"Rina........" Vash let the name roll around in his mind. It had been so long. He sighed, shutting his eyes. He remembered the brown-red of her hair, those clear blue eyes. She was fourteen at the time......he bet she had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, with the most caring heart he had ever met.
"Vash-san?" Milly shook him hard by the shoulders. He had forgotten that he was the one driving. He jerked on the steering wheel to avoid a wild Thompson, causing the car to begin fish-tailing. He eventually regained control; he felt his head pounding to the same steady rythmn that his heart was dancing to, to the point that it began to hurt. He rubbed at his temples.
"Are you ok?" Milly asked in concern. "Should I drive?" Vash stared at her with eyes like he was seeing her for the first time, but he regained his composure and blinked.
"S...sure..." he pulled the car over to the side of the road.....or desert. Whatever. They exchanged places and continued on their way. Knives had drifted off to sleep earlier, his body jerking and moving with each bump and turn that was made. Meryl..........no one had a clue whether she was conscious or not. They decided they needed to give her more time. "She'll come out on her own time." Knives claimed earlier.
So Milly continued the drive, suggesting that Vash take a nap before they reached their destination. He had tried to best to fall asleep, but it was known that the harder you force sleep, the harder for it to come naturally. Instead, he let his thoughts linger and eventually, the sleep took him over.
"Hey, needle-noggin." Wolfwood had a sad smile on his face, knowing that nothing right now could really cheer him up. A long period of awkward silence stood between the two, until Wolfwood broke it.
"It's not your fault...."
"Does it look like I'm blaming myself?" Vash snapped at him. He didn't care anymore......all the pain made him feel numb.
Taken aback, Wolfwood tried to think what was going through his head. "Then......."
"Maybe............." he turned his face away from Wolfwood; he didn't want to see the priest's expression when the words left him. "....maybe Knives was right, all those years ago. I want that man dead, Wolfwood!" He tightened his fists to the point of them bleeding. "That moment...when I saw what he was doing to Meryl, I never felt so much hate in my life. Does.....does that make me like Knives? Maybe the entire human race IS a big disgrace..." He fell to his knees and in one swift motion, he rammed his head against the ground (or what can be called ground in that blackness).
"Vash!" Wolfwood ran to his side to ensure he was ok. Vash lifted his head, a trickle of blood running over his right eye, but the image of the priest became fuzzy and his voice was becoming higher. Soon the image was replaced with one of Milly, who looked extremely concerned.
"Vash-san! Your head!" Milly had stopped the car when she saw Vash's head crash onto the dashboard out of the corner of her eye. It couldn't have been caused by a bump, since she had been driving smoothly; it looked more to her like he did it intentionally. "Are you ok?" She pressed her finger tips to the wound on his head. He winced, replying that he was ok. Milly commented that they were close to the town.
"How close?"
"Well....it's within walking distance. So it should only take us a few seconds."
When they arrived, they decided to check into a hotel first, as Vash knew that he wanted to see Rina for more than just a day. Knives tended to Vash's wounds, including the bruises and cuts on his palms.
"Did that cat get to you again?" Knives joked. To no avail.
After a few hours of healthy napping they drove off to the house that had been described to them. When they arrived, Knives and Milly opted to go shopping for dinner instead, as they knew that it was a more private affair for Vash. Meryl, as usual, was left in the car.
"Alright." Vash re-ensured himself. "I'm not going to get anything out of this by just standing here at staring at the house." He brought himself up the steps and knocked on the door. The few seconds of silence between the knocks and the moment the door was opened seemed like an eternity.
Rina was dressed in blue jeans and a pale yellow button-up shirt, and she had resorted to keeping her hair short. And her eyes were still the same clear blue that had always been. She still looked like the same girl Vash had met five years ago, but he straightened it in his mind that she was now nineteen. And as pretty as ever.
"...................hello, Rina." Vash's smile was filled with sentiment and pain for leaving her those many years ago.
Rina stood there in shock, her mouth open in awe. Here was the man that she hadn't seen in so long. The man that had saved her by disgracing himself. The first man she ever really felt close to. He was also the first man to cause such a painful weight on her heart, when he left. The image in her vision distorted as she felt the tears wash over her eyes. She stumbled forward, unsure of what should be done or said. Luckily, Vash picked up on this and stepped forward, wrapping his lengthy arms around her.
"I'm sorry..........I'm sorry I left......but I had to." Rina melted into him. It felt so comforting to hold him again. The scars.........the thought of it brought more tears to her eyes. "Please......are those tears of joy, or.....?" Vash pulled her away from him for a moment, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Just hush....." She took his hands and placed them around her shoulders for another embrace. A bitter sweetness filled Vash's heart. He had felt a metallic coldness on Rina's left hand.
*Alright. I lied. I didn't listen to Blue while writing the fic. It was Rain instead. ^^
I don't feel a thing and I stopped remembering
The days are just like moments turned to hours
Mother used to say if you want, you'll find a way
Bet mother never danced through fire shower
Why do I feel so alone
For some reason I think of home.
^^' Just a few of the lyrics of the song. Great song. Download now! ) And I must apologize for making Meryl look like just another object they're toting around. Don't worry....she'll jump right back into the story in the next chapter. ^_^x
"Vash-san?" Milly shook him hard by the shoulders. He had forgotten that he was the one driving. He jerked on the steering wheel to avoid a wild Thompson, causing the car to begin fish-tailing. He eventually regained control; he felt his head pounding to the same steady rythmn that his heart was dancing to, to the point that it began to hurt. He rubbed at his temples.
"Are you ok?" Milly asked in concern. "Should I drive?" Vash stared at her with eyes like he was seeing her for the first time, but he regained his composure and blinked.
"S...sure..." he pulled the car over to the side of the road.....or desert. Whatever. They exchanged places and continued on their way. Knives had drifted off to sleep earlier, his body jerking and moving with each bump and turn that was made. Meryl..........no one had a clue whether she was conscious or not. They decided they needed to give her more time. "She'll come out on her own time." Knives claimed earlier.
So Milly continued the drive, suggesting that Vash take a nap before they reached their destination. He had tried to best to fall asleep, but it was known that the harder you force sleep, the harder for it to come naturally. Instead, he let his thoughts linger and eventually, the sleep took him over.
"Hey, needle-noggin." Wolfwood had a sad smile on his face, knowing that nothing right now could really cheer him up. A long period of awkward silence stood between the two, until Wolfwood broke it.
"It's not your fault...."
"Does it look like I'm blaming myself?" Vash snapped at him. He didn't care anymore......all the pain made him feel numb.
Taken aback, Wolfwood tried to think what was going through his head. "Then......."
"Maybe............." he turned his face away from Wolfwood; he didn't want to see the priest's expression when the words left him. "....maybe Knives was right, all those years ago. I want that man dead, Wolfwood!" He tightened his fists to the point of them bleeding. "That moment...when I saw what he was doing to Meryl, I never felt so much hate in my life. Does.....does that make me like Knives? Maybe the entire human race IS a big disgrace..." He fell to his knees and in one swift motion, he rammed his head against the ground (or what can be called ground in that blackness).
"Vash!" Wolfwood ran to his side to ensure he was ok. Vash lifted his head, a trickle of blood running over his right eye, but the image of the priest became fuzzy and his voice was becoming higher. Soon the image was replaced with one of Milly, who looked extremely concerned.
"Vash-san! Your head!" Milly had stopped the car when she saw Vash's head crash onto the dashboard out of the corner of her eye. It couldn't have been caused by a bump, since she had been driving smoothly; it looked more to her like he did it intentionally. "Are you ok?" She pressed her finger tips to the wound on his head. He winced, replying that he was ok. Milly commented that they were close to the town.
"How close?"
"Well....it's within walking distance. So it should only take us a few seconds."
When they arrived, they decided to check into a hotel first, as Vash knew that he wanted to see Rina for more than just a day. Knives tended to Vash's wounds, including the bruises and cuts on his palms.
"Did that cat get to you again?" Knives joked. To no avail.
After a few hours of healthy napping they drove off to the house that had been described to them. When they arrived, Knives and Milly opted to go shopping for dinner instead, as they knew that it was a more private affair for Vash. Meryl, as usual, was left in the car.
"Alright." Vash re-ensured himself. "I'm not going to get anything out of this by just standing here at staring at the house." He brought himself up the steps and knocked on the door. The few seconds of silence between the knocks and the moment the door was opened seemed like an eternity.
Rina was dressed in blue jeans and a pale yellow button-up shirt, and she had resorted to keeping her hair short. And her eyes were still the same clear blue that had always been. She still looked like the same girl Vash had met five years ago, but he straightened it in his mind that she was now nineteen. And as pretty as ever.
"...................hello, Rina." Vash's smile was filled with sentiment and pain for leaving her those many years ago.
Rina stood there in shock, her mouth open in awe. Here was the man that she hadn't seen in so long. The man that had saved her by disgracing himself. The first man she ever really felt close to. He was also the first man to cause such a painful weight on her heart, when he left. The image in her vision distorted as she felt the tears wash over her eyes. She stumbled forward, unsure of what should be done or said. Luckily, Vash picked up on this and stepped forward, wrapping his lengthy arms around her.
"I'm sorry..........I'm sorry I left......but I had to." Rina melted into him. It felt so comforting to hold him again. The scars.........the thought of it brought more tears to her eyes. "Please......are those tears of joy, or.....?" Vash pulled her away from him for a moment, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.
"Just hush....." She took his hands and placed them around her shoulders for another embrace. A bitter sweetness filled Vash's heart. He had felt a metallic coldness on Rina's left hand.
*Alright. I lied. I didn't listen to Blue while writing the fic. It was Rain instead. ^^
I don't feel a thing and I stopped remembering
The days are just like moments turned to hours
Mother used to say if you want, you'll find a way
Bet mother never danced through fire shower
Why do I feel so alone
For some reason I think of home.
^^' Just a few of the lyrics of the song. Great song. Download now! ) And I must apologize for making Meryl look like just another object they're toting around. Don't worry....she'll jump right back into the story in the next chapter. ^_^x