Title: Forsaken
Author: Akima The Stampede Maxwell
Date begun: February 27, 2002
Anime: where does Knives and the gang come from?....oh yeah! Trigun!!!! What about Dryden?....Escaflowne
Pairings: Please!
Rating: NR for some VERY VERY suggestive themes and Knivishness…and VIOLENCE AND PERHAPS BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(not really) SERIOUS ANGST MAY BE INCLUDED!!!!
Disclaimers: really…not me
Chapter 8: The Lacky Gang and Heartbreaking Decisions
People stood and talked while the scheduled entertainment was setting up. Meryl let go of Knives a couple of minutes ago. She found Milly and started a conversation with her. She found herself laughing as if she had not been upset all day. Marianne joined in.
"Meryl, when did you come in?"
"I came in with Knives a few minutes ago."
Marianne nodded slowly. She looked around to find Vash and Knives chatting about something. Knives smiled once. Vash obviously thought that whatever he said was hilarious. She turned back. She smiled. The lights dimmed and the announcer came on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is our last night before we reach our destination. We have come up with very nice entertainment to keep you all dazzled and hopefully coming back. Here they are…the Lacky Band!"
The curtains opened. Meryl immediately felt a chill go up her arm when she saw the singer. He had long white hair and silvery looking eyes. He looked right at her. A smile crossed his lips.
`He`s looking at me!`
Suddenly somone stood in her way. Since it was dark she could not see who it was.
"Hey! I`m trying to…"
"Shut up!"
"Knives?"
She recognized his tall shape now that she thought about it. She came up beside him.
"Who is that guy? He was…"
"He was looking at you. I noticed."
`You were paying attention to me?`
"I saw him staring. It took me awhile to find out that it was you."
"Oh." she said softly. He put his arm out and pushed her behind him. She complied. She felt that cold fear grip her heart.
`What do these guys want with me?...What if he isn`t even with those guys? He could just find me attractive.`
She leaned up against Knives. He was paying too much attention to the singer to care. The band started off playing a relatively fast dance song. She watched as Vash and Milly took off. It was obvious that neither knew how to dance. Dryden convinced Marianne to dance. They were not half bad. She tugged on the back of Knives` shirt. He looked over his shoulder.
"Dance with me?"
He looked like he was amused.
"Can you even dance?"
"Why would I ask you if I couldn`t?"
He smirked. Meryl turned him around. She rested one hand on his waist. She was trying to figure out where to put her other hand when he grasped it with his own. He put his other hand on her shoulder instead of her waist since she was at least a foot shorter than himself. They started dancing. Meryl was surprised how good Knives was. He practically floated across the dance floor. She had a hard time keeping up.
"I thought that you knew how to dance." Knives said somewhat sarcastically. Meryl winced at the harshness of the words.
"Well I…uh….."
"I…" Knives began. She looked up at him in awe.
`He`s trying to apologize.`
"I`ll try and slow down but that`s all I`m doing for you."
He tried to sound sarcastic but it actually came out sounding soft. They moved about to the music without saying anything. Meryl gazed up at Knives. His face was unreadable. He looked indifferent yet it was comforting. The music suddenly slowed down a lot. She looked up at him again. He did not look at her. He pulled her against him as if to hug her. He put his arms around her (meaning around her shoulders). She blushed deeply as she rested her head against his chest.
`Why can`t he be like this all the time?`
She was just getting lost in the music when it stopped then a song started up again. Meryl looked up. She shrieked. Knives stopped moving. Meryl clutched his waist. The man with white hair and silver eyes stood a few feet away. He grinned. The music kept on playing when he spoke. His voice sounded deep and handsome yet it ran cold into the skin.
"Meryl, are you ready to go?"
Meryl trembled. She turned her head against Knives` chest. His lips twisted into his all too familiar smirk.
"And who are you?" he asked. The man grinned.
"I am known as Fenris. I am not surprised that you do not recognize me. I gave the girl that beautiful blue necklace as an early wedding gift."
"Wedding gift?!" Knives asked. He scratched his head in confusion.
"Yes. A wedding gift. You see…I had originally planned on marrying a woman who just happens to be my very good partner…but when I heard that SHE had been found I had to take this opportunity. You and me…we would be unstoppable."
"I will not marry you!"
"It really does not matter what you say or think. You accepted the gift which makes you bound to me. No matter if you come with me now or some other time you still are mine."
Meryl pushed away from Knives. She pulled desperately at the necklace around her neck. The stone felt like it was embedded into her skin. Tears began to run from her eyes. She looked to Knives who looked a little freaked out. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted to reveal his clenched teeth. Fenris laughed and Meryl trembled at the sound.
"It has been fun but I think that we must be going."
He reached out a hand towards Meryl. She took a step back towards Knives. He backed up. His breathing became more ragged.
"Come now, Meryl. It will only make it harder if you delay this engagement."
Suddenly Knives grabbed Meryl`s shoulder and threw her to the ground. She would have slapped him had she not figured out that he was pushing her out of the way. She knocked several dancers over. She heard screaming.
"He`s got a gun!" someone shouted. People crowded around. Meryl felt someone grab her up. She looked up to see Vash. He looked grim.
"Vash…"
"I don`t like this, Meryl. This guy has a power in him…I can feel it. I don`t know if Knives can take him."
Dryden and Marianne came in with guns raised. Shots rang out behind Meryl`s head. She had Vash turn her to where she could see. Knives had his gun raised and was using a table as a shield as he approached. The guy dodged every single one. Knives reloaded and the guy never attacked him. Knives` cheek twitched. His lips curved into his maniacal smile.
"So you think you can dodge every bullet, huh?! Try this!"
He threw the table at Fenris. He jumped up into the air and came shooting at the white haired man like a maniac. Fenris smiled then phased out. Knives` eyes widened.
"Huh?"
He hit the ground and rolled. He put another clips of bullets into his gun.
"Knives, look out!" Meryl exclaimed. He turned in time to roll out of the way of Fenris who appeared with a sword bearing down on him. Fenris phased in and out to clamp down on Knives who held his gun out to stop him. The sparks flew as Knives held Fenris` sword away from him. Fenris grinned and Knives cried out in pain. Blood began to seep through his shirt and jacket at his left shoulder as the sword swiped over it. Knives stopped him again.
"STOP IT!" Meryl screamed. All of the lights in the room exploded. Fenris went flying against a wall. The others blinked in surprise. Even Fenris` gang was dumbfounded. Fenris stood. He brushed himself off.
"You are definitely my species. So long for now, my love."
He bowed and disappeared. The gang did the same thing. Knives fell back. He breathed in and out very slowly. Vash put Meryl down. She ran out to Knives. She moved to stop the bleeding only to have him back away. He had that freaked look again except now he was freaking out because of her. Her eyes shook. She put her face in her hands and began to sob.
----------------------------------------------
Knives sat silently in the corner after Marianne and Milly wrapped up his wound. He changed back into his usual body suit. He stared out the room`s window to the stars with that indifferent expression. Milly sat beside him. She seemed to be thinking about something else instead of the night`s events. Meryl did not really know how to react. She had just finished crying a few minutes ago.
"So…you`re like…the same as that guy, right?" Dryden asked. Meryl shrugged without looking at him.
"That`s what he said. That would explain why I could break my door and those lights by using only my voice."
"Well…alright."
Marianne put a hand on her shoulder.
"We won`t let him take you away."
Meryl forced a smile as she placed her hand on top of Marianne`s.
"Don`t worry. When Knives leaves we`ll…opps." Dryden stammered. He punched himself. Knives sat completely still. Meryl blinked. She stood up.
"Could you guys give us a second….outside?"
They all got up. Vash patted Meryl`s shoulder. Milly patted Knives despite her slight fear of him. They left. The door closed. Meryl faced Knives` back.
"So…you were just going to leave? You were going to do that when we got back."
"…That`s right."
"Why?!" she cried. Knives flinched at the sound of the sudden grief in her voice. He felt her lay her head against his back on the grey ring (see pic if you don`t know what the ring is). She moved to circle his shoulder when her chest with the embedded stone touched him. He screamed. He pulled away from her and pressed his hand against the place it had touched him. The stone did not even burn through his suit or leave a mark. It just burned.
"That bastard! He must have activated it or whatever you do…cast a spell…I don`t know." Meryl began. Knives held his arm. He looked down at the floor then back up at her.
"Yes. I was just going to leave…and I still am."
"But, Knives, I…please don`t leave me!"
"I shouldn`t have taken you along when I left. I lost sight of my ideals. I need time alone to think about them. I can`t…I can`t think when you are around…not like I could. So…this is goodbye. I planned on leaving after getting to a hotel but I think that I will leave immediately as we touch down."
Meryl`s bottom lip trembled. Knives felt his face fall. He felt something warm on his cheek. His eyes widened.
`No. It`s not possible. I haven`t…not for years….`
He reached a gloved hand up. He touched his cheek and pulled his finger away. It was wet. He freaked. He got up. He stood there for a moment. Meryl`s head was tilted downward. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her fists were clinched at her sides. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs. He reached out. She pulled away. He ran from the room and disappeared down the hall.
`What`s wrong with me?!`
----------------------------------------------- ---------
Knives stood on the ramp as a worker on the ship retrieved his bike. Vash got over the fact that the bike was Wolfwood`s. Milly was more than happy to let him take it. She said that Wolfwood would want somebody to use it who had a use for it. Dryden and Marianne waved. Meryl stood beside them. She looked absolutely depressed. She never looked up even as Knives looked at her. Vash grinned when Knives turned back around.
"I`ll see ya, brother! Hopefully we will meet again!"
"Bye, Knives! I hope that you find what you are looking for!" Milly shouted as he started the engine. Packs of certain supplies were stored in the back of the bike. He sped off into the rising sun.
See ya!" Dryden exclaimed.
"I`ll be lookin` for ya!" Vash called out. Meryl turned away. Vash walked up to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment then walked on to get on his bike. Dryden and Marianne hopped on their shared bike. Milly looked at Meryl then whispered to Vash.
"Let her ride with you. I know how to ride a bike. I`ll be okay but I don`t think that Meryl can operate under her current emotions."
"Well put." Vash said "Come on, Meryl! You ride with me today!"
She smiled faintly. She crawled into Vash`s lap and lay her head against his chest. She sighed heavily and snifled. Vash started up the engine. They road off towards where Wolfwood`s grave would be.
------------------------------------------------
Knives stopped off in a town called Farsca. He went straight to the local bar. He drank five glasses in twenty minutes.
`What the hell do I care what she thinks? It`s not like she matters to me or something.`
He stared at the bottom of his glass. He growled.
`Then why does my heart feel like this?! I feel like I`m going to die any minute!`
He grabbed his chest. A hand touched his back then patted it gently.
"Easy on the beer, hon!"
He turned around to see a tall blond haired woman with green eyes. She had a hand on her shapely hip as she giggled.
"Can you talk now?"
"Of course I can talk!" he snapped. The woman giggled a bit more.
"You sure?"
"Yes!"
The woman sat beside him. She laid her tray out on the bar table. She turned his chair towards her. She shook her head.
"You need to smile more."
Knives did a really fake smile then went back to frowning. She stuck out her hand.
"My name is Millerna. What`s your name?"
"Knives."
"Knives? What an unusual name. Is that your first name?"
"Millions is."
"Millions…Knives?"
"Yeah. Did you figure that out all by yourself?"
Millerna sighed.
"I normally would be offended by this kind of treatment but you look like you have a lot on your mind. Tell me…what`s wrong? Maybe I can help."
"It is none of your concern."
"I`ll bet that it has something to do with a girl."
Knives grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her right in his face. His face went maniacal. His grin spread all the way across his face.
"You won`t give up, will you? Fine! I will tell you if you promise to shut up!"
Her eyes were wide. She nodded rapidly. He dropped her. She sat silently as he took a long drink.
"I kidnapped a girl that was a friend of my brother`s…Vash the Stampede`s."
Millerna blinked in surprise.
"I took her along because she knew that I wanted to destroy spi…human kind. Somewhere along the way I don`t know why I`m travelling around. Vash catches up to us and we meet people. Somewhere in here…
that girl starts getting feelings for me. Her mind used to be filled with love for my brother now she…well..I don`t really know what her thoughts really meant. I left. That`s all that matters now."
"Sounds like she had a thing for you."
"She should know better. No one likes Millions Knives."
"Why not? Despite your major attitude problem you are very handsome and it`s almost cute the way you can`t admit that you felt something for her too."
Knives looked surprised.
"And why would I feel something for some girl?"
"Who knows. I wasn`t around. Maybe she just grew on you. I worked with a guy for awhile who I began to have feelings for."
"What happened?"
"He married my best friend."
Knives smirked. Millerna put a hand to her hip.
"And just what is so funny?"
"Reflex. No hard feelings."
Millerna giggled.
"You are a strange one! I`m going to take a break. How about I show you around? I`ll show you a good hotel or you can even stay at my place."
Knives chuckled then stood up.
"Lead the way."
Millerna passed out a few more drinks then she took off her apron. She smiled. He just stared at her as if she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. She pushed open the bar doors. Knives was not far behind. She pointed at a building called The Prancing Pony.
"That is a very nice hotel but…since you are staying with me it doesn`t matter. Just in case you have friends or you ever come back and I`m not here. That would definitely be the place to stay."
She lead him on. She pointed out a hospital.
"Children are brought in here most of the time. They get sick all the time and many have gone missing. We don`t really know why."
"Hmmm…..did any strange people come through here?"
"Why? Do you know who might have done this?"
"Forget I said anything."
Millerna put a smile back on her face.
"You seem tired. I will show you to my house then and give the rest of the grand tour later."
Knives shrugged. Millerna lead him a relatively large building. It looked like a hotel but on the inside there was only a relaxing area. People waved and greeted Millerna. Knives said nothing. She lead him up to her room. She closed the door.
"I only have one bed so I want you to sleep there. I will take the couch."
"Whatever."
"Go on! Go sleep! There`s a bathroom in there too. Feel free to use it."
He left the room. Millerna sat down on the couch.
`It`s been awhile since a man was in this house. Why did you have to marry my best friend? Why? Why did you do that…Dryden?`
*Dryden?! She loved Dryden?!?! I wonder what she would do if Knives told her that he`s been travelling around with him…AND WHY IN HELL DID KNIVES LEAVE?!....I don`t know…oh well….chapter 9
Author: Akima The Stampede Maxwell
Date begun: February 27, 2002
Anime: where does Knives and the gang come from?....oh yeah! Trigun!!!! What about Dryden?....Escaflowne
Pairings: Please!
Rating: NR for some VERY VERY suggestive themes and Knivishness…and VIOLENCE AND PERHAPS BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(not really) SERIOUS ANGST MAY BE INCLUDED!!!!
Disclaimers: really…not me
Chapter 8: The Lacky Gang and Heartbreaking Decisions
People stood and talked while the scheduled entertainment was setting up. Meryl let go of Knives a couple of minutes ago. She found Milly and started a conversation with her. She found herself laughing as if she had not been upset all day. Marianne joined in.
"Meryl, when did you come in?"
"I came in with Knives a few minutes ago."
Marianne nodded slowly. She looked around to find Vash and Knives chatting about something. Knives smiled once. Vash obviously thought that whatever he said was hilarious. She turned back. She smiled. The lights dimmed and the announcer came on.
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight is our last night before we reach our destination. We have come up with very nice entertainment to keep you all dazzled and hopefully coming back. Here they are…the Lacky Band!"
The curtains opened. Meryl immediately felt a chill go up her arm when she saw the singer. He had long white hair and silvery looking eyes. He looked right at her. A smile crossed his lips.
`He`s looking at me!`
Suddenly somone stood in her way. Since it was dark she could not see who it was.
"Hey! I`m trying to…"
"Shut up!"
"Knives?"
She recognized his tall shape now that she thought about it. She came up beside him.
"Who is that guy? He was…"
"He was looking at you. I noticed."
`You were paying attention to me?`
"I saw him staring. It took me awhile to find out that it was you."
"Oh." she said softly. He put his arm out and pushed her behind him. She complied. She felt that cold fear grip her heart.
`What do these guys want with me?...What if he isn`t even with those guys? He could just find me attractive.`
She leaned up against Knives. He was paying too much attention to the singer to care. The band started off playing a relatively fast dance song. She watched as Vash and Milly took off. It was obvious that neither knew how to dance. Dryden convinced Marianne to dance. They were not half bad. She tugged on the back of Knives` shirt. He looked over his shoulder.
"Dance with me?"
He looked like he was amused.
"Can you even dance?"
"Why would I ask you if I couldn`t?"
He smirked. Meryl turned him around. She rested one hand on his waist. She was trying to figure out where to put her other hand when he grasped it with his own. He put his other hand on her shoulder instead of her waist since she was at least a foot shorter than himself. They started dancing. Meryl was surprised how good Knives was. He practically floated across the dance floor. She had a hard time keeping up.
"I thought that you knew how to dance." Knives said somewhat sarcastically. Meryl winced at the harshness of the words.
"Well I…uh….."
"I…" Knives began. She looked up at him in awe.
`He`s trying to apologize.`
"I`ll try and slow down but that`s all I`m doing for you."
He tried to sound sarcastic but it actually came out sounding soft. They moved about to the music without saying anything. Meryl gazed up at Knives. His face was unreadable. He looked indifferent yet it was comforting. The music suddenly slowed down a lot. She looked up at him again. He did not look at her. He pulled her against him as if to hug her. He put his arms around her (meaning around her shoulders). She blushed deeply as she rested her head against his chest.
`Why can`t he be like this all the time?`
She was just getting lost in the music when it stopped then a song started up again. Meryl looked up. She shrieked. Knives stopped moving. Meryl clutched his waist. The man with white hair and silver eyes stood a few feet away. He grinned. The music kept on playing when he spoke. His voice sounded deep and handsome yet it ran cold into the skin.
"Meryl, are you ready to go?"
Meryl trembled. She turned her head against Knives` chest. His lips twisted into his all too familiar smirk.
"And who are you?" he asked. The man grinned.
"I am known as Fenris. I am not surprised that you do not recognize me. I gave the girl that beautiful blue necklace as an early wedding gift."
"Wedding gift?!" Knives asked. He scratched his head in confusion.
"Yes. A wedding gift. You see…I had originally planned on marrying a woman who just happens to be my very good partner…but when I heard that SHE had been found I had to take this opportunity. You and me…we would be unstoppable."
"I will not marry you!"
"It really does not matter what you say or think. You accepted the gift which makes you bound to me. No matter if you come with me now or some other time you still are mine."
Meryl pushed away from Knives. She pulled desperately at the necklace around her neck. The stone felt like it was embedded into her skin. Tears began to run from her eyes. She looked to Knives who looked a little freaked out. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted to reveal his clenched teeth. Fenris laughed and Meryl trembled at the sound.
"It has been fun but I think that we must be going."
He reached out a hand towards Meryl. She took a step back towards Knives. He backed up. His breathing became more ragged.
"Come now, Meryl. It will only make it harder if you delay this engagement."
Suddenly Knives grabbed Meryl`s shoulder and threw her to the ground. She would have slapped him had she not figured out that he was pushing her out of the way. She knocked several dancers over. She heard screaming.
"He`s got a gun!" someone shouted. People crowded around. Meryl felt someone grab her up. She looked up to see Vash. He looked grim.
"Vash…"
"I don`t like this, Meryl. This guy has a power in him…I can feel it. I don`t know if Knives can take him."
Dryden and Marianne came in with guns raised. Shots rang out behind Meryl`s head. She had Vash turn her to where she could see. Knives had his gun raised and was using a table as a shield as he approached. The guy dodged every single one. Knives reloaded and the guy never attacked him. Knives` cheek twitched. His lips curved into his maniacal smile.
"So you think you can dodge every bullet, huh?! Try this!"
He threw the table at Fenris. He jumped up into the air and came shooting at the white haired man like a maniac. Fenris smiled then phased out. Knives` eyes widened.
"Huh?"
He hit the ground and rolled. He put another clips of bullets into his gun.
"Knives, look out!" Meryl exclaimed. He turned in time to roll out of the way of Fenris who appeared with a sword bearing down on him. Fenris phased in and out to clamp down on Knives who held his gun out to stop him. The sparks flew as Knives held Fenris` sword away from him. Fenris grinned and Knives cried out in pain. Blood began to seep through his shirt and jacket at his left shoulder as the sword swiped over it. Knives stopped him again.
"STOP IT!" Meryl screamed. All of the lights in the room exploded. Fenris went flying against a wall. The others blinked in surprise. Even Fenris` gang was dumbfounded. Fenris stood. He brushed himself off.
"You are definitely my species. So long for now, my love."
He bowed and disappeared. The gang did the same thing. Knives fell back. He breathed in and out very slowly. Vash put Meryl down. She ran out to Knives. She moved to stop the bleeding only to have him back away. He had that freaked look again except now he was freaking out because of her. Her eyes shook. She put her face in her hands and began to sob.
----------------------------------------------
Knives sat silently in the corner after Marianne and Milly wrapped up his wound. He changed back into his usual body suit. He stared out the room`s window to the stars with that indifferent expression. Milly sat beside him. She seemed to be thinking about something else instead of the night`s events. Meryl did not really know how to react. She had just finished crying a few minutes ago.
"So…you`re like…the same as that guy, right?" Dryden asked. Meryl shrugged without looking at him.
"That`s what he said. That would explain why I could break my door and those lights by using only my voice."
"Well…alright."
Marianne put a hand on her shoulder.
"We won`t let him take you away."
Meryl forced a smile as she placed her hand on top of Marianne`s.
"Don`t worry. When Knives leaves we`ll…opps." Dryden stammered. He punched himself. Knives sat completely still. Meryl blinked. She stood up.
"Could you guys give us a second….outside?"
They all got up. Vash patted Meryl`s shoulder. Milly patted Knives despite her slight fear of him. They left. The door closed. Meryl faced Knives` back.
"So…you were just going to leave? You were going to do that when we got back."
"…That`s right."
"Why?!" she cried. Knives flinched at the sound of the sudden grief in her voice. He felt her lay her head against his back on the grey ring (see pic if you don`t know what the ring is). She moved to circle his shoulder when her chest with the embedded stone touched him. He screamed. He pulled away from her and pressed his hand against the place it had touched him. The stone did not even burn through his suit or leave a mark. It just burned.
"That bastard! He must have activated it or whatever you do…cast a spell…I don`t know." Meryl began. Knives held his arm. He looked down at the floor then back up at her.
"Yes. I was just going to leave…and I still am."
"But, Knives, I…please don`t leave me!"
"I shouldn`t have taken you along when I left. I lost sight of my ideals. I need time alone to think about them. I can`t…I can`t think when you are around…not like I could. So…this is goodbye. I planned on leaving after getting to a hotel but I think that I will leave immediately as we touch down."
Meryl`s bottom lip trembled. Knives felt his face fall. He felt something warm on his cheek. His eyes widened.
`No. It`s not possible. I haven`t…not for years….`
He reached a gloved hand up. He touched his cheek and pulled his finger away. It was wet. He freaked. He got up. He stood there for a moment. Meryl`s head was tilted downward. Tears ran down her cheeks. Her fists were clinched at her sides. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs. He reached out. She pulled away. He ran from the room and disappeared down the hall.
`What`s wrong with me?!`
----------------------------------------------- ---------
Knives stood on the ramp as a worker on the ship retrieved his bike. Vash got over the fact that the bike was Wolfwood`s. Milly was more than happy to let him take it. She said that Wolfwood would want somebody to use it who had a use for it. Dryden and Marianne waved. Meryl stood beside them. She looked absolutely depressed. She never looked up even as Knives looked at her. Vash grinned when Knives turned back around.
"I`ll see ya, brother! Hopefully we will meet again!"
"Bye, Knives! I hope that you find what you are looking for!" Milly shouted as he started the engine. Packs of certain supplies were stored in the back of the bike. He sped off into the rising sun.
See ya!" Dryden exclaimed.
"I`ll be lookin` for ya!" Vash called out. Meryl turned away. Vash walked up to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment then walked on to get on his bike. Dryden and Marianne hopped on their shared bike. Milly looked at Meryl then whispered to Vash.
"Let her ride with you. I know how to ride a bike. I`ll be okay but I don`t think that Meryl can operate under her current emotions."
"Well put." Vash said "Come on, Meryl! You ride with me today!"
She smiled faintly. She crawled into Vash`s lap and lay her head against his chest. She sighed heavily and snifled. Vash started up the engine. They road off towards where Wolfwood`s grave would be.
------------------------------------------------
Knives stopped off in a town called Farsca. He went straight to the local bar. He drank five glasses in twenty minutes.
`What the hell do I care what she thinks? It`s not like she matters to me or something.`
He stared at the bottom of his glass. He growled.
`Then why does my heart feel like this?! I feel like I`m going to die any minute!`
He grabbed his chest. A hand touched his back then patted it gently.
"Easy on the beer, hon!"
He turned around to see a tall blond haired woman with green eyes. She had a hand on her shapely hip as she giggled.
"Can you talk now?"
"Of course I can talk!" he snapped. The woman giggled a bit more.
"You sure?"
"Yes!"
The woman sat beside him. She laid her tray out on the bar table. She turned his chair towards her. She shook her head.
"You need to smile more."
Knives did a really fake smile then went back to frowning. She stuck out her hand.
"My name is Millerna. What`s your name?"
"Knives."
"Knives? What an unusual name. Is that your first name?"
"Millions is."
"Millions…Knives?"
"Yeah. Did you figure that out all by yourself?"
Millerna sighed.
"I normally would be offended by this kind of treatment but you look like you have a lot on your mind. Tell me…what`s wrong? Maybe I can help."
"It is none of your concern."
"I`ll bet that it has something to do with a girl."
Knives grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her right in his face. His face went maniacal. His grin spread all the way across his face.
"You won`t give up, will you? Fine! I will tell you if you promise to shut up!"
Her eyes were wide. She nodded rapidly. He dropped her. She sat silently as he took a long drink.
"I kidnapped a girl that was a friend of my brother`s…Vash the Stampede`s."
Millerna blinked in surprise.
"I took her along because she knew that I wanted to destroy spi…human kind. Somewhere along the way I don`t know why I`m travelling around. Vash catches up to us and we meet people. Somewhere in here…
that girl starts getting feelings for me. Her mind used to be filled with love for my brother now she…well..I don`t really know what her thoughts really meant. I left. That`s all that matters now."
"Sounds like she had a thing for you."
"She should know better. No one likes Millions Knives."
"Why not? Despite your major attitude problem you are very handsome and it`s almost cute the way you can`t admit that you felt something for her too."
Knives looked surprised.
"And why would I feel something for some girl?"
"Who knows. I wasn`t around. Maybe she just grew on you. I worked with a guy for awhile who I began to have feelings for."
"What happened?"
"He married my best friend."
Knives smirked. Millerna put a hand to her hip.
"And just what is so funny?"
"Reflex. No hard feelings."
Millerna giggled.
"You are a strange one! I`m going to take a break. How about I show you around? I`ll show you a good hotel or you can even stay at my place."
Knives chuckled then stood up.
"Lead the way."
Millerna passed out a few more drinks then she took off her apron. She smiled. He just stared at her as if she had lobsters crawling out of her ears. She pushed open the bar doors. Knives was not far behind. She pointed at a building called The Prancing Pony.
"That is a very nice hotel but…since you are staying with me it doesn`t matter. Just in case you have friends or you ever come back and I`m not here. That would definitely be the place to stay."
She lead him on. She pointed out a hospital.
"Children are brought in here most of the time. They get sick all the time and many have gone missing. We don`t really know why."
"Hmmm…..did any strange people come through here?"
"Why? Do you know who might have done this?"
"Forget I said anything."
Millerna put a smile back on her face.
"You seem tired. I will show you to my house then and give the rest of the grand tour later."
Knives shrugged. Millerna lead him a relatively large building. It looked like a hotel but on the inside there was only a relaxing area. People waved and greeted Millerna. Knives said nothing. She lead him up to her room. She closed the door.
"I only have one bed so I want you to sleep there. I will take the couch."
"Whatever."
"Go on! Go sleep! There`s a bathroom in there too. Feel free to use it."
He left the room. Millerna sat down on the couch.
`It`s been awhile since a man was in this house. Why did you have to marry my best friend? Why? Why did you do that…Dryden?`
*Dryden?! She loved Dryden?!?! I wonder what she would do if Knives told her that he`s been travelling around with him…AND WHY IN HELL DID KNIVES LEAVE?!....I don`t know…oh well….chapter 9