"Good bye and good riddance!!" Lina laughed concietedly as she walked off with a bag of loot. And it wasn't even HER loot, but Naga wouldn't mind now, would she? Especially since she was now fried and unconcious a little way back.
Lina happily observed the contents of the bag as she headed to the city of Saillune, on that dusty shortcut of a road. Naga must have robbed a helluva lot of bandits to actually have gotten this much money!! As soon as she reached the capital, she would pay a little visit to that lovely restuarant opposite the --
"That's quite a bit you've got there," a low, tenor voice suddenly commented from behind her.
Lina looked back, turning to face a young man, not much older than herself. He had startling blue eyes, and gentle wisps of violet that curved around his shapely face. He could actually pass as... well, Lina considered critically, handsome.
"Well, yes it is," Lina shrugged, and turned back to counting the golden pieces. "Just enough to cover for my food expenses this week."
"I see," he commented slowly. "I take it that you robbed a hospitable inn a mile back?"
"It's none of your concern," Lina retorted. Damn that Naga, she thought inwardly. Why doesn't she ever clean up her trails!? Lina made a right turn into the forest, and found that he was still following her.
She stopped short and spun round. "Stop following me, or you really will regret it," she warned. She didn't like to hurt innocent civilians, but this one was actually quite a nuisance.
Lina Inverse did not like nuisances.
"I'm just here to take back what isn't yours, little girl."
Lina began to fume. Not only was this 'civilian' annoying, but rude as well!! 'Little girl,' he called her. Did he not know she was almost fifteen?! She tucked the beige pouch into her cape, before raising her hands in front of her.
"Fireball!!"
She blinked in surprise as he reflexively used a magic shield. "You're not the only one who knows magic here," he smiled slyly.
Lina smiled icily in return. It was so nice to meet worthy opponents in the forest sometimes. "That's true. But I trust," she replied, "that you'll have heard of Lina Inverse?"
The man thought a moment. "No."
Lina sweatdropped. He was unknowledgable too. How could he NOT have heard of the [Dra-matta]?! Was he all looks, and no brains?!
"Well, now you have!!" With that, she threw a series of weak flare arrows at him. She flew off as the smoke dissipated around him.
He could hear her hostile laughing fading away in the distance, and sighed. He turned back to the road, and headed to Saillune. At least he could find a bite to eat there.
Lina was on her tenth serving of food when she finally noticed the familliar person seat herself across the table. She groaned.
"And just what do you want now?!" Lina didn't stop stuffing food down her throat.
Naga the White Serpent glared at her, before swiping the large piece steak from Lina's fork and started chewing on it herself. "I," she said with her mouth still full, "want my ..mnch... money back."
The redhead decided to join the 'glaring contest'. "Another #37 from the menu," she called loudly to a nearby waiter. The waiter sweat dropped, but hey this was his job. At least the running to and fro from her table was helping him develop muscular biceps.
"It took me ages to get all that money (mnch) and you!! You had to come and take it from me!!"
Lina wasn't too happy about the fact that the big-boobed-moron was eating her food, but then... it was rightfully hers.
...
Wait a minute.
"'Your' money?! So... YOU go and raid some inn on the road and take THEIR money and claim it's YOURS?!"
"And then, YOU come and raid ME and claim the money is YOURS?!"
The waiter set down the steaming plate of food, trying hard to be invisible. As he tried to sneak away, Naga grabbed him by the collar. "Hey you!! Look at me when I'm talking to you!! In the EYE, not my chest!!"
He nodded numbly.
"Now." She paused and her voice changed to a sugar-sweet tone. "Tell me, did you hear our conversation just now...?"
"...y-yes..." me and the whole restaurant, he added silently.
"And...? Your verdict? Is the flat chested sorceress guilty? Or am I?"
He looked at both fuming sorceresses, and made an attempt to decide which one would kill him less painfully. Well, the flat one definitely looked smaller... so.... maybe...?
"Well?!" Lina prompted angrily.
"W-well..." he stuttered to the redhead, "... it wasn't really... r-right of you to take her money...."
"FIREBALL!!!"
They both flew out the roof. The waiter learned never to judge a book by its cover again.
Lina dusted her hands in contempt. She grimaced as a shadow fell on her, as someone stood behind her from the next table. "So that's your story, Miss Inverse?"
She recognized the voice. "Yes," she retorted not turning to face him. "And now if you don't stop following me, you will recieve the same treatment."
He sat down opposite her anyway and ordered a coffee. "If you had just told me the truth before, we wouldn't have had to get off to such a bad start."
She pushed away her food. She'd suddenly lost her appetite. "Didn't I ask you to leave?"
"Yes, you did." He wouldn't stop smiling. But he looked kinda nice when the edges of his mouth turned up like that.
"Then...? Didn't you comprehend?"
He leaned forward. "Sure I did. But I kinda like you."
She responded by turning into strawberry-colored version of herself. "W-what?!"
He laughed this time. "Just kidding."
She blushed even harder, and slammed her hand on the table. "Just because I LIKE YOU SO MUCH, I'm not going to kill you today. BUT, if you ever cross my path again when I... I regain my powers..." She broke off there to leave the rest of the sentence up to his imagination.
He paused. "So you're menstruating right now...?"
"Argh!!" She threw the money she owed onto the table and stomped out of the restaurant.
Two days later...
"Stop following me!!" Lina shouted in exasperation. She'd long given up on her I-will-not-hurt-innocent-civilians theory, but her weak and getting weaker fireballs were of no use in making him leave her alone. "Just what do you want anyway?"
He shrugged, smile still plastered on his face. No, he wasn't a stalker, he wasn't usually this persistent, and this time, he didn't even have a reason for following her. "Where's your destination?" he asked.
"I don't have one!!" she snapped over her shoulder. "So get lost!!"
She didn't really expect her last sentence to have effect, especially since she had been shouting quite some unlady-like obscenities the other day. So when Lina looked behind her out of the corner of her eye, he was nowhere to be found. She whirled round, but he really had completely disappeared.
"Thank god," she muttered under her breath. After shouting all this time....
But then... she thought suddenly, just where did he go...?
...
...hmm...
...
...what if something had happened?
...
Lina finally found herself looking for him. She re-traced her steps, looking left and right into dark alley ways. "I'm solely doing this out of curiosity about his whereabouts," she told herself. "I'm simply worried about a civilian. After all, Lina Inverse isn't a tyrant."
"Really?" someone whispered in her ear.
Lina nearly jumped out of her skin. HIM!! What the hell was this guy's problem? He had this weird tendency to jump out on her in the most unlikely moments.
"Only been gone for less than 5 minutes, and you're already worried about me...?" He smiled (yet again.)
"W-worried?! Don't be such an idiot!! I just thought that.... that something might have happened to you, you idiot!!"
"So in other words... you were worried about me?" he prompted.
Lina clenched her teeth at having being caught in her lie. "Don't misunderstand my feelings. I was only worried for your safety and nothing else. This doesn't give you reason to follow me any longer..."
He pushed his hands into his pockets thoughtfully. "Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?"
"WHAT HAVE I BEEN TELLING YOU FOR THE PAST THREE DAYS, YOU MORON?!"
He paused. "Even after I just bought you....these?" From his left pocket, he fished out 2 golden spheres the size of cherry apples. On closer inspection, Lina could see that they were earrings... and that they weren't some cheap, antique junk. She looked at his face again, hesitated, and then slowly decided to take them from his palm. She clipped them on. She glanced into a nearby shop window for her reflection.
It touched her, deeply.
The first gift she had recieved without having to blast someone for it.
"I guess your accepting these can be interpreted as your acceptance of me as well," Zelgadiss laughed lightly.
She hid a smile, and grudgingly shrugged. "First, tell me... Why were you following me?"
"Because I like you." He said it so simply too, as if it were obvious.
"I'm serious this time!!"
"So am I."
Lina couldn't hide her laugh. "Well... since you've given me this... and ... well.. I guess... looking good is another plus..."
"You letting me accompany you because I 'look good' and I 'bribed' you?" he asked.
"I can't think of much else..." she smiled.
They walked together this time. Lina noted it was better than having her in front and him behind her. She could see him without having to stare as hard as she could behind her.
"Do you think we could ever be a pair?" he suddenly asked.
Lina was taken aback by the question. "What kind of question is that?!?!?" she retorted.
"A serious question..."
She really did like that smile of his.
Lina thought a moment. "Well... I AM stronger than you... magic-wise of course..."
Well, that was true. Once he had found that she had actually been holding back when she attacked him a few days ago, it had become apparent that she was perhaps more powerful than he was. "And...?"
"Well, that means I would always be able to win you and beat you up of cours -- "
"No, I meant, if it weren't for that, then it'd all be fine?"
She shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not."
He stopped short and turned to her with a serious expression across his face. "Let's make a deal, Lina Inverse," he said. "If I ever become stronger than you... If I ever win you in a fight... If I ever fulfil what you have just asked of me... then you have to marry me."
"WHAT?!" Lina blushed. "I've only known you for 3 days!!"
"I know."
"I haven't had ONE quiet conversation with you until about 10 minutes ago!!"
"I know that too," he answered calmly.
"We don't even know eachother!! I...I don't even know your name!!" There were so many reasons this deal he was proposing was so crazy, that she was speechless.
"But I have fallen that far. Already."
He continued before she could protest further. "I really will train hard. And I will win you."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Don't!! I take back what I said about my magic being more powerful than yours... Don't waste your time training for something you'll regret later on, you... you fool!!"
"I won't regret it. I swear I won't." He held out his hand. "Is it a deal...?"
She hesitated. She had fallen too. This was crazy. Unreal. A scene like it came out of a fanfic. Lina slowly raised her hand to his and shook it. "D-deal."
He smiled, and breathed in relief. "I'll leave you for just a short while. But when I succeed, I will come to find you."
"I'll wait for you," she said non-comitally.
She watched as he left. Only yesterday, she was shouting at him to leave her alone. But even then, she liked the feeling of someone like him following her... It felt good. Better than having to travel with that god-awful laugh and it's owner, Naga.
He soon became a little dot in the distance. She didn't even know his name, but that didn't matter. He would come to find her. And she would be waiting.
I will wait for you.