Chapter 11
Looking To The Stars
The day was a few minutes away from becoming night. They all decided to stay in the gas station.
Lex had found some sleeping bags in a storage room, but the bounty hunter refused to sleep.
Instead, he stood up by the door, securing the safety of his companions.
That's what Sabe was thinking anyway as she looked up to him.
Lex and Ruby were sound asleep, and the drifter was surprised to see they were laying next to each other.
As she looked back up at Blade, the moonlight illuminated his face and she could almost see his eyes more clearer.
She had then seen the coldness inside them. It could only be a reflection of what was in his heart. If he even considered himself to have a heart.
Sabe tossed the blanket off her and walked up behind the bounty hunter.
She was about to touch his shoulder, until…
"Even when you don't make noise, I can still sense you are there." he said.
Sabe looked up surprised as the bounty hunter turned around to face her.
"Everything is secure. You can go back to sleep, Miss Sabe."
She raised an eyebrow. "Say. What's up with the formalities now?"
"I've only known you for nearly a day and night, Miss Sabe." he reminded her.
"Well then, lets change that." she smiled. "First off, it's Sabe and JUST Sabe."
He only looked down at her.
"So, why aren't you asleep?" she asked.
"I can go without sleep for a month, M…Sabe." he corrected himself.
This time, she kept her eyes glued at his face. Gazing admiringly at him. It never bothered him before, but now the bounty hunter found himself a little fidgeted by her gazing.
"Someone needs to stay on guard." he told her. He heard a loud noise of snoring and turned to see it coming from Lex. "And I wouldn't count Lex to be up for it."
She softly giggled at that.
Then paused as she realized he just…no, he couldn't have.
"Oh my….Blade? Did you just make a joke?" she looked surprised.
The bounty hunter looked to her awkwardly, but then as he thought about it more.
"I…guess I did." Blade looked back to Sabe. "But then again I was telling the truth. Lex is not the type to be staying up all night."
"You always stood up late at night." she suddenly spoke out.
Blade turned to her confused.
"….Sorry." she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest with her eyes gazing down at her feet.
At least to her, it looked like a confused look. But in the mind of the man-hunter, he was thinking, "Does she know it's me?!"
A light in the sky caught Sabe's attention. When she looked up, the light was moving fast like a rocket through the sky.
"Oh Blade, look! A shooting star!" she pointed to the star-filled sky.
Blade looked up following the drifter's finger. A shooting star….he grunted. He never did see much of those. Actually, he had never even bothered too.
But when she pointed it out to him, he found himself interested. Why though? Was it because he was sharing this moment with an old friend. An old friend that he…
No…got to get over that, Ash! Remember what happened long ago…
I just…called myself by my real name, he realized.
"So, did you make a wish?" Sabe asked him.
Blade looked to her with a puzzled expression. "What?"
"The shooting star. You know, you see one and you make a wish?" she raised her eyebrows.
Blade shook his head. "Superstition." he scoffed.
"Hey, sometimes they can come true." she pointed out.
"Do they ever come true for you?" Blade suddenly asked her.
She was taken back by the question. He made it sound so cold, maybe meant to be an insult.
She looked away from him. She was hurt, and this was her own friend making her feel this way for the first time ever.
No, this couldn't be Ash. Ash would never say such things. Actually, Ash would hardly talk at all.
"Well, do they?" he asked in a more pleasant tone.
So maybe it wasn't an insult, she thought.
"To be honest with you, I've never really wished for anything. Because…I have everything that I've always wanted right here. Except, there is just one thing I've been wishing for….since the virus." She admitted, still not looking at him though.
"Many people have wished for a lot of things when the virus struck, Sabe. To be safe, or wish their family back. But Fate cannot be bent." he explained. "Just like time. All that's left now in this world is getting by and surviving."
Sabe turned back to him. And started searching his face. She was looking for any sign of emotion. Rather he was angry, happy or sad.
Neither showed.
"Well, I can see how you get by in this world." she remarked. "Carrying about no one else but yourself. But that's not true, is it?"
He fell silent.
"Well is it?!' she nearly shouted.
The bounty hunter looked down at the drifter. "I once told this to Ruby, Sabe. There are people like me you have buried their emotions to survive and get by in this world. This…tribe world. You like others will one day understand."
"Yeah, I understand all right." she snapped. "I understand that you're no better than Zoot."
Now this time, he felt nearly taken back. She had contrasted him with Zoot, and nobody had ever done that to him.
"But I do know one thing. Like Zoot, you can change. It's your life. Nobody else's but yours."
He didn't speak again. Not that he was going back into his silent state. He was just…baffled, speechless by her words.
And then a short but warm sensation touched his cheek.
"Good night." she whispered and headed back for her sleeping bag.
He touched where her lips met his cheek.
This girl was definitely not like others.
The Kong-like thug fell back against the wall. Blood dripping from both his mouth and nose.
The rest of the injured Demolition Pirates watched in fear as their own leader was manhandled by yet another guy. And this guy was definitely a clown from Hell. Or a mime from Hell for that matter with the black and white paint.
Edge smirked with his hands in his pants pockets and the long double-bladed boomerang hanging in the gun holster at the side of his belt.
"That wasn't a very proper, and very appropriate answer, my friend."
Edge walked up to the Kong-like thug that did tower over the assassin, but he seemed to be no mere match.
The assassin brought his foot up hard to the Kong-like thug's neck, threatening to crush his air tube with the heel of his boot.
"Now, unless you want to die. I suggest you give me a very truthful answer. So, I will ask you one last time." Edge brought the pressure of his boot to more strength. "A guy wearing a long-brimmed cowboy hat and a sword on his back came here to California not too long ago. He bumped into you, so where did he go?"
The Kong-like thug tried to breath. "You'll…have to be more…precise!" he wheezed. "There's other guys with cowboy hats and swords, you know!"
The corner of Over the Edge's mouth curved up in a lopsided grin. "Ah yes. Demon Dog Hunter Tiger and the great Shadow Warrior Hood. I guess the one I'm looking is the third in this little tribe world warrior fashion."
Edge sneered down at the Kong-like thug. "His name was Blade. Cowboy Blade. The guy that ran into you by the piers up to that Caribbean bar."
"O-oh yeah!…Him!" the thug choked. "All I know…is…is that him and some others were heading up to Nevada. That's all I know! Please…!"
Edge grinned with his boot still on the Kong-like thug's neck. "Thank you."
The assassin moved away, allowing the pirate leader to breath.
When the Kong-like thug looked up to the being threatening his life, Edge was already out the door of the tavern.
Looking To The Stars
The day was a few minutes away from becoming night. They all decided to stay in the gas station.
Lex had found some sleeping bags in a storage room, but the bounty hunter refused to sleep.
Instead, he stood up by the door, securing the safety of his companions.
That's what Sabe was thinking anyway as she looked up to him.
Lex and Ruby were sound asleep, and the drifter was surprised to see they were laying next to each other.
As she looked back up at Blade, the moonlight illuminated his face and she could almost see his eyes more clearer.
She had then seen the coldness inside them. It could only be a reflection of what was in his heart. If he even considered himself to have a heart.
Sabe tossed the blanket off her and walked up behind the bounty hunter.
She was about to touch his shoulder, until…
"Even when you don't make noise, I can still sense you are there." he said.
Sabe looked up surprised as the bounty hunter turned around to face her.
"Everything is secure. You can go back to sleep, Miss Sabe."
She raised an eyebrow. "Say. What's up with the formalities now?"
"I've only known you for nearly a day and night, Miss Sabe." he reminded her.
"Well then, lets change that." she smiled. "First off, it's Sabe and JUST Sabe."
He only looked down at her.
"So, why aren't you asleep?" she asked.
"I can go without sleep for a month, M…Sabe." he corrected himself.
This time, she kept her eyes glued at his face. Gazing admiringly at him. It never bothered him before, but now the bounty hunter found himself a little fidgeted by her gazing.
"Someone needs to stay on guard." he told her. He heard a loud noise of snoring and turned to see it coming from Lex. "And I wouldn't count Lex to be up for it."
She softly giggled at that.
Then paused as she realized he just…no, he couldn't have.
"Oh my….Blade? Did you just make a joke?" she looked surprised.
The bounty hunter looked to her awkwardly, but then as he thought about it more.
"I…guess I did." Blade looked back to Sabe. "But then again I was telling the truth. Lex is not the type to be staying up all night."
"You always stood up late at night." she suddenly spoke out.
Blade turned to her confused.
"….Sorry." she sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest with her eyes gazing down at her feet.
At least to her, it looked like a confused look. But in the mind of the man-hunter, he was thinking, "Does she know it's me?!"
A light in the sky caught Sabe's attention. When she looked up, the light was moving fast like a rocket through the sky.
"Oh Blade, look! A shooting star!" she pointed to the star-filled sky.
Blade looked up following the drifter's finger. A shooting star….he grunted. He never did see much of those. Actually, he had never even bothered too.
But when she pointed it out to him, he found himself interested. Why though? Was it because he was sharing this moment with an old friend. An old friend that he…
No…got to get over that, Ash! Remember what happened long ago…
I just…called myself by my real name, he realized.
"So, did you make a wish?" Sabe asked him.
Blade looked to her with a puzzled expression. "What?"
"The shooting star. You know, you see one and you make a wish?" she raised her eyebrows.
Blade shook his head. "Superstition." he scoffed.
"Hey, sometimes they can come true." she pointed out.
"Do they ever come true for you?" Blade suddenly asked her.
She was taken back by the question. He made it sound so cold, maybe meant to be an insult.
She looked away from him. She was hurt, and this was her own friend making her feel this way for the first time ever.
No, this couldn't be Ash. Ash would never say such things. Actually, Ash would hardly talk at all.
"Well, do they?" he asked in a more pleasant tone.
So maybe it wasn't an insult, she thought.
"To be honest with you, I've never really wished for anything. Because…I have everything that I've always wanted right here. Except, there is just one thing I've been wishing for….since the virus." She admitted, still not looking at him though.
"Many people have wished for a lot of things when the virus struck, Sabe. To be safe, or wish their family back. But Fate cannot be bent." he explained. "Just like time. All that's left now in this world is getting by and surviving."
Sabe turned back to him. And started searching his face. She was looking for any sign of emotion. Rather he was angry, happy or sad.
Neither showed.
"Well, I can see how you get by in this world." she remarked. "Carrying about no one else but yourself. But that's not true, is it?"
He fell silent.
"Well is it?!' she nearly shouted.
The bounty hunter looked down at the drifter. "I once told this to Ruby, Sabe. There are people like me you have buried their emotions to survive and get by in this world. This…tribe world. You like others will one day understand."
"Yeah, I understand all right." she snapped. "I understand that you're no better than Zoot."
Now this time, he felt nearly taken back. She had contrasted him with Zoot, and nobody had ever done that to him.
"But I do know one thing. Like Zoot, you can change. It's your life. Nobody else's but yours."
He didn't speak again. Not that he was going back into his silent state. He was just…baffled, speechless by her words.
And then a short but warm sensation touched his cheek.
"Good night." she whispered and headed back for her sleeping bag.
He touched where her lips met his cheek.
This girl was definitely not like others.
The Kong-like thug fell back against the wall. Blood dripping from both his mouth and nose.
The rest of the injured Demolition Pirates watched in fear as their own leader was manhandled by yet another guy. And this guy was definitely a clown from Hell. Or a mime from Hell for that matter with the black and white paint.
Edge smirked with his hands in his pants pockets and the long double-bladed boomerang hanging in the gun holster at the side of his belt.
"That wasn't a very proper, and very appropriate answer, my friend."
Edge walked up to the Kong-like thug that did tower over the assassin, but he seemed to be no mere match.
The assassin brought his foot up hard to the Kong-like thug's neck, threatening to crush his air tube with the heel of his boot.
"Now, unless you want to die. I suggest you give me a very truthful answer. So, I will ask you one last time." Edge brought the pressure of his boot to more strength. "A guy wearing a long-brimmed cowboy hat and a sword on his back came here to California not too long ago. He bumped into you, so where did he go?"
The Kong-like thug tried to breath. "You'll…have to be more…precise!" he wheezed. "There's other guys with cowboy hats and swords, you know!"
The corner of Over the Edge's mouth curved up in a lopsided grin. "Ah yes. Demon Dog Hunter Tiger and the great Shadow Warrior Hood. I guess the one I'm looking is the third in this little tribe world warrior fashion."
Edge sneered down at the Kong-like thug. "His name was Blade. Cowboy Blade. The guy that ran into you by the piers up to that Caribbean bar."
"O-oh yeah!…Him!" the thug choked. "All I know…is…is that him and some others were heading up to Nevada. That's all I know! Please…!"
Edge grinned with his boot still on the Kong-like thug's neck. "Thank you."
The assassin moved away, allowing the pirate leader to breath.
When the Kong-like thug looked up to the being threatening his life, Edge was already out the door of the tavern.