Chapter 2:
Desert Rave
Rave stared at the man, her drink still in her hand.
"Come again...?" she said, slowly setting her glass down.
"I need you to find someone for me," he repeated.
"I don't kill," she sternly stated.
"I don't want you to," he said.
She leaned forward resting her arms on the table. "I'm listening..."
"Vash the Stampede," the man's face was serious but a curious gleam of humor crossed his eyes.
Rave rose. "I have no idea why I'm doing this..." She adjusted her black bag over her shoulder.
"Thank you---" The man was cut short when Rave grabbed him by the cllar and yanked him out of the chair. "Hey! What the----?!"
"If I'm not getting paid, then I'm taking you as a shield," she growled.
"Shield?!"
"Yeah...don't you know how many people would pay a pretty price to have my head?"
"No..."
"You'll learn."
Rave dragged the man out of the bar. She stopped and looked around. Her eyes landed on the motorcycle in front of them. A devilish smile appeared across her face.
"Wha---NO! No you don't! Not my bike!..." He had not noticed that Rave had already mounted. But he noticed she had when the engine revved as she started it.
She looked up at him. "Come on..."
"Hey!...no, I won't..."
"Fine, but I don't plan on returning the bike..." she revved the engine again, causing the man to panic and mount the motorcycle behind her.
"Now that's a good boy," she said as she sped away. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero sped quickly through the desert in the car she had "found".
Milly and Meryl sat in the back seat clinging to each other for dear life. Zero drove and Vash sat next to her in the passenger side.
"So...where are we going?" Vash asked Zero.
"I'm looking for someone," she responded.
"Who?"
"That's not for you to know..." Her tone was serious reflecting the expression on her face.
"It might have something to do with me," he gestured.
"It has nothing to do with you," Zero kept her eyes forward. "When it becomes a family matter, I'll let you know."
"Family?" Meryl blinked. She narrowed her eyes on Vash. "What does she mean 'family'?"
Vash turned to her and laughed nervously. "Oh yeah...Milly...Meryl...this is my sister..." He pointed to Zero. "...Zero."
Zero, keeping her eyes on the road, held up her hand in recognition of her introduction.
Meryl's face sunk. "D-Did you say Z-Zero...as in 'Zero the Soul Reaver'?"
Vash nodded.
"One in the same..." Zero responded.
Milly smiled. "My...how do we always seem to catch up with the infamous people?...First Mr. Vash and now Ms. Zero..." She scratched her head. "I don't get it really." She then looked at Meryl and gently shook her. "Meryl?...Meryl?...Are you okay?" She smiled again at Vash. "Well look at that! I seems she has blacked out..."
Zero sighed. This is going to be fun, she thought to herself. **************************************************************************** *******************
Rave kept a fast pace with the man clinging to her waist.
"I never caught your name!" he yelled over the noise of the engine and the rush of wind in his ears.
"Rave!"
"Rave the Huntress?!"
"Yeah!"
"Never would've guessed!"
"What's your name?"
The man paused before answering. "Salis...!"
"Salis?!...Funny name!"
"And Rave is normal?!"
"I didn't say it was my birthname!"
"My real name doesn't matter..." She honestly couldn't remember. She tried to think but was interrupted by the man, called Salis, chuckling behind her.
"What is it?!"
"Nothing...you just reminded me of someone!
A dust of cloud surrounded them suddenly as a car passed by at high speed.
Rave turned the motorcycle on her foot and proceeded to follow the vehicle, familiar with the driver. **************************************************************************** *******************
Vash looked into the rearview mirror. "I think we're being followed..." he announced.
"I know," Zero responded indifferently.
"They could be after us..."
"They're not..."
"After...me?"
"Nope."
"You?"
"Unh-uh."
"Then what are they doing?"
"Following us."
"I see that! Why?" He looked at the ones following them, barely discernable through the dust thrown up by the car.
Zero just smiled. She sped the car up to challenge them...and they accepted. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero drove the car into the nearby town, stopping in the middle of the main square. The motorcycle quickly pulled in behind.
Rave stepped off the bike leaving Salis straddling it.
Zero lept out of the car and ran up to her. "Rave!" She called happily. She stepped directly in front of Rave. She smiled brightly ignoring Rave's intimidating expression.
"Zero," she said sternly.
"Fine then," Zero turned away from her and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not THAT happy to see you either."
Vash, Meryl, and Milly approached them only to stop dead at the sight of Salis.
"What is it?" Zero asked turning to face him.
Milly's eyes welled with tears. "...Wolfwood..." she gasped.
Desert Rave
Rave stared at the man, her drink still in her hand.
"Come again...?" she said, slowly setting her glass down.
"I need you to find someone for me," he repeated.
"I don't kill," she sternly stated.
"I don't want you to," he said.
She leaned forward resting her arms on the table. "I'm listening..."
"Vash the Stampede," the man's face was serious but a curious gleam of humor crossed his eyes.
Rave rose. "I have no idea why I'm doing this..." She adjusted her black bag over her shoulder.
"Thank you---" The man was cut short when Rave grabbed him by the cllar and yanked him out of the chair. "Hey! What the----?!"
"If I'm not getting paid, then I'm taking you as a shield," she growled.
"Shield?!"
"Yeah...don't you know how many people would pay a pretty price to have my head?"
"No..."
"You'll learn."
Rave dragged the man out of the bar. She stopped and looked around. Her eyes landed on the motorcycle in front of them. A devilish smile appeared across her face.
"Wha---NO! No you don't! Not my bike!..." He had not noticed that Rave had already mounted. But he noticed she had when the engine revved as she started it.
She looked up at him. "Come on..."
"Hey!...no, I won't..."
"Fine, but I don't plan on returning the bike..." she revved the engine again, causing the man to panic and mount the motorcycle behind her.
"Now that's a good boy," she said as she sped away. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero sped quickly through the desert in the car she had "found".
Milly and Meryl sat in the back seat clinging to each other for dear life. Zero drove and Vash sat next to her in the passenger side.
"So...where are we going?" Vash asked Zero.
"I'm looking for someone," she responded.
"Who?"
"That's not for you to know..." Her tone was serious reflecting the expression on her face.
"It might have something to do with me," he gestured.
"It has nothing to do with you," Zero kept her eyes forward. "When it becomes a family matter, I'll let you know."
"Family?" Meryl blinked. She narrowed her eyes on Vash. "What does she mean 'family'?"
Vash turned to her and laughed nervously. "Oh yeah...Milly...Meryl...this is my sister..." He pointed to Zero. "...Zero."
Zero, keeping her eyes on the road, held up her hand in recognition of her introduction.
Meryl's face sunk. "D-Did you say Z-Zero...as in 'Zero the Soul Reaver'?"
Vash nodded.
"One in the same..." Zero responded.
Milly smiled. "My...how do we always seem to catch up with the infamous people?...First Mr. Vash and now Ms. Zero..." She scratched her head. "I don't get it really." She then looked at Meryl and gently shook her. "Meryl?...Meryl?...Are you okay?" She smiled again at Vash. "Well look at that! I seems she has blacked out..."
Zero sighed. This is going to be fun, she thought to herself. **************************************************************************** *******************
Rave kept a fast pace with the man clinging to her waist.
"I never caught your name!" he yelled over the noise of the engine and the rush of wind in his ears.
"Rave!"
"Rave the Huntress?!"
"Yeah!"
"Never would've guessed!"
"What's your name?"
The man paused before answering. "Salis...!"
"Salis?!...Funny name!"
"And Rave is normal?!"
"I didn't say it was my birthname!"
"My real name doesn't matter..." She honestly couldn't remember. She tried to think but was interrupted by the man, called Salis, chuckling behind her.
"What is it?!"
"Nothing...you just reminded me of someone!
A dust of cloud surrounded them suddenly as a car passed by at high speed.
Rave turned the motorcycle on her foot and proceeded to follow the vehicle, familiar with the driver. **************************************************************************** *******************
Vash looked into the rearview mirror. "I think we're being followed..." he announced.
"I know," Zero responded indifferently.
"They could be after us..."
"They're not..."
"After...me?"
"Nope."
"You?"
"Unh-uh."
"Then what are they doing?"
"Following us."
"I see that! Why?" He looked at the ones following them, barely discernable through the dust thrown up by the car.
Zero just smiled. She sped the car up to challenge them...and they accepted. **************************************************************************** *******************
Zero drove the car into the nearby town, stopping in the middle of the main square. The motorcycle quickly pulled in behind.
Rave stepped off the bike leaving Salis straddling it.
Zero lept out of the car and ran up to her. "Rave!" She called happily. She stepped directly in front of Rave. She smiled brightly ignoring Rave's intimidating expression.
"Zero," she said sternly.
"Fine then," Zero turned away from her and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not THAT happy to see you either."
Vash, Meryl, and Milly approached them only to stop dead at the sight of Salis.
"What is it?" Zero asked turning to face him.
Milly's eyes welled with tears. "...Wolfwood..." she gasped.