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savvyliterateTitle: The Very Long Night of Gourry Gabriev (3/6)
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadiss, Pokota, Wizer, OCs
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After visiting Taforashia, Gourry falls into a strange magical coma and must face the demons of his past during the very long night that follows for him, Lina, and the rest of their group.
Spoiler alert: This story takes place after episode 6 of Slayers Revolution and goes off on its own tangent from there. Many thanks go to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ray_wing and earthstar_chan for betaing this story. NOTE: This chapter also includes material mentioned in an interview given by Hajime Kazaka that was recently translated into English. The details of that are in the author's notes at the end.
"Then what kind of head of security would I be if I let people like me know things that I'm not supposed to know? I know what I know because I have to know it. And if I don't have to know it, I don't tell me, and I don't let anyone else tell me either. Now look, we have tried most of the other ambassadors, why don't you speak to G'Kar, maybe he knows something about this ship."
"Under the terms of our recent treaty, I am not authorized to have any official conversation with the Narn without Centauri approval."
"So you'll ask unofficially. And I can give you reasonable assurances that the head of security will not report you for doing so."
"Because you won't tell yourself about it?"
"That's right. I never get involved with my own life. It's too much trouble."
- Michael Garibaldi and EarthForce Special Intelligence Investigator David Endowi: “Matters of Honor,” Babylon 5
Chapter 3: Matters of Honor
The memory passed and senses returned with a sudden clarity. The grassy smell was almost overwhelming, and the sunlight felt too bright. Gourry stared blankly at the tree, trying to process what he’d seen. It felt like it should have happened to someone else, like one of the disasters he’d encountered as a mercenary or while traveling with Lina. But, no, it had happened to him. Once he remembered it, it seemed to slide itself into a corner of his mind and affix itself there with the knowledge that he was absolutely sure of: He was a good swordsman, he loved Lina, and he saw his brother kill his father.
“Gourry? Are you okay?”
Gourry blinked, then realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks. He turned away from the tree to where Raulf lounged against another, cigarette still dangling from his mouth. “I don’t get it,” he blurted out. “Why am I remembering all of this now?”
“Because it all leads up to what you need to remember the most. What’s the first and foremost goal in your life?”
“To protect Lina,” Gourry replied immediately, and Raulf smiled.
“Good. I like that goal. In any case, you can’t protect her as long as your body is fighting off the magic left behind by the memory blocks sealing things away.” Raulf nodded to the tree. “You didn’t remember what happened with your father because you had passed out. But, you remember where you lived until you came almost of age, am I not right?”
Gourry shrugged and dropped to the ground. Raulf sat next to him. “I hope you worked on your poker face around Lina. Remember, it does no good to show your troubles before the girl you love. I told you that, you know. Tell me, what do you remember?”
“If you’re a part of me, aren’t you supposed to know already?” Gourry asked.
“Humor me.”
Gourry licked his lips and bit down on the bottom one for a moment. “After Father died, Mother and I went to stay with my grandma for a few years. She was really nice. They taught me how to act around people, especially when it came to women. Grandma died when I was 17 and we had to go back to where I grew up. I didn’t want to go back, because Raol was still there. But, we had no choice.”
“If Raol was still alive, how did you wind up with the Sword of Light?”
Gourry suddenly grinned. “Because he couldn’t find it!”
“Did you hide it like Sylphiel hid the Blessed Blade?”
“Huh?” Gourry’s brow furrowed, his mind having wandered off in another direction. “What’s Sylphiel got to do with this? Did you know her too?”
“We’ll get to her later. I take it you hid the sword?”
Gourry shook his head. “No, Mother told me that Father did. She told me where to find it too. That was the other reason why we went back. She wanted me to find the sword.”
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“I know what your father told you, Gourry, and I know what the rules of succession are regarding the Sword of Light,” Gourry’s mother said as they rode in the carriage toward Gourry’s childhood home. “Your father always felt that you were the rightful heir and had hoped something would happen for you to inherit the sword. Do you realize why I took you away from your brother, even while still unconscious?”
“No?” Gourry fingered the cheap, non-magical sword he received for his 17th birthday. It wasn’t much, but he loved it dearly.
“Your brother left you for dead in the woods, along with me and your father. He just wanted the sword. I managed to get help and get us away, because I knew once Raol couldn’t find the sword, he’d come after you.”
“But, why didn’t he come after me when he couldn’t find it?”
Gourry’s mother sat back and beamed. “Because he couldn’t. You see, son, your grandma had a barrier cast on her lands that confused certain people that she wanted to keep off her lands. We utilized this to keep your brother from locating us. Unfortunately, the protection failed when your grandma died and the ownership of the lands changed hands. It wouldn’t be long before we were sought out. This way, we’re facing Raol on our own terms.”
Gourry nodded absently, really wishing that they could turn the carriage around and go back home. He really didn’t want anything to do with this nonsense over the Sword of Light. He knew it was the family legacy, and he had heard the grumblings over how it was unfair, that the sword was to suppose go to Raol rather than himself. Really, Gourry thought, if the sword was going to cause that much trouble, then it was better off going to Raol. He didn’t want his family to fight. There’d already been enough bloodshed over it. He closed his eyes and tried to think back to the day his father died, but instead of memories, he was rewarded with a nice headache.
Their arrival to Gabriev Manor near the capital city of Elmekia was relatively low-key. Much to both Gourry and his mother’s relief, Raol wasn’t there. He’d most likely gone into the city itself, his mother commented as they walked through the great hall toward the stairs. His mother directed Gourry to his old room, kissed his cheek, then urged him to take a nap. Gourry found himself outside of a room with a gouged door. Frowning, he pushed open the door and began coughing from the dust that had collected from years of disuse.
He’d forgotten what his room looked like. It was pretty plain, with several bamboo practice swords scattered over the faded rug. Instead of resting, Gourry picked up one of the swords and gave it a test swing. It was so light in his hand that he chuckled. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and for a moment remembered the boy that he used to be. He moved through a series of practice exercises, then tossed the sword aside as he stretched out on the dusty duvet. Within moments, he was asleep.
He woke to the sound of raised voices and breaking pottery. Instantly, Gourry rolled out of bed and snatched up the first weapon at his disposal, the practice sword. The real sword he’d been gifted with for his birthday two years earlier was still with their luggage, and he cursed himself for not having it now. He opened his door, grateful when the hinges barely creaked.
He spotted the shadows of figures in the torchlight that lit the hallway. His mother, he realized, and a tall man. Gourry peered around the doorway to see his brother looming over their mother. He couldn’t see the look on Raol’s face, but he could tell from the posture that the man was furious. He pressed himself back into the shadows as the two yelled at each other.
“You deliberately hid my legacy!” Raol was yelling. “You had no right to take what was legally and morally mine, Mother!”
“I had every right to do whatever it takes in order to protect the Gabriev legacy,” their mother replied in a tense voice. “You were not ready for the sword. You still aren’t. Your brother is far more qualified to carry on the family legacy.”
“I should have killed off that puny runt to begin with,” Raol snarled. “The family legacy is my right, not his. Where is the Sword of Light?”
Their mother lifted her chin. “I will forever regret the day that I allowed you to stay with those no-good uncles of yours. They poisoned your mind, and this is what you’ve become. As long as I have breath, I’ll ensure that you never lay your hands on the Sword of Light.”
Raol’s hand snapped out, pinning her to the wall by her throat. “Then, I’ll do my best to extinguish it,” he hissed and bore down, causing her to gasp for air.
“Leave her alone!” Gourry roared, springing from the doorway. He swung the bamboo sword down, but Raol’s free arm shot out as he pivoted to defend himself from the blow. Gourry hit Raol’s arm, then was flung back several feet, slamming to the ground with enough force for him to lose hold of the practice sword. It skittered across the floor, coming to rest by a suit of armor.
Raol flung their mother aside as if she was a doll. “I’ll finish what I started seven years ago,” he said in a low voice, unsheathing the ordinary blade at his waist. “Our uncles always advised me to get rid of the liabilities. You, runt, are my biggest liability.”
Gourry scooted back a few feet and grabbed the sword as he got to his knees. “You’re going to find I’m not a kid anymore, Raol.” He held out his sword in front of him. “I’m not going to let you hurt Mother or anyone else over this.”
“What do you think you’ll do with a bamboo stick?” Raol sneered.
Gourry eyed the suit of armor. “This!” He kicked the armor off the stand and into Raol’s path, giving him just enough time to dodge the sword swing that followed. Gourry spun and took advantage of the brief distraction to slam the sword into Raol’s right side. The force of the blow broke the bamboo sword in half.
Raol pivoted, snatched up Gourry by his tunic and held the blade to his neck. “Stupid move, little brother,” he sneered.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Gourry countered and shifted his body weight. It was a calculated risk, and he felt the steel slice lightly over his throat as Raol lost his balance and tumbled backward over the fallen armor. It was enough for Gourry to break free and grab one of the suit arms, and hold it over his head as Raol regained his balance and swung at Gourry.
He needed to disarm Raol, Gourry realized as he parried attack after attack. He had no other effective weapon than the pieces he could get off the armor. He tried a roundhouse kick after blocking one of the attacks, but Raol dodged and caused Gourry to slam into the wall. Pain sang through his body from the blow, but Gourry ignored it. He turned around and barely managed to prevent his neck from being sliced as Raol drove the sword toward his throat once more. This dodge took Gourry away from the wall and close to the stairs.
Raol raised the bastard sword one more time. “This ends now!”
“Gourry!”
His head snapped around and he spotted his mother with a sword hilt in her hands. She tossed it at him. It was a weak throw, but enough. Gourry dove, catching the hilt and breathed the words his father once taught him as Raol sped toward him. “Light come forth!”
The light blade burst forth from the hilt and barely saved Gourry’s life as parried the deathblow that Raol nearly inflicted. “Looks like we’re evenly matched now!”
Raol swung toward their mother. “Bitch!” he hissed. “You’ll die for this!” He raised the sword, started to swing.
“No!” The words burst forth from Gourry’s mouth as he scrambled to his feet. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he saw the blade arching down toward their mother. Memories crashed through the mental blocks in his mind and he saw his father lying in a pool of blood, Raol’s sword plunged deep into his heart. He couldn’t let it happen again. He had to protect his mother.
His next move was pure instinct. Gourry held out the sword and willed for the blade to hit Raol in any way possible. The light blade shot out from the hilt, sailing through the hallway with the speed of a barbed arrow and into Raol’s heart.
But it was too late.
At the same time Gourry’s attack hit, so did Raol’s. Blood sprayed through the air as Gourry watched in horror as his mother was decapitated. The head fell to her feet, the body crumpling seconds later at the same time as her eldest son’s as her youngest slumped to the floor and started to sob.
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“Hey, he’s crying,” Pokota told Lina as she walked back in the room from a trip to the privy.
“What?” Lina approached the bed and saw that Pokota was right. Tears were running down Gourry’s cheeks, and he looked so sad that something in her own chest throbbed. She grabbed one of the hand towels next to the washbasin and wiped his face with it.
“Look at you, so caring and nurturing,” Pokota teased, and was rewarded with a face full of balled up towel.
“You better watch who you call nurturing,” Lina snarled. “I’m the beautiful sorcery genius Lina Inverse after all! When Gourry wakes up, he’s gonna wait on me hand and foot for putting me through this!”
“Sure, sure.” Pokota laughed and perched silently on the bedpost as he watched Lina take Gourry’s hand once more. He wondered if she was aware that she was doing it. He wasn’t quite sure about the way relationships worked. His mother died when he was a baby, and he’d only been starting to recognize girls in a non-icky fashion when the illness struck Taforashia.
But all four of them – Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadiss – seemed to be split off into their own groups and Pokota suspected that they were extremely powerful when working together. It was why he took out Gourry first when he fought Lina. Adults are weird, Pokota decided as he mulled over the complexities in his mind. The flat-chested shrew he’d encountered again and again just wasn’t reconciling in his mind with the almost gentle woman who kept watch over her partner.
“Lina Inverse!”
Lina’s head snapped up as the door burst open and a pair of handcuffs came sailing into the room. She ducked and the metal cuffs slammed into the wall right above her head. On the bed, Gourry never moved. She popped back up and jabbed a finger at the man looming in her doorway. “If you think you’re coming to arrest me, you’ve got another thing coming, pal!”
The man strode into the room and straightened his coat lapels indignantly. “Pal! I’m…”
“Ruvinagard Special Inspector Wizer Freion,” Lina and Pokota both said at the same time. Wizer walked past Pokota without sparing him a glance. “What have I done now?” Lina demanded in a sour voice. “Skinned kittens alive and tossed them into boiling water before feeding their carcasses to people?”
Wizer’s eyes went wide. “Ah hah! So you are admitting to…”
“It’s just a joke!” Lina screamed at him. Pokota slapped one of his ears against his forehead in exasperation. “Look, we’ve not been near any mage tanks lately and you seemed to be perfectly happy to…”
Wizer held up his hands. “Oh, there is still the warrant out for your arrest. However, we have crossed into the borders of Lyzelle where I do not have jurisdiction. If I arrested you now, you would be able to get out on a technicality, and it would be an embarrassment to the guild of the most special of special inspectors.”
Lina folded her arms over her chest. I spy with my little eye, some whopping lies coming from Wizer’s mouth. I have a bad feeling about this. “So, if you’re not here to haul me off in chains, then why bother to come rub it in? Unless you’re just planning to tag along until we get somewhere that you have jurisdiction again.”
Wizer rocked back on his heels. “It would be a waste of kingdom resources to do such a thing. I merely happened to be passing through on my way back to Ruvinagard to secure the documents needed to expand my jurisdiction.”
“Uh huh...”
Wizer laid his hand on the doorknob, paused for a moment, then tossed a glance over his shoulder. “Rumor has it that you’ve met with a marquess named Gioconda within the past week or so within the kingdom of Taforashia.”
Lina placed a hand on her hip, regarded Wizer carefully. “I might have.” She held up a hand when Pokota opened his mouth to speak. “Yeah? Keeping tabs on everyone I talk to lately, Wizer?”
“Only when it pertains to my case,” Wizer replied lightly. He pulled open the door. “Oh, yes, yes. From what my sources have told me, Gioconda-dono is quite angry with you.”
“If I kept a list of everyone who’s ever gotten pissed with me, it’d stretch from here to the Desert of Destruction.”
“Quite true,” he replied. “However, there seems to be a cohort of hers, a beast man, who seems to be looking for you.”
“Duclis,” Pokota breathed.
Lina didn’t say anything for a moment as the uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. “I take it you’ve come across this beastman recently. Say on the road heading toward this town?”
“Perhaps,” Wizer replied. He waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s probably nothing. I’m sure that he and his henchmen aren’t keeping good tabs on you the way I am, though if they reach this town, it would be easy to realize that you’re lodging in this inn.” His gaze landed on Gourry briefly. “Though, I think should they realize it, and the state of your ragtag party that they would take advantage of it as I, Wizer Freion would … if I had jurisdiction.”
Lina shrugged, holding up her hands. “Of course, of course. Go get your paperwork, Wizer-san.”
“Believe me, I shall!” Wizer gave a slight nod of his head and swept out the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with a priest,” he said as he disappeared down the hall.
Pokota flew over to the door and closed it as Lina stood in the middle of the room, brow furrowed. “What a strange man,” he observed as he floated to Lina and perched on top of her head.
“He’s smarter than you give him credit for,” Lina said, walking over to the window and opening it as Wizer stepped outside to where Amelia and Zelgadiss were. Words were exchanged briefly and he started down the road. “He just warned us that we’re going to be attacked tonight by Duclis.”
“You mean he was helping us?” Pokota asked in disbelief.
“Believe it or not, yes.” Lina thought back to how Wizer used her to catch a sorcerer who was creating illegal chimeras not that long ago. “He’s right, you know. If Duclis realized that Gourry’s down for the count, he’ll exploit that. We’ve got to make sure we keep Gourry safe, because if Gioconda gets ahold of him …”
Pokota thought of the story that Lina had just shared with him regarding Phibrizzo and shuddered. He noticed Lina gripping the window tightly, her gaze cold as ice. “If you let that happen, you’re a pretty shabby sorceress!”
That snapped Lina out of her thoughts, and fears, of Gourry being kidnapped again. “Who’re you calling a shabby sorceress!” she screamed at him, snatching him from his perch atop her head and flinging him across the room onto Amelia’s bed.
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“I thank you for allowing me to go talk with her,” Wizer told Amelia and Zelgadiss as he approached them. “I wanted to make sure that she still realized that the … as you would put it princess, ‘fists of justice,’ were still after her.”
“Yes, of course, Wizer-san,” Amelia replied.
Zelgadiss frowned. He had followed Wizer into the inn and up the stairs, using his enhanced hearing to listen to the conversation he and Lina had from the hallway. He had quickly reached the same conclusion Lina had and came back down to tell Amelia. “Why are you helping us, Wizer?” he demanded.
“Help?” Wizer gave Zelgadiss a blank look.
“You didn’t have to stop here at all,” Zelgadiss pointed out. “As you said, you had no jurisdiction here. You wanted to tip Lina off about Gioconda and Duclis.”
“It’s impolite to listen to other people’s conversations, Zelgadiss-san,” Wizer chided.
He ignored that fact. “Well?”
Wizer rubbed his chin and gave the two a small smile. “You can just say it goes against my own interests to have Gioconda arrest Lina Inverse before I can. You can say … it’s a matter of honor with me.” He lifted his hand in a gesture of farewell and started down the road with Amelia and Zelgadiss staring after him.
“What a strange man,” Amelia mused and gave Zelgadiss a sideways look. “How much time do you think we have before Duclis gets here?”
“Not much.” Zelgadiss laid a hand on the small of Amelia’s back, gently propelling her toward the inn. “Let’s go talk with Lina and see what we’re going to do.”
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
Author's Note: So, the original story outline didn't involve either Gourry's brother nor his mother dying. Originally, Gourry was suppose to have stolen the sword and gotten away in the night. However, a week or so after the second chapter came out, QP-Diana translated an interview that Hajime Kanzaka did back in April into English, dropping all sorts of lovely new tidbits about the characters - including the fact that Gourry's brother died during the whole family struggle over the Sword of Light. He didn't go into detail about how he died, but I had sudden flashbacks to Rurouni Kenshin. For those of you who've seen the series, you'll understand the parallel in the scene I wrote and a certain horrific moment in Kenshin's life. For those of you who haven't seen the series, I highly recommend doing so. Immediately. In any case, in the revised storyline, only Raol died. But then this version turned up and it makes sense. So why kill her off? That will be explained in the next chapter!
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadiss, Pokota, Wizer, OCs
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After visiting Taforashia, Gourry falls into a strange magical coma and must face the demons of his past during the very long night that follows for him, Lina, and the rest of their group.
Spoiler alert: This story takes place after episode 6 of Slayers Revolution and goes off on its own tangent from there. Many thanks go to
ray_wing and earthstar_chan for betaing this story. NOTE: This chapter also includes material mentioned in an interview given by Hajime Kazaka that was recently translated into English. The details of that are in the author's notes at the end."Then what kind of head of security would I be if I let people like me know things that I'm not supposed to know? I know what I know because I have to know it. And if I don't have to know it, I don't tell me, and I don't let anyone else tell me either. Now look, we have tried most of the other ambassadors, why don't you speak to G'Kar, maybe he knows something about this ship."
"Under the terms of our recent treaty, I am not authorized to have any official conversation with the Narn without Centauri approval."
"So you'll ask unofficially. And I can give you reasonable assurances that the head of security will not report you for doing so."
"Because you won't tell yourself about it?"
"That's right. I never get involved with my own life. It's too much trouble."
- Michael Garibaldi and EarthForce Special Intelligence Investigator David Endowi: “Matters of Honor,” Babylon 5
Chapter 3: Matters of Honor
The memory passed and senses returned with a sudden clarity. The grassy smell was almost overwhelming, and the sunlight felt too bright. Gourry stared blankly at the tree, trying to process what he’d seen. It felt like it should have happened to someone else, like one of the disasters he’d encountered as a mercenary or while traveling with Lina. But, no, it had happened to him. Once he remembered it, it seemed to slide itself into a corner of his mind and affix itself there with the knowledge that he was absolutely sure of: He was a good swordsman, he loved Lina, and he saw his brother kill his father.
“Gourry? Are you okay?”
Gourry blinked, then realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks. He turned away from the tree to where Raulf lounged against another, cigarette still dangling from his mouth. “I don’t get it,” he blurted out. “Why am I remembering all of this now?”
“Because it all leads up to what you need to remember the most. What’s the first and foremost goal in your life?”
“To protect Lina,” Gourry replied immediately, and Raulf smiled.
“Good. I like that goal. In any case, you can’t protect her as long as your body is fighting off the magic left behind by the memory blocks sealing things away.” Raulf nodded to the tree. “You didn’t remember what happened with your father because you had passed out. But, you remember where you lived until you came almost of age, am I not right?”
Gourry shrugged and dropped to the ground. Raulf sat next to him. “I hope you worked on your poker face around Lina. Remember, it does no good to show your troubles before the girl you love. I told you that, you know. Tell me, what do you remember?”
“If you’re a part of me, aren’t you supposed to know already?” Gourry asked.
“Humor me.”
Gourry licked his lips and bit down on the bottom one for a moment. “After Father died, Mother and I went to stay with my grandma for a few years. She was really nice. They taught me how to act around people, especially when it came to women. Grandma died when I was 17 and we had to go back to where I grew up. I didn’t want to go back, because Raol was still there. But, we had no choice.”
“If Raol was still alive, how did you wind up with the Sword of Light?”
Gourry suddenly grinned. “Because he couldn’t find it!”
“Did you hide it like Sylphiel hid the Blessed Blade?”
“Huh?” Gourry’s brow furrowed, his mind having wandered off in another direction. “What’s Sylphiel got to do with this? Did you know her too?”
“We’ll get to her later. I take it you hid the sword?”
Gourry shook his head. “No, Mother told me that Father did. She told me where to find it too. That was the other reason why we went back. She wanted me to find the sword.”
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“I know what your father told you, Gourry, and I know what the rules of succession are regarding the Sword of Light,” Gourry’s mother said as they rode in the carriage toward Gourry’s childhood home. “Your father always felt that you were the rightful heir and had hoped something would happen for you to inherit the sword. Do you realize why I took you away from your brother, even while still unconscious?”
“No?” Gourry fingered the cheap, non-magical sword he received for his 17th birthday. It wasn’t much, but he loved it dearly.
“Your brother left you for dead in the woods, along with me and your father. He just wanted the sword. I managed to get help and get us away, because I knew once Raol couldn’t find the sword, he’d come after you.”
“But, why didn’t he come after me when he couldn’t find it?”
Gourry’s mother sat back and beamed. “Because he couldn’t. You see, son, your grandma had a barrier cast on her lands that confused certain people that she wanted to keep off her lands. We utilized this to keep your brother from locating us. Unfortunately, the protection failed when your grandma died and the ownership of the lands changed hands. It wouldn’t be long before we were sought out. This way, we’re facing Raol on our own terms.”
Gourry nodded absently, really wishing that they could turn the carriage around and go back home. He really didn’t want anything to do with this nonsense over the Sword of Light. He knew it was the family legacy, and he had heard the grumblings over how it was unfair, that the sword was to suppose go to Raol rather than himself. Really, Gourry thought, if the sword was going to cause that much trouble, then it was better off going to Raol. He didn’t want his family to fight. There’d already been enough bloodshed over it. He closed his eyes and tried to think back to the day his father died, but instead of memories, he was rewarded with a nice headache.
Their arrival to Gabriev Manor near the capital city of Elmekia was relatively low-key. Much to both Gourry and his mother’s relief, Raol wasn’t there. He’d most likely gone into the city itself, his mother commented as they walked through the great hall toward the stairs. His mother directed Gourry to his old room, kissed his cheek, then urged him to take a nap. Gourry found himself outside of a room with a gouged door. Frowning, he pushed open the door and began coughing from the dust that had collected from years of disuse.
He’d forgotten what his room looked like. It was pretty plain, with several bamboo practice swords scattered over the faded rug. Instead of resting, Gourry picked up one of the swords and gave it a test swing. It was so light in his hand that he chuckled. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and for a moment remembered the boy that he used to be. He moved through a series of practice exercises, then tossed the sword aside as he stretched out on the dusty duvet. Within moments, he was asleep.
He woke to the sound of raised voices and breaking pottery. Instantly, Gourry rolled out of bed and snatched up the first weapon at his disposal, the practice sword. The real sword he’d been gifted with for his birthday two years earlier was still with their luggage, and he cursed himself for not having it now. He opened his door, grateful when the hinges barely creaked.
He spotted the shadows of figures in the torchlight that lit the hallway. His mother, he realized, and a tall man. Gourry peered around the doorway to see his brother looming over their mother. He couldn’t see the look on Raol’s face, but he could tell from the posture that the man was furious. He pressed himself back into the shadows as the two yelled at each other.
“You deliberately hid my legacy!” Raol was yelling. “You had no right to take what was legally and morally mine, Mother!”
“I had every right to do whatever it takes in order to protect the Gabriev legacy,” their mother replied in a tense voice. “You were not ready for the sword. You still aren’t. Your brother is far more qualified to carry on the family legacy.”
“I should have killed off that puny runt to begin with,” Raol snarled. “The family legacy is my right, not his. Where is the Sword of Light?”
Their mother lifted her chin. “I will forever regret the day that I allowed you to stay with those no-good uncles of yours. They poisoned your mind, and this is what you’ve become. As long as I have breath, I’ll ensure that you never lay your hands on the Sword of Light.”
Raol’s hand snapped out, pinning her to the wall by her throat. “Then, I’ll do my best to extinguish it,” he hissed and bore down, causing her to gasp for air.
“Leave her alone!” Gourry roared, springing from the doorway. He swung the bamboo sword down, but Raol’s free arm shot out as he pivoted to defend himself from the blow. Gourry hit Raol’s arm, then was flung back several feet, slamming to the ground with enough force for him to lose hold of the practice sword. It skittered across the floor, coming to rest by a suit of armor.
Raol flung their mother aside as if she was a doll. “I’ll finish what I started seven years ago,” he said in a low voice, unsheathing the ordinary blade at his waist. “Our uncles always advised me to get rid of the liabilities. You, runt, are my biggest liability.”
Gourry scooted back a few feet and grabbed the sword as he got to his knees. “You’re going to find I’m not a kid anymore, Raol.” He held out his sword in front of him. “I’m not going to let you hurt Mother or anyone else over this.”
“What do you think you’ll do with a bamboo stick?” Raol sneered.
Gourry eyed the suit of armor. “This!” He kicked the armor off the stand and into Raol’s path, giving him just enough time to dodge the sword swing that followed. Gourry spun and took advantage of the brief distraction to slam the sword into Raol’s right side. The force of the blow broke the bamboo sword in half.
Raol pivoted, snatched up Gourry by his tunic and held the blade to his neck. “Stupid move, little brother,” he sneered.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Gourry countered and shifted his body weight. It was a calculated risk, and he felt the steel slice lightly over his throat as Raol lost his balance and tumbled backward over the fallen armor. It was enough for Gourry to break free and grab one of the suit arms, and hold it over his head as Raol regained his balance and swung at Gourry.
He needed to disarm Raol, Gourry realized as he parried attack after attack. He had no other effective weapon than the pieces he could get off the armor. He tried a roundhouse kick after blocking one of the attacks, but Raol dodged and caused Gourry to slam into the wall. Pain sang through his body from the blow, but Gourry ignored it. He turned around and barely managed to prevent his neck from being sliced as Raol drove the sword toward his throat once more. This dodge took Gourry away from the wall and close to the stairs.
Raol raised the bastard sword one more time. “This ends now!”
“Gourry!”
His head snapped around and he spotted his mother with a sword hilt in her hands. She tossed it at him. It was a weak throw, but enough. Gourry dove, catching the hilt and breathed the words his father once taught him as Raol sped toward him. “Light come forth!”
The light blade burst forth from the hilt and barely saved Gourry’s life as parried the deathblow that Raol nearly inflicted. “Looks like we’re evenly matched now!”
Raol swung toward their mother. “Bitch!” he hissed. “You’ll die for this!” He raised the sword, started to swing.
“No!” The words burst forth from Gourry’s mouth as he scrambled to his feet. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he saw the blade arching down toward their mother. Memories crashed through the mental blocks in his mind and he saw his father lying in a pool of blood, Raol’s sword plunged deep into his heart. He couldn’t let it happen again. He had to protect his mother.
His next move was pure instinct. Gourry held out the sword and willed for the blade to hit Raol in any way possible. The light blade shot out from the hilt, sailing through the hallway with the speed of a barbed arrow and into Raol’s heart.
But it was too late.
At the same time Gourry’s attack hit, so did Raol’s. Blood sprayed through the air as Gourry watched in horror as his mother was decapitated. The head fell to her feet, the body crumpling seconds later at the same time as her eldest son’s as her youngest slumped to the floor and started to sob.
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“Hey, he’s crying,” Pokota told Lina as she walked back in the room from a trip to the privy.
“What?” Lina approached the bed and saw that Pokota was right. Tears were running down Gourry’s cheeks, and he looked so sad that something in her own chest throbbed. She grabbed one of the hand towels next to the washbasin and wiped his face with it.
“Look at you, so caring and nurturing,” Pokota teased, and was rewarded with a face full of balled up towel.
“You better watch who you call nurturing,” Lina snarled. “I’m the beautiful sorcery genius Lina Inverse after all! When Gourry wakes up, he’s gonna wait on me hand and foot for putting me through this!”
“Sure, sure.” Pokota laughed and perched silently on the bedpost as he watched Lina take Gourry’s hand once more. He wondered if she was aware that she was doing it. He wasn’t quite sure about the way relationships worked. His mother died when he was a baby, and he’d only been starting to recognize girls in a non-icky fashion when the illness struck Taforashia.
But all four of them – Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadiss – seemed to be split off into their own groups and Pokota suspected that they were extremely powerful when working together. It was why he took out Gourry first when he fought Lina. Adults are weird, Pokota decided as he mulled over the complexities in his mind. The flat-chested shrew he’d encountered again and again just wasn’t reconciling in his mind with the almost gentle woman who kept watch over her partner.
“Lina Inverse!”
Lina’s head snapped up as the door burst open and a pair of handcuffs came sailing into the room. She ducked and the metal cuffs slammed into the wall right above her head. On the bed, Gourry never moved. She popped back up and jabbed a finger at the man looming in her doorway. “If you think you’re coming to arrest me, you’ve got another thing coming, pal!”
The man strode into the room and straightened his coat lapels indignantly. “Pal! I’m…”
“Ruvinagard Special Inspector Wizer Freion,” Lina and Pokota both said at the same time. Wizer walked past Pokota without sparing him a glance. “What have I done now?” Lina demanded in a sour voice. “Skinned kittens alive and tossed them into boiling water before feeding their carcasses to people?”
Wizer’s eyes went wide. “Ah hah! So you are admitting to…”
“It’s just a joke!” Lina screamed at him. Pokota slapped one of his ears against his forehead in exasperation. “Look, we’ve not been near any mage tanks lately and you seemed to be perfectly happy to…”
Wizer held up his hands. “Oh, there is still the warrant out for your arrest. However, we have crossed into the borders of Lyzelle where I do not have jurisdiction. If I arrested you now, you would be able to get out on a technicality, and it would be an embarrassment to the guild of the most special of special inspectors.”
Lina folded her arms over her chest. I spy with my little eye, some whopping lies coming from Wizer’s mouth. I have a bad feeling about this. “So, if you’re not here to haul me off in chains, then why bother to come rub it in? Unless you’re just planning to tag along until we get somewhere that you have jurisdiction again.”
Wizer rocked back on his heels. “It would be a waste of kingdom resources to do such a thing. I merely happened to be passing through on my way back to Ruvinagard to secure the documents needed to expand my jurisdiction.”
“Uh huh...”
Wizer laid his hand on the doorknob, paused for a moment, then tossed a glance over his shoulder. “Rumor has it that you’ve met with a marquess named Gioconda within the past week or so within the kingdom of Taforashia.”
Lina placed a hand on her hip, regarded Wizer carefully. “I might have.” She held up a hand when Pokota opened his mouth to speak. “Yeah? Keeping tabs on everyone I talk to lately, Wizer?”
“Only when it pertains to my case,” Wizer replied lightly. He pulled open the door. “Oh, yes, yes. From what my sources have told me, Gioconda-dono is quite angry with you.”
“If I kept a list of everyone who’s ever gotten pissed with me, it’d stretch from here to the Desert of Destruction.”
“Quite true,” he replied. “However, there seems to be a cohort of hers, a beast man, who seems to be looking for you.”
“Duclis,” Pokota breathed.
Lina didn’t say anything for a moment as the uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. “I take it you’ve come across this beastman recently. Say on the road heading toward this town?”
“Perhaps,” Wizer replied. He waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, it’s probably nothing. I’m sure that he and his henchmen aren’t keeping good tabs on you the way I am, though if they reach this town, it would be easy to realize that you’re lodging in this inn.” His gaze landed on Gourry briefly. “Though, I think should they realize it, and the state of your ragtag party that they would take advantage of it as I, Wizer Freion would … if I had jurisdiction.”
Lina shrugged, holding up her hands. “Of course, of course. Go get your paperwork, Wizer-san.”
“Believe me, I shall!” Wizer gave a slight nod of his head and swept out the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with a priest,” he said as he disappeared down the hall.
Pokota flew over to the door and closed it as Lina stood in the middle of the room, brow furrowed. “What a strange man,” he observed as he floated to Lina and perched on top of her head.
“He’s smarter than you give him credit for,” Lina said, walking over to the window and opening it as Wizer stepped outside to where Amelia and Zelgadiss were. Words were exchanged briefly and he started down the road. “He just warned us that we’re going to be attacked tonight by Duclis.”
“You mean he was helping us?” Pokota asked in disbelief.
“Believe it or not, yes.” Lina thought back to how Wizer used her to catch a sorcerer who was creating illegal chimeras not that long ago. “He’s right, you know. If Duclis realized that Gourry’s down for the count, he’ll exploit that. We’ve got to make sure we keep Gourry safe, because if Gioconda gets ahold of him …”
Pokota thought of the story that Lina had just shared with him regarding Phibrizzo and shuddered. He noticed Lina gripping the window tightly, her gaze cold as ice. “If you let that happen, you’re a pretty shabby sorceress!”
That snapped Lina out of her thoughts, and fears, of Gourry being kidnapped again. “Who’re you calling a shabby sorceress!” she screamed at him, snatching him from his perch atop her head and flinging him across the room onto Amelia’s bed.
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
“I thank you for allowing me to go talk with her,” Wizer told Amelia and Zelgadiss as he approached them. “I wanted to make sure that she still realized that the … as you would put it princess, ‘fists of justice,’ were still after her.”
“Yes, of course, Wizer-san,” Amelia replied.
Zelgadiss frowned. He had followed Wizer into the inn and up the stairs, using his enhanced hearing to listen to the conversation he and Lina had from the hallway. He had quickly reached the same conclusion Lina had and came back down to tell Amelia. “Why are you helping us, Wizer?” he demanded.
“Help?” Wizer gave Zelgadiss a blank look.
“You didn’t have to stop here at all,” Zelgadiss pointed out. “As you said, you had no jurisdiction here. You wanted to tip Lina off about Gioconda and Duclis.”
“It’s impolite to listen to other people’s conversations, Zelgadiss-san,” Wizer chided.
He ignored that fact. “Well?”
Wizer rubbed his chin and gave the two a small smile. “You can just say it goes against my own interests to have Gioconda arrest Lina Inverse before I can. You can say … it’s a matter of honor with me.” He lifted his hand in a gesture of farewell and started down the road with Amelia and Zelgadiss staring after him.
“What a strange man,” Amelia mused and gave Zelgadiss a sideways look. “How much time do you think we have before Duclis gets here?”
“Not much.” Zelgadiss laid a hand on the small of Amelia’s back, gently propelling her toward the inn. “Let’s go talk with Lina and see what we’re going to do.”
Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж•Ж
Author's Note: So, the original story outline didn't involve either Gourry's brother nor his mother dying. Originally, Gourry was suppose to have stolen the sword and gotten away in the night. However, a week or so after the second chapter came out, QP-Diana translated an interview that Hajime Kanzaka did back in April into English, dropping all sorts of lovely new tidbits about the characters - including the fact that Gourry's brother died during the whole family struggle over the Sword of Light. He didn't go into detail about how he died, but I had sudden flashbacks to Rurouni Kenshin. For those of you who've seen the series, you'll understand the parallel in the scene I wrote and a certain horrific moment in Kenshin's life. For those of you who haven't seen the series, I highly recommend doing so. Immediately. In any case, in the revised storyline, only Raol died. But then this version turned up and it makes sense. So why kill her off? That will be explained in the next chapter!