AN: For people who haven't read the novels, the question of how powerful Lina is really isn't answered until she slays Shabranigdu. She doesn't cast a Dragon Slave shortly after meeting Gourry and you can see Gourry spinning his wheels trying to figure her out. And I really fleshed that out for this chapter.
Gourry wasn't sure what to make of the girl. When he had spied her in the woods she had appeared so confident and competent that he hadn't thought she even needed help to begin with. Yet the moment he had come onto the scene she'd devolved into a shrieking damsel. He wasn't sure if she was playing him for a fool or if she had covered up her weakness under a layer of convincing bravado, but either way he was bitterly disappointed. And for once he did little to mask his feelings as he scared the bandits off and turned to meet her, muttering under his breath, "Oh, it's just a flatchested kid. With all the fuss…"
He stopped as he saw the look on her face. This obviously wasn't going how either of them had planned. Grandmother had said that emotions were contagious and given the disappointment that crested on her face it was undeniable that his feeling were spreading. And then he felt bad for feeling it, and even worse as he struggled unsuccessfully to let go of the feeling. Afterall, she was young, too young to be on her own. Perhaps the confidence and the sorcery garb were decoys to make her appear stronger than she was so people would leave her alone but she ended up getting in over her head anyway. And while the disappointment that crossed her face was unmistakable, it was brief as she managed to compose herself quickly as she smiled, "Thanks a lot for helping me!"
"I only did what any man would do." Gourry said as he realized he had a new problem on his hands. One he had never expected to have. "Are you hurt Little Miss?"
She made a face as she shook her head, and Gourry continued, "It's not safe for you to be out on your own. Is your father or an escort out with you?"
"No, I'm traveling alone." She said sharply as his fears were confirmed. She was young, traveling alone and possibly unable to handle the challenges of such a life. And if that was the case he simply couldn't let her wander off into danger again.
"Don't worry then. Your new big brother will see you to your destination safely." Gourry said, deciding to turn lemons into lemonade. While being with her may not lead to something so incredible as to kill a Mazoku, he was still helping someone at least. "Where do you live?"
"Um, I'm just traveling to Atlas City…"
Gourry started to get a bad feeling. Why would a kid so young be wandering alone, especially if she couldn't defend herself? She must be running from something. And whatever was happening at home had to have been bad if she would risk the road to escape it. "That's very brave of you. I will help you get there safely."
"Oh, wait a minute, I'm not…"
"You don't need to explain." He said quickly. He had enough nightmare fuel that he didn't want to know what would force a girl like her out into the dangerous world. She was even younger than him when he ran away from home!
She started to protest, but after how poorly she'd handled the bandits he wasn't about to let her travel on her own. Sure, he was imposing, but he could trust himself not to take advantage of her. Unbidden he thought of what would happen if Gunther had found her and it only made him more persistent as she protested. But eventually she accepted that he was not going to be persuaded to let this go, and they ended up on the road together, "I forgot to say, I'm Gourry, a traveling mercenary. What's your name?"
"Lina, just your typical traveler." She replied, not even bothering to keep the irritation from her voice.
Lina? A memory stirred, but surely it had to be coincidence. Gourry looked at her garments once more and noted that she was indeed dressed like a Black Magic sorceress. Could she be Lina Inverse? Or was she just taking the moniker to confuse her enemies and deceive them into believing that she was stronger than she really was?
Gourry puzzled over it as he walked beside the strange girl. Either she was very powerful and had decided to play him for a fool and he was wasting his time or she was incredibly weak and putting on a brave front. But until she was safe he was going to stay close. "Even if babysitting some kid on her way to Atlas City isn't some important job." He muttered.
Gourry didn't know what to make of the girl. He'd spent the morning aggravated with her whining but then at lunch she showed that, even if she may not be powerful, she at least knew enough magic to catch some fish. While Gourry was no sorcerer he had trained with one and knew enough about when to be impressed. And then she had been quick on her feet with the goblins. And while he still could not get a read on whether or not she was a competent fighter it was becoming harder to deny that she was a skilled sorceress and that she did have some street smarts.
He was bothered by how he couldn't figure out what was what with her. When you are traveling with someone it is important to know their skills. If she was helpless his approach would have to change a lot than if she was competent. While at their first dinner they hadn't said much to each other, at their second one he noted, "That was a neat trick."
She looked confused, "What trick? Oh! You mean this afternoon?"
He felt himself faceplant in exasperation and confusion once more. She acted as though it was no big deal, but once again given how she had acted with the bandits…
"It was a super simple spell. Any sorcerer could pull it off."
"Oh, does that mean you're a sorcerer?" Gourry asked, trying to needle her a bit into showing her cards.
She faceplanted on the table, "Hang on! Didn't the outfit give you a clue?"
Gourry did his best to appear clueless as he secretly enjoyed seeing her so wound up. "Now that you mention it I guess that is sorcerer garb. And here I thought you were some fishmonger or waitress."
Her response to this was to faceplant in her soup, and Gourry could not suppress the smile. Oh, he still wasn't keen on this job, but he did have to admit that it was a lot more fun eating with her than it was to eat alone. And if he was honest, she was so funny it was even more fun than the dinner he'd had with Sylphiel and her family. "I'm just kidding. You do have good sense of comedic timing."
"It wasn't intentional." She said dryly.
"So how powerful are you?" Gourry said, trying once more to get a feel for her aptitude, "Can you use a Fireball? Judging by your outfit you look like a Black Magic user."
"You think a sorcerer would reveal her secrets so easily?" she asked.
Gourry understood. A seasoned warrior knew not to show their cards so easily. But she had hardly acted like any sort of warrior with the bandits. And someone who was merely street smart would also know to be guarded, especially if they were a poor fighter. "Well you seem like the type who likes to talk about herself…"
The look she gave him amused him so much that he reflected yet again that even if this wasn't the dream mission he was having more fun than he had in years. Even Sylphiel, nice as she was, wasn't this much fun. He'd felt guarded with her in a way he hadn't with Lina. Sylphiel had everything. Lina had nothing.
He tensed as the hair suddenly stood up on his arm and after a moment of reflection he deduced that the feeling was coming from outside of him. From outside the inn even. "No matter, it looks like I will see you in action soon."
As if on cue a man wrapped in bandages and a group of trolls walked in. The man pointed at Lina, "That's her!"
Lina's eyes went big as her voice took a high pitched cutesy turn, "Well I think you have the wrong girl. You couldn't be looking for sweet lil' innocent Sofia…"
"Shut up! I don't care what your name is, you raided the bandit camp the other day…"
"Hey now," Gourry said as things started to fall into place. He could easily believe that she had raided a camp. It would explain why the bandits were after her. And how she had plenty of money to pay for her lodgings and meals. And wasn't Lina Inverse known as the bandit killer? If she wasn't lying about the name Lina like she was Sofia.
But then if she was the bandit killer, was he wasting his time babysitting someone who could take care of herself?
By now Gourry knew well the benefits of patience. He watched as she fought the trolls and as he watched he realized first, that she actually was a good warrior. And second, she was rather deceitful. But given the situation it could be a good or a bad thing and he didn't know enough about that to say which it was.
Just who was he traveling with? He watched as she sweettalked the innkeeper out of getting into trouble for the mess that destroying the trolls had created. He had to be careful. He knew a thing or two about smooth talking people. And while there were times that he wished he had those skills, he also knew how easy it was to fall to their charms and be led on the wrong side.
But he still couldn't write her off as evil. Some people use devious methods for the greater good. And he didn't know enough about Lina to say which she was. But he knew it was a conversation that they needed to have. So as she walked back to her room he followed her.
"You have balls, I'll give you that." He commented as she sat on her bed.
"I don't know what you mean…" she said innocently and then she looked at him sharply, "Hey wait a minute, what are you doing in my room?"
"You said you'd explain later." Gourry stated. And now was a very good time so he could figure out how much more time to spend on this endeavor.
"I guess I did. Take a seat." She said, and he grabbed the chair by her desk and sat down. And then she looked him right in the eye and asked, "First, do you ever think you could you ever care for a girl like me?"
Gourry felt a tightness in his chest as his eyes bugged out and the air vanished from his lungs. She instantly devolved into a fit of laughter, "Oh you should see the look on your face! I'm just kidding."
"You nearly gave me a heat attack." He said as he ran a hand through his hair even as the question lingered on his mind.
"Really, though, how did you know those guys were after me?"
It was not the first time someone asked a question about how he sensed these things. And now he was close to spilling his own cards and he could relate more easily to the deceptions she used given how he liked to play the idiot to avoid trouble. And as she didn't have the benefits of his strength and height it would make sense that she would have to rely more on trickery than him. So he explained how he sensed an air of malice heading towards the inn and figured that people who meant to cause trouble were on their way and how he figured that one way or another she would get involved. She took it without question and in turn told him a story about how some bandits were attacking some helpless villagers so she decided to do something about it and decided to take some of the treasure as a reward.
So perhaps she truly was Lina Inverse? He smiled a little. If that was the case then she could definitely take care of herself. And she had helped to take down a rogue sorcerer, so while her reputation wasn't stellar it also wasn't horrible. And while he didn't believe the line about doing it to help the villagers for a second, he also wasn't going to get too moralistic about taking out a bandit camp. He'd had to step in to rescue too many hapless travelers and understood the harm they caused. Still, he wanted Lina to know that she couldn't pull the wool over his eyes, "So aside from the whole 'doing it to save the villagers part' that all seems plausible."
A strange look crossed her face as he wondered if she was disappointed and actually did care what he thought of her. But then she moved on and explained that she hadn't shown her face to her attackers so they must be tracking her through some treasure that had been marked. And as he asked some questions about it he debated whether or not to stay with her on her journey to Atlas City.
Lina Inverse certainly did not need a bodyguard. But it was also undeniable that something larger was going on now. Who takes a bunch of trolls to attack an inn in the early evening for some random treasure? The situation was strange. And while it was just as likely something valuable and expensive and hardly anything world changing, Gourry found that he wasn't ready to bow out yet. He wasn't sure why but some instinct deep within him was telling him to see the mission through. And by now he knew to trust that gut feeling even if it made no objective sense.
Someone knocked at the door, and Gourry became alert as he went to one side while Lina sprung to the other. He appreciated her more in those moments than when she was doing the shrieking helpless maiden thing.
"Who's there?" she asked.
"I came to make a purchase of an item in your possession." Said a man from the other side.
Now this was suspicious. So it seemed that they realized that intimidating Lina wouldn't work so they would try money. Or imply they would offer money as a way to get Lina to lower her guard so she would let them in. Surely they didn't think Lina would fall for a trick like that.
Indeed, Lina was quick with the retort, "And your goodwill is going to expire the moment you step in?"
"I realize it's fruitless to tell you not to worry," The man said, "But you have that impressive bodyguard with you."
Lina looked at him, and he fully expected her to tell the man to get lost. Instead, "I'll let you know if you try anything fishy I'll hit you with the biggest attack spell I've got!"
"You're letting him in?" Gourry asked.
"Don't worry, I have an impressive bodyguard." She replied with a wink.
Well, if he was honest, he did have to admit that he had walked into that one. He looked at her for a moment as he tried to understand her reasoning. He thought about how if people were after her it would be better to confront them now than in the dead of night when they were asleep. And with that thought he opened the door and tried to get a read on the strange man in a mask who was there with the bandaged mummy man.
As promised, neither made a move to attack as the masked man haggled over the terms with Lina. Gourry was so focused on their demeanor and guarded for any signs of treachery that when Lina listed her asking price for the first item he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a ton of bricks.
But then he had to choke on his laughter as he saw how the masked man and bandaged one reacted to her absurdly inflated quotes. While he wasn't sure why she'd done it he had to admit that it was fun watching her. And the fun continued as the mummy man insulted her, and Gourry had to grin as she quickly put him in place and maintained the upper hand. She had talents there he did not and he couldn't help but admire her way with words. He thought of Gunther and how Lina would make quick word of reducing him to dust and felt strangely satisfied.
The masked man left with Zolf, and while Gourry was relieved that they were gone he was also a bit unsettled. Why would they be so desperate for treasure and why would Lina set such a high price on it? Could it be that this babysitting mission was more important than he could have ever guessed, or was he deluding himself?
He tried asking her about her reasons to see if she had any clue, but if she did she did not reveal it as she handed the question back to him and he had to smile to himself. Somehow, despite proving her competence, she had managed to rope him into sticking around just to see how this would play out.
His thoughts were heavy as he walked the short distance to his room. There certainly was plenty to think about. What was that Zel dude planning? And what sort of a person was Lina and what role did she truly play in all of this? Had she truly stumbled into something larger than she had ever expected by raiding a bandit camp or was that another deception, just like being a helpless shrieking maiden? And one question she had asked that kept popping into his mind unbidden was whether he ever could fall for a girl like her.
Because the answer to that was starting to scare him.
But still. It was better than reliving the nightmare that was his family history all night.
Gourry wasn't sure what to make of the girl. The girl who had fired off one measly attack spell and then slouched off to lie down and have a little rest while he busted his butt taking care of the rest. Sure, Gourry knew plenty of men who liked having a helpless woman to depend on them. Gunther was like that. And it had always disgusted Gourry on so many levels. Someone like Lina should have more respect for herself! And him.
But Lina, for whatever reason, seemed to think that the helpless routine was cute. Or she was just lazy and using him. Irritation flooded him as he looked at her, lying on the grass without a care in the world after he finished with the last of the beserkers. He collapsed beside her, aware of the bruises that were formed along his body, "Hey Lina, you can't leave me to do all the fighting while you just relax and enjoy yourself."
"I helped a little." She said.
"At the beginning!" he pointed out, "But then you left me to do all the work."
Despite how exhausted he was the urgency to get to the shelter of the next town compelled him to get up to his feet. "You should rest for longer." She commented.
Why do I even bother? He thought as the aggravation flared. Still, "We need to get to the next town before nightfall or they'll attack us again. Let's go!"
She didn't say or do anything as she continued to look at the sky. He should just leave her there. She'd shown she was competent when she chose to be. But he also knew that, for better or worse, he wouldn't forgive himself if he learned that anything bad had happened to her. "Lina." He said in a scolding tone, like he was talking to a kid. Well if she wanted to act like a kid he would treat her like one!
"Come on, just a little longer." She said.
"Enough already!" he said as he grabbed her hand to pull her up to her feet.
She cried out in pain, startling him so that he let her go as a panic gripped him as she crumbled to the ground and cradled herself and started chanting a spell. With a dawning sense of horror he realized that she must have been hurt but felt the need to hide it for some reason.
"Lina, are you hurt?"
"I just ate too much." She said.
He turned to look at her, and while she met his gaze unflinchingly he could tell she was lying. He reached forward to where she was cradling herself and she cried out again as he felt something warm and wet, and when he pulled his hand away it was covered in blood. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"I'm fine." She said, though as she gritted her teeth and recast her healing spell it was obvious that she was anything but fine.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"This is the kind of fuss I was trying to avoid when I decided to sit here lounging around!" she snapped. With a sense of horror he realized he'd misjudged her. Worse he had failed to get her to Atlas City safely as he had promised. He'd let his lingering resentment get in the way of the mission.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, desperate for some way to make it up to her.
"It's okay," she said softly, "It'll be better soon, you might as well rest as well."
"Right," he said as he sat across from her and watched her as the guilt washed over him. Just because she took care of herself was no reason for him to slack off. Hell, he was good at what he did but he knew never to minimize the value of having someone to watch your back. It was the reason he'd been mad at her for supposedly slacking off. How could he have been so negligent?
"So you were injured at the beginning of the fight." He said.
She nodded.
"And you were healing yourself. I'm sorry I misjudged you."
"I told you, it's fine."
They were silent for a moment as he berated himself, but fortunately she started talking about the items the masked man had asked about and drew him into brainstorming with her about which one he wanted. After awhile she stood up, her features pale and her legs wobbly. "Hey now." He cautioned. Desperate as he was to get to shelter he also did not want to push her too fast after everything.
"It's fine," she said dismissively. He wasn't having it. She hadn't been fine when she had that wound. "I swear! We'd better get going."
No, he was not having this, and it was no use arguing with her. So he got up and picked her up. It would be the quickest way to make it up to her. "Hey, what are you doing?" she asked as she blushed.
"I'll carry you for awhile. I don't think you're in any condition to walk around on your own." He said casually as he started walking.
"I told you I'm fine! And you're still pretty wiped yourself!" Despite carrying her weight he felt a bit lighter. So she did care about his wellbeing. He suddenly found himself hoping it was for reasons more than him being a bodyguard. And then he started to get a funny feeling in his belly.
No, this was no good. He had to put a stop to this! "My grandmother always told me to be kind to children." He said with a wink.
Irritation crossed her features, but she didn't say anything as he continued walking as he tried to deny that he was enjoying this a little bit. Because the question of whether he could fall for a girl like her still felt like a dangerous one. Especially when he was so desperate to be cared for that someone showing the slightest interest in his wellbeing could make him feel this way.
Gourry's head was spinning as Rezo the Red Priest walked to Lina's room. How had it happened that this babysitting mission turned into something so pertinent that a powerful demon could be reborn? It hardly seemed believable! And it also felt like hubris. Surely he was being strung along!
Rezo threw something inside Lina's room and turned towards them to say his farewells. Gourry glanced at Lina and saw that she was keeping her face carefully neutral. If anything she seemed to be taking this very seriously. But it seemed too incredible to be true!
Rezo returned to his room. The sense of surrealism clung to Gourry as he walked over to Lina's room to try to figure out what he'd done but to his surprise it looked rather ordinary. Lina seemed unsettled, though. "He sure makes an impact."
"What'd he hit?" Gourry asked.
"Forget it," Lina said as she walked over to his room, "Let's call it a night. We need to get our beauty sleep afterall."
And then if he'd not had enough surprises for one night, she walked into his room and settled into a corner, "Hey Little Miss, this is my room!"
"I know that."
Gourry was stunned speechless. Lina continued speaking, "If I go back to my room I could end up being jumped again."
"But if you stay here…"
"At least we'll be together."
He couldn't argue with that. And part of him felt good that she trusted him enough to share a room. But he couldn't let her sleep on the floor, "Take the bed at least. I'll sleep on the floor."
"I can't do that. I'm imposing." She stated.
"Fine," he said as he plopped down on the other side of the room, feeling a little lighter despite the prospect of spending the night on the floor.
"Gourry, why aren't you taking the bed?" she asked.
"Stupid. What sort of man sleeps in a bed when there's a young lady sleeping on the floor?"
"Suit yourself." She said with a smile, "Night Gourry."
"Night, Little Miss." He said as he closed his eyes. Perhaps she was someone who could pull her weight and that he could have a true partnership with. Someone he could rely on as she relied on him. Perhaps they could even continue traveling together once they reached Atlas City if this went well and…
I need to stop this fantasy, he told himself. His hopes had been dashed so often he knew better than to go down those roads. There was only the mission ahead and nothing else. Still, when morning came he was surprised when he realized that he could not remember any nightmares.
Lina stood up as he stretched. "Morning. I'm just going to freshen up." She said as she walked to the door.
"Take care." He said as he got up to attend to his own morning rituals. By the time he was brushing his hair the girl knocked at the door. "Come in."
She entered and then closed the door behind her and locked it. Then she pulled out the statue and handed it to him, "I've been thinking. When they attack they're probably going to come after me. And if this is some sort of key to reviving Shabranigdu then it would be better if you had it."
Gourry felt himself go slack jawed. "That's taking a big risk, Little Miss."
"I'm sorry for that." She said with a smile, "This is a lot more than you expected to take on when you agreed to take me to Atlas City."
He opened his mouth to protest that that was not what he'd meant at all, but she spoke so fast he didn't have time to cut in to explain that he was worried about the risk that she herself was taking on, "You won't be unprotected! I cast a protection spell on the statue so they can't track you with it. That should give you some advantage. You seem like the type of fellow who knows how to get lost if you need to."
"Little Miss…"
"Hopefully I'm worrying for nothing, but if something happens to me and we get separated then we'll meet up again in Atlas City. Whatever happens you must make sure they don't get this statue!" She'd not put her mantle on yet and her shoulders were so slender, much too small to take on the weight of what she was proposing.
"They wouldn't think twice about killing you." Gourry stated as she thrusted the statue into his hands.
"I can take care of myself." She replied, "And if that Zelugadis person succeeds in reviving Shabranigdu then then all of us might not survive. Gourry you have to take it."
He didn't like this. He didn't like this one bit. But he also couldn't fault her logic. A sense of dread overwhelmed him as he took the statue, thinking the whole time about how poorly he had judged her. But he finally felt as though he was seeing the true girl behind all the bravado. Her methods may be devious but she did have the greater good at heart. She was a young girl trying to survive in a hard world after all.
"Let's not get separated." He said as he realized that he could come to care for a girl like her. And he felt touched that she trusted him so much. She wouldn't give the statue to that masked man or Rezo. But she was trusting him with it!
She smiled, "Exactly. And, also, you should know…" she blushed suddenly and then she shook her head, "Forget it. Hopefully I'm overthinking this. Come on big guy, let's get breakfast."
"Right," he said as he packed his things away, his head swimming as he wondered if it was possible that she was feeling what he was.
That was until he learned that while she trusted him enough to share a room for a night and to give him the statue, admitting that her time of the month had hit was a whole new level she really had to build herself up to.
Gourry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as Zelgadis's henchmen withdrew. Their retreat likely meant one thing, but he did not want to believe it. He doubled back to where the fight had broken out. Lina's footsteps were easy enough to find. Her feet were the smallest. And he tracked them to the lake where it looked as though a body had fallen. And then her trail went cold.
He felt sick as he saw where the indents of her body had been. Surely she wasn't dead. They likely would have left her body in that case. But they had plenty of ways to move her with magic that would be impossible for him to follow. Lina knew that. It's why she'd told him to move on to Atlas City regardless of what happened.
He took a deep, grounding breath. Served him right for even thinking of letting someone get close. Once again he found himself alone. And lonelier than ever as he worried about how she was being treated.
Get a grip, Gourry! He'd only been traveling with her for a few days. But he'd had more fun with her in those few days than he had with most people in a lifetime. He missed her witty repartee. He missed how much he laughed when he was with her. And he missed riling her up. He missed that sense of security he was starting to feel with her.
Why do things never work out? He wondered. Just as he was starting to entertain the notion of traveling with Lina long term she was yanked out of his life. He laid his head on his pillow and wondered again how Lina was. He hoped that her bed was soft and that she was well treated. It was agonizing to think of what could be happening! But Lina was right about one thing. And it was that protecting the statue took precedence over everything else.
He eventually drifted off to sleep. Once more the nightmares returned. The worst ones. He deserved it for letting her get captured. He sighed as he swung his legs out of bed and his eyes fell on the Sword of Light. The weight of the weapon rested upon him once more. It hadn't occurred to him that doing big, heroic things with the sword would require big risks. Mostly because there were times when he didn't really care if he died heroically in battle. He hadn't realized that those risks he would take by playing the hero would be with the heart.
The sounds of an explosion rocked the forest. It was undeniably magical. And it was also in the direction that Gourry was headed. And if he needed further evidence that things were turning in his favor it wasn't much longer until he heard the girl's voice. It wasn't long before a town came in view and he could see Lina facing down an old man.
To his great relief she seemed unharmed, for the moment. As he raced to get there and put his hand on his sword the man attacked. Lina dodged, but she was quickly becoming overwhelmed. He drew his sword and turned to smile, "Hello again, Little Miss." He said with a wink.
"Gourry!" she said with a smile.
"Another member of your gang?" Zorom asked.
"I'm not a part of anyone's gang. I'm just this girl's guardian." Gourry said. Though so far he had to admit, he'd not done a stellar job. Hopefully it was time to change that!
"But that still makes you my enemy."
"It seems so, sir." Gourry agreed as he started to size him up.
"Then I will have to kill you first."
"You're welcome to try!" Gourry said as he made for the offensive, happy for a chance to show off. Usually his sword skill was something he took for granted. But he did have to admit, it was fun to have an audience.
But soon it became apparent that it would take more than his skills to defeat Zorom. He was a Mazoku, and thanks to the man with the long, black hair, Gourry now knew a thing or two about them. And one of those things was that it was time to get out the Sword of Light! It was time to see what he could do with the sword!
And to see how Lina would react to it.
Once he'd defeated Zorom his heart stirred as he heard Lina say tenderly, "Gourry!"
Did that mean that she was as happy to see him as he was to see her? "Hey there." He said. "How've you been, Little Miss?"
"Gourry!" she said as she sprang towards him, and for a moment the blood rushed to his ears as he wondered if she would hug him. He sheathed his sword in anticipation as she reached him. "Give me that sword!"
While she hadn't touched him, he nearly collapsed like a puppet whose string were cut. The memory of his mother screaming about why Gunther had been killed and not him rose as his stomach fell as he wondered if anyone would be truly happy to see him. Sylphiel might. But then, it wasn't as if she really knew him. Surely he'd prove to be a disappointment to her, just like he'd been to every other person in his life.
"Please! Please! Gimme the sword!" she begged with a smile as he picked himself up and tried to gather the remnants of his pride.
"Wow, um, here I was thinking you were happy to see me."
He suddenly regretted his honesty as she continued, "Happy reunions later! Sword giving now! Look, it's not like I expect to get it for free! I'll give you five hundred gold coins for it!"
Was she playing with him? Or was she serious? Either way he didn't think it was funny. Especially as this posed another problem to the possibility of their having a long term partnership. Simply put if she was going to scheme to get the sword from him how could he really trust her? Still, she eventually gave up in her attempts to buy it as fruitless as she remembered that she had an ally to help. There was still a vital mission at hand. And it was the only thing that mattered. Questions of what to do once they reached Atlas City would have to wait.
Life was a cruel joke it seemed. Gourry had wanted to do great things with the Sword of Light. And somehow he found himself facing down an enemy so powerful that he could not even begin to truly comprehend it. And while Lina had cajoled them into fighting to win, and while fighting to win definitely sounded better than dying, it struck him as naïve. The optimism of someone who had never tried to do something impossible and failed.
Once Gourry had thought that way about his family. That if he could just reason with them, get them to see the futility of their fights that they would understand. But sometimes you just have to accept defeat. Or do the right thing even when you know it won't matter. So you can look back with a clear conscience.
Not that I will have much time to look back, Gourry thought as he crashed to the ground. Pain gripped every inch of his body as he tried to get back to his feet. In a battle like this with a Dark Lord he knew that once you were on the ground you were as good as dead.
"Now as for you Little Miss," Shabranigdu said to Lina as he approached her.
It was too late for him. It was likely too late for all of them. This was the only fitting ending for the Sword of Light and the descendants of the swordsman, to go down fighting an enemy so powerful that the world would go down in flames. And if the world was going to burn then there was no use protecting it from the sword anymore. So perhaps Lina could do something with it. And if she didn't give it back, well, he likely wouldn't live much longer to worry about that. He couldn't defend her, but he could give her the means to do it herself.
He threw the sword to her. "Use it Lina! Combine your magic with it!"
That it was a stupid idea was confirmed when Dark Lord laughed at him. But at least Gourry could say he'd tried everything. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see what would happen when Shabranigdu threw his next attack at Lina as she cried, "Sword! Give me power!"
Did that mean she had an idea? He watched as the sword flared to life and she started chanting. Had he been hit on the head harder than he realized, or was darkness surrounding her? As he struggled to make sense of what he was seeing the Dark Lord's composure changed. "You brat! How do you know about the Dark One?"
A flame of hope lit within Gourry. The Dark Lord was scared, a lot less sure. Perhaps there was a way to win this?
"Don't you see how futile this is?" The Dark Lord said desperately as he threw an attack at Lina that got enveloped in her spell. There was no doubt about it. Lina had him on the ropes!
He watched, entranced as she turned the Sword of Light into a blade of darkness. He'd never known such a thing was possible! Maybe, just maybe she could do it. Or was he once more courting hope?
The breath caught in his throat as she ran and brought the sword of darkness down upon Shabranigdu and thought about how, if it wasn't enough then it would be too cruel. Because watching her work like this was majestic! No, she was not the best swordspell but she was better than average. And her magic skill made up for any clumsy swordsmanship as she hit Shabranigdu and unleashed a tide of power so bright that Gourry was forced to close his eyes for a moment.
But would it be enough? He opened his eyes and saw Lina on the ground, clutching the sword with a look of despair on her fatigued face as she stared as Shabranigdu who seemed unharmed. His stomach fell. That she could be so strong and powerful and that it still was not enough was a bitter pill to swallow. But at least they could say that they had tried everything…
"I like you girl. You are truly worthy of being called a prodigy. It is too bad we will not meet again." Shabranigdu said.
Gourry's jaw dropped as the Dark Lord started to turn into a pillar of white ash. And slowly it dawned on him that she had done it! The girl, no Lina, had done it! With the sword she hadn't just saved a few lives, she had saved all of their lives!
And he had been a part of it.
Still, he watched with Lina and Zelgadis, almost scared to move, as the wind blew the remnants of ash away. "Is it over?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes," she said, "Thanks to Rezo."
Thanks to you, he thought as Zelgadis objected. "That was some stunt you pulled. It was incred…," Gourry said as he turned to look at Lina and saw that her hair had gone white, "Lina, your hair!"
"Oh, I'm fine. I just used too much power in one go. How are you guys?"
"Fine," he said as he picked himself up shakily. Honestly he needed a doctor but he wasn't going to complain.
"Same here," Zelgadis said, "I'm still alive at least."
"Good. I'm glad." Lina said as she slumped backwards and fell asleep.
Gourry shared a look with Zelgadis and they smiled. "Did you know she could do that?" Zelgadis asked.
"Not a clue." Gourry replied as he collapsed down beside her and felt the weight of sleep pull at him. "I'm so tired."
"I think I could use some rest as well." Zelgadis said as he sat down by a tree.
Gourry could no longer keep his eyes open. Somehow they had saved the world. Everything else would work itself out in time, once he'd gotten some sleep.
When he opened his eyes he saw Lina stirring beside him. It would be nice to wake up like this every morning, he reflected, and then he chastised himself. They'd only agreed to travel to Atlas City. He shouldn't get too attached. Especially since there was still so much he didn't know about her.
Such as if he would ever get the Sword of Light back from her. His stomach clenched in panic as he realized that in his fatigued state he had completely forgotten to get it back! It was currently lying on her other side. She brushed against it as she sat up and picked it up and casually handed it to him, "Thanks a bunch, man."
Gourry took it and felt relief rush through him. Perhaps she had been joking about buying it off of him. But whatever that was about, her action of returning it to him said a lot about her. So many in his family would have taken it and ran. "It's my world too you know." He said as he smiled at her.
Gourry still wasn't sure what to make of Lina. But as they drew closer to Atlas City a growing sadness weighed on him at the possibility of separating. Especially as he tried to suppress the rush of emotions that hit him every time he looked at her. Whatever this rush of emotion for Lina was he needed to put the brakes on it. Before he got hurt again. Especially since as far as he knew she would happily leave him by the side of the road once they got there.
Dread formed in the pit of his stomach as a marker informed them that they were almost there. The thought of heading out on the road alone again felt unbearable. It was nice to not be lonely. It was nice to find a fellow traveler to share the road with. And his life with. But as much as he wanted to continue the thought of having the conversation terrified him. What if she didn't like his company as much as he enjoyed hers?
When they reached the gates Zelgadis announced his leave of the group. Unease settled in Gourry's stomach at the impending separation as he watched as he and Lina exchange goodbyes. And a flare of jealousy washed through him as he saw them shake hands.
Once Zelgadis left he couldn't help but ask, "Say Lina, the way he shook your hand like that, you don't think he likes you or something?"
She laughed as she waved her hand dismissively, "Don't be stupid."
It wasn't the laugh of a girl with a crush but one of incredulity. He relaxed slightly. Regardless of how Zelgadis felt about her it felt safe to say that she was not developing feelings for him. But there was still another matter to address and there was no way to avoid it now, "By the way, what are you planning to do now that we're here in Atlas City?"
"Huh? Hm, oh, weren't you planning on giving me the Sword of Light?"
"When did I ever agree to that?" he asked, wondering what the sword had to do with anything.
"So I take it that's a no?"
"Of course it is!"
"But think of all the avenues of research I could open up!"
"Still no dice."
"Okay, I've got it now." She said.
"Got what?" he asked, thoroughly confused and unsure what this had to do with anything.
"I know where I'll be headed next…" she said as her cheeks reddened slightly.
"Where?" he asked.
"Wherever you're going." She stated.
"What?" he replied as he wondered if he'd heard her correctly.
"I'm sticking with you until you agree to give me the Sword of Light!" she said with a wink as the redness around her cheeks deepened. "Now let's get going!"
She started forward, and he smiled. For now at least it looked as though he would not be alone. It would be a good thing. Life on the road with someone like Lina would make sacrificing a more normal life tolerable. He wouldn't have to worry about the way such a weapon tore families apart if he shared a life on the road with Lina. He glanced down at the sword and no longer felt chained by it. Instead the world seemed full of possibilities. He could keep the Sword of Life safe from humanity and share his life with someone special.
Plus, if they had slain a Dark Lord together after a few days of knowing each other, what else could they do on the road together? It seemed a more noble use of the Sword of Light than fighting blood over it.
And while it was hard to put the brakes on the feelings her was developing for her, he started to realize that it was less a question of whether he could come to care for her, but rather whether she could ever care for a man like him. Maybe she couldn't yet. Or maybe she did! She had blushed a little when she told him she planned to travel with him. But either way, he would simply have to prove to her that he was worth it.
AN: Whew! I feel like I have just completed a marathon! There was a lot in this novel that establishes their relationship and certain themes I want to continue working on. In other words, I'm hoping to be able to avoid something as long as this in the next chapters. Granted for some that will likely be easier than others.