*sighs* You guys would kill me if I took a day off now, huh?

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"Hands over your head."

The voice was filled with menace, which was quite a trick since it was pitched so low. Kiley slowly lifted her hands away from her sides and had them hover in the general region of her head.

"Let's not do anything rash here," she said calmly and softly, trying equally hard to not interrupt the drama before them. "I'm just a spectator."

"We'll keep it that way." She felt the gun leave her holster and heard it tossed somewhere off to her right. Her hands dipped a bit, but the increased pressure at her back coaxed them back up again. She bit her lip, wondering what she was supposed to do now. Well, when in doubt, see if you can weasel out.

"Meryl, I assume?"

"I don't think my name is any of your business."

"Friendly."

"I don't think I need to be friendly to one of Knives' freaks."

Kiley felt her blood begin to boil, but she fought down the reaction. Freak? FREAK? She was no one's freak. She clenched her teeth against the rage that rushed through her, and tried to remind herself that people on this planet had no idea how much of an epithet that word really was. She was pleased that she managed to avoid turning and throttling the person behind her, but she wasn't able to keep her mouth shut.

"At least I'm trying to be friendly, bitch."

She ignored the startled intake of breath behind her but could hardly ignore the greater pressure in the small of her back.

"Either shoot me or don't, but stop trying to drill a hole in my back," she demanded. The pressure increased for another moment, then drew back. "Thanks. So glad you could join me today," she started sarcastically.

"I'd rather not be here," ground out the voice behind her. "But it's best for all concerned if we stop Knives' scheme before he gets started."

"Scheme? I don't think he has a scheme."

"Maybe not one he's told you, but you're just a flunky."

Kiley sighed tightly, the hiss of breath escaping through her clenched teeth. "I'm not his flunky."

Meryl snorted. "Sure you aren't. Knives doesn't have friends."

"I didn't say I was his friend. I just said I'm not his flunky. He wishes I were his flunky, but he wants a lot of things he's not getting."

"So what are you then?"

Kiley gestured towards Knives, who was showing off his skills, dancing colored balls of light around Vash's head to distract him. "Unfortunately, I'm the one who got to teach him that."

The person standing behind Kiley peeked around her, and she noted that it truly was Meryl. "You are a freak," she said incredulously, taking back her place behind Kiley. "None of that freaky stuff, or I'll shoot."

Kiley gritted her teeth. "I. Am. Not. A. Freak. Do you want me to just start calling you bitch?"

"I don't care what you call me. Vash is going to stop Knives, and then you can just go back to whatever hole it is you crawled out of."

"That's not quite an option," Kiley mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I can't quite go back to where I came from. Long, boring, complicated story. Have fun not hearing it," she replied airily.

"You have an interesting sense of propriety. Do you think now is the time to be making jokes?"

"Every time is a good time to make jokes," she replied, eyeing the boys as they tussled. "But now is a better time then usual. Look at the butt on Vash. That boy still works out." The barrel was jammed against her again. "Ooh, sorry. Didn't know I couldn't even look."

"He's mine."

"Like a dog. Here, Spot. I thought you didn't like that sort of treatment. Or was it just that you didn't like seeing someone else get to treat him like that when you couldn't? Ouch, woman! That isn't a stiletto. Back it off." She minced her back away from the gun.

"You have a mouth on you."

"And eyes, too. Both seem to be getting me in trouble now."

"Shut up!" Meryl advanced until she could grind the gun against her spine again. "You don't seem to think I'll shoot."

"You're one of the good guys, right? I'm not too worried."

"Vash only dislikes killing. I think I can cripple you for life and still be forgiven."

"And you're willing to find out?"

"It sounds like a good plan to me."

"Huh. Something sure made you touchy. Wonder what plant boy over there isn't telling me again," she mused.

"Plant boy?" came the faint echo from behind her. "Did I… hear that right?"

Kiley risked a look over her shoulder. "I told you, I'm not his flunky."

Meryl's eyes met hers, flashing with anger. "I don't care what you are. Hanging around with him makes you evil by default."

"Nice logic, Meryl. You're aging well, by the way."

Her mouth dropped open. It moved a couple times, searching for words but not finding any. Meryl's face turned an interesting shade of purple, and the derringer was taken from her back and in the process of being aimed towards her face when time slowed.

A glimpse of light at the top of her vision captured her attention. Instincts that she had feared might have slowed proved themselves again as she threw herself on Meryl, knocking her to the ground, protecting her with her body. As she grabbed the woman and they traveled towards the ground, she formed a shield of light and force, haphazardly grabbing at what sources of energy she could and desperately channeling them all into something she hoped would hold against the blast that was coming her way.

The beam hit the shield and bounced against it, reflecting off into the desert where it impacted harmlessly against the sands. The flash of impact against the shield was bright enough to temporarily blind, had you been caught looking at it. Knowing better, she had kept her eyes shut, but she still blinked away spots. Kiley winced, feeling the pain of use in areas of her mind that had lain dormant for years.

"Ouch." She rolled off of Meryl and looked towards where the boys had been battling. Both had stopped and were looking at her with an identical expression of disbelief on their face.

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A/N: Please go here. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CymberleahsFics/