Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Memories ❯ Entering the tunnel ( Chapter 3 )

LOST MEMORIES          by lu-chan

This story is set six months after Slayers Try.

Attention: The Slayers series to which this fanfiction is inspired not belongs to me…so don't sue me!

Chapter 3 : Entering the tunnel

A weak light filtered from the window, leaving the bedroom in half-light. A beam illuminating a lock of red hair, making it shining like flames. The body on the bed was covered by bandages and an intense smell of medicines permeated the rarefied air. On the bedside table a tray with food that had not been touched.

Six days from the tragic battle against Xellos, days of uninterrupted sleep for Lina, days of watch for Gourry, that scrambled up on a chair finally seemed to have yielded to the sleep some minute. Some blond locks fell over the bed embellishing the rich embroiderys of the sheets. He seated unseemly with crossed arms and the sword hung to the chair, his tunic in a mess and a thin beard layer on the face.

Also during the sleep his mind didn't stop remembing one after another the events of that cursed day, beginning from that strange sense of emptyness in the stomach (for the first time not because of the hunger) that already from the awakening had begun to torment him, nearly like a pre-feeling of the danger that would be followed.

A movement awoke him and in a flash he was in feet, sword to the hand and in guard position, scanning the room. Nothing. He was watching around asking if he had been mistaken, then his attention was attracted from a pair of eyes that were looking him from the bed. The sword fell from the hands emitting a metallic sound on the floor.

The eyes that a lot he had prayed to see, tired and extinguished, but opened.

 -"Are you well? you do not know how much fear I have had... "  he said in a frantic way approaching the shaking hands to her short hair. Yes, short. They arrived in a mess to the shoulders. The coagulated blood , hers and the monster's, they didn't succeed to remove it and the healers had suggested to cut them, with great pain of Amelia that already had imagined the sorrow of her friend when she would have seen.

She observed him opening a little the eyes, then watching around (for the little that she could observe since she could scarcely raise the head from the pillow) and she watched him once again. He took the hand that was not hurt and tightened sweetly in his much larger ones, calling her, softly now, withholding himself to scream his joy to everyone in the world.

Moving the lips she tried to speak but didn't emit sounds, just like six days before. Then she tried again, watching him intensely, the voice exited choked from the throat.

 -"Who are you?"

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Fast steps were echoing through the corridors of the palace. The princess had heared Gourry's scream and was running to Lina's room (where the swordsman lived from a week). Turning a corner she went to crash badly against a wall falling back and keeping her head for the pain of a probable bump.

 -"AHIAHIAHIAHIAHI...... but who is the fool that put a wall behind a corner? AHIAHI... "

It was then that the "wall" spoke, with an annoyed tone...

-"Maybe you should watch well before running... and for your information I'm not a wall.."

Amelia watched surprised Zelgadis, keeping still the head with the tears in her eyes. Understanding having offended him  she raised suddenly removing the dust from her dress emitting a forced laugh, blushing like a capsicum...

 -"Hello Zel how are you? ahahahahah... AH! I forgot Gourry!" and she continued to run... Zelgadis remained confused for a moment then followed her both curious and alarmed ....in direction of Lina's room.

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Entering Amelia would have expected to find everything: a monster, a frantic Gourry waked up from a nightmare (it already was happened some days before), even a super-angry Lina screaming for the hunger.

Instead she found a petrified Gourry in feet like if he were in presence of a ghost. Then she saw her friend and she would be run  happily to her if it had not been for the lost and confused look with which Lina was watching the swordsman, then  watching her and Zel in the same way, like if it was the first time.

The princess approached slowly trying to seem most reassuring possible, evidently her friend still was upset.

-"We are happy that you are wide awake, we were so worried... now everything will go for the best. How are you?"

Lina moved the eyes from Gourry to her, scanning the princess some moment then asking the same devastating question:

 -"Who are you?"

Zelgadis, remained up to now close to the door to observe, by now approached the bed, exceeding Gourry stoned like a statue (said from Zel then........sorry for the sarcasm) askin her:

-"You know who you are? what your name is?"

She lowered the head, the short hair to cover her face, then she made signal not with the head, slowly.

To that Amelia carried the hands to the mouth in order to cover a moan of sorrow, Zelgadis asked again:

 -"Who are we, you remember us? remember something?"

Still negative signal, head lowered.

Without warning Gourry was waked up from the shock and thrown himself against her, taking her hands in his tightening with strenght, the shaking voice:

-"Look at me Lina, LOOK AT ME! you cannot not remember, YOU CANNOT, I KNOW!"

A very scared Lina was flinging to get rid from the grip, then the chimera removed from her the swordsman, trying to calm him.

 -"Stay calm Gourry. Probably it's a consequence of the trauma. It will be temporary... " but Zel himself didn't seem really sure.....

 -"NoNoNoNoNo.....no you can't have forgotten... NO YOU CAN'T! you have called my name that day, I heard it!"

Amelia called two servants to help Zel carrying Gourry away, since his chimeric force wasn't enough to withhold him.

Before exiting from the room he saw Lina fixing him, still with that lost look in her eyes.