In the Hands of the Dead

Lachesis closed her eyes and waited.

And waited.

Nothing happened.

Her blue eyes snapped open.

Stashia gaze bore into her. The bio android seemed to be frozen.

Then, she dropped.

A blue-haired girl stood in back of Stashia, holding a gun. She had a strange glowing aura around her.

Lachesis backed up into a wall, nearly screaming. "Na~gi?" she whispered in horror.

The ghost looked up and nodded. "Stashia isn't dead, Lach. Kill her now."

"I…I…"

"Do it now Lachesis. She killed me remember?" Nagi looked at her pleadingly.

Dazed at the sight that laid before her, Lachesis reached in for her telekinetic powers. She then searched for Stashia's detonation device and unlocked it.

A red aura formed around Stashia. Nagi launched herself at Lachesis to protect her friend from the explosion.

The next thing Lachesis knew was that she was standing outside, moon just rising in the sky.

The only remainder of Stashia was a small, green computer chip that flashed once, and then, all life flickered out.

Akira groaned and rolled over. Stashia's energy was gone from the world and that was a relief. But he had other things and pains to worry about. "Was it my fault they made me a male?" he muttered to himself. He squinted his eyes and saw Lachesis talking to some one.

However, he couldn't see what she was talking to.

"Oh great, I swear…if that girl has gone delirious on me…"

A tear slipped down from Lachesis's face. "What does heaven look like?"

Nagi looked at her sadly. "I'm afraid I can't say."

"You mean…"

"No, I'm not in hell. I can't explain Lach. All I can say is that there are more complicated things out there. When I…died, they took me in."

"They? Who's they?"

"I can't tell."

"Dooshite?"

"Don't know. But when you…cross over…perhaps you shall become one too."

"Become what?" came from a voice behind the girls.

Akira was seen limping towards them. Now that he was a little closer, he saw Nagi glowing like some uncontrolled night light. But wasn't she…

"Nagi, why are you glowing?"

"I'm dead Akira."

There was silence.

The male bio android held out his hand to Nagi. The ghost tried touching him but her hand went right through his. "They say I'll get reborn in another world."

Akira looked into her eyes. "Who are they?"

Nagi didn't answer. She turned back and walked away into the darkness, slowly flickering out. She could feel Akira and Lachesis's eyes watching her as she faded.

They were waiting on the other side.

The Shadow Hunters.

~*~Owari~*~

To be continued in Shadow Hunter, the sequel to Lachesisª and the prequel to Dragon Maiden.

Shadow Hunters.

They dedicated their afterlives to banaishing the dark Shadows back into the lower level of the Astral Plane.

However, as the people of the Phsyical Plane got more negative and violent, the shadows increased in power.

Now, in the name of the Black and Silver Dragon clans, they must find the only one that can take out the greatest Shadows.

Nagi Yoshina had risen quickly in the league of Shadow Hunters. Yet is she the one they have been searching for? Does she have the will power to take on the responsibilities of a Dragon Maiden?