I closed my eyes after I lay down on my bed, and, when I opened them again,
daylight was streaming through the single window in my room.
"Did I fall asleep?" I asked stupidly, rubbing my head as I sat up. I looked at the door; it was still locked. I breathed a sigh of relief and I stood up to unlock the door when my eye caught sight of something red. I turned my head to the side and saw that Aurora was sitting in my chair.
"Aiya!" I cried in surprised. She opened her eyes and looked at me wearily.
"What?" she asked, her words slurred together.
"What are you doing in my room?!"
"Trying to kill you. What did it look like I was doing!" Aurora threw a pillow at me; it hit me in the face.
"You're trying to kill me?!" I ran around the small room, screaming like a girl and waving my arms around frantically.
"Idiot! Do you want to wake your brother up?" She caught me by one of my flailing arms and, drawing my gun from its holster, pushed me against the wall. Aurora pressed my gun against the center of my forehead and placed her hand over my mouth.
"Memphmoph!"
"What?" She stepped back.
"I said 'get off me!'" I pushed her against the opposite wall and pinned her there by the shoulders. Aurora looked at me through her blue eyes and smiled slightly.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when I was alone in a room with Vash the Stampede. The only reason I wanted to be a bounty hunter was because I wanted to see you, Vash. Besides, you're cute when you're angry, and even cuter when you're scared!" She leaned forward and planted a small kiss on my cheek. My head began to spin and I collapsed to the floor.
"Marry me, bounty hunter!"
"Not a chance in the world, bounty." She helped me to my feet and slid the lock back. "Oh, and I left a present on your bed. You'll have to wear it if you want to work with me." Having said this, Aurora slipped through the door and closed it behind her. I opened the package and pulled out a large, black jacket, much like the red one that I had lost. I put it on-it fit perfectly-and followed her into the main room.
Knives was tied up in the chair in the corner, and he was awake. I looked at him curiously.
"Comfortable?" I asked. He glared at me and lunged forward. The chair almost fell over, but he leaned back just in time to stop it. I smiled. Aurora sat on the couch and looked at him.
"What would you do if I set you free right now, Knives?" she asked.
"I would kill you," was his cold retort.
"That's not very nice."
"I'm not very nice."
"Oh, but you are! You're the nicest plant in the whole wide world! In any case, I have your gun, so you'd have to rely on you raw skills to kill me." Aurora leaned forward and pinched his cheek. I groaned and walked into the kitchen. She looked back at the empty doorway and then at Knives.
"Would you really kill me if I let you go?" she added, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Probably."
"But don't you want your brother dead?"
"Maybe."
"If you want him dead, Knives, then you're going to have to lure him into a trap. To lure him into a trap, you're going to need bait. What better bait than a hostage? I would make a good damsel in distress, and I need the bounty."
"What are you getting at?"
"We should team up on this one. I know you don't like working with others, but I'm not like the others you've worked with. Nothing and no one is as devious and deadly as a woman, except maybe for you. I have a motorcycle across the road at my place; we can use that. Now, when I cut you lose, knock me out with your gun and start running. The bike is ready. All you have to do is turn the key."
Aurora placed Knives' gun on the table in front of her and pulled a knife from her boot. After the ropes that were binding him to the chair were slit, Knives picked up the gun and brought it down against the back of Aurora's head; she fell limply into his waiting arms. He flung her over his shoulder and walked out the door.
"See you, Vash!" he called loudly, sitting on the motorcycle with Aurora in front of him. Turning the key to start the engine, he sped off into the desert, leaving me alone in the opened front doorway.
"Did I fall asleep?" I asked stupidly, rubbing my head as I sat up. I looked at the door; it was still locked. I breathed a sigh of relief and I stood up to unlock the door when my eye caught sight of something red. I turned my head to the side and saw that Aurora was sitting in my chair.
"Aiya!" I cried in surprised. She opened her eyes and looked at me wearily.
"What?" she asked, her words slurred together.
"What are you doing in my room?!"
"Trying to kill you. What did it look like I was doing!" Aurora threw a pillow at me; it hit me in the face.
"You're trying to kill me?!" I ran around the small room, screaming like a girl and waving my arms around frantically.
"Idiot! Do you want to wake your brother up?" She caught me by one of my flailing arms and, drawing my gun from its holster, pushed me against the wall. Aurora pressed my gun against the center of my forehead and placed her hand over my mouth.
"Memphmoph!"
"What?" She stepped back.
"I said 'get off me!'" I pushed her against the opposite wall and pinned her there by the shoulders. Aurora looked at me through her blue eyes and smiled slightly.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day when I was alone in a room with Vash the Stampede. The only reason I wanted to be a bounty hunter was because I wanted to see you, Vash. Besides, you're cute when you're angry, and even cuter when you're scared!" She leaned forward and planted a small kiss on my cheek. My head began to spin and I collapsed to the floor.
"Marry me, bounty hunter!"
"Not a chance in the world, bounty." She helped me to my feet and slid the lock back. "Oh, and I left a present on your bed. You'll have to wear it if you want to work with me." Having said this, Aurora slipped through the door and closed it behind her. I opened the package and pulled out a large, black jacket, much like the red one that I had lost. I put it on-it fit perfectly-and followed her into the main room.
Knives was tied up in the chair in the corner, and he was awake. I looked at him curiously.
"Comfortable?" I asked. He glared at me and lunged forward. The chair almost fell over, but he leaned back just in time to stop it. I smiled. Aurora sat on the couch and looked at him.
"What would you do if I set you free right now, Knives?" she asked.
"I would kill you," was his cold retort.
"That's not very nice."
"I'm not very nice."
"Oh, but you are! You're the nicest plant in the whole wide world! In any case, I have your gun, so you'd have to rely on you raw skills to kill me." Aurora leaned forward and pinched his cheek. I groaned and walked into the kitchen. She looked back at the empty doorway and then at Knives.
"Would you really kill me if I let you go?" she added, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Probably."
"But don't you want your brother dead?"
"Maybe."
"If you want him dead, Knives, then you're going to have to lure him into a trap. To lure him into a trap, you're going to need bait. What better bait than a hostage? I would make a good damsel in distress, and I need the bounty."
"What are you getting at?"
"We should team up on this one. I know you don't like working with others, but I'm not like the others you've worked with. Nothing and no one is as devious and deadly as a woman, except maybe for you. I have a motorcycle across the road at my place; we can use that. Now, when I cut you lose, knock me out with your gun and start running. The bike is ready. All you have to do is turn the key."
Aurora placed Knives' gun on the table in front of her and pulled a knife from her boot. After the ropes that were binding him to the chair were slit, Knives picked up the gun and brought it down against the back of Aurora's head; she fell limply into his waiting arms. He flung her over his shoulder and walked out the door.
"See you, Vash!" he called loudly, sitting on the motorcycle with Aurora in front of him. Turning the key to start the engine, he sped off into the desert, leaving me alone in the opened front doorway.
