took about a half-hour. Sylphiel kept the spell at maximum, focusing all of her strength and power on Lina, mentally picturing the light cleaning out the remnants of the illness that had taken control. When she felt a shift, a change, she pulled back, and the spell faded.
Usually, the spell would weaken Sylphiel, but over the years, she had grown adapted to it. It was merely sweat off the brow now.
Gourry leaned closer to Lina, listening to her breathing. It had slowed down, and it didn't sound as harsh as it had. He felt his heart skip a few beats, then start up a million miles an hour. Lina wasn't sweating anymore…she wasn't even red anymore. She was just sleeping soundly.
Gourry wanted to fall over. He wanted to get drunk. He wanted to do something to celebrate. Instead, he leaned over on the bed, rested his head on Lina's shoulder, and bawled like a baby. Unrestrained, uncensored, real tears erupted from him, pouring out from his heart. They were tears of joy; finally, things would be okay.
Sylphiel got up and walked over to his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder again, rubbing gently. He reached up and put his hand on hers, unable to halt his tears, but she understood the gratitude in the gesture, and she was content.
x x x
It took another day of Sylphiel's supervision and spellcasting for Lina to recover enough to wake up. It was midday, and Gourry had come in to give her some soup, this time knowing there wouldn't be any trouble, when he saw two red eyes looking up at him from the bed.
Again, the soup dropped to the floor, and again he rushed over. Lina's eyes clouded with confusion, then concern. Gourry seemed like he was at the end of his rope, and she knew she had something to do with it.
Lina could hardly move from where she was. She was still on her side, but she was okay with that; it was comfortable. Her mouth tasted sour, and she wasn't sure why, but she knew she wasn't sick anymore.
Indeed, the spell had weakened her forever. It had burned out some of her endurance, and the incidents yet to come would be harder on her than they had ever been. Yet Lina knew that things would work out; they always did. Surviving this was proof of that.
Gourry was looking at her, and she looked back, her heart feeling too big for her chest. She was so grateful for him. Not only had he gotten her the help she needed, but he stayed, and was there with her. She was pretty sure that he had done all that he could to help her, even though she wasn't sure what. It didn't matter. Knowing was enough.
Gourry did the sweetest thing. He walked right over, sat down next to her, and then laid down right in front of her. She smiled at him, and saw his eyes water from it, and she felt guilty. Her own stupidity had gotten them into this mess, and it had caused him pain. She regretted that, but there was obviously no going back now.
"Lina," he whispered, taking her hands into his. "You're awake!"
She nodded slowly, the gesture making her feel light-headed. "Hi," she murmured, her voice sounding scratchy.
"Hello," he answered softly, unable to say anymore.
They looked at each other, silence filling both of them. Neither of them had to say a word; it was perfectly clear that Gourry was glad she was back and that Lina was sorry for getting into this mess. It was also clear that Gourry didn't blame her and that Lina was grateful.
Without another word, Gourry curled up beside her, holding her close to him. She relaxed into his embrace, closing her eyes.
x x x
Sylphiel paid them a visit sometime later. Lina was surprised to see her. After all, the last she heard, Sylphiel was still in Seyruun.
"Ah, yes, about that," she nodded, giving Lina the glass of water she held. Lina took it eagerly, her eyes still on Sylphiel as she drank. "I heard that the healers of this region weren't very learned…I thought that maybe I could teach them, help them, make a difference around places like this, so that eventually they can graduate to our level of white magic."
Lina nodded, although Gourry looked confused. "That's pretty amazing of you, Sylphiel," she said honestly. Sylphiel looked a little embarrassed, but decided to change the subject.
"Tell me, Lina-san, how did you get into such a state?"
Lina frowned, looking down at her empty water glass. "The thing is, I don't even KNOW. I cast the spell, yes, but when I was ready to let it vanish, something hit me on the back of the head, and the spell backfired."
Gourry blinked. He hadn't known that. "Something hit you?" he echoed.
When she nodded, he went on, "And because of that, the…what was it, Fire Furry?"
"Fire Fury," Lina corrected patiently.
"Yeah, that," he nodded. "It hit you?"
Lina nodded this time. Gourry frowned, looking confused. He didn't say anything further. Sylphiel looked just as puzzled. "It sounds to me like something strange is going on," she admitted.
"I'm not going back there," Lina answered, her eyes growing a little dark at the thought. "Even if there are more spells there, I wouldn't risk it."
Gourry suddenly gasped out. "Maybe it was a ghost!" he exclaimed.
Lina slapped her palm on her forehead, grumbling. "I don't think that was it, Gourry…" she muttered.
Sylphiel looked pensive. "Still, it's something to look in to. Someone obviously wishes you ill-intent. You may want to get the upper hand on the situation before they do."
Lina looked up. Sylphiel definitely had a point, there. "You're right," she said softly. "I would hate to think someone is already a step ahead of us."
Gourry blinked slowly. "So then, what do you want to do?" he asked.
Lina sighed. "I guess we have to go back," she said.
Sylphiel shook her head. "I don't think you should," she said tersely. "I just think you should keep vigilant. Keep your eyes open in case something like this happens again. That way, you won't be caught unawares like you were this time."
Gourry and Lina exchanged glances. Lina looked seriously at him, silently wondering if this was a good plan, and Gourry looked confused, looking to Lina for answers. Sighing, Lina turned back to Sylphiel. "Let's not worry about it now," she said, lying back on the bed. "I just want to sleep. When I get better, I'll start thinking again."
Sylphiel nodded. "I think that would be best," she agreed.
x x x
It took several days for Lina to get back on her feet. It was sooner than scheduled, and it only happened because Lina was being a difficult patient, but in the end, Sylphiel decreed her well enough to start traveling again.
"But be CAREFUL," she warned. "And be safe."
"Did you want to come with us?" Lina asked hesitantly, unsure of the question herself. Did she really want Sylphiel around?
However, Sylphiel saved her the trouble. "No, Lina-san, but thank you," she replied, smiling warmly. "My duty is here."
Inside, Lina was a little relieved. She knew that the priestess still had tender feelings for Gourry, and a selfish part of her was glad that Sylphiel refused.
Before leaving, Gourry thanked Sylphiel with a hug. There were no words to describe how grateful he was to her at that moment, for all that she did for both Lina, and for himself. He would never forget the debt he owed her. It was just that it was one he hoped he could repay.
On the way out, Gourry asked Lina a very important question, one that she was expecting.
"So…where are we going to go?" he wondered. She could tell; he was still worried about her and how travel may affect her. The last thing she needed was special treatment, but she knew, in her heart, he was sincere about it and only did it because he cared.
"We still have so much to explore," she said, smiling up at him. "I won't quit now."
Gourry smiled back at her, then just came forward and hugged her tightly. She went bright red, but gradually relaxed and hugged back.
"Thanks for coming back, Lina," he said softly into her ear. She closed her eyes and nuzzled closer.
"Thanks for being there when I did," she shot back, truly meaning every word.
--END