Hello! I apologise; I'm a little late with this update, but here you are! As usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

19- Blind Man's Bluff

"Why is it that some silly little sorceress like you would end up with everything that I ever wanted?"

"Wh-what…?" Lina responded. "What are you talking about-"

"Don't play dumb!" Azarel's tone was harsh. "You're telling me that you really don't know? That you're totally oblivious? I don't think so!"

"You need to tone it down a bit!" Lina snapped in reply. "Couldn't you give a few more details before chewing me out for this? You're being so vague- I don't know you, Azarel!"

Azarel closed her eyes tightly in frustration. "I… I… I worked myself to the bone for years and years… just to earn Lord Hellmaster's affections… and when I happen to disappear, he suddenly goes off after some crazy sorceress… it's… it's just… it's not fair!"

Lina took a step back, her bottom lip trembling.

"I… I did everything for him…" Azarel continued almost desperately. "I thought that one day he would realize it… but… but… he loved you more than he ever loved me!"

There was a tense moment between them, filled with nothing but the sound of the falling snow.

"…you… you can't be serious…" Lina stammered. "…Phibrizzo… Phibrizzo never loved me…"

"How can you say that?!" Azarel demanded.

"HE TRIED TO KILL ME!" Lina yelled. "What kind of love is that?!"

"Did he?" Azarel crossed her arms. "Don't you remember what he was really after? He never wanted to put you in danger, Lina."

"B-but… he… he wasn't in love with me…" Lina stammered.

"I heard him…" Azarel's voice seemed to sting with restrained tears. "…he called you 'beautiful' and 'adorable'… he wanted to be with you… even if itwas just to take advantage of your powers… even if it was just for his evil plans… even if he was just trying to manipulate you… he wanted you, Lina. He sought after you, pursued you, put so much time and effort into figuring out how to be near you and gain your trust. If that isn't love, then…"

Lina frowned but steadied herself and spoke up again.

"Alright, fine. Let's pretend for a minute that maybe Phibrizzo might have had a little crush on me. So what? You think that's my fault? I can't help if someone I don't like falls for me! That causes me pain too, you know! Sure, I guess you hate me for it, but is that really reason enough to target me? Is that the sole reason that you kidnapped my son?"

"No." Azarel's reply was stern. "In fact, though I had given it some thought, I hadn't planned on it. My plans changed, however, when I realized that I could use him in a different way."

"Use him?" Lina's gaze narrowed. "How so?"

"Zara has an established romantic past with a Mazoku under Beastmaster, yes?"

Lina wrinkled her nose in disgust. "He kissed her on the cheek, maybe, like, once. I guess that counts as an 'established romantic past' for an 8-year-old kid."

"But he is emotionally loyal to her, right?"

"Yes, I guess you could say that." Lina shrugged. "How do you know all this, anyway?"

"I have my sources." Azarel twirled a dark curl of hair on one finger. "I knew this to begin with, and that's why I decided to bring Zara with me- or, more importantly, with Enrique. You saw how he looked at Zara, didn't you?"

"I didn't happen to catch that; no." Lina shook her head. "What about it?"

"He seemed awfully curious about Zara. He was interested, I guess you could say." Azarel continued. "So I decided that maybe it would be a good idea to let those two get to know each other better; maybe bond a little."

"What…?" Lina frowned in confusion. "You mean, you kidnapped Zara because your Mazoku buddy had a little crush on him? I doubt that it'd be so easy to set them up- Zara is really attached to Lorelei."

"Oh, I know that." Azarel nodded. "And my plan worked brilliantly. Enrique is head-over-heels for your little boy… and Zara is none the wiser about any of it."

"Wait…" Lina began to realize just what Azarel's reasoning was. "…you mean, you deliberately set him up to get his heart broken? You encouraged him to develop feelings for someone who likely wouldn't return them just so that you could-" She stopped abruptly and shook her head in disgust. "You're sick. How could you?!"

"Don't you think I wanted someone who knows what it feels like to be hurt that way? To know that the one you consider so precious would never think of you the same way…?" Azarel yelled. "I… I had a friend once who knew what that was like… but then he ditched me… he got all lovey-dovey with some human girl… It's always you sorceresses who ruin things for everyone, isn't it?!"

"I don't think you fully understand how this 'love' business works." Lina approached Azarel, cracking her knuckles menacingly- not that she'd be able to do anything to the Mazoku without her magical vessel, but that tactic usually intimidated bandits pretty well, so she figured it was worth a shot. "You can't blame someone for falling in love. And you especially can't blame someone for having someone else fall in love with them! You think we choose this sort of thing?" She paused and gave a sigh. "Though… I have a feeling that this goes a little bit deeper. Phibrizzo was your original grudge, but now you hate me for a different reason. After all these years of intimidating others into submission, you've finally found someone who isn't afraid of you. Am I wrong?"

"You're lying." Azarel spoke through gritted teeth. "You do fear me."

"Actually, I don't." Lina shrugged casually. "No offense, but your tactics are pretty old."

"Old?"

"Yeah, old. Y'see, you've been studying Phibrizzo- which is great; I mean, he was the mastermind of the Mazoku race and all… but, unfortunately, I've beaten him. Twice. I know all his tricks. And yours? Well… they're just sort of… unoriginal. You're taking tips straight from Phibrizzo's book, which gets boring once in a while. And you still haven't quite mastered it. What do you think would happen if your little plan goes wrong- if Zara starts to develop feelings for Enrique?"

"He won't." Azarel responded quickly.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Zara gets clingy when he has no one else around. Plus, Enrique seems to be just his type. Have you heard the kid talk? Those two boys probably could hold a single conversation for hours. Maybe if you wanted to break Enrique's heart, you should have chosen someone a little less compatible. In the meantime, have fun being an awkward third-wheel."

"Be quiet!" Azarel spat. "I can just as easily kill you right here!"

"Go ahead." Lina invited.

"Wh-what?"

"Go ahead. Do it. Kill me."

Azarel stopped and examined Lina curiously, not fully understanding what was going on. "What are you playing at?"

"I'm not 'playing at' anything." Lina chuckled to herself. "What's wrong? Are you scared? You, a fierce and powerful Mazoku, scared of a helpless little human girl? You know I can't use magic, and that my combat skills right now are next to nothing. I've got everything to lose here; you've got everything to gain. So kill me."

Azarel gritted her teeth in frustration. "What tricks do you have up your sleeve this time, you ungrateful little jerk? What are you going to do when I attack you?"

"Nothing." Lina answered calmly. "I won't raise a finger against you. If you're not scared, then what are you waiting for? Kill me."

"I'm not scared! I'm being reasonable! If I kill you now, then… well…"

Lina wagged a finger teasingly. "Some-bo-dy's sca-ared~."

"Alright, FINE! You want to die so badly?! Then DIE!"

Everything happened so fast, Lina didn't have time enough to process it all. She kept her word- stayed perfectly still, the self-satisfied smirk on her face never wavering. There was an explosion, yelling, someone calling her name, and a collision of magical energy that blasted the snow off the tree branches overhead. The flash had been nearly blinding, but it didn't matter. Lina hadn't needed to move at all- she still stood where she was, completely unscathed.

"Hey, Gourry. Nice to see you."

"Lina!" Gourry grabbed her shoulder with one hand, the other still clutching the hilt of the replica Sword of Light. "What do you think you're doing?! Couldn't you have at least tried to dodge that?"

"Why should I?" Lina shrugged. "I promised I wouldn't. Besides- I've got the best swordsman in the whole world as my bodyguard. I'm not worried."

His stern expression softened, and Gourry let his hand slide off her shoulder. "Does this mean… that we're friends again?"

"We were never not friends, Gourry." Lina sighed. "I just… I was so worked-up earlier, when you snapped me out of it, it took me a while before I was able to see reason again. And then… when those men were talking about your past, I was so upset… because I couldn't stand the thought of you being so sad. I wanted more than anything to have been there for you when you needed it-"

"But you were there for me when I needed it!" Gourry interrupted. "You still are! I don't know where I'd be today if it wasn't for you, Lina. Don't ever worry about what happened to me in the past. All that matters is the present- we're together, and nothing that happened years ago can change that."

"…aw, Gourry…" Lina murmured with a smile.

"Um, hello? Aren't you two forgetting someone?!"

The shrill voice pulled the two lovers out of their conversation. Azarel was still brushing snow off her shoulders and picking leaves out of her hair. It seemed as though Gourry had struck her with more force than Lina had originally thought.

Gourry immediately snapped to attention and held his sword in a defensive position, while Lina- safely under her guardian's vigilant protection- put her hands on her hips with a haughty smirk.

"Gee, sorry about that. Sometimes it's easy to forget certain people, you know?"

Azarel ground her teeth. "You… you knew he was there, didn't you?!"

"If I knew, you should've known too." Lina shrugged. "His presence was unmistakable. You should have known that one false step in my direction would result in meeting his sword head-on."

"What was I to do? You provoked me!"

"You let yourself be provoked." Lina responded curly. "If you'd been prudent, maybe you would have kept your temper better, or even called my bluff- if you knew Gourry was watching us, maybe you should've said something. Instead, you let your anger and jealousy get the better of you, and that's why you're picking leaves out of your hair now."

The Mazoku took a deep, laboured breath, though she said nothing in response.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight, Azarel. I'm just trying to give you some advice. Choose your battles wisely from now on, alright?"

There was a long pause, and Azarel finally sighed. "Fine. But… I do kind of pity you two. You can lecture me all you want, but I'll still have the upper hand. I have one thing you two don't."

"Hmph." Lina crossed her arms sceptically. "And what exactly is that?"

"Your son."

There was a long pause. Lina tensed up and Gourry's grip on his sword tightened.

"I assume," Azarel continued. "from your casual treatment of the subject earlier, you believe that Zara is safe in my care. You're banking on the assumption that I won't choose to kill him."

"You wouldn't." Lina spat. "Not if you want to keep your chances of friendship with Enrique open."

"Ah… but isn't that the most potent form of heartbreak- when the one you love is killed?" Azarel's eyes glistened maliciously.

"Y-you wouldn't… you couldn't! If you did it, then-"

"Like I'm going to get my hands dirty murdering that brat myself!" Azarel laughed. "I've already made arrangements with a reliable underling of mine. The boy will die, but his blood won't be on my hands. He's going to die at the mercy of someone that neither of you can protect him from."

"Neither of us can… what are you talking about?!" Lina demanded. "What are you planning?! Who is going to-?"

"Oh! Is it time for me to leave already?" Azarel gasped, cutting Lina off. "I'd love to stay and continue this chat a little longer, but I'm a busy Mazoku, and I fear that you two have a funeral to plan…"

"You-"

"Ciao, my darlings!" With one last wave of her fingers, Azarel disappeared from sight.

There was a pause, and Lina and Gourry exchanged a glance between themselves.

"D'you think she's-"

"She was bluffing. She had to be." Lina spoke. "She needed to say something to get the last laugh. I don't believe that she's really going to kill him."

"But what if she is? What if she was telling the truth, and she's really getting someone else to murder him? What if we're not there, and we can't do anything, and-"

"Gourry." Lina reached up and jerked his head in her direction. "Look at me, Gourry. Do you even hear yourself?"

"…but…"

"I asked you if you even heard what you were saying just now."

Gourry glanced down at his feet, though Lina jerked his head back up again. "Y-yes, Lina. I do… and I suppose you're right, it's just…"

"Don't be scared of that little brat. She can't do anything."

"Are you sure? Because she-"

"She doesn't know Zara as well as she thinks she does." Lina interrupted. "I spoke with her, and that much was certain. She might think she's going to kill him, but he's no idiot. He's not going down without a proper fight- he's our son, isn't he?"

Gourry nodded his head and sighed. "…yes. He is."

"And you know how much of an overprotective mother I am- if I'm not worried, you definitely shouldn't be worried. Got it?" She gave him a wink.

That was enough to elicit a small smile from Gourry.

"Well… I suppose-"

"Excuse me, am I the only one freezing out here?" Lina quickly interrupted. She grabbed one end of Gourry's coat and threw it around her shoulders, huddling next to him.

"It is very cold out here, isn't it?" Gourry put one arm around her, placing his sword back in its sheath now that self defence wasn't necessary. The two began to walk back to the campsite, Lina still huddled against Gourry for warmth. "I was worried about you running off on your own." he continued. "That's why I followed you out here… I'm sorry for it, but I guess it was a good thing I was here."

"Well, I'd have never put myself in danger like that if you hadn't been there to save me. I can't bear to think about actually battling that Mazoku without magic…"

"Oh, I forgot. Here." Gourry dug in his pocket and pulled out the white handkerchief with the magical vessel inside. "I never did give this back to you."

"Oh! Y-you didn't have to." Lina replied, though she didn't hesitate in grabbing it and stashing it away in one of her cloak pockets. "I got a little carried away today. It was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Well, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was being a little harsh because I was worried, that's all. Do you forgive me?"

"I will if you forgive me."

"I guess that settles it, then."

"I guess it does."

They both smiled at each other, and no further words were exchanged until they made it back to the campsite. The fire was banked and everyone else had fallen asleep, so the two kept quiet as they found their tent and settled in.

"It's still too cold in here." Lina whispered her complaints, still shivering despite having huddled beneath all of the blankets.

"You'll warm up. Just give it some time." Gourry whispered in reply, setting out their damp outer clothing so that it could dry while they were sleeping. "Y'know, I… I usually don't say things like this because I assume that it's given, but… I was really proud of the things you said to that Mazoku earlier. Not just about letting her temper get the best of her, but all that about love and whatnot… you're really amazing, Lina. Whenever I think I couldn't possibly admire you any more, you pull something like this, and it just makes me realize… how unique you really are. There's few people in the world who could lecture a Mazoku like that, y'know."

"You know you're just feeding my ego now, right?"

"Yeah, well, it was on my mind and I thought you might want to know." He settled in next to Lina and she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you exist." she commented.

Gourry stifled a laugh. "I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"What, really? I was just joking around." Lina giggled.

"I was too, I was just- hey!"

He'd had one arm wrapped around her, but jerked it away in surprise. There was a moment of shocked silence in which they just stared at one another.

"You felt that, huh?" Lina finally asked. "That's a first for you, isn't it? Such a fickle child; the kid never wants to kick when Dad's around…"

Gourry continued staring, looking as though he wasn't fully aware of what was going on. "That was…"

"What? You look surprised. This isn't anything new- I've been complaining about it almost every day, remember?"

"Yes, but… it's new to me." Gourry stammered.

"Being around you makes me feel safe- I guess I'm calmer, which makes the little one happy. That might be why the kid has never kicked for you before now." Lina reasoned.

"So why now?"

"Well, I just put all of us in danger by needlessly angering a Mazoku lord. For the sake of everyone in this family, I'd say that I deserved that." she replied.

There was another moment of silence.

"…is Azarel really a Mazoku lord?"

"I don't know." Lina breathed. "If what Azarel and Xellos said about the succession of Mazoku lords by their highest-ranking subordinates is true, then she should have all the powers that Phibrizzo had."

"But she doesn't seem to be using them." Gourry commented.

"That's true. I wonder… if she really did love him the way she makes it sound…"

"Lina?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think… that Phibrizzo really loved you?" Gourry began timidly. "I mean… after what Azarel said… I have to wonder…"

"Quite frankly, I don't care either way." Lina interrupted. "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't. It doesn't matter now, and I don't feel like thinking too hard about it." She paused and then added "The only person I need to love me is you, oka- ow! Hey!"

Gourry couldn't help but laugh. "I definitely felt that one."

"That actually hurt you little devil! How could you do this to your own mother?!" Lina was ranting. "We were having a sweet moment there, and you had to go and ruin it! You really do take after your father, don't you?"

"Hey now, what's that about ruining sweet moments with violence? That's from the mother's side of the family, I'd say."

"Oh, be quiet, Gourry!"

"I am. You're the one who's being loud."

"I am not being loud. I'm just expressing my distaste for unnecessary violence."

"Oh, so it's distasteful when it's against you, is it?"

"You shut up! We want to raise our children with good morals, don't we?"

"Right, right. What's that old saying? 'Do as I say, not as I do?"

"Whatever! I'm fine with them being warriors, but can't it wait until later? Geez…"

Gourry laughed again.

"You're amazing, Lina. You always are…"

(A/N: Thank you, everyone, for reading this far! I appreciate all of your time and hope that you're continuing to enjoy the story! It works well that this chapter would end at a nice stopping place, because I'm going to be taking a break from this fanfiction over the month of November and focusing my creative endeavors elsewhere… though, I will be back with regular updates in December, so don't worry about the story! Thank you all so much for reading, and I'll see you again next month!)