Chapter Four
Vash leaned back against the kitchen wall, studying the man sitting at the table in front of him. Wolfwood looked much the same as he always had, and Vash still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of seeing him alive. When they had left Augusta, he and the Insurance girls had left the priest's body lying in repose in the cathedral where he had been found. They had covered his body with white cloth, and Vash himself had checked and double checked that he was really dead. He simply couldn't understand how his friend had survived.
"I suppose the first thing you'll want to know is why I'm here," Wolfwood said, his eyes on Millie.
"I'll say!" Meryl exclaimed, her usual haughty behavior having returned with a vengeance. "When we left Augusta you were dead, Wolfwood. You had no pulse. How are you sitting here enjoying a bowl of pudding right now when just two months ago you were..."
"That's enough, Meryl," Vash said softly. "Let him finish." Meryl glared at him, but Vash ignored the look.
""Well, as far as coming back from the dead, I really couldn't tell you how I did it," Wolfwood replied, pushing his empty bowl away and lighting a cigarette. "After I entered the church, I remember falling to my knees and begging God not to take my life, and then everything went black. The next thing I remembered was waking up in the church with searing pain in my side. It was morning, and the sun was shining in through the open doors, and when I sat up I had only one thought in my mind - that I had to find you, that you were in danger, and I was the only one who could help you. I think that God heard my prayers and sent me back, Vash, to help you with whatever this danger is that's coming for you." At this, Wolfwood paused and looked suspiciously at Knives, who was tilting his chair back on two legs to rest his back against the wall.
"As to what that danger is, I'm afraid I don't know," he continued, letting his gaze drift over to meet Vash's green eyes. "I've been wandering around the last two months searching for you, and healing. I may have been brought back from the dead, but the wound I sustained in my side was painful, and it's only just healed completely. You covered your tracks well, I had a hard time finding you."
"I had to," Vash replied as he pushed away from the wall and swung a chair around to sit on it backwards. He folded his arms on the back and rested his chin on them. "I've still got that bounty on my head, and as long as I do, I'll have bounty hunters chasing me. Not that they could catch me, of course," he continued with a lopsided grin, "but these girls here have been slowing me down lately."
"Well excuse us," Meryl snorted, getting up and slamming her bowl into the kitchen sink. "I don't know why we're still following you around anyway, you pathetic loser! You can't even get a job-"
Vash's lower lip trembled. "You're so mean to me," he whined, and Wolfwood laughed.
"You two never change, do you?" He asked, and Millie giggled. "Vash, I did have something I wanted to ask you about, though," Wolfwood continued, his voice turning serious. Vash turned to him. "What are you doing with that monster living here?" The priest jerked his thumb back over his shoulder towards Knives.
"He's my brother, Wolfwood," Vash replied simply.
"Brother or not, he's a power-hungry lunatic and a murderer," Wolfwood shot back. "I don't trust him."
"Well I do," Vash returned. "He's changed, he's not the same man he was, and-"
"I can speak for myself, brother," Knives broke into the conversation as he let his chair's front legs drop forward onto the floor. Wolfwood didn't turn to face him. "So, Mr. Nicholas D. Wolfwood, you don't trust your former employer? That's a pity." Vash's face registered a look of shock, and Knives grinned. "Oh, so you never told him? Very well, I suppose that I'll do it for you. I hired Mr. Wolfwood here to be your, oh, bodyguard of sorts," he said, and Millie gasped. "He was to look after you and make sure that you made it to our little reunion safely, dear brother. He was working for me the whole time." Knives turned his ice-blue eyes to Wolfwood's back and grinned evilly.
"So what you're saying is that Vash shouldn't trust me, because I tried to have him killed, but that he should trust you, when you never told him that you were a traitor?"
"That's enough, Knives," Vash said, and his brother shrugged and leaned back against the wall again.
"Is... Is that true, Mr. Priest?" Millie asked, her eyes welling with tears. Wolfwood looked uncomfortably at her. The room was silent save for the wind blowing past the windows outside.
"It's true," Vash replied softly. "I had my suspicions, Wolfwood, but you never harmed me, so I never brought it up. I still hold to that. I'm sure you had your reasons for doing what you did, and I won't hold them against you." Wolfwood shook his head.
"You always were too soft, Vash," he said, smiling. "I guess that I can stand being near that murderer for awhile, if you trust him, but I won't like it." Vash stood up and stretched, a fake grin plastered onto his face.
"Well, that sure was a lot of talking, and now it's time for us to go have a couple of drinks! Whaddya say, Wolfwood?"
"Sounds great!" The priest exclaimed, getting up so quickly he knocked over his chair.
"Now wait just one minu-" Meryl began, but the two men were already marching out the door, arms around one another's shoulders and singing. "Why do I even bother?" She muttered, letting her head fall forward into her hands.
"Now Meryl, I think it's a great idea to have a party! Mr. Priest just came back, and we haven't gone out in ages!" Millie was already pulling on her coat. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"
"No thanks," Meryl replied caustically. "You go on without me, Millie, I have some work to do." Millie looked at her, then at the door, then back at her.
"But... But...."
"Go! I mean it. You deserve to have some fun." Meryl looked up with a fake smile for her friend's benefit.
"Well... Alright, Meryl, but you know where we'll be if you want to come!" Meryl waved a hand at her, and Millie ran out the door to catch up to the two men whose voices were just fading in the distance.
"Interesting friends he has," came a voice from the corner, and Meryl jumped as Knives rose to his feet. She had forgotten he was still there. The man looked down at her, and Meryl shivered as she felt his blue eyes lock onto hers. She couldn't seem to look away. Then, with the suddenness of a crack of thunder, the expression on his face softened, and Meryl was shocked to see a genuine smile cross Knives' face. "He always did make friends so easily," he said, and took a seat beside her. "Tell me... what is my brother like, these days?"
Vash leaned back against the kitchen wall, studying the man sitting at the table in front of him. Wolfwood looked much the same as he always had, and Vash still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of seeing him alive. When they had left Augusta, he and the Insurance girls had left the priest's body lying in repose in the cathedral where he had been found. They had covered his body with white cloth, and Vash himself had checked and double checked that he was really dead. He simply couldn't understand how his friend had survived.
"I suppose the first thing you'll want to know is why I'm here," Wolfwood said, his eyes on Millie.
"I'll say!" Meryl exclaimed, her usual haughty behavior having returned with a vengeance. "When we left Augusta you were dead, Wolfwood. You had no pulse. How are you sitting here enjoying a bowl of pudding right now when just two months ago you were..."
"That's enough, Meryl," Vash said softly. "Let him finish." Meryl glared at him, but Vash ignored the look.
""Well, as far as coming back from the dead, I really couldn't tell you how I did it," Wolfwood replied, pushing his empty bowl away and lighting a cigarette. "After I entered the church, I remember falling to my knees and begging God not to take my life, and then everything went black. The next thing I remembered was waking up in the church with searing pain in my side. It was morning, and the sun was shining in through the open doors, and when I sat up I had only one thought in my mind - that I had to find you, that you were in danger, and I was the only one who could help you. I think that God heard my prayers and sent me back, Vash, to help you with whatever this danger is that's coming for you." At this, Wolfwood paused and looked suspiciously at Knives, who was tilting his chair back on two legs to rest his back against the wall.
"As to what that danger is, I'm afraid I don't know," he continued, letting his gaze drift over to meet Vash's green eyes. "I've been wandering around the last two months searching for you, and healing. I may have been brought back from the dead, but the wound I sustained in my side was painful, and it's only just healed completely. You covered your tracks well, I had a hard time finding you."
"I had to," Vash replied as he pushed away from the wall and swung a chair around to sit on it backwards. He folded his arms on the back and rested his chin on them. "I've still got that bounty on my head, and as long as I do, I'll have bounty hunters chasing me. Not that they could catch me, of course," he continued with a lopsided grin, "but these girls here have been slowing me down lately."
"Well excuse us," Meryl snorted, getting up and slamming her bowl into the kitchen sink. "I don't know why we're still following you around anyway, you pathetic loser! You can't even get a job-"
Vash's lower lip trembled. "You're so mean to me," he whined, and Wolfwood laughed.
"You two never change, do you?" He asked, and Millie giggled. "Vash, I did have something I wanted to ask you about, though," Wolfwood continued, his voice turning serious. Vash turned to him. "What are you doing with that monster living here?" The priest jerked his thumb back over his shoulder towards Knives.
"He's my brother, Wolfwood," Vash replied simply.
"Brother or not, he's a power-hungry lunatic and a murderer," Wolfwood shot back. "I don't trust him."
"Well I do," Vash returned. "He's changed, he's not the same man he was, and-"
"I can speak for myself, brother," Knives broke into the conversation as he let his chair's front legs drop forward onto the floor. Wolfwood didn't turn to face him. "So, Mr. Nicholas D. Wolfwood, you don't trust your former employer? That's a pity." Vash's face registered a look of shock, and Knives grinned. "Oh, so you never told him? Very well, I suppose that I'll do it for you. I hired Mr. Wolfwood here to be your, oh, bodyguard of sorts," he said, and Millie gasped. "He was to look after you and make sure that you made it to our little reunion safely, dear brother. He was working for me the whole time." Knives turned his ice-blue eyes to Wolfwood's back and grinned evilly.
"So what you're saying is that Vash shouldn't trust me, because I tried to have him killed, but that he should trust you, when you never told him that you were a traitor?"
"That's enough, Knives," Vash said, and his brother shrugged and leaned back against the wall again.
"Is... Is that true, Mr. Priest?" Millie asked, her eyes welling with tears. Wolfwood looked uncomfortably at her. The room was silent save for the wind blowing past the windows outside.
"It's true," Vash replied softly. "I had my suspicions, Wolfwood, but you never harmed me, so I never brought it up. I still hold to that. I'm sure you had your reasons for doing what you did, and I won't hold them against you." Wolfwood shook his head.
"You always were too soft, Vash," he said, smiling. "I guess that I can stand being near that murderer for awhile, if you trust him, but I won't like it." Vash stood up and stretched, a fake grin plastered onto his face.
"Well, that sure was a lot of talking, and now it's time for us to go have a couple of drinks! Whaddya say, Wolfwood?"
"Sounds great!" The priest exclaimed, getting up so quickly he knocked over his chair.
"Now wait just one minu-" Meryl began, but the two men were already marching out the door, arms around one another's shoulders and singing. "Why do I even bother?" She muttered, letting her head fall forward into her hands.
"Now Meryl, I think it's a great idea to have a party! Mr. Priest just came back, and we haven't gone out in ages!" Millie was already pulling on her coat. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"
"No thanks," Meryl replied caustically. "You go on without me, Millie, I have some work to do." Millie looked at her, then at the door, then back at her.
"But... But...."
"Go! I mean it. You deserve to have some fun." Meryl looked up with a fake smile for her friend's benefit.
"Well... Alright, Meryl, but you know where we'll be if you want to come!" Meryl waved a hand at her, and Millie ran out the door to catch up to the two men whose voices were just fading in the distance.
"Interesting friends he has," came a voice from the corner, and Meryl jumped as Knives rose to his feet. She had forgotten he was still there. The man looked down at her, and Meryl shivered as she felt his blue eyes lock onto hers. She couldn't seem to look away. Then, with the suddenness of a crack of thunder, the expression on his face softened, and Meryl was shocked to see a genuine smile cross Knives' face. "He always did make friends so easily," he said, and took a seat beside her. "Tell me... what is my brother like, these days?"