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A Different Kind of Love Story
Chapter 10: Round Two
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Milly tore out of the shop, running as fast as her legs could carry her through the city. She didn't stop for anything, the only thing that would have done that would be someone she knew and trusted in her path so that she could get them to help her save Meryl from Spiked Silver's clutches. And she also had to warn Vash about what was going on.
She panted and tried to catch her breath once rounding a familiar corner, and increased her speed as she dashed by buildings with people filling into them for some strange reason. She absolutely needed to find Vash, Wolfwood, Calvin, even the hotel itself! But with all of the chaos going on, she hadn't the time to carefully study the scenery of the city. Milly was almost ashamed to admit that, but it was true...
But Meryl had to be rescued before something terrible happened to her! That was the top goal right now, to save her from that crazy man's clutches!
Blood was pounding through her veins and ears, perspiration was reaching her skin, and her breath was shortening as she ran at top speed. Milly wouldn't rest, and she barely had good vision at was ahead of her. In her panic, she accidentally bumped into a passing man's chest and they both let out quick cries of shock and separated.
Her eyes widened shortly after getting a good glimpse at the man in front of her. It was...Vash! He was standing there trying to feign pain as he rubbed over the spot her skull collided with. And after several silent seconds, she caught her lost breath.
"V-Vash! Oh God, I'm so glad to see you!" Milly wiped her brow tiredly and then leaned forward, grasping a confused Vash's shoulders desperately. "It's a very long story, but please, please hear me out!"
"Milly, calm down!" Vash's expression became concerned as he grabbed her wrists and gently peeled them off. While Milly tried to compose herself, he decided to go on. "I was investigating why all these people suddenly went into buildings as if for safety. What are you doing alone?"
"Me and Meryl...we were going to try and look for you today but neither you or Mr. Wolfwood were in your hotel room...so we went out searching for you! We, we came upon a strange shop were this creepy man named Sage was selling custom guns and...and...anyway," Milly hesitated to go to the worst part of her story, but she caught her breath again and trembled as she spoke, "Spiked Silver came in very angry; Sage sensed how nervous we were and motioned for us to hide in his storage room."
This story was sounding more and more shocking as Milly went on, and her panicked and terribly frightened tone of voice only succeeded in adding dramatic effect. Vash listened closely, not wanting to miss a single detail of it.
"The storage room was dark and dreary...we tried to stay hidden and Spiked Silver came in and started yelling and being violent for some reason! He knows about you,Vash, he wants the bounty off your head and he plans to instigate a rematch – using Meryl as a hostage to lure you in!"
Meryl? Spiked Silver had captured Meryl? Vash didn't need to be told twice, his eyes widened and he could feel his heart beginning to pump in panic. "He kidnapped Meryl?"
"Yes! But he really doesn't care about her being, he just wants you to come and have a battle with him because he's so hungry for revenge!" Milly frantically said, she hoped that Vash understood the situation. But she had no reason to be wary, because the wanted man was extremely panicked. "We have to go help her, I'm so worried..."
"I was just about to inspect why everyone suddenly went into buildings at this time, I had been out here all morning but..." Vash collected himself, and breathed. "Honestly, I'm just as worried as you are! Come on, lead me to that shop and we may be able to corner him before he gets too far!"
"Shouldn't we get some backup? Mr. Wolfwood or Calvin?"
Vash shook his head and grabbed Milly's wrist, dragging her off with him. "There isn't enough time right now, Meryl is in danger if it's just her and Spiked Silver! I don't want her to get hurt..."
Milly, in the middle of almost sprinting to be able to keep up with Vash's pace as they tore off down the city back to that shop (it easily stood out, so Vash didn't need directions). One of her thin brown brows raised at that comment, something about it sounding as though it was implying something.
Vash obviously noticed that himself. Which was the reason he trailed off all of a sudden, trying to alter whatever he was going to state so it wouldn't imply anything else. "...You know what I'm trying to say, Milly."
"Mmm hmm. I know." Milly's lips curved to a mischievous smile despite the situation at hand. She couldn't help it, Vash was obviously panicked and concerned for her safety.
He would be for anyone, but it seemed as if this characteristic was coming out especially noticeable when it came to Meryl's safety.
Vash just remained quiet, looking away from Milly and kept his gaze locked on the ground as they ran back to that shop.
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'Okay...okay...this really isn't how I intended to spend my day. Let's just look it over and reflect: I didn't get much sleep, lost track of Vash, endured a creepy merchant flirting with me, put me and my friend in danger, and am now tied in rope with a gag over my mouth.' Meryl's brows furrowed and her eyes traveled down to survey the gag across her mouth and her arms and legs bound together by rope. Not exactly the ideal situation to be in, that was for sure. But she had to remain calm and collected.
If she could just remain positive...Milly didn't get put in the same situation at least. And if she knew the other woman right, she was probably back at the hotel recruiting help. If she failed, Vash would have to sense what was wrong and come in eventually because he...he wouldn't leave her like this.
Spiked Silver had taken Meryl out of the shop and into an alleyway in the city. Not much sunlight could shine through because it was stuck in the middle of a large saloon and the local bank. As soon as the man caught sight of Vash, he intended to get in the first shot to draw attention to himself, so that their second round could officially begin.
Meryl was sitting up against a wall, unable to move or speak. She wanted to say so many choice words to that man, she wanted to give him a good slap to the face for his actions and what he intended to use her for. But this wouldn't be possible now, not when he had her trapped like this.
A muffled sigh passed her lips and she positioned her head back against the wall of the bank. That was when she heard a faint little sound. Kind of like...an object falling into the sandy streets. As Spiked Silver was looking away from his hostage for a moment, her eyes darted around and settled to her right, only to see a small pocketknife someone left behind. It was right there at her fingers, lying in the sand.
Jackpot.
'Maybe my luck is turning around for the better! If I can just grasp that discarded pocketknife, I can free myself and go reunite with everyone else!' This was what Meryl tried to tell herself. But, honestly, she wasn't sure how she could grasp the convenient knife and free herself when her captor wasn't very far away, his ominous presence leaning against the wall of the saloon as his fierce eyes looked for Vash.
Meryl's fingers twitched and extended, her nails scraped the dirt and tried with much determination to reach the handle of the pocketknife. She barely dared to breathe and her eyes were locked on her captor to make sure he wasn't looking at her escape attempt.
The good news was that he didn't seem focused on her. In fact, he apparently didn't give a damn about her and vice versa. That was good...he wouldn't do anything to harmful unless Vash were to enter the scene or it he felt challenged. She had a spark of hope as her fingers rubbed across the brown handle. She had to choke back a short little cheer that probably would have drawn attention.
Yes...just a little bit more and she would have it within a good enough grasp...
"Bitch, that isn't gonna work." Meryl winced and a muffled cry of pain passed her lips when a foot slammed down onto her hand and crushed it down into the sand. She didn't need to look up to know that Spiked Silver had come closer and done this to prevent her escape. "You think you can just free yourself that easily without anyone knowing? That's ridiculous. Everyone knows you need to be quick, discreet, and cunning on this planet if you wanna have a chance at survival."
It wasn't so much his boot and foot that was on her hand and especially her knuckles. It was the freaking intense amount of pressure he was sending down onto it for good measure. Meryl shifted violently and more muffled shouts of pain and curses passed her lips only to cease once Spiked Silver removed his foot after a good number of seconds.
Pain surged through her hand, it almost felt as though her knuckles would have been crushed inward to death if he had felt in on for another full minute or two. Her eyes cracked open long enough to see that her hand was not too wounded, but there was some faint scratches and one or two blotches of blood from one open cut. Yet it felt as though it would numb soon. Through the raven bangs falling over her eyes, Meryl glowered with so much hatred at the man standing before her.
Spiked Silver, whom didn't give a damn about what she thought of the treatment, kicked up the pocketknife and caught it midair, before throwing it onto the roof of the saloon out of her reach. "I told you that if you comply, you'll survive unscratched. Continue to piss me off, you'll find yourself near death."
The cruel man dressed in silver lowered himself on a knee and grabbed the edge of Meryl's chin, so that they were both at eye level. He originally did this to make his words clear and hopefully get the point across...but he was soon frozen in mild bewilderment for a change when he realized that the look Meryl was giving him was almost the exact one Eve gave him when he tried to make her his own.
All of those times, the daughter of the hotel's owner rejected him without a second thought. It drove him mad, he always had a thing for her even since first meeting! Now time was passing by, they weren't getting any older! It seemed like he should forget her and move on with his life, but that spark reignited every damn time and caused him to fight for her. This wasn't right. Not to him at least.
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Spiked Silver had a bit of reputation for choking others. Sage knew this, and he could certainly feel the pain within his throat and neck from the strength applied to it. Luckily, he was still alive and his ex-partner didn't go as hard as he usually did when angered.
But that didn't change the fact that he was a bastard whom probably captured two innocent girls who have nothing to do with him. Why couldn't he just drop all of this nonsense and turn away from leading this less than ideal and comfortable life? It really wasn't worth it.
And why did Sage care? He was cast aside for the fourth time in his life after his short-lived partnership with that man. And after all of this time, it was safe to say that he should throw away that life he led and take it nice and easy...for him, this worked out well. It's been years since he fired a gun in a confrontation, it's been years since he's traveled the planet some more. And now he was calm and collected, holding back emotions that he didn't need as he manufactured and sold custom guns.
Well, in this moment, he couldn't stop himself from worrying about the raven-haired one...Meryl. She left quite a bit of an impact from their meeting, he still felt his heart miss a beat as if to remember the smile she had expertly plastered several minutes ago at first meeting.
But he really shouldn't be acting like this right now. He told himself that he would not waste time falling for anyone ever again considering what happened the last time. The last time that he had fallen in love: him and the beauty had even gotten engaged. But he was deeply depressed after she had gotten murdered by thugs in a hostage situation a while back. Come to think of it, Meryl would look a lot like her if her hair were near shoulder-length and spiked all over. And if her skin was more tanned.
Wow, he really didn't need to think about this right now. That was more pain on top of the indescribable along his throat. Sage tried to grasp the doorknob and pull himself up, but his hand was weakened at the moment and tears threatened to blur his vision. He once again fell down onto his face and remained there for several seconds.
The pain was too much, but he had an idea he wouldn't die. He couldn't die. Specifically; he could not allow himself to die until his workings in the shadows payed off. Until he could finally bring his old partner under control of the law whether it be him or someone else to do it. Only then could he finally end everything.
For the longest time, he was treated a bit roughly by Spiked Silver. He had been treated badly by just about everybody in his life and this one was the final straw. Since escaping with injuries and forever-damaged pride to live a semi-peaceful life in this city, he has been contemplating killing himself very seriously. He had about a million rejected opportunities to take one of his guns...put it to his head...pull the trigger...and fall to the floor as the world turned to inky darkness and he was finally freed unto another place. Out of the harsh ways of the world and this awful planet.
What kept him from ending his life was Spiked Silver. He vowed years ago that he would someday arrest him or even kill him himself if absolutely necessary and there were no other options. He knew he was kidding himself and unnecessarily prolonging his useless life. And that made him even more furious and drove him to deeply think about dangerous activity.
Sage couldn't remember a time in most of his late-teenage years that he hadn't opened his bedroom window only to sat perilously on the sill and think about how long of a drop that would be. Or taking those forgotten piles of rope and tying them around his throat with force. The first time that he ever considered suicide was a time that would never leave his memory: he was one day away from his eighteenth birthday, feeling very furious and angsty after having his fill of his father's physical and emotional torment towards him, he picked up a very large kitchen knife and didn't think twice about using that to stab a non-vital spot on his hand. It felt so painful, he did loss a lot of blood before his father walked in and ruined his self-harm attempt.
Even if he hated his father, he accepted the promise about not to do that willingly again. At least until he was out in the world on his own. Talk about a great parent...
But the point is that he was serious about purposely stabbing himself to drain his blood and hopefully die. And if his father didn't walked in, you can bet that he would have stabbed his legs, his face, his heart, and any vital spot until he was drained of energy and life itself.
Right now, as he lied there on his face in pain, he couldn't help but compare this to that first time he ever realized how badly he thought his own life was and decided to attempt suicide. He knew that if he had a gun right now, he wouldn't be hesitant in placing it to his head and blowing his-
SLAM!
"Follow-follow me into the storage room back there!"
That voice...it sounded like the less attractive girl that was with Meryl. So she wasn't captured as well, this was good. Sage tried to pull himself off the floor to his feet, but could only make it up to his knees when both Milly and some other shocked guy followed after her inside.
Vash gazed at the scene and was surprised to see that things didn't look too bad as he envisioned, only two bullets lied on the floor and the mysterious shopkeeper Milly described wasn't dead. But Spiked Silver and Meryl were not even there!
Milly breathed deeply, her panic and worry increased as she got mental pictures of horrible situations poor Meryl could be in right now. It was awful. She turned to Vash, looking utterly clueless. "I don't know where he took Meryl now! They could be anywhere in this city!" She and Vash looked down, finally realizing Sage's presence at long last. "Sage! He's still alive!"
"I shouldn't be..." Sage grumbled and tried to stand up, but his knees began to give away, and was soon caught by Vash and Milly. They began to ask him questions, he wasn't even paying attention to them. "Let go of me...I can stand up myself."
"...No, you're not in good condition from where Spiked Silver attempted to strangle you." Milly stated, lowering herself to her knees and closely inspecting the dark color on his neck. He could have easily been killed, and Sage didn't even seem affected by that fact! "Please, you've got to let us-"
"Milly's right, no one in this city should have to suffer again. That includes you." Interjected Vash, he lowered himself to the floor as well and attempted to hold him by his shoulders. But Sage merely refused to be aided. It was as if...he wanted to suffer. "Listen to us, we want to help. There's something not right going on here, we've got to do anything we can."
At long last, Sage managed to stagger himself up to his feet, but it was done awkwardly and he almost fell over at one point. He ignored all of Vash and Milly's warnings as they got up as well to attempt to help. And they were becoming equally confused and irritated by this.
But they couldn't leave him just yet, he saw most of the scene and he may know something about the man dressed in silver. If he would stop being lost within his actions of willingly suffering pain, and talk to them. Maybe he would be in a better situation and they could all rescue Meryl.
Vash noticed the man's features and appearance. Noting that he did look a bit familiar. With his light shoulder-length blond hair, silver glasses, faded scars running from his neck to the corner of his right eye. He would look about the same as a person he once encountered years ago if he wasn't wearing those simple brown and blue clothes.
But he dismissed these thoughts as he noticed the man, Sage, walk over to where some of his custom-made guns were resting on a shelf. As if the man was within a trance, he grabbed a random one and studied it very intensely.
And then proceeded to place it to his head. His fingers were slowly inching closer towards the trigger.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Vash and Milly screamed, noticing this. They rushed over to either side of him in panic, and he noticed them and shook his head before lowering the gun.
"I can't deal with this anymore..." Was Sage's reply. He didn't even sound like he did earlier, his tone was so low and each word held so much depression in them. Milly was stunned at the change, she pulled the gun away from his shaky grasp and shoved it back onto the shelf while she had the chance. "I tried for so long, all these years. I couldn't do anything. Spiked Silver is back in my life, the only girl I ever loved is at his mercy, I was weak in protecting her, and now-"
"Get a hold of yourself!" Milly interrupted, her eyes began to tear up fearfully as she grasped the man's shoulders. She didn't like where this was going, and didn't even have an idea as to what might happen to him or Meryl. "We've come back here to find Meryl and help you! We can stop Spiked Silver, I believe Mr. Vash is strong enough-"
"Vash..." Sage almost mechanically turned his head to a bewildered Vash, it was so creepy. But he smiled sadly as he met his eyes. And those light blue eyes were hazy with emotion. "It is you. The one who fucked up my life even more."
"Stop talking like this, you sound like you just switched to one of your multiple personalities or something!"
"There's no reason for me to live any longer. I see no hope now. Everything is finally merging into a nightmare." His weak hand reached for the gun back on the shelf, Milly just cried out in protest and smacked his hand away as Vash tried to restrain him. "Let go of me, both of you. Let me end it now! Before it gets worse!"
"You can't do this!"
"Please, stop this, Sage! Hear us out!"
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME."
"We can help you, and you can help us! Stop this insanity!"
"Mr. Vash is right! Stop it!"
"One bullet is all I need before it's light's out forever! I need to get out!"
The two continued to restrain a fighting back Sage whom was really hellbent on killing himself. Neither understood what was wrong, it seemed so sudden how he wanted to do this and for what reason? Vash could only assume that maybe he had some mental problems, Milly could only assume that he was just simply suicidal for some unknown reasons.
Neither wanted to see someone like this, it just wasn't right! And they needed him in this moment, he was one of the few people to have been with Spiked Silver closely so he could provide help. But the man kept shouting nonsense about how horrible his life is and that he wants out of it forever, and that it was all thanks to his screwed up father, Spiked Silver, and Vash.
Right now, somewhere in this city, a friend was in serious trouble and it was all because of him. Vash knew that dealing with a suicidal Sage was only wasting their time, but he didn't want to see him kill himself without even giving much reason as to why. And it didn't matter how bad things were, would it really solve anyone's problems to take the easy way out of it?
Even if it was slowing them down, protecting anyone's life remained important to him. In order to make him calm down for a short while, Vash hesitantly knocked him out and he slipped into unconsciousness. He knew that he would awaken sooner or later, because he didn't smack anything vital.
Then, since they wouldn't be getting any information out of him, Vash grabbed an arm of the unconscious man and raised him to his head to where he lied motionless over his shoulder. He and Milly both agreed to go out into the city and scout around for the man dressed in silver and the insurance girl.
It was a good thing that Milly was with him, she knew of Spiked Silver's plan and she revealed to Vash what he was doing. This way, he wouldn't fall head first into a trap. They could have the upper hand against him now because they knew what to expect. Sage was a bit of a load they had to carry – both figuratively and literally – but it didn't matter, seeing as though he was so hellbent on ending his life.
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'I have a bad feeling...' The dishes that were being washed at the moment were dropped back to the sink in water and bubbles. Calvin quickly wiped his hands on a rag hanging nearby and began to walk aimlessly around as more of a bad feeling washed over him. 'Why has no one returned back to the hotel? This city doesn't offer much entertainment, and there's no way that anyone left without gathering their luggage. Maybe...'
Something bad was happening somewhere. That could easily be it.
It would explain why no one returned back to the hotel yet. It would also explain why he had a bad feeling. Maybe they're being hassled by Spiked Silver, or maybe something else was going on that was equally important if not more.
He wanted to go out and search himself, but what about Eve? She was still ill at the moment and certainly couldn't hold her own in a violent confrontation whether healthy or not. She needed to be protected in a frail state.
Calvin contemplated what to do for several seconds, near a minute. But rather than getting any ideas, he came up with zero plans.
If only he was good with guns, or any kind of weapon. But that just wasn't his style, he wasn't the type of guy for violence and it wasn't that he detested it...he just was far too easy-going and wanted nothing more for peace and acceptance in this world. That wasn't something which could be achieved easily.
Running into thugs could be an everyday situation in this city – considering what awful shape it was in. Calvin cast that thought aside, and soon wiped his soapy hands again and was out the door in seconds. Eve out of his mind.
Because he had previously found the key to the room and locked her in there. So she could get some rest and there was no chance of her getting out of that. Hey, sometimes people just have to be cruel to be kind in these times.
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"WHERE THE HELL COULD HE BE?" Meryl's eyes widened when a foot stomped onto her hand again. She could feel the pain surging before it was beginning to numb. What had she done to deserve this treatment? It wasn't her fault that Vash hadn't come looking for him yet!
And if the gag wasn't on her lips, she would use so much vulgar words and comments directed at the insane man that it would be unbelievable! If she wasn't tied up and being hoisted around like a sack of food, she would be whipping out her guns and or slapping his face. He could use it.
They had probably been in the alley for several minutes, the ropes were really tight and felt like they could cut off her blood circulation. Every time a full minute would pass, just like earlier, Spiked Silver never failed to be on time with either kicking her ribs a good time or crushing her hand like he did when she reached for that pocketknife.
All she could do was sit there helplessly and wait for Vash, whom she wanted to believe she didn't need all the time no matter what the situation. It seemed as if her main goal in life was to deny that she needed him. But somewhere, she knew that this was far from accurate.
In the most dangerous and hopeless of situations, he was the one person whom she hoped to be with. Even if he got on her nerves or purposely did something ridiculous. She wanted to be at his side and surprisingly safe from the world.
As his foot retreated from her numb hand, a teardrop formed in her eye and began to trickle down. Meryl lied her head back against the wall and slumped, fingers curled and dug into the sandy ground. And pretty soon, more tears began to follow. She was sure Spiked Silver wasn't looking at her, and he probably wouldn't give a damn if he did see her like this.
She just wanted to get out of this chaos. She wanted Vash out of this chaos too.
When Meryl gradually opened her eyes again, blinking to clear her tears, the first thing that she noticed was Spiked Silver leaning against the wall, looking out into the city as the most smug grin she had ever seen appeared on his face. That could only mean one thing...Vash had come.
Vash had come...Vash was here...here...
She needed to warn him that it was all a trap! Meryl struggled to stand, all of her yells were just muffled by both the gag and her captor turning his head and cursing at her in an attempt to get her to shut up.
"Meryl! Meryl, we're here to help you!" And, no mistake, Milly was there with him. She released a sigh, but still was worried about what might happen next. Hopefully, Milly explained to Vash that this entire capture was staged.
When Meryl looked up to see Vash and Meryl run over looking frantic, yet relieved to see her still alive and not quite as beaten as the former expected, a light of hope had flared. But it wouldn't last long, when Spiked Silver would take a step forward and block her friends off.
"Well, well, I was beginning to think you'd never show." Spiked Silver began, his tone was so arrogant, as if he was sure the outcome of round two would go his way. He would get his revenge, he would give Vash had he supposedly had coming.
Once catching his breath, Vash merely replied, "Yeah, there was a bit of a distraction back at that gun shop."
"I would think so." If she could see his face, Meryl was sure he would be losing his smug grin to a furious look. One that didn't fail to make her flinch at least a little. "But I hate when my opponents arrive too late. Pisses me off."
Meryl didn't need to see their faces to know that her friends' relieved expressions were faltering. It was all evident with the tone in Vash's voice when he submissively asked, "What do you want from us?"
'Vash, he wants you dead. All because of his stupid gun you destroyed at first encounter. If I could, I'd attack this bastard from a blind spot...but I can't...' Tears were welling in her eyes once again as this thought dared to pass through her mind. Meryl fought them back and let her stoic face remain indifferent. It was all she could do now. 'I believe you can do something. I shouldn't be crying over this, you always find a way out. Isn't that how it has always worked in past events? Yes, yes I must not break.'
"Unless you want your woman to have her brains blown out right here and right now," For attempted dramatic purposes and nothing more, Spiked Silver slid back against the wall, leaving in a cool position and revealing Meryl still sitting there tied and gagged, face streaked with barely-noticeable tears. "You, Vash The Stampede, will confront me again one-on-one just as we did the other day."
"How do you-" That was a stupid question on second thought. He was about to ask how did he know his identity, but Vash broke that off. He then substituted that question with, "Why are you so determined to battle? And why do you have to bring Meryl into this?"
"Could've used either of the two, but this one gave me a certain vibe. The way she talked about you, I sensed something and knew you'd come for her quicker."
"I don't know what you're trying to imply, but let me talk to her for a second."
"Hmmph. You're stupid if you can stand there and say that. I know what you're tryin' to do; you'll free her yourself and then escape."
"No..." Vash shook his head, Meryl and Milly could only stare in shock at what he was saying. Would he seriously bother to fight this guy who could easily do something crazy? "We'll still fight, but I need to speak with her for a moment."
He didn't bother to contemplate how to respond to that. But it was unlikely he would ever get to the match if he didn't let Vash see the bitch. So Spiked Silver merely nodded without a word and walked out from between the two buildings, he leaned against the door to the tiny bank and began to count down the time.
"Milly," Vash turned to Milly, lowering his voice so that his soon-to-be-opponent couldn't overhear. "Don't get involved. What I want you to do is go to the hospital we dropped Sage off at, and then make him talk when he awakens."
Milly didn't like the sound of that, she wanted to be around to help Vash in case things got unexpectedly rough. But when she saw the look in his eyes, she decided it was best not to argue. "I just don't understand why he was acting suicidal, he seemed so in control when we talked to him." She whispered back, her voice managed to crack very slightly as she recalled how crazy Sage had acted when they arrived for help.
"You can get him to explain himself, I know it." It looked as if Milly wasn't convinced, but then Vash gave her a hollow smile as if to convince her that she could.
Milly didn't say anything else. Her hands retreated out from her coat where she had been reaching for her gun, and she quickly scurried away from the scene back into the direction of the hospital. She felt worried, like she really should be there to help. The last thing that she saw when turning her head was Spiked Silver grimacing, Meryl still tied up watching everything intently, and Vash walking into the small little so-called alley.
She released a breath and picked up her pace, back to the hospital. Hoping that Vash and Meryl would be alright.
Once she was far away, near out of sight, Vash turned to look into Spiked Silver's slight-narrowing sapphire eyes. "Are you actually decent enough to let me talk with Meryl?"
"She's of no use to me anymore." Spiked Silver replied dryly, it was clear in his cold eyes that Meryl meant nothing. Vash was relieved by this, he almost believed that he would change his mind and never release her...maybe take out all of his frustrations on her since he couldn't have the woman he really wanted. "If you dare to take her somewhere safe, if you dare to slip away yourself, you're dead."
"I understand."
Vash's walking pace towards Meryl began slowly as he tried to get used to the heavy stare of the other man. He felt like he would get shot at the slightest action that was not agreed with. But gradually, his speed increased and he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, carefully removing the gag that sealed her lips.
Once the gag was off and back to the ground, Meryl released a long breath and then sighed as she met Vash's eyes. She wanted to say something, anything. Tell him that she was so relieved he came, tell him that she didn't want him to risk his life or waste time with the cruel man. No matter what she made her mind to say, her mouth wouldn't comply.
She was soon lost in Vash's eyes, it wasn't long before a smile curved on her lips. And the moment itself was strangely hard to put into words. Even if she wished to speak, maybe there was no reason to.
Since she wouldn't, Vash decided to talk, "Meryl, you're going to be safe. Milly told me everything; Spiked Silver's motives and what he wants."
It took seconds, but Meryl managed to rid her smile off her face and she found her voice again. "Don't do anything stupid, we can run away faster than-"
"I'm not running away."
"Why not...?"
"He won't leave any of us alone until he gets what he wants."
Meryl scoffed. "What he wants is you dead."
"And that can be arranged..." Meryl could feel her eyes widening as soon as he said that. Not only that, but they were becoming a bit moist with fresh tears threatening to spill at the mere thought. Vash seemed very serious in this moment, he averted his gaze too.
And then, Vash put on a smile and leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "...By faking a death scene."
"You're such an idiot." Meryl closed her eyes irritatedly and turned her rested head away, but she was sure that the smile on her lips was giving away her real thoughts about him being safe after all. It was too obvious, far more than what she would have liked.
"When I have to be." Vash's finger reached up to the tears that had turned against her and were spilling, wiping them away. For a brief moment, they two locked eyes again and remained so close, both struggling so hard to not do something like...
Like...
Well...what happened that one night after that 'date' at the bar in another town. The event that the both of them were a little too nervous to speak of even now. It would not be appropriate.
The sexual tension was high, Spiked Silver could easily since that. Hell, anyone miles away could! He was near the point of shouting at his soon-to-be-opponent to quit holding a romantic gaze with his bitch and to face him. But before he could open his mouth, Vash already stood back to his feet and left Meryl only to return to where he stood at first arrival.
"There won't be any rules to this, but I'm sure you understand that only one of us can still be on our feet." Spiked Silver brought out his new gun, it's umber body gleamed in the light. Or that was how Meryl saw it at least when she managed to crane her neck to look around the corner. The cruel man walked closer to Vash, standing a reasonable distance away and assuming a threatening position. "I do have a condition."
"Which is?" Vash whipped out his own gun as well, readying himself. But Meryl knew that he would try anything to not have to kill the man. Even if he was annoying, cruel, and should really be arrested.
"If I win – which I'm sure of – then you will be turned in for God knows how long and I'll get all the money I'll ever need."
"What happens if I win?"
"You win, I'll back off and leave this damn city."
This could be the chance that Vash was waiting for. Upon hearing these conditions, he saw his chance flashing right up. All he had to do was win, and then Spiked Silver would be gone for hopefully good. Either way, things could work out and he wondered if the man dressed in silver realized what he was doing to himself.
If Spiked Silver did win, he would turn him in and get all the money he would ever need. The key here is that he would no longer need the payment he wants from Eve's father. He should forget about that payment, and his daughter, and go off elsewhere on the planet. Even if he was thrown into jail, looking over at Meryl, Vash was positive that he wouldn't be in there for long because she would do anything to get him out.
The plan seemed flawless.
"We should make this more interesting." Vash suddenly mentioned, trying not to smile knowingly as he spoke. Because he was sure that this plan could work. "If you win, you have the liberty of turning me in. You'll also have all the money you ever need, you won't even have to stick around in Ember Walls. You win, you leave the city."
For once, Spiked Silver didn't have an argument to that statement, judging by his expression, he seemed to seriously contemplate this for a moment. He knew that he didn't like this city, he didn't want to keep coming back but it was his desire for both his payment and Eve that kept that going.
It was true that he wouldn't need to stick around or endure so much rejection from Eve. If he had that many double dollars, he'd be in great shape and could do whatever the hell he wanted. Maybe find a woman who didn't haunt his mind and drive him so insane like that cold Eve did.
Now that he thought about it, Vash's conditions seemed reasonable. Arrogant like always, Spiked Silver knew that he would win. He knew that this would work. Just like every other fight he had ever been in, although his expectations have not been accurate a lot of times which overpowered the times he was correct.
Meanwhile, Meryl smiled and could feel her pumping heart returning to normal. Now she wasn't worried, this could all work out after Vash offered a hint as to what he was trying to pull off. It seemed like he was thinking about losing purposely, acting out his demise so that Spiked Silver would be fooled, turn him in to this city's laughably awful jail, and get out of everyone's life forever.
That could seriously work. If Vash pulled it off correctly. But unlike every other time he was up to something crazy, Meryl was not worried in the slightest. She believed he would be okay, which was a huge comfort for her.
"Your terms are tempting, Vash The Stampede. But I'm the kind of guy who despises turning away at gambling." Spiked Silver nodded during a pause, although that damn smug smirk had yet to disappear. And neither Vash or Meryl expected it to. "Very well: I'll turn you in after I win, I'll take my payment and leave this city with no reason to ever come back. I hate this damn crumbling city anyway."
"Will you put Eve in the past where she belongs?"
"Hmmph. You never mentioned her to begin with."
"Consider this a price to pay. Listen to what I have to say for a moment: sometimes, in life, there are things that should be focused on. Some things, they belong in your past and should stay there."
Spiked Silver didn't seem to listen to Vash seriously. Instead, he shot his first bullet which looked, by calculations, would hit him right in the jaw. All he and Meryl could see was it fly right by his head, but it didn't even look as if Vash moved.
Time for the oblivious, amazingly invincible act. Vash wore a disapproving look at first, before sighing and then gracefully and gradually moving out of the way of every single bullet that Spiked Silver fired. He had been trying to tell hm to put Eve in the past, she belonged there. Because she didn't matter.
Eve would matter, but under certain conditions. He would have all of the double dollars he would ever need to survive, he could go terrorize another place. Because he has caused enough pain for Ember Walls, Vash gathered that all of the citizens had suddenly rushed to get inside of homes or buildings of refuge because of him and all the other evil people passing through. The only reason Spiked Silver seemed to stay here was due to the fact he long ago wished to have her in exchange for a payment her father owned him for destroying something.
He couldn't possibly love her. If Spiked Silver truthfully felt this way underneath it all, why would he want her to live such a horrible life in fear? Why would he want her to be unhappy with him, her only goal in life to basically be a piece of his property as a sex object?
Those were questions Vash didn't know the answers for. Nevertheless, he continued to throw some realization at the one attacking him with barrages of bullets just as he had during the first time they encountered yesterday.
Vash finally began to seemingly grow tired of acting nonchalant this way, he finally stopped and carefully thought of how to play along and shoot as well, but not give him deep injuries or kill him. Even if he did have this coming – as others have said before (Eve, Calvin, and Wolfwood respectfully). He found some openings to do so, in record time, and then drew out his gun once again.
He didn't expect Spiked Silver to shout, "Damn it, who says I'll ever put Eve in the past?" He then started firing several bullets, all coming too fast and loud straight for Vash, but he merely jumped out of harm at the perfect second.
Which was played off with a joking comment of: "Can you actually aim that clunky gun?"
And that caused the cruel man's rage to swell and increase, a wide range of emotions seemed to run through his eyes as he shot after the legendary gunman whom darted around shooting back and purposely missing, crying out in fake fear sometimes before going right back to arguing that he didn't need Eve.
Meryl watched it all, trying not to shout out anything. She didn't need Spiked Silver to hear and shoot at her instead. She didn't want to die right then. Not before she could...no...now wasn't the time to be thinking about that. She wouldn't know how to realize or put that into words. She was faintly worried, although there was no reason to be. Vash knew exactly what he was doing right to the point of knowing how the round will conclude.
Vash didn't have much time to fire any bullets once Spiked Silver had enough of this shit and began to really attack with several bullets being shot in near every direction. Whatever kind of gun he had, it was disturbingly hard to counter in a situation like this! Yet, Vash managed to remain unharmed, he jumped around, occasionally taking cover behind the alleyway or a bench or stand. It didn't matter where he darted to, there was always multiple bullets basically raining over that area with deadly accuracy.
It seemed Spiked Silver was still on edge and had no problem with being bold. In the process of trying to overkill, he was actually leaving a lot of blind spots open for attack, and he truly did not have the upper hand. If anything, Vash had the biggest advantage in the fight because he was fast, scarily accurate no matter what the situation, and he always was thinking up strategies at an impossible speed. Should he want to, he could murder Spiked Silver right now.
But he couldn't bring himself to do this to anyone.
So Vash chose to play along and just stick with taking shelter and pretending to be aiming for his enemy only to miss. This carried on for several seconds, probably near a full minute. He assumed that the man dressed in silver would have to give up, but he always had more bullets to reload with.
Meryl watched as Vash bolted around the area, stopping only to fire a few purposely missing shots at his enemy. Each of the bullets whizzed right past Spiked Silver's head as he feigned irritation with his "horrible aim". Spiked Silver was having enough of this again, he really started coming after Vash, actually following after him as he ran.
"Vash!" Yes, Vash had a plan. But seeing him in a potentially dangerous situation was more than enough to get her worries increased. Meryl's eyes were glued to the scene of the fight, darting around to see Vash scale walls, race circles around his enemy, and even jump from rooftop to rooftop.
He did this all with such ease, the kind of ease Spiked Silver was pissed off with. He wasn't quite as, well, anywhere near his league for he was a mere human. He could only stand there, chase, or jump a fair distance with limits holding him back. Meryl wished that she didn't have to be tied up like a typical damsel in distress, she would have freaking loved to maybe toss some of the nearby barrels in the back of that asshole's head.
Just as Calvin had once did for her and Vash that night at the bar when things got...heated in more ways than one. Man, if Calvin were here now, she could only imagine how different this situation would be. He would probably tell Spiked Silver where he could go for putting Eve through so much trouble, for putting this entire city into trouble. And then, he would regain his cool and easy-going self to dodge out of harms way and help untie her from the tight ropes.
All Meryl could do was sit there and believe Vash had planned this out to a T.
.
Sage was still unconscious, lying in the rustic bed of the small hospital. His hair was going in every direction, his glasses removed and lying on a table; revealing his pale complexion and fatigue visible underneath his eyes. His features void of any expression. And bruises around his neck.
Looking over him were Milly and a nurse whom looked to be in her forties. Of course, the nurse had informed her that she didn't have to stay, Milly refused the offer and knew it was best to remain here until Sage awoke to get information from him. If she could.
The two were surprised to see the door to the room creak open. Milly and the nurse looked up from the apparently suicidal store owner as their visitor stepped into the room.
"Pardon the intrusion, I'm looking for a friend of mine."
Milly's grim face lit up immediately at sight of their visitor.
.
Luckily the buildings were positioned so close together, this made traveling the rooftops easier than usual. Spiked Silver obviously was hesitating trying to get to higher ground, probably didn't have the sense of balance or agility and was too prideful to admit those faults. This was what Vash assumed by the way he remained on the ground and fired from there.
It wasn't too difficult for Vash to run around and dodge everything, though there were few moments he nearly did get hit. Most of those 'few' consisted of fake-outs however.
The way Spiked Silver fought could only be described as rash, quick, ready to have a bloodfest and not stop to make strategies. His downfall was diving head first and not giving a fuck about what may happen. Should Vash really want to, killing wouldn't have been difficult. However, that was the catch: Vash would not kill anyone. So the only way he could settle everything, the only way he could help out Eve and everyone in this city, was to fake a defeat so Spiked Silver would turn him in to get what he desired so much. Cash and nothing else.
If he stuck to the terms of the round.
'There has to be a perfect moment to fake my demise...but when...' Vash was quick to dodge the several bullets heading straight for him in a blur, he took shelter behind a large chimney and reloaded his gun to fire some near his opponent to make him think he was still interested. 'I can't keep this going too long, it will attract attention and that's the last thing we need. People getting involved when they shouldn't, it would be hard to protect everyone from his wrath. Some kind of moment...'
When there were small gaps of time in between the predictable barrages of bullets, Vash knew something wasn't quite right. So to ensure that the round lasted and he regained interest in it, he fired some more maybe a few inches away from the cruel man dressed in silver. He didn't need to turn his head to know that all of the bullets either landed inches from his feet, perfectly missing his head, and embedding within the sandy streets. Again, he could hear Spiked Silver curse and reload once more, just as he started to rise to his feet, more bullets were being fired all over the roof he was at, some penetrating the chimney slightly.
Now he was getting somewhere. Blocking any attempt Vash could use to slip out. Maybe this was just chance to feign his defeat! It was coming together now! In a blur, bullets scattered over the rooftops leaving marks and holes, Vash finally bolted from his protection and swiftly leaped from it to the next rooftop, he could see the ugly scowl deepen on his face.
"Bastard, why won't you just stay still!" Spiked Silver hollered, heaving the umber gun, which was being abused and almost near the breaking point, away for a second to reload. He always carried several bullets with him to ensure he wouldn't be defeated in a match. "Damn Sage for making this shit so horribly! Havin' to reload every freakin' second is just not right! Maybe I should've killed him off after all..."
Vash, whom had aimed his gun back at him, paused momentarily wearing a fake blissfully innocent expression. "You want me to not run around? That can be arranged."
"Now we're getting' somewhere!" The last bullet was shoved into the compartment, Spiked Silver slammed the hinge back and aimed the heavy, umber gun at the rooftop of the bank where Vash was...supposedly.
Except, Vash was not there anymore. Spiked Silver stared, glaring at the empty rooftop. Before he heard a familiar voice give a 'tsk tsk' and he felt a gun press into the side of his head.
Meryl looked on at the scene from where she was left. Her fingers rapidly struggled and pulled at the ropes, hoping to get out. But she couldn't find a breakthrough, and she was forced to watch all of this. She knew this was all of Vash's plan, she just knew it. But watching Vash in any kind of danger wasn't a pleasant moment at all. It felt like her body was tense and her throat dry as she panicked, she couldn't let him die before anything was said. Or done. Or one of the other so she wouldn't have to live with trying to deny it.
"Never let your guard down, man. That's one of the worst mistakes you can commit while trying to get revenge." Vash taunted, keeping a straight face as he held the gun close to his opponent's face and used his other hand to get ahold of his strange, custom-made gun. Spiked Silver wasn't intimidated, just pissed off beyond belief at the turn of events.
They remained in this position for a few brief moments, it wasn't long before Spiked Silver snapped like Vash was hoping for and let out some kind of angrish comment that he couldn't understand much less attempt to. All that he was aware of afterward was that Spiked Silver had grabbed his gun and tossed it back into the alley, Meryl had managed to lower her head to dodge and it landed near her without firing – thankfully.
Before Vash could react, Spiked Silver had turned the tables (at least, that's what he was being led to believe for now until he faked his defeat) and was soon shoved to the ground, a foot stepping onto his chest to hopefully keep him there. The clunky umber gun that seemed to be losing it's glory more and more was hovering over his face and his green eyes were fixated on it, waiting to fake this.
"You're the one who left your guard down! Know, Vash The Stampede, I'm going to just shoot you to death and get my payment so I can leave...and I think I'll see you in hell later on. We'll have an eternal round there."
With that evilly said in a lowered tone, Spiked Silver's fingers inched closer to the trigger. The silence so intense, one could hear the drop of a pen.
To Be Continued
.
Jeez, three months pass by so fast. I apologize for randomly disappearing from this story, my only explanation for this is that I have been writing this chapter since the last day of January. During this time, I had to rewrite stuff that did not seem right or anywhere near decent writing and I had to take a ton of breaks during the interesting parts – thereby losing the feel of the moment once I returned.
But what urged me to write the rest of this out were three different songs I listened to on different parts of the story: I listened to the opening to the Trigun anime (one of the most epic ones I have ever heard in my anime experience), Riot by Three Days Grace, and Blow Me Away by Breaking Benjamin. If you haven't listened to any of these three, I strongly insist you do; they all kick ass! ^_^
Don't worry, we will find out what happens in the next chapter, you get a small cliffhanger at the moment. Because that's just the way I role when it comes to endings.
Next Chapter: The results of the second round are revealed, but it comes to a draw by an odd turn of events. And Spiked Silver and Sage's old partnership is revealed somewhat to the group.
Following chapter: Time skips ahead to the following day. Spiked Silver is nowhere to be found, Vash is in jail, and Calvin is investigating and plotting. With Wolfwood and Milly elsewhere on a date together, it's just Meryl and Eve and the two girls must make an attempt to settle any hostility between them...by working together to bail out Vash.
Read and review!
~MidnightSakuraBlossom