Something More Chapter 9

Author: DQBunny Title: Something More - Take it in Your Stride

Something More

Chapter
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Disclaimer: "Slayers" does not belong to me, but belongs to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Note: This fic was originally written for the LiveJournal community, "30 romances", a themed community similar to "30 kisses". All 30 parts will be combined to form one complete story that is the prequel to "Law of the Land." This chapter contains theme #18: Disheveled ; In the Rain ; Thunder and theme #20. Take it in your stride ; Walk.

The fic up to this point has been condensed some, with chapters three and four becoming one single chapter. Even though there was a chapter nine before now, this is new material. I have also added back in the censored scenes from chapter five and have bumped the rating back up to "M" due to that chapter and future chapters.

oOoOo

Chapter Nine: "Taking it in Your Stride"

"Is she going to be okay?"

"That's a nasty hit she took in the shoulder."

"It amazes me that she survived that."

"She's actually lived through worse."

Blinding pain was the first thing Lina felt as she started to return to her senses. She didn't open her eyes, but tried to distinguish the voices around her. The first one was Gourry and the last Zelgadiss. The second one was her father. The third was...

"Mama," she muttered.

"Hang on, Lina-chan, we've got a healer coming." She felt a hand run through her hair. "You're a very lucky girl."

Lina managed a weak smile and a V-sign before passing out again.

The next time she came to, she was alone. Her shoulder still throbbed, but it didn't hurt as much as it had. She tried to reach for it, to test how bad off it was. Someone had cast Recovery on it, but it had to be at least a second-rate healer. It would need to be treated again.

"Good morning, sunshine."

She turned her head and noticed she wasn't alone after all. A disheveled Gourry sat by her bedside and she realized from the wrinkled state of his clothes and the slight fuzz on his chin that he'd slept there. "How long has it been?"

"You were out for a day." He immediately rose from the chair and helped her to sit up.

She winced and reached for her shoulder. "Damn, it feels like someone took a hammer and smashed my shoulder - which is the equilvant of what that spell was."

He frowned. "What exactly was it?"

"Dolph Strash. It draws upon the power of Deep-Sea Dolphin and pretty much annihilates you instantly. In other words, a spell very easy for a Mazoku to use. If I hadn't moved when I did, I wouldn't be here." She gave him a smile. "Well, it came a little later than I thought, but it looks like we're under the gun now."

He didn't return the smile, but held out a glass of water. "Here, drink some."

"In order to drink water, I need to get rid of some. Step outside for a moment?" Lina threw back the covers and gingerly tested her ability to stand. When she was satisfied that she wouldn't crumple over, she shot Gourry a dark look. "Look, I refuse to do my business with an audience. Move it!"

He silently put the glass down and went outside. Lina rolled her eyes and headed behind the privacy screen. Okay, something had crawled up his butt again, she decided. Probably the fact that she'd left him to take on a bunch of trolls while she searched for the Mazoku.

She called out to him as she got back in bed and reached for the water. When he came back in, he bore a tray ladened with food. Her eyes sparkled and she drooled slightly at the feast. "Gourry, you're an angel! Give me! Give me!"

Now he smiled and set the tray down in front of her - before helping himself to half of it.

"Hey, what gives?"

"I'm hungry too! I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Lina paused in shoveling food in her mouth and studied him. He hadn't eaten since the day before? He'd been hovering over her this whole time? She stared blankly at the piece of bread in her hands, trying to comprehend that. It certainly wasn't the first battle she'd been injured in. She'd been nearly decapitated several times, then there was that whole mess with the Lord of Nightmares. He'd always been a worrier when it came to her but...

...then she noticed the entire tray was empty.

"Gourry! My food!"

"Looking away means you're done," Gourry informed her through a full mouth.

"No fair! Give me back my food!" She started to shake him.

"It's good to see you in high spirits, Lina."

She glanced over Gourry's shoulder and spotted Zelgadiss leaning against the door frame. "Zel!"

He gave her a small salute. "Your folks are downstairs."

"Folks?" Lina frowned. She remembered hearing her mother's voice, but..."Mama's here?"

"Yeah, she's really nice!" Gourry's smile finally reached his eyes.

"I want to see her." Lina threw the covers off again, darted past both men and out of the room.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and spotted a petite chestnut-haired woman staring down a man that she recognized as the owner of the inn they were staying in.

"You mean, you're out of sausages? You can not be out of sausages!"

"Ma'am, we sent the last of them up to your daughter's room and..."

"No ifs, ands, or buts! What type of business do you think you run here? You have to have an adequate amount of supply to meet the demand of your customers with some waste accounted for in the mix. And you say your supplier won't be here for another three days? That is unacceptable! I could generate more of a profit off this place in a day than you could in a year!"

Lina chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest as Gourry and Zelgadiss joined her and gaped at her mother.

"Well, we know where she gets it from," Zelgadiss muttered.

"She gets it from both of them," Gourry replied.

"Enough, you two," Lina growled.

The woman spotted the three of them lingering on the stairs and waved to them. "Yo ho!" Lina-chan!"

"Hey, Mama!" Lina waved back and crossed over to her.

"Now," Lina's mother turned her attention back to the innkeeper, "I want you to go down to the general store and order all of the chickens, sausage, whatever fruits and vegetables they have and bring them back here. I guarantee you a 200 percent profit increase in this day's sales alone. And make sure you reserve enough for us to eat on - which means you have to hit up the other general store as well. Now move it!"

"Ye...yes ma'am!" The innkeeper shot out the front door.

"And that is another Lana Inverse special," Lina explained to the men.

Zelgadiss blinked. "Lana?"

"Luna...Lina...Lana...," Gourry cocked his head to one side. "Well, it fits."

With business taken care of, Lana embraced her daughter. "You're almost as tall as me now."

"Yeah, I grew up some," Lina laughed.

"You used to be smaller? In height, in height!" Gourry quickly amended as both Inverse women slanted him dark looks.

"I used to be the size Amelia was when we fought Copy Rezo," Lina explained. "I grew up some."

"And out a little bit too." Lana leaned over and studied her chest. "You've gone up a size."

"I have!" Lina boasted proudly, straightening and sticking said chest out slightly.

"Really?" Gourry crept closer and studied Lina's chest as well. "You really can't tell at the moment..."

Zelgadiss shook his head as Lina proceeded to kick Gourry across the room.

"I'm back!" Raulf walked into the inn with a bag slung over his shoulder. He scanned the room before his gaze settled on his family. "Lana, have you taken over another business again?"

"I had to! You should had seen the pitiful amount of food he gave us to give to Lina-chan. I wouldn't even call that a snack!" Lana gestured to the great room. "Prime location, good real estate and it's not even pulling in half of its worth! Listen, I think we should invest in this place. We'd make a 300 percent profit in a year and sell it!"

Zelgadiss edged his way over to Lina. "I never thought I found find someone more scary than you."

Lina beamed with pride. "Isn't Mama great?"

"You sound like Amelia," he teased her. "Though, I had no idea your mother was a powerful sorceress as well."

Lina's gaze settled back on her mother, who seemed to be about halfway into cajoling her father into dipping into their savings. "She gave it up when we were kids. The guild wanted her to teach and she turned them down. She hates the politics of the Zefielia Sorcerer's Guild as much as I do."

"She saved your life, you know."

Lina nodded. "I heard her cast Demona Crystal, which gave Gourry enough time to take the Mazoku out. Apparently, I'm close enough now to where they don't want me entering the city. I'm growing even more convinced that I'm right."

"So am I." Zelgadiss started to mention that Amelia was on her way, but was interrupted by Gourry staggering back over to them and a small cry of triumph from Lana.

She faced the group and flashed them a V-sign. "Victory!"

"Papa never says no to you regarding money, Mama."

"He has a few times." Lana folded her arms over her chest and shot her husband a murderous look. "He wouldn't allow me to purchase the general store owned by that rat Houcher on the upper level..."

"It's a bad investment, dear," Raulf said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"It's covering our backs!" Lana glanced at her daughter's friends, then rushed over to them. She grabbed Gourry's hands. "Say umm...oh, I was never formally introduced to your friends, Lina-chan."

"Mama, this is Zelgadiss Graywords. And the man you're currently sizing up is Gourry Gabriev, my uh...," Lina absently scratched the back of her head, wondering how to treat the issue of the proposal, "protector, you could say. For now."

Gourry grinned down at Lana. "I asked Lina to marry me last night."

The entire group fell silent. Lana stared at Lina, then up at Gourry, then back at Lina, then once more at Gourry. Raulf cleared his throat. Lina knew she would die from embarrassment.

With a shriek of delight, Lana embraced Gourry. "This is wonderful news! And you're absolutely perfect too!"

Lina blinked at her mother. "Perfect for what?"

"To run the store, of course! Look at that hair. Those eyes. That complexion." Lana pointed to each one of Gourry's features, then turned his head from side to side. "We'll have that dirty Houcher run into the ground by the end of next month! He'll draw in women from everywhere! What a marvelous investment you made, Lina-chan!"

Lina absently scratched the back of her head. "I...uh...suppose so."

Raulf clasped Lina's back. "Congratulations, Lina-chan. You made a fine choice. Your sister will approve as well."

Lina turned her attention to her father. "Where is Nee-chan?"

Raulf frowned. "She insisted on remaining in town. She didn't want to leave her dog, Spot, and is overseeing the store for us while we're here with you."

Lina frowned. "Spot?" That can't be it, she realized. They were good reasons to remain behind, but something else had to be going on. Either Luna couldn't leave the city, or she was refusing to for some reason. The hair prickled at the back of her neck. Something was happening that Luna didn't want to turn her back on.

"Lina!"

She noticed Gourry undergoing the fifth degree from her mother and immediately moved to intercept.

Zelgadiss watched the action with both amusement and slight jealously. He had no memory of his own family, and wasn't sure if they had simply died or if he'd been spirited away from them. All of his memories as a child consisted of Rezo. It amazed him, how warm the Inverses acted toward each other. It made him wonder why Lina had stayed away for so long, but then again, Amelia had done the same thing in her travels.

He cast a glance at Gourry and wasn't surprised that he was taking the attention with remarkable grace. He'll fit in well...

oOoOo

Amelia sensed the barrier before the Zefielia border was even in sight. It was so powerful that any third-rate magician would be able to feel it, she realized. Once it was in sight, she decided to see if it was worth penetrating. She levitated some distance away until the town was in the distance.

She approached the barrier and studied it. It reminded her somewhat of the one that used to surround their part of the world until Lina defeated Hellmaster Fibrizo. She frowned as she tested the strength. There was one way to know for sure.

She held out her hands and recited the Flow Break spell. She felt the magic leave her hands, then suddenly was tossed a few feet away by an answering recoil from the barrier.

Amelia pushed herself onto her elbows and shook her head, dazed as she stared at the barrier. Then she approached it once more and tried again. When the spell backfired a second time, she pulled out her bracelet and cast the Vision spell.

She found herself standing inside the dining room of a tavern and smiled at the image of Lina and Gourry chowing down on food. Zelgadiss occupied the third seat and another man and woman were also busily devouring what food was left. Amelia cocked an eyebrow as Lina and the woman began to fight over the last piece of meat.

"I'm a growing girl, I deserve that piece!"

"Lina-chan, I spent 36 hours in labor with you. I think I deserve it!"

"That was 20 years ago!"

"Should the gods be willing, you will understand one day."

Lina then turned on Gourry. "I swear, if you ever cause me to go through that much pain, I will Dragon Slave you."

"Right, right." Gourry ignored her and grabbed Lina's chicken.

"Hey! My chicken!"

Lina-chan? Labor? Amelia bit back a grin. "Excuse me, everyone?"

The fighting and devouring stopped as the five turned in her direction. Lina's eyes widened with surprise. "Amelia!"

"Forgive my interruption, everyone. I discovered some information that could pertain to your current situation. About how far are you from the Zefielia border?"

"We're in a small town right outside the city," Zelgadiss informed her. "Don't say anything now. How fast can you be here?"

"Walking, it's another two to three days," Lina said. "She could Raywing it in about a day."

"I'll go as fast as I can. Let me know if you move?"

"We will," Zelgadiss told her. He quickly released the spell on his end before anyone else noticed it.

Lina eyed Zelgadiss. "And just how long have you known Amelia was coming?"

He took a sip of his coffee. "Since the night before the our run-in with the Mazoku. You were a bit...occupied at the time."

"Zel!" Lina shrieked and to save face, shot a Fireball at him, which in turn earned her a reprimand from her mother. She never noticed Gourry relieving her of the rest of her dinner.

oOoOo

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