A/N: new chappie! enjoy!
Chapter 9: Heartless
Kan's eyes fluttered open to see the legs of the living room coffee table, and the feeling of blood rushing to his head. It was morning and soon realized that half of his body was on the floor with his head leading the way. Suddenly a face appeared in front of him with a quizzical expression.
"Mr. Kan?" Milly asked with a slight frown. "What are you doing on the floor?"
"I've always had a problem with staying still when I sleep," he smiled, sitting up and looking around. He noticed Vash was gone and Meryl was in the kitchen, Nobara and Knives nowhere to be seen.
"I hope you're hungry, Mr. Kan!" Milly called as she walked to the kitchen.
"Starving!" Kan ginned, standing to head toward the table. "Where's Nobara?"
"We haven't seen her of Knives this morning," Meryl replied. "Vash is in the shower, so you might have to wait for the water to heat up."
"Do you ever get out of the kitchen, Meryl?" Kan smirked as he sat at the table and she turned her head to smirk back.
"Sometimes," she replied and Kan gave a chuckle.
"You girls are cute, ya know?" he smiled and both girls looked to him with wide eyes. "I'll bet Vash loves havin' you around."
"Morning all!" Nobara called as she came down the hall, catching everyone's attention.
They stared at her in shock as she walked into the kitchen for a drink. Her hair was a complete mess and all she wore was a shirt that obviously belonged to Knives that was big enough to fall mid-thigh. She sat across from her brother with a glass of water as he glared at her but she only took a drink, noticing Kan's anger and smirking at him.
Slut, Kan snarled mentally, knowing she was reading his mind at the moment.
Not true, big brother, she replied. We just wanted to blow off some steam.
Kan narrowed his eyes at her and she only laughed softly in amusement at his gaze. Kan noticed Knives head toward them from the hall, Vash following close behind. The brothers sat at the table, Kan and Vash rolling their eyes at what Knives wasn't wearing. He was shirtless, wearing only pants and the bandages over his wounds.
At least Vash was good enough to put on a shirt with ladies present, Kan muttered inwardly.
"So that's where my shirt went," Knives smirked, his intense sapphire gaze on Nobara as she smiled back seductively. "Thief."
"Now that's just mean," she pouted, mockingly.
"Alright, you two," Kan snapped. "That's enough. We all know what you did last night you don't have to bring it to the table where we eat."
Nobara and Knives glared at Kan as Meryl and Milly snickered from the kitchen and Vash just burst out laughing.
"My sentiments exactly!" Vash laughed, causing Knives to shoot his glare at him.
"And for God's sake, would the two of you put some clothes on!" Kan shouted, making Vash laugh a little harder.
Nobara glared at Kan as her voice rang in his head, You and I are gonna have a little talk on not embarrassing me in front of my friends.
You're doing a good job of embarrassing yourself on your own, little sister, Kan retorted, mentally. Nobara stood and marched toward the hall, Knives moving to follow her but Kan stopped him, saying, "Knives, is it?"
Knives froze and shot his sapphire gaze at Kan and nodded with a raised brow of wonder as Kan glared up at him
"Stay away from my sister," he resumed.
A clang was heard from the kitchen before Meryl and Milly turned to watch Kan and Knives, Vash turning his wide eyes to them as well. They were all thinking the same thing. What would happen next?
"I beg your pardon?" Knives warned in a low tone.
"You heard me," Kan replied, standing and leaning toward him, his hands on the table. "Stay. Away. From Nobara."
"Doesn't anyone wanna know what we're having for breakfast?" Meryl squeaked, trying to keep a brawl from starting, but she was ignored.
"I believe the decision of whether or not I stay away from her lies with your sister herself," Knives smirked coolly, standing as well to mirror Kan's stance. "Personally, I think she'll want me around for a while."
What does Rose see in this bastard?
"Vash the Stampede!"
All eyes turned to Nobara as she stood dressed in her black outfit in the entrance to the hallway, pointing at Vash as she smirked, "Put on your red coat! Spike up that hair! Grab your awesome shades and load that pretty 45 calli of yours! For I, Nobara the Phantom, challenge you to a quick draw!"
They all stared at her in surprise as Vash only chuckled.
"How long have you been working on that?" he smirked.
"About five minutes," Nobara shrugged before running up to Vash and kneeling on one knee, her hands clasped together as she stared up at him with wide puppy-dog eyes. "Please, oh, please let me show you my super, awesome gunmanship. Please, oh, please?"
Vash placed a hand on his chin in thought, looking up at the ceiling then looking back at her and smiling, "Well, since I can't resist a begging woman, I guess I could accommodate you."
"Yes!" Nobara cheered, shooting to her feet and punching the air with a grin. "I'll go set up some bottles in the back!" She looked to her brother and waved him toward her as she headed back down the hall. "Come on, big bro. You gotta help me!"
"You two should have breakfast first!" Milly called, running after Nobara with a plate of blueberry and pudding pancakes as Kan glared at Knives who sat down, waiting for his breakfast.
"Our conversation isn't over," Kan warned in a slight growl.
"Far from the end," Knives agreed, coolly.
Kan stood tall and marched toward the hall to catch up with his sister.
That guy's got evil in his eyes, Kan thought to himself. What the hell does Rose see in him that I don't?
Consumed with his thoughts, he didn't notice Milly slip out of Vash's room on his right. They rammed into each other, stumbling away from each other then looking up at one another with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, Milly!" he gasped, gripping her arm to steady her. "You ok?"
"I…uh. Oh, gee! I'm just fine, Mr. Kan!" Milly grinned and blushed, scratching the back of her neck before walking back down the hall laughing nervously toward the living room and Kan scoffed as he watched her.
She's a cutie.
He looked at the door, then concentrated on it, hard. He saw the outline of his sister sitting on the bed eating her breakfast.
"You don't have to use your x-ray vision, the door's open," Nobara called.
Damn it! I hate her power!
And I hate yours, she retorted in his head.
He sneered as he pushed the door open, stepping in as he glared and Nobara and she only stared back at him. She didn't read his mind, or move, or say a word, and neither did he. They only stared at each other for several moments before she sighed and used her telekinesis to shut the door behind him.
"What now, big brother?" she asked, putting the plate on the nightstand next to the bed. "I know that look. I don't have to read your mind to know something's wrong with you."
"It's not me," Kan replied. "It's you."
Nobara gave him a confused frown but he only stepped toward her to stand in front of her.
"You've always had bad taste in men, but Knives takes the cake," she snapped, making her straighten and glare at her brother.
"What's wrong with Knives?" she ground out, threateningly.
"What isn't wrong with him?" he shot back. "He's arrogant! Self-righteous, and not to mention evil! He's—!"
He cut himself off when he watched Nobara bow her head and sighed tiredly, stepping closer and sitting next to her on the bed.
"I'm sorry, Rose," he sighed, pulling her under his arm to let her rest her head on his shoulder. "But honestly, what do you see in him?"
"He's a good man, deep down," she murmured. "He's got a good heart, like Vash, he's just been hurt. He was beaten by humans, so he stereotyped us as horrible, inferior beings. He was only evil because he didn't know any other way to survive. He doesn't mean to be so…"
Her voice faded and he looked down at her with a frown before it disappeared when she began shuddering.
"Maybe I shouldn't be too hard on him," Kan sighed, looking away from her. "The way he looked at me though, it was like he wanted to strangle me…and enjoy it."
"He's trying," she shuddered. "I can feel it. After all, he doesn't object to human company anymore."
"Maybe so, but does that really justify his attitude?" Kan replied.
"No," she sniffled. "But it's something." She looked up at him, quickly wiping her tears away before saying, "You could stand to be nicer anyway."
"What?"
"Telling him to stay away from me only tells him that you're threatened by him," she explained. "He feeds on that."
Kan sighed, rolling his eyes and muttering, "Fine, I'll try to be nice. But if he starts anything, I'm finishing it."
"You know, it's talk like that that makes him think humans are barbarians," she retorted.
"I don't care, it's simply how it is," he replied and they fell silent again, both staring at the floor before he said, "Hey, why don't we set up the stuff for your play date with Vash?"
"Ok!" Nobara grinned, suddenly full of energy. "Have you tried Milly's pancakes?" She leaned over to pick up the plate from the nightstand and placed them in Kan's lap, complimenting, "They're surprisingly good."
She cut a morsel with her fork and shoved it into her brother's mouth. Kan made startled noise before chewing, cautiously then smiled down at his sister.
"These aren't half bad," Kan nodded through his mouth full of food.
"You should tell Milly," Nobara smiled, taking another bite. "I'm sure she'll love hearing compliments from you."
"Shut up."
Later in the Back Yard...
Vash stood under the blazing twin suns in his long red coat, sporting his 45 Colt on his hip, and his round shooting glasses. His hair was now spiked to perfection and his aqua-green eyes stared at the empty glass bottles placed in a line on top of a bench.
Nobara stood a few yars away to his right in her own combat uniform of complete black, her arms crossed, her emerald green eyes staring at him over small oval, black lensed, silver framed glasses and a smirk spread across her lips. Her 38 revolver sat in its holster around her waist with her knives below her belt, strapped to her thighs.
Meryl, Milly, Knives, Kan, and even Mack, gagged and strapped to his chair, stood under the shade of the Thomas shack. Kan stood next to Milly, staring at Vash and Nobara above his own sunglasses of gold and brown almost identical to Nobara's. Knives stood behind Mack, fully clothed and ready to hit him if he got too annoying Meryl stood between him and Kan to keep them from fighting.
"Come on, Vash!" Nobara smirked. "You can do this! There's nothing to it for you, right?"
"I just thought I'd get my bearings a second," Vash smirked, facing to Nobara.
She's gonna love this, he thought to himself.
He lifted his gun from his holster with his right hand, still smiling at her. He raised his gun toward the bottles and shot. The four shots sounded as one, but there were four distinct shatters as the bullets hit the bottles.
Nobara scoffed and dropped her arms, four more bottles levitating onto the bench as the four shattered ones fell off of it. Her guitar-rifle and missile launching amplifier floated behind her and gently settled down on the ground next to her.
"Show off," she murmured with a smirk.
She spun around, her back facing the bottles and drew her gun with her right hand. She lifted her gun, setting it on her shoulder, the barrel pointing behind her. One shot fired and hit one bottle, shattering it. Vash shot his gaze at the row of glasses in shock.
How the hell—?
"You like that?" Nobara smirked, hearing his thoughts. "You're gonna love this."
She lifted her gun again and tossed it to her left hand, lowering it to her other shoulder. Another shot. Another glass shattered.
She's pretty good.
She tossed the gun back to her right hand and spun around to face the last two bottles. She didn't hesitate to aim and fire, twice within seconds. The last two bottles shattered, and Nobara lifted the barrel to her lips to blow the smoke from its tip.
"Smoking gun," she smirked, then looked at Vash. He stared at the broken bottles in astonishment. "Don't look so surprised. I'm sure you're seen and done better."
"Not from a woman," Vash smirked, looking to her. "That is, except for Meryl."
"Yeah, quick, say that before she beans you with one of her derringers," Nobara smirked then jumped when Knives started clapping in a slow steady rhythm. Vash and Nobara turned to him before she grinned and bowed, grandly.
"You're not done yet, are you, little sister?" Kan smiled and Nobara smirked back at him.
"Of course not," she chirped.
Vash frowned at her before looking to the bench to see four more bottles float onto it. Nobara spun around and raising her hand, her guitar shot to through the air and into her grip. She spun it through the air, cocked it and aimed it at the bottles. Two shots. Two hits.
"Big deal!" Vash grinned.
"Ain't done," Nobara smirked.
She still held her guitar in the shooting position, but this time, she removed her hands and it floated in the air.
"Look, ma! No hands!"
She waved her hands in the air and grinned. The guitar floated down a bit as Nobara turned to Knives and winked at him. Two more shots. Two more bottles shattered.
"Ok, now that was cool!" Vash grinned.
"Glad ya like it," Nobara smiled as everyone clapped, but Nobara drew the gun on her hip, her face growing solemn, and everyone's eyes shot wide as she aimed at her brother.
"Nobara—?"
A shot ran out, but Kan stood still, even as Vash screamed at her, and the shot whizzed by his ear. Her guitar dropped to the dirt as she still aimed her gun behind her brother, marching around him. All eyes shot behind Kan as he whirled around and saw a man lying face down on the ground in a pool of blood. The girls gasped as Kan and Knives drew their own guns to head toward the dead man, aiming their guns at him. Mack squirmed in his chair trying to see what had happened.
"What's that on the back of his neck?" Nobara demanded as Kan knelt down next to him. He used his armed hand to move hair from the nape of his neck to reveal the tattoo of a robin on it.
"What's that got to do with anything?" Vash asked.
"That's Krystal's mark," Nobara ground out, turning and marching back toward Mack and the girls. She shoved Mack's head forward, making him give out a muffled shout through his gag and she gripped a handful of his sand blonde hair from his neck to reveal the same tattoo.
"Definitely Krystal's work," she murmured, darkly. She kept her grip on his hair and pulled, craning his neck back so that she could glare into his chocolate brown gaze of terror. "Forgot to mention you weren't alone, did you?"
She let him go and holstered her revolver then turning to the boys. Vash saw her gaze meet Kan's and noticed the other man nod, guessing they were speaking telepathically.
"Vash. Knives. Get the idiot into the house, won't you?" Nobara called.
Knives hesitated before nodding and headed toward Mack. Kan walked toward the girls, but Vash didn't move and instead, stared down at the dead man.
"This…" he breathed, catching everyone's attention. "This isn't…right."
"What's wrong, Vash?" Nobara called and Vash looked up at her emotionless face.
"I thought you wouldn't kill unless it was absolutely necessary!" Vash recalled, shuddering.
"It was," she replied as everyone stayed still, watching the scene.
"How?"
"You see that gun in his hand?"
"That's not the point!"
"What is the point?"
"You're trigger happy! You really are a killer!"
"Trigger happy? You think I'm a killer?"
"You're showing no regret or emotion for killing that man!"
"That guy was one of Krystal Robyn's agents, just like Mack! He may be an idiot, but he's valuable! In reading his mind I've gotten some information useful for us to defeat Krystal!"
"So, you would keep alive only those who are 'valuable' to your plan and kill the rest?"
"If I hadn't shot that guy he would've tried to take out one of us! I love your philosophy on not killing but you can't push that on me! I'm a soldier! Now would you please just let me do what needs to be done and let me do it my way?"
All eyes shot between Vash and Nobara in terror as Knives only leaned on one of the poles holding up the shack he was still under.
I'm sorry, Vash heard ring in his head, causing him to stare at her with wide eyes. This is the one chance I can do something right.
Nobara turned and marched into the house, all eyes watching her and as soon as they heard the slam of a door, they all looked to Vash. Knives shoved from his leaning stance to stroll toward the house as well, as his twin only stared ahead in shock.
"Vash?" Meryl called softly as she walked toward him and he looked to her. "What now?"
How the hell should I know? he thought, looking down at her with a frown but instead asked, "What do you mean, Meryl?"
"Are you still going to help her?" she wondered.
"I don't know," Vash admitted.
Nobara killing that man didn't sit at all well with him. But what could he do? She was a soldier, but that made no difference. It was no excuse. He knew she didn't enjoy killing. He'd seen that in the way she showed no emotion toward it, but that also showed him that she didn't regret it, either. She was so closed off. How were any of them going to get to know her if she only told them half truths…only what they needed to know or sometimes nothing at all?
I'm getting to the bottom of this right now, he told himself.
Without a word to anyone, he marched toward the door leading inside the house, holstering his gun and stopped at the only shut door in the hall. He pounded on the door mercilessly.
"Nobara!" he shouted. "Let me in! We need to talk!"
"Go away, Vash!" Knives called through the door, taking Vash aback slightly before he ignored the order and opened the door.
The sight that greeted him washed all anger from his heart and replaced it with guilt. Nobara sat on the bed, her head bowed as Knives sat next to her, glaring up at Vash. Nobara looked up at the Humanoid Typhoon with swollen, red eyes, a swollen red nose and she quickly wiped her tears from her cheeks before looking back at him.
"What now, Vash?" she muttered. "Come to tell me I'm heartless? Maybe here to say you won't be helping me after all? I wouldn't blame you."
"I know you're not heartless, Nobara," Vash sighed. "But how can I, or anyone else understand why you do what you do if you don't tell us anything? We want to know you and be your friend, but you keep everything bottled up! We don't even know your real name!"
"It's Rose," she replied. "And my past is nothing for any of you to be concerned about."
"Nobara, you'll nave to let us in sooner or later," Vash replied. "If you don't let anyone in, you'll have no one but yourself. Then what will you do when you have no allies to fight with you side by side?"
"I don't need anyone," Nobara murmured.
"It doesn't look like it to me."
Later...
Meryl stood from the table as Vash walked into the room, following.
"Where are Kan and Milly?" Nobara asked as Vash took a seat at the table o Meryl's left as she stayed in her spot.
"They're out back getting your stuff and take care of Mack," she replied and Nobara nodded as she stepped to the head of the table.
"We'll wait for them, then," Nobara decided as Knives took a seat on the other side of Meryl.
What's going on? Meryl thought with a frown to Vash.
You'll see, Nobara replied as Vash shook his head in response just as Milly and Kan stepped into the room.
"Where's Mack?" Nobara asked as Milly stepped between Vash and Meryl, Kan stepping next to Nobara.
"We stuck him in a room," Kan replied with a frown, but Nobara only stared at him for a moment before his frown disappeared to be replaced with a wide eyed look of disbelief before she looked to the people ahead of her.
"You know why I'm Krystal's enemy," she began. "But you all really don't know anything about me or Allen. He and I are special because of our abilities, but our father was disappointed in us for those abilities. He thought we were freaks and tried to beat our powers out of us. Our mother never really did anything for us or against us.
"Our father was horrible. Fortunately for Allen he had his healing power so he doesn't have any scars, but our dad used to lock us in separate rooms, thinking us 'freaks' fed off of each other and made it worse. We would try to fight him off but he was always too strong.
"One day, I had enough. I sensed him coming down the hall for our daily beating but he went towards Allen's room first. I used my telekinesis to unlock my door while he wasn't looking and walked into the hall right behind him. I don't really remember a lot after that. I just saw red, but Allen—"
"I saw everything," Kan broke in, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she glanced at him but said nothing else. "I remember seeing her behind him and me screaming at her in my head to go back into her room, but she had a horrible look in her eyes. A look of…pure hatred. I knew it was directed at our father, but I was literally powerless to stop what next.
Fifteen Years Ago...
"Rose!" thirteen year old Allen called to his ten year old sister. "What are you doing?"
He stood from his place on the floor and ran toward her, gripping her arm and trying to pull her away. "You can't do it! Whatever you're thinking right now, you can't do it!"
"It won't stop, brother," Rose murmured, softly. "He'll just keep hurting us and mother won't do anything to help us. We have to fight for ourselves."
"But killing him isn't the answer!" Allen insisted. "He's our father!"
"How come none of the other daddy's I know hurt their kids?" Rose cried, not looking away from her still frozen father. "No, Allen, he's not our daddy."
Allen stared at Rose in horror as she slowly began closing her fingers into a fist. He turned his gaze to their father as he made a painful groan and the boy tried to pull Rose away again.
"Stop it!" he shouted.
Rose still stared at their father, emotionlessly and used her other hand to shove her brother away and push him up against the opposite wall with her telekinesis.
"Rose! Stop it!"
Their father began screaming in pain as Rose's hand clenched into a fist. Tears began streaming down Allen's face as he watched his little sister start to crush their father's brain.
"Rose! Stop it, now!" he cried one last time.
"No more hurt," Rose murmured and clenched her fist as tight as she could.
Allen turned his head to avoid seeing the blood hemorrhaging from the man's eyes, ears and nose as his cries were drowned with blood. A resounding thud echoed through the empty room as Rose and Allen's father fell to the floor, dead and bloody. Allen stumbled toward Rose as she released her telekinetic hold on him and she simply stared expressionless at the body.
He watched in horror as their mother ran into the doorway and screamed at the sight, waking Rose from her trance with a start. She turned into her brother's embrace and immediately began sobbing.
"You killed…your father?" Vash breathed when Kan finished the story and Nobara nodded, wearily.
"When I went to military school, I kept my powers secret from my peers," Nobara continued. "Only my superiors knew about it. But, every once in a while I would get so mad and some people would have some strange things happen to them."
"And you, Mr. Kan?" Milly asked, timidly. "Did you have problems."
"Not really," Kan replied. "I was busy taking care of mom. She went into a severe depression after what happened."
"I ran away a year after what happened and that's when a little five year old girl named Sakura found me in the desert and her parents took care of me for five years," Nobara continued. "We grew very close, but when I left, I knew I would most likely never see her again."
"You think so, huh?"
All eyes shot to the hall to see Mack pulling the gag from his face and throwing it away. Everyone instantly shot to their feet and drew their weapons to point them at him.
"What was that?" Nobara ground out at him, her eyes flashing with anger.
"Who do you think will be leading that army you keep saying is coming?" Mack retorted, coolly. "You know Krystal has to have a right hand, and she's got the best one, too. Your old friend, Sakura Maddock."
Nobara eyes widened in disbelief as she lowered her gun, but anger instantly took over again and she stared him down as her face darkened.
"You're lying," she growled and stalked toward him, making his confidence falter and he swallowed in fear. "It's not true. It can't be true. You're lying!"
Her empty hand came up and Mack was thrown down the hall and out the door, shattering it to splinters.
"You're gonna kill him!" Meryl called as Nobara marched down the hall.
"No," she ground out. "I'll just toss him around a bit, then I'll kill him."
"Nobara! Wait!" Vash called as he led the procession running after her, Knives trailing behind, not wanting to get in her way.
They crowded around the doorway to see Mack trying to pick himself up out of the dirt but Nobara was the quicker. She raised a hand and used her telekinesis to lift him into the air as he shouted and cried out in fear.
"Why?" she ground out. "Why is Sakura helping that bitch to kill me?"
"Krystal told her you killed her sister," Mack replied immediately, struggling in the air.
"No!" she roared and Mack went flying through the air and hit the ground where the bottles had been set up. Nobara marched toward him, enraged as she holstered her weapon, the group following her and she gripped his collar to bring their faces inches apart, demanding, "How did her sister die? Tell me or you'll wish you never took this job from Krystal!"
"She—" Mack coughed, a trail of blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. "She was in Inepril when the plant exploded. The townsfolk found her in a pile of rubble, dead. Krystal told Sakura you blew it up."
"Won't she be surprised when she finds out it was you who killed Mariko, not me?" she growled, shoving him to the ground. She drew her gun again and placed her foot on his chest to keep him still as she aimed at his head.
"Night, night, Mack," she murmured.
"Nobara! No!" Vash shouted, running toward her and lowering her arm. "You can't kill him!"
"Why not?" she snapped into his face. "He's leading us into this battle by what he's done. He's scum! He doesn't deserve to live!"
She stiffened when she felt gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Meryl looking up at her with a soft expression.
"We know you don't enjoy killing, Rose," she murmured. "You don't want to kill him, do you?"
Nobara stared at Meryl and Mack started to get up but froze when Vash, Knives and Kan suddenly thrust their guns into his face.
"Move," Kan challenged in a low voice. "Please? I dare you."
Nobara holstered her gun, still staring at Meryl.
"We could use him," Meryl continued. "When Krystal gets here, we'll use him for ransom."
"But—" Nobara choked. "He – He framed me. He tried to collect the bounty on me. He deceived Milly! He should be dead!"
"That's not for us to decide," Meryl replied. "No one has the right to take the life of another, no matter how cruel they are."
She noticed Vash glance at her, but she focused on Nobara who turned her glare back at Mack.
"Fine," she sneered, shoving her foot off of his chest. "Let him live…for now." She looked back at mack and ground out, "But know this, you scum bag: the day will come when it's your turn to die, and I just hope I'm the one who gets to pull the trigger."
The Invisible Goddess stormed back into the house and disappeared into one of the rooms and Vash looked to Meryl.
"I tried," she murmured.
A/N: and there's the past of Nobara the Phantom. reviews?
