Miniature 6
Title: "On The Landing"
Characters: Lina and Gourry
Pairing: LinaxGourry
POV: n/a
Timeline: About half a year after the events of TRY. Lina and Gourry, traveling alone, get mixed into another mess in a city after taking what they thought was a simple job. Finally, everything settles down, and they are traveling once more…

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"Gah, it's raining again!" Lina picked her cape up over her head as she ran for some cover under a near by tree, splashing mud all over her black boots as she went. Her counterpart, a tall very handsome young man with long blonde hair continued to follow her in his steady pace, not seeming to be all too bothered by the sudden downpour. As he reached the tree's somewhat protective shelter, he began ringing out his hair. "Winter's coming sooner than I expected this year. We're not going to be able to camp outside anymore, pretty soon."

"Hmm…" said the blonde still twisting his long golden locks as he stared out into the dripping grey sky. "What about that tent we have?"

"Well sure, that can get us by for now but once winter hits it's not going to stand up to the cold or if it snows. I'm already- achoo! Sick of this weather!" Lina rubbed her nose and hugged her cape closer around her body. "Wah!" The sensation of something wet and cool on her skin caused her to jump slightly. "W-what are you doing?" She asked Gourry as she looked up to find his hand on her forehead.

"Lina, you have a fever!" He said it like it was the end of the world. "Why didn't you say something if you weren't feeling well?!"

"I'm fine!" She knocked away his hand. "You don't need to make such a fu-NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She screeched as Gourry put one of his hands around her waist.

"What? I was going to help you walk over to an inn we can stay at until you get better. There's one not that far from here, I saw it as we were walking down that hill…"

"I don't need help walking over to an inn!" She wrenched his hand away from her waist and began walking on her own in a huff. After a few seconds, she stopped in mid stride and turned around. "Well, are you coming or what?!" She rounded on him after noticing he wasn't following her, but staying behind under the trees brush.

"Yeah…" He said rather tonelessly and quietly making Lina perk an eyebrow at the sudden change of attitude. She continued forward towards the inn with Gourry trailing slightly behind her, both walking in silence.

The inn smelled slightly of rotting wood and the walls had cracks all along them with some wallpaper falling off here and there, but all that mattered to Lina was that is was warm…dry… cheap… and supplied food. After a much-needed meal, Lina thought, she brought up the question of where they should head to next when morning came.

"I say we travel somewhere nice and warm, and look for a job there perhaps. What do you think?"

"Sure, sounds good to me." Gourry said still gnawing at the remaining pieces of meat on a bone. "Wherever you want to go."

"So you don't care at all where we go?" Lina scowled. "You'll just go wherever."

"Yeah, pretty much." He said absent mindedly, still trying to make sure no meat was wasted.

"Even… Elmekia?" Gourry looked up from the bone he was holding.

"No." He said with a serious tone.

"Well then you wouldn't go anywhere would you… there's absolutely no place you wanna check out?" Finally deciding that any eatable meat he had already consumed, Gourry put the bare bone on his plate and looked up at the ceiling to think about this.

"Hmm, well there is one place." He said.

"Well, then speak up!"

"How about… Zefielia?"

"No." Her response was about the same as his only quicker, and she seemed to have become flushed all of a sudden. "W-why would you wanna go there?"

"Well why do you want to go to Elmekia… Lina? Lina!" Gourry immediately rose from his chair, knocking over their drinks spilling them across the table. Lina clutched her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain as she dropped down onto the table.

"I'm fine." Lina said dully, waving Gourry away with her left hand as he came around her, placing his hand on her back and leaning over to look at her face. For a second time, Lina felt a cool sensation cover her forehead and her own hand holding it.

"You've gotten even warmer, even your hands are warm now…" He took her hand away from her forehead, holding it in his own.

Lina froze for a moment unable to speak before she shouted, "Stop making such a fuss!" Wrenching her hand out of his grip, she started to stand but slightly buckled under her own weight. Gourry caught her, looking onward with concern in his eyes. "I'm just a bit dizzy… headache."

"You're sick, you need to get some sleep, I'll take you…"

"I'm not sick, the inn is a little too warm is all. And for the last time…" She walked away leaving nothing but air in Gourry's outstretched arms. "I don't need your help."

The rain lashed against the roof. Lina sat on the landing atop the stairs she took to go to her room and sleep… only she didn't feel like sleeping. The bed was small but comfortable, but as she layed on it, her mind began to race and an hour later, she abandoned any attempt and decided to go back downstairs, when she remembered Gourry hadn't come up yet. So there she was, on the landing…

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, taking in the coolness it gave off against her skin. She could fall asleep here perhaps… listening to the rain against the cool wall… "Lina?" She opened her eyes and looked down the staircase to see Gourry standing on one of the steps, a look of surprise on his face. "You're not asleep?"

"I'll go now…"

"Wait!" Gourry grabbed onto her just in time, as Lina's foot slipped when she tried to stand and walk away. Lina pushed herself out of his grasp, said a quiet 'thanks' and began to walk towards her room.

Slam!

Gourry slammed his left hand infront of Lina's face against the wall, blocking her from walking away. His other hand was curled into a first, blocking her from behind. He had trapped Lina against the cool wall with his entire body.

"Why do you keep pushing me away all of a sudden?" He asked angrily, but not demandingly.

"What are you talking about?" She didn't look up to meet his stare.

"Ever since we finished that job in Dils you've been keeping your distance from me. Why?"

Lina bit her bottom lip. "It has nothing to do with that! I'm just sick of you fussing over me all the time! I'm not a kid remember!"

"I know you're not a kid! You're strong! I know how strong you are on your own Lina but… why can't you let me protect you?" Lina slowly looked up into his blue eyes, which reflected her own pained expression like a giant pool of water. When she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out she closed it and swallowed, knowing looking down would do no good. Gourry already saw her face. "Does this… have anything to do with what happened there?" He knew her too damn well… "I would gladly die for you, if it meant saving your life… "

"But I don't want you too!" She let slip out. For a second she hesitated to say anything more before continuing, " How do you think that would make me feel if you just decided on your own to throw your life away for mine!" She felt extremely foolish, and she her whole body was really starting to feel warm now. All she wanted to do was go to bed, wakeup, and they would travel together discussing the types of food they wanted to try in wherever they were headed.

Moving was impossible, Gourry wouldn't let her leave. She didn't feel like trying to take him on at the moment, and even if she did, she knew if Gourry was serious, she could never beat him when it came to brute strength. Then again… she did still have her magic…

"You've risked your life for mine, why can't I do it for you?"

"Because…"

"Because?"

"Because… I don't want to… to…lose you…" Lina's whole body was warm and slightly shaky, her heart pounding in her chest and her face burned like the sun. All she could see before closing her eyes were stands of sunlit colored hair. A sweet smell she had known for so long, being the only thing her nose seemed too able to pick up. Taking it all in, Lina's feet rose from the ground, her left arm grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt to help lift her, the other sliding behind his back and into his hair, Lina returned the kiss.

They broke apart, breathing heavily and unsure of what would happen next. As they started in each other's eyes trying to get a read on what the other thought of this new situation Gourry spoke, "I don't want to lose you either…"

And they kissed again.

Authors Note:
This story, or rather the last scene came to mind after seeing this amazing drawing by rally-ae on DeviantArt, of Gourry and Lina kissing atop a landing, entitled "Slayers- En el rellano." From the way Gourry had his hands on the wall trapping Lina there, to what seemed to be a pained expression on her face, I wrote this little story dedicated to rally-ae and the amazing drawing that really touched me and excited my fandomness of Lina and Gourry. You can find her drawings at (www. rally-ae.deviantart. com) without the spaces.