Author:  Pairaka
Title:  Desert Nights

Desert Nights

And I want to sleep with you in the desert tonight
With a million stars all around
 -  Peaceful Easy Feeling, The Eagles

The sky was so close out here in the desert, Lina thought. The
dry, arid air turned it the most spectacular shade of blue during the
day, in sharp contrast to the barren, dun-colored landscape. And at
night the stars sparkled like ice crystals. But now, halfway between
night and day, as the sun sank beneath the horizon colors blazed across
that perfect, infinite canvas: Vermilion, crimson, sage, lavender,
cerulean, plus colors in-between that no artist could ever mix. Lina
sighed and smiled a happy little smile as she rested her chin in her
hand while she watched the colors shift and blend as the sun sank. So
peaceful, so beautiful, so -
"Are you going to eat that?"
Lina's elbow slipped and her dinner nearly ended up in the dust
at her feet. Grabbing up her plate - and her half of the roasted fowl
that was on it - she directed a glare at the person who had interrupted
her reverie and said, in her most acid tone, "No. I thought I'd leave
it for the coyotes."
Her companion shook his head, setting his long blonde hair to
swinging. "Don't do that. If you don't want it, I'll eat it."
Lina ground her teeth. Sarcasm was lost on some people.
"Jellyfish!" she shouted. "Of course I'm going to eat it!" And she
suited actions to words as she bit into the carcass and ripped off a
large chunk of meat and chewed angrily at him.
"Oh," Gourry said unfazed by her outburst and picked the last bit
of meat off his half of the bird. "You were just staring off into
space, so I thought maybe you weren't hungry." He tossed the bones into
the fire and set the plate aside. Picking up a stick, he shifted the
coals of the fire and added a few more sticks to it. Glancing at the
small supply, he sighed. "Not much wood left. Gonna get cold tonight."
He leaned back, stretched out his legs and put his arms behind his head
while he watched the fire.
Still chewing angrily, Lina continued to glare at him. She loved
him dearly, but sometimes he just bugged the living daylights out of
her. Like now. 'Are you going to eat that?' indeed. She huffed under
her breath and tore off another hunk of meat.
She stopped chewing suddenly and stared down at the meat in her
hands. Why was she so angry? Why get so upset over such a little thing?
It wasn't like he'd said anything stupid; he'd merely asked her a
simple enough question. That shouldn't irritate her so much. Groaning
inwardly, she realized she'd been feeling cranky and out-of-sorts with
him and life in general all day and the one moment when she didn't feel
as if she were going to jump out of her skin at the slightest
provocation, he'd interrupted her. There could be only one explanation:
Her "time of the month" was due within a few days, and both she and
Gourry were beginning to feel the precursors to it. Damn.
In silence, she went back to chewing her food. The previously
flavorful meat lost its taste, but she was determined to eat it anyway.
They'd been lucky to catch a bird, and if she was going to be losing
her powers in a couple days, they'd have to go back to eating what
lizards and rabbits that Gourry could spear with his sword again. She
shuddered. Rabbits were okay, but lizard meat was disgusting.
Trying to find something else to think about, Lina looked up at
the sky again. The sun had set and there was only the barest trace of
light left to edge the horizon and the few stray, high clouds that rode
high above. The sky, from east to west, was a broad expanse of deepest
cobalt, a color she could lose herself in. But she didn't want to lose
herself in it tonight, for some odd reason. It made her feel small and
alone. The glittering stars, so brilliant out here in the desert,
seemed cold and distant. So she sought out the fire that they'd built.
It was small; wood in the desert was scarce and she was damned if she
was going to go around picking up dried antelope cookies and deer
muffins when there *was* wood to be had.
The light from the fire edged the fire ring with gold. That same
golden light outlined the man who was dozing lightly across the fire
from her. Lina let her gaze travel from his boots, up his long legs,
powerful chest and to his open, beautiful face. As she looked at him,
the tension and irritability she'd been feeling melted away. Setting
aside her dinner, Lina wiped her fingers then leaned her elbows on her
knees to support her chin and just...looked.
The weeks they'd spent wandering in the desert had bleached his
hair nearly white, though it was still shot through with gold. In the
dark it shone like gossamer, an image encouraged by the way it shifted
gently, stirred by his breath as he snored softly. The same sun had
tanned his skin a deep gold. She decided she liked the effect of sun-
bleached hair against sun-bronzed skin. She really hadn't noticed the
changes; he was so familiar to her, his every feature memorized and
etched in her mind's eye. But there had been some changes and now that
she noticed them, she wondered what else she'd missed.
She let her eyes move over his face, caressing his features with
her gaze. The arch of his brow was as delicate as the curve of a bird's
wing, and his dark lashes were as lush, long and thick as many women
dreamed theirs could be. The delicate bone structure of his face was a
result of his elven heritage, she was sure. His nose was straight and
perfect; not too broad, not too narrow. Under that, the gentle curve of
his mouth, framed by shapely lips, lips that could turn her to jelly
with a single kiss...
Lina felt a familiar stirring deep within her belly: A smoldering
heat that dripped liquid fire downwards into her loins. As her eyes
traveled even further down, taking in the strong, graceful arch of his
neck, the broad shoulders, that liquid fire spread out along nerve
endings until she could no longer sit still. Biting her lip, she looked
up at the blue sky that suddenly left her feeling exposed and cold. She
didn't like being cold, and they rarely made love outdoors, both
preferring a soft bed and roof over their heads to the hard ground and
unpredictable weather. But they'd been hiking through the desert for
several days now, and if she was right about her cycle, it would be
several more before they could do anything even if they were to find a
town with an inn...Besides which, they'd made camp in the hollow
between some large rocks; they reflected the fire's heat and the area
was still warm despite the sun having already gone down. And the
constant wind had deposited a thick layer of fine sand; it was soft and
yielding under their shared bedroll.
Unconsciously, Lina twisted her hips as she sat on her rock,
rubbing herself against her leggings. When she realized what she was
doing, the red-haired sorceress gave a little hiccup and pushed herself
up. She crossed the distance that separated them, swung her leg over
Gourry and plonked herself down on his lap. Taking his face in her
hands, she tilted it upwards and locked her lips over his in a kiss so
hard and rough Lina was surprised at her own ardor.
Gourry startled violently at being awakened so abruptly, and he
halfway sat up. As he gathered his wits and realized this wasn't a
dream, but very real, he relaxed and put his arms around the tiny woman
in his lap, and pulled her closer to him, moving deeper into the kiss.
She'd already found her way into his mouth and he murmured something in
the back of his throat as she explored him with her tongue. He had to
force her backwards a bit as she continued to press harder, bruising
him with her eagerness. Fighting against him, she grabbed his lips with
her own, pulled at them, first the top then the bottom, then latched
onto him again, leaving him breathless. Her hands cupped his face,
fingertips tracing the line of his brows, his cheeks, down to his jaw,
and to his ears. She ground her hips against him; even through several
layers of clothing, he could feel her heat.
He shivered under her. He'd been aroused mere seconds after she'd
awakened him in such an unexpected manner; now, as he shifted to
relieve the pressure his trousers were placing on his aroused anatomy
it only encouraged her to press harder. Gasping for both breath and in
pain, he grabbed her arms and had to force her away.
"Lina!" he cried, breathless. She let out a little cry and
started tugging at his shirt, pulling it out of his trousers. "What's
gotten into you?" he asked, putting a hand under her chin and forcing
her to look up.
There was a strange light in her eyes. "Nothing yet," she said
with a little sharp-toothed grin. "That's the problem. C'mon, Gourry,"
she said as she pushed her hands up underneath his shirt and worked it
upwards. "I want to make love." She rocked her hips a little to let him
know she could feel him.
"I can tell that - Ah, be careful!" he gasped as her nails raked
his skin.
"Take your shirt off," she ordered, scooting backwards and
attacking the laces of his trousers. "I'll handle this."
Wincing as she pressed too hard in her enthusiasm, Gourry caught
her hands. "That's what I'm afraid of." He pulled her up and kissed her
knuckles. "Let me take care of that."
"Suit yourself," she said, sitting backwards on her heels. She
grinned ferally as he sat up and pulled his shirt over his head, then
leaned forward to pull at his boots. "Hmm...I like watching you get
undressed for me," she said, reaching out and running her fingers along
his golden skin. His hair shifted and slid over his smooth skin like a
waterfall of gold; she picked up a few strands and watched them fall
through her fingers like threads of silk.
Having gotten his boots off, Gourry sat up on his knees. Her eyes
watched him hungrily as he undid the laces of his trousers and pulled
them down over his hips. He caught her eye and paused halfway. "What
about you?" he said with a grin.
"When you're finished, you can undress me, too," Lina said with a
wicked gleam in her eye.
"Why don't I get to watch you get undressed?" he wanted to know
as he finished removing his trousers. As he sat up and reached for her,
Lina's hands went for his arousal and gripped him.
"Because, Gourry," she said sternly. "I want *you* to undress
me." She stroked him with growing enthusiasm.
"Easy, Lina," he said, shuddering under her touch. "Keep that up
and you'll spoil your fun." He pulled loose her tunic and slipped it
off her shoulders. She gasped as the rapidly cooling desert air touched
her back.
"You wouldn't disappoint me like that, would you?" she crooned,
sitting up and kissing his chin.
"Not on purpose, you know that," he said, awkwardly slipping her
boots off her feet and tossing them aside. He stuck his fingers in the
waistband of her leggings and jerked them down off her hips. He sat up,
forcing her to rise to her knees and by dint of much effort managed to
get them off as well.
She practically threw herself into his arms and pressed her lips
to his. He put his arms around her and held her against him, running
his hands up and down her back to her rear, pulling her onto his lap.
She spread her legs and wrapped them around him, gyrating wildly
against him. He moaned as he felt her, hot and wet, rub against his
erection.
Pulling back, Lina kissed the tip of his nose. "Well?" she said.
"Do you want me or not?"
He drew a ragged breath; oh gods, he wanted her. Too much, that
was the problem. She'd gone too fast, gotten him too excited all at
once; if he took her now he wouldn't last. So he had to do something to
slow her down. And...he knew what she would like.
"You know I do," he said, sitting up on his knees again and
holding her until she unwound her legs and knelt in front of him.
"What are you doing?" she asked curiously as he pulled her
forward onto the bedroll.
"Just wait," he said with a grin, pressing her backwards. He
knelt over her, leaning down to kiss her neck, trailing kisses along
her collarbone and the hollow of her neck, then down between her
breasts. He didn't sidetrack to them, however, since he had another
destination in mind. He stopped briefly to toy with her navel,
eliciting a screech of laughter as he found a new ticklish spot on her.
Picking up on what he had in mind, Lina spread her legs for him
and put her hands on his shoulders. "Oh, yes, Gourry," she breathed,
already feeling him kissing her there.
He looked up and grinned at her. "Just what do you think I'm
going to do?" he asked teasingly, moving down another inch then back
up. Hooking one leg over his shoulder, he turned his head and laid a
kiss on the inside of her thigh.
"Don't tease me, please," she said, lifting her hips and trying
to pull him downwards. "Not tonight."
"Ah." The blonde swordsman put his hands on her thighs and spread
them. But he didn't stop with merely spreading them; he ran his hands
down her legs to her ankles and grasped them. Lifting her legs, he
forced them apart and upwards, bending her nearly in half, exposing her
to him completely.
"Gourry!" she exclaimed, grasping his hair.
"Lina!" he replied in the same tone. He looked up and grinned at
his partner; he could feel her heat on his face without touching her.
Smiling wickedly, he blew gently, sending shivers of gooseflesh along
her body. Squealing, she lifted her hips. "Please, Gourry!" Pleased
with her response, he decided not to torment her any longer. That could
wait for the night they were in a comfortable bed.
Leaning down, he inhaled deeply of her scent, savoring the warm,
musky aroma of her arousal. It was heady, like wine, and if he hadn't
already been fully aroused, her personal perfume would have completed
the task. He reveled in her essence; musky scent, soft cries, enticing
warmth, the sight of her laid out before him. Something for each of his
senses. The final one was waiting for him scant inches away from his
face, waiting for him to complete the set.
Unable to keep himself away any longer, he kissed her like she'd
kissed him earlier: Wanting and passionate. Parting the lips of her
womanhood with his tongue, he forced himself inside her, invading her
as he sought out the limits of his reach, straining to extend them
further.
Lina's cries echoed off the sheer bluffs around them as her small
hands twisted in his hair. She pushed him down while she lifted her
hips higher, all of which encouraged him even more. He redoubled his
efforts to explore and memorize by feel her every fold, every crevasse,
pushing inward with his tongue then pulling outward to gently touch her
center with the tip. Varying his pattern, he grabbed that little nub of
ultra-sensitive tissue between his teeth and bared down on it gently -
oh, so gently...
"Gourry!" Lina wrenched out between clenched teeth. He continued
to nibble softly at her, causing her legs to spasm reflexively as the
tension inside her built up to unbearable levels. The tension itself
was exquisite torture; she wanted to let go and hold back at the same
time. She felt drawn tight as a harpstring over-stretched -
Lina thought she was going to scream as the wire that was her
soul frayed even more. She pushed her hands through his hair, clutching
great handfuls until he jerked back with a sharp gasp of pain. "S-
sorry," she managed to get out, and pulled her hands free, putting them
instead over her head and clutching the edge of the bedroll while he
worked.
Then - then...The harpwire inside her stretched to the breaking
point. She could feel herself being stretched thinner and thinner. She
opened her eyes and stared at the sky above without seeing it as Touch
overruled Sight's duties, leaving her blind except for what images It
painted upon her mind's eye. She could see Gourry bent over her, long
lean legs folded neatly beneath him as he held her own splayed open.
His hair, so beautiful and shining in the firelight, falling over his
broad back like a cloak of silk, bangs caressing her belly and inner
thighs. And - most importantly - his tongue and lips on her, touching
her, tasting her, teasing her...
Unable to hold back any longer, the being that was Lina Inverse
splintered into a million needle-sharp fragments. Propelled by
unimaginable forces, they flew off into the heavens and embedded
themselves deeply into the blue canvas of the night sky above where
they glittered dangerously, shrapnel-sharp. She screamed his name at
the force that rebounded through her soul; her screams echoed off the
silent rocks and drifted back, an unearthly chorus to accompany their
love-making.
By the time Lina found her way back into her own body, someone
was kneeling over her, calling to her softly. "Lina," came the voice
again. She opened her eyes and looked into familiar blue eyes, but it
was several seconds before she recognized her lover's face. "Lina," he
called again. It was several more before she could remember how to
speak.
"Gourry," she said weakly, voice harsh and roughened from her
screams. She reached out to him and he came into her arms, covering her
sweat-soaked body with his warmth. She let down her legs, surprised to
find them shaking and weak, and wrapped them around him.
"You okay?" he asked softly, gathering her into his arms and
kissing her neck tenderly.
"Yes," she said, feeling drained but empty. There was only one
thing that could fill that empty place inside her and it was so close,
so close she could it throbbing against her flesh. "Now, Gourry," she
managed to grate out.
He nodded and transferred his kisses to her mouth, slipping his
tongue inside then pulling back to use it to trace the curve of her
lips. Lifting his hips, he positioned himself at her opening and
pressed downward. Her arousal and climax had left her ready to accept
him and he slid into her with little resistance. Twin sighs escaped
their lips, barely touching, followed closely by a soft cry from Lina
as he filled perfectly that void within her. 
Moving closer, their lips met again in a full-bodied kiss. Gourry
moved gently within her, working at a slow, easy pace. He didn't want
to rush this, though he had to hold himself back. Giving her pleasure
hadn't diminished his advanced state of arousal any; if anything, the
intensity with which she'd climaxed had increased it to nearly
unbearable levels. He had to tread carefully or he'd be paying for his
misstep for a very long time.
Watching her as she lay under him, he moved his kisses down to
the line of her jaw, along her neck and to the hollow of her throat.
She shivered with pleasure and moved her hands up underneath his hair
to lightly stroke the back of his neck. Instantly, his breathing
increased and his heart began to beat faster; he loved when she did
that. As Lina lightly ran her fingernails over his skin, he shuddered
and increased his pace, eliciting small cries of pleasure from his
mate.
Arching his neck under her touch, he bent his head down to kiss
her shoulder and collarbone, feeling the bones as they stood out
sharply under her skin, grazing them softly with his teeth and making
her arch her back under him. He gasped as that forced her breasts into
his chest, breasts of which he was so very fond - even if they were on
the small side. Twisting, he stopped moving and cupped one upwards in
his hand, noting as always how very tiny she was. His hand looked
massive as it laid on her chest, gently squeezing the rounded flesh.
He'd once called her skinny and short and flat-chested; she was none of
those things. She was Lina-sized, perfect for her and perfect for him.
Even as he lowered his leonine head further to cover the mound of
her breast, he knew it was no good. Indeed, as she gasped and rocked
her hips while pleading with him to move, please, Gourry, he gave up
all pretenses that he could resist her command. Pushing himself up onto
his elbows, he grabbed her hips and sat up onto his knees. "What - ?"
she gasped, crimson eyes wide and curious.
"Just wait," he said, smiling at her. He would give her what she
wanted, but not as she was expecting. Still holding her hips, he pulled
her upwards. He reached around and unwrapped her lovely legs from
around his waist, trailing his hands along them to her feet to plant
them firmly on the bedroll on either side of him so she was holding her
herself up. Leaning forward, he grabbed the rock he'd been leaning
against earlier and balanced himself and pushed.
Lina's response was a long, drawn out, "Yes..." She shut her
eyes, tilted her head back and lifted her hips even further, spreading
her legs apart more. He pulled back and thrust in again. "Oh, that's
nice," she purred, putting her hands over her head. "Do it some more."
Bracing himself agianst the rock, Gourry obeyed her. He bowed his
head between his arms, watching her under him as he moved. She opened
her eyes and saw him watching her, and smiled at him in that enchanting
way that had ensnared his heart so long ago. Kissing her fingers, she
reached up to lay them on his lips. Gourry's lips parted as he caught
them between his lips, kissing each tip before they moved on to caress
his jawline and neck then his chest where she used them to outline the
hardened muscles on his chest. Moving outwards, she found his nipples
and pinched lightly, causing him to gasp and speed up the steady rhythm
he'd fallen into.
He saw her eyes fly open and she tilted her hips slightly,
altering the direction in which he thrust. She shuddered and moaned as
her body went tight as she tried to hold herself still. "Harder, love,"
she whispered pleadingly. "And faster." Gourry increased the force and
tempo of his motions, driving into her with enough force to send her
sliding along the bedroll. Lina reached up and found the rock and used
her arms to brace herself against his thrusts.
Lina felt her body shaking from the strain of having to hold her
hips up and brace herself so she wouldn't go sliding into the rock, but
she wouldn't give it up for the world. Gourry's motions were having an
incredible effect on her and she was close to losing herself again,
losing herself in the sky -
No. In Gourry's eyes. Not the sky this time, but in those eyes of
summertime blue, that were watching her with the intensity of the
noonday sun. His handsome face blocked out the cold, dark cobalt
expanse of infinity above them; his hair curtained them like the
falling rays of precipitated sunlight. Lina smiled up at him, and
breathed his name, though it came out as a shuddering gasp.
Then she could think no more as his repeated caressing of her
inner places was bringing back that odd, torturous tension inside her.
Before it had been like a wire stretched past its tensile strength;
this time it was a liquid, melting sensation. Deep in her belly, just
above where he was touching her on each inward stroke, she was melting,
swirling and fighting against the still solid coating that contained
her. Each cycle of in and out of her lover's flesh within hers wore
down that shell, bringing her closer to the time when that heat would
pour forth and engulf her totally. Each gasping breath forced out of
her lungs by his passion sent the temperature of her molten core
soaring and sweat poured from her body to leave her chilled in the cool
desert night. Her whole body was shaking now, not just the straining
muscles of her legs and hips, but her entire being quivered in
anticipation of that moment when he would finally break through and she
would melt completely.
Feeling it beginning, Lina braced herself and lifted herself as
high as she could manage. "Gourry!" she cried, locking her ruby eyes
onto his sapphire ones. When that final, ice-thin barrier melted and
collapsed and the liquid inferno was released, she felt herself drawn
upwards into those blue orbs, into his soul. His presence tempered her,
kept her from being consumed totally and yet did not restrain her in
any form or fashion. His calmness supported, surrounded and encouraged
her as she flew free and danced like a flame amid the heavens.
Gourry watched the woman he loved leave her physical being behind
as her muscles grasped him. He fell into her bleeding crimson eyes,
into the fire that consumed her mind and left behind only memories of
ever having been earthbound. He cried out and dropped himself to the
bedroll, gathering her into his arms and straining against her, over
and over, trying to overcome the laws of the physical universe and make
them occupy the same space. The swordsman gasped, gulping in huge
swallows of air, and yet all that did was feed the fire that was
consuming him; the fire that was named Lina Inverse.  Feeling the tug
of another soul, he found himself face to face with his soulmate. They
merged into one being, sharing this moment that lasted for an eternity
and yet never happened. Fire and water, neither consuming, but somehow,
impossibly, each feeding and sustaining the other.
Then - with the force and inevitibility of reality, they were
thrust panting back into their own bodies. Gourry startled and stared
down at the tiny creature in his arms, wondering if he'd imagined
everything that had happened or if it had somehow been real. She looked
back at him with the same wonderment on her face. He found himself
unable to speak, unable to do anything but seek her mouth out with his
own and kiss her like there was no tomorrow. Lina's arms went around
his neck and she returned his kiss with interest.
When at last they pulled apart, he lifted himself and carefully
settled beside her. Neither could find anything to say; there was
nothing to be said. Words could not express what had just happened to
them and would only spoil the moment. Gourry simply grabbed their
blankets and covered them both against the advancing chill and held the
tiny woman who was his wife close to his racing heart. She clung to
him, unwilling to let him get more than a few inches from her, so it
was like this that sleep found them both at last.

A sound woke the tall swordsman and he startled, jolting Lina at
the same time. She blinked and looked around in confusion.
"What?" she whispered, clutching the blanket to her naked flesh.
"Shh," Gourry said, half-sitting, half-supporting himself on his
elbow. The sound came again and he turned his head to home in on the
direction. It was dark now, the fire having died down to dull embers
while they were sleeping, and their camp was deep in the inky shadow of
a nearby bluff. Beyond the shadow, though, the nearly full moon lit the
world nearly as bright as day and he could see something moving. He
grabbed for his sword and was halfway out of their makeshift bed before
he remembered he was undressed. Grabbing his pants and swearing, he
managed to shrug them on, and then hurry to the edge of their camp. He
stood there a moment, then picked up a rock and with a mighty yell,
hurled it into the darkness. Something she couldn't quite make out
yelped and scampered away.
"Gourry!" Lina hissed as he turned around and walked back to the
camp. "What was it?" she demanded, blanket clutched over her breasts.
He paused and crouched by the log where she'd been sitting. He
held up a round plate and glared at Lina. "Lina, I told you, if you
didn't want to finish your dinner, I'd eat it."
Lina rolled her eyes. "I got sidetracked, you jellyfish!" she
shouted. "So did you!" Pausing, she gave him a strange look. "Why? What
was that?"
Gourry set the plate down on his, crossed the little camp, and
crawled back under the blankets next to her. "A coyote," he said. "It
ran off with the rest of your dinner."
"Ah!" Lina shrieked. "And you let it get away?" She pushed
against him and tried to scramble up. Then the cold hit her and she
dove back under the blankets and snuggled next to Gourry. "Why didn't
you go after it?"
"Would you want it back after it had been chewed on?"
Going pale, she stuck her tongue out. "No, I guess not." She
sighed and settled back. "You can catch me another one in the morning."
He sighed, but was smiling as he looked down at her. Leaning
forward and kissing her forehead, he nodded. "Anything for you, Lina."
Settling into the warm nest they'd formed of their bedroll and
blankets, he closed his eyes and prepared himself for sleep when a
small voice made him open his eyes and turn his head.
"Gourry?"
"Yes, Lina?"
She was smiling at him. "I love you, Gourry," she said softly.
His eyes went wide a moment before they closed again. He rolled
over and put his arms around her. "I love you, too, Lina." She reached
up and kissed him then snuggled back into his arms and soon they were
both asleep, under the broad expanse of the cobalt, desert sky.