Oh, yeah

[yukinoomoni]

Chapter Six of "There's No Hell Like Home" is up!

Not bad for someone without an outline, huh?



Chapter Six

"Uhh," Gourry scratched his cheek, making a face. "I'm not exactly sure what we're looking at."

Lina waved her arms in happiness. "This, my dear Gourry-chan, is where it all began!"

Gourry looked at her skeptically. "I think you're making fun of me," he said flatly.

If you think about it, it's really not that difficult to assume this. Gourry and Lina stood in front of what looked like a medium-sized crater, littered with woebegone plants, cracks in the dirt, and the occasional shallow puddle of sludge. Even the sky seemed dark over it. It was a miserable, ugly place. and Gourry just couldn't figure out why Lina was so excited about it.

Lina puffed out her cheeks. Gourry reached up and poked the air out, earning him a kick in the shin.

"I'm not making fun of you!" Lina cried, waving her arms again. "This is the best part of the whole tour!"

Gourry rubbed his shin sulkily. "I liked the rest of the place better," he answered.

Lina lunged forward and grabbed him, holding him in a headlock and dragging him to the edge of the crater. "Gourry, LOOK. This was a LAKE."

Gourry winced, but obeyed. He stared closer, and recognised that what she was saying was true. What he didn't get, however, was why it was so important.

Lina grinned, her eyes shining. "Gourry, this is the birth place of the Giga Slave," she breathed out happily.

Gourry felt a chill, and he shivered. He hated those words, always would, and being in the very site where the words were invented...it make him unhappy.

"No wonder the sky looks dark," he answered, his yes dark.

Lina peered at him closely, picking up on his tone. "Gourry. what's wrong? I thought you would like to see this."

Gourry slipped out of her grasp. "I guess. I mean, okay, I'm glad you learned it and stuff, and I'm glad we've been able to depend on it in the worst of times, but..." he shivered, rubbing his arms. "Lina, I really hate that spell."

Lina stared at him, surprised. He had never, ever displayed such an open revulsion for something before, unless it was coffee.

"Gourry, I was TWELVE YEARS OLD when I created that spell," she went on, unable to comprehend what he had just said. "It's a huge deal!"

Gourry nodded slowly. "I know, and I think you're really smart for being able to do it, but I still hate that spell. Sorry."

Lina then saw it: a dark, wavering light in his eyes. She closed the gap between them and held his face in her hands, forcing him to look down at her. "I'm sorry," she said softly, meaning it. "It's over now, okay? The spell is sealed, and I'll never use it again. We have no reason to." She smiled.

Gourry nodded slowly, but he wondered. He knew that, more than likely, Xellos was gone and he wouldn't come back, especially after the way Lina had blown up at him. But he felt another chill, deep down inside, and he wondered...he would always wonder.

"Hey, you," Lina called him back, kissing his nose gently. "Come baaaack."

Gourry blinked at her, and she smiled at him, teasing. "How could that have been boring?" she wondered.

Gourry looped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He kissed her on the lips, hard, passionately, wanting the present to erase the horrible past. She kissed him back, purring deep in her throat, and he loved that, loved her, and never wanted it to end.

After a long moment, Lina pulled away, threading her fingers with his braid. "Wanna grab a bite?" she wondered, smiling, her cheeks pink.

He nodded, and she pulled him away, already chattering about the many great places in the area. Gourry looked over his shoulder as she dragged him away, taking one last look at the place behind him, before turning away and listening to the love of his life brag about food.

X X X

After their meal, Lina decided to check in on her parents. Gourry insisted on going with her, but she said to him, flatly, "Fine, but stay out of the way. My parents get mental around their forge."

Gourry wasn't sure what she meant, but decided not to find out firsthand, and let her lead. When she peered around the corner, he stayed behind. He felt the heat already, just from a few feet away from the doorway. He couldn't imagine how hot it was.

And then suddenly he had a panicked thought, and he grabbed Lina's arm and pulled her back. When she turned, his eyes were so full of worry that she bit back her snap of protest.

"Are you sure you're okay with going in there?" he wondered softly. "I mean...after..." he bit his lip, his eyes wavering.

Lina stood, speechless. She had never seem him like this before, so open and worried. Well, she had, but not in broad daylight and not in the middle of a battle.

Then it clicked for her. "You mean after my dealing with the backfired Fire Fury?" she finished for him. When he nodded, she shook her head. "No, Gourry. While I wasn't allowed in there, I grew up around talk of it. It'll be okay."

Gourry nodded slowly, but the way he looked at her reminded her of a little kid trying to accept something he doesn't like. It was kinda cute, and she reached up and patted his cheek lightly before pulling his hand away from her arm. He watched her go, but didn't protest again.

It wasn't unfounded, she thought, swallowing hard as she felt the heat hit her face. She did feel a little shaky, walking forward into the heat of the force. But when she heard the sound of metal hitting metal, and felt the faint hum of magical power in the air, she relaxed. This was home, not a threat.

"Daddy...!" Lina called as she tiptoed in. The air was hot, and full of steam, but she could still see around her, and could sense her father's presence nearby.

For a forge, it wasn't much. About the shape of a gutted-out cube, it was made mostly of tough stone and dirt. The floor, which was the dirt part, was as flat as possible, mostly from the amount of feet that had tramped over it. It was covered with oils, greases, and bits of metal that couldn't be reused.

The walls, while dirty and somewhat sooty, were covered with various degrees of tools: pitchforks, rakes, hammers, spades, and the like. Occasionally there was a sword or spear, but most of those were in the store. The tools themselves were theirs.

The oven was the best part. It was a smaller sort of cube, although wider, made of the hardest granite anyone had ever seen. Within it, the fire roared, eternal and unforgiving in its intensity. Delmas worked hard to keep the fires burning all year round, but sometimes it was difficult, and only burned in small embers. It was never without at least a candle's worth of flame, however.

Below it was the standard smith's fare: a bench, hard anvil, hammer, and bucket of water. Hanging over the oven were several pairs of hard iron tongs, in various sizes, and on top of the oven by itself was a long metal blow-tube.

Seated on the bench, using another blow-tube, was her father, wearing a sleeveless shirt, cut-off shorts, and a leather apron. Delmas's eyes looked somewhat cross-eyed as he focused ahead of him, concentrating on the bubble of hot glass he was blowing up gently. He held up one hand at her and then ignored her.

Lina looked around. In her childhood, she had only been allowed brief glimpses into the hollowed forge; now that she was inside it for real, she was both enchanted and disappointed. She wondered if she was getting jaded as she grew older.

With a groan, Delmas pulled the tube away and dunked the globe of hot glass into the bucket. It made a hissing noise, and more steam invaded the air.

"Lina-chan!" he boomed, wiping his brow. "You're late!"

She smiled brightly, holding out her arms. "I was hungry!" she answered happily.

"Yes, but now all of the blood from your brain is in your stomach!" Delmas scolded. "How do you expect to learn that way."

Lina made a face. "Gross," she answered.

"And this!" Delmas gave Lina's loose and disheveled hair a gentle tug. "You're a hazard! You expect me to allow you to sit before the anvil looking like this?"

Lina blinked. "Daddy, I've never even been in here before. How am I supposed to know what to do or how to dress?"

"Your MOTHER was supposed to prepare you!" His voice got louder. "BUT I ASSUME SHE WAS TOO BUSY RATTLING PEOPLE UPSIDE DOWN FOR THEIR MONEY."

From somewhere far off, there came the musical reply of, "I can't hear you, lalala-lala!"

Lina slapped a hand to her forehead. "Can we please get started?" she wondered weakly.

Delmas stood up and slapped his hands down on her shoulders, turning her right around. He pushed her out of the forge and into the cooler air of the day. Lina squeaked out several protests, but he ignored her. Once outside, he let her go and stared her down.

"Lina-chan!" he snapped, his eyes blazing. She gulped. (Gourry, who had been waiting for his cue, cowered behind the closest wall; Delmas still terrified him).

Carefully, Lina said, sweetly, "Yes, Daddums?"

Delmas's eye twitched at that, but he didn't pause. "You can't just traipse into a smith's haven and start banging a hammer around for the hell of it!"

Lina puffed out her cheeks, looking annoyed, but he continued, somehow getting on a tangent and partially forgetting that she was there. His eyes flashed, and he stood up, flexing his arms. "It's about passion, about devotion, about giving your blood, sweat, tears, but especially sweat, into what you're doing!"

Gourry, from his wall, peered over, blinking. Despite the furious tone in Delmas's voice, Gourry found that he was actually interested in what was being said. He listened closer now.

"It's about hard work, muscles, facing the flames of adversity, and being a man!" Delmas boomed, his eyes getting a little crazy.

"I'm not a man!" Lina interjected hotly.

"It's about giving yourself to the job, putting a part of your soul into what you're doing!"

Gourry found himself drawn away from the wall, and he crept over to Lina's side, his eyes bright.

"No matter how small the task, no matter how menial the job, EVERYTHING YOU ARE GOES INTO THAT TOOL. YOU BECOME THE FORGE'S FLAMES!"

Gourry was nodding, a big smile on his face. He could completely relate to this.

Lina, in the meantime, had seated herself on the ground and pulled out a book, leafing through it half-heartedly, wearing a look of annoyance.

"BEFORE YOU TOUCH A HAMMER YOU MUST FIRST TOUCH YOUR SOUL-oooowww!"

Delmas's speech was instantly interrupted when a folded-up fan slapped down on the top of his head. Luka stood behind him, one hand on her hip, the other still holding up the fan. Delmas put a hand to his head, looking wounded and watery-eyed. It was quite a transformation.

"Luka-chan," he growled. "I wasn't finished."

"Oh, you're finished, alright, old man!" Luka answered, her eyes blazing.

Lina put her book away, getting to her feet. "Hi, Mama!" she said brightly. "Thanks!"

Gourry stared. From Delmas, a grown man, of considerable strength, who was leaning over and rubbing his head mournfully, to Luka, who, while taller than her husband, was still rather slender and without any muscle mass he could see.

Then he looked at Lina, staring at her mother, and felt his mouth go dry. No WONDER Lina hits me all the time, he thought in dismay.

"Sorry you had to put up with that, Lina-chan, Gourry-kun," Luka said sweetly, pocketing the fan. "My loving husband rarely gets an audience for his rants."

Gourry dared to answer. "It was really rather inspiring," he admitted.

Both Luka and Lina stared at him with identical expressions of disgust, but Delmas suddenly grinned and slapped Gourry on the back. "I LOVE this boy!" he declared.

Luka sighed. "Whatever. The part-timer has control over the store for a while; I have a few hours. Should we get started?"

"Part-timer?" Lina repeated.

Luka nodded. "He works with Luna as well. He's a rather hard worker, at that, and enjoys both jobs. Spot, remember?"

Lina blinked. "Who the hell is Spot?"

Luka smiled. "You can meet him later. Now, learning." She turned to Gourry. "You have to come in, too, since you'll be doing the muscle work, from the looks of it."

"Me?" Gourry wondered.

Both Delmas and Luka nodded. "Yes," Delmas agreed. "Since Lina-chan is the magical expert, you're going to be the one to do the physical."

Lina was nodding. "Makes sense."

Gourry frowned. "I hope I don't burn myself..." he said absently.

Luka laughed. "Oh, please. You're going to burn yourself, many many MANY times. But the trick is not to get discouraged."

Gourry smiled, looking over at Lina, who was already smiling at him. Those were the magic words. "We can do that," Lina agreed.

"Then let's start," Delmas agreed, clapping his hands together, grinning.