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You know, I never intended to write another story about Hel. I figured that it would be just a one-shot deal. However, I got so many responses saying that I should write more about the other spirits of the Gundams that I decided to try. I wrote some on this, and an outline for another and then put it away. Only they refused to go away. So I present the second Hel story, with guest Shen-long. Enjoy!
Gundam Wing, Duo, Wufei, Meiran, and the actual Gundams do not belong to me. I claim no rights to them. Hel, Shen-long, and any other incidental charcters I make up to further the story do belong to me. Ask before you torment them.
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With slow deliberate steps, Hel stalked the butterfly through the warehouse. The small fluttering creature had come in through the open warehouse doors when the crew was off-loading this morning's shipment. It had survived grinding gears, moving forklifts, and the determined efforts of the crew to capture it. But could it survive a bored and frustrated dragon?
Her pilot had sent everyone home early, and was now waiting outside on the loading docks. If Hel had cared to take her eyes off of her prey, she would have seen him through the open doors. Whoever he was waiting for was the reason for the early dismissal of the crew. But Hel still didn't know who was showing up. Hel did *not* like not knowing. It made her edgy and frustrated.
So instead of pacing and ranting, which was what she usually did, Hel had found another outlet. The butterfly landed by the edge of a puddle of what might have been water and the black dragon froze. Her eyes glowed softly with green hellfire. Only the tip of her tail betrayed how she felt as it lashed against the concrete floor.
The small yellow and black butterfly twitched its wings and sprang into flight. Hel braced herself for a second, then leapt herself. Her back claws grated against the concrete, and she scrambled for purchase just before wide fanged jaws snapped shut. Flaring her wings, Hel beat them once, twice, in order to gain her balance before dropping back to four legs. With a smug smile, Hel trotted out of the open door to outside.
She made extra sure to avoid the fidgeting Duo as she stepped out onto the loading dock. Then she opened her mouth wide. A few seconds passed before a small flutter of gold and black flew out of her mouth. Hel watched the butterfly for a moment before blowing a blast of air underneath it to give it height to flitter on its way.
"Well, Maxwell, my entertainment for the afternoon is over. This person you're waiting for better be worth it. And they better hurry up. If it takes them too much longer, I'm going to get bored," Hel said conversationally.
"The world is not here for your entertainment, Beast." Hel jumped at the sound of the voice, and whirled to face its source. For a minute the setting sun blinded her, but then she made out a human figure. It was a girl, one that caused recognition to stir in the back of the dragon's brain. However, it was only when Hel noticed that she could see the outline of trees through the girl that she placed the voice.
"Meiran. I'd say it's nice to see you, but I don't like to lie," Hel stated as she drew her dignity around her like a cloak. She had promised Shen-long that she would try to keep from arguing with Meiran. And this time she was going to keep her promise. Really. Dark almond shaped eyes narrowed before the spirit replied.
"I'm sure that truthfulness is the only admirable quality you possess," Meiran replied as she walked pass the shocked dragon and into the warehouse. Hel gaped in shock for a few more seconds, before dropping to a crouch. Green neon fire leapt into her eyes as she braced herself to spring.
"Meiran, refrain from annoying are hostess. Remember while Wufei is visiting, we are Hel's guests. Now apologize before she decides to turn us both out into the cold." The deep bass rumble came from inside the warehouse, and Hel blinked. Of course! If Meiran was here, Shen-long couldn't be far away.
"Hey, Wufei! I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever show. It's not like you to be late. Come on. Let's get some dinner before I die of starvation," Duo's voice carried across the cement loading dock.
"I am sorry. The shuttle was late getting in," Wufei's formal reply came. Then at Duo's eager look, amusement colored his words. "I have never seen anyone be so concerned with food. Is that all you think about?"
Wufei's words were met with good-natured laughter, and the two friends went to talk about old times. Hel didn't even bother to look back. Instead she watched as Meiran bowed low.
"I apologize for my rudeness," the spirit replied though the anger and disdain in her eyes belied the polite words. Hel snorted, and walked pass her without acknowledging the apology. She didn't understand how the other dragon could tolerate having the girl around. Of course, that was assuming that he had a choice which was something Hel had never quite figured out.
At first, Hel couldn't see through the dimness that filled interior of the warehouse. A movement among the rafters caused her to look up. Coils of green scales edged in gold, gleaming with the same shine as lacquer wove in and out of the metal beams as the oriental dragon turned his head to watch her. Branching golden horns which had always reminded Hel of antlers barely avoided scraping the ceiling. Of all the Gundam spirits Shen-long was the longest and, Hel was pretty sure, the oldest. Though to get someone as enigmatic as Shen-long to admit it taxed even Hel's considerable skills.
"I assume from your reaction that you were not expecting us," Shen-long said as Meiran began to explore the warehouse that Hel called home. Golden eyes watched her as Hel flew up to the catwalk and waited patiently for Shen-long to make room for her in the rafters.
"No. I wasn't. Maxwell hadn't mentioned anything." Shen-long shook his head in response. The metal rafters shook with him, sending a dull ringing sound throughout the warehouse.
"We didn't know that this was where Wufei was coming either. I think it was a impulse driven by loneliness. Destroying his Gundam hurt him more deeply than he cares to admit. And unlike your Maxwell, Wufei has never been one to make friends easily," Shen-long stated, ignoring the snort of derision from below.
Hel looked down from the rafter's, turning her head in the direction of the snort. "Hey, Meiran. I wouldn't be so quick to judge him. It might be that the only reason he misses his Gundam so much is because he know longer has anything to remind him of those hot, steamy nights you two spent together."
Indignant sputters of rage were the only answer. Hel snickered. Shen-long rolled huge brown eyes and asked the gods above for patience.
The two dragons settled down to talk. The two brought each other up to date on the lives of their pilots. Once that was taken care of, they exchanged the most recent information they had on the other Spirits and their pilots. Eventually the talks turned into gossip. It was almost of requirement when entering the black dragon's domain. Hel loved gossip and seemed to thrive off of speculation.
Eventually the conversation began to wind down, broken more and more by lulls of companionable silence. Only old friends could find comfort in the silence as much as the words. It was during one of these lulls that Hel's thoughts settled on something that had been bothering her for a long time.
"Shen-long," Hel began waiting only for the older dragon's attention before continuing. "I've been wondering..." Despite his best efforts, Shen-long stiffened. When Hel said those words anything for the profound to the disturbing to the inane might follow. "Can you read? English, I mean. I mean, I know you can those Chinese squiggles, or at least I think you can. Can't you? Anyways, I was wondering if you can read English as well."
It took Shen-long a few seconds to answer. His mind was to busy trying to get over the shock of having one of the most ancient and complex written languages in the world be called "squiggles." Luckily, part of his mind had gotten use to sifting through the chaff that made up much of Hel's conversation to get to the kernel. In this case: could he read English?
"Yes, I can read English well enough. Why?"
"Well, I was wondering if you could read something for me. There's a plaque that Maxwell put up near the front of the warehouse. There's words on it. The thing means a lot to him `cause every now and then he'll just look at it. For minutes on end. Problem is, I don't know what it's saying. It's been bothering me for awhile now, and I was wondering if would mind reading it for me."
"I'll do my best."
Both dragons left their places among the rafters to land gracefully on the concrete floor. Hel led the way, trotting over to where the plaque was bolted into the wall. Shen-long came up behind her then had to shift as she got back up from her sitting position. With a little concentration, Hel managed to move one of the light switches so that the lights were on low. This caused odd shadows to appear in the warehouse, but at least it provided enough light for Shen-long to read the words. Both were so intent on the plaque that neither noticed Meiran's presence until she spoke.
"It would figure that you wouldn't know how to read, Beast." Hel was about to reply, refusing to be ashamed of her ignorance. Shen-long beat her to it.
"Please tell me something, Meiran. Exactly how good would you be with a sword if no one had taken the time to teach you?" The words were cold, and Hel shivered a little at the reproach in them. Meiran bowed deeply, aware of her mistake. When she made no other comment, the green dragon turned his attention back towards the plaque.
" Now let's see if I can answer your question. The plaque says `They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4'"
A full minute passed in silence, as Hel let the words sink in. "Is that really what it says?" she asked in a voice that was composed of wonder and awe. It wasn't a question that needed an answer. Shen-long gave one anyway.
"Yes, it is."
"I never knew. No wonder he would just stare at it sometimes. To remind himself of why he built this place. And I didn't even know..." One clawed forefoot came up off the floor, almost as if she was going to touch it. But she didn't. Instead, Hel returned the foot to the floor, and tore her gaze from the plaque. "Thank you, Shen-long."
"The honor is mine," Shen-long replied. Hel thought about turning the lights back off, but changed her minds. Just one more thing for the crew to wonder about. Besides, the light was low enough not keep them awake, and she didn't want to expend the energy to turn them off.
Instead the two dragons returned to the rafters to sleep.
However, long after Shen-long had gone to sleep, Hel found herself still awake. She was filled with nervous energy. Finally, not wishing to disturb her guests and too restless to stay still any longer, the black dragon dropped noiselessly to the catwalk below. A graceful leap onto the guard rail, a slithering drop to the warehouse floor below, and short walk brought her to the plaque.
She spent a few moments staring at it in the semi-dark of the warehouse, trying to see the words Shen-long had spoken in the writing before her. It was futile. Then Hel reared up on hind legs, placing her front claws on the huge plaque. The green fire from her eyes reflected back at her, and her warm breath formed little clouds of condensation on the metal. Without conscious thought, Hel's tongue flickered out and touched the plaque. The metal had a sharp taste that had always reminded her of blood.
"Tell me what it says."
Hel jumped at the sharp command. She whirled around into a crouch only to face a very calm Meiran. A loud hiss filled the silence of the warehouse as her eyes began to glow. Even though she really hadn't, Hel felt like she had been caught doing something obscene. So her reply was less the cordial.
"Why should I?"
"Because. Unless you're so stupid that you can't even remember something for more than a few hours," Meiran stated as she stared down the twenty foot long black dragon. They both knew from experience that Hel could do nothing to the ghost. Her claws simply went right through the dead girl.
"Of course I remember." In truth, Hel could remember the gist of what the plaque said but not the actual words. Pride refused to let her admit it. "It said `They will turn their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not fight against nation, and they will not train for war anymore. Isaac two four.' See, easy."
The slap took her completely by surprise. Meiran's hand came down across her nose, and the sound it made seemed to hang in the air. Hel jerked back, more out of shock than actual pain.
"Wrong. The correct words are 'They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Isaiah 2:4'" Meiran made sure to put extra stress on all the words Hel had gotten wrong. "Your Maxwell put a lot of thought and effort into that plaque. You dishonor him by not learning it."
Amazingly enough, Hel felt hot shame creep through her. Her head hung down, and she shuffled her claws against the concrete floor. If anyone could have looked on, they would have instantly recognized the scene. An errant pupil being reprimanded by a strict teacher.
"In order to regain both your honor and your pilot's we will stay here until you can recite it correctly. Then you will repeat it some more to make sure that you have it memorized. Once you have it memorized, I will begin to teach you how to actually read the letters. Once you learn those letters, I will teach you others for however long it takes you to learn. I expect you to practice while I am not here. I will check your progress every time Shen-long and I return here. There had better be improvement each time. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Meiran."
Shen-long looked down from the rafter's as Hel struggled to repeat back the saying word for word. Hel often asked him why he chose to stay with Meiran even after their Gundam had been destroyed. It was for moments like this. And with that thought, the ancient Chinese dragon let the litany of instructor and pupil send him to sleep.
Return to Maxwell House Fanfics
Swords into Plowshares
Susan Lee Gidley
� 2000, Tsaiko