Chapter 7
Nate shivers and huddles up in his sleep. One eye opens, signifying that he's awake.
*It's suddenly gotten very cold...* he thinks as his other eye opens.
Looking around, Nate sees the same inn room he fell asleep in earlier. Vash is spread out on the bed to his right, shirtless. Nate cringes at the sight of his friend's massive scars. He looks to his left, at Knives sleeping soundly and snoring loudly. He throws a pillow at him, to get him to turn over and stop snoring.
Nate pulls up a blanker and settles down to go back to sleep.
"Nathan..."
Just as Nate is finally about to fall asleep, he hears a voice calling his name. At first, he dismisses it as a figment of his imagination and goes back to his dreams of his beloved Emmy-chan. But then the voice calls again.
"Nathaaaaaan..."
So Nate opens one eye again, then the other. He sees Vash and Knives both fast asleep. He sits up and sees nothing out of the ordinary. Hesitantly, he lies back down.
"Nathan!"
This time he sits bolt upright and looks around, panicking.
"What! Who's there?" he whispers.
"Naaaaathaaaaaaan..."
Nate gulps and gropes around in the dark for a weapons. He ends up with a baseball bat from...OK, don't ask where it's from; it's just there.
"Who's there?" he says, louder now that he's more confident with his random bat.
"Nate! It's me, Nick!"
Suddenly, a glowing image of Nate's brother, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, appears at the foot of his bed.
"What! Nick? Nicholas, is that you?"
"Yes, Nate, it's me, Nick."
"Ha! I knew it! You're still alive," he says, putting down his bat, which promptly disappears into the oblivion from whence it came. "These guys tried to tell me you were dead, but I didn't believe 'em! And now you're here, so I can tell them I found out! Hey, Knives, Vash, wake up! The jig's up! Nicholas is here. I knew you were lying." Nate gets up and tries to wake his friends. He shakes their shoulders, but they remain sleeping peacefully. "Guys? Knives? Vash? What's wrong?"
"Nathan, they won't wake up until after I leave," Nick explains.
"Huh? Why? Did you slip them something during dinner? *sigh* You never change, do you, Nick?"
"No, Nate, listen to me. I'm dead," Wolfwood states. Nate just looks at him like he's crazy.
"No you're not! You're right here."
"Nathan, I'm dead. And I came back to tell you. Go back to your family, where you're needed. You shouldn't be wasting your time looking for me because you won't ever find me again. And just so you can clear your conscious, I forgive you. I've forgotten all about the pulled groin, humiliation, and the 50,000 double dollars.: He smiles and winks as Nate grins sheepishly at the memory.
"So...You're really gone? They were telling the truth?"
"Every word. These guys don't often lie. Even Knives."
"Wow. All I can say is wow..."
"Looks like my job here is done. I've got to get going," Wolfwood says.
"Wait, I have so many questions! What's the after-life like? Is there really a god? What's the meaning of-"
"Nate," Nick mutters, rolling his eyes. "Goodbye."
"No, don't go! Please stay!"
But it's too late. Wolfwood's ghost disappears and Nate finds himself alone again, with the exceptions of his sleeping comrades.
"Come back...I miss you..." he whispers. Nothing happens, so he reluctantly returns his head to his pillow to ruminate over the recent turn events.
Nate shivers and huddles up in his sleep. One eye opens, signifying that he's awake.
*It's suddenly gotten very cold...* he thinks as his other eye opens.
Looking around, Nate sees the same inn room he fell asleep in earlier. Vash is spread out on the bed to his right, shirtless. Nate cringes at the sight of his friend's massive scars. He looks to his left, at Knives sleeping soundly and snoring loudly. He throws a pillow at him, to get him to turn over and stop snoring.
Nate pulls up a blanker and settles down to go back to sleep.
"Nathan..."
Just as Nate is finally about to fall asleep, he hears a voice calling his name. At first, he dismisses it as a figment of his imagination and goes back to his dreams of his beloved Emmy-chan. But then the voice calls again.
"Nathaaaaaan..."
So Nate opens one eye again, then the other. He sees Vash and Knives both fast asleep. He sits up and sees nothing out of the ordinary. Hesitantly, he lies back down.
"Nathan!"
This time he sits bolt upright and looks around, panicking.
"What! Who's there?" he whispers.
"Naaaaathaaaaaaan..."
Nate gulps and gropes around in the dark for a weapons. He ends up with a baseball bat from...OK, don't ask where it's from; it's just there.
"Who's there?" he says, louder now that he's more confident with his random bat.
"Nate! It's me, Nick!"
Suddenly, a glowing image of Nate's brother, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, appears at the foot of his bed.
"What! Nick? Nicholas, is that you?"
"Yes, Nate, it's me, Nick."
"Ha! I knew it! You're still alive," he says, putting down his bat, which promptly disappears into the oblivion from whence it came. "These guys tried to tell me you were dead, but I didn't believe 'em! And now you're here, so I can tell them I found out! Hey, Knives, Vash, wake up! The jig's up! Nicholas is here. I knew you were lying." Nate gets up and tries to wake his friends. He shakes their shoulders, but they remain sleeping peacefully. "Guys? Knives? Vash? What's wrong?"
"Nathan, they won't wake up until after I leave," Nick explains.
"Huh? Why? Did you slip them something during dinner? *sigh* You never change, do you, Nick?"
"No, Nate, listen to me. I'm dead," Wolfwood states. Nate just looks at him like he's crazy.
"No you're not! You're right here."
"Nathan, I'm dead. And I came back to tell you. Go back to your family, where you're needed. You shouldn't be wasting your time looking for me because you won't ever find me again. And just so you can clear your conscious, I forgive you. I've forgotten all about the pulled groin, humiliation, and the 50,000 double dollars.: He smiles and winks as Nate grins sheepishly at the memory.
"So...You're really gone? They were telling the truth?"
"Every word. These guys don't often lie. Even Knives."
"Wow. All I can say is wow..."
"Looks like my job here is done. I've got to get going," Wolfwood says.
"Wait, I have so many questions! What's the after-life like? Is there really a god? What's the meaning of-"
"Nate," Nick mutters, rolling his eyes. "Goodbye."
"No, don't go! Please stay!"
But it's too late. Wolfwood's ghost disappears and Nate finds himself alone again, with the exceptions of his sleeping comrades.
"Come back...I miss you..." he whispers. Nothing happens, so he reluctantly returns his head to his pillow to ruminate over the recent turn events.