How In Chaos Did I End Up Here?

Part Three: In The Dog House

Gourry was almost as good as new in a short time. Luckily for him, Lina hadn't noticed he was almost naked under his bedroll. Zel got to see more of Gourry than he ever wanted to that morning.

At least Zel managed to get a puzzled Gourry to agree to sleep with more clothing on from now on.

Zel waited impatiently as Gourry rifled through his bag for clothes. Lina had made herself scarce by excusing herself to go fill their canteens at a brooke some distance away. So that left Zel adding to his coffee buzz and Gourry searching through his bag.

"Uh, Zel?" Gourry finally looked up.

Zel said quietly, "What is it?"

"I can't find any clothes in my bag." Gourry told him in concern.

Great, he forgot them. Zel thought with a silent sigh of disgust. "Then just wear the ones from yesterday."

"I can't." Gourry scrunched up his nose. "They were here last night but now they're gone."

Zel put down his coffee and held out his arm for the bag. "Let me look."

Gourry was happy to hand it over. Zel looked and even dumped everything out to see what items it contained. At the very bottom of Gourry's bag was a pile of fabric. Zel smiled and dumped it out too.

"Well here's something." Zel thrust the clothing into Gourry's hands. "For the love of Cephied, will you please put that on-" Zel broke off and prayed, "Oh merciful L-sama."

Gourry had rolled out the clothes and held them up to his body. A shocked Zel had broken off when he saw it was a costume. A dog costume, to be precise. He looked at Gourry with an entirely new perspective.

Gourry must have noticed the look. "It's not mine. I've never seen it before."

Sure... Zel thought.

But then Zel realized that the costume had to be planted. Lina had traveled with him for three years and had obviously never seen it before. Lina wouldn't be able to keep such a thing secret, especially when she got angry at Gourry. Which happened at least once a day. Zel gladly let go of the thought of Gourry as a closet furry lover.

"My clothes are too short for you." Zel said, "So you're going to have to wear it."

"No!" Gourry wailed. "I'd rather be naked!"

Zel paused to get that disturbing image out of his head then said dryly. "I suggest you put that... thing... on before Lina comes back. Otherwise, you'll wish you were already dead."

Gourry paled then sighed and started dressing.

Lina came back twenty minutes later with full canteens. She entered the clearing to see Zel doing his normal morning routine. She saw a furry animal sitting despondently by the fire. The animal turned and Lina saw Gourry's face inside the muzzle of a dog costume. Lina dropped the canteens.

There was a few moments of utter silence between the three traveling companions. Lina's face simply looked shocked as she stared at Gourry. Gourry looked miserable and hot inside the furry prison of his new 'look'. Zel simply watched the other two with an unreadable expression.

The two men flinched as Lina let out a wild peal of laughter. Gourry looked even more miserable and Lina laughed even harder. Zel just banked the fire then dumped dirt on it to put it out.

"Lina, that's enough." Zel said finally. "Gourry has enough to deal with right now."

"One question." Lina gasped out while wiping tears from her eyes.

Gourry's face sank farther back into the shadows of the muzzle in response.

"Why didn't you simply cut the costume with your sword, Gourry?" Lina asked when her laughter died down to occasional chuckles.

Both men face faulted. Gourry started cursing. Lina fled as Gourry ripped the dog head off then threw it to the side.

"You're in the dog house now, Zel." Lina called over her shoulder while her laughter floated behind her.