Chapter 5: Drawing Board
Knives' POV
When we got home after dealing with Dolt, I asked Vash "Yo, Vashu!?" Vash looked terrified for a split second and then calmed down. I love that reaction! It's a little mean, but, what fun thing in life isn't? "Got anything for me to do? I'm expelled from school and fired from work."
Vash replied with a smirk "Loser." We both burst out laughing like idiots. After the tension from work, almost anything would be funny. "You have anything in mind?"
"Of course, bro. Idle minds exist only in humans. I want to start a gang to help us in out endeavors. Chances are, this force we are to apprehend is too much to handle for the JCPD. That's why they called us in. Obviously, whatever we're looking for is scarier than us. I think having numbers on our side is advisable."
"I'm not for it Knives. Last gang you lead were called the Gung Ho Guns." my brother replied. "Besides, how do plan to do that without trouble? Last time I checked, gangs are illegal! You want to get in trouble again?"
My face tightened a little. WHY DOES HE STILL DOUBT ME! I said this with as much control I can muster "We are on different.terms now.brother." I was going to say Vash but image is everything. I continued "Besides, I DO have a plan. Unlike you, Vashu, I don't jump into dark wells without safety ropes. Savarem has a spineless, good for nothing gang. Their rivals, the July City High Detonators beat them underground. I'll teach them how to fight back, and protect the school.
Vashu looks baffled. "You would teach humans?"
"Dude, I did hand pick the Gung Ho Guns. Besides that, I also taught Legato mental kinesis. I am a very capable teacher ." My brother looked annoyed that I brought up old issues again.
Vash still looked uneasy. Finally he said "YOU'RE GOING TO HELP PEOPLE FIGHT ONE ANOTHER!?"
Took him long enough to register. "Yes, Vash. You see, in the adult world, people have disagreements.-"
"But we're in school, we're not adults!" he whined.
"VASH!" I yelled. "Will you please act your age! You're over a hundred and forty years old, we're the oldest beings on this planet! I have seen ten year olds with more realism than you!"
Vash shut up, but gave that signature puppy face he's known for in the anime series.
"Anyway, people will fight, whether or not you will. Or would you prefer to see the pupils in the school you found act like they are lambs for the slaughter?" I asked simply, with a hint of pleasure at the analogy I just made. Very nice imagery, I must say.
He still didn't say anything. The old me was correct. What good is it to grow up if you're just going to be more sentimental, you good for nothing weepy faced kid. But I can't say that to him now, its just not right. Guilt is a stronger force than I thought.
But I could do this. "GODDAMIT VASH!" I punched in the stomach. He doubled over and gasped for air. "EVEN YOU FIGHT WHEN PROVOKED! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
I drew my gun. "Fight me, arrogant coward!"
"How am I-"
I didn't let him finish. My brother talks too much. I pulled the trigger. A gunshot went off. History repeats itself. The bullet's path wasn't at his face, but grazed it. A really long, and unnaturally precise cut was drawn along his cheek.
"Next time, I won't miss."
"What the fuck is this for!?"
"Think of it as me asking for a rematch, Vashu." Now that I think about it, that is what makes me tick, the fact that he won, my brother had a victory over me. In fact, each time, he came out victorious, with the exception of July City. "Destiny has gone full circle, Vash.the Stampede!"
Vash drew his gun and shot the gun out of my hand.
"Are you going to shoot me again?" I asked, the third time.
"You think I will, don't you, Knives?"
"Well, you did the first two times. What will change this time?"
"I thought you are smart, Knives. It doesn't matter how many times the circumstance comes up. If the conditions are the same, then the chance of either happening is the same. I'm not going to shoot you. You're family, Knives. I promised that I won't make the same mistakes again."
What the-? NO WAY IN HELL! Vash may be a professed life lover but I am certainly an exception from his list. He fucking shot me twice, the first time, taking my Angel Arm/.45 Long Colt and the second, shooting me at point blank range with his Angel Arm. The second time was painful (OUCH!)-SHIT! It just dawned on me. I always tried to get Vash to trust me, yet I think the worst of him also.
Vash caught me being spaced out. "Knives. Here." He tossed me his gun! "I know you don't trust me. There. I'm at your mercy. Do as you will, while I get your gun."
I grinned evilly. He did say do as you will, right? I rummaged through my pockets, let's see, one shot kill rounds, just injurious rounds, ah, there it is, the prank bullets. They are the bouncy bullets that Vash used to "gun down" that runaway couple. Ooh, this would be fun. It's mean, but scaring the crap out of my brother is very fun.
"Yo, Vashu." He looked at me.
"Wha-"
"This is for all the times you ate my donuts!" I fired.
"Ow!" His face became chibi and echoed "Watch where you aim those, they sting!"
"Then stop me!"
No need to tell him twice. He dove for my gun and dashed behind a rock. He came out blazing. For the next hour or two, we were shooting each other almost like it's a real Western showdown. Besides my first cheap shot, I never caught him, and likewise.
After the third hour of shooting, ricocheting and running, Vash had a suggestion.
"Hey, Knives?" he called from behind a cactus.
"Yeah?"
"I got one shot left. How about you empty your rounds down to one, and we'll decide this on a one shot quick draw?"
"Sounds good to me!" I flipped the barrel open and emptied the rounds, catching the last one and putting it in. I won in the last showdown, hopefully, I can prevail this time too. One click, two click, three.ah, next round is the one to bring victory home. So what if I'm grimy? It gets the job done!
"Ready to rock, Vashu?" I hollered.
"I've been waiting! Let's do this!" he jumped out first and fired. I dodged the shot, but then he did something that caught me off guard completely: it was a blank! Too late to register, Vash pulled the trigger again and this time, the bouncy bullet hit me square between the eyes.
"Ow! THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!" I yelled in pain.
"I won, nailed you." He replied victoriously.
"You cheated!"
"I only had one round, see." He popped open the barrel to my gun and I saw a used round, and four blanks. Well, five, one was for that sleight of hand he pulled on me, but four unused. "I said one round, nothing about blanks, Knives. Normally, I wouldn't resort to tricks like that, but the one you pulled on me was mean."
The pain subsided. "The one you bulled don me is meen!" I sneered. "Last one to the Tavern is a crybaby Vash!" I yelled and with that said, started running.
"That wasn't very nice!" he yelled, about five steps behind. We ran, not on full blast, most of the energy was used in that non-lethal gun battle.
One block passed. Two. That's the block that has the brewery that rivals Vash's Kuroneko Tavern. Three. Wow, I never saw so many houses in July City! Finally, after the fifth block passed by in a blur, the stores start showing up. Lee's General Store. The Corral, a gentleman's club(detestable, disgusting place! Who ever thought up of the idea to watch humans use anatomy to entertain one another should die slowly and horribly, humans are hard enough to tolerate as they are, with clothing on!), a few houses, a pig sty, a cigar house, Spicy Diner, two rundown apartment houses, an Italian restaurant, a two block wide Thomas coup and then.Kuroneko Tavern! Thirty steps. Twenty seven-
"There is no way in hell you're going to beat me going to the bar I own, Knives!"
"Just watch me, redcoat!"
Fifteen. Twelve. Nine. Eight. Five. DIVE! I dove for the door, at the same time, he did the same. And the winner of this stupid race to be on time for beer'o clock is.?
Neither. We jammed the doorway. This scene was identical to the final battle in the oasis, where we both dove for out guns.
(It's also identical to a human movie, Knives. It's called The Three Stooges.)
Instead of a snide remark about the inferiority of humans, I decided to laugh. While it is nearly impossible to get a childhood back, today, we came damn close!
Knives' POV
When we got home after dealing with Dolt, I asked Vash "Yo, Vashu!?" Vash looked terrified for a split second and then calmed down. I love that reaction! It's a little mean, but, what fun thing in life isn't? "Got anything for me to do? I'm expelled from school and fired from work."
Vash replied with a smirk "Loser." We both burst out laughing like idiots. After the tension from work, almost anything would be funny. "You have anything in mind?"
"Of course, bro. Idle minds exist only in humans. I want to start a gang to help us in out endeavors. Chances are, this force we are to apprehend is too much to handle for the JCPD. That's why they called us in. Obviously, whatever we're looking for is scarier than us. I think having numbers on our side is advisable."
"I'm not for it Knives. Last gang you lead were called the Gung Ho Guns." my brother replied. "Besides, how do plan to do that without trouble? Last time I checked, gangs are illegal! You want to get in trouble again?"
My face tightened a little. WHY DOES HE STILL DOUBT ME! I said this with as much control I can muster "We are on different.terms now.brother." I was going to say Vash but image is everything. I continued "Besides, I DO have a plan. Unlike you, Vashu, I don't jump into dark wells without safety ropes. Savarem has a spineless, good for nothing gang. Their rivals, the July City High Detonators beat them underground. I'll teach them how to fight back, and protect the school.
Vashu looks baffled. "You would teach humans?"
"Dude, I did hand pick the Gung Ho Guns. Besides that, I also taught Legato mental kinesis. I am a very capable teacher ." My brother looked annoyed that I brought up old issues again.
Vash still looked uneasy. Finally he said "YOU'RE GOING TO HELP PEOPLE FIGHT ONE ANOTHER!?"
Took him long enough to register. "Yes, Vash. You see, in the adult world, people have disagreements.-"
"But we're in school, we're not adults!" he whined.
"VASH!" I yelled. "Will you please act your age! You're over a hundred and forty years old, we're the oldest beings on this planet! I have seen ten year olds with more realism than you!"
Vash shut up, but gave that signature puppy face he's known for in the anime series.
"Anyway, people will fight, whether or not you will. Or would you prefer to see the pupils in the school you found act like they are lambs for the slaughter?" I asked simply, with a hint of pleasure at the analogy I just made. Very nice imagery, I must say.
He still didn't say anything. The old me was correct. What good is it to grow up if you're just going to be more sentimental, you good for nothing weepy faced kid. But I can't say that to him now, its just not right. Guilt is a stronger force than I thought.
But I could do this. "GODDAMIT VASH!" I punched in the stomach. He doubled over and gasped for air. "EVEN YOU FIGHT WHEN PROVOKED! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!"
I drew my gun. "Fight me, arrogant coward!"
"How am I-"
I didn't let him finish. My brother talks too much. I pulled the trigger. A gunshot went off. History repeats itself. The bullet's path wasn't at his face, but grazed it. A really long, and unnaturally precise cut was drawn along his cheek.
"Next time, I won't miss."
"What the fuck is this for!?"
"Think of it as me asking for a rematch, Vashu." Now that I think about it, that is what makes me tick, the fact that he won, my brother had a victory over me. In fact, each time, he came out victorious, with the exception of July City. "Destiny has gone full circle, Vash.the Stampede!"
Vash drew his gun and shot the gun out of my hand.
"Are you going to shoot me again?" I asked, the third time.
"You think I will, don't you, Knives?"
"Well, you did the first two times. What will change this time?"
"I thought you are smart, Knives. It doesn't matter how many times the circumstance comes up. If the conditions are the same, then the chance of either happening is the same. I'm not going to shoot you. You're family, Knives. I promised that I won't make the same mistakes again."
What the-? NO WAY IN HELL! Vash may be a professed life lover but I am certainly an exception from his list. He fucking shot me twice, the first time, taking my Angel Arm/.45 Long Colt and the second, shooting me at point blank range with his Angel Arm. The second time was painful (OUCH!)-SHIT! It just dawned on me. I always tried to get Vash to trust me, yet I think the worst of him also.
Vash caught me being spaced out. "Knives. Here." He tossed me his gun! "I know you don't trust me. There. I'm at your mercy. Do as you will, while I get your gun."
I grinned evilly. He did say do as you will, right? I rummaged through my pockets, let's see, one shot kill rounds, just injurious rounds, ah, there it is, the prank bullets. They are the bouncy bullets that Vash used to "gun down" that runaway couple. Ooh, this would be fun. It's mean, but scaring the crap out of my brother is very fun.
"Yo, Vashu." He looked at me.
"Wha-"
"This is for all the times you ate my donuts!" I fired.
"Ow!" His face became chibi and echoed "Watch where you aim those, they sting!"
"Then stop me!"
No need to tell him twice. He dove for my gun and dashed behind a rock. He came out blazing. For the next hour or two, we were shooting each other almost like it's a real Western showdown. Besides my first cheap shot, I never caught him, and likewise.
After the third hour of shooting, ricocheting and running, Vash had a suggestion.
"Hey, Knives?" he called from behind a cactus.
"Yeah?"
"I got one shot left. How about you empty your rounds down to one, and we'll decide this on a one shot quick draw?"
"Sounds good to me!" I flipped the barrel open and emptied the rounds, catching the last one and putting it in. I won in the last showdown, hopefully, I can prevail this time too. One click, two click, three.ah, next round is the one to bring victory home. So what if I'm grimy? It gets the job done!
"Ready to rock, Vashu?" I hollered.
"I've been waiting! Let's do this!" he jumped out first and fired. I dodged the shot, but then he did something that caught me off guard completely: it was a blank! Too late to register, Vash pulled the trigger again and this time, the bouncy bullet hit me square between the eyes.
"Ow! THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!" I yelled in pain.
"I won, nailed you." He replied victoriously.
"You cheated!"
"I only had one round, see." He popped open the barrel to my gun and I saw a used round, and four blanks. Well, five, one was for that sleight of hand he pulled on me, but four unused. "I said one round, nothing about blanks, Knives. Normally, I wouldn't resort to tricks like that, but the one you pulled on me was mean."
The pain subsided. "The one you bulled don me is meen!" I sneered. "Last one to the Tavern is a crybaby Vash!" I yelled and with that said, started running.
"That wasn't very nice!" he yelled, about five steps behind. We ran, not on full blast, most of the energy was used in that non-lethal gun battle.
One block passed. Two. That's the block that has the brewery that rivals Vash's Kuroneko Tavern. Three. Wow, I never saw so many houses in July City! Finally, after the fifth block passed by in a blur, the stores start showing up. Lee's General Store. The Corral, a gentleman's club(detestable, disgusting place! Who ever thought up of the idea to watch humans use anatomy to entertain one another should die slowly and horribly, humans are hard enough to tolerate as they are, with clothing on!), a few houses, a pig sty, a cigar house, Spicy Diner, two rundown apartment houses, an Italian restaurant, a two block wide Thomas coup and then.Kuroneko Tavern! Thirty steps. Twenty seven-
"There is no way in hell you're going to beat me going to the bar I own, Knives!"
"Just watch me, redcoat!"
Fifteen. Twelve. Nine. Eight. Five. DIVE! I dove for the door, at the same time, he did the same. And the winner of this stupid race to be on time for beer'o clock is.?
Neither. We jammed the doorway. This scene was identical to the final battle in the oasis, where we both dove for out guns.
(It's also identical to a human movie, Knives. It's called The Three Stooges.)
Instead of a snide remark about the inferiority of humans, I decided to laugh. While it is nearly impossible to get a childhood back, today, we came damn close!