No matter where you go
I will find you
In a place with no frontiers
No matter where you go
I will find you
If it takes a thousand years
- I Will Find You by Clannad
Something cold and wet touched Gourry's face, pulling him out of a deep slumber. He grimaced and tried to push it away, but it came again. Groaning, Gourry pulled the thick comforter over his head and burrowed deeper into the warm nest under the covers. It was too early to get up; the room was still shrouded in pre-dawn darkness.
As he tried to go back to sleep, a heavy form laid down around his head. Puzzled, he pulled the covers down far enough to see a large furry shape curled on his pillow. It turned a large head framed by a wide ruff and looked at him with amber-colored eyes. "Mrr?" it said and started purring. Loudly.
"Hello," Gourry said, feeling the purr through the pillow and where the cat was lying around his head. "Where'd you come from?" He reached up and scratched the cat's ears. It made another noise halfway between a purr and a meow and pushed against his hand.
The swordsman laid in the warm bed for several long minutes and alternately scratched the cat's ears and under it's chin. He'd only managed to get to sleep by resolutely telling himself that he needed to enough sleep so he wouldn't fall out of the saddle today. Even though he'd finally managed to bring himself to sleep in the same bed he and Lina had shared, he hadn't been sleeping well. Sighing, he figured he ought to get up, get dressed and get the last of his things together. They'd decided they wanted to get started earlier enough that they would be forced to camp outdoors. Every night was turning colder and colder and none of them enjoyed sleeping on the cold ground.
Sitting up, he realized it was so early that the maid hadn't been in to start the fire. That was one thing he'd grown used to: Having someone come in and lay the fire before they got up. Shivering, he reached for the robe he'd tossed across the foot of the bed and pulled it on quickly. The room was freezing! Before he could swing his long legs over the edge, however, the door opened and the maid stepped in carrying a lantern and an ash bucket. They both startled and gasped in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Master Gabriev!" The maid curtsied as well as she could with her hands full. "I didn't mean to wake you - "
He shook his head and pushed his hair out of his eyes while he threw back the covers and slipped his feet into the slippers waiting on the floor by the bed. "No, you didn't wake me. He did." He gestured over his shoulder at the huge, furry cat that had fallen asleep on his pillow.
The maid peered around him and scowled. She went over to the fireplace and set down both the lantern and the bucket before she went over to the bed to scoop the cat up into her arms.
"How did you get in here, you rotten thing?" she scolded softly, turning him onto his back in his arms. The huge cat didn't struggle; he just seemed to grin in that way that cats do and flexed the toes of his front paws. "You're not supposed to be in here." She grinned as he reached up and touched her chin with his paw.
"Wait," Gourry said as she headed towards the door. "He's all right. Let him stay."
She looked uncertain. "Are you sure? We're supposed to try and keep the cats out of the palace, but occasionally they find their way in. How he got in here, I have no idea."
The swordsman reached out and took the big cat from her. "That doesn't matter. He was keeping me company," he said as he cuddled the cat. "What's his name?" He sat down on the bed and scratched the cat's chin. He purred blissfully at Gourry as he stretched his chin out.
The maid hurried over to the fireplace and picked up her ashbucket and started clearing the ashes out of the fireplace. "He's got lots of names; everyone just calls him what they want. I call him Wes."
Gourry leaned back on the bed and deposited the big cat on the comforter. The feline didn't move except to grab Gourry's hand and pull it back so he'd continue scratching under his chin. Gourry obliged, grinning as he did. "Looks like he likes me," he said.
"It appears he does." She worked in silence for several minutes then stood and picked up her bucket. "The fire is all set; it should be just a few moments and it will nice and warm in here."
The blonde man nodded, eyes closed and head pillowed on his arm. "Thanks." Wes had curled up next to him and had fallen asleep. The maid grinned and hurried out.
This wasn't getting him any closer to getting ready to leave. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought that he might be trying to put it off. They were leaving on a journey to go get Lina back, something he wanted more than anything in the world. It was just...There was something he had to do before he left that he wasn't looking forward to. Something he'd been putting off for three days.
Dragging himself upwards, Gourry gathered up his clothes and went to stand in front of the fireplace to get dressed. That done, he went off to shave and do his morning routine. The big cat on the bed didn't move.
Finished with that, he pulled on his boots, strapped on his armor, and stowed the few things he wanted to take with him into his pack. Everything else they would need had been packed and taken down to the stables yesterday afternoon. All that was left were every day items like his shaving kit, a few other personal items and that was it.
Slinging the pack over his shoulder, he knew there was one last thing he needed. Reluctantly, he headed through the apartment, put the pack on the table where he wouldn't forget it, then headed down to the armory.
The practice yards were alive with activity even this early in the morning. The garrison guards were out doing their morning exercises under the light of seemingly hundreds of torches, all lit and blazing. The air was full of the smell of burning pitch, the dry scent of frost and impending snow, and the sound of men yelling, and steel ringing on steel. As Gourry passed through the yards on his way to the armory he was reminded of the brief time he'd spent in a merc company doing exactly this. He'd needed the money and had signed a year contract. He'd left when the contract was up - that was just before he met Lina.
He pulled aside one of the guards and asked directions to the armory. The man pointed the way and Gourry thanked him then went over to the large double-doors that led into the place where the garrison's extra arms and heavy defensive weapons were kept. He peered inside. There seemed to be no one about. "Hello?" he called.
"I'm the one you're looking for," came a voice from behind him.
Gourry winced; he recognized that voice.
"Archand," he said by way of greeting.
The Swordmaster arched an eyebrow. "Gabriev." He leaned against the wall and fixed the younger man with a steely stare. "Haven't seen you the past couple mornings."
"I've been doing other things," Gourry said evasively. He cleared his throat nervously and turned to face the Swordmaster. "I need a sword."
"Thought you had one," Archand said.
"I, well..." Gourry hesitated over the answer. "I lost it."
"What kind of self-respecting swordsman loses his sword?" Archand demanded. "Certainly not one that deserves to carry a sword and call it his."
Anger suddenly flared inside the easy-going swordsman. He didn't deserve to be treated like this; he'd just had his whole world turned upside down! "I don't have to explain anything to you! Just give me a sword, or I'll go get the Princess to order you to do it!" He and Archand locked stares and faced each other down. Gourry found himself breathing hard as he glared at the older man.
For a moment, he was afraid he was going to have to go through with his threat. However, Archand finally pushed against the wall and walked past Gourry into the armory. "I heard about what happened, Gabriev. I found your sword out in the practice yard the morning after the Mazoku appeared at the Princess' reception," he said as he pulled a sword from the rack. Holding it, he looked down at it without turning to face the younger man. Gourry looked at his back and felt his anger slipping away.
"Why didn't you send it to me, then?"
Now, Archand turned. He held out the sword: It was a long sword with a golden hilt and crosspiece with a star engraved in the middle of it. Gourry recognized it as his sword. "I was hoping you'd come get it yourself."
Gourry stepped forward and took it from the Swordmaster. Shame gripped him and he found he couldn't meet the other man's eyes as he drew the and inspected the blade. It was covered with dust and had several nicks in it from having been used to destroy the mannequins in the yard. Gourry winced. They really needed to be ground out with a wheel but they didn't have time now. It was going to take him forever to work them out with a whetstone.
He sheathed the sword and attached it to his swordbelt, making sure the peace straps were in place. "Thanks," he said to Archand as he turned to go. He was certain Archand had been angry earlier because of the way he'd abused his blade, but when the other man laid a hand on his arm, he drew up in surprise.
"Gourry," Archand said quietly. Gourry looked down into the other man's brown eyes. They were sad and resigned. "I'm sorry about what happened. Vymes tells me this Mazoku is the one that set the mercenaries on you and your wife and now he's got her in his clutches. But, no matter what happens, you have to remember not to fight in anger. You will never win that way."
"I know it only makes a Mazoku stronger - " Gourry started to say but Archand cut him off.
"No. I mean here." Archand slapped Gourry's chest; the sound of the flat of his hand hitting the steel rang loud through the armory. "Anger dulls your reflexes, affects your judgement. Never go into a fight angry; you'll only lose." The shorter man took a step back and looked up into Gourry's face. "And I want to see you back here, with your wife. You're too good a swordsman to lose a fight because you couldn't control your emotions. Now, go get your wife back from that bastich," he added, holding out his hand.
Gourry grinned wanly and gripped the other man's arm. "Thanks, Archand. And thanks for taking care of my sword."
Archand waved him away. "Feh. You can be sure the next time you leave a sword lying around in that condition you'll have to answer to me!"
Gourry sketched a half-salute and left the yard. Time to find some breakfast.
"Is that all you're eating, Gourry-san?" Amelia asked as the man pushed his plate back with food still on it. It was only his first serving, too.
"I'm not hungry."
"That's a first," Zelgadis said. Even he'd eaten more than Gourry that morning. "You not hungry? Sure you're not sickening or something?" he asked with a smile.
"Just not hungry," Gourry said, picking up his coffee cup and swirling the dark liquid around before he drained it. "I'm ready," he said, putting the cup down and pushing his chair back.
Amelia jumped up while Zelgadis finished his own coffee. "Let's go then!" she shouted as she ran for the door to the apartment, eager to be off. She grabbed up the heavy cloak that hung on the hatstand and slung it on over her traveling clothes. Zelgadis threw his own cloak around his shoulders and together they waited for Gourry.
He picked up his pack, grabbed up his cloak, and strode purposely past the cluttered worktable without looking at it. However, something caught his attention and he stopped and looked down. The maroon colored silk scarf that Lina had used to tie back her hair was lying on top of a pile of books, dropped there and forgotten. On impulse, he picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket before turning away. "Let's go," he said to his companions, holding out his hand.
As one, both Zel and Amelia reached out to take it. Amelia put her hand in Gourry's and Zel's closed over top of it. "For Lina," they said.
"For Lina," Gourry repeated with a nod.
It was cold in the stableyard. The horses stamped and steamed in the pearly gray light of dawn. The stable hands were just finishing up loading them as Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis entered the courtyard. Gourry handed his pack to one of the stablehands who took it and secured it to the packhorse that would be carrying their supplies. Another stablehand came up to him and handed him the reins to a large roan gelding. He took them with a nod of thanks, patted the big horse's neck and looked around for the others.
Amelia was already mounted on her little dappled gray mare and Zelgadis was about to swing into the saddle on his black gelding. Turning back to his horse, Gourry lifted his foot to place it in the stirrup when the world skewed out from under him. He missed the stirrup and his foot dropped to the ground with enough force to jar his spine. Desperately, he clung to the saddle to keep himself upright but his horse had other plans. Shying away from the sudden weight it was forced to support on one side, the horse dragged him off his feet. He let go of the leather and sat down hard on the cobblestones. But the pain was forgotten as he felt a familiar presence within his heart. Joy filled him as he realized what was happening.
"Gourry!" someone called. He felt hands on him, shaking him. Desperately, he shoved them away; the link was weak enough already!
Lina! he shouted; it may have been aloud, too, he wasn't sure. Where are you?
He wasn't sure what he was expecting but the image that came to him definitely was not it. A huge, overwhelming feeling of darkness that went on forever and ever without end filled his vision and he cried out in terror. How could this impossible place exist?
Her voice sounded in his head: Other place. Gourry could sense that she was trying her best to explain but either couldn't or he just wasn't capable of understanding.
Swallowing his terror and confusion, he declared resolutely, I'll find you. Somehow. He paused and felt the link weaken. It wouldn't last long now. Quickly, he sent I love you, Lina.
Then, it slipped away. But just before it broke, he felt a faint acknowledgement of his love. And a final, bright flash in the darkness: I love you.
"Gourry! Wake up!"
He came back to himself as if from a long way away to find himself sitting on the cold cobbles of the stableyard and gripping Zelgadis' tunic tightly. Zel in turn was supporting Gourry with a death grip on the other man's arm. Amelia was crouched on his other side looking worried. "I..." Closing his eyes, he shook his head to try and stop the world from spinning.
"What happened? You just...collapsed. Then you screamed."
He looked up at them both, a smile playing across his lips. "Lina. It was Lina." His voice was full of joy. "And she...she knew me."
"Lina-san!" Amelia cried. "Did she tell you were she was?"
Gourry shook his head. "She tried, but I...I didn't understand what she was trying to tell me. It's dark, darkness that goes on forever."
"That's all?" Zel asked.
"She did say something else..." Gourry's forehead creased as he tried to make sense of it. "Other place."
"Other place? What do you mean?"
The blonde-haired man shook his head. "I don't know. It's all I could get. That and the darkness."
"Other place," Zelgadis mused. "It could mean another dimension. Subspace. Not much to go on, but at least it's a start. I wish we had more to work with, though." Zelgadis stood and helped Gourry get to his feet. "What about you? Are you going to be okay?"
Gourry put a hand to his head and nodded. "Yeah, it just caught me off-guard, is all." He walked over to his horse, took the reins from the frightened stablehand, and swung into the saddle.
Amelia and Zel hurried to their own mounts, and Zelgadis was handed the reins to the packhorse. Together, they turned their horse's heads towards the gates and rode out into the city. As he rode, Gourry rubbed the ring on his finger. "Don't worry, Lina. No matter where you've gone, I'll find you." His voice was determined. "Even if it takes a thousand years."