"Diem Wing!!!"

"Gourry!" She stepped between him and the cyan-clad magician, casting a Flare Bit. The spell bounced off him harmlessly, back at her, while he dueled with Zelgadis. Amelia was flinged into a corner like an old rag doll. Pain lanced through her as she took the brunt of her returned spell.

"Mono Bolt!" Zel gritted his teeth and hurled a Fireball back, but the mage was quicker, knocking Zel under a pile of rubble before the ball of flame even came close to him. "Zel!" She heard herself scream. Amelia moaned. The rubble shifted weakly.

"Sorry, Gourry," She whispered as she took the Sword of Light from his cold, limp grip. "This has gone too far, Lupfaer," Cold anger burned in her tear stained eyes. "Now, you pay!"

Lupfaer cackled senseously. "Go ahead, li'll carrot top, make my day." The legendary sword flared brighter in her hands and grew dark as she gathered the powers of darkness around her, feeding it into the virtual blade. The mage only watched, calmly fasinated. "Hmm, interesting."

The rubble shook, revealing Zelgadis, considerably worse for wear. Recognizing the distructiveness of Lina's spell, he made his painful way to Amelia's side and shielded her with his body of stone and a weak spell of protection; the only one he could manage. Behind her, Gourry groaned and shook his head as if to clear it.

"GIGA... SLAVE!!!" The ruins exploded around her and the cyan mage. A frantic voice was screaming her name from far, far away. Lina fought to keep her balance. It wasn't over! She had to make sure that Lupfaer stayed dead this time!

"Lina! Where are you!" "Go!" She screamed, praying that he'd hear. "Get out NOW!" Rock shards ripped her outfit. Blood trickled down her legs and arms. Lina buckled; and fell to her knees, clinging on to Gourry's sword for support. An incredibly big piece of bedrock bee-lined for her, too fast for her to dodge in time. No doubt who sent this baby. Lina squinted her eyes shut and brought her arms up in useless defence, bracing herself for the teeth-rattling impact... ...

A sharp screech of scraped metal shook her. The flawed quartz splintered. "I thought I told you to leave my sword alone!" A familiar voice rasped by her ears. She opened her eyes.

"And I thought I told you to leave!" Gourry was bending over her, shielding her. She thought she saw tears coursing down his taunt profile. "Where's Amelia and Zel!" She shouted into his ear while struggling to get up.

"Haven't seen them!" He replied, still fending off stone daggers with a slightly deformed pot cover. Lina steadied herself on Gourry and pooled what remained of her powers into one last spell... Something sparked, and the world went light... ...

She came around in a small clearing beside a waterfall.

"Damn." She cussed weakly. "Now I'll stay white for a week."

"You Bakayaru! You could have gotten killed back there!" Gourry's had his back to her so she couldn't see his expression.

"Well, I'm alive now, ain't I! Hurting too much to be dead, that's for sure!" She fumed back at him. It's one thing to be called a 'bloody bastard', but she was more ticked off by not being able to tell how he REALLY felt about it.

"Thank your stars you're not waking up to your own cooking!"

"Humph! Not as if your's is any better!" She took the bowl of tantalizing stew from him, faking doubt about its edibility. There were tear stains on his sunken cheeks. "You've been crying..." She said wonderingly.

"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered softly. Was it her imagination or did he seem thinner than she remembered? There was a moment of deep silence as she groped for something to say.

"You're not getting rid of me, Gourry Jellyfish-brains," She grinned weakly. "Not that way you don't!"

Maybe someday it'll go through that thick skull of his that she didn't really mean it; but said it anyway to hide her embarassment. Yeah, Maybe someday, he'll understand.

"Watch who you're calling a Jellyfish-brain, you Carrot!" He growled good naturedly. "I might decide to sell you to one of your enemies during that time of the month! Hmm... Maybe one of those bandit clans... Hey! Whatcha doing?! No way! I thought you were drained! Too weak to get out of bed! You'll burn down the forest! Lina!!!"

She grinned sardonicly at her fair headed companion. "Fire--Ball!!!" Maybe he already knows.

Then again, it doesn't really matter afterall. Life was good just as it is.

Pursue the second version HERE! (Starts where the lights left off...)

Back to the Library! Gytha! Get that thing off of you! I appreciate your help, but Sandwich signs!

See you at the Jythure! Or walk the Vortex of Dreams?