Darkness filled the cold abandoned factory Knives had once called
his hideout. In the midst of it a woman stood in a long white
dress. The only bright thing among the cold, unforgiving gray of
the factory. Her voice echoed through the silent place.
"Knives? Knives!?" She jumped as a voice came from amidst the shadows.
"He's dead my lady." The voice was gruff and feminine at the same time and the woman spun in surprise her amethyst eyes widening slightly in anger and fright.
"What!? Who are you? Where is Knives?"
She heard, rather than saw the shadowed stranger smirk. "As I said Lady. He is dead. By the hand of his brother. Killed by Vash. The Stampede."
"No!" The woman's cry of outrage and anguish echoed all around and she fell to her knees, tears coursing down her cheeks in waves and rives, the whole place so silent that the tiny drops could be heard as they fell on the cold stone floor. "How? How?"
"He was cut down. In cold blood trying to protect the innocent." The stranger's voice was low and its lie went believed.
"That monster. How dare he!" The woman punches the ground heedless to the pain as her fist began to bleed from the impact. "How dare he kill a good man! My man!" she lifted her head and shook her long glorious midnight black hair back as her eyes darkened to an angry violet "Vash will pay!"
The stranger smiled darkly. "As you will My Lady."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"If we don't get more money soon Meryl I don't think we're gonna make it." Milly said glancing around the diner.
"I wonder why." Meryl shot a glance at Vash who was pigging out on a giant plate of spaghetti while spectators watched in shock.
Vash looked up and grinned sheepishly. "Oh hey, don't be like that." His shoulders sank. "Besides I didn't ask you to keep following me."
Meryl glared heatedly. "Of course you didn't! But you are still a liability and it's out job to keep you out of any trouble do you understand!?"
Vash cringed "Ah, yes ma'm!"
Meryl sighed and glanced out side thinking silently to herself 'Even if Knives is gone. There could be other problems out there. Right? Isn't that why we have to stay with him?'
"Meryl?" Meryl turned to see both Milly and Vash staring at her questioningly. "Are you alright?"
Meryl blushed and smiled a bit to cover it. "Yea I'm fine. Just wondering how to pay for all this." She turned away from the table to call for the check. "Wai- ter?" She blinked in surprise. The waiter seemed frozen in mid stride a platter of drinks balanced in his hand.
"Meryl what's going on?" Milly's tone was frightened and Meryl glanced around. Everyone seemed frozen in min act.
"I'm not sure Milly. I th- Hey!" She stood as Vash dashed out the door. "Come on Milly!" She ran out the door after him and just avoided colliding into him where he stood just outside the diner staring at the town in shock. "What's the big-" She stopped. The whole town was frozen. As if time had stopped completely.
Vash frowned. 'What's going on?' He shifted angrily then screamed. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"
"I can answer that." A swarm of thick silver metal vines shot out of the ground and grasped Milly and Meryl then tossed them back against the building and wrapped around them pinning their bodies against the wall on it.
"What the-" Vash made a move towards them and another metal vine shot up and flipped him back against the diner then disappeared back into the ground. He winced then looked up. "Who- Who are you?"
A woman stood infront of the trapped Milly and Meryl. Her long midnight black hair shone blue in the sun light as it swept out behind her in the light breeze the ruffled the dusty town. Her deep violet eyes gleamed with anger and even deeper grief. She wore a simple white gown, tied with a belt of diamond and silver at the waist. She was a small woman yet her stomach had the lightest swelling. The only thing that ruined the beautiful innocent and harmless aura of her was the icy hatred in her eyes and the flashing black gun the same color of her hair that gleamed in the sunlight.
Vash stared. "A woman." *sweat drops anime style* "You really shouldn't be here. There's something odd going on."
She lifted her chin and glared eyes flashing dangerously. "If you'd label it odd very well. It matters not. You will all die before you can decipher what's going on."
Vash shot to his feet. "Just who are you lady!?"
She shifted her stance bringing the gun up to her chest as he stood. "You murdered my beloved. You killed a good man who only wished to correct the harm you have done to the innocent! An angelic man who you plagued for all his life so he had hide in shadows and couldn't provide a good life for his family! But most of all you murdered the father of my soon to be child!" Her eyes blazed. "I am Dagger and for your crime I will make you pay!" She brought up the gun.
Vash stood his ground and lifted his hands in a gesture of peace. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He glanced at Meryl and Milly "Let them go and we can sit and talk about it." He grinned sheepishly again. "How about it. Ok? Ah!" He jumped back as a bullet lodged itself into the patch of ground he had been standing in.
"Don't mock me!" She raged as he dodged another angry bullet from her gun. "YOU KILLED KNIVES!!" Her shriek echoed through the still, lifeless town and Vash froze in surprise causing a bullet to his him in the shoulder.
He stumbled back and looked up at her. "Knives? You're talking about Knives."
"Knives? Knives!?" She jumped as a voice came from amidst the shadows.
"He's dead my lady." The voice was gruff and feminine at the same time and the woman spun in surprise her amethyst eyes widening slightly in anger and fright.
"What!? Who are you? Where is Knives?"
She heard, rather than saw the shadowed stranger smirk. "As I said Lady. He is dead. By the hand of his brother. Killed by Vash. The Stampede."
"No!" The woman's cry of outrage and anguish echoed all around and she fell to her knees, tears coursing down her cheeks in waves and rives, the whole place so silent that the tiny drops could be heard as they fell on the cold stone floor. "How? How?"
"He was cut down. In cold blood trying to protect the innocent." The stranger's voice was low and its lie went believed.
"That monster. How dare he!" The woman punches the ground heedless to the pain as her fist began to bleed from the impact. "How dare he kill a good man! My man!" she lifted her head and shook her long glorious midnight black hair back as her eyes darkened to an angry violet "Vash will pay!"
The stranger smiled darkly. "As you will My Lady."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"If we don't get more money soon Meryl I don't think we're gonna make it." Milly said glancing around the diner.
"I wonder why." Meryl shot a glance at Vash who was pigging out on a giant plate of spaghetti while spectators watched in shock.
Vash looked up and grinned sheepishly. "Oh hey, don't be like that." His shoulders sank. "Besides I didn't ask you to keep following me."
Meryl glared heatedly. "Of course you didn't! But you are still a liability and it's out job to keep you out of any trouble do you understand!?"
Vash cringed "Ah, yes ma'm!"
Meryl sighed and glanced out side thinking silently to herself 'Even if Knives is gone. There could be other problems out there. Right? Isn't that why we have to stay with him?'
"Meryl?" Meryl turned to see both Milly and Vash staring at her questioningly. "Are you alright?"
Meryl blushed and smiled a bit to cover it. "Yea I'm fine. Just wondering how to pay for all this." She turned away from the table to call for the check. "Wai- ter?" She blinked in surprise. The waiter seemed frozen in mid stride a platter of drinks balanced in his hand.
"Meryl what's going on?" Milly's tone was frightened and Meryl glanced around. Everyone seemed frozen in min act.
"I'm not sure Milly. I th- Hey!" She stood as Vash dashed out the door. "Come on Milly!" She ran out the door after him and just avoided colliding into him where he stood just outside the diner staring at the town in shock. "What's the big-" She stopped. The whole town was frozen. As if time had stopped completely.
Vash frowned. 'What's going on?' He shifted angrily then screamed. "WHAT'S GOING ON!?"
"I can answer that." A swarm of thick silver metal vines shot out of the ground and grasped Milly and Meryl then tossed them back against the building and wrapped around them pinning their bodies against the wall on it.
"What the-" Vash made a move towards them and another metal vine shot up and flipped him back against the diner then disappeared back into the ground. He winced then looked up. "Who- Who are you?"
A woman stood infront of the trapped Milly and Meryl. Her long midnight black hair shone blue in the sun light as it swept out behind her in the light breeze the ruffled the dusty town. Her deep violet eyes gleamed with anger and even deeper grief. She wore a simple white gown, tied with a belt of diamond and silver at the waist. She was a small woman yet her stomach had the lightest swelling. The only thing that ruined the beautiful innocent and harmless aura of her was the icy hatred in her eyes and the flashing black gun the same color of her hair that gleamed in the sunlight.
Vash stared. "A woman." *sweat drops anime style* "You really shouldn't be here. There's something odd going on."
She lifted her chin and glared eyes flashing dangerously. "If you'd label it odd very well. It matters not. You will all die before you can decipher what's going on."
Vash shot to his feet. "Just who are you lady!?"
She shifted her stance bringing the gun up to her chest as he stood. "You murdered my beloved. You killed a good man who only wished to correct the harm you have done to the innocent! An angelic man who you plagued for all his life so he had hide in shadows and couldn't provide a good life for his family! But most of all you murdered the father of my soon to be child!" Her eyes blazed. "I am Dagger and for your crime I will make you pay!" She brought up the gun.
Vash stood his ground and lifted his hands in a gesture of peace. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He glanced at Meryl and Milly "Let them go and we can sit and talk about it." He grinned sheepishly again. "How about it. Ok? Ah!" He jumped back as a bullet lodged itself into the patch of ground he had been standing in.
"Don't mock me!" She raged as he dodged another angry bullet from her gun. "YOU KILLED KNIVES!!" Her shriek echoed through the still, lifeless town and Vash froze in surprise causing a bullet to his him in the shoulder.
He stumbled back and looked up at her. "Knives? You're talking about Knives."