It had been three years.
Lina Inverse sighed around a mouthful of food. She never would have thought she would miss Amelia's hyperactivity, Gourry's idiotic behavior, and Zelgadis' single-mindedness. But she had.
The redhead put down her forks, and patted her stomach. She shot the empty plate a look, ignoring the raucous chatter in the inn around her. Filled to the point it was over her head, and she was still hungry. The sorceress signaled to the waitress to bring over more food.
"Hey, girl!" someone warbled, waving a hand at her. "Come an' have a beer!"
Lina looked over, and saw the speaker was a woman in a midnight blue bikini. She shivered, remembering the last time she saw any girl in a bikini. The woman's blonde hair had pulled back in a ponytail at one point. Now, strands had fallen out of the neat tail, giving the woman a messy, but beautiful look. "C'mon!" she yelled.
Lina glared at her before her vision was blocked by another plate of food. "I don't drink," she said shortly, shoving some food into her mouth.
"Ah, don't be a stick in the mud, Red!" she laughed. The blonde came over to the sorceress, and set down her mug. "It's a joyous occasion!"
There was something on her stomach. Lina just made out a midnight blue dragon before the woman sat down next to her. "Thank you," she said coolly, "but I do. Not. Drink."
"Don't say 'no' ta Blue," one drunken thug shouted. "She'll dock ya before ya can say 'Lina Inverse'!"
It was amazing how many people still couldn't recognize her. "I SAID, I don't drink. Now leave me alone."
Blue, if that actually was her name, clapped her on the shoulder. "Ah, he's just messing with ya, Red," she slurred. "The name's the Blue Dragon Sister. Most everyone here jus' calls me Blue. What'cha name?"
"Lina Inverse," she said, shoveling more food into her mouth.
Blue widened her eyes. "L-sama! Ya really Lina Inverse, Bandit Killer and Dragon Spoocr?"
Poor Lina just twitched. "Don't call me abominable..."
"Hey, boys!" Blue yelled, waving her hand. "We got the actual Lina Inverse here! How much to do you charge ta get autographs?" she asked Lina seriously.
Lina blinked, and actually stopped eating. "You're kidding," she said as some of the men waved at her and grumbled out a greeting.
"Nope. And ya see?" Blue said, motioning to the room. "We're a nice bunch here." The Dragon Sister downed the mug she brought, then turned to Lina. "So, what's a big an' powerful sorceress like ya doin' here?"
"Just traveling," she answered, finishing the meal.
"Ah." Blue signaled the bartender to for another beer. "Travelin'. Maybe ya and me should travel together. Safety in numbers, tacha?"
"I'm traveling alone." Lina said, emphasizing alone.
As an answer, Blue pulled out a bag filled with rare coins. "Enough to pay for even ya meals," she said seriously. "Couple a bandits outside a town met up wit' me." Blue winked, and put the coins away. "No one messes wit' the Blue Dragon Sister! An' the name Lina Inverse strikes fear inta the hearts of bandits anyway. Ya and me would be unstoppable, tacha?" The beer came, and she downed it again. "I'll talk'cha later, Lina," Blue said as she stood up. "An' have a beer! Ya should at least have one of their beers!"
Lina watched as Blue tossed a coin to the bartender, and staggered off to her room. Then she sighed. Another under clad, brainless bimbo. Blue could possibly be worse than Naga. At least she didn't do a creepy laugh...
She can't possibly be up at the hour, Lina thought, stunned. No freaking way.
"Hey'a! You're sure slow in the morning," Blue said, waving. There was just barely enough light so that she could see without a candle. "I've already paid for your breakfast, if you want it." The woman sipped her coffee, wincing.
Lina's ruby eyes narrowed. "How long have you been waiting for me?"
"Hours," she said matter-of-factly. "I should have really gotten moving sooner, if I want to get to Sairaag on time..."
Lina sat down at the table Blue was sitting at, and started eating her breakfast. When she was done, she turned to the Dragon Sister. "Hours. And you're going to Sairaag as well."
"Don't sound so surprised!" Blue pulled on her spine sheath, obviously getting ready to leave. "I have business with the White Dragon Sister. And you're going too, or did I read the tone wrong?"
OK, maybe she wasn't a brainless bimbo. "Yeah, I'm going."
Blue nodded. "Thought so. I heard about Gourry and Syphiel's marriage. It would be kinda nice to meet up with those two. I heard a kid's on the way." She wiggled her blonde eyebrows. "Gonna be an aunt, Lina? Aunty Lina... Actually... yeah, that's scary."
"Grr..." Lina growled as she clenched her teeth.
The blonde raised her hands in a peace gesture. "I just mean, you're always traveling, and you're really violent. Aunts... I dunno... just have the air of being there for you, and never judging. You just don't seem the familial type."
Lina relaxed slightly. That was true. "If you want to travel with me to Sairaag, you better hurry," she said reluctantly. "But!"
"But...?"
"Only to Sairaag. Any further, and I won't hesitate to Dragu Slave your ass."
Blue nodded. "Makes sense. Ready to go?"
The redhead's response was to start walking out of the inn. She was hardly a few meters from the inn when Blue's hand clamped down hard on her shoulder. "Wait a min," she said, her emerald eyes scanning the area around her, her katana out for battle.
Lina looked around too, and realized it had the same feel of a bandit ambush. She grinned, ready to blast the idiots.
"Aha!" a loud, rough, male voice cried out. "We've finally caught up with you!"
A small group, Lina assessed. Only about ten people... that I've never seen before.
Blue rolled her eyes. "How many times to I have to kick your asses before you realize I'm telling the truth?! I paid for that wine fully!"
"Yeah, with fake coins! You still have a high tab with us."
"Uh..." Lina turned to Blue. "What is he talking about?"
"I had some wine at this guy's inn," she said, gesturing. "I paid for it with some coins I lifted from a bandit gang. This idiot thinks they're fake."
"'Cause it is!" he insisted heatedly. "Now pay up."
Lina sighed. " I should have known you'd have trouble following you."
"Just as much as what follows the great Lina Inverse," she retorted. "Guys, listen to me. I don't want trouble near my favorite watering hole."
"There's not going to be trouble, 'cause you're gonna pay!"
"Not my problem," Lina said, walking off. "It's yours, Blue. See you at Sairaag."
The man turned to Lina, as if he was seeing her for the first time. "Who the hell are you?"
Blue smiled evilly. "Meet my new traveling companion, Lina Inverse."
The men paled. "You know," the head male stammered, "I think I'll look over the coins again..."
"You do that," Lina said coolly.
The men ran as fast as they could.
The blonde Dragon Sister winked at Lina. "You're alright, kid."
"Hey..."
"Sorry. Lina."
Blue sighed, and scrubbed her face with the cool lake water. "Long day," she grumbled.
"Too long," Lina agreed. "Ugh. I just reek of sweat."
The Dragon Sister shrugged. "Hey, it was worth it. Who knew that that bandit had a rare Orihalcan gem? That's gotta fetch a pretty penny somewhere." She stood up out of the water, reaching for a towel. "But now I know exactly how you fight."
Lina studied the dragon on Blue's stomach. "Interesting tattoo," she commented, relaxing in the cool water.
Blue looked down. "Not exactly a tattoo. It's hard to explain, and I know you won't get it. I've tried explaining it to sorcerers before, and they simply can't understand it. I think it's me, personally, but it's also just too hard to explain."
The sorceress rolled her eyes, and surged out of the water, grabbing the other towel and her pants. She stopped, and studied the lines on her stomach. That was strange. Two weeks ago, she had noticed some black lines on one side of her abdomen. Now they had spread and took on a definite shape. Almost like a...
She shrugged, and pulled on her sleeping shirt. "Hey Lina," Blue started, toweling her hair. "I don't think you should leave your stuff everywhere."
"We're in the middle of nowhere, Blue," she growled, getting her bedroll ready. "What's going to happen to them?"
"Wild beasts?" Blue slipped on her bikini. "I hate to say it, but what you see is what you get. I don't have anything other than this."
Lina grumbled highly acidic words as she gathered up her things. "There," she said once she was done. "Happy?"
"More along the lines of surprised. You're more than a little famous for doing your own thing."
That comment earned Blue a pillow in the mouth. "Shut up."
Blue woke suddenly, ears alert. She had heard something. Slowly, she stood up, unsheathing her katana. Then, she relaxed, and chuckled. "Hey'a Purple."
A tall, if underdeveloped, girl stepped out into the moonlight. Her long black hair framed her pale skin and her light purple bikini. A dragon, also purple, curled around her flat stomach. "Hello, Blue," the Purple Dragon Sister said.
"So, what's one of the messenger Dragon Sisters doing here?" Blue asked, putting away her katana. "What's up with White-sama?"
The girl handed over a slip of paper. "White-sama is adding to your duties. You're now looking for both the Black and Red Dragon Sisters."
The blonde raised an eyebrow as she read the note. "I'm going to Sairaag anyway. Why didn't she wait until then?"
Purple shrugged. "Perhaps she thinks that you'll find the Red Dragon Sister on you're way. Who's that?" she asked, gesturing to Lina's sleeping form.
"Purple, meet Lina Inverse," Blue grinned.
Her velvety brown eyes widened. "Lina Inverse? Cepheed-sama's Knight's younger sister?"
"Whoa..." Blue raised her hands. "Cepheed-sama's Knight is related to Lina?"
"Oh." Purple blushed, and looked away. "I forgot you never met her. The Knight is Luna Inverse, a waitress in Zelphelia. In other words, Lina Inverse's older sister." The black haired girl began to walk away. "Be careful, Blue. I've heard about her and her traveling companions. You don't need that kind of trouble." She stopped. "Really, I'm surprised that Lina didn't end up being the Black Dragon Sister."
Blue waved her hand, yawning. "Sure, sure. Black and Red, right?" No answer. "Sometimes I'm surprised that I even hear you approach..."
"You're looking for WHO?!"
The blonde smirked at the redheaded sorceress' outburst. "There are two Dragon Sister's unaccounted for. One is our other leader Sister, Black. She went insane, and left. Can't find her anywhere. The other is the other warrior Sister, Red, who hasn't been awakened yet."
Lina blinked. "Mind explaining to me how this works?"
Blue shrugged. "Sure. Just one question of mine: Why didn't you tell me your sister is the Knight of Cepheed? I could have explained so much yesterday."
Lina shivered, and looked around. "She isn't here, is she?" she asked in a slightly panicky voice.
That was worth remembering. "No, she isn't. But the Dragon Sisters are sorta a step below the Knight of Cepheed." Blue nibbled on her thumbnail. "The Knight of Cepheed can't be everywhere, so we're sorta her extension. This dragon," she said, gesturing to her blue dragon, "is a sign of what we are. Each Dragon Sister has a different colored dragon."
Lina nodded. "So far, it makes sense."
"There are eight Dragon Sisters. Me and Red are the non-magical warriors. And yes, there are times when you need a non-magical fighter. Um... Green and Yellow are the magical ones. They mostly heal, though. Purple, who was here last night..."
"And I never heard her?" Lina asked in a low and deadly voice.
"Don't worry," Blue sighed. "If she hadn't purposely made noise, I wouldn't have heard her. I wasn't sleep too well last night anyway." She rolled her neck, rubbing one side. "Well, Purple and Orange are the messengers. White and Black are the leaders." She stretched, and stood up. "If you hurry, and get dressed, we can get to the next town before noon."
Lina's stomach grumbled.
"And not a moment too soon..."