"So how's the new job?" Vash was sitting in the passenger's seat, letting Knives drive the rest of the way. The 2 girls were in the back.
"Eh. It's a job. A desk job at that."
"And WHAT is wrong with a desk job?" Meryl leaned over between them.
"Nothing! Nothing. But honestly, wasn't it more exciting working out in the field rather than sitting at a desk typing up papers all day?"
He had a point. And Meryl hated it when people had a point. And even more when they were right about it.
She huffed, returning to her seat. Milly tried her best to repress her chuckles, but she couldn't help it. Meryl quickly shut her up with a piercing stare.
"You've changed." Vash glanced over his shoulder at the girls; his gaze was more towards Meryl. And she felt her face reddening.
"Do you like it?" Milly had cut her hair to a length right above her shoulders, and had surprisingly dyed it a darker brown than her natural hair had been. Meryl, on the other hand, had gone in the opposite direction. He had let her hair grow to a reasonable length, a little past her shoulders.
Vash nodded. "Yes, it fits you."
"My sisters hated me cutting my hair, but my brothers loved it. They think it made me look "cute, yet more mature", I think they said."
He chuckled. returning his eyes to the road. "Yes, in a way they're right." He had wanted to Meryl to answer as well. He enjoyed whenever she talked about herself, because he knew nothing past her name, her job and her bad temper.
Meryl, on the other hand, felt stupid for not speaking up for what she wanted to say. She enjoyed sharing things about herself, making her feel that someone actually cared. Sure, Milly was there. But...honestly to say...she wasn't really the best person to carry a lengthy conversation with.
"You should've grown your hair a long time ago..."
She said thank you to him in her heart. She wanted to keep the front of being thought of as a tough girl to deal with; like a sense of authority. Or controlling what people thought they thought of her. But inside....inside. She wanted to be loved. And she wanted to show someone love. It felt like her insides were rotting away with the facade she kept up. But no more.
"Should we go to dinner after our plans for the day?" Knives glanced over his shoulder at the girls, waiting for their approval.
"Pudding!" Milly jumped out of her seat, almost falling out of the car.
"Milly!" Meryl grabbed at the belt of the big girl, hoping she could stop her from doing so.
After a few hours of somewhat silence (Vash and Knives ran small jokes between each other that either didn't last very long, or ended at a terrible punchline), the car finally pulled up to a church.
THE church.
" Well, we're here."
They all sat there in silence, looking over the glass-stained windows of the abandoned church. The other 3 noticed Knives swallowing hard, the guilt weighing down on his face. Surprisingly, Milly was the first one out and heading into the church before the others got out of the car. She turned, smiling sadly back at the others.
"I think we should go in one by one."
Vash nodded, knowing that she, as well as he, had private things that they each wanted to say in paying their respects. Vash stood by the doorway, while the other two remained by the car. After a few minutes, he noticed Milly rising to her feet and making a small cross in front of her chest. His turn. So in he went.
In passing Milly, she stopped by his side. "Vash-san, I know this sounds crazy, but......do you see Wolfwood in your dreams?"
He nodded.
"And....and he talks to you?" She swallowed the tears back.
He nodded.
She shook her head, chuckling a bit; it was her way of keeping her emotions in control. "Then I guess I'm not crazy."
"No one ever said you were. You're probably the most sane out of all of us." He rested a reassuring arm on her shoulder.
"...thank you..."
They each paid their own respects to the chain-smoking priest; Knives took the longest.
"On to dinner?" Knives' voice wavered. Vash could tell it was hard for someone like Knives to bring himself to do something like that.
They nodded in agreement. And off they went.
It was 2 minutes to the next bar/diner, as it was only on the other side of town. They settled themselves in, ordered their meals and tried to carry on some kind of conversation that didn't involve anything with that church. Eventually, the evening stage show began. Vash asked the others what if they wanted any drinks besides the ones they ordered. 1 beer for Knives, a strawberry daiquiri for Meryl, a chocolate shake for Milly and a tomato juice for himself. He sat at the bar waiting for the drinks, listening to the tune that the stage performer was belting out.
*"I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar.
My last night here for you
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?"
He tapped his fingers to the smooth tune and rythmn of the song, catching it quickly in his mind and humming along.
"Here you go." The bartender placed the 4 drinks onto a tray to make it easier for him to carry.
"Thank you very much, sir!" and he placed a generous tip on the bar top.
The song was over by the time Vash returned to the table, the bar filled with hoots, whistles and applause. The singer bowed a thank you and started on the next song.
Meryl started sipping her drink, stretching a bit from the long car ride, when her ears caught some of the lyrics of the song.
²"I keep my love for you to myself
Endless rain, fall on my heart
Let me forget all of the hate
All of the sadness
As I try to hold you,
You are vanishing before me
You're just an illusion
When I'm awake, my tears have dried
In the sand of sleep.
Endless rain, let me stay
Evermore in your heart
Let my heart take in your tears
Take in your memories."
She began to feel a bit flustered, glancing over the table at Vash, but what she was expecting and what she saw were completely different. The brothers had already chugged their drinks, plus about 3 more between each of them, and were now on their fourth. She got up in a huff. She whispered to Milly, "I'll be outside. I need some air, so watch these two, ok? And no drinks for you."
She glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Vash and Knives enjoying their drinks. "Psh. That blubberhead drinks too much." Maybe they were enjoying them way too much. She just hoped Milly wouldn't get hold of any. Hopefully.
Meryl strolled outside of the bar for some fresh air. The sickening twist of smoke and alcohol got to one after a while. And the smell always decided to tag along, sticking to your hair and clothes.
She stood a distance away from the entrance, looking up at the sky, cursing herself for not following her heart. "I'm deceiving myself" she thought. "What's your problem, you stupid girl? You need to stop this foolishness. You KNOW what you want to do, so what the hell is stopping you?"
"Scuse me, m'am?"
"Hmm?" she turned to the person of question, but before she could get a good look at him, his hand was over her mouth and he was forcing her to the side of the building. She struggled to reach for one her spare deringers she decided to carry with her, for safety's sake, but he noticed and twisted her arm away from reaching it. He forced her to the ground, pinning her arms over her head against the wall with one hand and took out a knife with the other. She opened her mouth to scream, but he flashed the knife, bringing it against her neck. The feel of the sharp cold metal against her neck sent a lump to her throat as she shook with fear. He had both her legs pinned against the ground with his body, since he was sitting on them, so she couldn't knee him where it hurt.
"Scream, and it's your life, bitch."
He pulled out some thin wire-like rope, except it was out of metal. Like cables. He twisted it tightly around her wrists and knotted it, looping her arms around his over his shoulders so they were around his body. This brought her face closer to his, where she smelled the stench of a mixture of strong alcohol on his breath. He next worked on tieing her legs together. She did manage to get a few kicks in, but they were useless. The alcohol had dulled the man's sense of pain, but had not hindered his sight. When he had got them tied, he sat himself between her legs, tearing away at her skirt.
Tears came to her eyes. What had she done to deserve this? A surge of pain ran from her stomach straight up to her throat, causing her to cough and choke. She clenched her eyes tight, hating the way her body was reacting to the foul act. Why was he doing this to her?
Vash........
A fuzzy image of the tall blonde, smiling at her. She saw his lips mouth her name. And the image faded to black.
*- lyrics from Final Fantasy 8 (and if you didn't know that, something's wrong)
²- lyrics from Endless Rain, by X Japan. It's only the English lyrics, as I can't find the translation of the entire song
"Eh. It's a job. A desk job at that."
"And WHAT is wrong with a desk job?" Meryl leaned over between them.
"Nothing! Nothing. But honestly, wasn't it more exciting working out in the field rather than sitting at a desk typing up papers all day?"
He had a point. And Meryl hated it when people had a point. And even more when they were right about it.
She huffed, returning to her seat. Milly tried her best to repress her chuckles, but she couldn't help it. Meryl quickly shut her up with a piercing stare.
"You've changed." Vash glanced over his shoulder at the girls; his gaze was more towards Meryl. And she felt her face reddening.
"Do you like it?" Milly had cut her hair to a length right above her shoulders, and had surprisingly dyed it a darker brown than her natural hair had been. Meryl, on the other hand, had gone in the opposite direction. He had let her hair grow to a reasonable length, a little past her shoulders.
Vash nodded. "Yes, it fits you."
"My sisters hated me cutting my hair, but my brothers loved it. They think it made me look "cute, yet more mature", I think they said."
He chuckled. returning his eyes to the road. "Yes, in a way they're right." He had wanted to Meryl to answer as well. He enjoyed whenever she talked about herself, because he knew nothing past her name, her job and her bad temper.
Meryl, on the other hand, felt stupid for not speaking up for what she wanted to say. She enjoyed sharing things about herself, making her feel that someone actually cared. Sure, Milly was there. But...honestly to say...she wasn't really the best person to carry a lengthy conversation with.
"You should've grown your hair a long time ago..."
She said thank you to him in her heart. She wanted to keep the front of being thought of as a tough girl to deal with; like a sense of authority. Or controlling what people thought they thought of her. But inside....inside. She wanted to be loved. And she wanted to show someone love. It felt like her insides were rotting away with the facade she kept up. But no more.
"Should we go to dinner after our plans for the day?" Knives glanced over his shoulder at the girls, waiting for their approval.
"Pudding!" Milly jumped out of her seat, almost falling out of the car.
"Milly!" Meryl grabbed at the belt of the big girl, hoping she could stop her from doing so.
After a few hours of somewhat silence (Vash and Knives ran small jokes between each other that either didn't last very long, or ended at a terrible punchline), the car finally pulled up to a church.
THE church.
" Well, we're here."
They all sat there in silence, looking over the glass-stained windows of the abandoned church. The other 3 noticed Knives swallowing hard, the guilt weighing down on his face. Surprisingly, Milly was the first one out and heading into the church before the others got out of the car. She turned, smiling sadly back at the others.
"I think we should go in one by one."
Vash nodded, knowing that she, as well as he, had private things that they each wanted to say in paying their respects. Vash stood by the doorway, while the other two remained by the car. After a few minutes, he noticed Milly rising to her feet and making a small cross in front of her chest. His turn. So in he went.
In passing Milly, she stopped by his side. "Vash-san, I know this sounds crazy, but......do you see Wolfwood in your dreams?"
He nodded.
"And....and he talks to you?" She swallowed the tears back.
He nodded.
She shook her head, chuckling a bit; it was her way of keeping her emotions in control. "Then I guess I'm not crazy."
"No one ever said you were. You're probably the most sane out of all of us." He rested a reassuring arm on her shoulder.
"...thank you..."
They each paid their own respects to the chain-smoking priest; Knives took the longest.
"On to dinner?" Knives' voice wavered. Vash could tell it was hard for someone like Knives to bring himself to do something like that.
They nodded in agreement. And off they went.
It was 2 minutes to the next bar/diner, as it was only on the other side of town. They settled themselves in, ordered their meals and tried to carry on some kind of conversation that didn't involve anything with that church. Eventually, the evening stage show began. Vash asked the others what if they wanted any drinks besides the ones they ordered. 1 beer for Knives, a strawberry daiquiri for Meryl, a chocolate shake for Milly and a tomato juice for himself. He sat at the bar waiting for the drinks, listening to the tune that the stage performer was belting out.
*"I saw you smiling at me
Was it real or just my fantasy?
You'd always be there in the corner
Of this tiny little bar.
My last night here for you
Same old songs, just once more
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Did you ever know
That I had mine on you?"
He tapped his fingers to the smooth tune and rythmn of the song, catching it quickly in his mind and humming along.
"Here you go." The bartender placed the 4 drinks onto a tray to make it easier for him to carry.
"Thank you very much, sir!" and he placed a generous tip on the bar top.
The song was over by the time Vash returned to the table, the bar filled with hoots, whistles and applause. The singer bowed a thank you and started on the next song.
Meryl started sipping her drink, stretching a bit from the long car ride, when her ears caught some of the lyrics of the song.
²"I keep my love for you to myself
Endless rain, fall on my heart
Let me forget all of the hate
All of the sadness
As I try to hold you,
You are vanishing before me
You're just an illusion
When I'm awake, my tears have dried
In the sand of sleep.
Endless rain, let me stay
Evermore in your heart
Let my heart take in your tears
Take in your memories."
She began to feel a bit flustered, glancing over the table at Vash, but what she was expecting and what she saw were completely different. The brothers had already chugged their drinks, plus about 3 more between each of them, and were now on their fourth. She got up in a huff. She whispered to Milly, "I'll be outside. I need some air, so watch these two, ok? And no drinks for you."
She glanced back over her shoulder, seeing Vash and Knives enjoying their drinks. "Psh. That blubberhead drinks too much." Maybe they were enjoying them way too much. She just hoped Milly wouldn't get hold of any. Hopefully.
Meryl strolled outside of the bar for some fresh air. The sickening twist of smoke and alcohol got to one after a while. And the smell always decided to tag along, sticking to your hair and clothes.
She stood a distance away from the entrance, looking up at the sky, cursing herself for not following her heart. "I'm deceiving myself" she thought. "What's your problem, you stupid girl? You need to stop this foolishness. You KNOW what you want to do, so what the hell is stopping you?"
"Scuse me, m'am?"
"Hmm?" she turned to the person of question, but before she could get a good look at him, his hand was over her mouth and he was forcing her to the side of the building. She struggled to reach for one her spare deringers she decided to carry with her, for safety's sake, but he noticed and twisted her arm away from reaching it. He forced her to the ground, pinning her arms over her head against the wall with one hand and took out a knife with the other. She opened her mouth to scream, but he flashed the knife, bringing it against her neck. The feel of the sharp cold metal against her neck sent a lump to her throat as she shook with fear. He had both her legs pinned against the ground with his body, since he was sitting on them, so she couldn't knee him where it hurt.
"Scream, and it's your life, bitch."
He pulled out some thin wire-like rope, except it was out of metal. Like cables. He twisted it tightly around her wrists and knotted it, looping her arms around his over his shoulders so they were around his body. This brought her face closer to his, where she smelled the stench of a mixture of strong alcohol on his breath. He next worked on tieing her legs together. She did manage to get a few kicks in, but they were useless. The alcohol had dulled the man's sense of pain, but had not hindered his sight. When he had got them tied, he sat himself between her legs, tearing away at her skirt.
Tears came to her eyes. What had she done to deserve this? A surge of pain ran from her stomach straight up to her throat, causing her to cough and choke. She clenched her eyes tight, hating the way her body was reacting to the foul act. Why was he doing this to her?
Vash........
A fuzzy image of the tall blonde, smiling at her. She saw his lips mouth her name. And the image faded to black.
*- lyrics from Final Fantasy 8 (and if you didn't know that, something's wrong)
²- lyrics from Endless Rain, by X Japan. It's only the English lyrics, as I can't find the translation of the entire song