Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long this time. I was trying to get it up last week but I got so sick that it was just impossible! I hope you guys enjoy, and don't forget to leave me a review! The plot is going to really begin now =)

He paced back and forth in his study, contemplating his next move.

It had been two days since the letter arrived at the main house.

The letter, sent by carrier pigeon, announced that the clan's butler actually managed to find Gourry and convince him to come home for his sister's upcoming wedding. But what had really piqued Jarek's interest was the announcement that the manservant and Gourry were not to arrive alone, but in the company of an unnamed young woman.

Jarek smiled to himself, knowing it was a strong possibility that the woman was

Lina Inverse.

'Only a couple more days and ill know for sure' he thought to himself as he walked around his study, preparing for his departure.

The family was in a buzz about Gourry's return and the wedding was in a couple days.

'The sooner my father and I get to the main house, the sooner I can begin my plans.'

He chuckled to himself, knowing his dashing looks, charm, and power would win her affections. Nothing would stand in his way.

Gourry sighed as he looked out of the carriage window, completely bored. He had already done as much catching up as possible with Silvanus over the past couple days. Lina had distanced herself to where talking to her was not an option right now. Since their departure from Romulus City, Lina had been using her spells to follow the carriage from the outside. Every so often Gourry would lean over to peak his head out and make sure she was okay. Silvanus had given Gourry a questioning look when she announced that she did not intend to spend the rest of the day cooped up in the carriage, but did not pursue the issue.

"Maybe she just needs the time to think" Gourry wondered.

Confusion was starting to overwhelm Lina Inverse. She felt as if strange feelings were popping up from her subconscious. Feelings she couldn't understand. For some reason, Lina couldn't handle staring at Gourry for the next few hours (or rather, pretending not to stare). There was a lot she needed to sort out in her head, and it annoyed her to no end that she felt this way.

'I mean, I'm the beautiful sorceress genius Lina Inverse, not some sappy, confused girl. I'm a grown woman…' she thought, triggering a memory.

She remembered a conversation with her older sister years and years ago before she left home.

"Luna?" A very young Lina questioned, meekly scooting towards the much taller, statuesque looking teen girl.

"What is it runt?" Luna replied, straightening out her tunic.

"Why did that boy say that to you?"

Luna stopped and looked down at her.

"It's because I have breasts, Lina." She said very matter-of-fairly.

"Oh...so…you threw him out of the window because you have breasts?"

Lina said, clearly confused.

"Well not exactly. Look kid listen up. You're going to be a woman too someday so I might as well tell you. You can't let guys think that just because you're a woman you can't kick their ass. You don't let them get away with anything, you got that?" She finished, pointing a finger at Lina.

Lina scrunched up her face in thought before replying, "But, mom lets dad get away with stuff like that all the time..."

Luna shook her head.

"No Lina, that's different. Mom and Dad love each other and are married so in that situation it's ok. When you find that one guy who you can't live without, that's when you don't have to toss him out a window. Only sometimes though." She said with a smirk.

Lina still looked confused, so Luna ruffled her hair and sighed.

"You will understand when you are a woman."

Lina gave a little laugh at the memory, remembering how Luna sent the guy who hit on her flying across the room and out of a window. She was a woman now, and she did understand….ok if she was being honest, it hardly ever applied to her. She didn't have big breasts; she was short and lacked hips. There was nothing in her figure that really appealed to a man (though she could make some good arguments about her facial beauty).

'Even with all that Gourry still...'

Her eyes widened at the thought she almost had.

Gourry? Gourry what?

She stopped to really dig deeper into this.

"Gourry really cares about me. That much I know for sure. I feel closer to him than I do to any other human being on earth. And these past couple of days he has been staring at me with this expression that makes my heart jump in my chest. It's beginning to feel as if…" She panicked as she realized the conclusion she was coming to. She started moving again, seeing the carriage had made a lot of distance in that short amount of time. Lina flew faster to catch up, steadying her breathing.

'He's the one I'm most comfortable with, for sure. He's my body guard and my friend and I like being close to him and fighting over food with him and traveling with him.'

Upon allowing herself to admit this, she exhaled in a relieved sigh. She would leave it at that, and go on with their adventures. If he wanted to voice his plans to never leave her side again, then that was fine with her.

"That's right. Because if I couldn't see him everyday I don't know what I would do." She whispered to herself.

It was late into the night and Gourry couldn't sleep. Thoughts consumed him and it was all he could do to keep from feeling overwhelmed. They would arrive at his hometown tomorrow mid-day. He would see his family again, who he hadn't seen in eight years. And Lina, who had been avoiding him for almost two days, was practically asleep in his arms.

...Ok, not quite. But not soon after night had fallen Lina glided into the carriage and sat right next to him. She talked up a storm as if nothing had happened and then as soon as Silvanus had fallen asleep, she leaned into Gourry's shoulder until she too fell asleep. She had been out for hours. Gourry had managed to snake his arm around her shoulder and shift his and her weight so she was leaning against his chest as he leaned back on the sidewall of the carriage. He held onto her just enough so she wouldn't move too much, and absentmindedly twirled a finger around a lock of her burning hair.

Silvanus had told him he sent a letter to his father via carrier pigeon. The letter stated that the three of them were on their way. Gourry contemplated this.

"I can almost bet what my mother is thinking, me and Lina traveling alone together."

He glanced down at the small woman, loving the feeling of her silky locks. He smiled and sighed, imagining a world where he could hold her like this for real, without her dragon-slaving him. He fell asleep with that smile on his face and into a dream of Lina in a white dress with flowers in her hair and the sun shining brightly.

When Gourry awoke, the sun was already high up in the sky. He groggily looked around, trying to make out his surroundings. He could see

Silvanus sitting across from him, upright with eyes closed, probably napping. Sitting up and looking around, Gourry noticed that Lina was not there. He yawned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Suddenly, a huge divot in the road caused the carriage to jerk, startling Silvanus awake.

"Oh my, I must have dozed off." He said in a raspy voice.

He looked over at Gourry and smiled.

"Oh good, you're finally awake my boy. We're going to arrive very soon so be prepared."

Gourry's eyes widened.

"How long was I asleep for?"

Silvanus chucked. "All morning. It's probably around one now. We should arrive within the hour."

Gourry gave him a small nod and leaned out of the window, looking for Lina.

"Thought you were going to sleep all day jellyfish brains!" Lina shouted, seeing his head pop out of the carriage door.

Gourry laughed and waved at her.

"I was too anxious to sleep last night!" He shouted back.

Lina swooped down and glided smoothly into the carriage as Gourry sat back to get out of her way. Unfortunately, the same moment her feet hit the ground the carriage hit another divot, sending Lina flying forward onto Gourry. Gourry gasped and caught her as she unexpectedly fell. Lina, hands braced on his shoulders, looked up, as Gourry, holding tight to her waist, looked down. They stared at each other for a moment blushing like mad, until Gourry was suddenly hurled out of the carriage and into the air.

"AHHHHhhhhhh..." His scream died away the further up and away he flew.

Lina sat down indignantly with a 'humph'.

"Teach him to mess with me." She grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest.

Silvanus blinked a few times trying to make sure he had seen correctly. Indeed, it looked like Lina had just violently thrown Gourry from the carriage. He shook his head thinking back (for the millionth time) to what Gourry had told him when he first found the two of them. This week had really shown him how violent and dangerous this sweet looking woman could be.

'What a strange girl. It was only this morning that I found the two of them cuddled up together asleep. And now she can't handle a simple, albeit, unexpected embrace.'

A few minutes later there was a rough jerk as Gourry re-entered the carriage, breathing hard from sprinting to catch up.

"L-Liiiinaaaa!" Gourry whined, "What was that for?"

She stood up with hands on her hips and a sour look on her face.

"That was for taking advantage of an innocent girl!" she yelled, leaning forward.

"Innocent?!" He shouted, pointing as accusing finger, "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

"YES! Innocent! And don't think I didn't notice how you snaked your way next to me this morning! Trying to keep me warm again?!"

Now it was Gourry's turn to fume.

"You're the one who fell asleep against me! Quit trying to make me out to be a bad guy just cuz I wanna be close to you!"

Lina gasped, all anger dissipating replaced by a look of shock. She looked up at him, glanced sideways at Silvanus. She felt woozy for a moment and placed her hand on the wall to steady her, and then sat down, quietly looking out of the window. She stayed like that, and Gourry realized she had no intention to say or do more. He sat down with a huff and leaned his head back, finding that for the first time he couldn't wait to make it back. Lina in confined spaces was really annoying.

Gourry didn't have to wait long. Not even half an hour later the three of them heard the coachmen shouting, "Destination ahead!" Lina's eyes lit up upon hearing this and she shot up and leaned out of the carriage door, holding to the frame for support. She gasped at the sight in front of her.

Coming into view was Gourry's hometown. It was a lot more lavish than Lina had ever expected.

The carriage marched through the middle of town, which was full of people. Intricate white stone buildings surrounded them. Up ahead, on a large hill, was a mansion of a building.

"Hey Gourry, is that the Temple of Ceiphied up there?"

Gourry poked his head out to see what she was looking at and sighed.

Silvanus also stuck his head out to see and chuckled.

"That's actually the main house of the Gabriev clan. That's where

Gourry lived before he left us."

"Hhhuuh?" Lina squeaked, completely flabbergasted.

"Y-yyyou mean that's your house, Gourry?! You didn't tell me it was gonna be so big!"

"Yeah…I never liked it that much. It was so big, I could never remember which room was mine."

Lina turned to him and laughed.

"Sounds exactly like something you would do."

Gourry have her a confused look, to which Lina merely rolled her eyes. She looked around once again and realized that everyone was stopping in his or her tracks to gawk at them. People were rushing out of homes and business to watch them roll by. She blinked at the stares and whispers and promptly sat back down out of sight, slightly embarrassed.

'Its like the town is coming to a halt with our arrival...'

Within minutes they pulled up to the large mansion on the hill. They each filed out of the carriage; Lina and Gourry stretched their limbs while Silvanus merely straightened his suit. They walked up to the huge marble double doors. They swung open immediately and revealed a large, lavish marble entryway with graceful, white staircases ascending on either side. Lina walked in, taking in her surroundings and gave a low whistle.

'This place is even better on the inside.'

Her attention was brought to the middle of the room as Gourry abruptly came to a halt. Standing before them was a tall older man with graying hair. He was dressed in a dark suit and had a dignified air about him. Standing next to him was a slightly shorter, older woman with long thistle blonde hair. She wore an elegant pink dress and her eyes glistened with moisture.

"Gourry? Is that really you my dear?" The woman asked.

Gourry offered her a small smile.

"Yeah it's me mother."

She glided forward and gave him a gentle hug. She then took a step back and looked at his face.

"You have become as tall as your father! And so muscular! Oh Gourry, you have grown into quite a man!"

The older man finally walked forward and approached Gourry.

"Hello son." He said in a curt tone.

"Father." Gourry replied cautiously.

"I expect you brought me the Sword of-"

"Goodness Sachiel, don't start this now! You haven't seen your son in eight years, that doesn't need to be discussed now!"

"Haven't seen the sword in eight years either..." The old man grumbled

She turned to him and they stared each other down.

"Well..." Gourry started, looking back and forth while grabbing Lina's hand and pulling her forward.

"Mother, Father, this is Lina."

They both spun forward at Gourry, following the length of his arm, until their eyes reached the petite woman.

Lina gulped under their intense gazes. Gourry, still holding on, gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

She smiled, "I'm Lina Inverse! Pleased to meet you! " She said with a big smile and her usual confidence, pushing down all her anxiety.

Both of their eyes looked like they were going to pop out.

"Lina Inver-" Sachiel began with narrowed eyes, but was cut off by his wife stepping forward.

Lina's smile faltered , not sure what to make of their reactions.

"I'm sorry for our rude behavior. I am Ariella, Gourry's mother. And this is Sachiel, his father. We are so happy you both came." Her voice was sincere and had such a soft and loving tine that Lina couldn't help but smile again.

"Thank you Ariella." Lina replied.

"How long...have you two know each other?" She asked shyly, looking to either of them to answer.

Lina turned her head to give Gourry a look. They both smiled and Lina gave a little laugh. She became aware that they were still holding hands and lightly blushed before looking back at Ariella.

"Like five, almost six years."

"Yeah what she said." Gourry added with a thoughtful look on his face.

Ariella let out a small gasp, and Lina could swear she saw a flash of sadness in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Silvanus!" Ariella called, looking around the room for him.

"Yes madam!" He called from a corner.

"Show them to Gourry's room, I'm sure they would like to get cleaned up after the long journey."

"Of course milady." He replied, stepping toward them.

"We shall be having tea in the garden in an hour with everyone that has so far gathered. We will introduce you to the rest of the family my dear." She said, looking at Lina. Ariella and Sachiel bowed and took their leave and Silvanus motioned for Lina and Gourry to follow him up the staircase to the left.

Unseen by all, a dark figure left from his hiding place and walked to the center of the entryway. He stood in the exact spot Lina had previously stood and gave a relaxed sigh.

"She is beautiful. She is leaps and bounds more beautiful than paintings make her out to be. There is an aura of power around her so strong I can feel it from here!" He smirked to himself, but soon replaced it by a frown.

"She really is traveling with Cousin Gourry though. This may be a problem. But it is nothing I cannot handle." He said resolutely.

'Now to change and get ready to make my appearance to her.'

"I take it you don't remember where your room is Master Gourry."

Silvanus said with a chuckle as Gourry made a wrong turn down a hallway.

"Nope, not a clue." He replied taking in his surroundings.

"Well this room here will be for Mistress Lina" Silvanus said, motioning ahead of him.

Lina stepped forward as Silvanus unlocked the bedroom door. A click was heard and the door swung open. Lina was about to run inside, but Silvanus held her back, taking a whistle out from his pocket. He blew on it, releasing a high-pitched tune. Moments later a youthful maid came running down the hallway.

"Yes Silvanus?" She said, a bit breathless.

"See to it that this room is comfortable and Lina is freshened up for afternoon tea."

The young woman curtsied and turned to Lina.

"Right this way madam."

Lina looked back at the men. "See you fools in an hour."

She turned and entered the bedroom and was gone from sight.

"Well Gourry, lets go to your old room and get you cleaned up."

They both turned to the right and continued down the hallway. After a few moments of walking in silence, Silvanus cleared his throat.

"Gourry, you do realize that your mother thinks Lina to be your wife, right? She never would have asked me to set the both of you up in your room together if she didn't think so."

Gourry nodded.

"I realize that. But it doesn't matter to me what they think."

Silvanus just shook his head. "Right this way Gourry."

"Oh Miss Lina, you are so beautiful!"

Lina looked in the mirror and blushed. The maid, whose name was Tahira, had drawn a bath, and scrubbed Lina down. She had her old clothes sent off to the cleaners, forcing Lina into a dress. She gazed at her reflection, twirling slightly. The dress was pastel yellow and flowed down to her ankles. It had simple straps and an A-line neck. Tahira had taken a thick white ribbon and tied it around her waist to accentuate it, and make the dress more fitted. Her little trick to avoid having to alter its dimensions to her thin waist, making it fit perfectly.

"This is embarrassing." She moaned, still looking at the dress.

"It is beautiful." Said a new voice from behind.

Lina whirled around and saw Ariella standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"T-thank you..." Lina stuttered.

"Silvanus told me he set you up in here so you could get ready easier." She explained.

"O-okay…" Lina said in a puzzled tone.

"Tahira, what were you going to do with her hair?" Ariella asked, not even noticing.

"I was thinking of curling it after its been dried."

"Oh you don't have to do anything like that!" Lina quickly replied, feeling panic rise in her chest.

"Well I will dry your hair first and then we will decide." Tahira said with a giggle.

Ten minutes later her hair was soft and dry. Tahira took some spray serum, spritzed it on Lina's roots and fluffed her bangs.

"Your hair has so much natural body!" Tahira squealed.

"Yeah I guess..." Lina mumbled, unsure why she was letting Tahira do this to her.

"Ok, so curls or no curls?"

'No curls, no curls, no curls!' Lina screamed in her head.

"Leave it like it is. It's perfect." Ariella said with a kind smile.

She tilted her head, still examining Lina. "I'm sure Gourry will like it very much."

To this, Lina's jaw dropped.

"Umm...I don't think...well, I mean he's not...I don't know if Gourry even..." She stumbled around with her words, having trouble forming a coherent sentence.

"Oh I just know he will! It's been so long since I last saw him, and now..." Ariella paused as moisture formed in her eyes, "and now he's a man and I have missed so much."

Before Lina could comprehend what was happening, Gourry's sobbing mother enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm just, so sad that I wasn't there! I wish I would have been..." She paused to pull away for a moment to look Lina in the eyes, "but I am so happy to have you in the family." She finished with a tearful smile.

Lina's was an expression of utter confusion.

"In...the family?" She whispered.

"Yes! I-I have to admit that I was very distraught when we received the letter from Silvanus announcing your arrival with Gourry. He is my oldest son, and I was devastated to not have been invited to the wedding. But you are such a sweet girl, I can see how Gourry-"

"Wait a minute!" Lina yelled, waving her arms in the air

"Just stop right there." She said putting her arms down.

Ariella looked at her with confusion.

"I think we have a misunderstanding. Gourry and I are not married. We are simply traveling companions. He is my protector." She said softly, her face burning red from embarrassment.

Ariella looked at her with eyes wide.

"You mean...but I thought...I could have sworn that you two were..." She stopped and shook her head before grabbing a hold of Lina's shoulders.

"But Sachiel and I were only speculating that you were his wife when we got that letter. After seeing you both together, I could have sworn that our suspicions were confirmed!"

Lina merely shook her head, cheeks still burning.

"Gourry is someone very dear to me, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that we are not married!"

Ariella heaved a big sigh. All was silent for a moment.

"Well, I guess I am relieved that I actually didn't miss his wedding..."

Meanwhile, Gourry's father was busy having the same misunderstanding.

"Marrying a girl like that is bad for the family reputation! For gods sakes Gourry, what were you thinking?!" He yelled as he paced around Gourry's bedroom.

Gourry let out an exasperated sigh, holding his forehead in his hand.

"Ok father," He started, looking up towards Sachiel, "We need to get a few things straight right now! Lina and I are not married. Lina is a good person and you have no right to judge her. And if in the future we want to be married, then we will be. To hell with everyone else."

He stared hard at his father with intense and angry eyes.

"Gourry, just think of how it reflects on you, traveling alone with...a young maiden without a chaperone. It's-"

"It's old fashioned and nobody cares. Just drop it. I don't know why you came over here to bug me in the first place."

Sachiel sighed and threw his arms in the air.

"I give up! I don't know why I try. You didn't listen to me when you were eighteen, why would you listen to me now." He turned around and headed for the door.

"Exactly." Gourry whispered. He took one more look in the mirror at his suit, feeling uncomfortable out of his battle armor.

"You look fine, Gourry. Quite handsome if I must say!" Silvanus chimed in from the corner of the room where he had retreated when Gourry and his father began to argue. "Well let's go get Lina and get this over with."

Both men turned and headed out of the door and down the hall. Within moments they were at Lina's door. Gourry gave it a few brisk knocks.

"Just a minute!" Came the voice of Tahira.

Thirty seconds later the door opened and Lina stepped out.

Gourry felt a blush immediately come to his cheeks at the sight of her. The yellow color of the dress worked perfectly with her red hair and eyes. Her hair was in its usual manner, though it smelled of strawberries. She blushed too when she realized he was staring.

"Umm... So, how do I look? Is it weird?" She asked, looking down.

"Beautiful..." He thought out loud, in the softest whisper.

"What was that?" She asked in response to his barely audible answer.

"Oh! Umm it looks great!" He replied quickly, relieved she didn't hear him the first time.

"Well, lets go do this." Lina said as she turned down the hall.

"Yes, let's." Silvanus replied while giving Gourry a look. They both turned to follow, and Silvanus jogged to the head of the group to lead the way.