Apr. 11th, 2009 04:10 pm
Here Comes the Sun (2/?)
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savvyliterateTitle: Here Comes the Sun (2/?)
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina/Gourry, Amelia/Zelgadiss
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Every story must have an ending. After the final battle in Taforashia, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadiss and Pokota do what's necessary to go on with their lives.
Spoiler Alert: This part takes place just prior to the final scene of Evolution-R 13 before the epilogue montage begins. This chapter is dedicated to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
parareality for her fanart of Lina and Gourry from right after the battle, of which a scene of this is based on and to catgabriev for her translations of certain L/G scenes from novels 13-15 that also inspired conversation. Please note that the dialogue at the end of this part is loosely based on the script for Evolution-R 13.
Part 1: Today, He Is Going On With the Rest of His Life
Kingdom of Zefielia: During the battle between Lina Inverse and Rezo the Red Priest
Luna Inverse knew every time her younger sister cast the Giga Slave.
It was part of the joy that came with being the Knight of Ceiphied - knowing when your baby sister was about to make an incredibly stupid mistake that could possibly extinguish the entire universe. The last time Lina had done this, Luna punished her by forcing her to help out that golden dragon, Filia. That had turned out to be a good move, all things considered.
It happened not long before dawn. She didn’t even remember dream. She simply woke, fled into the bathroom and hunched over the washbasin, bringing back up her dinner. She was still coughing when mage light lit the room, when her mother gently asked if she was okay.
“Well,” Luna managed after taking the glass of water her father offered, “we’re not dead yet.”
Neither Inverse parent said a word as Luna regained her equilibrium. She took a long, deep drink of water and moved to the small window, pushed aside the curtain. She couldn’t actually see anything outside, she could only feel the spell that threatened to bring the entire universe back into chaos.
She gripped the windowsill tightly, fought back the urge to throw up once more. Suddenly, miraculously, it passed and Luna felt normal.
“Luna?”
With a smirk, she turned back to her parents. “Well, what do you know? Lina didn’t manage to kill us after all.”
——-
Kingdom of Taforashia: Ten minutes after the final battle
Lina was out a good five to ten minutes. It took her a moment to remember what happened, but as soon as she did, she sat up quickly. All the blood rushed to her head and she nearly blacked out again. She pressed her hand to her forehead until the world stopped spinning, then slowly let it drop as she surveyed the area.
Zelgadiss had roused himself and was hunched over Amelia, eyes wide with fear as he used wood from the rubble and the tattered remains of his cloak to splint her arm before casting a Recovery on her. Amelia was awake as well, talking softly to Zelgadiss. She was smiling softly at him and from the way her lips moved, Lina realized she was reassuring the worried chimera.
The fist around her heart loosened a bit as she watched the couple interact, but then seized up once more as she whipped her head around like a wolf in search of its mate. Her gaze zeroed in on a heap of blue and blond and she scrambled across the rubble, unable to fully drag herself to her feet. She wound up crawling the few feet to Gourry's side, fearing the absolute worst.
The moment she reached him, his eyes opened and locked on hers. After a moment, he smiled. "Good morning, sunshine," he said in a voice raspy from the heat and smoke from the battle.
"Gourry..." The range of emotions that Lina had suppressed during the battle surged forward at the sound of his voice. She sucked in a breath and tried to block out the images of him sacrificing himself for her, yelling about how he believed in her. Even when the replica Sword of Light had failed, he’d used his body to shield her from the attacks, knowing that she needed time to cast the spell that could either save or destroy them all.
She grabbed his hand, the other finding its way to his heart. Her hand trembled as she moved it over the battered breastplate. His chest armor was still intact, but she swore she could feel his heart beating, alive and strong beneath her hand and metal. She fought a losing battle against tears and finally gave into them. She pressed his dirt-covered hand to her lips, kissing it as she cried. He was alive. She'd cast the Giga Slave, they were alive and they even remembered it this time.
She felt him shift, lift up a bit. "It’s okay to cry, Lina," he whispered.
“I’m not crying,” she muttered a bit stubbornly against his hand.
“We made it.” He gave her another gentle smile. “You kept strong, and you saved us. You deserve to cry.”
"Oh shut up," she scolded gently and pressed her hand down into his chest. She started to summon whatever energy she had left to cast a Recovery spell, but Gourry's free hand quickly moved up and covered hers.
"No," he told her firmly.
"But ..."
"I'll be okay. Don't push yourself." He ran his thumb up and down the back of her hand.
"Idiot," Lina managed to laugh amidst her tears. She gave him a soft look that was only reserved for him in the moments where absolutely no one was around and she could swear she felt she'd been in this situation before - with the feeling of elation and sheer joy from the fact that he was alive. She lifted her head to see him staring at her with a blazing look, eyes dark and full of purpose. The hand on his chest slipped up, around his neck, bringing him close as her lips settled over his.
The kiss was soft and tasted of dirt and the salt from Lina's tears. Her breath hitched a bit and her lips parted, taking the kiss a bit deeper. They remained like that, frozen in their own moment in time, the world shrunk down to just the two of them as they kissed. After a moment, or was it hours, they broke apart and smiled at each other. Things wouldn't be the same after that, but neither of them particularly minded at that moment. They were alive and together. That's all that mattered.
——-
As Zelgadiss kept healing Amelia, Lina managed to pull herself onto a nearby boulder. She watched as the sun rose over the decimated area of the city. Congratulations, she told herself, you’ve managed to destroy a good chunk of two large cities within months of each other! Wisps of snow white hair blew in front of her eyes and she pushed them away. She was exhausted and heartsick. Gourry was okay. So was Amelia and Zelgadiss. But Pokota …
Almost as if hearing her thoughts, Gourry spoke up. “Pokota? Where is he?”
Tears clogged her throat again. “During the fight, Pokota released the seal on his own Hellmaster’s har so he could take over the body that the Dark Lord did. He forced Rezo and the Dark Lord out, giving me enough time to cast the Giga Slave. But in doing that …” Her voice trailed off.
“In doing that,” Zelgadiss prompted her.
“No,” Amelia whispered, realizing what Lina was implying. “Then Pokota-san …”
“His body, along with his soul, was destroyed when I cast the Giga Slave.” It was something that Lina knew she would carry as a burden for the rest of her life. “It’s just … after all he went through to save the country, he was suppose to get Taforashia back on its feet again.”
“Whaddya mean? Who says I won’t be helping out?” Lina suddenly felt a warm weight atop her head and her eyebrows winged skyward to see Pokota peering down at her. He suddenly leaped off to stand in front of her as Lina scrambled to her feet, adrenaline racing through her exhausted body.
“What? You’re alive?” she shrieked. “How?”
Pokota grinned, thinking back to the brief exchange between himself and Rezo. “Just a bit of this and that!”
“What do you mean a bit of this and that?”
“It’s by no means the most unusual resurrection we’ve seen in our time,” Zelgadiss commented dryly.
Amelia tapped her chin. “Are you talking about when the Lord of Nightmares returned Lina-san and Gourry-san from the Sea of Chaos, or when Valgaav was reborn?”
“The second. Nothing can ever top an egg falling from the sky in a rain of feathers.”
“You’ve got a point.” Amelia flushed slightly as Zelgadiss draped an arm around her shoulder. She stood closer to his side as they watched Lina and Pokota argue over the logistics of Pokota being alive once more.
Suddenly, the tirade was cut off as Gourry snagged Pokota by what remained of his ears. He lifted up the small plush. “I believe your place is over there,” he said cheerfully and tossed Pokota at his surprised and baffled father.
——-
As Pokota and his father reunited, the group watched on. “Now there is a happy ending,” Lina commented.
“That it is,” Zelgadiss agreed with a smile.
Amelia turned concerned eyes to him. “What about Rezo-san?”
He directed that gentle smile at her, and for the first time since she’d known him, Amelia saw that the haunted look was gone from Zelgadiss’s eyes. “It’s okay,” he told her softly, then tilted his head toward the sun.
Gourry slapped Lina’s back in a friendly manner. “What about you? Have you gotten homesick too, Lina?” he asked in a jovial voice.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, but I’m not in a rush to go back,” Lina replied and cast a quick look at Gourry, then startled. He looked slightly crushed, and her heart skipped a beat. He probably doesn’t know the meaning of what he just said, she thought in a panic and remembered the kiss that they shared. She flushed. “Besides,” she quickly stammered, “we’ve got to go find you a new sword first.”
“Is that the case?” Zelgadiss teased and Lina wished for the strength to punch him.
Gourry didn’t say anything for a long moment. He stared down at the sword hilt in his hand, thought of the Sword of Light, the kiss with Lina, and their most recent conversation. His eyes drifted close as memories flittered through his mind one last time - of a dark night in Elmekia, death, and a young man he barely recognized as himself leaving his family home with the legendary Sword of Light. There were so many bad memories associated with this sword, he thought. The only good thing was that time and time again he needed it to take care of Lina. She wasn’t going to leave him, that much was clear. He didn’t need it to protect her, not any more.
Gourry hefted the hilt and with a grunt, tossed it as far as he could. He barely heard it land in the debris, roll a few feet, then settle. One of the gems on the hilt sparkled in the sunlight and he turned away from it.
It was time to leave his past behind.
“Gourry?”
He smiled down at Lina, who was giving him a questioning look. Then he grabbed her up and swung her around like a child.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lina shrieked.
“I’m going on with the rest of my life,” he said joyfully and knew that today would be a wonderful day.
Series: Slayers
Characters/Pairings: Lina/Gourry, Amelia/Zelgadiss
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Every story must have an ending. After the final battle in Taforashia, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadiss and Pokota do what's necessary to go on with their lives.
Spoiler Alert: This part takes place just prior to the final scene of Evolution-R 13 before the epilogue montage begins. This chapter is dedicated to
parareality for her fanart of Lina and Gourry from right after the battle, of which a scene of this is based on and to 
catgabriev for her translations of certain L/G scenes from novels 13-15 that also inspired conversation. Please note that the dialogue at the end of this part is loosely based on the script for Evolution-R 13.Part 1: Today, He Is Going On With the Rest of His Life
Kingdom of Zefielia: During the battle between Lina Inverse and Rezo the Red Priest
Luna Inverse knew every time her younger sister cast the Giga Slave.
It was part of the joy that came with being the Knight of Ceiphied - knowing when your baby sister was about to make an incredibly stupid mistake that could possibly extinguish the entire universe. The last time Lina had done this, Luna punished her by forcing her to help out that golden dragon, Filia. That had turned out to be a good move, all things considered.
It happened not long before dawn. She didn’t even remember dream. She simply woke, fled into the bathroom and hunched over the washbasin, bringing back up her dinner. She was still coughing when mage light lit the room, when her mother gently asked if she was okay.
“Well,” Luna managed after taking the glass of water her father offered, “we’re not dead yet.”
Neither Inverse parent said a word as Luna regained her equilibrium. She took a long, deep drink of water and moved to the small window, pushed aside the curtain. She couldn’t actually see anything outside, she could only feel the spell that threatened to bring the entire universe back into chaos.
She gripped the windowsill tightly, fought back the urge to throw up once more. Suddenly, miraculously, it passed and Luna felt normal.
“Luna?”
With a smirk, she turned back to her parents. “Well, what do you know? Lina didn’t manage to kill us after all.”
——-
Kingdom of Taforashia: Ten minutes after the final battle
Lina was out a good five to ten minutes. It took her a moment to remember what happened, but as soon as she did, she sat up quickly. All the blood rushed to her head and she nearly blacked out again. She pressed her hand to her forehead until the world stopped spinning, then slowly let it drop as she surveyed the area.
Zelgadiss had roused himself and was hunched over Amelia, eyes wide with fear as he used wood from the rubble and the tattered remains of his cloak to splint her arm before casting a Recovery on her. Amelia was awake as well, talking softly to Zelgadiss. She was smiling softly at him and from the way her lips moved, Lina realized she was reassuring the worried chimera.
The fist around her heart loosened a bit as she watched the couple interact, but then seized up once more as she whipped her head around like a wolf in search of its mate. Her gaze zeroed in on a heap of blue and blond and she scrambled across the rubble, unable to fully drag herself to her feet. She wound up crawling the few feet to Gourry's side, fearing the absolute worst.
The moment she reached him, his eyes opened and locked on hers. After a moment, he smiled. "Good morning, sunshine," he said in a voice raspy from the heat and smoke from the battle.
"Gourry..." The range of emotions that Lina had suppressed during the battle surged forward at the sound of his voice. She sucked in a breath and tried to block out the images of him sacrificing himself for her, yelling about how he believed in her. Even when the replica Sword of Light had failed, he’d used his body to shield her from the attacks, knowing that she needed time to cast the spell that could either save or destroy them all.
She grabbed his hand, the other finding its way to his heart. Her hand trembled as she moved it over the battered breastplate. His chest armor was still intact, but she swore she could feel his heart beating, alive and strong beneath her hand and metal. She fought a losing battle against tears and finally gave into them. She pressed his dirt-covered hand to her lips, kissing it as she cried. He was alive. She'd cast the Giga Slave, they were alive and they even remembered it this time.
She felt him shift, lift up a bit. "It’s okay to cry, Lina," he whispered.
“I’m not crying,” she muttered a bit stubbornly against his hand.
“We made it.” He gave her another gentle smile. “You kept strong, and you saved us. You deserve to cry.”
"Oh shut up," she scolded gently and pressed her hand down into his chest. She started to summon whatever energy she had left to cast a Recovery spell, but Gourry's free hand quickly moved up and covered hers.
"No," he told her firmly.
"But ..."
"I'll be okay. Don't push yourself." He ran his thumb up and down the back of her hand.
"Idiot," Lina managed to laugh amidst her tears. She gave him a soft look that was only reserved for him in the moments where absolutely no one was around and she could swear she felt she'd been in this situation before - with the feeling of elation and sheer joy from the fact that he was alive. She lifted her head to see him staring at her with a blazing look, eyes dark and full of purpose. The hand on his chest slipped up, around his neck, bringing him close as her lips settled over his.
The kiss was soft and tasted of dirt and the salt from Lina's tears. Her breath hitched a bit and her lips parted, taking the kiss a bit deeper. They remained like that, frozen in their own moment in time, the world shrunk down to just the two of them as they kissed. After a moment, or was it hours, they broke apart and smiled at each other. Things wouldn't be the same after that, but neither of them particularly minded at that moment. They were alive and together. That's all that mattered.
——-
As Zelgadiss kept healing Amelia, Lina managed to pull herself onto a nearby boulder. She watched as the sun rose over the decimated area of the city. Congratulations, she told herself, you’ve managed to destroy a good chunk of two large cities within months of each other! Wisps of snow white hair blew in front of her eyes and she pushed them away. She was exhausted and heartsick. Gourry was okay. So was Amelia and Zelgadiss. But Pokota …
Almost as if hearing her thoughts, Gourry spoke up. “Pokota? Where is he?”
Tears clogged her throat again. “During the fight, Pokota released the seal on his own Hellmaster’s har so he could take over the body that the Dark Lord did. He forced Rezo and the Dark Lord out, giving me enough time to cast the Giga Slave. But in doing that …” Her voice trailed off.
“In doing that,” Zelgadiss prompted her.
“No,” Amelia whispered, realizing what Lina was implying. “Then Pokota-san …”
“His body, along with his soul, was destroyed when I cast the Giga Slave.” It was something that Lina knew she would carry as a burden for the rest of her life. “It’s just … after all he went through to save the country, he was suppose to get Taforashia back on its feet again.”
“Whaddya mean? Who says I won’t be helping out?” Lina suddenly felt a warm weight atop her head and her eyebrows winged skyward to see Pokota peering down at her. He suddenly leaped off to stand in front of her as Lina scrambled to her feet, adrenaline racing through her exhausted body.
“What? You’re alive?” she shrieked. “How?”
Pokota grinned, thinking back to the brief exchange between himself and Rezo. “Just a bit of this and that!”
“What do you mean a bit of this and that?”
“It’s by no means the most unusual resurrection we’ve seen in our time,” Zelgadiss commented dryly.
Amelia tapped her chin. “Are you talking about when the Lord of Nightmares returned Lina-san and Gourry-san from the Sea of Chaos, or when Valgaav was reborn?”
“The second. Nothing can ever top an egg falling from the sky in a rain of feathers.”
“You’ve got a point.” Amelia flushed slightly as Zelgadiss draped an arm around her shoulder. She stood closer to his side as they watched Lina and Pokota argue over the logistics of Pokota being alive once more.
Suddenly, the tirade was cut off as Gourry snagged Pokota by what remained of his ears. He lifted up the small plush. “I believe your place is over there,” he said cheerfully and tossed Pokota at his surprised and baffled father.
——-
As Pokota and his father reunited, the group watched on. “Now there is a happy ending,” Lina commented.
“That it is,” Zelgadiss agreed with a smile.
Amelia turned concerned eyes to him. “What about Rezo-san?”
He directed that gentle smile at her, and for the first time since she’d known him, Amelia saw that the haunted look was gone from Zelgadiss’s eyes. “It’s okay,” he told her softly, then tilted his head toward the sun.
Gourry slapped Lina’s back in a friendly manner. “What about you? Have you gotten homesick too, Lina?” he asked in a jovial voice.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been there, but I’m not in a rush to go back,” Lina replied and cast a quick look at Gourry, then startled. He looked slightly crushed, and her heart skipped a beat. He probably doesn’t know the meaning of what he just said, she thought in a panic and remembered the kiss that they shared. She flushed. “Besides,” she quickly stammered, “we’ve got to go find you a new sword first.”
“Is that the case?” Zelgadiss teased and Lina wished for the strength to punch him.
Gourry didn’t say anything for a long moment. He stared down at the sword hilt in his hand, thought of the Sword of Light, the kiss with Lina, and their most recent conversation. His eyes drifted close as memories flittered through his mind one last time - of a dark night in Elmekia, death, and a young man he barely recognized as himself leaving his family home with the legendary Sword of Light. There were so many bad memories associated with this sword, he thought. The only good thing was that time and time again he needed it to take care of Lina. She wasn’t going to leave him, that much was clear. He didn’t need it to protect her, not any more.
Gourry hefted the hilt and with a grunt, tossed it as far as he could. He barely heard it land in the debris, roll a few feet, then settle. One of the gems on the hilt sparkled in the sunlight and he turned away from it.
It was time to leave his past behind.
“Gourry?”
He smiled down at Lina, who was giving him a questioning look. Then he grabbed her up and swung her around like a child.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lina shrieked.
“I’m going on with the rest of my life,” he said joyfully and knew that today would be a wonderful day.