Author: Chauni

Email: ChauniMaxwell@mechpilot.com

Website: www.oocities.org/asukalangley2nd/

Warnings: Comedy, Crossover, AU

Disclaimer: I don’t own GW or Slayers. I made no money off this…blah.

The Thin Line

( a Gundam Wing and Slayers crossover)

 
Chapter 5
 
 

“All right,” Lina said between mouthfuls, noting everyone that had joined her downstairs for the morning breakfast. She chuckled quietly to herself as she saw the dark glasses that Duo had found somewhere and wore religiously for the day, mumbling something of about a “damn hangover”.

“Can you eat any faster?” Wufei asked, almost growled. “I want to leave before that woman wakes up and tries to follow us!”

Lina began scraping the food off of Duo’s plate onto her own, noting that due to his current “condition” he wasn’t really hungry. “I’m eating as fast as I can! You can’t rush perfection!”

“Do you have to yell?” Duo whined, clutching his head.

“It’s your own fault, Maxwell,” Wufei interjected.

The Deathscythe pilot flashed a winning smile, pushing the sunglasses farther down his nose so he cold look over them with his glimmering lavender eyes. “You’re just jealous that you didn’t have as much fun as I did!”

“I am no such thing!” he snarled.

“Then you’re jealous that I had all of the lady’s attention,” he replied, pushing the glasses back up and sitting back with his hands behind his head.

“Do not taint my honor,” Wufei growled, eyes flashing.

“Awful defensive aren’t we, Wu-man?” Duo taunted, then ducked the glass that came hurling towards his head.

“Please, stop it,” Quatre pleaded, warm green eyes large.

“Well, I’m done,” Lina stated, rubbing her swelling stomach. “Let’s get out of here before Naga wakes-“

“OHOHOHOHOHO!” Naga bellowed as she descended the stairway. Duo whimpered as the sound pierced through his head, making his hangover headache almost his death. “Trying to make your escape while I was asleep, I see! Do you think you can get rid of me so easily?”

“Well, I can always hope, can’t I?” Lina muttered.

“I’m going with you, Lina,” Naga said, ignoring the comment. “Do you think I would actually allow you to get all the glory and fun in this whole episode without me?”

“Again, I can always hope, can’t I?” the sorceress murmured.

“I don’t care who goes,” Heero growled. “Let’s just leave already.”

Duo looked over at the dark haired woman, his eyes imploring behind the glasses. “Um, Naga, can you do me one small favor?”

“And what would that be?” she asked in return, arching a dark eyebrow.

“Don’t laugh today, please,” he begged.

“OHOHOHOHO!” she bellowed. “You have a hangover don’t you? Amateurs. They can’t ever handle their liquor.”

Duo glared behind the shades. “I can too handle my liquor!” he shouted, then promptly clutched his agonizing head. “Ow!” He looked to Quatre, a little half-grin dancing upon his lips. “So, why don’t you have a headache?”

Quatre smiled in return. “Because I can handle my alcohol,” he answered, then winked.

Duo glowered. “You’re all against me, I swear!”

Although only two miles from the infamous Seyruun, the company chose to take a short break and rest in a small break of the forest. The day had proven to be a beautiful one; the sun shone with a laziness, not as harsh as some summer days could be. The clouds floated by in an idle fashion as well, with no agenda and no rush. The breeze was even light and relaxing. It was as if the entire world had chosen to take a day off and rest.

Naga had walked off somewhere, not saying much for once. The others sat down on the lush, lively grass, each blade tickling their flesh. Only Lina didn’t take a seat, as she paced nervously back and forth the entire time.

Lina reached under her cape, looking at the group all the while. A small blush crept into her cheeks as she produced two scabbards.

She took a step toward Heero, a long thin scabbard in her hands with an ornate hilt protruding from the top. “This was Zelgadis’ sword. Since he isn’t here to use it, I figured that you could probably make some good use of it.”

Heero looked at her for a moment, impenetrable eyes assessing what she had just said. In a smooth movement, he took the blade from her offering hands and laid it across his lap. “Hn.”

Lina shrugged, not expecting anything less.

“What have you got for me?” Duo asked, eyes lighting up behind his glasses. “C’mon, I know you have to have something for the old Shinigami!”

The sorceress sighed, wondering what a ‘Shinigami’ was, and still debating on whether her decision was a sound one. Finally she took a step forward. “Yes, I do have something for you.”

“Woohoo!” he yelled, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. “Gimme!”

“This is the legendary Sword of Light,” she began, clutching a blue scabbard in her hand tightly. “I found it on you when I woke up. It was, I mean, is Gourry’s. So it’s only natural-”

Duo rubbed his hand together harder, eyes getting wide behind the glasses, face breaking out into a wide smile.

“That I keep it and give you my short sword instead!” she finished, handing over the small blade she wore on her hip.

“WHAT?” the Deathscythe pilot shouted, hopping to his feet from his sitting position next to Heero. “No way! I want the cool sword! I want the sword that was I’m supposed to have!”

After much chasing, wrestling, arguing, pleading, fireballs, and sweatdrops, Duo finally got his way and the legendary Sword of Light was fatefully bequeathed unto him. The pilot hugged it with both hands, smiling and grinning, while Lina sat on the sidelines, pouting.

Who knew he would be that fast and that good of a fighter! she bitterly thought. I was so close to finally having that sword too!

“So, where’s my weapon, woman?” Wufei called over, knocking the red-haired sorceress from her brooding thoughts.

A smirk crept across her lips. “You don’t get one.”

His black eyes widened in shock, then narrowed. “What do you mean, ‘I don’t get one’?” he growled. “First of all, I’m a better swordsman than both of them and second of all, what do I fight with?”

Lina’s lips held onto the smirk as easily as Xellos usually did with his own, her chin lying across the back of her hand. “Amelia was in no way a fighter. She was the biggest clutz I have ever met. She usually just defeated her enemies by boring them to death with her justice speeches or by accidentally falling on them when she did some of her usual stupid feats.”

“I cannot believe this injustice!” Wufei bellowed, stomping his foot into the ground. “I am here to replace a fool!”

Lina shrugged once more. “In so many words, yes.” That’ll teach that guy to call the great Lina Inverse “woman” all the time. Jerk!

Wufei stalked over to Duo, who sat caressing the famous weapon in his lap. “Give me the sword, Maxwell,” he growled.

“No way, Wu-man!” he replied, hurriedly clutching it to his chest. “This thing’s mine!”

“Stop calling me that!” the other yelled, causing birds to fly up from nearby trees. “And I said, give me the sword!”

“That might not be such a good idea.”

Lina rolled her eyes, quickly to be joined by the rest of the party. “I was wondering when we would be cursed, er, graced by your presence again, Xellos.”

The Trickster priest smiled as he appeared lounging on a rather high tree limb. His back rested against the weathered bark, his left leg dangling slowly back and forth. The customary smile and squint of the eyes adorned his jovial youthful face.

“And why might that not be such a good idea?” Wufei mocked, showing his teeth in a threatening manner.

“That man was given the sword for a reason,” Xellos responded. “He’s here to replace Gourry, after all. Most likely, all the sword skills he’ll ever need to possess will come out when he’s fighting with it.”

“There is no way he could defeat me with it,” Wufei growled.

Xellos’ grin grew, if that was possible. “Well, since you are here to replace Amelia, I suppose there is a possibility that you may beat him by falling on him or boring him to unconsciousness with a justice speech. From what I’ve heard so far, you have the latter down perfectly.”

Wufei began tramping around once more, enraged and screaming about how unjust this entire episode was. Quatre went to calm him down, attempting to get the infuriated pilot to take a seat. From where he couldn’t see, Duo stuck his tongue out, coaxing him even more.

“So, why are you here?” Lina impatiently inquired, tapping her foot.

“Do I ever need a reason?” he questioned in return, smiling as usual.

She sighed, aggravation dripping from the sound. “Could you be any more annoying?”

“Of course I can!” he shouted. Suddenly, a flock of screaming birds burst through the trees and darted into the sky, a trail of ear-piercing laughter following them. “Speaking of annoying…”

Everyone turned to watch Naga strut into the center of the group, the look on her face devoid of most conscious thought. “Are we ready to go? Seyruun has some of the best bars, you know.” Her eyes sparked greedily, the hungry grin never once leaving her lips.

Lina looked back to Xellos, only to see him gone without a trace. She murmured some particularly not-nice phrases under her breath and started walking away. “All right. Let’s get going. We’re not far, anyway.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Lina Inverse.”

Lina sighed, not turning to face the unfamiliar voice. She already knew what was coming; she got it all the time. A person with the nickname “Bandit Killer” would receive this sort of hassle quite frequently, after all.

“Listen, we just want to get to Seyruun. We’re kind of busy,” she growled, turning around slowly. “How about if you do me a favor and just let us demolish you quickly so we can get back to what we were doing?”

“You are just so cocky, aren’t you?” came her response. A man stood there, rather tall, unshaven, and apparently from the smell, unshowered as well. Twenty men stood behind him, each snarling and sneering, random weapons brandished in their tightly gripped fists.

They were most likely intimidating to people; a group of large, oversized bandits generally are. However, Lina and the Gundam pilots stared on unimpressed.

“Cocky?” Lina tossed her head back, a shower of scarlet hair slowly falling everywhere. “It’s not being cocky if you can back up your threats.” Her lips curled into a devious smile, her eyes narrowing. “I didn’t get the name ‘Bandit Killer’ for nothing, you know.”

“You just think you are so great, don’t you?” he growled in return, tossing the blade in his right hand to his left, then back again.

“I don’t think so,” she returned, arrogant smile never failing. “I know I am.”

“You’re just a little girl!” the leader cried, chuckling.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Quatre chimed in.

“I will never run from a little twerp like you,” challenged the bandit leader, his eyes falling onto her chest. “It looks like you haven’t even hit puberty yet, kid.”

Lina’s face turned the color of her hair, which as the pilots had begun to observe, occurred rather often.

Naga took no notice of the younger sorceress’ facial color and smirked, slapping her hand onto the girl’s back. “Well, at least we know he’s not blind, right Lina? OHOHO!”

The Bandit Killer said nothing as she took one step back, eyes closed. Her mouth was set in a grim line, while her face haunting and frightening like a Halloween mask. She pulled back one gloved hand, her eyes flashing open as her lips curled into a sneer.

“FIREBALL!”

Heero watched as the ball of flame cut through the tense air and struck several of the bandits. They flew backwards, clothes blazing, and landed in an unconscious heap several feet away. A few of the remaining opponents flashed wary looks at their apparent leader, then quickly reverted back to glaring at the crimson-haired girl that stood slinging magic spheres of fire before them. With a loud battle cry, they all rushed forward, towards the sorceress and her companions.

“I’ll teach you to talk to me like that!” she screamed. Even Wufei did a small double take at the strength and fury in her attacks (he would never admit it afterwards, however).

Suddenly though, Heero’s stony hands began working of their own volition. They rose into the air, and one went slightly behind his body while the other positioned itself so it looked as though he was holding an imaginary bow and arrow.

“What are you doing, Heero?” Duo cried out. “This isn’t exactly the right time for playing make-believe, you know!”

Rather than responding to the braided pilot, his even eyes fell onto the approaching figures. “FLARE ARROW!” Blazing arrows appeared in his hands as he felt some mysterious force course through his body, something warm, something secure, something pleasant. Working purely on an instinct he didn’t knew he possessed, his hands released their hold on the flaming weapons. They streaked across the sky, striking a nearby tree limb. The fire licked through the thick wood and the branch fell from the sky, roughly landing onto two running bandit figures.

Quatre’s eyes grew large as he stared at his cursed companion. “Heero, what did you do?”

“Worry about yourself right now,” Heero calmly shot back, unsheathing his sword and delving into the fray.

Duo brought his own legendary weapon out, in one fluid motion, and yelled, “Light come forth!”. The metal that the blade appeared to be made of cracked and shattered into almost non-existent pieces, scattering everywhere like dust in a raging wind. In the place of the threatening steel was a glowing, blinding blade.

His amethyst eyes grew large as he stared at it for a precious moment. “Wow! I’m really glad I got this sword! I bet Wufei is so jealous right now!” With that said, he ran into the thick of the battle, parrying, ducking, thrusting and fighting his way through the combatants.

Quatre stood off to the side, at a total loss of what else to do. Attempting to follow Heero’s example, he pulled back an arm and cried out, “FLARE ARROW!” However, where three flaming bolts should have appeared, only two shriveled flaming arrows emerged, looking like rather under-developed, deformed carrots. He let loose and they flew all of two feet before falling pathetically to the dirt.

“All you bandits shall pay for your injustice!” Wufei yelled. Heero and Duo both cast a wary glance back at the Chinese pilot, Duo desperately trying to stifle the laugh that was clawing at his throat. “I, Chang Wufei, will defeat you all for your evil crimes and avenge all those you have harmed! Justice will always prevail!” With that, he thrust out his hand, his index and middle fingers forming a “V”. Instantly, his face paled and with his free hand, slapped himself across the face, then immediately jumped into the fray.

“Everyone get out of the way!” Quatre screamed.

Duo ducked a swing, slicing his own weapon through the attacking blade, shattering the opposing steel. Someone behind him grabbed his newly acquired blonde braid, jerking it roughly. He swung around, curses upon his overactive lips, but stopped when he saw the rocky face of Heero and the traditional serious cobalt eyes. He waved his fellow pilots to the side, where Lina and Naga safely stood.

Due to the onslaught of Lina and Naga’s crushing spells, Duo’s freshly obtained sword skills, and Heero and Wufei’s attacks, most of the bandit crew was in shambles. They lay moaning across the makeshift battlefield, flat on their backs, clothes and hair burnt clean off some pour souls. The only one who seemed to have any will to fight left in him was the captain, who stood in the center of the mess, glaring.

“No little kid is going to defeat me and my army of bandits!” he yelled. “I see that I’m just going to have to take ya out myself!”

Quatre’s hands fell in front of him, his sparkling emerald eyes falling closed. His own personal chaotic breeze blew up around him and through his shimmering golden hair, as a red aura wound itself around his thin body like a hungry dragon.

“Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows, buried within the stream of time is where your power grows.” The crimson radiance grew, intense and deep, while Quatre’s eyes slowly began to open, leveling at the suddenly horrified bandits strewn across the small clearing.

“I pledge myself to conquer all the foes that stand, against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand.” His hands drew up above his head for a moment, magical black ball swirling above it. Small flicks of lightning licked the onyx sphere, its power felt by all the pilots who stood quite a safe distance away. His arms drew back and down, lining up against his side as he prepared his throw.

“Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.

“DRAGON SLAVE!”

“Wow, Quatre!” Duo said, slapping his companion on the back. “I didn’t think you had it in you!”

Quatre blushed slightly as he kicked a pebble, sending it skittering across the dirt road. They only had one mile left until they reached the kingdom of Seyruun, and even from where they were, they could plainly see their destination glittering like an expensive jewel in the sun. “It was nothing,” he murmured, smiling slightly.

Naga grinned, chest bouncing obscenely with each step she took. “Who would have known such a little boy like you could cast such a big spell! OHOHOHO!”

Lina shrugged, shoulders rising slightly beneath her dark cloak. “I saw those flare arrows, though. Yep, you are here to replace Sylphiel for sure.”

Wufei pouted as he followed behind them. Heero had basically become indestructible with his stone flesh, Duo had inherited the legendary Sword of Light, and even Quatre had unleashed a mighty spell called Dragon Slave. What did he get, though? A stupid speech and a ridiculous hand gesture that made him look like a complete fool! With luck no one would rememb-

“Oh, and Wu-man,” Duo called back over his shoulder, wicked grin licking his lips playfully. “I loved the pep talk back there! What inspiration you gave me! I can’t wait until we get in another battle just so I can hear another speech!” He laughed as his hands found their way behind his head, interlocking the fingers.

Wufei jumped at the Deathscythe pilot, tackling him to the ground. Dust kicked up into the air as they fought, Duo laughing between the punches that Wufei delivered to his stomach. The remainder of the group kept walking towards their destination:

Food.

Oh, and Seyruun.