Chapter Three

"So, of course, I react," Luka was saying passionately over her plate, waving her hands as she spoke. "I blast the little twerp with my lightning. Little brat deserved it!"

It was late, and finally dinnertime. The entire family was seated around the modest, somewhat small square table. When Lina had managed to bring Gourry back to consciousness, he awoke to discover that both Luna and Delmas were in the kitchen cooking. Still wary of her father, Gourry suggested that he and Lina sit and wait for dinner in the next room. Lina, who understood him better than he sometimes gave her credit for, complied, sitting with him on the couch and stroking his long hair.

Luka came home an hour later, which was just as well, because Lina noticed that Gourry was drooling a little on her shirt from the smells that wafted from the kitchen. Immediately, Luka went into the kitchen, kicked her husband and daughter out, and tested the food that they had made. When she had approved, everyone sat and tucked in.

Lina, during her mother's account, stared at Luka with starry eyes. Gourry, who was in a half-trance from how delicious the food was, realised with a chill that this was probably where Lina had gotten her own destructive habits.

"Mama," Luna said quietly between mouthfuls, "we know. Papa knows. I know. Everyone on the damned street knows."

Luka gave her daughter a glower. "Don't deprive your mother of her gloating rights," she answered.

Luna, surprisingly, responded by actually mocking her mother's words. Gourry was so shocked by the exaggerated pantomime that he actually stopped eating. It was the first display of immaturity that he had ever seen on the older girl.

Lina leaned forward and started shoving mouthfuls of food from his plate into her mouth. Gourry protested, and without thinking or remembering where he was, grabbed Lina's cheek and pulled, successfully keeping her mouth open and thus preventing food from being swallowed. She shrieked and grabbed his hair, pulling hard, and he saw stars.

Delmas, Luka, and Luna soon forgot their own food, staring in surprise at the display of violence before them.

"Ciephied," Delmas grumbled, his eyes wide and showing mostly white. "You're still a little wolverine, Lina-chan!"

Lina froze, went bright red, and shoved Gourry away from her as hard as she could. Gourry stumbled, grabbing the side of the table and just barely managing to keep himself in his chair.

"Damn," Luna chuckled. "I had totally forgotten about that." She resumed her eating calmly.

Luka smiled, looking at her youngest daughter with so much love. "Ah, I taught you so well, Lina-chan. Never give up your food to anyone, and grab what you can at the expense of others."

Gourry gaped at her, and for the first time, found his voice. "You taught her that? Do you know how many years it's been since I've had an uninterrupted meal?!"

Lina lowered her head, her ears bright red. Her family stared at him, then, all at once, smiled, then laughed, each in their own way.

After that, dinner was an open event. Lina eventually managed to override her embarrassment and soon was conversing with her family in her usual and energetic way. Even Gourry, who was still really intimidated by Lina's family, eventually relaxed enough to joke along, usually at Lina's expense.

Which, he thought, was hilarious.

Once dinner was finished, Gourry insisted on helping with clean-up. When Luka protested, he insisted, mostly because he thought it was the right thing to , he admitted, there was a tiny part that still wanted to make a good impression on Lina's family. Eventually, they accepted.

Lina, upon hearing this, started tiptoeing her way out of the kitchen, trying to make herself as small as possible. Without even looking, Gourry reached over and grabbed her, dragging her back.

"Augh, let go of me, you manhandler!" she shouted, loud enough so that her family in the other room would hear. There was no reaction; apparently no one cared.

"You're helping," Gourry said calmly, pushing her gently to the sink. "Wash."

Lina glared at him, baring her teeth. "Why should I? I live here!"

Gourry stared at her, his eyes half-closed. Lina sighed. "I used to live here?" He didn't say a word. She growled, then shoved her hands into the sink. "I hate you!" she concluded.

Gourry rolled his eyes. "It's only fair. We didn't cook."

"Blegh!" Lina answered, throwing a plate into the second sink to rinse it. Gourry caught it with ease and dried it.

It soon became a routine, one that not only calmed Lina, but soothed her nerves. She realised, with a hot face, that she was acting like a spoiled brat, but for some reason she just couldn't help it. She was nervous, and, for the most part, scared. She hadn't told her family that she was coming home with Gourry, and she didn't even know how they felt about that yet. What would they say if she told them that she wanted to settle down with him? Would they judge her?

But then, she thought, biting her lip and stealing a sideways glance at him. But then, they really seem to like him, and he, them. Maybe it won't be a problem. And even if it is, I'll just leave. Gourry is...my whole world...

"Lina," Gourry chided with a smile, "you've stopped washing."

"Ah, right right right," she stammered, blushing deeper. Gourry looked over at her and grinned. It was kind of nice being al homey like this with her. It was like training for when they got married.

Soon both of them had pink faces, although for totally different reasons.

Once the dishes were done (which took a while, because Lina had to show Gourry several times where the dishes went, since he kept forgetting), they returned to the other room to find the others leaned in close together, speaking quietly and seriously. Lina frowned right away, her eyes flashing with anger, but Gourry shrugged and rubbed her shoulder a little, and she calmed down. What would come, would come.

Together, they sat down, side-by-side, on the opposite couch. Luna stood up and slipped away, making some excuse up about "writing a manual for Spot" (Who the hell was Spot? Lina wondered crossly), which left the two couples together.

There was a small silence.

"Uh," Lina said finally, "um. So, hi. I'm home. This is Gourry. I met him on the road." She gestured to him, her face dead-serious. "He's not a pervert."

Gourry slapped a hand to his forehead, groaning. Usually it was HIM that made those kinds of blunders!

Lina's cheeks reddened, but her eyes hardened. "Nor is he taking advantage of me. I'm not home to mooch, or because I have a debt I need you to pay off. I'm home mostly because I took way too long to come back. But also because I have a huge favour to ask. I need you both to have open minds about this. It's important to me."

Gourry blinked in surprise. Her voice was so hard and sombre that it made him nervous. It was the same voice she used when she talked to someone with seniority.

During her speech, Delmas and Lukas were quiet, sitting motionless and keeping their gazes on their daughter. There was a slight twitch in Luka's mouth and Delmas's eye when Lina said "pervert", but other than that, there were no reactions.

Lina took a deep breath, stood up slowly, and bowed down low, something that Gourry had never, ever seen before. He gaped at her.

"Please teach me how to forge magical swords," she said softly. Her eyes were shut tight, and her arms were rail-straight and plastered to her sides, her fists clenched. It was a huge request.

Her parents guarded their secrets well, which made them the best, and had never, ever taken an apprentice. Lina had decided, on their way home, that not only would she find a sword special for Gourry, but that it would be her that would make it. But while she knew how to enchant blades, she had never actually MADE them before, nor had she assisted in making a blade from scratch that began with magical properties.

But, she thought fiercely, if I'm going to settle down, I need a trade. And I know this is one I...WE...can do.

Luka leaned back, her eyes closing, and Delmas rubbed his forehead hard, something that Gourry had seen Lina do so many times that he instantly warmed to the older man.

"Ciephied," Luka breathed out, "I thought you were pregnant."

Lina stumbled to the ground in one tumble. Gourry slammed his head down on the table in his own shock. In a split second, Lina had gotten to her feet and was shrieking, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Sorry," Delmas grunted, his hand still on his forehead, "but I thought that, too. Give us some credit, Lina-chan," he looked up and rolled his eyes at her.

Lina's eyes blazed. "Credit denied! I'm not a moron who doesn't know how to use contraceptive magic!" she waved her hands in the air. "I can't believe this!!"

Gourry patted her gently on the leg. "Now, look, it was an honest mistake," he said, forcing a smile. Inside, though, he felt just as annoyed. How careless did everyone think they were? "Let's get back to the matter at hand."

"Gourry, did you hear what they said?!" she demanded. Gourry raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing, and instantly she got it. Of course he had heard it; there was just nothing to be said or done about it.

"Listen, Lina-chan," Luka said, her eyes still closed. "Your father and I, for all of his mediocre skill--" Delmas made a furious face at her at this, "--are the best magical smiths in this country. We give our secrets to no one."

Lina deflated, her anger gone in this one denial. The look on her face was so sad that Gourry suddenly realised how much it had meant to her, and it made him feel both miserable and touched.

"But," Delmas said.

Lina looked up, her eyes sparking to life a little.

"We're old," Delmas grumbled, propping his chin on his hand and staring at his youngest daughter. "We need some sort of heir or whatever to keep our business going. We're merchants, after all. We need to keep on selling."

Lina was trying not to fall into a trap, but she felt her hands shaking with excitement. "So...?" she whispered.

"Oh, Lina-chan, of course we'll teach you, you little dummy," Luka snapped. "We've been waiting for you to grow up all of these years. The smithy was always yours."

"B-but Luna-san," Lina stammered, unable to feel her feet from the shock, "she was able to enchant her butcher knife..."

"Oh, please," Luka snorted. "We love our little Knight, but that's who she is: a Knight. She doesn't have time for our little oven."

Delmas nodded. "It's later than we expected, but we're glad you finally woke up."

Lina stared, shaking from head to foot. Then, with a scream, she lunged forward, hugged her father, then her mother, and then, to his shock, Gourry. The last received some sloppy kisses as well.

"Gourry!" Lina squealed in his ear. "You're going to get your sword!"

Gourry smiled and hugged her back, feeling the excitement catch on, as well as the sudden meaning of his words. "Thank you," he whispered, so that only she could hear it.