Vash covered his mouth, feeling nauseous from drinking too much alcohol. He glanced at Milly, half-hoping that she hadn't gotten any of it in her system; she had, and she was mumbling random blurbs of nothingness. Knives, on the other hand, was keeping up his end. Guess he dealt with alcohol very well.
"Knives..." he muttered between his fingers. He signalled to the bathroom.
"You never were a very good drinker." He hicupped, his cheeks a bit flush.
Vash hurried on his way, hoping he could get there in time. After finishing his business in the bathroom, he returned, remembering that he hadn't seen Meryl in a while.
"Where'd Meryl go, Milly?" He shook at her shoulders, hoping he could get even a drunkenly slurred answer out of her.
"Mnyuh.....fresh air....nyumnyumnyum....."
"Uh............huh...." The brothers stared at big girl in confusion.
"Pudding!" she screamed, raising her head from the table, which she quickly returned it to with a bang. Vash winced at the sound, hoping she wouldn't wake up with a big bruise the next morning.
'I guess she's outside then.' "Meryl....?" She squinted at the dusty road than ran in front of the bar. Not seeing the small raven-haired girl anywhere, he decided that maybe she had retired early for the night at the hotel. Maybe...it could be his chance...
A glint of metal caught the corner of his eye; it was coming from the side of the bar. From the shape of the reflection, he could tell it was a knife.
'Maybe just some random guy trying to pick a fight'. He stood there, waiting to see if the man would confront him for some money. But there was no movement towards him. But if he had a knife, he was planning on hurting someone. He pretended to be walking back towards the bar, but when he was out of view, he edged towards the side, straining his view around the corner, while at the same time, trying not to be seen. But a metallic glint of another kind made his mind go numb.
Meryl's earrings.
Being in a daze caused his mind to take in the rest of the scene, and it made him sick to his stomach. 'He.....he's raping her.' Before he could realise what he was doing, he had charged around the corner. The man was surprised by how swift Vash was, and before he could formulate what was going on, the blonde was on him like bees to honey. Or like a boxer who was going for a K.O.
Vash pounded his fists against the man's face and body. He lifted him by the collar of his shirt and sent a right hook to his jaw, sending him flying back. But he was on him again as soon as he fell to the ground.
"Bastard! Bastardbastardbastard!" He repeated the word over and over in his head, as if it would take his mind away from the moment, allowing his body to take over. The blows continued; not even Meryl's words could get to him.
Meryl had seen Vash when he had first exited the bar, but what could she do? If she called to him, she'd be dead. But who was to say that the man wouldn't kill her anyway? When he had started beating on the man, she saw the most hate-filled eyes she had ever seen. His voice...she recognised it. It was the same as the one she heard when he had to fight that big bulky guy with all the guns on his body...the one that told her to stay away. To not come near him.
"Vash..." she called out to him softly; she felt pain all over. But it did nothing.
It took Knives to hear the pummeling from inside to stop the massacre that was taking place. He managed to get his arms through Vash's, holding him in an arm lock.
"Stop this!"
"Let me go!" Unknowingly, he had drawn his gun hand, aiming it at the man's head.
"Vash!" Knives wrestled his brother to the ground, trying to bring some sense back to him. The man had zipped up his pants when no one was looking, and flipped the knife in his hand.
"Well, I got what I came for."
Knives flashed one of the most sinister glares he ever had, causing the man to stop in his tracks. "You ok, Vash?" He kept his eyes on the man.
He huffed, his face running with cold sweat. "I....I guess...." Knives felt the tension easing out of his brother.
"Take care of Meryl." He released his grip on him, turning to the man. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. I was simply easing what's in a man's nature", the man sneered.
"And it's a woman's nature to get raped?" he stepped nearer.
"Hey, if they got the equipment, why not use it?"
"Oh." Knives smirked. "So that's your philosophy." He neared even more. "Let's see then...." He cracked his knuckles, still nearing. "I have this equipment here..." he patted his bicep. "So........why not use it?!"
Vash was trying his best to cut at the cables tied around Meryl's wrists and ankles without making eye-contact; she kept her eyes at the ground. Knives' words caused him to stop his work. 'Use....use what?!?' "KNIVES!"
He motioned to Vash that he had everything under control and that he was not resorting to THAT. Knives simply took the man's arm, and in one swift movement he gave it a quick twist; Vash didn't even wince from the satisfying crunch of a broken bone. But he returned his attention to the case at hand. He slipped the cables off, looking for something to cover her with.
"Knives! Get the blanket from the car!"
He was on it, and returned just as quickly, throwing the ragged bundle to Vash. He wrapped it around Meryl; she flinched under his touch.
"Are....are you ok, Meryl?" She still refused to look at him, pulling her knees to her chest. She shook with fear, feeling disgusted. Every movement sent a surge of pain through her thighs and stomach. ".......Meryl?" Her ears were deaf to his words. He reached out to comfort her, to let her know that she wasn't worthless, that she still meant something to him....
She recoiled from him, crying into the stained tattered rag for a blanket. He could feel a lump lurching from his heart straight to his throat. He tried hard to swallow away the pain, but this time it was too much for him to bear. He couldn't hide it anymore; the tears flowed down his cheeks. This time he wanted Meryl to see how much he hurt, how much pain he felt. But she refused to look at him. She wanted to be alone; she wanted time to herself...she NEEDED time to herself. Right now.
Knives merely stood there, unsure of what he should do. His brother was sitting there crying, and the insurance girl was in a depressed and traumatised state. He sat by his brother, trying his best to comfort him, but it was to no avail. Knives stared at the night sky, stroking his brother's hair (Vash's head now rested on his brother's shoulder).
'Why...........? WHY????' He bit his lip, a trickle of blood drifted down his chin.
"Knives..." he muttered between his fingers. He signalled to the bathroom.
"You never were a very good drinker." He hicupped, his cheeks a bit flush.
Vash hurried on his way, hoping he could get there in time. After finishing his business in the bathroom, he returned, remembering that he hadn't seen Meryl in a while.
"Where'd Meryl go, Milly?" He shook at her shoulders, hoping he could get even a drunkenly slurred answer out of her.
"Mnyuh.....fresh air....nyumnyumnyum....."
"Uh............huh...." The brothers stared at big girl in confusion.
"Pudding!" she screamed, raising her head from the table, which she quickly returned it to with a bang. Vash winced at the sound, hoping she wouldn't wake up with a big bruise the next morning.
'I guess she's outside then.' "Meryl....?" She squinted at the dusty road than ran in front of the bar. Not seeing the small raven-haired girl anywhere, he decided that maybe she had retired early for the night at the hotel. Maybe...it could be his chance...
A glint of metal caught the corner of his eye; it was coming from the side of the bar. From the shape of the reflection, he could tell it was a knife.
'Maybe just some random guy trying to pick a fight'. He stood there, waiting to see if the man would confront him for some money. But there was no movement towards him. But if he had a knife, he was planning on hurting someone. He pretended to be walking back towards the bar, but when he was out of view, he edged towards the side, straining his view around the corner, while at the same time, trying not to be seen. But a metallic glint of another kind made his mind go numb.
Meryl's earrings.
Being in a daze caused his mind to take in the rest of the scene, and it made him sick to his stomach. 'He.....he's raping her.' Before he could realise what he was doing, he had charged around the corner. The man was surprised by how swift Vash was, and before he could formulate what was going on, the blonde was on him like bees to honey. Or like a boxer who was going for a K.O.
Vash pounded his fists against the man's face and body. He lifted him by the collar of his shirt and sent a right hook to his jaw, sending him flying back. But he was on him again as soon as he fell to the ground.
"Bastard! Bastardbastardbastard!" He repeated the word over and over in his head, as if it would take his mind away from the moment, allowing his body to take over. The blows continued; not even Meryl's words could get to him.
Meryl had seen Vash when he had first exited the bar, but what could she do? If she called to him, she'd be dead. But who was to say that the man wouldn't kill her anyway? When he had started beating on the man, she saw the most hate-filled eyes she had ever seen. His voice...she recognised it. It was the same as the one she heard when he had to fight that big bulky guy with all the guns on his body...the one that told her to stay away. To not come near him.
"Vash..." she called out to him softly; she felt pain all over. But it did nothing.
It took Knives to hear the pummeling from inside to stop the massacre that was taking place. He managed to get his arms through Vash's, holding him in an arm lock.
"Stop this!"
"Let me go!" Unknowingly, he had drawn his gun hand, aiming it at the man's head.
"Vash!" Knives wrestled his brother to the ground, trying to bring some sense back to him. The man had zipped up his pants when no one was looking, and flipped the knife in his hand.
"Well, I got what I came for."
Knives flashed one of the most sinister glares he ever had, causing the man to stop in his tracks. "You ok, Vash?" He kept his eyes on the man.
He huffed, his face running with cold sweat. "I....I guess...." Knives felt the tension easing out of his brother.
"Take care of Meryl." He released his grip on him, turning to the man. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. I was simply easing what's in a man's nature", the man sneered.
"And it's a woman's nature to get raped?" he stepped nearer.
"Hey, if they got the equipment, why not use it?"
"Oh." Knives smirked. "So that's your philosophy." He neared even more. "Let's see then...." He cracked his knuckles, still nearing. "I have this equipment here..." he patted his bicep. "So........why not use it?!"
Vash was trying his best to cut at the cables tied around Meryl's wrists and ankles without making eye-contact; she kept her eyes at the ground. Knives' words caused him to stop his work. 'Use....use what?!?' "KNIVES!"
He motioned to Vash that he had everything under control and that he was not resorting to THAT. Knives simply took the man's arm, and in one swift movement he gave it a quick twist; Vash didn't even wince from the satisfying crunch of a broken bone. But he returned his attention to the case at hand. He slipped the cables off, looking for something to cover her with.
"Knives! Get the blanket from the car!"
He was on it, and returned just as quickly, throwing the ragged bundle to Vash. He wrapped it around Meryl; she flinched under his touch.
"Are....are you ok, Meryl?" She still refused to look at him, pulling her knees to her chest. She shook with fear, feeling disgusted. Every movement sent a surge of pain through her thighs and stomach. ".......Meryl?" Her ears were deaf to his words. He reached out to comfort her, to let her know that she wasn't worthless, that she still meant something to him....
She recoiled from him, crying into the stained tattered rag for a blanket. He could feel a lump lurching from his heart straight to his throat. He tried hard to swallow away the pain, but this time it was too much for him to bear. He couldn't hide it anymore; the tears flowed down his cheeks. This time he wanted Meryl to see how much he hurt, how much pain he felt. But she refused to look at him. She wanted to be alone; she wanted time to herself...she NEEDED time to herself. Right now.
Knives merely stood there, unsure of what he should do. His brother was sitting there crying, and the insurance girl was in a depressed and traumatised state. He sat by his brother, trying his best to comfort him, but it was to no avail. Knives stared at the night sky, stroking his brother's hair (Vash's head now rested on his brother's shoulder).
'Why...........? WHY????' He bit his lip, a trickle of blood drifted down his chin.