Yay time for another update! I thought I was going to have loads of time this week during spring break but that ended up not being the case at all! So on my last evening of freedom I made sure to sit down and get everything ready! I hope you guys enjoy and please leave me a review when you're done to let me know what you thought!
Jarek was growing impatient, but he kept a calm demeanor all the same.
He was dressed in a simple suit with a red tie, his hair in its normal style, spiky in a bad boy type of way. He gazed around at his group of assembled family.
The were all nervous, save for the twins of course. They didn't quite understand why their long lost brother coming home was such a big deal. In fact, they seemed hardly conscious of the fact that they even had a brother. Jocelyn looked like she could barely contain her excitement. She was fidgeting and talking loudly. She looked like an angel dressed in pure white; her light brown hair falling in elegant curls around her face. Her dark blue eyes danced and darted around in anticipation of her brother's return. Suddenly Ariella entered through the gate and into the gardens. She walked straight up to Jocelyn and whispered something in her ear.
"They're not married!" She exclaimed loudly.
"Ssshh!" Ariella hushed her, looking around the garden. Her eyes fell on Jarek, who was watching closely.
"It was a misunderstanding on my part, and we don't need any unnecessary rumors spreading. Your father is worried about the family reputation."
"Why would he be worried about that?" Jocelyn asked, taking a sip of her tea.
"Well dear, the young woman is Lina Inverse."
Jocelyn immediately began chocking.
"L-l-l-l-Lina Inverse?! How can that be?"
"Well..."
Just at that moment Silvanus entered through the gate with Lina and Gourry close behind.
All conversation stopped as everyone took in the sight of them. After a brief moment of silence Jocelyn stood and walked over.
"Brother Gourry!" She exclaimed, running into his arms.
"Oh Gourry! You have been away for too long! We have missed you so! I was barely 13 when you left. Now I'm all grown up." She pulled back to look at his face.
He chuckled and ruffled her hair.
"You sure are not a little girl anymore Joce. It's great to see you again."
Jocelyn swatted away his hand with a laugh and walked over to Lina.
"You must be Lina." She said with a smile, "I am Jocelyn, Gourry's sister."
"Pleased to meet you Jocelyn." Lina said with a big smile.
"Dallin, Fae come meet your brother!" Jocelyn shouted over her shoulder.
"Yes sister!" They replied together and scurried over.
"Lina, these are our younger siblings the twins, Dallin and Fae."
The twins looked up at her curiously, their dark blue eyes sparkling.
"You're really pretty." Fae told her shyly.
"You look like a princess!" Dallin said excitedly.
Lina giggled at their reactions.
"How old are you little ones?" She asked, leaning forward so she was closer to their eye level.
"Umm... Almost 8. In a few weeks." Dallin replied.
"Yeah in a few weeks." Fae repeated.
"Guys, don't you want to say hello to your older brother?" Jocelyn prodded, motioning toward Gourry.
He gave them an awkward smile and waved. They both looked at him and frowned.
"You're our brother?" Dallin asked incredulously.
"Why is he so tall?" Fae asked Jocelyn.
"Why do you wear your hair long like a girl?" Dallin asked with a confused look.
"How come we never met you before?"
"When did you-"
"Ok!" Jocelyn interrupted.
"Brother Gourry has to come over here with me, so you two go play with your cousins."
They both looked at her warmly and replied with a quick "ok!"
Gourry heaved a very relieved sigh and shook his head.
Until now, it had not occurred to Lina just how young the twins had to have been when Gourry left home. In fact, she basically witnessed them meet for the first time just now. No wonder that had been so awkward.
"Ok, let me introduce you to everyone." Jocelyn said.
Over the next half hour, Lina was introduced to practically all of
Gourry's extended family. There were his aunts Adele, Tabitha, and Adora, his uncles Sanat, Pandarius, and Jace, and somewhere around 8 to 10 cousins (she had lost count). The youngest, she distinctly remembered, was Pandarius Jr. who was barely a week old. Lina wasn't sure how many more introductions she could take. She stood there making small talk in the shade with Gourry's sixteen-year-old cousin Jirro, Gourry content with simply standing next to her silently. All of a sudden she felt him tense up beside her. She looked at him and followed his gaze ahead. Making his way towards them was a tall, blonde man who looked strikingly like Gourry in stature and features, only with short spiky hair and much lighter clear blue eyes.
"You..." Gourry said looking intense.
"Yes dear cousin. Me." He replied in a mocking tone.
"I remember never liking you very much." Gourry said with a scowl.
"Yes and I remember you being a dolt. And seeing as you still can't seem to remember my name, I would say that hasn't changed."
Lina snickered at the man's comment. "Gourry sure can be a dolt." She thought.
"Ah yes, the reason I came over." The man said, turning to Lina.
Lina stopped her laughing, surprised as he took her hand and kissed it. Her face burned hot.
"Fair maiden, my name is Jarek Gabriev. Gourry's cousin." He gave her a pleasant smile, still holding her hand.
"Ah… one of his many. Nice to meet you Mr. Jarek." She said cautiously, trying to pry her hand away.
"Jarek..." Gourry mumbled, the wheels in his head turning. It took all his strength to not lunge at the guy and choke him out for touching
Lina.
"I hear that you and my idiot cousin here have been traveling companions for a few years." Jarek stated, looking her straight in the eyes. On the outside he was calm and collected, but on the inside his impulses were screaming at him. He had no idea how strikingly beautiful she would be; it was hard to control himself.
"Yeah, it's been a while." She replied in a disinterested tone.
"It surprises me. The name Lina Inverse strikes such fear in the souls of common folk. How does such a powerful and beautiful sorceress like yourself come to be associated with a simple swordsman?" He asked, glancing at Gourry with a look of distaste.
She gave him a smirk and opened her mouth to respond to his compliment/snide comment when Gourry chimed in, stepping slightly in front of Lina.
"You broke my favorite sword when we were kids!"
Jarek let out a chuckle at this.
"That's what you remember, Gourry? Your wooden sword?"
"Yeah! But that's not all. I remember always beating you in duels."
Jarek frowned at him.
"Yes, you did always have the brawn while I had the brains. But I can assure you that I can hold my own with the greatest in combat.
Swordplay is, after all, our family trade."
"Yeah." Gourry replied, narrowing his eyes.
"Sounds like the only way to settle this is if you two duke it out." Lina said, stepping out from behind Gourry and putting a hand on her hip.
"Indeed it does." Jarek replied, turning his intense gaze to Lina's eyes.
Gourry looked back and forth between the two, annoyed with the intent way they stared each other down. Finally Lina looked away.
"It makes more sense than standing here arguing about it. Slightly inconvenient since we haven't found him a proper sword yet but-" Lina was interrupted.
"Proper sword? What do you mean? He doesn't have the Sword of Light?" Jarek accused loudly.
Gourry's eyes grew as big as saucers and you could hear the majority of the surrounding conversations come to an abrupt halt. Gourry gave Lina a death glare to which she paled. She hasn't realized she was putting her foot in her mouth. Suddenly Gourry's father stormed over and was in his face.
"What did you do with it you son-of-a-bitch? Hide it? Sell it for a quick buck? Out with it!" Sachiel yelled, gripping Gourry's shoulder.
"It's none of your business, Father." Gourry said with a low glare, pushing Sachiel's hand from his shoulder.
Everyone in the garden went silent. Family members began to crowd around the two men. Ariella pushed her way through the crowd, trying to make out the cause of the commotion.
"What's going on?" She asked, finally making it to the front.
Sachiel lunged forward in an attempt to punch Gourry in the chin.
Gourry easily sidestepped the attack and watched as his father stumbled forward.
"I don't have it any more!" Gourry yelled.
Sachiel's eyes grew wide and everyone shuffling around went still.
"Our sacred family heirloom, the very one you ran away from home with, you are telling me you don't have it anymore? Where is it? Where did you leave it?!" He yelled in a rage, taking another swing at Gourry.
"It's not my fault. It's-"
"It's no longer in this realm!" Lina interrupted, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.
Everyone turned to looked at her with confusion.
"Centuries ago the servants of Dark Star Duradigdo all transformed into the weapons of light. They are HIS holy relics. About three years ago our world was threatened by Dark Star. The only way we were able to defeat him, before he destroyed our entire world, was by scouring the four worlds and collecting all of his weapons. After his defeat, all of the light weapons were transported back to
Dark Star's world, including the Sword of Light."
Everyone was silent, though Jarek was thoroughly impressed by Lina speech. Not only was she a fearless warrior, but also very knowledgeable.
"So you are telling me that it no longer is in our world?" Sachiel asked her, the anger within him boiling up again.
"Yes." Lina nodded.
"Ahhhh!" He yelled, as if in agony. He turned his angry eyes back to
Gourry, hands clenched in fists.
"I'm gonna kill you!" He screamed, lunging at Gourry.
They both fell to the ground and a scuffle ensued. Lina, Ariella, and a group of Gourry's uncles ran to break up the fight. After a bit of a struggle, Pandarius, Jace and Ariella managed to pull Sachiel away while Lina, Sanat, and Gourry's cousin Delano managed to pull back Gourry. Both men glared at each other, one with hate and the other with disgust.
"It was either lose the sword or let our world die." Gourry growled.
His father narrowed his eyes and spat on the ground. Gourry's muscles clenched and he pushed Lina, his uncle, and his cousin off of him. He gave his father one more look of disgust and whirled around to storm away.
"Gourry!" Lina yelled, grabbing his arm.
He shook her off, not stopping but looking over his shoulder and giving her a hurt and angry look.
She halted and watched him walk away, feeling moisture well up in her eyes against her will. She had never felt shut out by him before and she realized it was a terrible, lonely feeling.
"Gourry has never been so cold toward me... even if I was wrong... I didn't mean for that to happen"
She took a step forward to follow him, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Whirling around, she saw Jarek standing there with a sympathetic look.
"Maybe it's best if you let him cool down for a bit by himself." He told her with a small smile.
She looked in the direction Gourry had disappeared in.
"Yes, maybe you're right." Lina sighed.
"Come!" He said, holding his hand out to her, "Let me show you something."
She hesitantly took his hand and allowed him to lead her away from the party, deeper into the garden. After a bit of a walk, they made it through a large archway. Lina gasped, seeing what looked to be a coliseum training facility.
"Is this where your family..." She trailed off.
"Yes it certainly is. Would you like to try it out?" He asked, turning to her and gesturing toward the facility.
He saw her eyes spark up, and her lips curl into a smirk.
"Yeah, but if I win you give me 500 gold pieces."
Jarek let out a laugh.
"Ok and what do I get if I win?" He asked, looking so deeply into her eyes that she couldn't help but blush.
"The satisfaction of having battled the great Lina Inverse." She replied.
He grinned at her, loving her fiery personality and well-earned ego.
"How about if I win, you grant me a dance at the reception tomorrow."
She gave his proposition a moment of thought.
Couldn't hurt. It's not like he's gonna win...
"Ok, you're on!" She said.
Lina was sweating and out of breath. She wiped a spot of blood from her lower lip and smiled. In front of her was Jarek, completely spent. He was on his hands and knees, panting from fatigue. Lina had never sparred with someone the way she had just sparred with Jarek. This man was truly a force to be reckoned with. She had no idea he was a particularly powerful sorcerer before their battle. And he wasn't afraid to fight back at her, even though she was a girl. Her sparring matches with Gourry usually centered on her learning swordplay, so he always held back. Jarek sat up and stared at the exhausted sorceress. She was ferocious in battle, and he had to throw out all the stops just to keep up. She had thoroughly kicked his ass, though he did get a few good blows in. His ego had been over the fact she was stronger for years, and to finally see it first hand... He felt seduced by it. It was hard to not force her down and take her now. Her dress was now ripped and tattered, one of her slim legs exposed. A strap had broken showing off the side of her small, perky breasts. His body swelled with need at the site of her. He stood on shaky legs and continued to stare at the proud woman in front of him. He had managed a solid hit on the chin that made her bleed. She took it like the true warrior she was. And she looked as invigorated by their fight as he felt.
"Thank you. That really helped to channel my frustration." She said to him, standing up straight.
"She is amazing..." He thought, "Standing so tall and powerful after all of that."
He stood up straighter as well.
"I guess I won't be getting that dance." He said with a chuckle.
"We'll see." She replied cryptically, almost seductively.
She was equally as impressed by him, as he was she.
He shivered hearing the swells of her voice.
"And I believe…" She said slowly, walking right up to him, "you own me something."
Jarek chuckled and nodded, walking over to his jacket to pull out the coins he owed her.
Gourry lay out on a stack of hay, exhausted. Around him lay the remains of many wooden practice dummies. His generic sword lay broken among the rubble.
After the incident with his father, Gourry had practically ripped off his fancy suit, threw on his normal gear, and ran out to beat up something.
He lifted his hand up in the air toward the sun.
"Lina... I'm sorry." He sighed.
"I'm sorry too." Came a soft voice from behind him.
He craned his neck up and caught sight of an upside-down Lina, back in her normal travel clothes. He sat up and turned around, coming face to face with his beautiful genius sorceress. He stared at her with a sad expression and she walked forward and plopped down on the hay next to him.
They were silent for several minutes, both seeming to want to say or do something, but neither having the courage to do so.
"G…Gourry...I- wha?!" She gasped as he suddenly pulled her into his arms.
She put her hands on his chest to push him away. Gourry just pulled her flush against him and nuzzled her hair. Changing her mind, she melted into his arms, wrapping her own around his body. She felt a blush spread across her cheeks from his actions and the feeling of his beating heart against her ear. They both stayed like that for a long while, until Gourry, close to dozing off, heard Lina's breathing go steady. He knew she was asleep. Night was falling; the air was steady and warm. He shifted with Lina and laid down in the hay with her still in his arms.
Unbeknownst to the couple, a pair of clear blue eyes was watching.
"Their relationship has a much stronger bond than I had imagined.
Gourry is going to need to be dealt with." And with that, he bowed into the darkness.
The first few rays of the sun were coming into the sky. Lina's eyes fluttered open.
'Why am I...oh!" She exclaimed as the previous night came flooding back to her. She frantically looked around and spotted Gourry sprawled out beside her. He stirred and flopped over, smacking her in the face.
"GGOOOUURRRYYY!"
She screamed, punching him in the face. He awoke with the impact, completely startled.
"Lina?" He questioned groggily.
"Oh don't give me that! What's the big idea Gourry?! I fall asleep with you and now you punch me in the face!"
Gourry sat up, shaking his head awake.
"But Lina, you're the one who punched me!" He whined, pointing to himself.
She let out a cry of frustration and grabbed him by the shirt.
"You punched me in your sleep!" She yelled, shaking him for emphasis.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Well then it doesn't count. I didn't know I was doing it." He stated.
She narrowed her eyes back and lifted him up by the shirt slightly, bringing him to eye level.
"You-" she was cut off by Gourry pushing her down back onto the hay.
He hovered above her on his hands and knees. Her look of surprise faded away, as she realized the very compromising position they were in. His eyes had gotten an intense look on them. She couldn't look into his eyes for some reason; it was making her blush intensely. His hand lifted to her face and brushed the bangs out of her eyes, his look softening.
"Uh...m-maybe we should…head back...now..." She stammered.
He pulled his hand away and let out a sigh. He got up, annoyed with himself and a little with her.
'One step forward and two steps back.' He thought sadly.
"Gourry?" She said putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah?" He responded, putting on a big smile.
"Are you going to be ok going back?"
His smile faded, but he nodded still.
"I'll be fine. To be honest, I thought about taking you last night..."
He paused as emotions rolled over him.
"Wha?" Lina squealed, scooting away from him, her entire face turning the color of a bright red tomato.
"And just leaving." He finished.
Lina let out a huge sigh and relaxed. Gourry continued, completely unaware of her discomfort.
"Then I decided we made this entire trip for my sisters wedding so we should stick around for it. Next time I see her, she'll have aged and started a family." Gourry paused and smiled.
"Maybe by that time ill have a family of my own as well."
He stood up, feeling her shocked expression, but not looking at her.
"Well what are you waiting for? We have to prepare for a wedding."
With that he began walking away, too scared and embarrassed to look back at her. She slowly stood up to follow, images of Gourry playing with his blonde haired children in her head.
When they returned to the main house they were immediately greeted by Tahira the maid. She squealed with joy and immediately hugged Lina.
"Miss Lina! ! We all thought you two had left! I'm so glad you are still here. I had the most beautiful dress made for you Miss Lina!"
Tahira spun around and whistled loudly.
"Silvanus!" She exclaimed as he came running.
"Oh Silvanus they're back!"
He gave them a big smile.
"Let's go get you ready Master Gourry."
With that the two were pulled away to their respective rooms to bathe and change for the wedding.
"Come Miss Lina! We have to hurry were at least an hour behind schedule!"
"Is it really going to take that long? The wedding is four hours from now."
Tahira got a panicked look on her face.
"Oh we have less time than I thought! I'll draw the bath, undress quickly Miss Lina!"
Three and a half excruciating hours later and Lina was bathed and dressed, makeup and hair almost completely finished. She sat at the vanity chair as Tahira curled the last of her tresses.
"There. All done!"
Lina examined her appearance in the mirror. Her red hair fell delicately around her face and down her back.
"Ok now for a little bit of lipstick... There! Now you are all ready!"
Lina stood up and looked in the mirror scrutinizing herself. She looked incredibly fancy. The damn dress was rose pink, of all terrible colors in the world. It was a long poufy ball gown, with a detailed skirt, which incorporated lighter shades of shimmery pink. The bodice was a tight pink corset that pushed her breasts up nicely. It was probably the only element of the dress she actually liked. She wore light pink gloves, which were slick making it hard to grip anything. Her pink heels were incredibly too high. It would be a miracle to make it through the night without falling. And the makeup had her looking older and more mature, with the powder, rouge, and rose lipstick. She felt like a completely different person.
"We should head to the front. The carriages should be ready by now to take us to the temple."
She nodded and Tahira moved to hold the door open for her. They made their way down the winding hallways and to the staircase leading to the main entryway.
Gourry and the majority of his family were gathered in the marble front room to wait for their transportation. The clomping of horses was heard and his aunts, uncles and cousins began making his or her way out and into their respective carriages. All were present except for his mother and sister who were already at the temple. Gourry fidgeted with his tie, feeling it was far too tight. His father was among the first to leave, much to Gourry's relief. He had grown tired of his heated stares.
"Where is Lina? The last carriage is about to pull up."
He scanned the room and found that only him and two of his cousins remained. He narrowed his eyes at one of them.
"Jarek, that bastard."
He kept his eyes on Jarek who stood chatting with their other cousin Delano. All of a sudden the two men looked up toward the staircase, as if in awe. Gourry followed their gazes and saw a beautiful woman descending the staircase. She wore an elegant pink ball gown fit for royalty, her long red hair swaying with every step. Gourry's jaw dropped as he was overcome with the picturesque, breathtaking sight of her.
"Oh Lina…" He whispered in shock and in love, taking a few steps to go greet her. Suddenly he was snapped out of his bliss by Jarek striding in front of him, approaching Lina first as she made it to the bottom.
"Miss Inverse! You are a goddess. You simply radiate beauty..." He paused as he reached for her hand, which she slowly gave. Jarek tenderly removed her pink glove and kissed her bare hand, holding his lips to her skin a little longer than necessary. Lina's heart skipped a beat and she got this odd feeling low in her stomach that she couldn't quite decipher.
"You sure know how to flatter the deserving." She said in her usual cocky tone, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Please allow me to escort you madam, to the carriage. It is the last remaining for the afternoon."
"Just call me Lina." She replied.
"Lina... Then I insist you refer to me as Jarek."
"Will do, Jarek." She said with a nod, slipping her glove back onto her hand.
"Now where is..." She said to herself, quickly gazing around the room until her eyes spotted him.
"Gourry!" She called loudly, brushing past Jarek.
Gourry swelled with happiness as Lina sought him out despite his cousin's flattering display.
"Lina..." He whispered to her, mesmerized by her beauty.
He reached for both of her gloved hands, his eyes never leaving hers.
"You look amazing." He said to her.
She made a sour face.
"The damn dress is pink! You know how I feel about pink!"
He smiled at her and replied," That doesn't mean you don't look beautiful in it."
Lina could feel herself turn crimson.
"Gourry has never said such a thing to me before..."
As the couple had this conversation, Jarek was approached by Delano.
"We all know what you are playing at Jarek."
Jarek glanced in his direction and sneered.
"It's none of anyone's business if I am up to something."
"It's Gourry's business if you are trying to seduce his woman." Delano shot back.
"That's the thing about love. All is fair."
Delano took a few steps back, looking at Jarek's face. He looked like a mad man, staring at Lina's back. Just then the last carriage pulled up and they were all summoned. Gourry took Lina by the arm with a big smile on his face and led her to the carriage. The other two followed.