Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Dramata Kurage! ❯ Chapter 26 ( Chapter 26 )

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.

 

26.0

“Lina…” I murmured slightly as I watched her leave the table in silence.

I'll be completely honest here. I had no idea what it was that made Lina leave like that. I had just talked Zel down, being protective of Lina and yet she was still mad at something. This wasn't just any sort of bad mood Lina got into. No. This was a really bad mood. Something must have really pissed her off because it was only at times like that when Lina would not blast off infront of me like she normally would when angry.

I sat there in thought wondering what it was that I didn't even notice Lina coming back down but leaving through the kitchens so that she wouldn't have to walk by us. It was only when Sylphiel grabbed my attention that I realised that was what happened.

“Gourry-san?” Sylphiel asked.

“Huh?” I replied as I was shook out of my thinking.

“Lina just left through the kitchen.”

I smiled slightly.

“Oh I think she said something to me earlier about having to go somewhere.”

“You're a bad liar, Gourry…” Zel responded.

I frowned a little and looked down at the table.

“I think she's really angry this time…” I stated softly.

I headed back to my room not long afterwards after we all decided to go back to our own rooms. It was starting to get a little late and so it was probably time to get a little rest. But the only problem was that as long as Lina was still outside somewhere, then I wasn't going to get any rest.

I lay on the bed with my hands behind my head, still fully clothed and my normal sword just beside me. I sighed looking up at the ceiling and wondered when Lina was going to come back. I learnt enough to know that I had to give Lina her space, but it didn't make me worry any less about what she could be getting up to. I was worried about her getting into trouble, or putting herself into a situation where she could be overwhelmed. I felt helpless really and it was feeling like that which was stopping me from relaxing and getting any rest.

I sat up and swung my legs off the bed, resting my elbows on my knees I brought my head down as I buried my face into my hands and let out a frustrated and muffled groan. I then stood up from the bed and began pacing back and forth in the room, trying to not worry about Lina so much, but every time I did so, something would remind me of her and so I would think about her all over again.

I sat down at the dressing table and leaned against it with crossed arms, as I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were then drawn down to a brush. It was Lina's brush and it was slightly covered in her hair which had been pulled out because it was in a knot. I played with it for a moment, rocking it back and forth until it all became all too much. I had had enough of waiting around for her and I was too worried that she was in trouble.

I went back to the bed, grabbing my sword and quickly left the room. I then left the inn and began walking the streets as I started thinking again. I started to think more about why she had left the way she did and what it was that made her so angry. I couldn't really see why it was me because I was just being the same as I always had been. I wondered if it was more to do with what Zelgadis or Sylphiel had said. Maybe it had just boiled up inside her as she held it in and it all became too much.

I grumbled as I reached the edge of town and saw no sign of Lina so headed back and made my way through a different route in the hope of meeting up with Lina.

I began to wonder if she hadn't been telling the truth about the whole mazoku thing. Maybe the reason she left was so that she could meet up with Xellos and tell him what she had decided to do, and that maybe she really did want to become a mazoku.

I hope you guys reading this are now beginning to realise why I don't seem to pay attention all that much. I'm thinking about a lot of things and they're not always things that are happening at that time. So if someone asks me something, I'm usually too deep in thought to have realised anyone has said anything to me, never mind what was said before then. Ok there are a few other things which I actually don't know or can't remember. But give me a little more credit, I'm not completely stupid.

Anyway, I continued walking though pretty much the entire town and I couldn't find Lina anywhere. During that time, the night had come and the only light was that of the moon and the few lanterns dotted around the town. I was pretty worried at that point finding no sign of Lina, but I tried to let logic make me realise that I had probably missed her and the town was kind of big. I figured I had more chance of finding Lina if I just went back to the inn and so it was probably better if I had just stayed there.

I got back to the inn and returned to the room. Opening the door, I peeked in and noticed Lina was sat at the dressing table, combing her hair. I felt a pang of relief, just glad to see that she was ok, but then my built up emotions of worry turned into frustration and anger. I closed the door behind me carefully and made my way over to the bed, sitting down and propping the sword up against it.

“So where have you been?” I asked slowly and carefully, trying to control myself.

“Oh, nothing interesting really. Spent a little time in some springs.”

“And did you think of telling me anything about this at some point?” I crossed my arms keeping the frustrations locked up inside.

“Well it didn't seem like you were interested in what I had to say before so I didn't think you would care.”

“Of course I care Lina! How can you say that? I'm your protector and I worry about you. I've been worried sick for the past couple of hours, wondering where you went and hoping you weren't in trouble.”

“Well obviously I'm alright so there's no need to worry is there?” She replied calmly, setting her brush down as she finished with it.

“Well what if things weren't alright? What then? You can't just go off like that and not tell me where you're going.”

“I'll do what I damned well please! I'm not some kid! I can make up my own damn mind and I'll do whatever the hell I want, and not you, Zel, Xellos or anyone can tell me what I can or cannot do!” Lina yelled, her teeth gritted in anger.

“I never said you were a kid! But I am your protector! Tell me, Lina. How am I supposed to protect you if I don't know where you are?”

“Sometimes I need time alone! You can't protect me all of the time Gourry! It's impossible.”

I got up from the bed at that point and started to gather my things together.

“What are you doing?” Lina asked.

“I'm getting my things together. You want time alone? Fine! I'll give you all the time alone you want. Then when you're tired of being alone, you can tell me! Or if you want to tell me why you just stormed away when I was sticking up for you, then you can tell me then too!”

Once I had everything packed together I headed for the door only for Lina to stand in my way.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I'm stopping you from leaving. What does it look like you idiot?”

Now normally the idiot jibe washes over me and never bothers me, but with everything I was feeling at that time, it was like she was rubbing salt in the wound. I bit my lip to stop from saying certain things I might have regretted and just sidestepped her and walked past her.

I would have carried on going if it wasn't for her hand on my wrist.

“Let me go…” I said low.

In all honesty, I didn't really want to leave, but it didn't stop me from being frustrated and angry with Lina. I was angry for her lack of care that I was worried about her. I was also annoyed for her just being annoyed for what seemed like no reason at all and that she wouldn't even bother to explain it to me.

Lina's hand on my wrist kept me pinned to the spot and no matter how much I begged for my legs to get moving, they refused to because I didn't want to go deep down, despite still being angry with her. So I turned back and seeing that, she let go of my hand. I went to the opposite side of the room from the bed and set up my sleeping bag.

Once it was set up, I laid down on it and lay facing away from Lina which meant looking at the wall. I refused to sleep with her since I felt angry with her still and I guess she didn't really want me to sleep with her either, but in the end I wasn't leaving the room so this was the best middle ground. I just stared at the wall, glaring slightly as the annoyed feelings kept running around my head.

Kurage

 

26.1

What the hell did I do?

So what if I didn't know that a little down time on my behalf would chafe him? How was I supposed to know that he would get all possessive of me? He, in all of the time I had known him, had NEVER acted that way before, even when we started getting closer.

The avoidance thing is just my way. If the shields fail, and the acting fails, then I need to get away from the cause of my emotional flare-up as fast as possible. That's just the way I was made. Gourry had never shown any problem with that before then, so why the sudden explosion?

I stood there, glaring at him as he lay in his sleeping roll. My hands were shaking. I was mad, but not the type of mad that would cause me to be violent. It was more like the anger I felt with Sylphiel, before she and I worked things out. It was the emotional, choking-type anger.

I opened my mouth, then shut it. I carefully walked back over to the mirror, sat down, and continued brushing out my wet hair, like nothing had happened. Inside, I was quaking with anger. He didn't understand at all. He didn't get that now, especially now, I took the things he said about me and the way he said them personally and to the heart. Was he that dense, and that stupid, to not understand that? Or was he truly just trying to pick a fight? What the hell was it?

The silence between us wasn't the usual amicable silence that we share when there is nothing to say. It was thick with confusion, with anger, with annoyance.

I glared at my own reflection, seeing the emotions etched plain on my face. It was strange how that worked out. I could easily wear the mask any other time, but when it came to Gourry, it always disappeared. I set the brush down and sighed, putting my hands on my knees.

“Gourry,” I began, too harshly. I cleared my throat and shook my head, struggling to be calm, but it wasn't working.

Truth be told, I wasn't sure what I was angry about anymore. I knew that he had talked down to me, and that was what set this whole fight off, but now I was just angry because HE was angry, and I felt that he had no right to be, especially since I had been the one who had been insulted.

I sighed, the sound coming out like a grunt. I had many things I wanted to say, all playing out in my brain, things like:

`Gourry, you're such a jerk.'

`Gourry, please apologize to me.'

`Gourry, I'm sorry if you admit that you screwed up.'

`Gourry, the floor is so cold. I hope you catch your death.'

`Gourry, let me brush your pretty hair.'

And so on.

Instead, I said none of these things, and I just sat there, glaring at myself in the mirror, full of indecisiveness and annoyance.

I don't even know how I get myself into these messes. I think it's honestly the amount of selfishness I allow myself to have that blindsides me and ends up messing up the rest of my day. I think it's because, although I'm merely looking out for myself, it looks like I couldn't give a hairy rat's ass about anyone else, and therefore, it pisses them off.

It's not that I don't care; I just care a lot about myself.

That sounds rather conceited, so let me clarify: I care about how I feel and what I do. Ultimately, I'm not one of those people who does things for the sake of others. I don't let other people's actions dictate who I am and how I act. My actions are of my own accord, and I refuse to allow other people to make me bend myself to fit their needs when it compromises my own.

Maybe it was a sense of pride that made me feel the way I did. I know that's what I blamed it on that night. But looking back, I'm starting to realize that one of the biggest problems that our relationship had was that we just weren't sure what was different and what was the same, and whether or not the boundaries were the same or different as well.

To me, they were the same as they had been, except for a few intimate details here and there. But I never stopped to consider that perhaps Gourry had a completely different idea, and because of that, we clashed at stupid times over stupid things.

Either way, I sat there for a very long time, and the silence was never interrupted again. I was hoping that he would say something, but he didn't. I sat there for a long time, hoping his pride would weaken first, but it never did. So after a while, I gave up.

I got up, walked around him, got rid of the lights, and lay down on the bed. I curled up into a ball and tried to sleep, but I couldn't sleep at all. I lay awake for a long time, my eyes open in the darkness, listening to the sound of his breathing. I may have been imagining it, but I could have sworn that he wasn't asleep either. His breathing was too light.

I didn't bother to check, though. Soon, I gradually fell asleep.

And once again, annoyingly, I was back in that same damn dream, the one that had been tormenting me for weeks now.

Dramata

 

26.2

I guess all those annoyed feelings I had were stopping me from falling asleep because I was just lying there whilst staring at the wall. I shifted position so I was lying on my back now so I was looking at the ceiling, but I only started glaring at that. I crossed my arms and gave a slight annoyed sigh before rolling back onto my side.

When I listened carefully, all was silent apart from the slow deep breaths from Lina. I sat up and looked over to her and could see that she had fallen asleep. Now I was even more frustrated. She was the one who made me worry by walking off and not telling me what she was doing. She was the one who should feel bad about it all, not me. But instead I was the one still awake and she was fast asleep. I growled a little under my breath.

I glared at her in the darkness; her brown hair framed her face. Her mouth was slightly open as she breathed deeply. How could she do that? How could she just look so peaceful, and beautiful? However her breathing changed slightly and then her expression turned into one of something that was bothering her. And at that point, all my feelings of anger and annoyance had disappeared with one of worry.

I got up from the makeshift bed and sat down on the bed beside Lina carefully. I took her hand and held onto it as I moved my other hand across her forehead. Her face didn't really change but I just felt happy that I was there for her. I sat with her like that the whole time and slowly she seemed to calm down a little. Whether I was helping, or that particular dream was finishing, I don't know.

But then not long after her eyes opened slowly and she looked at me sleepily.

“What's wrong?” She asked tiredly.

“Nothing, you just seemed to be having a bad dream.”

She sat up slowly and I could see her thinking about it for the moment but she pushed it out of her mind and concentrated on something else.

“So are you finished with being weird and angry?”

“Not really…”

“I was just having some time alone. I wasn't going to get into any trouble. Well, I wasn't looking for trouble anyway. But I can handle myself, ok?”

“But what if you couldn't Lina? What if Xellos came and changed his mind about letting the decision be yours and decided to just turn you anyway. Or what if you were surrounded by lots of bandits and they had someone who could stop you from using your magic. Dammit, I could go on and on.”

And honestly I could have. My mind thought up of a billion and one things that could happen to Lina if she was alone. That included one thing I had thought of earlier which was Lina deciding if she would join Xellos. But I didn't think I should really tell her that at the moment.

“I think like that Lina. I think of the worst things that could happen to you when you are on your own and there is nothing I can do about it because I don't know where you are. They're all the things I think about when I don't know where you are.”

“Oh…” Was all Lina managed to reply with.

“I can understand you want to be alone sometimes and I don't want to stop you from doing that. Sometimes I need time alone too. But I'm not happy with not knowing where you are. If you need to be alone, just tell me. But tell me where you're going so I know where to find you.”

I looked down at my lap and only just realised that during the whole time of speaking to her, I was still holding her hand from when she was asleep.

“I worry a lot I guess. But that's just part of me and what I do. I've always been like this and I probably always will be. Do you remember not long after we first met and we got split up? I was so worried, especially because you weren't able to use your magic. All I could try and think about was finding you again and making sure you were ok. That was what I was like when you hadn't come back from before. I had walked through the entire town looking for you.”

I didn't really know what else to say at that point. I had said everything to her that I wanted to, and so it was up to her now to deal with that.

“Are you finished?” Lina replied with a yawn added on.

I nodded in response.

“Right then.”

She then smacked me on the back of the head with the palm of her hand.

“You're stupid to think I can't handle myself. No matter what happens I can sort it out. I'm ready for all those worst case scenarios…”

Ok, I wasn't really expecting that. I rubbed the back of my head and winced a little.

“But knowing you worry about me is sweet. It's just going to take time with me because I'm not used to this. You know that right? I'm not comfortable with just walking off when I want to let off some steam but then I have to hold off for a second to tell you where I'm going. It doesn't really work.”

I nodded a little and she took that as an ok and I guess that was that. Lina then lay back down on the bed, but pulled on me to make sure I lay down next to her. I took my position next to her and wrapped my arms around her.

“Are we always going to get into arguments or fights like this?”

“Probably…” Lina replied a little sleepily.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

“Nahh. Just means we care enough about something to fight over it. I'd be more worried if we didn't fight at all.”

I squeezed her closer to me a little, and nuzzled into her hair a little as I finally felt relaxed enough to fall asleep.

“Night Lina…”

Her response was a slight snore. I just smirked a little and waited for sleep to take me away.

Kurage

 

26.3

When I woke up again, I was in the mood for adventure.

I was lying with Gourry, in the usual tangle of limbs, and I was content with that. I was glad that we had worked out our little spat and that things were no longer uncomfortable. I liked reaching peaceful agreements with people I actually wanted to reach with.

With these warm bubbles floating through my mind, I tried to pull myself away from Gourry without waking him up. In response, I got more tangled. I tried to lift Gourry's arm away from my midsection, but instead ended up somehow egging him on to clamp his arm around me tighter.

“Ugh,” I muttered, “get OFF me!”

I started poking the back of his head repeatedly until, I'm sure, I caused a bruise. However, he still didn't wake up, and he still didn't get off me.

I decided to resort to foul play.

“Gourry,” I said sweetly, leaning in close to his ear. I pressed up against him and leaned in close. I swear I felt him move closer to me when I did this.

However, his joy was dashed.

“GET THE HELL OFF ME!!” I screamed into his ear.

Needless to say, it worked wonders. Not only was I free, but I was amused, and Gourry was clutching onto his ear in a heap on the floor and wailing about how much it hurt and how horrible I was. I sat up, stretched, and got to my feet. Gourry, who was already standing, scooted quickly away from me, as if I had more screams in store for his ear.

“Relax, Gourry,” I chided him, grinning. “I just wanted to get something to eat.”

Gourry rubbed his ear sulkily, then pointed over to the door. “Someone already thought of that for us,” he muttered.

I blinked, then looked over. He was right. At the foot of the door, there were two trays of food. I frowned. When had someone walked in on us and left food? Surely we would have noticed, wouldn't we?

Gourry was already seated in front of one tray of food, eating happily, his pain momentarily forgotten. “Whoever it is,” he declared with his mouth full, “they know what we like!”

I walked over and knelt down to the second plate of food, examining it. When I looked closer, I saw that there was a small envelope resting underneath the tray Gourry was at. I grabbed it and opened it.

“Dear Lina-san and Gourry-san,
To put it bluntly, we have other things to do. You guys are too moody lately, and I can't concentrate on Justice with you two constantly yapping at eachother more than you ever did in all of history.
Therefore, we have ditched you. Here is some food as a peace offering. Sylphiel brought it in. She's coming with us too. When you two have things figured out, please contact us. We do enjoy your company, but not when you are both crazy.
Love, Amelia WTS”

I read this aloud to Gourry, and all he did was blink. “Oh, okay. That makes sense,” he said between mouthfuls.

“You're kidding, right?” I snapped. “They just up and leave us because they think we're fighting? That doesn't make sense!”

“I don't mind,” Gourry replied. “I like spending time alone with you.”

I felt my face burn a little, but I shook my head. “That's not the point! I thought that girl had some sort of hero worship going on with me!”

“People grow up,” was the reply.

“That's it!” I growled, lunging at his food. And the fighting commenced, a fight which was a good start to the morning.

Still, looking back, I can see why such a note burned me. Amelia and the rest seemed so happy when we were all back together again; it seemed weird to me that suddenly they would just take off without warning.

But then again, maybe it wasn't. They certainly DID have other things to do, and maybe the three of them were more suited together than all five of us together. Gourry and I certainly needed time to recuperate and recover, and I felt that doing so alone was better than being surrounded by people.

Still, it hurt a little.

In any case, the meal was eaten, and I was feeling better now. I sat back and stretched again, and noticed Gourry's eyes were on me in the most violating of ways. I blinked at him, surprised.

“Hey!” I cried, lowering my arms. “I'm not dinner! Stop eyeing me!”

Gourry smiled a little, in a way that sent a surge of heat through me. I wanted to beat myself up for that.

“Gourry,” I warned, crossing my arms over my chest, “go away.”

“Why?” Gourry suddenly pouted. “We're alone; we're not going to be bothered.”

He had a point. Plus, now that I was fed, I wasn't quite opposed to a little bit of activity. I sighed, feeling the last of my resolve break down, and I crawled over to him and kissed his nose lightly. He smiled and put a hand on my cheek, and that pretty much ended my protests and replaced them with something else.

Basically, it was like hunger, but deeper inside. I crawled closer to him, and, without hesitation, crawled onto his lap. He blinked at me again, but I ignored him, putting my arms around him and burying my face into his neck.

Now, he took that as an innocent gesture, one that must have been a signal for cuddling. He pulled me close and rested his head on top of mine, squeezing me a little. Only when he felt my teeth on his neck did he get the message that I wasn't in the mood for cuddling but in the mood for playing.

Indeed, I was. I snuggled closer to him and wrapped my legs around his waist tightly, so that he wouldn't move. I felt him inhale sharply, but that was just what I wanted anyways. I nibbled at his neck, occasionally licking and kissing, and when his sharp breaths turned to slight moans, I knew I had succeeded in what I was aiming for.

I grinned and looked up at him, and he looked down at me, for perhaps a second, before he kissed me and pulled me closer. I wanted to giggle, but I managed to keep it in check. Besides, he was distracting me anyways, licking at my lips and kissing deeply. I of course retaliated, tangling my fingers into his hair and purring a little.

He pulled away suddenly, just as I was getting into the kissing and trying out new things with my tongue. I blinked at him, confused, and he said, “You should stop, now.”

“Why?” I blinked, confused. Then I grinned. “I mean, we're alone; we won't be bothered.”

Gourry sighed, knowing that his own words had bit him on the ass. “I mean, if we don't stop, I don't think I can control myself.”

Oh. I blushed bright red. “What makes you think I would LET you lose control?” I demanded, glaring at him.

“Don't get angry at me,” he said softly, reaching forward and touching my cheek.

“You're killing my mood!” I snapped suddenly.

Gourry stared at me, looking very bewildered all of a sudden. Then, out of nowhere, he started laughing. I growled in warning, reminding him that I don't like being the butt of a joke, especially at a sensitive time like this.

“Stop laughing!” I shouted. When he wouldn't, I squirmed out of his arms and got to my feet, storming away and towards my bag.

“Lina, wait a second!” Gourry called, getting up quickly. I brushed past him, determined to ignore him for a few hours, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“Oh, let go,” I snapped, glaring at him.

He didn't move. “I didn't mean to offend you,” he said, his face now serious but obviously glowing with good humour.

“Then why were you laughing?” I demanded, my face flushing again at the memory.

“Because!” he replied, “It was what you said! You were so casual about it, it just weirded me out for a moment.”

“Why?” I bristled, “Because I'm not allowed to have sexual feelings?”

“No,” he answered, going pink a little. “Of course you are. It's just...we're sure comfortable around eachother!”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then it clicked: It was true. I would have never dared in the past to say anything as personal as I had said to him just then. Things had indeed changed.

“Oh,” I said stupidly, my hold on my bag loosening. I sighed deeply. “Okay. I'm sorry. I was embarrassed.” I dropped my bag and moved closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder lightly. “Forgive me?”

He didn't see it, but I was smiling. It really was kind of funny, wasn't it?

Dramata

 

26.4

I wrapped my arms around her as she rested her head against my shoulder and asked me to forgive her. I smiled slightly with the situation and tilted my head down so it rested on top of hers.

“It's ok Lina, and I really am sorry for making you uncomfortable.”

I pulled her closer to me and I felt her arms move around me and I was happy to stay like that with her for a few moments as I closed my eyes. I just enjoyed feeling her close to me like that. Everything felt safe and nothing else in the world mattered.

Then I felt those feelings returning pretty quickly. They were the feelings that Lina gave me when she moved onto my lap and wrapped her legs around my waist tightly. I wanted to resist the urges since it was morning but knowing the others had left and we were all alone made it pointless to try and stop those feelings.

My hand slowly grazed down her back, but Lina didn't really react to that. That was ok though because I didn't want her to react to that. I kept brushing my hand gently, and started to rub her lower back. Then as it continued to snake lower, I felt her shift position and I knew she was starting to feel uncomfortable. I then reached her rear and suddenly squeezed.

Lina squeaked in reaction as she pressed her hips towards me, trying to move away from my hand. I laughed a little and I noticed Lina looking up at me with a slight glare and a rosy shade to her cheeks. I just grinned and then poked my tongue out at her.

I wrapped my arms around her once more, but this time I pulled her up. She blinked in surprise, wondering what I was up to. I guided my hand down onto her leg and pulled it up to my waist, indicating that I wanted her to wrap her legs around my waist, as my other arm was still around her waist.

She complied but looked at me in confusion.

“What are you doing Gourry?” She asked me.

“Well I'm sorry for killing your mood. And I guess I want to make up for it.”

I then leaned into her neck and started kissing her softly before I felt the urges becoming too strong. The kisses then turned into light bites and she moaned gently in reaction. She then moved her hips slightly; brushing right over me and that caused me to moan. I also thought my legs were about to buckle so I decided that the bed would be a little safer.

I lowered her gently onto the bed but Lina kept her legs wrapped around my waist, determined to keep rubbing her hips against mine. She knew what it was doing to me, and I could tell she loved that. It was enough to make me feel really good, but not enough to feel satisfied. I think she liked having control over me like that.

But I wasn't happy with that. I wanted to be the one in control this time so I reached out to her legs to loosen them from my waist. I fought a little resistance as she refused to give up but I was able to over power her in the end.

She whined a little in protest but then she started moaning again as I started unbuttoned her pyjama top and began licking the sensitive nipples. Her hands reached out to the back of my head and her fingers tangled into my hair as she pushed me closer to her chest. I kept licking and occasionally biting her gently which caused gasps and sharp moans.

I wasn't done there though. You see, I had kept that book that was meant for Lina until I realised that it wasn't exactly the book I thought it was. Well anyway, I had read a little bit of it and learnt a couple of things from it. So I decided that maybe I would try them out on her.

I stopped what I was doing to her breasts which brought a whimper from Lina. I guess she wanted me to carry on, but hopefully what I was about to do would make her forget about that. I knelt down on the floor beside the bed and grabbed the waistband of Lina's pyjama pants and brought them down along with her underwear.

Lina had pushed herself up slightly to look down at me and I could tell she was embarrassed with what was happening. I brought a hand up to her thigh and gently caressed it, trying to calm her down a little. It seemed to work because she lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes, concentrating on what I was doing.

I continued rubbing her thigh and moved my hand higher and higher. Then I reached her sensitive area, moving my thumb slowly over the sensitive nub. She gripped the bed sheets tightly and took in a sharp breath. I smiled a little and kept rubbing my thumb over her, moving it a little quicker and firmer. Her breathing got much faster and shallower.

I was getting the reaction I wanted out of her, but there was more that I could do. I moved my head down between her legs and started licking. I couldn't see what she was doing but I could tell from the sound she made that she was surprised, but she also enjoyed. I continued moving my thumb and licked over her, doing just as the book told me to.

I was following it to the letter and it was obviously working because I could hear the moans from Lina. Occasionally she would whisper my name and as I started pushing my tongue into her, the whispers started getting louder. She reached down so her fingers were tangled into my hair once more and pushed my head firmer between my legs.

As I was pleasuring her, she was giving off a wonderful smell and as I started to lick her, the taste was really good to. So it only made me want to do it more. I licked her harder and quicker, desperate to taste her more which only caused her to moan louder.

I think it got too much for her because suddenly she tugged on my hair really hard as her whole body shook and shuddered. She finally let go when her body relaxed and I checked to see if I had any hair left! I then lay down on the bed next to Lina who was gasping for air. She looked towards me and I could see her thinking.

“Where the hell did you learn how to do that?” She asked.

“I dunno. I guess I read it from somewhere.” My stomach growled then. “Uhhh. Do you mind if we get some proper breakfast now? The breakfast on that tray wasn't enough.”

“Yeah, I could do with something to. I just need to fix myself first.”

Lina then got up from the bed, pulling her pyjama pants back up and picked up her bag and headed into the bathroom, only for her to walk back out a few minutes later.

“Oh Gourry?” She sung a little too sweetly. “What's this?”

I looked over and noticed her holding that book on the Karma Sutra.

“Uhhh…well…you see…”

“You pervert!!!” She threw the book at me which clouted me on the head. I groaned in pain a little and looked back to Lina. I guess she picked up my bag instead of hers. She had a little smirk on her face and then winked a little before picking up the right bag and going back into the bathroom to get ready. I was right. We were getting a lot more comfortable around each other!

Kurage

 

26.5

I have to admit, despite my demeanor, I found it pretty funny that Gourry went ahead and looked at the book, even though the idea of it before made him flustered. That man is full of surprises like that.

In any case, I took my time getting dressed. I was still a little shaky in the knees and I had to take it slow. I had never experienced anything like that before in my life, what he had done. I mean, I knew girls could do that to guys, but I didn't really put it together that it could be done to girls, too.

Let's face it here; despite my knowledge of the world that I have learned on the road, essentially I was a virgin when I met Gourry. I hadn't even kissed anyone when I had met him, and when I had met him, the only time after that that even came close to a kiss was from horrible Noonsa, and Gourry himself (also, Hallas sure as hell tried). And until Gourry and I started getting closer, that was it.

I'm not complaining. The experience, although a little embarrassing (I mean, come on, not even I have ever seen as much of myself as Gourry did) was certainly very nice. I think the most I felt was surprise that Gourry had the guts to even do that, since the whole idea of sex before seemed like a very flustering subject. But, I guess, we've gotten to that level.

Once my knees stopped shaking and I was able to stand without feeling them tremble, I washed up and got dressed. Then, before I left, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was certainly different now, than I had been when I left home all of those years ago. I was just a kid back then, not even thinking about love or lust or anything. But now, here I was, in the throes of both.

I blinked at my reflection, and it blinked back. I was pretty sure I liked what I saw there. And that is what counts.

I walked out and tossed the bag to the floor, noticing that Gourry was lying down on the bed with his eyes closed. He must have gotten bored waiting for me. I snuck over to his side and poked at his eyes. He snorted and opened them.

“All done,” I said. “You can have your turn now. Meet you downstairs?”

When he nodded, I packed away my stuff into my cape and took off downstairs, hungry again after so many ordeals. I was halfway through my meal when Gourry came down, looking clean and refreshed. He ordered, and while he waited he picked off my plate and got slapped a few times for doing so.

When he finally got his own damn food, I was done, but sore about having so much of my own meal confiscated, so I took it out on him. During this chaos, we had some sort of conversation.

“Where do you want to go—give that BACK, you ass!!”

“Merph. Whenever.”

“I asked WHERE!”

Momentary lag in conversation here.

“So wait, what was your question, Lina?”

“Whether or not you are going to share with me.”

“I don't remember that, and I know I would if you had asked me THAT.”

“I asked you where you want to go.”

“Give that back, Lina!”

“Quick avoiding the question!”

I remember, here, he looked at me with a troubled expression on his face. “I thought we were going to go home,” he said, bemused.

“I know this, Gourry,” I replied, my eye twitching slightly. “The question is, when we get there, what do we do then?”

He shrugged. “Maybe we could go to your hometown, so that I can see your family.”

He said this perfectly normally, as if he was discussing the weather or a type of sword. Inside, the words set my stomach lurching and my heart racing.

Did he just not get what he just said?

“You want to what?” I stammered, my face burning.

He gnawed on a chicken bone, looking hungry still and sad about it. “We could go to your hometown. Zephilia, right?”

“Uh, er, yes?”

“Okay, so we can go there and hang out for a while there,” he smiled, putting down the chicken leg and grabbing a fist full of sausages.

I sat there, gaping at him. It sounded too casual to be what I thought it was, and yet...there was some sort of fluttering in my stomach that hinted that either I hoped it was what I hoped it was or I was really really freaked out at the thought of it. Even now I'm not quite sure which. Most likely both.

We spent the rest of the meal in silence. Gourry didn't seem to mind. In fact, he didn't seem to notice that I was just sitting there, staring down at my hands, trying to phrase my question delicately so that if I was actually wrong, I wouldn't look like an idiot.

I mean, didn't I have enough to worry about? Didn't I have to figure out my dream and deal with Drianne's request/suggestion? Now, on top of all of that, I had to try and translate Gourry's demented jellyfish babble?

When Gourry was done eating, he paid without argument, which was a nice change, and we headed out of the inn and on our way.

As we walked, I tried to bring it up again.

“So, you want to go home?” I asked.

“Sure,” he replied.

“With me?”

“Wasn't that the idea?”

“Okay, yes,” I faltered a little, before getting a grip. “But when you said you wanted to go to my hometown, what did you mean by that?”

“That I wanted to go to your hometown,” he replied. “What's so hard about that?”

“Okay, but when you said that, did you mean...” I trailed off, turning red. This wasn't worth getting into, I thought. Knowing Gourry, if it was what I thought it was, he would have just come out and said it, wouldn't he?

“Merph,” I muttered. “It's okay, I understand.”

He smiled at me. “It's rare that I'm the one that has to explain things to you,” he teased.

I shoved on him lightly, and we walked on.

Dramata

 

26.6

She was funny like that sometimes. I just thought it would be fun to go to her home. We'd been travelling around with each other for so long now but we had never really visited each others homes yet. I just thought after everything that had happened, it would be fun to just go home for a bit. But ever since I brought up the subject, Lina seemed nervous about it and a little agitated too. And suddenly she was the one asking a lot of questions.

I'm normally able to read Lina pretty well but it was a bit of a struggle because when she was like this, it could have meant anything from she was worried about something, or just generally confused. It didn't really matter to me though and I just enjoyed the fact that she was asking me the questions for once.

After shoving on me lightly and I smiled in reaction as we continued walking on. Deciding to return home, we knew we had to try and get back to the docks and find a boat to take us back, which meant we had to take a few days travel. I suppose you could call it luck but wherever Xellos took us to after rescuing us at the last minute from Dolphin's collapsing temple, it was not far from the coast and a few towns which were said to have docks.

As for what happened during the journey, well in normal circumstances I suppose it was quiet and boring. Bandits seemed to be keeping low, which I guess must have meant that Lina's reputation was pretty quick to spread. She might dislike everything that she is called but it's sometimes a good thing. Considering what we had just been through, not having to deal with bandits every now and again. But the downside of that was that we weren't getting a lot of income either.

Luckily enough we had enough money to last us the journey to the docks and pay for the journey back home. I would have explained everything that had happened but I don't think you guys would have been interested in all of the details like what meals we had when we were camping out, or the fun I had chasing down dinner in the middle of the night in high grass. Lina had a laugh at me for that one, especially when I fell into the pond in the middle of the grass. But I caught dinner anyway. How was I supposed to know there was a pond in the middle of all of that?

Anyway, we made it to the docks and were lucky enough to find a boat that was just leaving to go back to our continent so we got aboard and were soon off back home.

I was leaning against the side of the boat and watched us moving swiftly through the ocean. I felt like I had done this a few times before already but I enjoyed feeling the wind blowing in my hair and liked the sound of the waves crashing against the boat. Behind me I could hear Lina still arguing with the captain. I guess I didn't mention that Lina wasn't happy with the amount we had to pay to get onto the boat. We did have the money to get on but you know how Lina can be. She always has to push a deal and she always wants to pay as little as possible.

Soon it got quiet of all the voices and then I felt severe anger beside me. I turned my head to see Lina resting her arms on the side and resting her head on her arms.

“So how much money did you manage to take off?” I asked.

Lina's response was a slight snarl before slumping back on the side of the boat.

“Only 20 gold!”

I blinked a little.

“You cut the price down by half! What are you upset about?”

“I should have got it down to 10 gold!”

“But 20 gold is still really good, it still leaves us with a lot left over. And I'm sure once we get back home, there'll be loads of bandits about who think they were getting a free time since you've been away. They'll be loaded.”

Lina perked up a little and then had a slight grin on her face. I guess I must have cheered her up a little.

“Hey you're right Gourry. They'll have really stocked up and so there'll be even more for me to take.”

I smiled, enjoying being told I was right. I must be on a roll or something. What with Lina asking me questions, being right about stuff, and making her feel…well…you know…the book is really informative, ok?

“Looks like I'm turning into the smart one around here.”

“You wish Gourry! You still think a fiancé is a pickle!”

“Well you never said it wasn't! If you don't tell me why I'm wrong, I'll never remember.”

“You never remember, full stop!”

I mumbled a little, leaning my elbow on the side of the boat and resting my chin on my hand.

“Well I remember how to make you make that certain sound when you're turned on” I spoke so only she could hear.

Her response was to punch straight down on the top of my head.

“Shut it!! Don't even talk about that!!” She growled.

I just brought my hands up to the top of my head trying to some how stop the pain that was ringing about. After it went away I managed to look back to her and I could see her cheeks were red. I smiled a little and just leaned back against the side of the boat.

“Is it a fish?” I stated.

“Is what a fish?”

“A fiancé.”

Later when night fell, dinner was finished and Lina recovered from what I assumed was another incorrect guess at what a fiancé was, we headed below deck to our small room. We were lucky to have a room with a bed instead of hammocks. I can never understand how people are supposed to sleep in those things. I always imagine if I tried to sleep in one of those, I would spend most of the night on the ground after falling out.

I sat down on the bed and kicked my boots off, patting my stomach in satisfaction of being well fed. I glanced to Lina who was removing her cape, gloves and boots.

“So how long has it been since you were last back home?”

“Huh?”

“I said how long has it been since you were home? When you've last seen your family?

“Uhh...lemme see. It must be about 8 or 9 years now.”

I thought for a moment as I let it sink in. I didn't realise how long Lina had been away from her home for and as I thought about it more, I realised how young she must have been when she left. It also made me realise how long I had been away from my home for. I'm not sure why Lina left when she did but I knew she would be welcomed home more than I would be.

Kurage

 

26.7

His silence made me curious, but I didn't venture into it. I have learned that if Gourry has something to say, he will say it. If he didn't want to say it, then he wouldn't. So, instead of prying, I let it go. It was far too nice a night to get into it.

Besides, I didn't want to get into a fight.

I looked over closely at him, blinking a little. He noticed and looked back. I walked over and jumped onto the bed next to him. He smiled. I propped my head up on my hand, my elbow on the bed. I wanted to get a good look at him, this man that had entered his way into my life and managed not only to stay there, but make it more bearable.

Well, most of the time.

“Hi,” I said softly, unable to voice my thoughts at the moment. I didn't think, if I tried, I would be able to make them eloquent anyway. Why bother at the attempt?

“Hi,” he replied, his smile widening.

I lowered my head onto the pillow beside his, and he encircled me into his arms. I snuggled closer, closing my eyes, and he gave me the kiss I wanted, a soft one, on my lips. I responded to it, but I didn't strengthen it. It wasn't that I wasn't quite in the mood, it was just the fact that I was tired, and I wanted to sleep normally, instead of in an exhausted sleep.

Thankfully, he seemed to sense this. I also am pretty sure he didn't think that sexual exploration on a boat was very arousing. I sure didn't. He pulled away slowly and gave me another kiss on the nose. I giggled and opened my eyes, and he looked back at me.

“Goodnight, Gourry,” I said softly. Inside, I wanted to add, Maybe someday you'll tell me your secrets... But I didn't. I kept it inside. When he was ready, I knew he would tell me.

He closed his eyes and relaxed. “Night, Lina,” he replied.

I listened to him sleep that night, with my eyes closed. I let my hearing do most of the work, listening to his breathing and how it matched his heartbeat. I played with his hair a little, sliding my fingers through his tresses. I was in a pure comfort zone, and I was quite unwilling to leave it just yet. At least, not until morning.

After a while, I guess I did fall asleep, because after that, all I remember is the sound of a loud, clanging bell sounding above us, and we both snorted awake. We both knew what that meant: land.

After the boat docked and we got on dry land, it was only then that I started thinking seriously about what Gourry and I had discussed the night before.

I wasn't really too pleased with all of the questions about home. It was still a tricky topic with me, seeing as how I still wasn't quite sure I wanted to go back home, especially with Gourry. I had tried to answer his questions as well as I could, but even as I tried to give off a casual front, inside, I still felt squeamish about the idea of going home.

Also, on the side, I wondered why Gourry never volunteered to go to his home. I wondered why it always had to be my home. I was just as curious to see what his family was like. So why did we have to go to my home first? Or at least, it seemed that way.

I wasn't sure exactly what he had in mind, but I had no intentions of heading to Zefilia first. I wanted to stop in at s few of the surrounding cities first.

At first, I wasn't going to mention this to him. I was just going to lead him by the arm and then have him deal with it when we got there. But then my conscience got the better of me, and as we walked the next day, I brought it up.

“So, I was thinking of heading to Atlas City first,” I began carefully, keeping my gaze fixed on the sky. The night before had been peaceful, and I was a little worried that sidetracking would make a huge fuss about things.

Gourry, however, surprised me. “Yeah, alright,” he agreed. “We could use the time to restock some of our stuff, anyways.”

I blinked at him in surprise. That wasn't the reaction I was expecting. I was expecting something more upset, that I was, once again, spoiling plans for my own sake.

Right?

Or was I actually secretly hoping Gourry would make a fuss to that I would HAVE to go home, face my fears, and take what may come?

I went red, these thoughts confirmed when I thought about it closer. It was true; I was using Gourry's reactions as a hope that I would have an excuse to go home.

Now that I understood that, I needed to figure out WHY I wanted to go home so badly, badly enough to try and project my feelings onto poor Gourry.

I was silent, and he must have guessed that something was going on in my brain, because he walked over closer to me and gave me a light poke on the back of my head.

I blinked and looked up. He looked down at me, frowning a little. “Something I said?” he wondered.

I shook my head. “Nah. Just thinking is all.”

He didn't press it, and I was grateful for that. I didn't want to talk about it yet. Inside, I was secretly afraid of what exactly it was that I wanted.

Dramata

 

26.8

I didn't mind if Lina wanted to go to Atlas City first, and I meant the fact that we could stock up on supplies. The thing that bothered me more was the way she was quiet about it afterwards.

I was looking at her closely, and trying to judge her reaction to what I said, and it was almost like she was disappointed in what I said. Was that the wrong answer then? Was I supposed to say we shouldn't go to Atlas City? Well then where should we be going instead of Atlas City? I know I had been talking about going to Lina's home the night before, but Lina had been away for so long, so I wasn't going to rush her back, just as I would hope she wouldn't make me do the same. Although to be perfectly honest, I hoped she didn't ask me about that at all.

We walked down the main street and I felt sudden sense of comfort. I guess being back home on our own continent almost felt like being back at a home where you were loved. Although I'm pretty sure none of the bandits we were sure to come across were going to be too happy to see us back. I don't know why. I guess I sound a little crazy but it just felt right to be back.

“FIREBALL!!!”

Soon there was a loud bang and the screams of agony followed that.

That was the fourth bandit group we destroyed. But when I say we, I meant Lina. I guess she really took the whole bandit thing seriously and was making up for lost time. She skipped about like a 10 year old girl who just scored a load of candy. Except she was grabbing gold and valuable items instead of sweets. I just knelt down and started poking at one of the burnt bandits with a stick since I had nothing else to do.

“Oh man! I can't believe how loaded all these gangs are. You know if we keep this up for a couple more weeks, we'll be so rich!”

“But it's so boring!” I whined, standing up and chucking the stick to the ground. I put my hands behind my head and let out a sigh.

“Oh stop being a spoil sport. I'm the one who's doing all the work around here!”

“Well it's not like you're even giving me a chance to do anything! You blow everyone up before I get a chance. I tried to rush in early last time and you nearly blew me up with them!”

“Well don't get in the way!”

I sighed and stopped talking, and started walking again. I knew I wasn't going to win with Lina, and I guess with all we had been through, letting her do this again was cheering her up, and putting the things that happened in the past to rest. I wasn't going to stop her, even if that meant being bored or nearly getting blown up.

“Oh Gourry?” I heard behind me all too sweetly that I thought all my teeth would fall out. I turned around to see Lina struggling to carry all of the treasure she had gained. I shook my head and walked back to her, grabbing a couple of the heavier bags and lifting them with ease.

“You know Gourry, I was wrong all those years ago. You're much better than a horse!”

“I don't remember you comparing me to a horse.”

“Oh well awhile ago, I thought I could sell you for a horse.”

“You were gonna sell me for a horse!?!?”

“Well you know, they would get me places quicker without having to use magic and they're able to carry loads of stuff. Plus I wouldn't have to feed them as much as I have to feed you.”

“I can't believe you're even comparing me to a horse…” I frowned as I walked with the bags, walking a little quicker, and hearing her booted feet having to move quicker to catch up. I then looked over to her to see her grinning from ear to ear.

“That's such a bad joke!” I groaned as I slowed up a little, and shook my head.

“Of course I'd never sell you for a horse, Gourry. It was a donkey…”

We made it to a town before night fell and went around the various shops selling the items Lina didn't need and then managed to get a room at the inn. We then had our usual dinner at the restaurant and after that particular battle; we relaxed at the table whilst I had a drink of something alcoholic.

“I can't believe you can drink that stuff Gourry. It tastes nasty.”

“I dunno, I remember being told you have to acquire the taste.”

“Maybe that's why you're such a jellyfish brain. You killed all your brain cells from drinking too much.”

“I don't drink that much, or that often. Anyway, it's not this stuff that makes me drunk. Wine on the other hand.”

“When did you drink wine?”

I shrugged and thought for a second. “I dunno, awhile ago. But I remember going through a bottle and feeling really ill afterwards.”

“So are you a funny drunk or an angry drunk.”

“The sleepy one. When I feel like I've drunk too much, I feel really sleepy. You on the other hand are probably a funny drunk!”

“What makes you say that?”

“Just a guess. I just don't think you would be an angry drunk considering how easy it is to make you angry normally. So that's why I think you would be a funny drunk.”

I watched as Lina thought it over a little, but I just smiled and took another gulp of my drink. I kept watch of her and I started to work out what she was thinking.

“I'm not letting you get drunk.”

“Why not!?” Lina replied defensively.

“Because it would be a stupid thing to do and you'll feel like crap tomorrow morning. You won't want to go travelling so we'll end up wasting a day here. Plus I know how grouchy you can be in the morning, and with a hangover I'm sure you'll be ten times worse.”

Lina just blinked at me in surprise, and then sat back in defeat then. “Fine.”

“Trust me; you're not missing out on anything interesting.”

I then finished off my drink and put the mug down back on the table.

“Now I think we should get some rest if we're going to make good time tomorrow.”

You know sometimes when I look out for Lina, it's because I really care about her as a friend and well someone I really love. But there are times when it's like I look out for Lina like I'm her parent. I admit it's not often, but occasionally it can get like that. It's a little weird, but it's fun when I get to order her around a little. I might not be very bright, but sometimes there are things I know about more than Lina.

Kurage

 

26.9

While I didn't appreciate that he was trying to boss me into doing something else other than what I really desired, I was secretly touched that he was looking out for me. Plus the fact that he was probably right, and it was an asinine notion to even want to try, anyways. But you know me; I'm always game to try something at LEAST once.

In any case, we were done our meal and that was that. Throughout the duration of our time together that day, it seemed like everything was natural and normal, but something inside me was off. Something inside me was still loose, and I only managed to figure out exactly what it was when Gourry was getting ready for bed in the next room.

It was Luna that I was having trouble with.

I could always steer the blame onto Gourry if I wanted to, but the root of the matter always came down to the fact that I would always be afraid of my sister.

Nothing I could ever do would be good enough in her eyes, could it? No matter how powerful I became and how far I had reached out, she would always be the better, wouldn't it?

Was it the superiority thing that I was afraid of? That she would always look down on me despite how much I had done?

Luna wasn't exactly that way. She was, after all, the one who encouraged me to get my feet wet and travel the world. She was never one, really, for beating me down, unless, of course, I wasn't meeting my full potential. (And even that I could understand.) It was the fear, I guess, of coming home and seeing in her eyes that despite all that I had done, I had still, somehow, failed to meet my potential.

Er, plus that whole shower thing...but you don't need the details of that. Do you?

Plus, you know, I was pretty sure that once I saw her I wouldn't be able to hide anything from her. It's not that she and I are close; it's more like she has this eerie sense of KNOWING EVERYTHING. So in saying that, I was pretty sure she knew about the whole Mazoku incident...which makes me red in the face, let me tell you…

Of course, if she didn't, then I was worried for no reason and getting heartburn for nothing. I was starting to think that despite all of the time passing me by between then and the whole incident, I was still really bothered by it.

My thoughts were put on sabbatical when Gourry came back in wearing too-small inn pajamas, hair wet and smelling like soap. I was so distracted by this that I giggled, the first time, I'm sure, in several hours, not since we shook down the bandits.

Gourry stopped in mid-stride and looked over at me, tilting his head. I have to admit, even that was cute. Gourry has this thing about him where even the simplest of movements can be deemed as cute.

Although, more often than not, this illusion is shattered when he opens his mouth.

“What happened?” he wondered, blinking at me. “Did you have a hiccup?”

See what I mean?

“No, you big idiot,” I said conversationally. “Those pajamas are too small. You look stupid.”

Gourry threw his wet towel at me, which grossed me out so much that I yelled and tossed it back amidst a flurry of swearing. By the time I had recovered my gross-out, Gourry was sitting with me on the horrible cardboard box of an inn bed. We had to penny-pinch, just in case we didn't run across any bandits on the way.

This was Gourry's idea. Personally, I saw that as being highly unlikely, seeing as how the old continent was ALWAYS full of losers and deadbeats. Gourry, however, didn't want to take any chances, as usual, so I complied... reluctantly, and not without a fight. I was pretty sure I could still see the bruise on his left cheek where I had tossed my mug at him when he didn't agree with me.

“So, Gourry, what do you think we should do next? Should we go ahead and head to Atlas City like I want, or should I just bite the bullet and go home?”

Gourry tilted his head, looking confused. “Why are you asking me? Hadn't we decided on Atlas City?”

I shrugged one shoulder, indicating that he wasn't wrong but that I didn't want to get into it too much. “Maybe we should just head home and see what is what, you know?”

Oh, how I longed to be the type of girl who could just seriously open up to someone and spill out all of my problems just like that. The only time I can do it without being looked upon as a freak is when I'm in a screaming rage, because that is what everyone expects of me. It's when I actually start to have more emotion beyond “anger” and “rage” that everyone becomes weirded out.

Which is not fair, really.

So I figured, maybe it would be just better to make it seem like I was putting it all in his hands, giving him the option, instead of really admitting to what I was actually doing; copping out, sucking it up, and heading home to face my fears.

Dramata