Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Living Shinigami ❯ Return to Ningenkai ( Chapter 21 )

A/N: It’s been far too long since I’ve updated this fic, but nothing compared to some of the others. College classes are seriously distracting to writing. Anyway, I don’t own anything except for the story, and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Read and review!

“Living Shinigami”

Chapter Twenty-one

Return to Ningenkai

Wufei found himself sitting in Enma’s waiting chamber quite often during their stay while the kami shut himself in with Duo for long hours on end. From what he could pry out of his fellow pilot in their spare hours before bed, it had to do with some sort of lessons. What sort, he wouldn’t say, but Wufei could feel something about his friend growing stronger.

It was while he as waiting for one such lesson to end that a messenger bird flew in, not bothering to pause as it flew through the door that slid open for it. There was a brief moment of silence before the same door snapped open again, Duo storming through it this time, latching onto Wufei’s arm and pulling him to his feet the instant he was near enough.

“We have to return to the living world,” the braided man said briskly. “Now.”

Wufei was almost stumbling in his attempts to align his feet properly beneath himself so suddenly. “What happened?”

“You know how Kaa-chan looks a lot younger than most of the people in the ministry?” Duo asked, not stopping as he turned down another hallway, all the while still holding onto Wufei’s arm. He didn’t wait for the other pilot’s response before going on. “Well, it’s because he was murdered as a teenager. Long and personal story turned short and vague, evil creepy guy cursed him when hew as thirteen. The curse took three years to kill him, a year after that he and Dad became partners. Ran into Kaa-chan’s murderer on their first mission together, and he started stalking Dad and attacking Kaa-chan. It’s been so long since there’s been any activity from him, the ministry just figured that he’d died of natural causes or something because his name, as far as we know, never came up in our case files.”

“I take it that he’s not dead then, or your wouldn’t be in such a panic,” Wufei said, adding things up.

Duo practically growled. “Solo, L2 shinigami, just sent a report of a man, using his name and matching the general description, showed up on his colony. And he met up with Quatre and Relena.”

The moment they stepped outside, their shinigami pulled his guardian into an embrace, holding him tightly as they made the transition into the living world. Wufei found himself shivering at what he convinced himself was the temperature change. Glancing about, he recognized their immediate surroundings as the alley they’d left from.

“I’m not used to making the switch yet,” Duo explained even as he released Wufei and began to run toward the alley exit. “I aimed toward my blood so that I wouldn’t accidentally drop us in a wall or something. Didn’t think you’d like that very much.”

Nodding, the other pilot couldn’t help but to notice the stares they were receiving as they made their way through the Chinatown crowds. Thankfully, people moved away from them as they went, giving them a path. Murmurs followed them as they went, and Wufei was positive he knew what they were about.

Recognizing the direction they were heading in, Wufei glanced over to Duo in confusion. “Why are we going to your apartment?”

The shinigami’s answering grin possessed more than a little insanity. “We’re going to get Kaa-chan’s family sword. We’re going to avenge his murder properly.”

As they moved up the stairs to Duo’s apartment, the Chinese pilot wasn’t so sure that the braided man’s sandals ever touched wood. They dashed from the stairwell door so swiftly that Duo almost ran into his pale-haired ex-roommate.

“Duo, Wufei, where have you been?” Millardo demanded, blocking the way to the apartment door. His eyes widened as he took in the familiar style of clothing. “What-”

“There’s not time!” Duo insisted, pushing the man aside. “Contact the others. Quatre and your sister are in trouble. The man they met is a serial killer.”

Jerking back, the prince didn’t move for a moment before he nodded and left, pulling his phone out as he ran toward the way they’d come. Duo watched him for a moment before starting back into action.

He vanished into his room, emerging only moments later with two sheathed swords, one of which he tossed to Wufei. Remembering that particular one, the man protested. “Duo, this is your mother’s ancestral sword. You should-”

“The one I wield was made for me by Kurikara,” the shinigami stated firmly. “You’re my guardian. There’s no shame in letting you use Kaa-chan’s.”

“How are we supposed to get there in time to do anything useful?” Wufei asked, following Duo as the man walked purposefully out to the balcony.

He glanced around before answering. “If there’s one thing a student of Enma Daioh can do, it’s fly fast.”

In a split second, two arms had wrapped themselves securely around Wufei’s waist and were pulling them upward at unbelievable speeds. The mortal tucked his head against Duo’s chest to shield it from the wind, which grew colder as they sped up and went higher.

Wufei could almost feel them leave the atmosphere, but he still found no trouble breathing, and he found himself aware of the temperature, but as though from a distance. Instead, he felt an overwhelming presence of Duo, the growingly familiar power wrapping around him. If his comrade wasn’t a kami yet, he was well on his way to becoming one.

The stars themselves seemed blurred as one grew from a pinpoint of light into the metal mass that was the colony where Duo grew up, and Wufei tried not to yell in shock as they passed through the shell of the colony, heading directly toward what looked like a warehouse district.

Heero was talking with Une when her phone rang.

“Une here,” she answered.

Millardo’s voice was frantic through the speaker phone. “Une, I just saw Duo and Wufei. They’re fine, but Quatre and Relena are in danger. Kazutaka Muraki is a serial killer according to Duo. I can’t reach either of them on their cells.”

“Understood,” Une said sharply. “Head directly to the shuttle port. We’ll meet you there and have a shuttle waiting. Une out.” She hung up before starting to dial one of their in-house members, looking to Heero as she did so. “Arm up and go. Millardo will brief you on the way.”