A Wavering Red Coat

By: Kristen Kolb

She watched him for a moment then smiled as she held up her gun to his head. "Tri," was the only thing she said before the blonde headed man turned around.

"Gun." He replied hesitantly. "Rhym." He looked at the red headed girl in wonder. She only smiled back at him.

The two walked into the bar and immediately he started questioning her in a low tone. "It's been a long time, why are you still alive?" The blonde man asked.

"Before Rem died I swore to her that I'd keep you safe. I was turned into a humaniod." She looked down at the table. "Knives did it Vash. He thought he could control me like all the other humans, I showed to be to much. I tried to tell everyone that Knives was going to kill the whole city, but they couldn't believe me. After all, how could such nice, young me be so evil?" She sighed and then turned her head from the brownish liquid that sat in her cup. Vash gave an uncomfortable smile to the young looking humanoid.

"I figured after everyone was killed that you and Rem had been killed. After all, you're her sister." Vash all but glared at her.

"I tried to get Rem out also," Rhym began but began to choke up with tears welding up in her eyes. "Rem said that she would stay in the city until the end, to make sure that you and Knives stayed safe. She told me to go by myself; that it was high time I get outta that town anyway." Tears poured down the sides of her eyes like small streams. Finally, she looked over to Vash. "When Knives found out, I was still alive he tracked me down and turned me into a humanoid. When I was set out on my first mission to kill you, I escaped becoming stronger so I could kill Knives." She swallowed down the last of her drink. "Ah, but I suppose that you got to him first hmm?" She looked up at Vash again, her eyes surprising him with another smile.

"Yeah," was his only response.

"I'm really glad you killed him first. If it was me, I would have put him through a lot more pain and suffering than that." She gripped the glass with shaking hands. "I would have put him through as much pain as he put not only you and me through, but everyone else he killed." Her smile had long sense disappeared from her face.

"THERE YOU ARE!" A woman's voice yelled from behind the two, making both of them jump.

"Why if it isn't the Insurance Girls!" Vash gleefully said with a high-pitched laugh at the end.

"I apologies' ma'am if he has caused you ANY harm." Merrill gave a smile to Rhym.

"Oh no! None at all, in fact, I'm one of his old friends. We go a long way back." She smiled at Merrill.

"You mean he has friends?" Merrill asked with surprise in her voice.

"Well isn't that nice, I'm glad to see that you're getting along nicely Vash." Milley smiled at Vash who was still laughing.

"Oh well, yeah, I mean everyone needs friends." He smiled directly at Merrill, who had become quite fond of him. She blushed, turned around, then cleared her voice. Vash stared at the back of Merrill's head blinking.

"I suppose we can leave you two alone then. Oh, yes, call me if you need anything Ms.." Merrill turned and looked at Rhym.

"The name's Rhym, and I have all the company I need right here." She put her hand on Vash's leg right above his knee, making him blush and infuriating Merrill. She stormed out yelling and cursing about something, Milley following making feudal attempts to calm her friend.

"Rhym, I'm sorry it's been more than 10 years." Rhym nearly fell out of her seat. She ordered another drink and smiled at Vash.

"You mean more like over 100 years Vash." She gave a smile at him though and reached over kissing him lightly on the lips.

Vash blinked and gave a confused look as she pulled herself away from him. He touched his lips then her head. "Sorry, I'm just making sure this isn't one of those crazy dreams." He then smiled back to her.

"Nope, I'm real. Although," she picked up the silver pistol and shot out the glass that was in one of the windows. "I don't particularly like being spied on." She had shot backwards and into the bar window right above Milley and Merrill's heads. She shoved the pistol back into its holder and finished off her second drink.

"ARE YOU INSANE!?" Vash asked with worry as he cowered from the oncoming Merrill.

"Yup, suppose you could say that." Rhym smiled at Merrill and stood. "Well now, you coulda just came in and asked me what we were talking about." Rhym gave a sly look.

"You are going to pay for that window correct?" Merrill asked pointing at it.

"Hey you're the insurance girls, just say Vash did it and the insurance will pay for it." Rhym replied to the question then began to walk out of the bar.

"Now hang on! I can't do that!" But Rhym didn't turn to hear her objection and Vash chased after her tackling her to the ground.

"Now look here," Vash began with his macho voice. "I can't just let you go around giving me a bad record, it wouldn't be right." Rhym smiled at him and got up, pushing him off. She walked back in and put down $$20,000. "All right, that should be more than enough to pay for the window, and you can fix this place up." She waltzed right out leaving Merrill staring in wonder.

"Uh.." Merrill began but didn't really say anything. She sighed.

"Vash!" Rhym caught up with her old friend. "Would you happen to have a place to stay here?" She asked when she caught up and as they continued their walk.

"You could stay at my place for the night. Or a couple if you want." He stopped and made her stop holding up her face so he could look into her grey eyes.

"Thanks.. I'll be sure to repay you somehow." She hugged herself close to him and then the two walked some more.

After about two hours of sitting out in the sun and talking, Rhym noticed that the sun was beginning to fade. She smiled and the two walked to Vash's hotel room, where they walked up a flight of stairs. Vash went in first opening the door.

"Well, it isn't grand but, it does a person a good nights sleep." He turned to smile at Rhym, but found her already undressed. He gawked at her nicely curving body. She then smiled and again kissed him, this time deeper than the first time. The two fell onto the bed enwrapped in each other's arms.

When it was all over and Rhym was asleep, Vash looked up into the nights sky from his window. His muscular, but badly scarred upper half uncovered. 'Did you mean for it all to turn out this way Rem? Did God send you to guide us two back together?' He asked, his green eyes full of wonder. Her rolled over and stared into Rhym's smiling and sleeping face. He rolled back over as a feeling of guilt washed over him. Then he remembered that she was the one that had started it all, that sense she was Rem's youngest sister, he wouldn't have ever thought of making a move on her. So he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

~*~

Morning came all to quickly and Rhym was awakened by children throwing rocks at the window. She found her head upon Vash's chest and her full breasts were barely covered by the sheets. She pulled herself up and looked out the window and saw the children giving her a look of stupidity, drool rolling down about 3 of their mouths. She rubbed her eyes and when she felt a breeze flow past she notices her upper half was uncovered. She shrieked waking up Vash.

"AH! You little perverts!" She yelled down at the boys. The boys only laughed with satisfactory. She blushed until Vash enwrapped his arms around her. He gave her a fairly deep kiss then got up exposing his nicely equipped body. Rhym only smiled remembering memories of last night. He began getting dressed and Rhym followed his lead. The two walked out and into the morning light. She smiled and stretched while the boys teased her about the incident, she only smiled and laughed with them. Rhym gave the boys some money and told them to go buy ice-cream with it, then stood next to Vash, her smile all the wider than before.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Vash asked as he put an arm around Rhym. She looked at Vash questioningly. "I mean the sky." Vash said looking down with a smile. The wind again blew past making Vash's red coat wave in the wind.

She blushed coyly and nodded in agreement putting a hand and her head on his chest.

"Oh look!" One of the boys yelled to the others.

"Vash has a girl friend!" Another yelled as he handed Rhym her ice-cream. She smiled and patted the boy on the head.

"Aw, c'mon ya'll, can't you keep that to yourself?" The boys laughed and grinned mischievously.

"What if we don't?" One of them asked.

"I'll give each of you $$5 if you keep it a secret." The crowd of boys cheered to her and she handed out the money. When she finished, Merrill had arrived giving her a distrustful look.

"Where exactly did you get all of this money? Why did you sleep in Vash's room last night if you had all of this money?" Merrill interrogated her as Milley just gave a silly smile.

"Um...no comment." Rhym replied as she was pulled past by the crowd of boys that wanted her to play. "Okay take it easy on me! I'm an old woman and my hips hurt today!" She ran from the boys even with her cramping hips.

"Boy, what did you do to her Vash?" Merrill scratched the back of her head and Vash gave a screeching look.

"N-Nothing!" Vash yelled out loud.

"Yeah right, I know that a girl's hips don't hurt unless they've been doing something the other night." Merrill replied while stretching upwards.

"How would you know?" Vash asked with a sly look crossing his face.

Merrill hit him upside the head with a frying pan while a cross vain appeared on her forehead. "That really isn't any of your business, now is it?" Her left eyebrow twitched.

"No ma'am!" He replied with large tear rivers flowed down his face and he bit his bottom lip.