"From the look on your face, you need some proof." BDN whipped out a photo from his pocket and flicked it across the room to Vash, who caught it gingerly in his fingers. He glanced at him over the edge of the photo, realizing that BDN wasn't as scary-looking as he once was.
He was wearing a plain dark blue pants and a white long-sleeve button up shirt. His hat was the only thing that remotely had any link to who he was, the tiny tubes of neon lights reflecting off the white fabric. He looked remotely smaller compared to the big neon lit suit he used to wear. But he was still a well-built guy, not to mention tall.
"What are their names?" He tossed the photo back to him.
"The wife's name is Rachel, the boy is Samuel and the little girl there is Nina." BDN smiled at the photo, revealing his caring side that he formerly wouldn't, and replaced the photo back into his pocket. It was a bit worn from his travels, but he treasured it dearly. He noticed the sadness in Vash's eyes after he had returned the photo to him. "What's up, Vash the Stampede?"
Vash simply shook his head. "That's not my name anymore, Brilliant Dynamites Neon."
"Nor is that mine. I'm not with the Bad Lad Gang anymore." He tipped his hat, just enough to lock his eyes with Vash's. "It's Michael, now. Michael Neon. Now tell me what's wrong."
Vash didn't know why, but he felt comfortable during the entire time he relayed the story to Michael. He spoke of his confrontation with his brother, the travel he had with the girls. His speech began to stutter and slow as he came upon the event of Meryl's tragedy, but Mr. Neon urged him along, saying that it wasn't brilliant to leave a story hanging like that. There was an eerie silence after Vash had told all that had happened; Neon had his chin resting on his knuckles, deep in thought.
"Have you tried talking to her?"
"Yes.....but that didn't end very well."
"Knowing you, you probably went about it the wrong way. You were blaming yourself again, weren't you?" Vash nodded in reply. "She doesn't care who's to blame. That's not what she wants to hear. There's something more important than what she wants to hear from you, Vash." He pulled the hat back over his eyes, leaving the words to sink into the Stampede's head. "Now where's this brother of yours?" Vash motioned to the room that he and Milly were in. He was too deep in thought to remember that they were disputing over something.
Milly and Knives were smiling with each other, telling each other of their own travels and adventures, when they heard a knocking at the door. They welcomed the person on the other side to enter. Milly stood up in confusion first, and then surprise. At first, she didn't recognise the man that stood in the doorway, but his grin brought the memories back.
"You!"
"Hey! It's you, big girl." He tipped his hat in politeness, and turned his eyes to the other individual in the room. Instantly, he could see the resemblance between him and his brother. "And you must be Knives." He extended his large hand over the back of the couch."
"...pleased to meet you..." Knives shook his hand weakly, having no clue who this person was, or how he came to know him.
~*~Upstairs~*~
Rina was wiping Meryl's face with a damp sponge; the raven-haired girl was now asleep. She could tell that she had been through a lot from the stress and wear that was visible in her face and the lines that were beginning to appear under her eyes. What had she been through? Why was she angry with Vash? Was it a lover's quarrel? Had she suffered the same loss that she herself experienced many years ago? She ran them through her mind over and over again. Her eyes fell onto the ring on her finger. Why did she still bother to wear it? She returned the sponge to the bowl and gripped it with her wet fingers, ready to pull it off. A tiny weathered hand stopped her.
"He gave you that ring, didn't he? Meryl peered at the younger girl through heavy swollen eyelids, her hand now resting on the other girl's. Rina wasn't sure how to answer the question. She had convinced herself that Vash had indeed left the ring for her, but now she wasn't sure. If he did indeed have a relationship with this girl..........
'I want him to be mine.'
"Yes. He gave me this ring. Why do you ask?" She tried her best to sound sincere and inquisitive to cover up the horrible lie.
Meryl laid there in silence, staring at the celing. She questioned the motives of Vash's behaviour towards her. She used to think that maybe he liked her even a little bit, but now that thought was smashed. She began thinking of her feelings towards him now; could she hate him? He was always hiding things from her.....was that because he didn't like telling her things? Or was it because he wanted to protect her from something? She shook her head, as she felt a dull pain began to stab at her temples. It was all too confusing for her right now. "Oh....no reason."
Rina saw the defeat in the girl's face...and she felt horrible. She thought that if the girl had given up on her feelings for Vash, she could have him to herself. She thought that that alone would make her happy. She had even played the scenario through her mind. The girl would reject Vash, and Rina would be there to pick up the pieces and show Vash how much he meant to her. And he would learn to love her. But the exact opposite had happened. She hated herself now for doing something so despicable and deceiving.
But she couldn't tell the truth now. She wanted to be selfish; she wanted Vash to herself. She wanted him to be hers. And she would be his in return. And she would make him happy.
"Rina?" A tiny voice brought her back from her dream world. She recognised the voice and went over to the door, cracking it open a bit. "Is it ok if I talk to Meryl?"
"Sure. Could you sponge her head? She still has a fever." She let him through and squeezed herself out, closing the door behind her. She half-hoped that things would happen the way she planned.
He took the sponge out of the bowl and squeezed out most of the water; the drops made tiny ringing sounds like a wind chime. He dotted the sweat from her forehead and neck with the damp sponge. Her cheeks were flush with fever, but she trembled slightly.
"Is...is the water too cold?" He wanted to say something else. What he thought she wanted to hear. Half his brain was telling him he should, the other half was telling him to wait for a more appropriate time. But could he really wait?
Meryl couldn't bare the silence anymore. "So when's the wedding?"
'What......what wedding?' He stared at her in confusion; she would have answered sooner if she saw his face.
"When did you give her the ring?"
'What the hell is she talking about? Maybe she's delirious from her fever.' Vash was in a daze, as her words had made him forget what he had planned. "Are you ok, Meryl?"
"Don't take pity on me, Vash the Stampede." Her eyes shot open, and she stared at him, the hate rising in her chest. "Go on with your life. I'm a lot stronger than you think I am, and I don't need you doing all of this just because you feel sorry for me. I hope she makes you happy." She turned her back to him, pulling the covers up to her neck.
"Meryl? What are you talking about?" He lightly grabbed her shoulder to turn her back to face him, but she shrugged his hand off.
"Oh please! You don't have to pretend anymore just because you don't want to see me hurt!"
"Pretend anymore about what?!" He was growing tired of this, and so yanked the sheets from her and forced her to turn back to him.
"Rina should make a lovely wife." She reached for the bowl on the sidetable and threw the water in his face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evil EVIL Rina! ( And Michael Neon? What was I thinking? @______O At least he knocked some sense back into Vash. He might even hang around to see the results of his BRILLIANT work. *heehee* Right now...........I have NO clue where or when this story is going to end. ^_^x
He was wearing a plain dark blue pants and a white long-sleeve button up shirt. His hat was the only thing that remotely had any link to who he was, the tiny tubes of neon lights reflecting off the white fabric. He looked remotely smaller compared to the big neon lit suit he used to wear. But he was still a well-built guy, not to mention tall.
"What are their names?" He tossed the photo back to him.
"The wife's name is Rachel, the boy is Samuel and the little girl there is Nina." BDN smiled at the photo, revealing his caring side that he formerly wouldn't, and replaced the photo back into his pocket. It was a bit worn from his travels, but he treasured it dearly. He noticed the sadness in Vash's eyes after he had returned the photo to him. "What's up, Vash the Stampede?"
Vash simply shook his head. "That's not my name anymore, Brilliant Dynamites Neon."
"Nor is that mine. I'm not with the Bad Lad Gang anymore." He tipped his hat, just enough to lock his eyes with Vash's. "It's Michael, now. Michael Neon. Now tell me what's wrong."
Vash didn't know why, but he felt comfortable during the entire time he relayed the story to Michael. He spoke of his confrontation with his brother, the travel he had with the girls. His speech began to stutter and slow as he came upon the event of Meryl's tragedy, but Mr. Neon urged him along, saying that it wasn't brilliant to leave a story hanging like that. There was an eerie silence after Vash had told all that had happened; Neon had his chin resting on his knuckles, deep in thought.
"Have you tried talking to her?"
"Yes.....but that didn't end very well."
"Knowing you, you probably went about it the wrong way. You were blaming yourself again, weren't you?" Vash nodded in reply. "She doesn't care who's to blame. That's not what she wants to hear. There's something more important than what she wants to hear from you, Vash." He pulled the hat back over his eyes, leaving the words to sink into the Stampede's head. "Now where's this brother of yours?" Vash motioned to the room that he and Milly were in. He was too deep in thought to remember that they were disputing over something.
Milly and Knives were smiling with each other, telling each other of their own travels and adventures, when they heard a knocking at the door. They welcomed the person on the other side to enter. Milly stood up in confusion first, and then surprise. At first, she didn't recognise the man that stood in the doorway, but his grin brought the memories back.
"You!"
"Hey! It's you, big girl." He tipped his hat in politeness, and turned his eyes to the other individual in the room. Instantly, he could see the resemblance between him and his brother. "And you must be Knives." He extended his large hand over the back of the couch."
"...pleased to meet you..." Knives shook his hand weakly, having no clue who this person was, or how he came to know him.
~*~Upstairs~*~
Rina was wiping Meryl's face with a damp sponge; the raven-haired girl was now asleep. She could tell that she had been through a lot from the stress and wear that was visible in her face and the lines that were beginning to appear under her eyes. What had she been through? Why was she angry with Vash? Was it a lover's quarrel? Had she suffered the same loss that she herself experienced many years ago? She ran them through her mind over and over again. Her eyes fell onto the ring on her finger. Why did she still bother to wear it? She returned the sponge to the bowl and gripped it with her wet fingers, ready to pull it off. A tiny weathered hand stopped her.
"He gave you that ring, didn't he? Meryl peered at the younger girl through heavy swollen eyelids, her hand now resting on the other girl's. Rina wasn't sure how to answer the question. She had convinced herself that Vash had indeed left the ring for her, but now she wasn't sure. If he did indeed have a relationship with this girl..........
'I want him to be mine.'
"Yes. He gave me this ring. Why do you ask?" She tried her best to sound sincere and inquisitive to cover up the horrible lie.
Meryl laid there in silence, staring at the celing. She questioned the motives of Vash's behaviour towards her. She used to think that maybe he liked her even a little bit, but now that thought was smashed. She began thinking of her feelings towards him now; could she hate him? He was always hiding things from her.....was that because he didn't like telling her things? Or was it because he wanted to protect her from something? She shook her head, as she felt a dull pain began to stab at her temples. It was all too confusing for her right now. "Oh....no reason."
Rina saw the defeat in the girl's face...and she felt horrible. She thought that if the girl had given up on her feelings for Vash, she could have him to herself. She thought that that alone would make her happy. She had even played the scenario through her mind. The girl would reject Vash, and Rina would be there to pick up the pieces and show Vash how much he meant to her. And he would learn to love her. But the exact opposite had happened. She hated herself now for doing something so despicable and deceiving.
But she couldn't tell the truth now. She wanted to be selfish; she wanted Vash to herself. She wanted him to be hers. And she would be his in return. And she would make him happy.
"Rina?" A tiny voice brought her back from her dream world. She recognised the voice and went over to the door, cracking it open a bit. "Is it ok if I talk to Meryl?"
"Sure. Could you sponge her head? She still has a fever." She let him through and squeezed herself out, closing the door behind her. She half-hoped that things would happen the way she planned.
He took the sponge out of the bowl and squeezed out most of the water; the drops made tiny ringing sounds like a wind chime. He dotted the sweat from her forehead and neck with the damp sponge. Her cheeks were flush with fever, but she trembled slightly.
"Is...is the water too cold?" He wanted to say something else. What he thought she wanted to hear. Half his brain was telling him he should, the other half was telling him to wait for a more appropriate time. But could he really wait?
Meryl couldn't bare the silence anymore. "So when's the wedding?"
'What......what wedding?' He stared at her in confusion; she would have answered sooner if she saw his face.
"When did you give her the ring?"
'What the hell is she talking about? Maybe she's delirious from her fever.' Vash was in a daze, as her words had made him forget what he had planned. "Are you ok, Meryl?"
"Don't take pity on me, Vash the Stampede." Her eyes shot open, and she stared at him, the hate rising in her chest. "Go on with your life. I'm a lot stronger than you think I am, and I don't need you doing all of this just because you feel sorry for me. I hope she makes you happy." She turned her back to him, pulling the covers up to her neck.
"Meryl? What are you talking about?" He lightly grabbed her shoulder to turn her back to face him, but she shrugged his hand off.
"Oh please! You don't have to pretend anymore just because you don't want to see me hurt!"
"Pretend anymore about what?!" He was growing tired of this, and so yanked the sheets from her and forced her to turn back to him.
"Rina should make a lovely wife." She reached for the bowl on the sidetable and threw the water in his face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Evil EVIL Rina! ( And Michael Neon? What was I thinking? @______O At least he knocked some sense back into Vash. He might even hang around to see the results of his BRILLIANT work. *heehee* Right now...........I have NO clue where or when this story is going to end. ^_^x