drab

drab·ble (drab´'l) n. : a story exactly 100 words long, excluding title

25. Lessons

Finger jabbed into the book, facing down his brother's glare, Vash drew breath - and Rem laughed, cutting him off. Slightly sheepish, slightly shocked, he turned his attention back to her.

Philosophy lessons certainly were the most raucous.

Smiling, she took up her lecture once more, "I think that's enough of Aquinas and angels for today." Vash immediately pouted, eyes glistening and lower lip trembling. She ruffled fingers through spiky hair, skewing it, "We'll come back to it later.

"Knives, can you give me a definition of existentialism?"

He pondered her silently a moment before declaring with relish, "I alone exist."

26. Unbent

Wolfwood stared, scratching his head, "So . . . what is it?"

Vash's smile faltered for just a moment, "What do you mean what is it?"

The priest's hand circled vaguely, "What . . . is it?"

Exasperated, Vash thrust the object at his friend once more, "What does it look like?"

Wolfwood shrugged.

"For Chrissake, it's a cigarette!"

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain," admonished Wolfwood. Vash rolled his eyes. The dark haired man tilted his head at the cylinder, "Are you sure?" Vash growled.

Suddenly, Wolfwood snapped his fingers, "I get it!"

He snatched the cigarette from Vash and bent it in half.

27. Mortality

Sitting next to him - in her memory reliving that terrifying search, her panic in fading blue light - Meryl hated the angle of his hair. Rubble had cut her hands before she found him, blood a sacrament to her need. She hated that stain, the injured air of the once-city sizzling above it.

She remembered and she sat - head on his shoulder with ideal and impossible closeness. Not turning, not losing that red edge she could touch, she asked about the blackness.

He laughed a little, fingers she couldn't see reaching for his divided hair, "Why, to be more like you."

28. Different

Knives stalked past the group in a swift economy of motion. His hand compulsively smoothed blurred edge of maroon and white as he eyed his brother's companions disdainfully. The jaded priest and his vacant bride. It was almost worth a laugh. His brother and . . .

The lines of his body melted into a sudden, rippling stillness. His finger glided along her unwilling jaw, touching the tip of her chin to urge it upwards. Unwavering grey eyes flashed under scrutiny.

Malice and wonder in his gaze, Knives breathed to his brother, "She looks just like Her."

"No. She's much shorter," Vash defended.

29. Sinister Manus

The wall - cool and flat - felt faintly of worship, Legato knew. It was the rich taste of pain against his head as his Master tested his faith, and knelt before him. He wasn't worthy of that pure truthful man whose hands ran skillfully along his belt, tugging slightly.

He didn't deserve it - his Master pleasing him. His Master debased in front of him and wanting it so badly. Legato restrained a shuddering, tearful breath as His fingers brushed carefully across . . .

And touched his hand, left. He snatched it up, pressing a devoted kiss into it's palm.

"Don't cross your fingers."

30. Brotherly Love

"What?" Wolfwood gaped, hastily moving to snag the half spent cigarette that fell from his shocked mouth. Blowing on finger tips that received the burning end, he asked again for Vash to explain, "Say that again?"

"It's just as I said, it'd be like sleeping with my brother."

"You think of me like a brother?"

Vash shook his head, "No, I mean it literally. If you're telling me the truth, Knives screws Legato, Legato does Midvalley, and you're Midvalley's bitch."

"I wouldn't put it that way," interjected the priest.

"If I slept with you, I'd be sleeping with my brother."

notes: Oddly, I think I only have comments on one this time around. You're all pretty much used to my Oedipus complex thing and general strangeness. I presume everyone gets the history lesson from the first one, but it doesn't matter if you don't. However, the title to #29 needs a bit of explaining. It's a pun. In Latin. Why exactly haven't you guys beaten me to death for doing this crap I'll never know. Anyway. As you might guess, sinister means, well, "sinister." It can be unlucky, or, more loosely, evil. Manus means soldier. So one meaning is "evil soldier", an obvious reference to Legato himself. However, sinister also means "left" and manus also means "hand." Isn't Latin fun? Sometimes sinister also means lucky, so you can mix and match on the meanings to your heart's content.

And since I'm on a roll, I'll explain the last line of #29. I don't care if you understood it. Just call me Inez, k? Anyway, Knives tells Legato not to cross his fingers, a double reference. Firstly, not to keep his hopes up. Duh. Secondly, not to act like Vash. Seeing as how Vash's Love&Peace pose includes crossed fingers. But I'll bet you already knew that.

Trigun is copyright (c) Yasuhiro Nightow and Young King Ours.

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