Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Dramata Kurage! ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

Disclaimer: Slayers and their characters are not owned by me. They belong to Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi and any other companies which own them. I'm just borrowing them for a little bit and I promise to give them back all in perfect working order.

16.0
I spoke with Amelia and Zel but at the back of my mind I just hoped that Lina liked the clothes I bought for her, and that they all fit. So deep in thought about that I wasn't really listening to them talking but to be honest it seemed more like they were talking to each other. That was until they both starting staring at me and I suddenly got worried.

“Huh? Have I got something under my nose?” Immediately I raised a hand and started wiping away.

“Gourry, were you even listening to anything we said?” Zel continued to stare along with Amelia.

“Um, I guess not.” I smiled and put a hand on the back of my head. Both Amelia and Zel face vaulted into the table.

“We asked you how Lina-san was!” Amelia replied with disbelief in her voice.

“Oh, she's ok. She seems much better now and judging from the food she ate, is a lot more like her old self. I just got her some new clothes to wear so she's trying them on and just seeing if she'll like them. I did my best to get what she used to wear.”

Then I heard that familiar sound of boots going down stairs, and quickly in a sort of excitement. I turned my head to the stairs and saw Lina come down, fully clothed. I smiled and felt glad to see Lina look back to normal, but the slightly suspicious look she was giving me made me wonder if I had done something wrong with the clothes. Did I buy the wrong ones? Did I buy the wrong sizes? I wasn't sure but she never said anything to me and just began chatting with Amelia and Zel.

I blinked a little and looked at the table wondering what I had done wrong. Maybe she wasn't happy that I didn't buy her a present. That must have been it. If the clothes were wrong she would have said something, so she was upset with me for not buying her a present. I could have given her the ring, but that was for a special time. I didn't know why I bought the ring; I just knew I wanted to give her the ring when the moment was right.

The ring! Where was the ring? I patted my trousers quickly and couldn't feel the box. I started panicking. Had I lost it? I knew I was forgetful but I only bought the ring a few moments ago. Wait. I put them in the bag didn't I! I put them in the bag with Lina's new clothes! Maybe that was why she had the suspicious look. No if that was it she would be going ballistic with me.

I suddenly rushed upstairs without saying anything or excusing myself and run to the room. I went in and started looking around hurriedly. I knelt down by the bed and picked up each bag, the ring wasn't in either of them. Oh god what if she picked it up and took it already. She was going to choke me with it! Then suddenly my eyes lay on another bag across the room. The ring had to be in that, for my life to be ok, it had to be in that bag.

I slowly walked over to it and picked it up feeling the slight rattle of something small in the bag. My hopes raised and so I slowly opened the bag. My spirits were through the roof when I saw the small box. I snatched it and opened it quickly to check the ring was still there and it was. She must have taken the clothes out of the bag and flung the bag across the room in the excitement of getting new clothes. I put the box in my pocket and headed back downstairs.

I joined the others feeling much relieved that she hadn't noticed the ring and sat back down letting out a big sigh of relief. The three of them stared at me, presumably for suddenly rushing away without saying anything, and now I was in trouble, how could I explain it the need to go so quickly. Light bulb.

“I had to go the little boy's room.” I smiled a little bashfully. All three just shook their head and carried on talking and I let out another smaller sigh of relief for dodging that fireball. I blinked a little though when I heard my name being called. I turned to look at Lina.

“Why did you start learning magic?” Lina demanded me to reply. I blinked and gave her a funny look.

“Who told you I could do magic?” I tried to shake it off the claims. Lina just pointed at the others.

“Those two just told me, you idiot! Are you even listening?” I just shook my head slowly and she punched the top of my head again much like before. I held onto it for dear life as the pain start pounding through my skull.

“Ok, I learnt magic because I knew to help get you back; I needed more than just my sword skills.” I groaned, still feeling the effects.

“Show me! I don't believe it!” She crossed her arms but I just shook my head again. At which point she stood up and grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragged me out of the inn and into the middle of the street.

“Ok! Do it now, here.”

“I can't Lina, I can't do it.”

“Why not?” She crossed her arms again. I twiddled my fingers feeling embarrassed.

“I can't remember how to do it.” Lina glared at Amelia.

“That was such a bad joke Amelia, how could a jellyfish ever learn magic.” She then turned on her heel and headed back into the inn when her foot caught on a cobblestone and she fell to the ground. “Dammit.” She then sat up and her arm was bleeding.

Without thinking I knelt down by her side and placed a hand over her arm, starting the healing spell without much thought. Lina blinked at me in astonishment.

“So that was you, which means I wasn't dreaming. Why would you lie about not remembering the spells?” I let go of her arm, the spell done and the wound healed as though her skin was never cut in the first place.

“I'm not lying; I just can't remember those other spells. I guess I just remembered this one because I thought it was important. You should know me Lina; I only really remember things which are important.” I looked at her a little meaningfully. I then helped her up to her feet and realised my hand was still on hers, in public, I snatched it away quickly and blushed.

We all sat back down at the table, Lina taking a little longer but finally she sat back down next to me and then I thought back to what the others said a few days earlier about what we were going to do next. I felt Lina was the only one who really knew that, and I was going to go wherever she was going.

“So Lina. Got any ideas of what we're going to do next?” I asked her, looking over at her whilst randomly playing with my fingers, still a little embarrassed by the whole healing spell thing.

Kurage

16.1
I shot Gourry a look, still wary of the idea that Gourry could use magic. You get so used to the idea that a person can only do or not do so many things, and then when they go out and prove what you thought wrong, it makes you wary.

When we had discussed it, both Zelgadis and Amelia were adamant that yes, Gourry could use magic, but I refused to believe it until I saw it. And then I saw it, and I thus am wary. I mean, for someone who has been insisting for years that he lacks the ability to use spells, he sure caught on fast, didn't he?

However, instead of saying these things, I rested my chin on my hands and thought about it for a moment before answering. “What exactly can we do?” I wondered. “Zelas isn't going to stay idle for long, especially if I've survived Xellos's attempt to kill me yet again.” I sighed and glanced at the three of them, and I suddenly felt very guilty and very old.

“I don't expect any of you to do anything, really,” I admitted without thinking. Amelia opened her mouth to protest, but I overrode her. “You have done far more than enough, especially while I was out playing evil bad. I would be damn near selfish if I assumed you would want to do anything more,” I concluded.

Zelgadis shot me a look, and I glanced back at him. I knew he didn't blame me for what had happened between us, and the look clearly said that, but I wasn't so sure, and the last thing I wanted to do was assume that someone who was a friend but who I clearly made miserable would continue on the search for more misery, cured or not. His look soured, and I glared back at him. He looked down at his coffee and sipped it, promptly ignoring me now.

Amelia looked damn right affronted as well. “Lina-san!” she snapped, making me jump at the sudden volume of her voice. In fact, both Zelgadis and Gourry jumped as well. Amelia has that affect.

She stood up and slammed her hands down on the table in front of me. “Haven't you got it by now!” she demanded. I felt my face redden in sudden anger, but she went right on. “We're with you, whether you like it or not! We don't care what we face, as long as it gets the job done! I don't know about Zelgadis-san, but I know I couldn't just go home with the thought that everything was still incomplete! I couldn't bear the idea of being at home while you're fighting for your life!”

“No, that's pretty much what I think, too,” Zelgadis piped in helpfully.

I shot a look to Gourry, expecting him to say something. His look was resolved and serious, and I groaned, knowing exactly what that meant. “You guys can't be serious, can you?” I demanded. “You do realize that the vendetta they have is for me.”

“Uh,” Gourry butted in, “not just you. The Blast Sword, they want that too. And with it, me.”

Trust Gourry to become intelligent all of a sudden. “FINE,” I snapped. “Gourry and I are on their list, but not YOU TWO.” I pointed first to Amelia, then Zelgadis.

Zelgadis blinked slowly. “Can't you ever just accept help for once, Lina?” he wondered calmly. I frowned, but he continued. “We're offering you our help. Something like this could easily get to be too much for just two people. At least with the four of us, the odds seem greater in our favour.”

He paused, taking a sip from his coffee. “Of course,” he added, “these odds are pretty crappy anyways, more people or not.”

Amelia and I stumbled, but Gourry merely blinked. “Zel, come on,” I snapped. “You just said yourself that the odds wouldn't make a difference.”

Zelgadis shot me a sour look again. “No I didn't,” he answered. “I said our odds suck, but they're somewhat better with more people. Pay attention, will you?”

I was starting to get seriously pissed off. Not only were they treating me like an idiot, but they still insisted on being a part of this. I don't think they really understood why I was so hesitant about it. I guess I had to admit why I was hesitant to it all and look like a giant OOC sap.

I sank down, tangled my fingers into my hair, and muttered it all. Amelia sat down to listen, finally, while I spoke.

“You guys seem to be unable to get it through your thick skulls why I don't want you in this,” I snapped. “So I'll just tell you. I want as few people involved, because too much is at stake. You guys will be killed if Zelas doesn't get what she wants, and that's the last thing I want, ever, especially if it's because of me.”

A silence met my words, and at once I felt both embarrassed and relieved. At least all of it was out in the open, now.

And then I felt the fist slam down on my head. I growled and clutched at my head, glaring up at the culprit. Amelia glared back at me. “Do you honestly think we would just turn tail and run like coward!” she demanded. “Especially if we knew you were in trouble! Get over yourself, Lina-san. We're coming with you, whether you like it or not!”

Great politician, that one.

I leaped up. “FINE! You can do that! But don't say I didn't warn you!” I shook my fist at all three of them. Zelgadis and Amelia glared at me, and Gourry just frowned.

You see, when you realize that you have friends in the world, it's hard to be what they expect you to be. What I wanted to do was leap over and hug them all so hard that their eyes would pop out, because I was so grateful that I didn't have to be alone in this hell-or-high-water mission of suicide. But if I did that, it wouldn't be myself, would it?

I hated the fact that in times of emotional barrage I slip into identity crisis. I know myself for the most part, and I know how I can be. I know my strengths as well as weaknesses, and I know what situation calls for what solution. Except when it comes to emotions. You see, their being so kind to me threw me a loop I couldn't follow, so I reacted with anger, because I didn't know how else to react. And when that happens, I become unsure of myself. And when that happens, I become sullen and embarrassed, which is exactly what happened.

I wanted to flee the room. But instead, I stayed put. “As for what to do,” I muttered, sitting back down. Amelia shortly did the same, looking angry, still. “I haven't a clue. Zelas obviously wants the Blast Sword, which is the catalyst for this insanity. But Veryna mentioned something else, something bigger coming. I wonder, did she mean what happened to me, or did she mean something utterly different?”

I paused, tugging at my bangs. “It could mean a number of things,” Zelgadis spoke up. I glanced over. “But I would lean towards something else, somethign bigger, like you said. You said it yourself, it's not over. They won't lay down and die now that it's obvious you survived. Add that to the insult of not having the thing they wanted to begin with, and it all adds up.”

“Question is,” I added, “what now? It's impossible to even begin to assume what they're planning. My suggestion? We just head out there, and hope for the best. What do you guys think?”

Dramata

16.2
I looked over at Lina as she began to explain that Zelas wouldn't just sit back now that she had become human once more. I then realised that they might try it again or try and kill her instead. I also realised that she might want to try and gain the Blast Sword as well since that's what she originally wanted. What if they used the same trick but this time threatened me with Lina's death? I knew how that would turn out and I wouldn't think twice about giving the sword up.

Lina then talked about us doing more than enough and straight away I felt something was not right. She continued on and I could tell that she didn't want the others to be involved. Well she had to think again because I wasn't sitting around and doing nothing, I was staying right next to Lina all the way and she should have known that. Amelia wasn't happy about it and soon enough she let the whole place know as she slammed her fists on the table as she yelled Lina's name making me jump out of my seat, and making me sit upright and pay full attention in fear of having something happen to me for not listening.

But as Amelia spoke, I realised she was thinking the same thing I was and I had to agree with her. It also frustrated me that Lina hadn't realised this. We were all her friends and so we would do anything and risk ourselves to help her out, just as she would with us. When Amelia finished Zelgadis added in that he agreed and then Lina looked at me. I didn't have to say anything since my look told her all that she needed to know.

She didn't seem too happy and moaned about it, claiming that they only had a problem with her and that we weren't involved. I had something to say about all that, considering they did want the Blast Sword in the first place. Also the sword only really seemed effective in my hand since it was built for me, which also made me realise that they might want me as well. I let her know about it, she wasn't the gods given gift to the world, even if sometimes I felt like treating her like she was.

She only got angrier, seemingly because I corrected her. There's nothing worse than having the dumb person in the group correcting you. It was only going to dent her pride a little so of course she was just going to become more defensive. She then complained about Amelia and Zelgadis not being involved, but Zel decided to add the point that Lina should just accept help, and even though the odds were going to be bad, more people would help things. I just blinked because I didn't really understand that properly, and it mustn't have been good considering Lina and Amelia fell over.

Things just seemed to go around in a circle, with Lina being adamant that no one else should have to be involved and Amelia was having none of it, even lashing out at Lina and I started to wonder if Amelia was beginning to pick a few things up from Lina that she shouldn't have. She then made the point that we were with Lina no matter what, and finally glared at her, Zelgadis doing the same. I frowned not liking all the confrontation and kind of losing the plot on things.

Lina then finally got to the question I asked what seemed like an age ago, and I realised that she wasn't too sure of what to do. I guess there wasn't much we could do, it wasn't like we could just walk up and get it over with, especially with Xellos being so powerful and I didn't like the idea of going up against a mazoku lord either. Lina spoke about the possibility of something bigger that Veryna mentioned, which suddenly made me stiffen. The images of the battleground and all the death flooded my mind and my hands clenched tightly, staring at something unseen.

I was so caught up in the images that I had realised Amelia was asking me a question. I blinked a little and could see the frustrated faces on Amelia and Zelgadis, but Lina's face told me she knew what I was thinking about. I could see a little worry in her eyes, but I shook my head and just smiled, rubbing the back of my head.

“Sorry, I wasn't listening.” I replied. I could see Zel vein despite his stone skin, and I kind of felt bad, I was just glad Lina understood.

“What do you think we should do?” She said, presumably again since she must have asked it a first time. I thought things through a little, and looked to Lina momentarily.

“I say we just carry on like nothing happened. We were meant to go to the other continents we hadn't been to yet, until we found the clues for the Blast Sword. We should just go and adventure like normal.” Zel and Amelia looked a little surprised at me, which made me blink, and made me think I had said something wrong.

“Excellent idea Gourry-san! We can spread justice across the world, and make those who are evil suffer and pay for their crimes.” She'd stood on top of the table with her fist in the air and drew the looks from the other customers. I wished I was able to hide and I could see Zel and Lina wanted to do the same. “I've done more than enough work here, it's about time I spread out the justice more easily.” Zel reached out and tugged on her cape slightly, making her fall into her seat. He then leaned forward.

“I agree with Amelia, but instead I think it would be a good chance to look for a cure. There must be unknown magics out there which might help me become human again.” I blinked even more now, as I was amazed to be told I had thought of a good idea.

“Well let's go then, no time like the present!” Lina grinned, her hand slamming down on the table and standing up. She then glanced towards me and I nodded. We gathered our things together and headed out to the docks not far from Atlas City upon hearing of a boat that was heading to the southern continent. It was actually the same continent but avoided the journey through the Desert of Destruction.

The journey took several days and I could see Lina slowly growing frustrated with not having much to do on the boat. I decided it was best for my safety and the general structure of the ship if I stayed away from her, in case I pissed her off and came under harm. I was adamant that I slept in the same room though. Knowing that Zelas and Xellos could come back made me nervous of leaving Lina on her own when she was most vulnerable. That was the most I risked with her, and I came out of it unscathed as I made her realise my decision.

The thing that I remembered the most was one night when I was at the front of the ship. We were travelling along a little slowly as there wasn't much wind so it also made things really quiet. I looked up at the sky and noticed how many more stars I saw in the sky compared to in the cities where there was more lighting. It seemed beautiful and as if on cue, I heard footsteps from behind. I turned to see they belonged to Lina who came and joined me by my side.

Quickly looking around I knew we were all alone so I took a chance to have a small intimate moment. I moved behind her as she leant against the side, and slowly I wrapped my arms around her waist. She stiffened at first and I could tell she wasn't expecting it, but then it seemed she realised it was alright and we were alone because she quickly relaxed.

I pulled her closer to me and rested my chin upon her head. I felt her gloved hands rest on top of my own and I interlocked our fingers together.

“It's beautiful, isn't it Lina.” I asked her, speaking softly and gently. She didn't speak, she just nodded gently and I looked down to notice she had closed her eyes. Her head was resting back against my shoulder and for some reason I felt like now was the right time. I reached into my pocket and brought out the small box, I then placed it in her hand and closed her hand over it. Suddenly she stiffened again and her eyes widened. I blinked and wondered what had shaken her out of the relaxed state.

I leaned my head down and kissed her neck gently, then nuzzled my cheek against hers. “I wanted you to have something, something I thought you might like. It's a promise ring. A promise I want us both to keep. The promise is that we will always protect each other. I'll protect you and hold you when you're in trouble, and you will protect me and hold me when I'm in trouble.”

I took the box from her hands and opened it slowly, letting her take a look at the ring. I then took it out from the box and took her hand, slowly placing the ring over her ring finger.

“I'll protect you forever, Lina. I'll protect you forever because I love you. I just hope that you will protect me too.”

I then turned her around and pulled her close to me, my arms wrapping tightly around her waist and I kissed her softly.

Kurage

16.3
I hate being BORED. Boredom is not FUN. It's BORING. I HATE it. BOREDOM SUCKS.

I paced and pondered and wandered around the modest boat, frustrated that along with the disappearance of my cape, I had lost a lot of other books and items I had been hoping to work with or on. I had to start all over again, and some of the books I would never be able to find again, no matter how hard I looked.

I really, really, REALLY hate Xellos.

So I practiced with my magic instead, making sure that during my transition as a Mazoku I hadn't lost any knowledge or skill. I of course stayed away from the higher-level spells, but there would always be time to practice those later on, on better targets than old barrels and empty cups.

I discovered I hadn't lost anything, for the most part, although for some reason casting white magic spells made me nervous and shaky. I figured it was because of my rough transformation back, but I kept an eye on it. Last time I didn't keep an eye on things I ended up worse for wear.

When Gourry decided to position himself in my bedroom with me, there wasn't much I could do about it, although I sure as hell tried. I was embarrassed; it was different sleeping in the same space with him when camping or when one of us was injured, but both of us were fine, and I felt the over-protectiveness was unnecessary.

We argued about it, me screaming that he was being an idiot and it was pointless to even bother, and he saying calmly that I could say what I want but he wasn't moving. Things were thrown and curses were shouted, but in the end I caved, and it turned out it wasn't so bad to have company. He snored, but so did I, and he didn't try anything, for which I was grateful. The most he did was give me a sleepy hug or a sloppy kiss on my forehead before bed.

I figured, hell, that wasn't so bad.

The night in question was one of those restless nights. I had tried to cast a Flow Break but it backfired and fizzled out, and it made me feel sick at the same time. I was starting to get pissed off, and my spirits were dampened completely. It was as if I would never be rid of the damn reminder of being a Mazoku, even if it had been short-lived.

I trudged out onto the deck to sulk and get some fresh night air, and discovered that Gourry had beaten me to it. I wondered where he had been. Come to think of it, I also wondered where Amelia and Zelgadis were. Maybe that was best not thought about.

I walked over, and, well, you know the rest. If ever there was a moment that could fluster an unshakable girl like me, it was that one. It was the same ring, and not only was he not mad at me, he didn't seem to know that I had found it before. I wondered if it would be dishonest to not tell him, but I figured, if he asked, I would tell him then.

The things that come out of Gourry's mouth on a regular basis are always so STUPID compared to how eloquent he can be when he's alone with me. It makes me wonder if the stress of being around so many different people makes his brain shut down as a defense mechanism. Either way, his words, his touch, his gestures, they made my heart race and they made me feel warm all over, even in the chill of the night air.

Deep down, I felt my heart, despite its racing, opening up. I usually have to keep the deepest parts of me blocked off from others, lest I get hurt, but with Gourry, especially that night above all others, the last thing I wanted was to close off and keep him out. I wanted him to touch my heart and keep it safe, and I knew he could do that. I KNEW he could. I just wasn't sure if I could do the same for him. Until a few years ago, I wasn't even sure if I was capable of love. Sure, like any other girl, I loved the idea of it all, the romance, the flowers, everything. But once it hit me it was like...great! So what do I do!

I'm not exactly the type of girl that I thought Gourry would want. I mean, when I met Sylphiel, I though, ah, so this is why he wasn't into me at first. She's his type, not me. And no matter how annoyed I got thinking about it, I couldn't escape what I thought was fact.

But obviously Gourry was proving these thoughts wrong. Obviously, I was his type of girl. Obviously, I suited him just fine.

So I kissed him back. I didn't hold back. I held onto him tightly and pushed as close as I could, putting all of my feelings and thoughts into kissing him. My heart raced and I felt so alive and so wanted. The feelings were so akin to blowing bandits up that I wondered if I even needed to do that anymore if Gourry was always around to kiss me this way.

For some reason, my actions seemed to spark something in him, and he held onto me tightly, as if he was afraid I would slip out of his grasp. I blinked a little, wondering what was wrong, and when I pulled away and looked up at him, I saw him turn red. I, in return, blushed deeply, wondering what I was supposed to say. I didn't think voicing my response to what he said was necessary; I had already done so with my actions. So therefore, I was confused, and feeling shy all of a sudden.

However, I didn't want to pull away. I just wanted to stay close. Gourry was so warm, and I felt so safe and snug. Who cared if my heart was skipping several beats at a time? Who cared if I could hardly catch my breath? Who cared if I was shaking a little, but from what, I wasn't sure? I didn't. Right?

I snuggled close, burying my face into the soft skin of his neck, and stayed there, shutting my eyes. I could smell him, and it was so comforting. I practically melted in his arms, not wanting to move away.

I was so touched, so honoured by what he had said to me. Silly, isn't it? I could fight all of the Dark Lords of the world and not feel any honour, but when Gourry pours his heart out and gives me a ring that he thought I would like, I felt wonderful.

I played with his hair a little, keeping my eyes closed, standing on my toes to keep my face pressed to his neck. I felt him hold me close, and rest his head on top of my own, and for once, I felt happiness that I had no words for.

So I said nothing, and I was understood.

Dramata

16.4
As I held her like that in the moonlight, I felt the stirrings inside once more like those few days ago back in Atlas City. They made me want to push tighter against her, make me want to be all over her. I wanted to kiss her entire body, and gently caress each part of her. But I didn't want to do anything because I was scared. I was scared of ruining this perfect moment with her by pissing her off by going too far. It's just inside I could feel my mind and body demanding that this happened, and I wanted to know what it was like.

She was with me in my arms, her head against my neck and she was on her tiptoes. It was cute for her to do that and I leaned down slightly to make it easier for her. My head was rested on top of hers. Her scent had me caught into her embrace, and I knew that if I didn't do anything, we would just stay like that forever. But those other feelings were nagging at my mind, and I was worried that it was just me feeling them and not her. I couldn't ask her though; I was worried that she might think that I was just perverted. I had these feelings and thoughts because I loved her, and something was telling me the things I wanted to do were more ways of telling her I loved her.

Instead I slowly pulled away and could tell she was reluctant to do so but we knew we had to. We needed to get some rest and I think in the end she knew it too. I kept close to her though wrapping an arm around her and I felt her arm back around my waist, as we walked back below deck and to the room. Once inside she gave me an almighty glare as she moved behind a privacy screen to get changed. I frowned a little and just turned away until she gave me the ok. I also got changed into pyjamas behind the screen as we had done every night. Something was different this time, as I watched Lina get into bed, I found myself staring at her, those feelings just before on the deck returning.

I shook my head before she saw me staring and I went over to the makeshift bed set up next to hers. I guess these were more like guest rooms rather than the hammocks the crew had. This room was only really meant for one though with one bed, although I was sure I could fit in with Lina if we cuddled up. Wait! What was I thinking, cuddling up with Lina in the same bed? I lay down on the makeshift bed, pulling the thin blanket over me and curling up. I turned away from Lina and tried to fight those thoughts from my head. I couldn't believe what I was thinking; surely I would have been killed for being in the same bed as her.

Those thoughts repeated for the next few nights and I had to fight those urges. The mornings were pretty embarrassing too, with me having to wait around a bit to `settle down'. That of course meant Lina got a head start on breakfast and left me suffering with embarrassment and hunger. I didn't know who I could talk to about it. Amelia I didn't dare think of talking about that sort of thing to, so Zel was the more obvious choice. I just didn't feel comfortable talking about that kind of thing with him.

We settled down to go to bed for another night with word that we should make it to land the next day. I wanted to go to sleep but something was nagging me. I sat up and looked over to Lina who was curled up in the bed and I wasn't sure if she was sleeping yet. I reached over and tapped her shoulder lightly.

“Lina? Are you awake?” I whispered gently. She just murmured gently and rolled over to face me.

“I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest.” I suddenly grew shy and wasn't sure if I could say what I wanted to say. But then I realised I had to say it before it drove me mad.

“I want to know if you're having the same feelings that I'm having. When I hold you close to me and I can feel your warmth and smell your scent. Something inside me turns on, and I want to do more. It tells me that I should do those things to show how much I care for you but I'm scared of doing them. I just wanted to know if you feel the same way.”

I looked at her and I could see her blink at me in surprise. Suddenly I grew nervous and wish I could be far away.

“Forget it Lina, it doesn't matter. Goodnight.”

I then curled up in my bed immediately and fought myself to sleep, hoping she would just forget about all that I had said.

We woke up the net morning and I felt like I couldn't really look at Lina never mind talk to her. I felt like I had done something wrong and I felt bad about it. We got changed and headed up for breakfast, treating it like every other meal we had. But once it was over I was quiet again.

I headed above deck on my own and looked out to the horizon to see the land slowly come into view. This was the continent, a part of the world that we had never been to before. My mind changed from the things with Lina and I felt a little bit of excitement inside. I wondered what new things we would find, but more importantly, what new meals we would discover.

The others came up and joined me and we watched as we came closer to the new world. I glanced to Lina and I knew that she too was thinking about what there was to discover. I could see the excitement in her face; this was what made Lina who she was. Her eyes were filled with that excitement. I also felt this was like a new start for her, a clean slate which would allow her to put behind all the mazoku business.

We docked and headed into the town, with the first order of business being to find a map of the new land. After finding a map, we headed to a restaurant to try some of the newer foods whilst working out where we should travel. Some of the newer foods were really amazing, and I tasted things new and different, whilst others were what we used to have but made slightly differently. I think I fought with Lina over the food more than usual since we knew this was new and different.

After a good meal, I sat back and took a closer look at the map and worked things out. I placed it back on the table to show the others.

“This to the north will be the Desert of Destruction, I didn't realise how big it was! We're here, this part which looks almost like an island just right on the coast. There are three cities on this bit that I think we should visit those.” I pointed out the places on the map as I described them. I was good with maps, and was pretty good with planning routes. I just never really understood the history behind those places.

“I think we should spend a few days in each of those cities, to use the libraries and learn about the history, and we'll be able to learn of places to search for interesting items.” Zelgadis joined in.

“It should only take a day to get to this city to west so we should rest up here before heading off.” I mentioned and it seemed the group agreed.

We booked some rooms at the inn before heading off to look around the town. Zel and Amelia headed off together and I stayed with Lina as she went to various stores to get supplies for our trip, and then went to what appeared to be a magic store. It was different from the ones I was used to and I guess it was because like the continent to the west, they weren't used to magic from inside the barrier.

I of course ended up having to carry the whole lot and lugged it all back to the inn just as the sun started to set. We had another meal and then headed off to our rooms to sleep for the night as we had to set off early the next day to make it to the city. Of course I wasn't able to sleep as my mind was brought back to the thoughts of last night on the boat. I stepped outside onto a small balcony and looked out at the town. I gripped onto the railing as I felt frustrated with my feelings and annoyed at myself for letting them get the better of me until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Lina looking at me with concern.

“Lina…” I then lost my voice, unable to speak, because I didn't know what to say, and instead just looked at the ground.

Kurage

16.5
Did I feel those feelings?

It was obvious, to me, that I did. Whenever he touched me or hugged me platonically, of course not. But when we were alone, it was much, much different. I felt warm, I felt lit up, I felt these urges and feelings that must be the genetic makeup of my being and certainly not something I would feel otherwise, right?

Except Gourry was extremely good-looking. I have said this before, many times. He's tall, he's built, and he has such nice hair and such caring eyes. I seriously do not think I would have noticed if we hadn't gotten as close as we had. But if my brain hadn't noticed my body sure had, and I was starting to get confused about it all.

And now that Gourry had obviously been feeling the same feelings, all I could do was lie awake at night and wonder what I was supposed to, what I was supposed to say, to ease the strain on our relationship, but I came up with nothing.

The change was visible in Gourry. He was withdrawn, quiet, and he wouldn't greet me in the morning anymore. I, to be blunt, felt like crap. Obviously he was frustrated, and it made me wonder if all I was doing was being a tease, but...what could I do? I wasn't ready to...er...do that, yet...and I knew nothing about how to please a man, save the snarky gibes taken at me by horny bandits.

And Amelia was useless. She knew less about it all than I did, and when I tried talking to her, she became a reddened, useless, babbling idiot. She became so flustered so easily that after the first couple of times I tried talking to her about it I gave up and vowed never to do so again, and she seemed very relieved about it.

I loved Gourry, and I wanted him to be happy, but I wondered what else I could possibly do to make him happy. It seemed like I kept sinking instead of swimming, and I wondered if such a thing would cause me to lose him…

Finally, the ship ride was over, and, I had hoped, the awkwardness that came with it. I felt relieved to feel solid ground under my feet again. You never realize how great the ground is until you're deprived of it.

That night, I was awakened when Gourry slipped out of bed. I knew what was wrong, and I hesitated, curling up into a ball. I hated this. I hated the fact that I was making him crazy instead of happy, but dammit, if it was so frustrating, why didn't he just make a move and see what would happen? Why was he being such a coward about this all when he was so brave about everything else?

I sighed and slid out of bed, following him. We were going to resolve this problem, NOW. I was tired of the evasiveness and I wanted things to be nice again.

I patted his shoulder, and he turned and said my name, but seemed unable to do anything other than that. Which was perfect, if you ask me.

I put my hand back on his shoulder, then came forward, grabbed his other shoulder, and shoved him down to my height, so I could glare at him properly. I grabbed onto the front of his shirt to keep him there. “WHY are you acting like a two-year-old!” I demanded. I could hear my voice echoing in the night air but I didn't care.

“If you want something, you're supposed to go for it!” I went on, glaring at him. “You have always been that way, and it's what I like about you!” I shook him a little. “If you want to kiss me, do it! If you want to touch me, do it! It's not like you to be such a whining wuss!”

He frowned, obviously wanting to say something in his defense, but I kept talking over him. “You never know until you try!” I continued. “And neither do I! I haven't tried because I know PISS about this sort of thing!”

Ah, there it was, the all-familiar burning in my cheeks. I had just admitted WAY too much, but there was no going back now, was there? I finally let go of him and put my hands on my hips, trying to look as threatening as I could in borrowed inn pajamas. Gourry straightened up and looked closely at me, and damned if I could figure out what he was thinking.

Still, my wind wasn't done yet. I held out my hands. “I don't know anything about this sort of thing! So you need to help me! If I hate it, you will know, Gourry! But stop being a wimp about it!” I felt my face burn several more decibels but I went on. “I, uh...I'm not quite ready for...the...you know, the actual...you know!” I finished lamely. “But we can work on that, can't we?”

Gah, my whole face was on fire by now. This was so embarrassing. I didn't know how far Gourry had gone and with who in the scope of things (Sylphiel came to mind yet again), and I was sure I didn't want to know! But admitting that I was a complete dunce was not only an insult to my pride but an injury to my ego. Admitting it all was, needless to say, pretty damn embarrassing, especially in front of someone like Gourry, who was older than me and who must have been around once or twice.

“I would hate to think that this new thing between us is easily broken by silly things such as our own obvious and mutual feelings not only in our hearts but in other places, too.” I smiled faintly, my voice much softer than it had been. It sounded silly to my ears, thinking that Gourry, of all people, would find me attractive enough to be frustrated about it.

“So are we clear or what? Can I go back to bed and not worry about you pacing and feeling sorry for yourself?” I grinned up at him, teasing him.

Dramata

16.6
All I can really think about was that I was surprised how upfront Lina was about it. Ok Lina can be upfront about a lot of things, but when it came to this sort of thing, Lina always stayed away from it. So I stood there and listened to her talking to me, if you could say being called a two year old is a good start to a conversation. She even dragged me down so I was face to face with her and it surprised me about how frustrated she was with me for being like that.

As she went on she told me everything that I needed to know. I somehow felt comforted when she told me she didn't know how it worked. That meant that we were able to work together through this, and that we could learn together. She still managed to put me down though, calling me a wimp and such, but I just took that as her way of motivating me. In all honesty I wasn't experienced in this sort of thing myself, but I knew what my body was telling me to do. I was just fighting against it because I didn't want it to mess things up between Lina and myself.

Finally I nodded to her when she mentioned getting back to bed, but the difference now was that I was going to join her. She sat back down on the bed and I sat down beside her and I knew I surprised her a little. I wasn't turning back now, I was going to do what I felt like I should do, and that was to be close to her and not rush things, I wanted to enjoy this with her, and I wanted to make it right.

I leaned into her and kissed her, this kiss was not like the others though, there was more in it. There was the desire let loose and my hand reached out to her cheek to caress it. I pushed her back down on the bed slowly, and lay just beside her, still kissing deeply. I reached back pulling the covers over us, showing that I was here to stay.

I slowly pulled away from her lips, my breathing heavy and I looked deeply into her eyes. I wanted her to see everything I was feeling in mine, and that was my love for her, and my total desire for her. I leaned back down but this time start kissing her neck, I wanted to see if it tasted the same, I wanted to know if it made her feel different. I kissed along her jaw and neck, with my hand resting gently on her hip. I heard her breathing quicken and the slightest of moans which told me she liked it.

I continued up her jaw line until I reached her ear, and decided to try something different. I wrapped my lips around her ear lobe, and bit gently. I wasn't really sure what I was doing or why but it just seemed like the right thing to do. I moved my fingers through her soft brown hair and moved back to her lips, wanting to taste those once more. Then my other hand slowly moved up her side, beginning to wonder if this was the right thing. My mind told me it was, and Lina would tell me otherwise so I went ahead.

My hand moved gently over her breast, only this time it wasn't to make fun or joke. I did it because I wanted to find out if she enjoyed it. I kept kissing deeply, and I could tell her breathing had quickened from the air tickling me from her nose. I think that was more from nervousness but I made sure to stay gentle with her. I squeezed very gently and she tensed immediately, causing me to let go and pull back. I was scared that I hurt her, but she shook her head, knowing from my eyes of my thoughts already.

I had explored enough for the night and knew we had to start travelling early in the morning, meaning we should really get rest. She turned onto her side and I moved in behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and pulling her into me. My head right by her hair, allowing me to enjoy the scent of it and we dropped off to sleep together.

The sun shone through the window and into my eyes forcing me to wake up from the peaceful slumber. My initial reaction was to squeeze Lina, which forced her awake and caused her to grumble. I leaned in and kissed the side of her neck.

“Morning.” I said cheerfully, and I think she said it back, but I wasn't sure. It sounded more like a grunt. I let go of her as she got out of bed and got changed, and I did the same as we went down for breakfast. We met the others and we fought over breakfast as usual. I think I chalked that one as a win, since I swear I stole more food from her plate than she had mine. I got most of the bacon anyway!

Pretty soon we were heading off to this city, heading west and slightly south as we followed the coastline. I walked beside Lina whilst ahead of us Amelia and Zel walked side by side. I guess no matter what continent you're on, there will always be bandits because it only took us a couple of hours to come across a group of them. They came up with the same lines and I began to wonder if there was a manual the whole lot of them had which was about how to be a bandit. I thought they might have been different but instead they were the same.

I don't think Lina minded though because I could see the excitement. This was her way of getting back to normality and now she was finally able to stretch out her legs and get to real work. That left barely any work for Zel, Amelia and me because Lina insisted on dealing with most of them herself. I used my normal sword, remembering to only use the Blast Sword for when I really needed it.

Lina had seemed annoyed about losing most of what she had gained which she kept in her cape so she seemed to want to make up for it. She left a couple conscious still and began demanding where their camp was. After beating the information out of them we took a slight detour.

“Lina, are you sure about this? We might not make it to the city by nightfall at this rate.” As a response Lina just looked at me and glared, so I backed down straight away.

We reached the camp and it seemed that only a few bandits were take care, the rest must have been the ones we just beat up, well Lina beat up anyway. They didn't last long though since she let loose with a fireball and blew the rest of them away. Lina jumped like a six year old girl on her birthday after seeing she got the most presents in the world ever.

She stormed into the main building and by the time we got there she was revelling in the masses of gold and scattered around were a few books. Zel walked in and took a look at the books whilst Lina started stashing away as much gold as possible. Amelia didn't look to happy at first but I think she convinced herself that justice was being done. I wasn't sure blasting away a group of people we barely knew about was such a good idea, but from past experience they usually worked alone so I figured there wasn't much to worry about.

We headed back on track towards the city and managed to just reach it as night fell. Lina had a big spring in her step and I was just glad she was back to normal now. She was able to do what made her most happy and it cheered me up. And I'm not gonna complain now that we had a load of money to work with. We stayed at the most expensive inn and restaurant, enjoying the luxuries of the good food and hot springs.

We then went to our rooms and after a nice long bath, I sat on a chair whilst combing the tangles out of my hair, whilst Lina was on the bed sorting out her newly acquired treasures. I looked over her and managed to roll my eyes a little. Sometimes she was so easy to please.

“So what have you got Lina? Anything of interest?” I asked, continuing to brush through the knots, and allowing my hair to shine and remain soft. Hey, a guy can be proud of his hair too you know. At least I don't braid it!

Kurage

16.7
If I thought Gourry drove me crazy before, doing normal things on a normal basis, the things he did to me then were the peak of it all.

His kisses her like brands of heat, coursing through my body and sending that same heat flashing into places I had no idea were capable of receiving it. It was like he knew all of my spots, all of the sensitive places, even when I had no idea such places existed on my body.

I couldn't help it. I couldn't keep it to myself. Without helping it, without controlling it, I gave in. These feelings were too much, they were too strong an too passionate, and I have always been taught never to deny something that felt good, and by any god you can find, Gourry, as a whole, felt good.

He touched me, and I moved closer. He leaned in, and I snuggled closer, wanting to keep his warmth close to me, wanting to feel more and more.

It was like all of those times I talk about going out and kicking the sorry ass of every single idiot bandit in my way, not stopping for anything or anyone, and taking all I could while going to the next group. It felt just as good, better, much better...

My heart raced, I felt butterflies in my stomach, and of course I blushed, but I didn't pull away when he touched me. I was a little shy about it all, when he touched me there, because after all of the years of teasing, I had firmly taken it to heart that he found my body unattractive. But he kissed me, and I kissed back, and I could feel his own heart racing and his own breathing quicken, and it was proof enough for me.

I don't think he really got the affect he was having on me, especially when his fingers closed over my breast and squeezed gently. I don't think he realized that I was veeeeerryyyyy close to going insane from his attentions. That was why I tensed. I had never, EVER, felt a feeling like that before, and it scared me a little. Gourry must have gotten the hint, however, because he stopped, and when I looked up at him I saw he looked scared, but I shook my head slowly.

I hoped he would remember that I had liked that.

However, I was starting to get shy again, and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. Plus, it was getting late, and even though I was a little (LITTLE BIT) scared, I also knew that, yeah, we had to get up early the next day. I knew Gourry agreed, so we snuggled close and slept the night away.

I awoke from a rather wonderful dream that involved sticking pins in Xellos's eyes while shrieking “THAT IS A SECRET!” each time I did it when Gourry squeezed me. I squeaked, cursed, and grumbled, and he laughed at me.

Yep. It was nice waking up that way. Besides, I could always revisit that dream anytime.

Ah, yes, the bandits. I love bandits. They make me so happy. I love ruining their lives and making mine better, especially now that my magical stock was severely low due to freaking Xellos.

They swarmed us, and I felt a tinge of excitement flow through me. Finally, I can have a blast! Literally and figuratively!

Without saying a word, I started with a Fireball. Fast, effective, and damn fun. The first slew were charred into being dazed, but the second batch were pissed off and healthy, still. A few tried to jump me, but I was way too fast to fall for such crap. Before they knew it, the second string had succumbed to a barrage of Flare Bits and Dil Brands.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I overkilled. But you know what? When you've had a life-altering experience, one you would never, ever want to live again, all you want to do is feel normal, and dammit, kicking those bandits from here to there made me feel like finally I was my old self again.

As it turns out, there were more, so instead of heading for them, we detoured. Ultimately my choice, although to be honest, I dunno why I chose it. Maybe after all of the time as a Mazoku, I really just wanted an adventure, a challenge, and I had earned it, had I not?

And it filled my purse. Which to me, was definitely a huge deal.

In the inn, I crowed over my newly acquired items to Gourry. I knew he didn't care, but I was having a blast! “So much things here, Gourry, so much!” I gloated, clasping my hands under my chin. “Not only will we not have to worry about money for a while, but I could also afford replacements for a few things...” I started ticking the items off on my fingers, mentally cataloging the money and the items, and when it all came out even, I squealed with glee. “Yes! This is awesome! I love bandits, I really do!”

I rummaged through the money and picked up a few shiny daggers. I tossed one to Gourry, just to give him something to do. I rummaged and sorted, and soon I had four piles: money, shiny things to sell (those daggers and a few useless baubles), shiny things to keep, and useful items.

“Okay,” I said proudly. Leaning back, I examined my work. “Tomorrow before we head out again, I'll stop by a few shops to sell the useless crap.” I looked up at Gourry, who was slicing the air with the dagger casually. “Hey, Gourry,” I blinked.

“Yup,” he nodded, sheathing the dagger and looking at me happily.

I smiled. “Wanna come with me tomorrow to the magic shops? I have some things to sell, and I could use the company.”

I seriously didn't think he would be interested, since usually I don't ask him and tell him instead, and that's because I need someone to carry my stuff back. Plus, it was magic stuff.

However, given current events, I asked mostly because he had recently gotten into the field, and, as hard as it was to believe it all, I felt I might as well encourage him along with it, right?

Right?

Dramata

16.8
I grabbed the knife as she threw it to me and I looked at it closely. It was a pretty thing but not so practical, the sharpness was gone. It was so blunt I don't think it would have cut through warm butter, but I had fun with it none the less, randomly swinging it through the air. Lina then started talking about stopping at the shops to sell the items before heading off. I kept swinging and I had heard what she said but I guess she thought I hadn't heard her. I sheathed the dagger and gave her my attention although I was confused about the heading off part; I thought we were staying for a couple of days so Zel could use the libraries.

She then suggested than I went along with her to the shops. I was kind of confused by her asking me, she normally just dragged me along, or actually I would just follow her wherever she went and sometimes it happened to be some of those shops when she would sell things for much increased price. She seemed that she really wanted to include me in this and I didn't want to let her down so I nodded in agreement.

I walked over and sat on the bed beside her, placing the dagger down with all of the other ones and took her hand in my own.

“You do realise that we're here for a few days, Zel's going to be using the libraries to look things up. Don't you want to do the same, there might be some books on hidden treasure or powerful items long forgotten. You want to find those don't you?”

Lina blinked at me, seemingly a little confused for the moment and I was a little worried. I knew over the years I was picking things up from her, I just hoped that she wasn't picking up a bit of my forgetfulness.

“Oh well, I guess that means we have a bit more time to ourselves then.” She then grinned a little evilly as suddenly she sat on my lap with her hands on my shoulders.

“Lina? What are you doing?”

“Little revenge for last night.”

“Revenge? I was asleep Lina, I promise I didn't me...” I was cut off by her lips as she kissed me deeply and I slowly relaxed into it. I then felt her pushing against me, forcing me to lie back down on the bed. She then pulled away onto to move back in and started kissing my neck. I gasped a little in surprise and then closed my eyes as I took in the sensations I was getting. Her soft lips worked wonders, but I wasn't prepared for her sharp teeth as she nipped me gently.

I could tell she liked the reaction I made because she did it a couple more times. I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly as I went through the ride of feelings she gave me as she kissed and nipped at my neck. She then moved up, and started nibbling at my ear. I realised she was going over what I had done with her the previous night. What I had done to her she must have enjoyed because she was repeating it with me, hoping I would enjoy the same, at least that's what I thought. Anyway it had the desired effect because I felt wonderful, and I just hoped she felt at least half of what I felt now.

However there was something that she was doing now that I hadn't done with her. She was on my lap and her movements there where having effects on me. I blushed deeply and reached out onto her back as I felt the rising from below. I knew she felt it because she stopped nibbling at my earlobe and looked at me. I blushed even deeper and I could see her looking at me, trying to work me out.

She pressed down a little firmly against me and it caused me to gasp. Immediately she pulled away, thinking she had done wrong. I grabbed her hips and pushed her back down again because I wanted to feel it again. She complied and pressed down firmly against me, causing me to gasp once more. We were still learning each others bodies, how each other worked. This was all so new to me and I knew it was to her, I just new the adventurers in us made us want to explore.

She took a hold of my hands and pulled them up, making me place my hands on her breasts. I remembered the reaction she made the previous night when I squeezed, so I did it once again, ever so gently and I watched her throw her head back and press herself down against me, causing another moan from me. It was almost like a chain reaction, as I squeezed her again. I then tried something different and slowly rubbed my hands over them. I watched as it caused another reaction from her, a little different. I also felt something new, something hardened slightly and so I concentrated on those small nubs, and squeezed those. That caused an all new powerful reaction, and I new she really liked it, so I did it once more.

We soon stopped, decided we had done enough exploring for the moment and I just held her close in my arms. I felt tired and I could see her eyes were dropping also as we faced each other in the bed. I kept giving her small light kisses, as we held each other tighter, and slowly fell asleep in each other's arms.

I woke up the next morning and reached out to find an empty bed. I blinked as I rubbed my eyes open and sat up, finding myself alone with Lina's things missing. She must have got up early and headed down for breakfast already. I sat up in the bed and realised I had slept in my clothes so decided to get changed in my spare clothes which were pretty much the same. But something felt strange, a little odd and I couldn't work out what.

I walked over to a table with the mirror and picked up the brush I left there about to comb my hair when I caught my reflection. My eyes widened and I was horrified with what I saw.

“LINAAA!” I yelled in fury.

I joined the others for breakfast and sat there quietly as I ate, feeling annoyed and embarrassed. Zel kept quiet but Amelia and Lina kept giggling.

“Awww, c'mon Gourry, it's cute!”

I snapped.

“It's not cute! Why did you have to braid my hair? I liked it the way it was!” My hair had been pulled back into one large braid and tied at the bottom. “It's gonna be all wavy the second I undo it all, it'll be ruined…”

“But it'll keep the hair out of your way and your eyes when you fight. That's a good thing, and it looks fine. I'm quite proud of the work I did.” Lina gloated. She must have woken up early and decided to have fun, and braid it. I had to admit though, the point of keeping it out of my hair whilst I fought was good and so I decided that I would leave it. Plus the few sausages I stole whilst she giggled with Amelia cheered me up a little.

I carried all of Lina's things as we headed round to each of the shops. I realised quickly the true reason she wanted me round was so I could carry all of her things for her. She did include me though as she went into each shop and fought to get her items sold at the price she wanted. I learnt a little as I watched her but I wasn't sure if I would really remember it, but I was picking it up after all the years of being with her. I even managed to make a few sales myself and I was sure I made Lina proud as I sold them for quite a high price.

We left the shops having sold all the items and left with a good sum of money which Lina seemed happy enough with. So happy she even gave me a small amount of the money I made from selling those few items. We then decided to look around the local area just outside the city since Zel was busy at the libraries along with Amelia. I would have thought Lina would want to go too, but she suggested we looked around. I guess the adventurer in her wanted to explore, the bandit attack reminding her of that.

We walked side my side along the dusty paths about an hour from the city when we were quickly surrounded by more bandits. I blinked a little but Lina seemed more than happy with the situation.

“Hey, you're the ones who raided our camp! We want it back with interest, or we take it back with your lives instead!” The leader of the group said. He looked like any other bandit leader we had come across, confirming my idea of a manual for how to be a bandit, with a section on what the bandit leader should look like.

I looked to Lina, surprised by this group. “Lina, that camp could hold this many bandits in it.” I whispered to her and she nodded in agreement. She put her hands on her hips and put on the smirk like she'd done thousands of times before.

“Why should we give it back? It's not even yours, you stole it from others. I just took it back! Anyway, that camp we raided couldn't hold all of you. You're a different group, pretending to be them. It isn't fooling me.”

“Sorry to point it out, but you're wrong. We're all part of the same gang, the Dark Sea Gang. There are many of us on this continent, all working under the boss. You mess with one group; you mess with the entire gang. No matter where you go, you'll be hunted and taken down, so I suggest you give up.”

I gritted my teeth; suddenly I didn't like the situation we were in any more. Ok we had killed gangs like this all the time but this was different. We could kill these but in a few days there would be more. And they would keep coming and coming. I glanced to Lina again and she kept up the cocky look but I knew from the look in her eyes that only I could really read that she knew this was trouble.

I stepped forward unsheathing my sword knowing the plan already.

“I'm sorry guys but I'm her protector and well, I'm not just gonna stand by and do nothing.” Then without hesitation I was upon two goons and slashed my sword through their chests. I spun on the spot taking out three more of them who closed in behind me. My plan was to head for the main guy, once he was down the rest would be in disarray.

Lina was a step ahead with one well aimed fireball, which took the guy out straight away. I blinked and turned to Lina who gave me a victory sign and a wink. I just shook my head and carried on, the gang starting to just attack in numbers now they had no organisation. This put me at an advantage because it allowed me to take out more of them more quickly. If they had been more organised then it would have been harder, by drawing their attacks out in waves.

Of course there is the disadvantage that when they come in numbers there are a lot more to deal with at once and I let too many close. I felt the sting against my right thigh and lashed out in anger towards that direction. Lina had held back and started picking off the ones who were causing me most trouble with well aimed Flare Arrows. She used the high ground which meant she had more time to cast spells and defend herself.

After a long haul we managed to finish off the last few stragglers, the others had run away deciding that with the leader gone, they found no reason to lose their lives. We let them go but knew they would probably join one of the others and would come for us again. I dropped to one knee and started healing myself whilst Lina rushed over to my side.

“Well it didn't take you long to make enemies on a new continent.” I joked, but knew deep down this was a serious situation the others needed to know about.

Kurage

16.9
What can I say? I'm an ambitious person, and when I discover that once my moves weren't hurting him, why should I stop there?

Honestly? I don't know what possessed me to do that, but it turned out to be a good idea. Not only did I feel good, but I knew he did, and in the end I learned something about him as well: Sitting on him gets him turned on, very fast, and when he's turned on, I get turned on. And when that happens, I get carried away.

And getting carried away makes us both sleepy.

This was all brand-new to me. No amount of being jaded would have prepared me for any of it, really. I was learning, and I think he was too, although I didn't want to assume anything. I mean, it was likely he had done this before, but at the same time I wondered, but never out loud, lest I insult him or something.

Anyways, I might as well get back on track, here.

The braid? That was revenge for the bacon. Besides, it looked great on him. He's always such a worrywart when it comes to his masculinity.

Anyways, back on track. I knelt down beside Gourry and aided him in the healing spell, shooting him a stern glare. “Like I can't see that!” I snapped, suddenly moody. I didn't like the idea that people would be stalking us.

I patted Gourry's shoulder, once I was sure he was fine, then stood up again, pacing in front of him. He slowly stood up as well, but he stayed put. He knew what was coming.

“Okay, so now, not only have we managed to piss of a Dark Lord and her idiot minion, we also have some sort of destiny we need to fulfill as well. Add THOSE to this new fact that now we have a bunch of idiotic, never-say-die bandits chasing after us!”

I paused, took in a breath, then clutched at my hair, tugging. “Haven't we got enough to worry about!” I shrieked. “How many times does a girl have to KO before everyone decides it's enough!”

I tugged and yanked on my hair, close to another outburst, when Gourry came over and glomped me from behind. I stiffened, unsure of his motives, and I looked around, making sure no one could see and use it later as a weapon.

“Relax, Lina,” he said gently, and I did, without controlling it. I leaned back and melted a little, breathing in slow breaths and calming down. “You're not alone, and we've done much, much worse. You'll be just fine.”

“Meh,” I mumbled, running a finger up and down his arm. “I keep dragging you into messes. I'm surprised you haven't gone crazy yet.”

Gourry laughed a little. “Lina, I've grown used to you. How could I go crazy yet?”

I pulled away slowly and smiled up at him. Inside, I felt so happy, so grateful. Outside, however, I decided not to show it. I slapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Yeah, well, maybe you're crazy and you just don't know it yet,” I answered. “We better head back to the others before they suspect anything gross.”

Gourry nodded, rubbing his shoulder.

On the way back, we were attacked at least one and a half times. I say half a time, because the first group decided to try and get up again. This whole thing reminded me of when Gourry, Zelgadis, and I had that damn bounty on our heads, and I wondered how many groups of idiots would attack us before they were through.

Thus far, including the very first one, the count was 3 and a half.

When we got back, the attacks ended, although I still had the eerie feeling of being watched. By then Gourry and I were both starving, so we stopped by one of the local restaurants. They had a few dishes I had never heard of but I wanted to try, and Gourry was eager to just eat.

We ordered, the food came, and the war began. Despite his disinterest in trying new dishes, Gourry sure seemed to like to eat off my plate, which pissed me off. The dishes were good, not the best, but definitely worth eating all to myself.

The next time Gourry's fork came down, I parried it with my knife. While he was distracted, I took turns eating off of my plate and his. He shouted in indignation, and I grinned at him, but he was too quick for me. He flung his fork out of my hold and slammed it down on a particularly large piece of meat I had saved for last. I shrieked and stabbed my own fork down, and we played tug of war for quite some time, until my fist on his head seemed to stop him for a moment.

Awarded with a distraction, I leaned over and started shoveling his food into my waiting mouth. Gourry got up and we started fighting again, this time him trying to grab hold of me to restrain me and me trying to impale him with my knife and fork.

And so on. I'm pretty sure I won that round, however, seeing as how out of the both of us, I had fewer injuries than he did, and I was fuller than he was. Either way, it worked out just fine.

I had a sip of tea and pondered for a moment, while the wait staff cleared away the dishes. “What do you think, Gourry?” I wondered suddenly, thinking about the slews of bandits frothing and sharpening their knives no the outskirts of the town. “Should we head out with Amelia and Zelgadis or should we bring them along? I keep thinking it's a bad idea to have them involved in this, especially with this vendetta they have going.”

Gourry frowned, chewing on a fork dejectedly. “I dunno,” he admitted. “You know Amelia; she'll be pissed off after all that we've been through to be left behind now, And Zel seems pretty adamant to stick around.”

“Hmm,” I sighed deeply. “But he only wants to stay for the travels, and, although I haven't proved it yet, Amelia. If we leave them both behind they could travel together while searching for a cure, and Amelia could still explore.”

Gourry thought for a moment. “I'm pretty sure her heart is set on traveling with you, Lina,” he replied. “You know how she admires you.”

I frowned this time, looking at my hands. “Admiration isn't enough to get people killed, you know.”

“I know, I'm just playing devil's advocate, here,” he said a little defensively, holding up a hand and chewing on his knife.

“Fair enough,” I answered. I stretched and stood up, and Gourry set down his utensils and shortly followed.

“So what are you going to do?” He asked me once we were outside, walking back towards the inn side-by-side.

“What I always do; play it by year,” I replied, trying to sound cheerful. But inside, I was lost in a turmoil of emotions. Once again I was bringing more people into something they weren't involved in, and I couldn't help but feel guilty about it.

“I guess we'll just ask them,” I mumbled as we walked into the inn. I couldn't shake that something was horribly wrong, and that somehow, I would soon find out what it was.

Dramata