Something More

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 #1 - Cold hands ; Cold feet, theme #2 - The subconscious ; bury and theme #3 - Banter ; Anvil.

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

oOoOo

Chapter One

They stared at their soggy camp and equally soggy bedrolls, each wishing that the nearest town was closer than a two-day walk away. As much as they both admitted they loved being on the road, this was...this simply was...

\"Hell!\" Lina threw her arms in the air and stomped through the mud. \"This is a living nightmare! This is the pits! I can\'t believe this!\"

\"It isn\'t that bad, Lina,\" Gourry replied, pushing his sopping wet hair out of his face. He shielded his eyes so he could attempt to see through the downpour. The only distinguishable thing he could make out was Lina\'s eyes - everything else was too dark to see.

\"We can\'t even start a fire,\" she grumbled. \"No rocks to hide under, no caves to hide in. How the hell did we get stuck out in the middle of freakin\' nowhere?\"

Gourry tuned out her complaining, knowing that she would wind down after awhile. First things first. He had to get them some sort of protection. It wouldn\'t be much, but it would keep the rain off them. He gauged the branches above them, then pulled out the Blast Sword. With a few, quick slices of the blade, he had enough branches cut down to where he figured they could have a decent shelter.

Lina whirled around and noticed him at work. \"What are you doing?\"

\"I need your help,\" he told her as he anchored some larger limbs into the ground. \"I also need your cloak.\"

\"My cloak?\"

\"Yeah, to stretch over these.\"

\"You are out of your mind! I\'m not giving you my cloak!\"

\"Stop acting like a 2-year-old,\" he snapped at her. \"Do you want out of the rain or not?\"

Lina frowned. Usually, no matter how bad of a mood she got in, Gourry was the one to remain cheerful. The rain had to seriously be getting to him, she thought. With a sigh, she removed her cloak and handed it to him. He tied it to the branches so it formed a diagonal cover. Then he placed the remaining branches over the cloak - just enough to where most of the rain would keep out, but not too many for it to cave in.

He straightened and gave her a weak smile. \"Miss Inverse, your new palace,\" he said with an exaggerated sweep of his hand.

She let out a snort of laughter. Gourry looked so silly standing in the downpour, gesturing to a simple shelter made of branches. It was the furthest thing from one. I might as well help, she figured and dragged their bedrolls under the shelter. She backed out and cast a Fireball spell. She held it out, but didn\'t let it go. The heat from the spell quickly dried their bedding and the ground. She then held it closer to her cloak so it dried as well before she dissipated the spell.

\"The cloak\'s waterproof, so now that it\'s dry, we should be as well.\" She crawled inside and flopped down on her bed in relief. \"Ah, this is nice. Thank you, Gourry.\"

He gave her a smile and crawled in after her. After a moment of relaxing, Lina sat up and cast the Fireball spell again. It was a slower job, but the heat allowed them to dry off. With a yawn, Lina laid back down on her bedroll.

\"I wish we could build a fire in here,\" she mummered.

\"It\'ll go up quicker than one of your fireballs thrown into a bandit camp.\" Gourry turned onto his side and propped his head on his hand so he could look at her.

The rain poured and some drops seeped in through the cracks where the cloak was tied, but they would at least be dried. Lina shivered, closed her eyes and curled into a fetal position. Dry, yes. Warm, no. She was so tired and so cold. She hated being cold. When they had gone to the Ancient Dragon shrine in Filia\'s lands, she\'d been so miserable. She rubbed her arms. Most of the time, she was grateful to be wearing short sleeves, but what she wouldn\'t give for a sweater or a blanket right now.

She felt something warm move close to her, then it was just mainly her back that was cold. She opened her eyes and saw Gourry\'s nose just a few scant inches from hers. She squeaked and jumped up, hitting the roof of their little shelter. She rubbed her head and stared at it anxiously as it wobbled for a second before holding steady.

She then turned her attention to Gourry. \"What was that for?\"

He looked slightly hurt. \"You\'re cold. Lie back down, Lina. We can at least share our body heat.\"

Lina couldn\'t stop herself from blushing and she quickly averted his gaze. \"Bo...body heat?\"

\"Yeah, like lying next to each other?\"

She whipped her head around and jabbed a finger in his direction. \"This is like those blanket scenarios, right?\"

Gourry blinked at her, confused. \"We don\'t have a blanket, Lina.\"

\"Oh.\" She laid back down, making sure to face him. Okay, so he wasn\'t thinking anything weird like...\"sharing\" body heat. He just wanted to make sure she was warm. He probably thought it was his job as her protector. That had to be it.

His eyes were closed by the time she settled herself. She rested her head on her pillow and simply looked at him. In the dark, she could only see his hair and the rough outline of his face. A week earlier, they had celebrated her 20th birthday in Saillune City with Amelia and Sylphiel. They\'d been traveling together for nearly five years now. Lina smiled and felt herself start to get a little warmer with Gourry\'s body blocking out a good bit of the wind. He was so comforting to have close by. She couldn\'t imagine camping outside now and not seeing him nearby.

She was nearly asleep when she shivered once more. Even my gloves aren\'t keeping my hands warm. She peeled off her gloves and exhaled into her hands to warm them up.

Suddenly, her hands were being pulled away and enfolded into Gourry\'s larger ones. Her eyes widened and she felt her heart trip a little bit as he gazed back at her. He wasn\'t sleeping?

\"Your hands are cold,\" he observed and she bit back a laugh. Duh!

But, it was a nice feeling. And her hands were warm. She moved a bit closer to him and closed her eyes once more. Now, if only he could do something about my feet...wait...don\'t even go there, Lina!

oOoOo

A few weeks shy of Lina\'s 17th birthday, Hellmaster Fibrizo figured out that her biggest weakness came in the form of a tall, blond-haired swordsman who had yogurt for brains, but was the most skilled fighter in hand to hand combat that she\'d ever met other than her older sister. That same swordsman had told her he would spent the rest of his life protecting her. And when Fibrizo kidnapped him, she told herself that if she got him back alive that she would remain by his side as long as he was by hers.

He, simply put, was her best friend. Her confidant. Her protector. She\'d never had someone in her life like Gourry before. There were childhood playmates who never quite understood Lina\'s drive to absorb magic. When she mastered the Dragon Slave, she had been excited - but her so-called friends shunned her. Then there was Naga, the White Serpent. Naga\'s favorite activity was driving Lina up the wall, and Lina\'s was to try to pretend she didn\'t exist. They worked well together, but...

Then there was Amelia and Zelgadiss. Zel was Lina\'s match on an intellectual level and they got along extremely well most of the time. He was good for those post-dinner conversations about philosophy and magic that she sometimes missed having with Gourry around. Talking to him about either of those things was just as effective as talking to herself. Not that she didn\'t mind that, but there was some times she longed for the debate she could engage in with Zel with those matters.

Amelia was the closest thing to a little sister that Lina had, and they made a point of visiting her in Saillune often. Prior to meeting the princess, Lina usually avoided Saillune at all cost. Amelia had made it a welcoming place and it had turned into a second home.

But there was just something about her jellyfish...from the way he ruffled her hair like a child to their constant battles over food. He was the only person who could actually make her feel ashamed at doing something, but when he was proud of her, she was on top of the world.

And since the moment Fibrizo stole him away and she had run after him screaming his name, she knew that she loved him with everything that she had. Her life wasn\'t worth much without him in it.

You feed a dog for three days...

Lina blinked open sleepy eyes and saw that she was alone. It was a lot warmer than it\'d been the night before and she saw sunlight streaming through the trees. The storm was over. She crawled out from the shelter and got to her feet, stretching as she enjoyed the feel of the sun\'s rays on her body. The smell of bacon wafed through the air and she sniffed at it eagerly.

She looked over and saw that Gourry had set up a fire and had began their breakfast. She knew the routine from there. He would cook and she would fish. Neither of them were gourmet chefs, but at least together they could cobble together something edible. \"I didn\'t realize any of our food survived that storm,\" she commented.

\"My pack was under yours, so it stayed mostly dry.\"

She rolled her eyes. Great... \"I\'m going to go get some fish.\"

\"Okay. This should be ready when you get back,\" he replied without looking up at her.

She headed for the stream, then tossed one last glance at him over her shoulder. She allowed her heartbeat to stutter at the sight of him in the morning light, his hair glowing in the sunlight, his voice cheerful as he hummed some nameless tune under his breath.

I love him so much...

Lina swallowed and headed out on her mission. She loved him, but...if he knew and they acted on it, she could lose her best friend. She didn\'t want that. If being silent was what it took to keep things as they were - the easygoing, comfortable relationship that she\'d come to rely on - then he would never know her feelings.

It was as simple as that.

oOoOo

\"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

Additional notes: I recently joined a LiveJournal writing community called \"30_romances.\" The themes were perfectly suited to writing a Lina/Gourry story, so I started in on it. As the story has developed (I\'ve currently posted six parts, or three complete chapters of fic on LJ), it\'s worked its way into a prequel for \"Law of the Land. \" The two stories will be posted concurrently, though this one is going a bit faster at the moment. Because of the nature of the plots, both stories function on their own as well. I have also started my own writing journal, known as \"bunnyofferings,\" a link to which is in my profile. I highly recommend joining \"30 romances\" if you enjoy the 30-themed type communities. There\'s still lots and lots of couples to choose from - including Amelia/Zelgadiss!