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)
“So
this is Seyruun,” mused the Deathscythe pilot. People were crowded throughout
the streets, swarming around small, rough shops that lined the roads.
Buildings, mostly white and magic shops, lined every road, inviting travelers
and local residents alike. Women walked passed, handing a bouquet of flowers to
both Duo and Quatre. “Oh, yeah! I like this place!”
Lina,
eyes closed in frustration, elbowed the braided boy in the rib, satisfied by
the small grunt she heard. “We have to go find Prince Phil and see if he can
tell us anything about ruins or any magically amplified areas around here.”
“Well,
that’s fine for you, Lina,” Naga returned, tossing her head and looking around.
“I’m going to go find the nearest bar.”
“Perhaps
you should control your drinking habit, Miss Naga,” Quatre suggested.
“OHOHO!
Now what fun would that be?” she questioned as she bounded away, the crowd
swallowing her in an instant.
“Well,
I cannot tolerate one more minute in these clothes,” Wufei said, pulling at the
white clothes that the princess had copyrighted for herself. “I need to find
something else, and quickly.”
Heero
nodded, eyes hard and level. “We should all get some new attire. We don’t want
to stand out any more than we already do.”
“No
way!” Duo argued. “There’s no way I’m giving up my clothes!”
Lina,
tired of this discussion and burdened with the customary hunger that raged
throughout her small body, grabbed the boy by his long shimmering golden braid
and began dragging him down the street. “Get some clothes. You’re all black
ensemble is getting old anyway.”
“But-but-”
he tried, struggling.
“Stop
it,” she interrupted. “You can change when you get home. There, now you have
incentive to get out of here. Now come on!”
One
hour and four new outfits later, the companions emerged from the “Truly Tremendous
Threads” shop. Heero pulled the cloak of forest green cloak over his head,
hiding within the confines of its shadows. He straightened the matching tunic
that hung loosely off his lean frame and noted how comfortable the large black
pants were. Wufei followed him out, stretching in the beaming sunlight. Donned
in a pair of loose blue pants and a white tunic that was tied at the chest, he
felt more normal than he had since he come to this ridiculous dimension. He
couldn’t, however, shake the feeling that something horrible had happened to
his beloved Nataku, and he wanted nothing more than to return home to discover
the truth.
Quatre
emerged next, smiling as usual. With a delicate hand, he swept the golden bangs
from his young face and adjusted the deep violet cloak that hung off his
shoulders. The sea-green shirt matched his eyes perfectly, while the midnight
colored pants felt so soft and warm to the touch. Maybe he would change his
dressing habits…maybe.
Lina came out, dragging a
glowering Duo behind her. His face, normally so cheery and uplifting, pouted
like a spoiled child behind her. Not being to resist such a wonderful
opportunity, she had picked out his outfit. Sunlight gleamed proudly off his
new set of armor, the deep blue of the metal almost blinding those around him.
“Couldn’t
you have found a different color?” he sulked. “I feel so…blue.”
“You
look more like Gourry this way,” she said as she walked through the street
towards the towering castle in the center of Seyruun. “The hair, the sword, the
armor. I’m less likely to get attacked if they think Gourry is still with me.”
“Isn’t
Duo a lot shorter than Gourry?” Heero asked, ignoring the insulted “Hey!” that
came from Duo’s over-active mouth.
“We’re
talking about bandits here,” she returned. “They don’t think about that sort of
thing.”
“Thank
you for paying for the clothes, Miss Lina,” Quatre said.
“Oh,
you’ll pay me back!” she yelled. “Consider it a loan for now, though. Let’s go
see Prince Phil.”
“Oh,
Lina! It’s so good to see you!”
The
red-haired sorceress was crushed against the massive chest of the ruler of
Seyruun, the breath being squeezed from her lungs. “Yeah, you too, Phil.” She
squirmed her way from his grip and brushed her clothes off, tossing her long
crimson locks over her shoulder. Phil returned to a large high-backed, ornately
carved wooden chair as Lina swept her arm in front of her comrades. “These are
some friends of mine, Duo, Heero, Quatre, and Wufei.” As each name was rattled
off, the respective boy took a step forward, all of them bowing except Heero
who nodded, and Duo who waved, smiled and said, “I may run and hide, but I
never tell a lie.”
Ignoring
the personal introduction by the Deathscythe pilot, Phil’s eyes turned to Lina,
the massive bush of his thick black eyebrows arching. “Where is Amelia?”
“Um,
she decided to stay at a nearby town,” she sputtered.
“She
didn’t want to come visit me?” Phil asked, hints of sadness in his voice.
“No!”
Lina covered quickly. “There was this big, evil, um, thing in this town a few
miles away! She stayed to fight it, along with the others. That is part of the
reason we’re here, actually. Is there any place nearby that amplifies magic?
You know, a set of ruins, or something?”
Prince
Phil shifted in the comfortable chair, the bulk of his weight causing the wood
to slightly creek with strain. He unconsciously played with his wild black
mustache, curling the ends around his finger while his eyes fell upon all the
books that lined the shelves throughout the room. “There are rumors about
tunnels and catacombs beneath Seyruun,” he muttered. “But they’re just that;
rumors. So, is my Amelia winning her battle?”
“Battle?”
Lina questioned, confused. “Oooh! Battle against evil! Yeah, she’s doing great;
it would make you proud, Phil. Okay, I gotta run. Bye!” With that, she grabbed
Duo’s braid and Heero’s cloak and promptly drug them from immense formal
library.
“Amelia,
make your father proud!” he murmured to no one in particular. “And please,
don’t let Lina blow up another part of the city with an amplified Dragon Slave
again!”
“Boy,
am I glad to be out of there!” Lina exclaimed as she walked through the crowded
streets.
“You
know, Miss Lina,” Quatre said as his legs hurried him over to her. “I swear I
could have heard Prince Phil saying something about blowing up half of Seyruun
with a Dragon Slave. He wouldn’t be telling the truth, now would he?”
Lina
blushed slightly as she cast an innocent glance at the blonde boy. “Of course
not! He’s exaggerating!”
“So,
then, it was only a quarter of the city?” Wufei asked.
Lina
said nothing as her head dropped down, falling shamefully silent.
“Where
do we go now?” Heero inquired after a moment. His eyes searched the busy shops
and the hurrying people that darted everywhere.
“Hey!
Isn’t that Xellos over there at that booth?” Quatre shouted, pointing at the
oblivious back of a purple-haired, staff-wielding man.
“I
think so,” she said. “Hey, Xellos! Is that you?”
The
man in question whirled around, a cylindrical metal and glass tool grasped in
his hand. His customary smile graced his lips as he waved them over.
“Hey,”
Duo asked, looking at the long tube in the man’s hands. “Is that a telescope?”
“What?”
Lina inquired, one scarlet eyebrow raised.
Xellos
nodded, violet hair bobbing up and down. “Yes, it is! The Wizards Guild was the
only one to ever have one, but I just found it at this stand here. I do believe
it was most likely brought in by bandits.”
“What
does it do?” Lina questioned, peering at it curiously.
“It
uses mirrors and colors to reflect and refract,” Quatre explained. “It makes
things that are smaller appear much bigger.”
Duo
grabbed the telescope from the priest’s clutches and began looking through it,
aimed at Lina’s chest. “Well, I guess some things will never look big no matter
how hard you try.”
“Why
you-”
Duo
whirled around, telescope still connected to his face. Suddenly, he screamed
and dropped the instrument, furiously rubbing his eyes. Wufei jumped and caught
it before it could strike the ground and shatter to pieces.
“Oh
my God!” Duo panted, fists still jammed against his closed eyelids. “I swear I
just saw two gigantic mountains and I was going to crash right into them!”
“OHOHOHO!”
“Hn,”
Heero muttered. “That explains it.”
“So,
did you miss me?” Naga asked, cheeks flushed with an alcoholic hue. “What did
we find out?”
“Nothing
we can fully rely on,” Lina answered, ignoring the intoxicated woman’s swaying.
“We did find out a rumor of some catacombs beneath here, though. I thought me
might try there.”
Xellos’
face took on a sudden serious expression, something that seemed quite foreign
on his jovial features. “I heard a tale some time back,” he said. “Supposedly,
a powerful Mazoku lives in a labyrinth near here. I wonder if it’s the same
one.”
“How
powerful of a Mazoku are we talking here?” the young sorceress inquired.
“Well,
not as strong as I am, of course,” the priest replied, smile returning.
“However, from what I understand, he is quite old, not much younger than I am,
and is not in favor of the higher ranks.”
“Do
you know why?” inquired Heero.
Xellos
shook his head, still smiling. “Not a clue! But we can always ask him, right?
I’m assuming we’re going down there now since we have no where else to look, am
I correct?”
Lina
nodded. “Yes, but let’s wait a day. We only have a few hours until it gets dark
and we should rest and eat and get supplies and eat.”
“You
already said ‘eat’,” Wufei calmly announced.
She
flashed a cheerful look over her shoulder, grin stretched lazily across her lips.
“You can never have too much food, you know?”
“I
can’t believe this,” Duo muttered. He shifted slightly where he lay, hoping to
stop the digging in his back. The night ruffled through his hair, blowing the dangling
bangs away from his troubled face as the starlight softly bathed him. He heard
the roof creak under him as he moved and briefly held his breath in hopes he
didn’t go crashing down into someone’s room. They had been lucky to be able to
stay at the inn, considering how busy Seyruun was, and they were able to snag
three rooms, much to everyone’s surprise. Everyone was currently conversing in
the restaurant below, but for the first time in his life so it seemed, he was
not really in the mood to talk to anyone. He had dropped all of his weighty
armor off his room, leaving the half-opened tunic and tight blue pants on, and
began stalking the area for a peaceful spot. The roof had proved to be the most
sensible and quiet spot within the vicinity, so he had escaped there.
“I
miss home,” he murmured. “I never thought I would say that, but it’s true.” He
sighed as he looked up at the moon, half hidden by clouds. “I miss seeing you
up close. I miss space and the colonies and the freedom to do what I want.”
He
quickly closed his mouth as he heard rustling and a small grunt a few feet
away. He leaned up onto his elbows, braid lazily sliding over one shoulder and
down his back, his eyes narrowed in the darkness.
Lina
crawled out of the window of her rented room, clambering onto the roof. “I was
wondering where you were,” she said. “I mean, I actually got a chance to eat
everything I wanted to, without fighting for it.” She gave a weak smile. “And
when I heard the creaking come through my ceiling, I put two and two together.”
He
returned to his previous position, lying comfortably down along the roof. “I
was just looking up at the stars.”
“You
miss your home, don’t you?” she softly asked as she took a seat beside him.
He
cast her a leery glance over his shoulder. “How did you know?”
“I
can see it in your eyes,” she said, then grinned. “And I heard you talking
about it. You have a loud voice.”
He
chuckled for a moment, then grew oddly serious. “When I wasn’t out on missions,
I would sometimes read,” he began. “And if I wasn’t reading I was always
watching movies or something. I’m sure you don’t know what movies are, and I
don’t know if I could even explain it to you so you would. Anyway, one of my
favorite topics was medieval stuff, the fantasy world.”
Lina
cast him a confused look. “‘Fantasy world’?”
“This,”
he said, sweeping a hand across the horizon. “A place with magic and swords and
dragons and damsels in distress. This, however, isn’t at all what I
expected. The closest thing to a damsel in distress I’ve come across so far has
been you! And I can’t use magic and I haven’t seen one dragon! The only good
thing that has come out of this is the Sword of Light, but in return for that,
I now have someone with the nickname of ‘Jellyfish Brains’ driving my Deathscythe!
This isn’t what I wanted.”
Lina
shifted uncomfortably, then cast a cautious look at the braided boy. “Gourry
isn’t that dumb, you know,” she offered. “He just forgets things is all.”
“Yeah,
like his name,” Duo muttered.
“You
don’t even know him!” Lina hollered, anger evident. “Don’t judge people you’ve
never met!”
Duo
sighed, realizing his frustration was leaking out. Softly, he asked, “What is
Gourry like?”
Lina
laid back onto the roof, her face awash with a heavenly glow. “He is dense,”
she answered, smiling wistfully. “But he is brave and loyal. He is strong and a
great fighter. He-he is my best friend.”
He
gently smiled, closing his amethyst eyes. “I hope Deathscythe will be all right
with him. Ever since that day Wufei dropped down and screamed out ‘Nataku’,
I’ve been worried.”
“I’m
sure your Deathscythe is fine,” she whispered.
“You
know,” Duo said, looking up at the heavens. “I’ve seen the moon. I have lived
in space. I’ve danced beside the stars. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Lina
looked at him, confused. “How can you do those things?”
“You
don’t know what kind of technological advances we have back home,” he said, and
then evilly added, “We can even make your breasts large, you know, so people
don’t mistake you for a boy.”
Lina
reached over and slugged him hard in the arm. Regaining her composure, she
quietly whispered, “I think I would have liked to see your world.”
“Just
think of all the stories you’ll have to hear when your friends get back,” Duo
joked. “You know they’ll rub your face in it and brag about all the stuff they
got to see. You’re going to be so jealous.”
“Don’t
remind me,” she growled, rolling her crimson eyes. “You know, you do remind me
a lot of Gourry. I mean, of course there’s the obvious, you eat like a horse,
you’re dense, you don’t know when to shut up-”
“Hey!”
“But,”
she continued, ignoring his outburst, “you are faithful and brave. I can see
how far you would go for your friends.”
“Thank
you,” Duo whispered, still slightly confused as to whether or not that was a
compliment.
Both
people suddenly stopped as they heard a small voice a dozen feet away from
them. The sound was quiet and worried, a soft whispering from a nearby window.
Duo silently crept closer, Lina directly behind him.
“Trowa,
I hope you are all right. I hope Sandrock is safe and that nothing has happened
to either of you. I miss you both so much!”
“Um,
Duo?” Lina hissed. “Do you people have some strange, um, personal thing
going on with your Gundams? I mean, you all talk about them so much, like you
love them, so I was just wondering if there were some things you didn’t tell
me, you know?”
Duo
cast her a Heero Yuy patented “Glare O’ Death”, which closed the Bandit
Killer’s mouth instantly. He made his way right above the window and listened
carefully.
“I
miss home so much,” Quatre muttered, oblivious to the two people above him.
“It’s so lonely and empty not feeling any of them in my heart. I hope we find
those catacombs tomorrow. I hope Miss Lina can send us home. My sisters need
me, the colonies need me, Sandrock needs me, Trowa needs me…”
“Oh,
Quatre,” Duo taunted, hanging over and hanging upside down outside the blonde
pilot’s window. “I’m sure Trowa would be flattered to know that you miss him!”
Quatre
flew back several steps in shock, his breath coming out in hurried pants. “Duo!
You heard that?”
Duo nodded, his braid
dangling down like a rope. “I can’t help it if you talk so loud that us
relaxing people on the roof can hear you,” he cheerfully said.
“‘Us’?”
Quatre hissed, face turning red in embarrassment.
“I’m
sure Trowa misses you, too, Quatre,” Lina added, hanging upside down beside the
braided pilot.
Quatre
could feel the heat in his cheeks, but suddenly brightened and said, “Oh, and
just what were you two doing alone on the roof, hmm?”
“Talking!”
they both quickly answered in unison.
“Somehow,
I doubt that,” Quatre said, walking away from the window.
“Are
you calling me a liar?” Lina growled, fire leaping into her eyes.
“Are
you saying that I have bad taste?” Duo added. “She doesn’t even have breasts!”
“What
did you say?” she screamed. With a free hand, she roughly pushed him, sending
him careening off the edge of the roof and into a small, tangled heap onto the
hard ground. Dust flew into a thick cloud as he contacted with the cold
surface, and he groaned painfully. Curses drifted up and met her ears as she
heard him attempt to get to his feet.
“RAYWING!”
she shouted and flew down to where the braided boy barely stood, brushing the
dirt off his tunic and pants. She leaned in close to his face, glaring. “If I
were you, I would watch what you say. I’ve been nice so far.”
Duo
smiled as he straightened. “And here I thought we had become friends!”
Her
face cracked into a warm grin. “I guess we have. We should get to bed; we have
a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”