THE KISS OF BLADES
By: Nicole Clark
Chapter One:
The Significance of Zero
Zero walked into the town, her Soul Reaver in its case strapped to her back. The weapon that resembled a bazooka was mysterious to all but her.
She glanced at the paper she held in her hand. "This can't be the place, can it?" she thought aloud.
"Stop him! He's getting away!"
Zero looked up to see the young boy running toward her. As he ran by , she grabbed his collar and yanked him back continuing to look forward. "What's the hurry, kid?" She asked.
"Let me go!" the boy cried through clenched teeth, struggling to free himself.
A man approached them with a large shotgun. He aimed the gun at the child. "This is the last time boy. You will never steal from us again."
The gun was quickly shot from the man's hands. His eyes switched from his fallen weapon to Zero's smoking shotgun.
Zero held the gun against her shoulder aimed to the sky, the boy's collar still tightly held in her left fist. "I suggest you rethink your actions, " she said peering over the top of her sunglasses, which had moved from the top of her head. A sign meaning she was ready to strike. "I hardly think that stealing is worth taking a life."
The man became frozen with fear.
Zero put away her weapon and kneeled to be level with the boy as she replaced her sunglasses on the top of her head. "Are you okay?" She asked him sincerely.
The boy looked at her and nodded. "...but I didn't do anything...I was...I was just trying to..." The boy honestly didn't know a thing about the man's accusations of theft and Zero believed the boy.
She smiled and took the boy's hand placing a small bag of money in his palm. "Here," she said. "Let's make sure it stays that way."
She stood to leave but heard the man behind her.
She stopped for a moment before adjusting the strap on her case and turning to face him.
"I suppose you're not going to leave this alone..." she said seriously pulling her sunglasses down over her blazing eyes.
She realized that this man was no longer human...he was aiming to kill and would stop at nothing to fill his bloody desire.
The young boy cowered in fear before the man, slinking behind Zero as she stared at him.
Zero dropped her case at her feet. Emblazoned on the front of it was a silver zero with a gold scythe behind it. Plain, silver letters around it read "Soul Reaver".
Zero kicked the case. The case sprung open and the large weapon concealed within lept out of it into her outstretched hand. She poised herself, her clunky black boots gripping the sand beneath her feet, her long, white coat swaying behind her. She swung her long, dark braid off her shoulder.
"...Bastard..." she muttered through her teeth.
A loud "BOOM" echoed throughout the tiny town before fading into swift, total silence. **************************************************************************** *******************
Vash awoke in a cold sweat. His sleep had once again been haunted by that dream. The black shape of a woman, only identified by the sound of her haunting voice. Vash...where...shere are you? Vash... He felt as though he should know the person, as if she were calling him.
"Who is she?" He thought aloud.
"Huh?...who is who?" Milly questioned yawning. She rubbed her eyes. "What were you dreaming about?"
Vash looked over at her and blinked. "Why?"
Milly smiled. "Because you were talking in your sleep again."
Vash sighed. "What was it this time?"
Milly's expression changed. She appeared to be deep in thought with a finger upon her cheek. "I think you were saying something like...'zero'? Yeah," she nodded in affirmation. "I believe that's what it was." She shrugged. "Oh well....have I forgotten something?" She pondered a moment before snapping her fingers. "Breakfast!" She jumped up happily and went after something for them to eat before Meryl woke.
Vash shook his head to clear it. "Zero...? What is the significance of zero?What does that number have to do with anything...?"
And why does zero sound so familiar...? he thought. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero walked into the bar she had learned that the boy's parents owned, her case once again over her shoulder. She seemed to be trying hard at concealing the silver and gold engravings on it successfully.
She had come to return the boy to his parents, also hoping to get in a drink or two before returning to her mission.
The boy smiled and ran to his father behind the bar.
Zero set her case on the floor on its end as she took a seat at a table along the back wall. She crossed her feet on the top of the table and folded her arms over her chest. "This can't be the same town that he wanted me to go to," she pouted. "It's so deserted..."
The boy was talking to his father and turned to point to her. The boy smiled but his father's eyes reflected his fear upon hearing her name. She realized her reputation preceded her.
"I wish they would stop it with all the rumors..."she muttered under her breath.
"You too, huh?" said cheerful voice in front of her. Zero looked up to see a man clad in a red coat smiling down at her.
After a minute or two of intent staring, Zero suddenly recognized him. "...Vash?...Is that really you, Vash...?" She gasped sitting upright in her chair.
Vash recognized her voice on hearing his name. "You! You're the black, creepy person in my dream!" He pointed at her as he spoke.
"What?!?!? Creepy?!?!?!?" Zero cried. She jumped up and shook a fist at him. "You wanna see creepy?! I'll give you creepy?!"
Vash held his hands up as if to fend her off. "Sorry....sorry....the woman in my dream just creeps me out...that's all..."
"That's all?....that woman in that dream of yours....that's me?"
"Yeah..."
"You're sure?"
"Uh-huh..."
"You're abosolutely, completely, utterly, may God shoot you down with lightning and your soul spend eternity in the firey depths of Hell POSITIVE?!"
Vash gulped. "Well...not THAT sure..."
Zero sat back down. "That's what I thought...." she growled. She then smiled and clapped her hands together. "So how have you been, big brother?"
Vash seemed to hold his breath. He stared at her and then began to speak. "Just a second ago you were ready to serve my head to the Devil on a silver platter and now you're....hang on...did you...?" He raised an eyebrow to her and pointed at her yet keeping his hand close to his body. "Did you just call me 'big brother'?"
Zero nodded. "Yes...I'm your little sister, 'Vash the Stampede'. I'm Zero."
Vash's face went blank. "Z-Zero....as in Zero the Soul Reaver...?" His gaze was averted to the case on the floor. He nearly jumped out of the chair. "That's the Soul Reaver! That means...you ARE Zero the Soul Reaver!"
Zero leaned back against the wall and smirked. "And you're Vash the Stampede, Zero the Soul Reaver's older brother."
By: Nicole Clark
Chapter One:
The Significance of Zero
Zero walked into the town, her Soul Reaver in its case strapped to her back. The weapon that resembled a bazooka was mysterious to all but her.
She glanced at the paper she held in her hand. "This can't be the place, can it?" she thought aloud.
"Stop him! He's getting away!"
Zero looked up to see the young boy running toward her. As he ran by , she grabbed his collar and yanked him back continuing to look forward. "What's the hurry, kid?" She asked.
"Let me go!" the boy cried through clenched teeth, struggling to free himself.
A man approached them with a large shotgun. He aimed the gun at the child. "This is the last time boy. You will never steal from us again."
The gun was quickly shot from the man's hands. His eyes switched from his fallen weapon to Zero's smoking shotgun.
Zero held the gun against her shoulder aimed to the sky, the boy's collar still tightly held in her left fist. "I suggest you rethink your actions, " she said peering over the top of her sunglasses, which had moved from the top of her head. A sign meaning she was ready to strike. "I hardly think that stealing is worth taking a life."
The man became frozen with fear.
Zero put away her weapon and kneeled to be level with the boy as she replaced her sunglasses on the top of her head. "Are you okay?" She asked him sincerely.
The boy looked at her and nodded. "...but I didn't do anything...I was...I was just trying to..." The boy honestly didn't know a thing about the man's accusations of theft and Zero believed the boy.
She smiled and took the boy's hand placing a small bag of money in his palm. "Here," she said. "Let's make sure it stays that way."
She stood to leave but heard the man behind her.
She stopped for a moment before adjusting the strap on her case and turning to face him.
"I suppose you're not going to leave this alone..." she said seriously pulling her sunglasses down over her blazing eyes.
She realized that this man was no longer human...he was aiming to kill and would stop at nothing to fill his bloody desire.
The young boy cowered in fear before the man, slinking behind Zero as she stared at him.
Zero dropped her case at her feet. Emblazoned on the front of it was a silver zero with a gold scythe behind it. Plain, silver letters around it read "Soul Reaver".
Zero kicked the case. The case sprung open and the large weapon concealed within lept out of it into her outstretched hand. She poised herself, her clunky black boots gripping the sand beneath her feet, her long, white coat swaying behind her. She swung her long, dark braid off her shoulder.
"...Bastard..." she muttered through her teeth.
A loud "BOOM" echoed throughout the tiny town before fading into swift, total silence. **************************************************************************** *******************
Vash awoke in a cold sweat. His sleep had once again been haunted by that dream. The black shape of a woman, only identified by the sound of her haunting voice. Vash...where...shere are you? Vash... He felt as though he should know the person, as if she were calling him.
"Who is she?" He thought aloud.
"Huh?...who is who?" Milly questioned yawning. She rubbed her eyes. "What were you dreaming about?"
Vash looked over at her and blinked. "Why?"
Milly smiled. "Because you were talking in your sleep again."
Vash sighed. "What was it this time?"
Milly's expression changed. She appeared to be deep in thought with a finger upon her cheek. "I think you were saying something like...'zero'? Yeah," she nodded in affirmation. "I believe that's what it was." She shrugged. "Oh well....have I forgotten something?" She pondered a moment before snapping her fingers. "Breakfast!" She jumped up happily and went after something for them to eat before Meryl woke.
Vash shook his head to clear it. "Zero...? What is the significance of zero?What does that number have to do with anything...?"
And why does zero sound so familiar...? he thought. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero walked into the bar she had learned that the boy's parents owned, her case once again over her shoulder. She seemed to be trying hard at concealing the silver and gold engravings on it successfully.
She had come to return the boy to his parents, also hoping to get in a drink or two before returning to her mission.
The boy smiled and ran to his father behind the bar.
Zero set her case on the floor on its end as she took a seat at a table along the back wall. She crossed her feet on the top of the table and folded her arms over her chest. "This can't be the same town that he wanted me to go to," she pouted. "It's so deserted..."
The boy was talking to his father and turned to point to her. The boy smiled but his father's eyes reflected his fear upon hearing her name. She realized her reputation preceded her.
"I wish they would stop it with all the rumors..."she muttered under her breath.
"You too, huh?" said cheerful voice in front of her. Zero looked up to see a man clad in a red coat smiling down at her.
After a minute or two of intent staring, Zero suddenly recognized him. "...Vash?...Is that really you, Vash...?" She gasped sitting upright in her chair.
Vash recognized her voice on hearing his name. "You! You're the black, creepy person in my dream!" He pointed at her as he spoke.
"What?!?!? Creepy?!?!?!?" Zero cried. She jumped up and shook a fist at him. "You wanna see creepy?! I'll give you creepy?!"
Vash held his hands up as if to fend her off. "Sorry....sorry....the woman in my dream just creeps me out...that's all..."
"That's all?....that woman in that dream of yours....that's me?"
"Yeah..."
"You're sure?"
"Uh-huh..."
"You're abosolutely, completely, utterly, may God shoot you down with lightning and your soul spend eternity in the firey depths of Hell POSITIVE?!"
Vash gulped. "Well...not THAT sure..."
Zero sat back down. "That's what I thought...." she growled. She then smiled and clapped her hands together. "So how have you been, big brother?"
Vash seemed to hold his breath. He stared at her and then began to speak. "Just a second ago you were ready to serve my head to the Devil on a silver platter and now you're....hang on...did you...?" He raised an eyebrow to her and pointed at her yet keeping his hand close to his body. "Did you just call me 'big brother'?"
Zero nodded. "Yes...I'm your little sister, 'Vash the Stampede'. I'm Zero."
Vash's face went blank. "Z-Zero....as in Zero the Soul Reaver...?" His gaze was averted to the case on the floor. He nearly jumped out of the chair. "That's the Soul Reaver! That means...you ARE Zero the Soul Reaver!"
Zero leaned back against the wall and smirked. "And you're Vash the Stampede, Zero the Soul Reaver's older brother."
