| Gundam Wing: Legend of Mystiks Chapter 39 Heero�s eyes widened as Airia�s parents gave amused smiles. His wings curled menacingly. � Airia . . .� he grated. She glanced over her shoulder at him, a serious expression on her face, then burst out laughing. She pointed at him. � H-H-Heero! Your f-face!� � Hn?� He straightened and tried to look down at his left cheek. A butterfly had landed there and was waving its wings slowly as if imitating flight. Gently, Heero put his finger under the insect and moved it to a flower patch. Turning, he glared again at Airia, who was on the ground, rolling from side to side. � Priceless!� she announced, wiping tears from her eyes. � Priceless!� *~*~* Shinigami picked up the note laying on his desk. Breaking the warded seal, he unrolled the parchment and read the contents. � Killer Souls? They did it? But those things have been gone since before . . .� He read further. � Undeniable evidence. I guess I should be checking for leaks.� He rolled the message up again and dropped it on his desk. Glancing at the pair occupying his work chair, Shinigami smiled and picked up the blanket that had somehow been kicked off. <I know they don�t need it, but Cosmos especially likes to be extremely warm.> He spread the blanket over them and tucked it around behind Duo, who cracked one eye open to see who it was before drifting to sleep again. He gave both children a kiss on the forehead and moved to the far wall so he wouldn�t disturb them. He was just getting ready to go to his next destination when he heard a noise. Whirling, he saw several dozen Killer Souls around the sleeping couple, reaching out to touch them. � Duo! Cosmos!� The two awoke with a start right as the Killer Souls placed their formless hands on the kids. Duo and Cosmos wailed in pain and tried to pull away, but something held them there as it held Shinigami to his place. Paling to a ghostly white, they collapsed silently into the seat and didn�t move again. Shinigami struggled against the field holding him, but it was no use. Reapers, responding to their supervisor�s distress, appeared all around and gawked at the Killer Souls. The older, battle-hardened Reapers brandished their scythes and went to engage the condemned souls. The younger, newer Reapers attempted to free Shinigami and a few went to check on Duo and Cosmos. The Killer Souls were driven back into a corner and kept under close watch. The field around Shinigami was finally destroyed and the Death God sighed in relief from being held in such a painful position. Then he looked up at the Reapers hovering over his work chair and the two forms in it. � Anou?� The Reapers turned to him and one said quietly, � They don�t seem to be alive, Shinigami-sama.� <Not them. Please not them. They�re all I have left.> Shinigami moved slowly to the chair and stared at the paleness of the two there. <Pale as ghosts . . . Matte . . . Killer Souls don�t make people pale. They just kill them. What�s going on?> There was a crash from the corner, breaking Shinigami�s train of thought. He spun to find the Reapers down and the Killer Souls again moving forward toward him. <Iie, not me. The kids. Demo . . . doushite?> The younger Reapers, the only ones still conscious, lined up in front of Shinigami, scythes out in warning. Most of them trembled in fear, this being their first fight (and the horror stories they�d heard were no help). � Get back!� Shinigami ordered, pushing the Reapers behind him. He prepared to fight himself, having had much more experience with Killer Souls than any Reaper. He ripped his robe off, revealing the clothes he (rarely) fought in. Black leather boots with a low heel, well broken-in black jeans, and a black tee shirt. He was about to attack when two blurs of black passed his sides and mixed in with the Killer Souls, who shrieked in alarm and tried to fight the intruders. Standing in amazement, Shinigami focused on one blur and followed it, mentally slowing it so he could see who, or what, it was. <Nani?! How?!> � Duo! Cosmos! Dame da! You don�t know what you�re up against!� Reluctantly, one blur left the midst of the Killer Souls and became Duo. The other, however, remained. It fought viciously, knocking over the Killer Souls multiple times. But the Souls just rose again and continued to fight on. They knew they would win eventually. The other blur finally pulled out and Cosmos dropped to the ground, totally exhausted. � Don�t they ever . . . give up?� she gasped. � Not usually,� Shinigami replied, pulling her from the Killer Souls� reach. � I know they don�t tire. Not like we do.� � Then how?� Shinigami shrugged. � Unknown. Only one Shinigami did know, but she�s dead.� � Shimatta.� � You said it.� Duo knelt by his father and touched Cosmos� shoulder. � Cosmos?� � Daijibou. Just a little tired.� She sat up and watched the Killer Souls mill around just out of range of the Reapers� scythes. <What could their weakness be?> She changed her thoughts. <What are the weaknesses of normal souls?> There was a flash of white. The Killer Souls screeched and bunched together as the newly-arrived Angels glanced around. Each had a bow and a full quiver of arrows. The one in command looked over at the God of Death. � Shinigami-sama, we were sent to assist you. Do you need our help?� � Do I ever.� The Reapers allowed the Angels into their ranks with short greetings. Now was not the time to chat. The wingless Angels narrowed their eyes in concentration as they strung an arrow and aimed at the Killer Souls. <Normal souls are usually sensitive to light, but the Killer Souls didn�t react like normal souls do. They hardly flinched, though the noise was bothersome. They don�t seem to be affected by weapons either, so those won�t help.> Cosmos watched the arrows get absorbed into the Souls. <Those arrows are charmed and they aren�t doing anything! Unreal!> She paused. <I wonder what magic would do to them. Maybe charms won�t work, but magic is different . . .> � Shinigami-sama?� � Hai, Cosmos?� � Have you tried magic?� He gave her a hard look, trying to figure out where she was going with the idea. � Not since the first time. It didn�t have any affect on them, but I am stronger now. I suppose I could try again. Doushite?� � Just thinking.� � Keep thinking. I�ll try magic.� Shinigami stood and ordered the Reapers and Angels back. He held his right hand aloft and let dark lightning collect there. He swung his arm in a half circle and paused at his left shoulder, then swung back to the right, releasing the energy on the Killer Souls. |