Something More Chapter 2

Author: DQBunny Title: Something More - What? There's a Bounty on Me?

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 #3 - Banter ; Anvil and theme #4 - Diabolical ; Highest order.

oOoOo

Chapter Two: "What? There's a Bounty on Me?"

"And I heard in the next town that the Milene Rose tavern was a fantastic place to eat." Lina nearly drooled at the thought of finally filling her stomach with something other than bacon and fish - like ham, rolls, salad, fruit, potatoes...the possibilities were endless.

Gourry listened to her easy-going banter about various cuisine in the town that lay directly ahead of them and his stomach growled appreciatively in response. They had already been low on their food supplies when they had been forced to halt in the rain and he wondered if they'd had enough to make it to the next town. Lina had Raywinged them a good bit of the distance until he finally begged for mercy and they resumed walking.

They had fished again that morning and ate the final slices of bacon. He'd found some berries that they snacked on as they walked down the road. It was nice, but he was ready for a real meal with non-stop food that they didn't have to cook. And then they could go to sleep in a nice, soft bed and wake up together safe, warm and dry.

Wait. They will sleep in two beds. Separate beds. Hopefully separate rooms. Not going there, he told himself. We are so not going there.

Too late, a small part of his brain informed him. You've just nose-dived into the gutter and you're stuck.

Gee thanks...

Gourry slanted a look at Lina. She was so busy talking that she would never notice and he was grateful about that. It allowed him to simply watch her, and he couldn't stop being fascinated about her. Her energy drew him like a magnet, and had ever since the day he first stepped into the fight she was having with the Dragon Fang bandits.

For someone who normally kept her deepest emotions reserved, she was extremely animated. She gestured when she talked, and seemed to be brimming with energy all the time. From facing down bandits to taking out foes such as Shabra...oh, why couldn't he remember the guy's name, and Darkstar, she attacked everything with the same gusto as she did reading a book or learning magic.

The part of him sitting firmly in the gutter wondered if she would be the same way in bed.

The sane part of him instructed him to not think along those lines or else he would be making himself miserable. Lina was his best friend. Gourry never had one quite like her. She never questioned him on his past or his family. She didn't push him except when he needed to be. She teased him mercilessly over his ability to forget things, though he normally returned similar volleys in her direction when need be. She respected his ability as a swordman and even though he was her protector, they were partners. She knew he could handle his own in a battle, even though she was much stronger than him when it came to magic.

They were comfortable around each other and could even walk in silence and not feel the odd strain that tended to come some couples at times when there was no noise. They enjoyed each other's presence. Even though she was a violent, rash, somewhat high-strung Dramata, Gourry couldn't imagine not having Lina around. Except for the minutes when he had thought he'd lost her to the Lord of Nightmares (what she called that gold thing she turned into), she'd been there for him.

But he loved her as well and couldn't remember when that started. Memories like that normally didn't keep well, though Gourry could remember the battles they fought, he couldn't give the exact details - unless it was something important.

Gourry remembered the fight against the trolls when he caught her napping on the hillside while they were suppose to be escaping Zelgadiss. He thought Lina was being lazy, but when he had reached to haul her to her feet, he'd been shocked to discover that she'd been bleeding badly and was hiding it for his sake. That's when he discovered how much he respected and admired her. He remembered her casting the Giga Slave against that Rezo/Shabra-guy and knew that was the moment that he absolutely trusted her to get them out of any sort of danger. He knew when that Copy Rezo guy attempted to shoot Sylphiel and she intercepted the blast that he deeply cared for her.

But when they were fighting Kanzael on the field floating above Saillune City and Lina had fallen over the side, he remembered feeling that his heart had followed her.

Gourry knew that there was no way of killing Kanzael. He knew he would die. But, he would go down fighting for her. When Lina had suddenly shown back up and killed Kanzael, Gourry felt his world fall back into place. Relieved, frustrated, he asked her to consider his feelings before pulling such a stunt again.

And she had apologized.

Although the "I'm sorry" couldn't change the hurt, the sense of betrayal or the fear, he realized that those were two words that she didn't say very often - and that's when he realized that she cared about him as well and silently vowed that he would remain by her side as long as she would have him.

And the moment she had faded from his arms in that blank nothingness, he realized how much he loved her and would had done anything to have her back at his side. He didn't remember much, other than waking up with her in his arms and realizing that all was right once more in the world.

He couldn't believe they'd been together for nearly five years. He was grateful to Amelia for reminding him when Lina's birthday was. They had returned to Saillune and Amelia used her remaining bracelet to contact Zelgadiss so he could send birthday wishes as well. Then they had joined Sylphiel and had a party for her.

It was then that Gourry realized how much Lina had changed. She had finally filled out and looked more like a woman than a little girl. Her temper was a bit more even and she had fun. She had made the comment about how Saillune felt like a home to her, and he had an image of actually keeping house with her. Oh, it wouldn't last long. Lina would get frustrated and Dragon Slave it most likely. But, it was a nice image to have.

And he wasn't going there with those thoughts, he reminded himself once more. Lina was his best friend. He didn't want to lose the most stable thing that'd ever been in his life because he'd entertained thoughts about sleeping with her. He loved her, and somewhere, he realized she probably knew. And right now, just being with her was enough.

"Are you listening to me? Gourry!"

He nearly plowed into her. She stood in front of him, hands on her hips. He could see the annoyance flickering in her eyes and realized he probably missed her saying something important...again.

He grinned back at her. "Sorry, Lina. I wasn't paying attention."

"I can tell that, jellyfish. Come on. The tavern's over here."

Gourry looked around and noticed that they had passed into town. He frowned, annoyed at himself for not being as observant as he normally was. He automatically began to survey the town to note the number of guards, available escape routes, etc. He had to focus or they could wind up in trouble if something - or someone - randomly attacked them.

oOoOo

"You know, we need something to do," Lina commented as they walked through the town, not quite sure if she was trying to convince herself of this or seeing if Gourry was agreeing with her. In any case, she was bored. Absolutely, downright, utterly bored.

Of course, the past few years had been interesting. Job after wacky job with Naga. Meeting Gourry, then immediately getting entangled with Rezo and Shabranigdu. The run to Sairaag and the fight with Copy Rezo. The search for the Claire Bible, then Gourry being kidnapped and the subsequent fight with Hellmaster Fibrizo. The journey to the outer world, meeting Filia and battling the Darkstar. Finding a new sword for Gourry, then battling Dynast and another piece of Shabranigdu.

Sometimes Lina wondered if she was 20 or 200. Maybe those rumors about her being older than her age really was true after all.

In any case, she and Gourry had done enough in the past five years to fill up a lifetime for an average person. What, she had at least another 60-70 years or so of life expectancy - and that's if she didn't tap into her magic. At the rate she was going, she'd probably fight all seven pieces of Ruby Eye twice before she was 50. Lina fought the urge to groan.

"So, what do you think?" she slanted a look at her partner. "Maybe there's a job here, or an artifact we can...Gourry? Are you listening to me? Gourry!"

He nearly knocked her to the ground as she whirled around to face him. She sighed when she recognized the vaguely clueless look in his eyes, which usually told her that he had been lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to her.

His eyes cleared and he grinned at her. "Sorry, Lina. I wasn't paying attention."

"I can see that, jellyfish. Come on. The tavern's over here." Lina pointed at a building straight in their path and her stomach rumbled in response. Okay, first thing's first. Food was her highest priority at the moment, then finding something to do.

Gourry surveyed the room as they walked in. It was a bit fancier than the last few places they'd eaten, but anything was better than the miserable weather they endured outdoors lately. The room was divided into two halves - one side with a counter that served as a bar with benches and long tables taking up the space and the other with smaller tables that were set up a bit more elegantly.

Lina immediately headed for one of the long tables. There was more room for food, and this would be where she could pick up news on most jobs. They ordered their food, promptly terrifying the waitress. Lina hummed cheerfully after she scurried off.

"You get some sort of perverse pleasure out of torturing waitresses," Gourry commented. "Why do you always do that?"

She grinned at him and waved her finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's a secret," she replied with a wink.

He gulped. "Lina, you're starting to sound like Xelloss."

She chuckled to herself. "I'm in a good mood, so I'll take it as a complement. Now, we need to get back into shape. We've been loafing around too long." She looked over at the bar and noticed a middle-aged man with a slight mustache standing behind it. "Hey, mister! Do you know of any jobs, treasure or bounties recently posted?"

The bartender frowned and stroked at his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...not much going on lately. Though, there was a notice that was posted up here a few days ago about a rogue sorcerer that the Sorcerer's Guild is trying to locate."

A rogue sorcerer? This grabbed Lina's attention and she noticed that even Gourry was fixated on the bartender.

"Lina, why would they be looking for a red sorcerer?" he asked her.

Lina sighed and smacked his arm. "Not a rouge sorcerer, Gourry. A rogue sorcerer. Someone who has fallen out of favor with the Sorcerer's Guild and has grown so powerful that they consider that sorcerer a threat." Visions of gold coins danced in Lina's head. "Such a person would command a high bounty from the guild because that sorcerer would be extremely hard to catch."

"Ah, I see."

"Sometimes I wonder." She turned her attention back to the bartender. "Did the guild leave behind a notice?"

"Yeah." He pointed at a notice tacked up to an otherwise bare bulletin board. Lina got up to go look at it as he kept talking. "Some girl, I think she's about your age. They didn't tell me her real name, just that she's known to them as Lina the Pink."

Lina froze. Her head snapped around, the blood draining from her face. "Did you...did you say Lina the Pink?"

"Yeah." The bartender glanced at Lina and noticed her pale face. "Are you okay, miss? It sounds like you've had a run-in with this sorceress."

"Of sorts..." Lina backed up to the table and grabbed Gourry's ear. "Say one word," she hissed, "and I am kicking your ass." She straightened, tossed more than enough coins to compensate for both hers and Gourry's meal on the table and hauled him out of the tavern as fast as she could run.

oOoOo

"Wait...wait! Slow down! Stop!" Gourry clung to Lina for dear life as she Raywinged them further and further down the road. He was alternatively worried about her and scared out of his wits. The earlier trips had seemed fast to him, but now they were racing through the sky at such a high speed that he didn't dare look down. So he gripped Lina's waist with all of his might and prayed to every single god he could think of that the nausea churning in his gut wouldn't overwhelm him before they landed.

Lina's mind was racing as fast as her body. The Sorcerer's Guild had classified her as rogue? The hell? It didn't make sense. Why would she be targeted for such a classification? Granted, she didn't utilize her position much. Not many people other than Gourry knew her status as Lina the Pink and he had found out by accident. She parted ways with the guild as soon as she could, but they were on amicable terms. She'd even done guard work for the Atlas City guild! Who did she manage to upset so much and why would they want to do something that even the guild considered diabolical?

She didn't pursue the line of thought much farther. She felt her strength wane as the spell began to weaken.

"Lina!"

She snapped out of her daze and noticed Gourry pressing his face into her side. He was easily a good foot taller than her, yet he was trembling like a child. Realization and guilt slammed into her one right after the other. Gourry's fear of flying. She'd gone too far, too fast for him. She swore under her breath as she spotted a clearing and took them down.

When their feet hit the ground, Gourry immediately pushed Lina away. It unbalanced her to the point where she landed on her butt. She was starting to yell at him when he turned, ran to the base of a tree and proceeded to lose what remained of his breakfast and dinner the night before.

She turned away from his wretching, half-annoyed with him and furious with herself. She wasn't quite sure how to handle it, to explain or apologize. Instead, she pulled out her waterskin and a handkerchief from her cloak. She dampened it and approached his side.

He knelt on the ground, the illness reduced to dry heaves. She got down on her knees and pulled his hair out of his face. Then she handed over the handkerchief. He wiped his mouth and gave her a weak smile. "Sorry, Lina. I didn't mean to..."

"Don't dwell on it," Lina ordered him and passed over the waterskin. "Don't drink too much."

"Thank you." Gourry took a long swallow of water. It cool and soothing on his raw stomach, but he didn't want to risk anymore. He allowed Lina to guide him away to the other side of the small clearing, where they simply sank to the ground next to each other.

She gazed at the ground, knowing she needed him to understand why she panicked. "Look, I'm sorry about that. It just happened and...," she sighed. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Gourry gave Lina a warm smile. "Things like that happen."

Her head snapped up and she was amazed at the cheerful expression, She wouldn't be so nice if the situation had been reversed.

"Though, I do wonder about why they think you're red. I mean, your eyes are red and all, but aren't you called Lina the Pink? Why does the Sorcerer's Guild want to say you're red?"

The absurd statement made Lina laugh and it felt so good to do so. "Again, it's rogue, not rouge! Get it right, jellyfish!" Her smile dimmed. "It means that I'm wanted by the guild for some reason." She hopped to her feet and began to pace.

"It's not like I have much use for the Sorcerer's Guild, with the exception of using the knowledge provided in the libraries to learn spells. Most of what is taught by the guild are non-lethal spells. They don't go around teaching folks how to do Dragon Slave, for example. It's self-taught. That's why Sylphiel has such a hard time with spells like Flare Arrow. She has to teach herself that sort of magic and has to be motivated to do it."

Like she was with the Dragon Slave, Lina added silently. Gourry still was not aware of Sylphiel's knowledge of that particular spell. Sylphiel never volunteered the information and Lina had chosen to follow her silence.

"So, it doesn't mean anything?" Gourry asked, leaning against the tree trunk.

She whirled around to face him. "It means a lot actually. It means that somehow I have affronted the guild's honor. And they absolutely can't stand that. It means they want to track me down by any means possible. Most sorcerers would piss themselves at the thought of being called rogue. I don't give a damn, except that means we're going to be hunted down like we were wanted years ago in Sairaag."

Lina frowned. "I haven't tangled with the guild in four years! Why come after me now?"

Gourry rubbed his chin. "Maybe they're trying to prevent you from doing something else?"

"What an idiot...or not," Lina gave him a half-smile. "Maybe you're onto something, Gourry."

She crouched before him. "The Sorcerer's Guild is mainly a political force. You could see by how those elections in Atlas City had everyone messed up. It's where most people get their start in magic, but they don't have any real magical power. That was all sealed away a couple hundred years ago so you wouldn't have all of these super-powerful magicians. If you wanted to get good at magic, you had to work at it."

Lina lifted her gaze and wasn't surprised to see that Gourry had dozed off. She reached out and yanked his shirt. "Jellyfish, why don't you listen...gah," she cried as she pulled him too far and he fell forward onto her.

He outweighed her by a good 70 pounds or so, especially with the armor on, and seemed to be fast asleep. Lina pushed at him and started to wiggle out from beneath him, cursing herself that she didn't have the strength she normally did. "Geez, Gourry, let me go!"

She managed to budge him a few inches when his arms suddenly came around her and clamped onto her tightly. It was a hold she recognized - the same that he used when she was flying and he was doing his best not to make a fool out of himself. She pushed at him and considering using a spell to blast them apart, but the backlash would just take her out. She reared back and started to give him one final shove when he suddenly turned his head into her neck and began to nuzzle it.

It completely broke her concentration. She forgot what exactly she was suppose to be doing at the moment as his nose and lips lightly grazed the skin near her pulse. She took a moment to analyze the slightly ticklish sensation. It felt nice, she decided as odd little flutters began in her abdomen. It was good enough to lie here for a moment and just enjoy it...

Snap out of it, Lina! Her world snapped back into focus and once again, she pushed at him. "Stop it, Gourry! Have you gone nuts? We have no time for this!"

The slight nuzzling was replaced with light kisses. Her breath hitched.

"Gourry! Wake up!" Lina wrapped her arms around him, then bucked up as hard as she could, wincing as the sharp points of his armor dug into her clothes. This time it worked. She managed to flip him onto his back. She pulled away enough to move her hand up to his face and cast a Lighting spell.

He shouted as the light temporarily blinded him and he automatically shoved Lina away. She landed up against the tree, their positions now reversed from just a few minutes before. She panted as he sat up and gazed around blankly.

"Huh? What happened, Lina?" Gourry's eyes darted around before settling on hers.

"You don't remember?" she asked, incredulously. Then again, this was Gourry she was talking to.

"The last thing I remember was being sick, then you talking about the Sorcerer's Guild. I guess I fell asleep." He held up his hands apologetically and gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that. Did I do something wrong?"

He really doesn't remember? Twin feelings of relief and annoyance tugged at Lina. She buried her head in her hands. "We'll talk about it later. For now, let's see if we can find a town nearby without that damn notice. Thankfully, they're using my guild name and not the name 'Lina Inverse,' but it won't take long for people to put two and two together. Let's go."

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