Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Dramata Kurage! ❯ Chapter 20 ( Chapter 20 )

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.

20.0
I was surprised to be honest when she told me how I knew all the best spots on her body but didn't know anything about her period. Well no one really told me about what a period was and I had no idea what the best spots on a woman were either, I was only experimenting. I could just tell that it was stopping us from going any further with what we were doing. It didn't help me at all when she sat up and gave me a good view of her front which I immediately began staring at, wanting to attack once more and make her feel good again.

Instead she didn't seem too happy about it and just lay back down, facing away from me and I was concerned. I couldn't really understand what was stopping us from going on but she really seemed adamant about not going on. I was wondering if I hurt her or this period thing was acting up and really bothering her. I leaned down placing a hand on her bare back and stroked gently, I then looked down at her and looked at her worriedly.

When she caught me gazing down upon her she just buried her head into the pillow, and demanded what I wanted. I kept a hand on her stroking her gently, and then leaned down, stroking some of her brunette locks out of the way and kissed her shoulder blade before nuzzling myself against her.

“I really don't understand much about anything Lina. I'm just doing my best to learn. I don't know what your best spots are. I'm just exploring and trying to work it out from the way you were reacting to me. No one's really sat me down and told me what a period was, all I can pick up is how you react when you say it's that time of the month. What I do see is that you're really irritable, your magic doesn't work and you get frustrated easily. It's also telling me that you're not comfortable with what we're doing now.”

Now I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her back into my body, and hugged her closely. I reached up, brushing a few more strands of her hair away from her cheek and face and just leaned close to me.

“So if you're not comfortable with doing this anymore, then we can just stop simple as that. You're just going to have to explain it to me Lina, because if it's something that bothers you, then it bothers me. I want to know what's bothering you and so you have to tell me exactly what's happening so I can help you. Just as you have to tell me what else I'm supposed to do to make you moan and purr like that.”

I kissed the back of her neck gently and then reached down to grab the covers, pulling them over us and nuzzled against her, just wanting to keep her as close to me as possible.

“Goodnight Lina.” I whispered gently into her ear then kissed her cheek gently before laying my head back down on the pillow, closing my eyes and drifting to sleep.

I woke up the next morning, greeted by the few rays of the morning sun which crept through the curtains. I looked infront of me to see the brunette sorceress still sleeping silently in my arms. I sat up carefully so not to wake her, and I just looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and mouth half open, with a faint trickle of drool running down her cheek and onto the pillow. I smiled a little and just sat there watching her, finding her incredibly cute and realising in part why I loved her so much.

She then stirred slightly and carefully opened her eyes. She turned her head to look up at me slowly and blinked a little and I could see her thinking why I was looking down at her.

“No bad dreams then?”

She just shook her head slowly, and I smiled. I leant down and kissed her softly and then pulled away from her slowly.

“Good Morning.”

Within half an hour we had both changed and were down in the restaurant, fighting over breakfast like we did every morning we were at an inn. I growled when I caught her trying to steal a few slices of toast and so managed to block her attack with the fork with my own. Our forks locked together and so we were drawn into a battle of pushing against each other. She started pushing back against me and realised I was about to lose until I quickly twisted the fork forcing it to fly out of her hands. So whilst she was defenceless I managed to steal a few slices of bacon and some eggs from her plate.

“You two never change do you?”

I stopped what I was doing and turned to see Sylphiel smiling a little as she looked over Lina and me. I blushed a little and didn't notice Lina had stolen a few slices of toast until I turned back and noticed the stack of toast had halved.

“Lina!”

“Well you stole a load of my bacon and eggs so you deserved it…Hey! Leave my waffles alone!”

I had attacked her stack of waffles whilst she was complaining towards me and so the brawl continued on as ever until all the food was gone.

I nursed the wound in my hand which was caused by the fork Lina stole from me and stabbed my hand with it. Sylphiel was giggling the whole time, at least until she saw me casting a healing spell on my own hand and looked on in shock at me. I guess we had a few details to fill Sylphiel in on from the time we left her three years ago till now. Well that was a lot to say, so I let Lina deal with all that information and I occasionally added a few points in especially around the time we were talking about when Lina was turned into a mazoku and I had to kind of deal with it on my own.

I think our talking of what happened in all that time helped Sylphiel understand why Lina and I had grown together. I think it also made us realise how it all happened and how much we had been through together. I looked at Lina a little meaningfully and she returned the look a little in the middle of the conversation.

I then began to wonder about Sylphiel, now realising why she came to the continent and making her realise who my heart really was for, I didn't know what she was going to do.

“So what are you going to do now Sylphiel?”

I looked to her and could see her think it over, and I kind of realised she didn't really know. Her whole reasoning of coming over was because of me. I glanced to Lina slightly and I knew she wasn't going to like the suggestion I made, but I hoped she really took to heart what I had mentioned the night before because I meant every single word of it.

“Why don't you stay with us for a bit? That will give you time to work out what you want to do and we could really use your help too for awhile.”

Sylphiel's eyes lit up a little and looked at me closely; meanwhile I could see Lina's eyes narrow momentarily.

“I would love that Gourry-san, I really appreciate that and I will help you out whenever I can.”

I nodded gently and smiled.

“Well that's settled then, let's move on and find out what's on this new continent!”

Kurage

20.1
Well, that made me feel like a heel.

In a way.

The last thing I wanted was to stop, and in no way did what we were doing make me feel uncomfortable. It was HIS comfort I was concerned about. I mean, if I started talking to him about it, wouldn't he be freaked out about it? Wouldn't it creep him out? And besides, why did he want to know anyways?

I didn't want him to think that I didn't want to do that sort of thing with him, but the last thing I wanted was for him to touch me places and then get grossed out.

It was all too confusing, and it took me a long time to sleep that night. I lay there, thinking, of not only that dilemma, but of countless others, all mushed up in my brain, and gradually, I exhausted my brain into submission and fell asleep, and I had no dreams.

In the morning, I woke up to see Gourry looking down at me. It was a nice surprise. I couldn't help but feel all tingly at the sight of him, looking sleepy and messy.

And shirtless.

I felt those feelings again, the ones I had the previous day, but I wasn't sure if we had even gotten to a resolve about that yet, so I squashed them and got dressed.

Basically, you know the rest. I explained everything to Sylphiel, whose eyes grew larger and larger with each detail, and they looked like they were going to pop out of her head when I said the words “and they managed to turn me into a Mazoku”. It was then that I got a bit of a break while Gourry explained his own side of it, and besides, I didn't want to get into what happened to me. I was still sensitive about it.

During the duration of the explanation, I realized how obvious my feelings were for Gourry, and his for me. Strange, how hindsight is always, no matter what, 20/20. To anyone else it would have been obvious that we would end up as close as we were now, but to us, we were the ones who didn't see it until it all worked together.

However, I knew the second Gourry asked Sylphiel what she was going to do next that she would be joining our little party for a while. I knew that Gourry would offer, and I knew that she herself wanted to join along. It's not that I wasn't mad; it's just that I wasn't an idiot, you know?

I also didn't fail to notice the sudden “Gourry-san” in the place of “Gourry-sama”. Obviously, Sylphiel was trying hard to get over her sudden shock and her broken heart, which I admired. I always knew that Sylphiel was a quick adapter, and when she needed to be, she got down to business. I don't think I could be that brave if what happened to her had happened to me.

Either way, I knew we would have company for a while. I did the mental calculations and realized that unless Sylphiel had money, I would have to be frugal with my funds. So of course, that was my next question.

“Sylphiel, do you have any cash on you?” I asked, blinking at her.

Both Gourry and Sylphiel stared at the suddenness of my question. True, I guess I didn't blame them too much. I had been quiet for a while, since we left the inn, and now that we were some ways away, I asked a random, out of the blue question. It was an important question, though!

Sylphiel recovered faster than Gourry. “Yes, I have quite a bit. You don't travel for as long as I have without having more than enough funds. Besides,” she added, scratching her cheek in thought. “Our coin seems to have more value than the local coin. Haven't you noticed?”

I nodded slowly. “Yep. Even the things I sell get more money than the usual.”

“Of course you would sell anything to anyone for the right price,” Gourry suddenly said, grinning.

“Oh, shut up!” I snapped, landing my fist on his gut. He wheezed and toppled over. Sylphiel blinked down at him, looking concerned. “But bottom line, you have money, right?”

Sylphiel looked back up at me. “Yes, I do.”

“Awesome.” I grinned and started walking again. I knew better than to think that Gourry was REALLY hurt, and besides, Sylphiel would help him up. And to be honest, that didn't bother me as much as it would have in the past. For once, I felt secure, and nothing would shake that.

I think.

As we walked, we talked. There wasn't really much to talk about, now that we had all caught up, and some of it was a little awkward still, but it was better than walking in dead silence. Mostly it was about what we were seeing and where we could go next if we took one path or another path.

After a few hours, I was hungry and tired. Hey, my endurance isn't as great as theirs is, so you can't blame me. It was about midday anyways, which meant lunchtime. There were no buildings in sight, so we had to park it on the side of the road and make a small camp.

“Ugh,” I groaned, lying back on the grass and shutting my eyes. I was beat, and besides, Gourry and Sylphiel between them could make a good meal, couldn't they?

“Lina,” Gourry called.

Maybe not.

I opened one eye. “What,” I answered sleepily.

“Sylphiel and I are not doing this by ourselves,” he replied.

I sat up and glared at him. “You're always say what a great cook she is, so prove it!” I turned to Sylphiel, who jumped and blinked in sudden nervousness. “You! Prove it!”

“Er...” she answered intelligently, looking very upset at being put on the spot.

“I ALWAYS cook!” I turned back to Gourry. “Always! You do it!” I lay back down on the grass and flung my arm over my eyes, promptly ignoring them both.

Of course that wasn't true, but I was cranky. I was tired, achy, and feeling gross. I didn't want to do ANYTHING at all. I just wanted to rest until it was time to eat, and then I wanted to sit and digest for a while before heading out.

Plus, I was still upset about what happened last night. I felt embarrassed and frustrated, and now that Sylphiel would be camping with us, it would be awkward and embarrassing to even think of doing that sort of thing around her. Maybe it was just as well. I still had a day or two left of magical inability. Maybe it would be better to hold off until I could actually ENJOY what we were doing, you know?

Oh, who am I kidding? I don't even know.

Dramata

20.2
Ok I was annoyed with Lina at that point. She just lay there as though we were supposed to do everything for her. But then I began to wonder if it was something to do with her period so instead I just got to work with Sylphiel on cooking something up. Sylphiel got the fire going by using one of those flare arrows which were actually carrots whilst I went off for a short little hunting trip.

I returned with a few rabbits and managed to catch a couple of fish that were trying to swim up a waterfall. It amused me watching them trying to swim up like that, and I wondered why they really had to go up the waterfall. Anyway, because the way they kept jumping out meant they were really easy to catch and so I returned with them.

I reached into the bag to grab a carving knife and starting cutting away all the bad parts that wouldn't be used, but saved as much as possible that I knew could be used later or sold at some point. I then handed the meat to Sylphiel who began cooking them whilst I gathered together what we could save and buried the rest. I then went back to the stream to clean myself off and returned to see Sylphiel continuing her cooking.

“You must really love her then, Gourry-san.”

I blinked a little in surprise, not really expecting her to ask about that but she asked so I guess I should respond.

“I do. Looking back, I can't really believe why I hadn't noticed it before because it kind of seemed so obvious. Just when it was happening, I wasn't thinking about love or anything like that. I just wanted to protect her, and I didn't dare fail her.”

I looked up to Sylphiel who was half concentrating on the food and half concentrating on me. I then glanced to Lina who was still lying down with an arm over her face. I don't think she had heard us because she wasn't reacting to what I said. I looked back to Sylphiel and decided to carry on.

“I didn't really have any meaning to my life until I met Lina. She gave me a reason to live, to try and do good in the world with the best of my abilities. That's to use my sword so rather than let that go to waste, I figured I might as well do something with it. I met Lina and realised that I had to protect her. She's the meaning of my life. If I was to be without her well, I don't know what I could do.”

“You could always protect me, Gourry-san.”

I blinked slowly and blushed gently. I looked back to Lina and remember about that whole thing of her period which made her want to stop what we did the previous night. I looked to Sylphiel and blushed slightly.

“Umm, Sylphiel? What's a period?”

Sylphiel nearly dropped the pan into fire, nearly ruining the food and she didn't know what to do with herself. She was blushing furiously and I kind of felt bad for putting her in such a situation but Lina wasn't comfortable telling me about it.

“How do you know about that, Gourry-san?”

“Lina is having hers now. I'm just worried because it's affecting her pretty badly and I want to know why. She doesn't seem to want to tell me and well because you know white magic I thought you would know. Plus you're a girl since I'm assuming only girls get this. I know I don't get it.”

Sylphiel was still blushing furiously and began stuttering, suddenly unsure of herself. I could kind of see she was trying to find a way of telling me about it, but it was obviously a kind of personal issue. Sylphiel finally composed herself and I listened carefully as she began to explain to me all of the details. At first I was kind of freaked out with what she was telling me, and kind of wondered how women put up with this sort of thing. It sounded messy and very scary.

As she spoke to me, I kept glancing to Lina and realised that it was happening to her now. However as Sylphiel kept talking I began to realise why Lina was embarrassed and uncomfortable by it. I knew if I had tried anything I definitely would have thought I had hurt her, and I would have really panicked about the whole situation.

I hugged Sylphiel when she finished, really appreciating what she told me now realising how difficult it was to talk about. When I pulled away I could see Lina had sat up and was looking away when I looked over to her. We then began handing the food out and got to the good part of eating it all, and then afterwards we sat around for the moment letting the food settle.

Lina and I joked around about some of the things we had got up to whilst Sylphiel listened. We just talked about some of the silly things we had gotten up to because things had felt too serious up until then. Pretty soon after that we headed back on the road and didn't talk as much but I don't think we really needed to, and it was good just to walk in silence for a bit. Just for awhile I felt like I had nothing to worry about, since we had dealt with the bandits and although the mazoku situation was still ongoing I didn't have to really worry about it for now.

We managed to reach a small town before nightfall and the first thing we did was to rent two rooms at the nearest inn. Sylphiel then walked away to get some supplies and I went with Lina to sell a few items I had gathered together and managed to make a bit more money. I looked to Lina a little proudly for selling my own things but she seemed a little bit away in her own world. I had to get to the bottom of it because whatever was bothering her was now bothering me.

After dinner we headed to our rooms. Lina went straight to the bed and slumped down on it whilst I closed the door behind me. I don't know why I did it but I think I still had the previous night on my mind still. I went straight over to the bed and began removing the yellow band around Lina's chest. I then pulled her tunic apart and attacked her nipples before she even knew what was happening. I felt her gloved hands grip onto the back of her head and already I had her purring and moaning.

I enjoyed having such a power over her and so I kept it up, gently squeezing and playing with the nipple I wasn't currently licking and I felt them harden quickly which made it easier to nibble gently on. I heard her gasp when I nibbled her gently so I did it a little more and slightly harder to make her gasp louder.

I pulled away for the moment as I quickly took my top off, but still had my fingerless gloves on. I leaned in and began kissing and nipping at her neck whilst my hands played with her breasts and nipples. It was then I felt Lina's gloved hands on my chest, trying to push me back. I didn't want to stop though; I wanted to keep kissing her. However she just pushed harder and I looked at her, whimpering slightly in frustration.

“I can't Gourry.”

“Why not Lina? If it's about your period, well I know all about it and it doesn't bother me. It's only if it bothers you.”

I could see the look on Lina's face. It was one of shock and surprise, and then she suddenly wanted to work out how I knew.

“Who told you about it?”

“I asked Sylphiel.”

Kurage

20.3
I think I must have dozed off, honestly. I honestly don't remember any of that, or hearing any conversation that went on around me. I think that if I had of heard it, I would have died right there from the shame of it all. Come to think of it, I'm glad I fell asleep.

However, when a person finally wakes up only to see the object of their affection hugging someone else, it makes them a bit...annoyed. I didn't know what it was about and I didn't want to know, and I was sure, in my little angry mind, that I didn't care. Even though you and I both know that I cared.

Either way, I decided not to worry too much about it, and things ran as normally as they would in a situation like this. Everything was fine, really. It was just, all of the walking was really wearing me out. I hadn't had a good rest yet and I really needed to have a bath and clean up and recollect myself.

Sadly, I was too tired by then to even muster the energy for a bath. I was down and out before I even realized it. And sadly, before even Gourry realized it, because he was on me and had me halfway undressed before I even realized what the hell was going on. And by then, the jolt of heat I felt between was legs was enough to make me not really think about anything else.

It was distracting! It felt so wonderful, my brain just froze on me and I couldn't think of anything except something along the lines of Gourry'shands-Gourry'stongue-thatfeelsnice-wow-moreplease...

However, when I felt his warm skin against mine, and his tongue against my neck, and not to mention his hips against mine, I knew I had to stop him, no matter how much I wanted otherwise. Eventually—although way too late if you ask me because by then I was all hot and bothered—he got the message.

And so did I.

“You...you asked Sylphiel...?” I echoed in disbelief.

He nodded. “Yes. She told me all about it, and although it was a little surprising at first, it doesn't bother me too much.”

I reddened. “You talked about me!” I demanded, my hands clenching a little.

Gourry nodded. “It wasn't bad, Lina. I knew you didn't want to talk about it, so I asked Sylphiel. And she told me everything.”

I went bright red, so much I could feel my cheeks burning. “Everything?” I squeaked, suddenly wanting to bury myself.

“Everything,” he confirmed, nodding. “And it doesn't bother me.”

Now, he had said that once and I let it go. But since he insisted on repeating it, I couldn't ignore it. “How can it not bother you?” I demanded loudly. Maybe too loudly. “it's...all...well, bloody! And...you wouldn't be able to touch there! And...grepphhh!” I jerked away and buried my face into the pillow, embarrassed again.

I heard Gourry sigh and before I knew it I was being pulled up from the pillow and tugged over to him. He hugged onto me, tightly, and the feel of our skin touching made me want to melt into him, and I sighed and shut my eyes, snaking my arms around him.

There was a silence, in which Gourry spent it being a huge sweetie and stroking my hair slowly. I really liked that.

“I know what it is,” he suddenly said. I pulled away and looked up at him, and he looked down at me, seriously. “And I realize now how hard it is on you. I guess that's why I don't care too much, because I want to make you feel better, and because I don't have to deal with the bad stuff, like the cramps and stuff.”

Holy hell, so he really did know everything about it. Well, as much as a guy COULD know about it, anyways. I just lay there, gaping at him, at a loss for words. He seemed to think that that was a hint, and he pushed me down again, slowly climbing on me, so that my legs wrapped around him, and he started kissing me again.

My heart fluttered and my stomach did a strange little flopping thing, where I almost felt it inside of my throat. I shut my eyes and kissed him back, putting my arms around him again. His hands slid up my arms and onto my face, and he pulled away from me, cupping my cheeks with his hands. I blinked, catching my breath, and he blinked back, looking at me with an expression I couldn't read even if it had been written out for me in gigantic block letters.

I opened my mouth, and I swear, the words that came out were not the ones I wanted to come out. It was like some sort of weird demon possessed me and made me say something stupid, brainless, and retarded. Either way, it came out of my mouth.

“I am going to take a bath.”

I covered my mouth, reddened, and shut my eyes. When I opened them, Gourry was blinking in confusion. “Uh...okay.” He said, sounding a tad disappointed. Okay, that was an understatement. He let go of me and pulled away from me quickly, like I was on fire or something.

I lay there for a moment, dumbfounded, then sat up, grabbed my tunic, tugged it on, and got to my feet, holding the tunic shut with my hands. My face was burning, and I walked away as fast as I could towards the door. I jumped out and shut the door behind me, standing in the hallway with humiliation tingling through my insides.

What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I thinking of a bath of all the things to think about? Now it was way too late to go back in and declare, “Whoops, I've changed my mind!”

Disheartened, I lowered my head and trudged to the bathroom down the hall, the one used for everyone in the small inn. I knocked on the door, made sure it was empty (sometimes perverts hide in crevices for an eyeful... I know this as fact), and started running the water.

Growling at myself, I started taking of my tunic again, when I heard a knocking at the door. I froze, my arms out, the tunic halfway down. “Someone's in here,” I snapped. “Get lost!”

There was a silence, and I was satisfied. Sometimes those perverts can be really ballsy. I tugged my tunic off and tossed it to the floor, then I started taking off my gloves and boots. I left my pants for last; the longer I had those on, the better.

I tugged my bandanna off and set it aside, within reach, so that I could keep an eye on it. I love that bandanna. It's seen me through a lot of years and protected me through a lot of crap, and I refused to lose it now.

Finally, the tub was full I turned off the water. Grateful for the convenient tap the inn had installed. For such a modest place, they sure knew how to make someone feel like a queen. I tested the water and found it was warm enough, and then I decided it was time to finish undressing.

And that was when I heard the knocking again.

Jeez. I walked right over to the door and shouted, “Someone is in here, so satisfy your voyeurism ELSEWHERE!”

I think I may have said that too loud. I'm not sure, even to this day. Even so, I was glad I was in the bathroom away from other people's eyes in case it had been too loud.

There was another silence, and finally, I decided that I was alone. I took of my pants and winced. That hurt. The second day always hurts more than the first. The third day is even worse. Gah. I quickly finished getting undressed and jumped into the tub, the warmth of the water loosening up my muscles and dulling the pain. I sighed, deeply, and shut my eyes, just lying there, enjoying...savouring...

And trying VERY hard not to fall asleep. Which is like a little game all in itself.

I love baths.

Dramata

12.4
That was the last thing I expected to hear from her was what she had just said. It confused me, it frustrated me but mostly I think it hurt me. I pulled away quickly and I sat on the edge of the bed with my hands on my knees. I stared down at my hands and listened as Lina quickly got out of the bed putting her tunic back on and left me as quickly as possible like I was her worst enemy that she couldn't stand to be around anymore.

I leaned down slowly to grab my tunic and held it in my lap for a few moments.

“What did I do wrong now?”

I was sat down like that for a few minutes because I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I told her I was fine with everything yet she still avoided me over it all. If she didn't want to do any of this yet, then why didn't see tell me? I just wanted to make her feel better. If what Sylphiel said was true, I really wanted to care for her and I felt annoyed for not realising it sooner. I wanted to do more to ease the whole thing for her.

I stood up glaring slightly at the door and I put my tunic back on, now deciding that I was going to confront her over it. I left the room and headed straight towards the bathroom and saw the door closed. That must have meant she was in there. I couldn't hear the water running so I figured with the time I was in the room she must have filled the bath. I knocked on the door firmly and was about to tell her I was there but she cut me off.

“Someone is in here, so satisfy your voyeurism ELSEWHERE!” She yelled.

I blinked a little and wanted to yell back but when I saw a couple of heads peering out from the several rooms and giving me dirty looks, I suddenly didn't want to be there anymore. I looked back at the bathroom door and my eyes softened a little before turning away and headed back to the room.

I was about to go back in but I stopped. I knew going back into this room and just getting into the bed would mean I was just giving in to all of this. I was letting her just avoid the whole situation and I wouldn't really understand why. Also I knew I would have been on my own in that room. Lina might not have wanted any company but I knew Sylphiel could have done with some.

Instead of going back in my room I went to the one next door and knocked gently. Within a few moments Sylphiel had opened the door and had a little surprised look on her face.

“Gourry-san? What are you doing here?”

“Lina's having a bath and I thought you could do with some company for a little bit.”

Sylphiel smiled softly and nodded a little and then allowed me to enter her room. I walked in and she closed the door after me and led me to a chair to sit down on. I did so and watched her sit down on the bed. We then sat like that for a few minutes, suddenly unsure of why I was there and what we should talk about. Sylphiel just kept smiling at me and I guess she didn't really mind the silence but it was freaking me out.

“So what supplies did you get?”

“Oh just the usual I need, bandages, ointments, some herbs which can be used for healing.”

I blinked a little surprised.

“Why do you need those when you can just use your magic?”

“Well you do realise all women get their period every month.”

I blushed a little, realising how stupid I was and nodded a little.

“I stock up every month just in preparation for when I can't use my magic. It might not be as effective, but it's the best I can do until I get my magic back.”

After that, we were in silence again and suddenly I found my hands in my lap a lot easier to look at than Sylphiel's smile at me. I still felt guilty for everything and I wasn't comfortable with the way she made it seem like it didn't matter anymore.

“Why don't you hate me Sylphiel?”

She blinked at me in surprise as I looked up at her slowly with a serious look on my face.

“Why would I hate you Gourry-san?”

“Because of what I did to you. For so long you were in love with me and I didn't do or say anything to make you think otherwise. I don't think you should have been as angry with Lina, she did nothing wrong. It was my fault for what I did to you.”

I looked back down at my hands again as I spoke and blinked in surprise to see her purple gloved hand on my own. I looked up slightly and saw that she was now on her knees infront of me.

“I could never hate you Gourry-san. You've done so much to help me that it would be wrong for me to be angry at you. The only reason I was like that towards Lina is just because I feel like she's the one that took you away from me. I just felt deceived for so long, sure that Lina didn't really love you. She had even told me herself that she didn't feel that way, and that she was only after your sword.”

She was gripping onto my hands a little tightly now and I could see her getting a little upset now. Quickly I pushed the chair away and knelt down by Sylphiel and hugged her tightly as she let it out. I rested my chin on her shoulder and could feel her hands gripping tightly onto my back as she wept.

“I'm sorry Sylphiel. I never meant to do this to you.”

I just stayed with her like that, noticing the soft smell of her perfume and closed my eyes a little. A few minutes later, it seemed that she felt better and pulled away from me gently.

“Thank you Gourry-san. You've always been one to comfort me when I'm down.”

I scratched the back of my head looking a little confused.

“You only got down because of me.”

Sylphiel just laughed a little as she sat herself back up on the bed.

“No I mean, even the times when I'm down for other reasons, you've always comforted me.”

I sat back on the chair and realised what she meant. Placing my hands back on my lap I tilted my head giving a small smile.

“That's ok Sylphiel, you're a friend.”

I looked out the window and realised that it was getting a little late.

“I best get back to my room, we should really try and get some rest. Goodnight Sylphiel.”

I got up off the chair and let myself out, closing the door leaving me in the corridor. I heard another door close just before I closed the door to Sylphiel's room and quickly looked around to see who it was. I thought it could have been the door to my room but surely Lina would have said something if she had seen me.

I went back into my room and closed the door quietly upon seeing Lina in bed, her clothes randomly scattered across the floor. I blinked a little at it all but paid no further attention to it. I quickly got changed into my night clothes and got into the bed with Lina. I wanted to wrap my arms around her but a part of me was still frustrated with her and suddenly I felt like I didn't want to be near her.

I turned around away from Lina and lay on the edge away from her, closing my eyes and waited for sleep to take me away noticing the scent of Sylphiel's perfume still on my nose before I dropped off to sleep.

Kurage

20.5
When I was washed up and finally clean, not to mention less sore, I got out of the bath and threw on a robe. I gathered up everything, and, yep, even put on Gourry's ring. I usually wear that to bed anyways. I don't like taking it off, and I wear it under my gloves so it won't get lost or damaged. And when all of that was said and done, I got out and went back to the room.

The room was empty. Puzzled, I dropped my things on the floor and sat down on the bed, raking my fingers through my hair before grabbing my brush.

I felt bad. Yes, I had ditched Gourry. No, I have no idea why I did it. I still don't understand why I suddenly wanted a bath. I thought about it when I was brushing out my wet hair. Was it really because of my period? Or was I really just not ready? At all?

I felt a bubble of frustration make its way into my stomach. Was that what it was? I'm just not ready for it quite yet? Or was there something deep inside of me just unable to deal with relationships? I hadn't had one before. I didn't know what to do or how to act. I didn't know what I was doing.

Ah. That bubble? I found out what it was soon enough. I flung myself on the bed and growled deeply, my eyes stinging with not only regret, but humiliation. This was stupid. All I wanted was to be with Gourry, but without messing anything up, and here I was messing it all up.

I pulled myself all the way onto the bed and curled up on one side, playing with the ring on my finger and shutting my eyes. I just wanted to love Gourry with all of my heart, but how could I do that if I didn't even know how? And how could I do that when I end up saying stupid things when I WANT to find ways to say that I love him?

I guess I must have fallen asleep that way, because the next thing I remember is waking up to darkness. I opened my eyes slowly, and sat up. It couldn't of been that late, because the sky was slowly turning pink. Beside me, Gourry lay sleeping, curled away from me.

Ouch, that hurt.

I turned around and leaned in close to him, starting to snuggle up to his back, when I paused. I suddenly felt that rushing, stabby pain one gets when they understand that yes, something is REALLY wrong. I froze, my hands hovering over his shoulders.

He smelt like Sylphiel.

I sat there, frozen, waves of both pain and rage surging through me. I pulled away slowly, sitting up in the dark, staring at nothing and watching as the room around me slowly became lighter and lighter, but I didn't care.

So. That was how it was going to be, was it? I wondered suddenly, clenching my fists. Was it always going to be this way?

Screw that.

I got out of bed, quickly, and, still clad in my robe, I stormed out of the room and went down the hall to Sylphiel's door. I slammed my fist on the door several times. Hey, it's a WAY to knock, you know?

I don't know why I picked Sylphiel to yell at. Logic would say to yell and beat on Gourry, but for some reason, I decided to pick on Sylphiel. I don't have any idea why.

I just wasn't thinking. I didn't want to think. I wanted to blame someone. I wanted to yell at someone. I didn't want to picture it in my head, why Gourry would smell like Sylphiel. I felt myself shaking from head to foot, and I felt that all-familiar stinging in my eyes, but I didn't care.

Eventually, the door opened, and Sylphiel stood there, looking sleepy. “Lina-san,” she yawned, “what's wrong? I thought we were going to wake up later?”

I opened the door, practically shoving it open, and she blinked, looking more awake but confused. “What happened last night?” I demanded, my voice wavering.

She stared at me, as if finally seeing me. “Lina-san, what are you talking about?” she wondered, frowning.

“Don't play stupid with me!” I snapped. I walked right up to her. “Gourry smells like you! He smells like you, and I want to know why! Why would you do that? Why would you do that to me? Am I so horrible? Well!”

My voice broke, and I swear I wanted to die. I felt humiliated, like the joke was on me, and always on me, and I was the only one who didn't realize it till now.

I wanted heads to roll because of this.

“Lina-san,” Sylphiel said calmly, but sternly, her eyes narrowed. “I don't think you know what you're saying, as it's so early, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.”

“Oh, shut up!” I snapped, clenching my fists at my sides. “Don't give me that `holier-than-thou' bullshit! I just want to know what the hell is going on! Don't you think that I have that right!”

Now I saw that she was pissed off. She sighed, tugging at her hair in irritation, glaring at me. “Lina-san, nothing happened last night between Gourry-san and I. Please stop yelling at me! I didn't do anything, so stop yelling. Grow up for once.”

I blinked, her last words shocking me. “What did you say?” I demanded, gritting my teeth.

“I said grow up, Lina-san,” she shot back, her voice louder. “I don't know what happened last night that brought Gourry-san into my room, but whatever it was, it's not MY fault. Grow up!”

“Oh, no you just did not say that to me,” I growled.

“And what will you do if I did? Fireball me? What good will that do? Are you really that type of person, Lina-san? The jealous, vengeful type?”

“Yes!” I shouted. At least I was being honest with myself.

She seemed to think so, too. “Well, I'm glad you can say that calmly! Maybe it's no small wonder why Gourry-san came into my room last night rather than stay with you! I mean, LOOK at you!” she gestured to me.

I felt that sick feeling again, that paralyzing humiliation. It's true. I was in my robe, my hair was a mess, and I was shouting at the top of my lungs like a jealous housewife. I wanted to melt into myself, but at the same time, I wanted to make Sylphiel disappear as well, for ever seeing these bad aspects of myself, and bringing them to attention.

“Uh...what the hell is going on?”

Both Sylphiel and I turned to the doorway and saw Gourry standing there, looking sleepy, angry, and confused, all at once, if that's possible. He glared at the both of us, and I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

Dramata

20.6
I opened my eyes to be greeted by a view of the room bathed in a red glow of the morning sun. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, trying my best to get the sleep out of them. I still felt tired though and could have done with going back to sleep. Only I didn't because when a hand dropped to the side of the bed Lina was sleeping on, nothing was there. I turned my head to look where she had been and she was gone.

I panicked at that moment, my whole body filled with dread as I began to wonder if Lina had been taken in the middle of the night. All my worst nightmares filled my mind, thinking Xellos had kidnapped her, and was turning her back into a mazoku, or killing her. I didn't want to think about it anymore. I turned my head sharply to look away only for my eyes to fall on the door that was slightly ajar.

I jumped out of the bed and ran towards the door, opening it fully and standing in the hallway. I froze there in the middle of that hallway, still clothed in my pyjamas. I froze because I heard Lina talking. No she was yelling and I could tell it was Sylphiel's voice yelling back. I listened closer and I could tell they were yelling about me.

I collapsed back against the wall and closed my eyes as a volley of emotions went through me. I listened to them argue back and forth and each argument was like a blow to my stomach. I wanted to keel over but the anger from what they were doing kept me up right. I held myself there unsure of what I was supposed to do but when Sylphiel said that about Lina, stating the way she looked. It sent me over the edge.

I slowly made my way to the doorway and I glared at the two of them. I couldn't really believe that they would stoop to such a level and all my previous thoughts of them seemed to have been blown away just because of the argument they had.

“Uh...what the hell is going on?” I said softly and rather coldly.

The two of them turned to me immediately and I glared at them both. I was angry and I was tired. My fists were clenched at my sides as I had to try and fight the anger inside exploding. I glanced to Lina with narrow eyes as it looked like she was about to say something but nothing came out of her mouth.

I turned my head back towards Sylphiel and my eyes narrowed once more. I stepped forward and closed the distance between us, completely ignoring Lina at that point.

“How dare you talk to Lina like that?” I said, coldly once again.

“Gourry-san…”

“QUIET!” I yelled, and then found myself breathing hard. I started to calm myself down again but my hands were still clenched into fists at my side. “I came into your room last night, because I thought you needed company. I knew Lina wanted to be alone so I left her alone. I was worried about you Sylphiel! I felt guilty for hurting you!”

Sylphiel turned her gaze away from me, no longer wanting to look at me anymore but I wasn't letting this stop me.

“I've done nothing but be nice to you! I've put up with you making me someone I'm not, and now you dare to disrespect the woman I love! I thought you were my friend Sylphiel, and instead I find you trying to tear Lina and myself apart!”

I then turned sharply towards Lina and quickly closed the difference between us. I saw the ring on her finger that I had given her. I grabbed her wrist and took the ring away from her.

“I'm taking this back until I believe you trust me again. I gave you my word Lina. I promised to you that I loved you and only you. This ring was a sign of that, Lina. I told you I didn't want you to share me with anyone else, but here you are accusing Sylphiel of something that didn't even happen.”

I looked at the ring in my hand and realised that my hand was starting to shake.

“I knew what I was letting myself in for when I promised to protect you and to be with you. I know how you can be Lina, but when I give you my word I mean it. You being here in this room, accusing me of cheating on you, tells me you don't trust me. How are we supposed to work if you don't trust me! Tell me Lina! I really want to know how it's supposed to work.”

I threw the ring to the ground when all the anger inside built up to much. My vision blurred quickly and I couldn't even see her face anymore. I only knew it was her because of the brown hair which framed her face.

“You don't trust me enough to talk about your period! You don't trust me enough to tell me you don't want to be intimate. I don't even know if you really love me anymore!”

I breathed heavily and felt the warm drops roll down my cheeks. I walked past Lina and stopped by the door, not turning back.

“I still love you Lina despite all of this, I care about you and I promised to be your protector. I'm not breaking that promise, because I hold onto them. I just don't know how this leaves us.”

I began walking when I heard Sylphiel's voice which stopped me in my tracks.

“Where are you going?”

I looked down at the ground.

“I don't know but I need to be alone.”

I then walked away and back into the room. I gathered my things together and quickly got changed then left my bag by the door. I then grabbed my two swords and left as quickly as I possibly could because I couldn't bear to be around her anymore. I felt hurt and pained that she wouldn't trust me to hold my promise to her.

I left the inn and found myself in the streets in the early morning so they were quiet. I looked ahead of me and I ran. I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could because I just needed to get away quick. I ran and ran until I felt my body pleading with me to give in. I stopped and placed my hands on my knees, breathing heavily, just trying to catch my breath and I looked around me.

I was on the outskirts of the town and could see a tree in the middle of the field which had its branches strewn out in a strange fashion. The trunk had kind of split apart and so looked more like unruly vines than the trunk of a tree. It turned out to be a pretty good place to sit. I sat down and placed the swords beside me and stared down at the ground.

Why had it gone wrong? What did I do to make her lose trust in me? I tried my best to make her feel completely loved, and every time I could I let her know. But even then she would hold things back from me. She would still hide her feelings inside and refuse to let them out. I was furious with her for that, because I thought that now we were together, she would trust in me.

I thought about the ring that I had thrown to the ground and I felt like it was tarnished. I felt everything that it was meant to be for was destroyed as she wore it and disrespected everything that it stood for. I gave that to her not long after she became human once more, and I thought it was a sign of a new beginning. I thought then we would love our lives together and trust each other, and protect each other. But now I didn't even know if she believed in that.

She hurt me so bad, that I wondered if she realised how torn up inside I was about it. Even if she didn't know, I knew someone else knew.

“You know every time I get hungry and I yearn for something special, I know exactly who to come to.”

My eyes widened and I grabbed the Blast Sword, unsheathing it and leapt away from the tree. I quickly turned and looked up to see Xellos sitting on one of the upper branches sipping a cup of coffee.

“What the hell do you want Xellos?”

“I just wanted to see how my old student was coping with human life again. Seems like she's having a few problems considering there is trouble in paradise.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like you had a hand in all of this?”

“Oh Gourry-san, how terrible of you to think such things about me! No I had no influence in what happened here. Lina's natural chaos is the cause of your troubles.”

I blinked a little in surprise and wondered what he meant by that, but he helped there by carrying on.

“No matter where Lina goes, chaos follows her. That's why I believed she would have made an excellent mazoku until you came in and ruined it all. I guess that was just chaos rearing its pretty old head once more.”

“Are you saying that Lina will never be left alone?”

“You're smarter than you portray yourself sometimes Gourry-san. Any time Lina tries to settle down into something, chaos will throw things up in the air and she has to deal with it.”

“I don't believe that. I refuse to believe that Lina has no control over her destiny. Lina can do whatever the hell she wants and nothing, not even chaos will tell her to do otherwise.”

“Then tell me this Gourry. Why are you trying to make her tell you the things she's hiding? You're not letting Lina do what she wants.”

I was shocked by that to be honest. It threw me off and made me realise what I was doing. I remembered back to when Lina was a mazoku and being frustrated at the fact she couldn't do what she wanted. Lina was supposed to be free to do what she wanted. Tying her down to something would be hell for her, and there I was demanding this and that from her.

“Xellos…you're right.”

I looked up but he was gone. I blinked slightly and began to wonder what Xellos' true intentions were. But first of all I had to speak to Lina. I sheathed the Blast Sword, and grabbed the other blade and I began running again, this time back to Lina as quick as possible because I had to tell her what I was doing wrong. I felt that if I wasn't quick enough, I might lose her altogether.

Kurage

20.7
Ah, crap.

So that was what had happened. It was nothing bad. It was just company. I had overreacted. Minus five points for me.

However, what really surprised me was how angry Gourry was at Sylphiel. At least, until he grabbed me and pulled my ring off my finger. That alone was worse than a slap or a shove. The moment he did it I felt like something ripped out of me, and dammit, that hurt, a lot. And when he threw it down, I felt something like a numb shock go through me.

I heard all of his words, and they hit the core of my being. They hurt worse than anything I had ever been put under. I didn't even see him leave. All I could see was a curtain of my own hair.

Was it true, had I lost trust in him? No. I could tell you right now, that I hadn't. What came over me was a mix of embarrassment and past jealousy, one that was easy to reawaken. It was the fact that I had messed up, and had realized that Gourry could get comfort from someone else when I messed up, and that he didn't have to always depend on me, that set me off. It wasn't Sylphiel's fault. It wasn't even Gourry's fault. It was all my own.

So I didn't move. I didn't go after him. I didn't even cry. I just stood there, arms at my sides, not moving, not feeling anything. I think I noticed Sylphiel leave at one point, but I just didn't care anymore.

I was so stupid. How come I couldn't see it all before? I always said that I would never claim Gourry as my own, and he was free to do what h e wanted, on the count that he knew I didn't share, and yet here I was being a hypocrite.

I suddenly felt like the world was shaking around me violently and I snapped out of it, blinking. Sylphiel was shaking me, staring at me. I jerked away from her, biting my lip. She opened her mouth to say something, but I shook my head and turned away, walking out of her room.

I went back to the other room and looked around. I couldn't see anything left behind, except for my stuff. I looked around blankly, feeling numb again, then I slowly started getting dressed, drawing the time out.

Sylphiel didn't come and try to talk to me. In fact, I think she was ignoring me by then. That was fine by me. I don't think I had anything else to say to her anyways. Be it regret, or embarrassment, or anger, whichever. I just didn't think I could face either of them.

I sighed, finally primped, and I looked around again. It was then that I noticed that Gourry HAD left his bag behind, but that was okay. I shrugged, not really sure what I was doing, and I walked out, doing a mental inventory. The only thing I was forgetting was the ring, and Gourry...but neither of those would probably be joining me this time.

Slowly, I walked out of the room and shut the door behind me. When I walked past Sylphiel's room, she suddenly darted out and grabbed me by the cape. I gagged and tripped backwards, landing hard on my ass.

I got up quickly and rushed over to her, and to my surprise, she waiting for me, her eyes narrowed, her hands on her hips. That threw me off. I froze, blinking in confusion.

“Lina-san,” she snapped, “where are you going?”

“Does it matter?” I answered back, my voice flat.

She frowned, looking suddenly very sad. “What are you doing...?”

“Leaving,” I said harshly, suddenly feeling angry.

“But why? You know Gourry-san will want to go with you. You know he'll wonder why you left.”

“No he won't, Sylphiel,” I answered, turning away from her and starting on my way again. “No he won't.”

I guess she realized that it was pointless to argue. Either that, or she felt really crappy and didn't want to bother trying to help anymore. Either way, she left me alone.

When I got out of the inn, I finally realized what I was doing. The numbness evaporated, and about ten feet away from the inn, I froze in mid-stride.

What the hell was I thinking? I couldn't just leave like this...could it? Gourry and I had a history; we were very VERY close. Could I possibly just up and leave him? It hurt to think about it, but it made me wonder, did I really even trust him at all? Why else would I assume things like that?

Of course I trust him, I thought fiercely. I do. I trust him with my life. I was just being so stupid. I'm jealous, and crazy sometimes, and my period is making me stupid...and...and...

And you're the biggest virgin in the whole damn world, and you have no idea what the hell you're supposed to do with a huge blond guy in your bed. Right?

Gaaah...the brain is always right!

Whatever. I need to blow of steam anyways, I thought. I'll come back when I'm done, and I'm sure Gourry will be there, anyways. I'll find some stupid bandits and have some fun, and this time make sure there isn't any more to come after me again.

And then, maybe then I would feel much better, and then, I could be honest with Gourry. And with myself.

For once.

Dramata

20.8
I ran back through the streets just hoping I would get back in time. I had this horrible feeling that she would leave me and travel on her own. I knew how she was feeling and I felt terrible now for the way I yelled at her. I was still angry for what she did to me but I was now angrier at myself for trying to make her do something she didn't want to do.

I reached the inn and stormed through the door, raced up the stairs. Running down the hallway I felt all the emotions well up and then I stormed through the door to our room.

“Lina?” I said desperately.

However as I looked around the room, there was no sign of her and my heart sank. The room was all tidied up and her things were missing. I walked forward slowly and sat down on the bed and buried my head in my hands. `She was gone' was all I could think about and there was no one to blame for all of that but myself.

I looked up slowly and noticed my bag still there by the door and instead I felt something. She must have seen my bag there which must have made her realise I was coming back. She knew I was coming back so she wouldn't leave me. Maybe she needed to go away somewhere on her own. Maybe Sylphiel knew.

I got up from the bed and walked as fast as possible without running and went to Sylphiel's room.

“Sylphiel? Where's Lina?”

She turned round a little surprised to hear my voice and then her face changed slightly into a frown. I had just yelled at her before for what she said to Lina and for that I was still angry with her for, but I felt bad for yelling at her like that. I felt bad for all the yelling I had done before I stormed off but when I saw the person I loved and a close friend argue like that, and about me and whether I was trustworthy. Well it really hurt me.

“She's gone Gourry-san.”

“Where?”

“I don't know but I didn't look like she was coming back.” She said softly.

I shook my head slowly and looked down at the ground.

“No, she saw my bag. She's coming back I know it. She won't just leave me like that.”

“How can you say that after what she did to you? She doesn't trust you.”

“I don't care about that! Lina just wouldn't walk out on me like that, no matter what.”

“Gourry-san…” She stepped forward as she spoke.

Immediately I stepped backwards and raised my hands up in the air. I still looked down and then noticed the ring I threw to the ground. I picked it up and held onto it tightly.

“Lina is going to come back and I'm waiting here for as long as it takes. She saw my bag. I know she did, so she's going to come back.”

I then turned away from her and started to leave until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I froze in mid-step and didn't turn back.

“I'm sorry Gourry-san. Is there anything I can do?”

I thought about it for awhile, because I wanted to give her a decent answer, but in the end I couldn't think of much else but what I felt inside at that moment.

“I don't know, but the sooner you realise that I'm not going to be with you and you realise that Lina is the right one for me, well then the better things will get.”

I then pulled away from her touch and returned to my room. I closed the door behind me and left it unlocked. Slowly I walked back to the bed and lay down on it, moving over to the side that Lina had slept on. I buried my head into the pillow and I could still smell her. I gripped the pillow tightly and held the ring just as tightly in my hand whilst gripping the pillow.

“I'm sorry Lina. I'm sorry for trying to make you do things you didn't want to do. It's that which makes me just as bad as Xellos who forced you to be something you didn't want to be. I did exactly the same. I just know that you'll come back because you knew I would come back and you won't just leave me like that. We've been together too long for you to just leave me like that.”

I then found myself getting upset for all that I had done wrong too her, for all the things I was forcing her to do. I felt bad for shouting at her and walking out on her like that and then taking the ring off her like that. As I tried to get over being upset, I found myself being reminded of how tired I was. I clutched the pillow tighter and just kept breathing in her scent, hoping that I would be able hold onto her again. I then dropped off to sleep, with my grip on the ring loosening and it just lay on the pillow beside my head and hand.

Kurage

20.9
By this time, some of my magic had returned, although I knew it wasn't going to be enough to completely obliterate a bandit camp. So I switched tactics and decided to just take a walk instead, practicing what magic I had and getting the feel of it again.

It must have been some sort of light show because I heard rustling above me. I froze, looking up, and I could see a shadow in the tree. I squinted, and instantly knew that outline.

I sighed. “Hello, Xellos,” I muttered, trying to control my anger, lest he actually got nourishment.

He jumped down and stood in front of me, waving and grinning ear to ear. “Hello Lina-san!” he chirped.

“Explain to me why I shouldn't kill you again?” I asked calmly.

He smiled wider. “Because you and I both know that not only are you lacking the power to do so right now, I also have info that you want.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, frowning. “And? Are you actually going to bother getting on with it, or can I leave and find something else to do?”

“Hmm...” Xellos considered, putting a hand to his chin, “considering the lack of glamour your Fireballs are displaying today, you won't get much done.”

“Uh huh,” I answered. I turned on my heel and started in the opposite direction. I heard him phase out behind me, just like I knew he would do, and I stopped, just as he phased in right in front of me. I blinked at him slowly, clearly not impressed.

“Huh,” he sounded surprised. “You used to get startled when I did that.”

“I guess I got jaded, Xellos,” I said flatly, narrowing my eyes.

“Aw, you're not still mad at me for what I did to you, are you?”

“Let's see, Xellos,” I snapped, holding out my hand to him. I started ticking off the points as I lay them on my fingers. “You injure Gourry, you make me a Mazoku, you make me hurt my friends, you rip every shred of humanity out of me, and oh yeah, you also tried to kill me.” I held my fist under his nose. “Anything else missing, here?”

“You forgot that I sent Mazoku after you, before and after our contract,” he answered calmly, his eyes opening an inch.

“Ah, I did, didn't I? And the fact that you hire and/or goad a bunch of idiotic bandits to play with us. Constantly. Almost killing us on several occasions.”

“Ah, well, bygones will be bygones, won't they?”

“Why are you really trying to murder us, Xellos?” I said calmly, my eye twitching a little, betraying my calm demeanor. “It can't be the Blast Sword anymore. Is something coming? Something you would rather us not be here for?”

His eyebrows disappeared into his hair, and he opened his eyes all the way. “My, Lina-san, how you assume such things,” he said, but his voice was strained.

Bingo.

“So...” I grinned suddenly, and Xellos shut his eyes abruptly. I could tell he was gritting his teeth at me. “So something is coming, and you either want our power diminished or us out of the picture, right, Xellos?”

He said nothing, but he struggled to compose himself. I bet inside his head he was sticking needles into his own eyes this time.

“So what's coming, Xellos?” I trilled. If I were still a Mazoku I would be bloated off of his feelings. “Something that could affect the balance of power? Something that...” I blinked suddenly, getting it all at once. “Something that Veryna was talking about.”

Xellos reached out and grabbed me suddenly, his hand right around my throat. I yelped a little, but he yanked me close to him and glared at me. I grabbed onto his arm and dug my nails in, but he didn't let go.

“Look, Lina-san,” he said calmly, his voice masked beyond what I thought was possible. I took in a shaky breath, not getting much out of it, but not trying to get more. I wasn't a fool. I knew Xellos could kill me in one move if he wanted to. Why try to provoke it?

“You and your little idiot swordsman have stumbled into something very big here,” he said slowly. I listened, not moving an inch. “That dragon is older than me, and if she says that the Blast Sword is a key in this, then I am forced to believe her and interfere, because doing otherwise will hurt my race. And if that means killing you and everyone you know to get what we want and protect my race, then I will.”

His words sent a chill down my spine. I didn't doubt it that he could. And would, even.

But one thing was still not making sense for me. “Xellos,” I croaked out carefully, noticing he still wasn't easing his hold. “What is it that's going to happen?”

“You'll find out soon enough. And then you'll see why we wanted you on our side.” He dropped me, and I jumped back from him quickly. I rubbed my neck gingerly, and he put the happy mask on his face again.

“Until then, Lina-san,” he trilled. With a final wave of his hand, he phased out.

I frowned, still rubbing my neck. Why was he only like that around me? It didn't make sense. It made me wonder if he just liked picking on me and making my brain hurt.

Something was certain: I couldn't be alone in this. I knew my own strength, and no matter how much I like to say I can do anything and beat anyone, I wasn't so sure all of my power would be enough.

Even my last resorts...

I trudged back to the inn, feeling disheartened and a sense of foreboding clashing over me. Something so big was coming that it had Xellos worried and acting out of his façade. Clearly, that meant that something was bound to happen at any moment now.

When I walked down the hallway, Sylphiel's door was closed. It made me wonder if she was gone or not, or if she was just trying to lick her own wounds. Either way, it was fine.

Slowly, I walked over and knocked on the door of the room Gourry and I had shared. When no answer came, I wondered if he had gone as well. I swallowed my pride and opened the door quietly.

I looked in and saw Gourry lying on the bed, sleeping. I walked in and closed the door slowly, then walked over to the nightstand and took off my gloves and my cape, and all of the added things I put on when going out.

Then, biting my lip, I walked slowly over to the bedside. I leaned over and looked down at him. He looked troubled, I noticed, and he was on my side of the bed. I looked closer and saw the ring he had given me there on the pillow, and I blinked, confused.

I wondered what he was dreaming of, and if he was still angry at me.

I shook my head slowly, heard a sound like rumbling. I started, froze, and put my hands over my stomach, praying that Gourry hadn't heard that. I looked over at him and saw that he hadn't stirred. Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked back to my things and grabbed my purse.

I hadn't had anything to eat yet at all that morning, and I was starving! Plus, it gave me time to mull things over and try and think of what I wanted to say to Gourry when he woke up. Because at that point, I had no idea how I felt about anything.

I looked over at him once more, then walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me. I went to the dining room and prepared to eat my heart out, all while trying not to think about what could possibly be bad enough to have Xellos excited. No one, least of all me, could deal with an excited Xellos on an empty stomach.

Dramata