Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lina got to her feet, staring down at the mound of white sand that used to be Lavas. She hadn't cast the Ragna Blade since ... well, since. She'd decide how she felt about that some other time.

"Guess it's all over," she whispered to herself as she turned toward her allies to asses their injuries.

She was skilled enough with Recovery, and she'd gotten plenty of practice in the nearly two years since she fought Rezo. But she was no Amelia or Sylphiel, and there was only so much she could do. Recovery was a damned if you do, damned if you don't spell when it came to more severe injuries. She needed to at least get them topside, hopefully back to the inn.

Wizer and Mileena's injuries didn't seem that serious. Their fall down the stairs luckily did not

result in any broken bones that she Lina. Luke had injuries from Lavas's tentacles to his shoulder and left thigh, those didn't appear to pierce any essential arteries. He'd have bled out already if so.

The worse, by far, was the only other person in the room still conscious. The one who had rolled over at some point to face her.

"Not ... quite ...," Gourry managed, and it didn't surprise Lina that he managed to hear her whisper. "Would you mind ... patching us up?" He managed a half smile, but it didn't mask the pain he'd been hiding since their first fight that evening.

His clothes were completely wrecked where his armor hadn't protected him. Dozens of cuts sprinkled over his arms and legs like someone going crazy with making a quilt. Lina knew Gourry had taken on a lot from Zord's invisible blades, but she hadn't realized how much he'd withstood. And that was even before the final showdown with Lavas.

"I'm amazed you're even conscious." She dropped to her knees beside him and started the chant for Recovery. "How long were you out?"

"Managed ... to see what you did ... with that spell."

The pain in his voice shredded something inside of her, and Lina remembered that horrible time months earlier when they were first searching for a magic sword. The cheap substitute that Gourry used had shattered as he intercepted a spell meant for her. The end result had given her about six heart attacks. Tonight just added to that guilt.

"Hadn't cast it in a while," Lina said conversationally, deciding to start on his arms first, which appeared to have the deepest cuts. "Seem to be handling it better these days."

She nearly jerked back when Gourry reached over with his free hand and ruffled her hair. "You did good."

Something warm crept through her, and she had the strangest urge to take that calloused, bleeding hand and kiss it. Or him. Which had to be her thoughts completely going haywire, because why the hell was her mind even going there in the aftermath of a battle? Adrenaline, she decided. All that adrenaline and guilt because he'd gotten seriously injured on her behalf. Again.

It didn't stop her from leaning into his touch and closing her eyes. Those three words of praise, after all of this, seemed to mean everything.

"If you two lovebirds don't mind," Luke said from across the room, where he managed to sit up. "I could use some healing over here."

Lina promptly jerked back and flipped him off. "Heal yourself," she snapped.

She helped Gourry into a sitting position so she could check his back. Glancing over, she wasn't surprised to see Luke healing Mileena before himself. She stirred and waved back his hovering. Rubbing her head, Mileena sat up and said something to Luke before motioning to Wizer. They both inched their way to him.

Lina continued on with her own work, skipping over the minor cuts. Recovery sped up a person's natural healing rate. With the number of injuries Gourry had, he'd be too exhausted to move before tending to the rest. That could be done back at the inn.

As if Gourry heard her thoughts, he stilled her hands. "I can manage it."

"You sure?" She looked at him, trying to discern how much pain he was still masking.

He nodded and started to stand. She helped, looping his arm around her shoulders and taking his weight. She knew it was still bad when he sagged into her, accepting the help. She remembered the magic sword he'd grabbed, snatching it up with her free hand to take with them.

They slowly made their way topside, and Wizer talked the soldiers into using one of Lavas's carriages to take them back to the inn. He didn't need them now.

Luke separated from them as soon as they reached the hallway where their rooms were. "I could sleep for a week," he said, disappearing into his.

Mileena sighed and turned to them. "Do you need any help?"

"Nope, I think we got this. Thanks."

"I will speak with you in the morning," Wizer said. "We have some things to clear up."

"Not a problem, old man."

It left the two of them in the hall and Lina turned to Gourry. "I want to finish up those minor injuries."

She could see that a good bit of the pain in his eyes had been replaced with fatigue. He hadn't said much during their return trip. He'd been nearly asleep from the moment they got into the carriage from her heavy use of the Recovery spell. Even now, he nearly swayed from the fatigue and didn't seem to be listening to her. At any other time, it would warrant a snarky remark. Not now.

"C'mon, big guy." Lina fished Gourry's room key from his pocket and unlocked the door. She steered him inside and toward the bed, standing the newfound magic sword against the nightstand where he preferred it.

He mumbled something under his breath as she pushed him into a sitting position on the bed. She unbuckled his breastplate and set it aside. She hesitated when she looked down at his thigh guards. The belt that secure them had frayed and nearly snapped. She undid those too and tried not to think of what could have happened if he'd lost a key piece of armor.

Then Gourry toppled backward. He started to snore the moment his back hit the mattress.

Lina sighed, hands on her hips. It wasn't a comfortable position by any means, and it also meant she couldn't get to the injuries on his back. She hadn't seen many when she checked in Lavas's basement, but there were enough to be a nuisance. So, she continued on his legs and arms.

She'd gotten those pretty well cleaned up when Gourry stirred and stared sleepily at her. "Sorry," he muttered.

Lina waved it off. "Get properly on the bed and let me see your back."

He did, moving as slowly as an aged man. He reached for his boots, and she took pity on him, helping with those as well. He rolled to his side once he was properly on the bed, and she tended to the injuries in the exposed small of his back. There weren't many there, mostly from when the shockwave sent him back into the piles of treasure.

Moving his hair when needed, she noticed that he hadn't lost any at all to Zord's invisible blades. A true testament to his skill. Even her own luxurious tresses had been sacrificed during the battle.

Lina quietly mourned the lost lock of hair.

Gourry was fully asleep again when she finished, rolling onto his back with a sigh once she stood. He'd sleep through the night and be fine by mid-morning, she decided. And if not, she was dragging his ass to a healer. Maybe two. She had to protect her guardian, after all.

She wasn't sure what came over her. She reached out, hesitated, then ruffled his hair in the same manner he did hers. "You did good," she repeated the words he'd told her. On instinct, she leaned in ... then pulled away sharply.

Before Lina could do anything more ridiculous, she fled the room.