Gourry did not quite cower behind some crates at the back of the cargo hold of the ship. Cowering implied that he was afraid of that over-muscled, braggart of an idiot, Volun. Gourry knew that he wasn't much of a mental genius himself, but that Volun took the cake on denseness. So far, this had been the only place that Volun hadn't been able to find him. Everywhere else he went, within seconds that idiot was there trying to be nice to "Miss La-La".
Gourry blew his hair out of his eyes and tried to consider what to do. He'd already told the over-muscled jerk that "Miss La-La" was himself, a boy, and the idiot didn't seem to care. He'd hidden from him, run from him, rebuffed all of the unwanted attention, sent back the notes unopened, sent back the flowers, and even thrown him into the walls a few times when he got a little too touchy.
He had eaten the box of chocolates, though. Food was food after all, and sweets were even better. He'd even shared the box with Lina and Amelia. But nothing he did seemed to do a thing to deter the idiot from pursuing him. Gourry was rapidly reaching the point where he would happily strangle the guy out of sheer frustation. The guy just wouldn't leave him alone! The constant attention was even worse than those two maniacs chasing them. Zangalas, at least, had skill and a reason he could understand. He was sort of looking forward to fighting with him again himself, just to see who was better.
Gourry wondered if it would help asking Lina for help. He snorted remembering how Lina and Amelia had teased him about Volun's attentions and that damned proposal. Nope, asking for help from those two wouldn't do much. They were still yukking it up at his expense. He shouldn't have shared the chocolates with them, ungrateful wretches that they were.
For the hundredth time after they had set foot in Sandoria, Gourry cursed Lina her triple-damned "brilliant" plan. It was true that the disguises had worked and nobody had recognized them, but he would rather have fought the countless numbers of would-be heroes than have endured even a minute of Volun's attentions. The first time Lina and Amelia had pointed out that Volun had a crush on him, he had freaked. Then when the gods damned, braggart of a fool had actually proposed to him, a part of his mind had gone stark, raving, mad. Run gibbering into the night, well day.
Gourry let out a tired groan and settled himself against the crates. He was tired. He hadn't been able to get a decent night's sleep in ages. First it had been bounty hunters and heroes, and then the constant chasing by those two lunatics, Vrumu-whatsit and Zangalas, and now the constant pursuit by Volun. It was almost enough to make a grown man cry. Yawning, he leaned his head against the crates and closed his eyes. Just for a second, he was so tired. Before he knew it, Gourry was fast asleep, snoring softly.
I wonder where my beautiful angel's gone off to. Probably hiding somwhere. I seem to have that effect on my angel. Then again, considering that my angel is also a young man, I'm not that surprised. At first, when I found that 'Miss La-La' was the disguise for a man, I'd persisted because the dream of 'Miss La-La' was just too beautiful to give up. Then I'd noticed that even as a man, my angel was exceptionally beautiful.
Now I admit that I tend to embellish the truth a bit. Okay, so I outright lie sometimes, but in this I tell the absolute truth. My angel is beautiful. I didn't start to think of him as that until after I found out that he was a he.
He is a golden angel. Rich, silky, gold-colored hair, that reached past his waist. Eyes the color of a perfect summer sky. Skin tanned a light golden color. A sculptured, delicate face. One that had been beautiful as a woman, and was even more exquisite as a man. The toned body of a warrior. My angel. Just the thought of him was enough to put me in an instant state of arousal.
He couldn't stand the sight of me. That's okay, I know it's just because he hasn't really gotten to know me. When I thought he was a woman, I had courted him as I thought that every woman dreamed of. With pretty, frilly things. Roses, dresses, candies, soft words, passion under restraint. Now that I know he's a man, I realize that my tactics probably scared him silly. But I also know what tactics would work, if I could ever find him to make them happen. I wasn't worried. After all, the great Volun always got his man.
Now, where could my angel have run off to? You'd think that since we were on a ship, there wouldn't be many places to hide. But my angel has proved me wrong. He has found the most interesting places to hide. The crow's nest. The galley's pantry, stuffing his face in that incredibly cute way of his.
He even managed to hide behind those tiny girls that he's been traveling with. He certainly seems close to that violent red-haired one. I wonder if anything's going on there. Nah. Probably just my imagination. Just because I find my angel irresistible, doesn't mean that everyone else does.
My eyes scan the cargo hold. It's a perfect place to hide, with lots of crates and cargo to hide behind. It all seems in order. My angel's not patient enough to just wait for me to leave. My patience, however, is finely honed after years of hunting. Truth was, I was much more comfortable in the forests, hunting game than in hunting people. I'd only joined the rest of the bounty hunters for the adventure of it. I loved adventure. Either living it, hearing it, or repeating it.
A soft sound catches my attention. It comes from the back of the hold. I hold my breath as I quietly make my way to the large crates stacked there. The sound comes again, and I recognize it as a snore. I feel a grin stretch my face at my luck as I lean over the crates. I've found him. My angel. Asleep. Lovely.
He's got his head leaning against the crate in back of him, baring the elegant line of his throat to my eyes. My angel has got beautiful, long lashes that are casting shadows along the curve of his cheek. The slight line of drool trailing from his open mouth does nothing to detract from the perfection of his face. His lean, finely honed body is completely relaxed. He has the build of a dancer, rather than a warrior. Not too bulky, perfectly proportioned, beautifully defined.
My hand reaches, out of its own accord, to trace a finger along his cheek. His skin is as soft as a woman's. Surprisingly, he turns his face to nuzzle into my hand. Still soundly asleep, his tongue flicks out to moisten his lips, and I feel my stomach tighten. My gaze becomes centered on his full, rosy lips. Oh...my.
I frown. He can't possibly be comfortable against those crates. Slowly, so as not to wake him, I lift him gently into my arms, an arm underneath his knees and shoulders. There's a moment of panic as his brow furrows, but with a sigh, he subsides. My heart almost bursts when he nuzzles his face against my neck. I can feel his breath with every exhalation he makes. I almost drop my precious burden as the blood rushes to my head.
Settling my arms more firmly around him, I walk out the hold, up the stairs, and onto the deck. I ignore the catcalls of the sailors. I equally ignore the stunned stares of the two females that my angel is travelling with. The violent red-haired narrows her eyes and practically stomps over, the dark-haired one pulling on her arm and whispering furiously in her ear.
I glance at the peacefully sleeping face of my angel and am loathe to wake him from his sleep with the loud discussion the red-haired girl would surely involve me in. Stepping up my pace, I practically run the rest of the way to my angel's cabin and close the door with my heel. Laying my angel on his bed, I turn around as I hear a sound at the door.
The red-haired girl's standing there, her arms akimbo, and her mouth open, looking like she was about bring the wrath of the heavens down on me. I quickly cross to the door and push her out with me, closing the door gently behind me. Holding a finger across my lips, I motion for silence.
"Now. Miss 'Li-Li'. What can I do for you?"
She practically hisses, "What did you do to him? Is he all right? You better tell me the truth, 'cause I can smell a lie from a mile away!"
Blinking in confusion, I answer the girl. "He is sleeping. I found him in the cargo hold, sound asleep. It didn't seem he had picked a very comfortable spot, so I brought m - him to his room. Is there something wrong?"
The girl's eyebrows beetle in suspicion. "You didn't do anything to him, did you? If you did..." The girl pulls back her hand, obviously ready to throw something at me. Now, I may not notice much, but even I could see that she was a sorceress, and having an irate sorceress throw something, whatever it was, at me would not be pleasant, to say the least.
"No, no. I found him in the cargo hold already asleep. I would never do anything to harm my sweet angel."
Suddenly, the girl's eyes were twinkling with mirth, her lips quivering to hold in laughter. "A-angel? You see Gourry as a 'sweet angel'?"
Blushing, I nod. The girl dissolves into giggles.
"I can't believe it! Gourry! HA! An angel! HA! HA! And a 'sweet' one, at that! HA! HA! HA!"
I can feel my anger start to rise, how could this... this... this little girl laugh at my sweet angel?! My angel is perfect! Alright, so he may have a few bad habits, but they just made him that much more lovable. And, okay, so he wasn't all that sharp in the intellect department, but then again, who was? Certainly not I!
The girl finally gets control of herself, though her eyes are still dancing.
"Okay, so maybe you won't hurt him. But I still want to know what your intentions are."
I cock my head in inquiry, "Why? Do you have a claim on my angel's affections?" It didn't look like the loud-mouthed little red-head and my angel had anything between them, but I could be wrong.
The girl looks surprised, and quickly raises a hand to wave in front of her face in denial, "No no no! It's nothing like that. But he is my friend, and I know he's not interested in you."
"Me in particular, or men in general?"
The girl thinks for a bit, "Um... I'm not sure. Probably both." Suddenly, the girl gets a very intense expression on her piquant face. She leans in close to jab a finger at my chest.
"I do know one thing. If you do anything, anything to hurt him, in whatever way, I promise that I will hunt you down and make you suffer in the lowest pits of Shabranigdo's Hell."
Even though the girl is half my size, if that, I can feel the menace and power radiating from her. I know that she will honor the promise that she's just made. It's a good thing that I have no intentions of hurting my sweet angel. Before I can open my mouth to reassure her that I mean my angel no harm, the girl steps back and crosses her arms, a thoughtful look on her face.
"In fact..." She begins, and I get nervous. A grin of unholy glee is creeping onto her face. I feel my body break out in a cold sweat. Uh-oh.
The girl makes a negligent pass in the air with her hands, and I find myself unable to move, or utter a sound. Oh no. What was she planning?
"In fact..." she begins again, "I think I'm going to make sure that you can't do anything to hurt him." With that, she rubs her hands together and starts mumbling to herself.
"Now let's see... The Dragon Slave, maybe? No no, can't start thinking like Amelia, using the DragonSlave for every little thing. Besides, I don't want to sink this ship. We still need to get to Sandoria. FireBall? No, same reason, and I don't really want to inflict permanent damage. Hmm..." She uses a finger to tap on her chin for a moment, deep in thought, and then snaps her fingers. "I got it!"
She cocks her right hand as if to shoot something from her finger. I can see the tip of her finger start to glow with an intense blue light. Very afraid by this point, I try to move, to run away from this crazy red-headed girl, but it's no use. My muscles won't obey a single command that my mind is telling it. Oh shit. Oh no. Oh no oh no ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohn -
Sparks are flying from her finger, and she points it straight at my groin. Oh no. Pleasepleasepleasegodsdon'tletherdowhatIthinkshe'sgoingtodopleasepleasepleas egodsIpromisetobegoodIsweartomakeofferingstoeveryoneofyourshrinesifyoujustpl easestopherfromdoingwhatIthinkshe'llbedoing. Pleasegodsple -
With a wink, the girl releases the spell, and I watch in horror as a bolt of something flies unerringly at my groin. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
The first thing I feel is an intense cold, followed by a burning heat which seems to go on for ages. Finally, the heat subsides to a numbing chill, until I can't feel anything at all.
Waitaminnit. I don't feel anything at all! My hands immediately go to my groin to make sure that everything's still attached. When my fingers find the usual equipment, I let out a sigh of relief. Oh good, everything was still there. The relief is short-lived, however, as I notice that I can feel nothing from that area. Everything's there, but sensation-wise, it's as if nothing is there! Slowly, I sink to the ground as my legs give out on me. I whimper.
Hearing a chuckle, I look up at the cruel, twisted, sadistic, evil girl who did this to me. She looks inordinately pleased. "That spell wasn't as hard as I expected."
"What - " I manage to whisper, "What did you do to me?"
Waving her hand in an off-hand manner, she says in a bored tone, "I laid a limited paralysis spell on your equipment. This way I know you won't do anything weird to Gourry."
Whistling jauntily, she turns to walk back to the deck. I'm staring at the her back in shock, when she turns back and gives me a self-satisfied smirk, "Don't worry, it should wear off by the time we dock. Ja ne!" Clasping her fingers behind her head, she laughs in a maniacal fashion and walks away. I want to cry. I whimper again.
After a long while, I slowly get off the floor and enter my angel's room again. Oh well, it would wear off in a day or two, and this way I could gaze at my angel without any discomfort.
My angel is still fast asleep. He has curled on to his side, one hand cushioning his cheek, the other held between his thighs, as if he was cold. I kneel next to the bed and cover my angel with a blanket. There.
After I've tucked my angel under the blanket, I look up, and find myself staring at my angel's exquisite face. A shaft of sunlight travels slowly across his features, his smooth chin, his rosy, partly-parted lips, his slightly upturned nose, the curve of his cheek, and finally travelling through his hair, causing his hair to glow golden. Ah, beautiful.
Leaning forward, I gently turn his face so that I can brush my lips across his cheek. Of its own accord, my eyes flutter shut, and my lips press against his. His mouth is soft, pliant beneath mind. With a slight sigh, his mouth opens, and my tongue flickers to taste the inside of his mouth. Using slow, steady strokes of my tongue, I explore the inside of his mouth. I almost jump when I feel his tongue move against my own.
For endless moments, I kiss my angel with gentle passion, memorizing the taste of him. When I pull away, my angel makes a discontented sound before settling down again. With a sigh of regret, and a silent curse at the evil creature masquerading as a girl, I rise as I trace my finger lightly across the curve of his cheek, and across the velvet of his lips. Leaning down, I kiss my angel's forhead and walk to the door. Taking a last, lingering look at the peacefully slumbering form of my angel, I gently close the door behind me and head to my room. I think I'll get myself rip-roaring drunk and stay that way until we dock. It sounded like a good plan to me.
Gourry woke the next morning and sat up stretching languorously. His fingers wandered to his lips. He'd had the most pleasurable dream. First, there had been the incredible feeling of safety and comfort. He hadn't felt so protected since his father had held him when he was a child. Then had come the dream kiss, so sweet, so gentle, and so very very nice.
With a sigh, Gourry flopped onto his back and grinned. If only he could experience a kiss like that outside of dreams. Was there anyone he could imagine himself kissing like that? He ran the people he knew through his mind in quick succession, even though he'd forgotten the names of most of them. Amelia? Gourry snickered at the unlikeliness of it. Lina? Gourry had to swallow outright laughter at that.
Unexpectedly, vivid green eyes popped into his head. He frowned and sat up in confusion. Who in the world that he knew had green eyes? With a shrug, Gourry threw off his blanket and stood.
All through the morning, the vision of warm, bright emerald-green eyes haunted him. That afternoon, they docked at Sandoria. Gourry was thinking on how unusual it was that he hadn't had to hide from Volun that entire morning. In fact, he hadn't seen that idiot anywhere since he'd woken up. Feeling surprisingly irritated and disappointed, Gourry was leaning against the railing and talking with Lina when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Eyes narrowed in irritation, he turned around and was caught in the gaze of the bright emerald-green eyes from his dream. Gourry had time to gasp once before his lips were taken in the most wonderfully gentle, and yet incredibly thorough, kiss. After a few moments of hesitation, Gourry's mind shut down, his eyes fluttered shut, and he relaxed along the tall body that was embracing him, mouth opening voluntarily to let their tongues dance with each other.
The gentle kiss ended as suddenly as it'd begun, and Gourry stumbled from the sudden lack of contact. He stared at the back of the retreating man... Man?! His first kiss had been with a man?! Gourry turned eyes wide in shock, and filled with confusion to his travelling companion and found her gaping at him, an unusual expression on her face.
Running a hand through his hair in agitation, Gourry asked Lina, "What was that?"
"Um, it looked like a kiss."
Gourry scowled at Lina, "I know that! But... but why?"
Lina shrugged, and they both turned to watch Volun walk off the ship and onto the dock. When Volun reached the dock, he turned around and gave Gourry a wide grin and wink, causing Gourry splutter and blush a bright red that matched Lina's hair.
I can feel my grin stretch wider as I see my angel blush a charming red. Even from this distance, I can see the still slightly vague look in his eyes, and the bruised lips that were a testament of being thoroughly kissed. I may not have been able to win the heart of my angel on this short journey, but I would not have missed it for all the world. Who knows, perhaps in the future we would meet again. And next time, I vowed, I would not let him get away so easily. I just hoped that he'd leave that dangerously unstable girl behind somewhere.
With a sigh, I turn around and walk towards the edge of town. It was time to go back to the peace of the forests. I'd had enough adventure to last me for a while. I'd met an angel. Fought a sea dragon, and kissed my angel, not once, but twice. Life was good.