Lina stopped abruptly in her tracks and with a shrug of her shoulders turned to the small group of men emerging from the bushes to the side of the wooded trail. "So, still following me are you? Gee, you guys are pathetic. You make about as much noise as swine in a slaughterhouse."
The leader of the small bandit gang bared his teeth, eyebrows twitching. "Why you little! Okay guys! Strip her clean and then leave her for me!" He grinned wickedly, rubbing his grimy palms together.
"They never learn." Lina sighed as three men advanced, drawing their weapons. "Really, you don't know who you are messing with, do you?"
"Just behave little girl and perhaps the boss will go easy on you." Cackled the nearest man to her.
"No, you should worry about me going easy on you!" She snapped. "You'll be sorry you ever angered the great sorcery genius Lina Inverse!"
The two foremost men fell down on their knees, shaking in laughter. "You? Lina Inverse? That's a good one!" Cried out the first bandit.
"Y-Yeah, a short, flat-chested runt like you? Now that's rich!" Wailed the second who had now fallen on his face in a fit of roaring laughter.
The boss all but pulled his hair out. "Oi, Men! You dim-witted fools, do I have to do this myself?" He unsheathed his sword and with a yell, sprang at the redhead. "I'll teach you how to treat your superiors little girl!"
"Humph, warned them." Lina smirked. "FIREBALL!" She aimed with deadly accuracy to the bandit chief's middle. As the rouge was blasted back into the bushes the other ruffian's faces turned a sickly, milky white.
"She-she just done in the boss! It is Lina Inverse, the Bandit Killer! Everyone run!" Cried the first, as he sprang to his feet and stumbled away into the thick foliage. The others followed his example.
The sorceress fired a few flare arrows at them for good measure, purposely missing the targets. "And don't you forget it!" She yelled, while she contentedly brushed off her hands. With a light sigh, she continued on her merry way. "Wow, now that felt like old times just then." She had half expected Gourry to come nosing his way in as he did when he first walked into her life.
A couple hours later, Lina stopped to the side of the road for a short break. "Hmm, I'm making good time. I'll be home in two days easy." She smiled as she unwrapped what remained of the second date loaf. It was quite stale, but it was food and hadn't lost its flavor. She sat their munching silently and thinking. She would make it top priority to find Sylphiel. She needed to know that Gourry was hers, and that the sorceress was no competition. "I know you'll be so very happy to hear that." She smiled as she lay back against a tree trunk. She watched the sun break through the blanket of clouds overhead, sending gentle rays down to the forest floor as little spotlights dotting a stage. Suddenly she forced herself up. I better get a move on, in case a larger party of the bandits comes after me. I don't feel like spending the rest of my day kicking ass. With that thought in mind, she set out at a steady jog for the next hour.
If she remembered rightly, this was a large wood that carried on for at least 20 miles. She hadn't come through this way in many years, but something did stir her memory. There was a clear river running through the heart of the forest somewhere, and it would be hard to miss as it ran straight through the path she trod upon. Lina ran her hand down the back of her neck. "Oh, that would be so lovely. A cool, afternoon swim." She sighed and switched shoulders with the pack she carried.
"Or a swim under the light of the full moon would suffice." Lina smirked as she followed the bank to where the flow of the water slowed almost down to nothing. She found to her delight, a sheltered area that would hide her from the open around her. "Perfect!" She rubbed her hands together, and then took a careful look about her before she decided the coast was clear. In seconds she had shed her garments and ran to meet the beckoning, dark waters. Lina let out a yelp as she dove from a high boulder into the freezing river water. She came up with wide eyes, tossing her head wildly. "Oh gods! It's so cold! But does it ever feel good!" She splashed around sending moonlit sprays into the night. She ducked her head under once more and began to move through the waters, delighting in its icy caress.
She hadn't gone skinny dipping since she and Luna one summer in their early teens. In fact, she had become so carried away in her frolicking she failed to notice the sound of approaching danger.
He ran his hand exasperatedly through his wiry hair, then winced. He felt gingerly under his arm and across his chest. Blood. Zelgadiss stared at his stained glove for a minute in disbelief. Blood? Wait a minute. His thoughts flashed back to his combat with the orc leader and the very moment he'd struck him under the arm. The sword must have had an enchantment. "Shit!" He scoffed and applied a weak healing spell to his injury just enough to stop the bleeding. He didn't have much time to do anything more as he heard the angered snarls of the hateful beasts once again. "I'm having a really bad day!" He grumbled under his breath. He forced his legs to move as he tore through the brush, managing to pull away further from them. The chimera noticed a break in the trees ahead of him and he forced himself harder, running full out, as he felt the wound tear open again. It didn't matter now, but he had a better chance in combat out in the open. Only he was so drained.
All at once, the redhead became aware of a rustling away in the forest ahead of her. "Now what the heck do you suppose?" She backed away a few paces, for the group of boulders to her right. Probably some forest animal. Yeah that's it. This forest is seldom passed through. All the same, she continued to retreat while raising her hands to ready a defense spell.
In a matter of seconds a dark form fought its way through the dense border of trees and came to a grinding halt, head snapping around to discover he'd come across a river. He scanned the area about him taking in all the surroundings. Until his eyes suddenly fell on the body of water in front of him. The chimera's mouth fell open as a particular object of interest met his gaze.
"Lina?!" He took a double take and in full realization of her current status, suffered a severe nosebleed. "L-Lina?(gulp) Y-you!" He raised a shaking hand at her, stumbling backwards, eyes wide as he couldn't tear them away from her. She was, she was...
It was Lina Inverse, but not the way he'd expected to find her. There she was, naked as the day she was born, standing ankle-deep in the shallow waters of the bank. He fell to his knees and pulled his hood over his head hiding the hot, feverish blush that covered his face and traveled down his neck.
The sorceress batted her eyes in complete petrified shock. Was she imagining things right now, or was that Zelgadiss trembling on the bank a couple yards away from her? Then she became aware of her current position. Lina! Wake up and pay attention! You are lacking in a certain necessity! That's right, she wasn't wearing a thing. Now that would explain his reaction. Lina's face went pale. Baka! This is no time to stand around contemplating! Now, the present circumstance demanded she react accordingly. A high, ear-busting shriek of embarrassment echoed throughout the forest.
In an instant, Zelgadiss had grabbed her and laid a hand over her mouth. "Shhh! I'm being followed. Now you've done it for sure!" He hissed and pulled his cloak around her. "By the way, I missed you."
Lina found herself shaking. "Zelgadiss? Mind if I retrieve my clothing?"
"Too late for that. They are coming..." The chimera replied in haste and ran forward to the bank, leaving a perplexed Lina sinking into the water with an angry scowl.
"Who in the heck is coming? And what am I meant to do like this?" She snapped crossly.
"Orcs, trolls and the like. Here!" Zelgadiss unbuttoned his cloak and tossed it to her. He stubbornly ignored her grumbling, as the foul beasts began to emerge in scattered groups.
Lina drew the ebony cloak about her and rushed to Zelgadiss' side. "So I take it you are in over your head."
Zelgadiss returned a cool reply. "How did you know?"
"Lucky guess." She pivoted and sent the nearest of the advancing orcs a friendly warning. "Dill Brando!"
Zelgadiss sighed and swept out his sword in front of him, eyes narrowed with a feral light. "Stay close."
Lina nodded as she blew a few others back with a fireball. "You don't look so great."
"Let's talk later." He replied gruffly and sprang forward, lopping the arm off of the troll in front of him. "Lina, finish him!"
"Hai!"
"Astral Vine!" The chimera charged a small cluster of three half-breed monsters and took them apart one by one, not before receiving a blow to the back that sent him reeling into a cluster of rocks.
"Zelgadiss!" Lina cried. "Okay, this is it boys; playtime is over!" She levitated to a high boulder in the middle of the river, eyes flashing in determination.
Zelgadiss anticipated her plan and managed to take shelter only just in time.
"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows; buried in the flow of time; in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness! Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGU SLAVE!!" Lina was enveloped in a thick curtain of steam.
Where the spell had hit, charred landscape spread around for a mile radius. What foes had survived the disaster, fled in fear of their lives.
Below her, the water had fizzled down to a couple inches and hundreds of frantic fish struggled in vain in the sloppy mud. Hmm, looks like I got dinner the easy way. Now wasn't the time to think about food. Where was Zelgadiss?
"Zel? Where have you got to?" Lina hoped he hadn't become a target in the destruction, for that would have most definitely defeated her purpose. "Zelgadiss?"
"Oi, Lina!"
She breathed a sigh and ran to meet the figure that stood, waving, at the opposite side of the bank. Driven by many months of repressed desire, she threw her arms about him; the momentum sent the sorceress and chimera falling backwards. "Zel! I can't believe it's really you! I never thought I'd see you again!"
"I couldn't have that." He replied softly and held her near, wincing as his back hit the trunk of a tree.
"Don't ever leave me again, you hear me?" Lina said in earnest and pulled his face close to hers and gently nibbled on his lower lip.
"Lina, where are your clothes?" He cleared his throat uncomfortably as he placed a finger over her lips.
"My-my clothing?" Lina muttered. "Oh, they were by the bank and...oh!" She cringed. "Um..."
"Lina, you mean to tell me you lost them to the dragu slave? Just great!" He laid a hand to his forehead and sighed in exasperation.
"Um, can I borrow your cape for a while?" Lina grinned.
"Yeah. I don't know what else you could use anyhow." Zelgadiss replied with a shrug and glanced down at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lina moved to sit on his lap and laid her hands to his vest, pulling loose the ties.
Zelgadiss went tense and clasped his hands to her wrists. "What are you doing? Lina, now is not the time to-"
"It's not what you think. I see you are injured, that would need some attention." She simply replied and shook off his grip.
"But it doesn't require shedding my clothing if you are going to use a healing spell. Lina!"
The sorceress pouted. "Well, Zelgadiss, it's only fair."
"Nani?"
"You saw me in the nude so..."
"Lina that was an accident!" He blushed furiously.
"True, but fair is fair!" She giggled wickedly.
He firmly took hold of her hands and cupped them in his own. "Lina, calm down."
"Calm down?" She repeated, eyeing him curiously. "What's the matter Zelgadiss? I though you loved me."
"I do." He replied in haste. "But there is a time and place for everything; and right now is not appropriate."
Lina averted her gaze, somewhat ashamed at her immature behavior. "I did get a bit carried away, didn't I?" She murmured. "Sorry, Zelgadiss, but it's all your fault, don't you know?"
The chimera grinned and brushed his hand across her face. "Of course I do. This feels like a dream."
"Yes, it does." Lina nodded. "Now let me see to that wound of yours. Gee, Zelgadiss how did this happen."
"Enchanted sword."
"Oh, that makes sense." She mused as she administered the healing spell. "Have you seen Gourry lately by chance?"
"Gourry? No, I though he was with you."
"I ditched him almost six months ago."
"You what? Why did you do that to him?" His brow furrowed. "You know he cares about you."
"Yeah, but he has to realize he doesn't have to protect me anymore. Also, I didn't know how to tell him goodbye." She lowered her gaze and laid her head to Zelgadiss' chest. "I feel rotten now."
"I'm sure he understood why you left." Zelgadiss tried to reassure her.
"I did tell him that he didn't have to worry about watching over me his whole life. I told him he was free to choose his own path." She replied softly.
"Well, then like I said, he would have understood. As thick as his skull is, he does figure things out eventually." Zelgadiss chuckled lightly and pulled her even closer, kissing her on the end of her nose.
"Very funny." She smirked and nuzzled up under his chin.
"Why don't you get some rest and I'll keep watch for the night." Zelgadiss suggested under his breath.
"Keep watch? But I should take the first watch, you've worn yourself out-"
"No, really; I can't sleep anyway. Just rest now." He replied and stroked his fingers through Lina's damp hair, hugging her close while she began to nod off. He smiled as the sound of soft breathing filled his ears. They were together again, and he would make sure it stayed that way.