Angelfire
Well, hereÕs this chapter. Yay, IÕm finally getting into the main plot line! Lol, all this stuff so far has just been leading up to something else, the real plot is just starting to peak out its little nose in this chapter! So no, itÕs not just Knives wandering around. Not strictly anyway. It does focus on him traveling for a bit more, then here and there, but IÕm not just going to stick with him the whole time. I mean, I still have Vash and Meryl, Milly, some random people from the show whose names I donÕt remember at the moment, and, of course, the new people! Who are still unnamed! Heh, IÕm nutsÉ Oh well! On with the fic!
Another town, another bar, another dark corner, another drink of plain water.
Knives sighed at the sheer unpleasurable monotony his life had become. He was officially tempted to try some of the beer everyone was always drinking, though his feelings on VashÕs memories of the affects of alcohol rang oppositely. He had plenty of his brotherÕs memories of getting totally smashed, and having a great time doing it, but he could also sense the following hangovers all too clearly. Every time he considered he managed to convince himself the hangover and general mess wouldnÕt be worth it.
He hadnÕt even bothered to learn the name of this town before he came, other than trying to figure out whether Vash had been there at some previous date. His brother had, but the visit had taken place about sixty or seventy years ago, so there really wasnÕt anything to worry about. If anyone from that generation was still around, they would have been too young to remember Vash, and he wasnÕt all that noticeable of a figure back then anyway.
So here sat Knives, bored out of his mind at the sheer dullness of the average human life. He took another long gulp of water. Another town, another bar, another dark corner, another drink of plain water.
The people werenÕt even interesting at all today. There werenÕt that many to begin with, and of the ones that were there, most of them sat slumped over, passed out from too much drink. Knives sighed and leaned back.
Another town, another bar, another dark corner, another drink of plain water.
He heard some commotion outside and perked up curiously. No one else even looked up. Wondering what could be going on, he stood up and walked out, to find himself in the middle of a crowd that was more of a mob than anything. From the yells and general catcalls he heard, it sounded like they were confronting a thief.
The blonde sighed. He supposed he shouldÕve expected as much. Of all the things these villagers hated the most lately, it was thieves. With this yearÕs famine, food and supplies were running slim, and while people would be fine, they really didnÕt have anything to spare, and hadnÕt for the past several years, really. It wasnÕt too uncommon for entire villages to gang up on a found thief and injure or kill them.
That was another strange thing about humans. When grouped together they sometimes performed truly barbaric rituals. Wondering about the condemned, he pushed through the crowds a little to see who it was they were circling.
He was genuinely surprised to find a girl in the middle who looked to be no more than fourteen or so, with mid-length black hair and green eyes, dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt that was far too big and a simple blue skirt that came down to her knees. She was shaking a little in fear, though that was understandable, considering the circumstances. Almost as soon as he saw her though, she decided to make a break for it, brushing right next to him on the way. She got out of the circle and began running for all she was worth. Knives stood still as the crowd surged around and past him, following her. Something inside him that he didnÕt really understand ached to follow the crowd. There was something strange about the girl, he could feel it in his bonesÉ
Shaking his head slightly, he jogged after the mob. ItÕs a human affair, he told himself sternly. I donÕt meddle in human affairs, not anymore. IÕm only here to observe. He nodded a little to himself reassuringly and speeded up.
When he arrived at the crowds once again, he found that the poor creature had mistakenly backed herself up against a wall. Her terror was plain on her face now, though it was mixed with a set determination. Suddenly she pulled a gun out from under the hem of her skirt, a dark gun, which looked all to familiarÉ KnivesÕ eyes widened and he hastily patted down his sides and realized that she was indeed holding his gun. He blinked a few times in confusion. She had brushed past him before, but it had only been a brushÉ By God, sheÕs not only a thief, sheÕs a good one!
Her arm trembled with the unfamiliar weight of the weapon; she was on the verge of tears. ÒDonÕtÉ DonÕt come any closer!Ó she cried. ÒIÕllÉÓ She put both hands on the gun and widened her stance. ÒIÕll shoot!Ó
Knives was in a slight dilemma. He didnÕt want to interfere, that wasnÕt his job, but in a way he had already interfered because it was his gun she had taken, and that involved him in this whole preposterous situation.
The crowd surged forward once again and the girl screamed. Knives looked up from his contemplation and hissed in a breath of disbelief at what he was seeing. The girl had tried to fire the gun, just like she had threatened to. But no one could have suspected what happened.
The top of the gun had popped off and a wave of energy ran up the girlÕs arm, shredding her shirt and seeming to crystallize the arm as it went. Hand and gun transformed into something totally different, looking like a small cage containing a ball of light.
The angry villagers had all stopped their charge and stood openly gawking at the girl, who just continued to scream. Knives was smart enough to run around to the side of her, but the others stood there in shock, completely mystified by the girlÕs transformation. A bright light erupted from the girlÕs arm and everyone shielded their eyes. Once it was over Knives opened his and looked around.
The little village was decimated, the angry mob quieted in a mixture of death and a slumber that had to be a state near death. When he looked back at the girl he was surprised to find her still awake, breathing in great shuddering gasps. Her arm was back to normal now. She saw that he was looking at her and dropped the gun before bolting out of town, running off blindly into the desert.
He watched after her for a moment, not quite sure what to think. She had just created an Angel arm, which meant that she couldnÕt be human. She was of his race. But how that could be, he had no idea.
Letting out a sigh, he walked over and picked up his gun, putting it back into its holster in his pocket. Calmly he walked back over to the ruins of the bar and dug through it all until he found his bag, which had somehow managed to survive the blast. Then he simply slung it over his shoulder and began walking in the general direction of what he assumed the next town to be in.
ÒAnother townÉÓ He sighed. ÒAnother bar, another dark corner, another drink of plain water.Ó
Okay, thatÕs this chapter! IÕm not sure where IÕm going to go with the next one, so it might be a while, but some ideas would definitely be appreciated! Please? Pretty please? I could really use some helpÉ
Over and out.
~Rin Truthsayer~ ÒWhoÕs telling the truth?Ó