| Chapter 18 |
He held his breath, as he got closer to August City. The dead city still remained quiet. He wondered if Vash and the others are still there? Once he reached the city, he laid Marianne down, pulled out his gun and filled it up with bullets, "Sorry, Vash, But I must break our promise."
* I do swear *
"Knives . . ."
"Marianne? You awake?"
* That I'll always be there *
"Knives . . . what . . . are you going to do?"
"Just let me be. I know what I'm doing."
* Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow *
She shook her head and tried to get up. Knives stopped her, "You're going to rest here." She pushed back and slowly stood up, "I'm with you. I . . . I came out there to look for you. I have to be with you."
* For better or for worse *
Knives stared at her in bewilderment. What did she mean? How she described it, it is exactly how he had felt for her a long time. Could this really be what Vash had been preaching about ever since. Could this be love?
* I will love you *
He walked closer to her and threw his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled, "You're going to save Vash aren't you? Please tell me you are. He's in danger." Knives nodded, "I am."
* With every beat of my heart *
+ + +
Vash couldn't believe it. There she was, standing before him. "Rem?" he whispered. "Is that really you? It can't be! It just can't be!" The lady gladly nodded and smiled, "I'm here, Vash. I'm finally here."
Vash could feel tears coming out as he ran towards her. Millie watched in perplexity, something was wrong. Vash held Rem close to him, not letting her go. "It's really you, Rem. I've missed you. Rem. Rem, It's really you." Rem took his embrace and held him back, "I've missed you too, Vash. You were so young, now look at you! My, how you've grown!"
Millie sat quietly as she watched Vash's reunion. "Is this the woman Vash has been talking about?" Vash took in the moment for quite a long time. He had thought this moment would never happen and had accepted the truth when he was a young boy. Now it has become a reality.
Then Millie saw something that seemed a little odd. "Huh? What is that?" She looked behind Rem and saw that there wasn't any shadow. "That's strange . . ." Suddenly, she gasped. "!!! Vash!!"
Vash looked up to Millie. Rem let go of him and pulled out a handgun from behind. Before she could even get the chance to place her finger on the trigger, a bullet took the gun to the ground. "No!"
Knives stood behind her, his aim was still on her. "Don't move."
Vash stared at Rem in shock, "Rem! What are you doing?" Rem narrowed her eyes at Knives, "You!" Then she melted to the ground. The gang watched as she transformed into her original form as the mysterious man. The man pulled out a gun on each hand and aimed each at Knives and Vash.
"I said DON'T MOVE!!" Knives commanded.
Vash's eyes widened, "Knives, you came back." Knives nodded and gave a smirk, "Yeah, shut up and we'll get over this quickly." Vash nodded, then pulled out his gun.
They were on a two-on-one showdown.
The man kept his eyes on both of them. He communicated using telepathy. "Vash the Stampede will die." "No he won't" Knives said back. The moment was still. None of them dared to fire a bullet. "I know your next move."
Then the man pulled the trigger. The loud noise echoed through the city. Vash clutched his stomached and fell to the ground. Knives kept sharp eye at the man, "I won't waste anymore time!" He ran to him and dodged every moving bullet. The man's laughter roared in his head.
Vash twitched as he tried to pull himself up. Marianne and Millie ran by his side, "Vash." "No, get away from here."
The next minute, Knives got his gun up to the man's head. "Ha. Who got the last laugh now?" But the laughter was still there. "What the hell?" "I will kill all of you." The laughter won't stop. Knives narrowed his eyes.
Bullets were heard. Many at a time. It seemed like hours until everything had stopped. Then it finally was silent again.
In the scene, Knives was lying on the ground. The man was dead over Vash's foot, who still had his hand over his stomached. His gun still had smoke from the final bullet and from the tip of the gun.
"It's over."
Marianne ran to Knives and dropped down, "No, Knives. Not you too. You can't go. You just CAN'T!!" She sobbed on him while Millie came over and sat down. She placed a comforting hand over her. "Marianne. So many had died in front of us. You just have to learn to accept it." Marianne shook her head, "I can't accept this one. I need him to go on. He's the only one I have."
* From this moment, life has begun *
Vash stared down at the man. Unexpectedly, a tear fell down and dried up upon him. "Meryl." He lowered his gun. "It's over now, Meryl. We're all safe. We can now be back to being happy. We can go home now."
* From this moment, you are the one *
Knives slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Marianne, and that was the only thing he needs to see. He pulled his strength together to get his hands to touch her. She held his hand and brought it to her face, "Knives. I knew you were still with me." Millie smiled, "Mr. Knives, don't ever scare us like that!! If you do it one more time, I would really hit you!!"
* Right beside you is where I belong *
Tears were now overflowing Vash's eyes. "I hate to see you cry, Vash the Stampede." He quickly opened them. Could it be? It would. And there she was, Meryl, standing before him. She still had her grayish eyes and caring smile that he could live with. He seemed to be crying more but he smiled.
* From this moment on *
"The worst thing in the world to me is seeing Vash the Stampede cry. So don't cry."
He held his breath, as he got closer to August City. The dead city still remained quiet. He wondered if Vash and the others are still there? Once he reached the city, he laid Marianne down, pulled out his gun and filled it up with bullets, "Sorry, Vash, But I must break our promise."
* I do swear *
"Knives . . ."
"Marianne? You awake?"
* That I'll always be there *
"Knives . . . what . . . are you going to do?"
"Just let me be. I know what I'm doing."
* Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow *
She shook her head and tried to get up. Knives stopped her, "You're going to rest here." She pushed back and slowly stood up, "I'm with you. I . . . I came out there to look for you. I have to be with you."
* For better or for worse *
Knives stared at her in bewilderment. What did she mean? How she described it, it is exactly how he had felt for her a long time. Could this really be what Vash had been preaching about ever since. Could this be love?
* I will love you *
He walked closer to her and threw his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled, "You're going to save Vash aren't you? Please tell me you are. He's in danger." Knives nodded, "I am."
* With every beat of my heart *
+ + +
Vash couldn't believe it. There she was, standing before him. "Rem?" he whispered. "Is that really you? It can't be! It just can't be!" The lady gladly nodded and smiled, "I'm here, Vash. I'm finally here."
Vash could feel tears coming out as he ran towards her. Millie watched in perplexity, something was wrong. Vash held Rem close to him, not letting her go. "It's really you, Rem. I've missed you. Rem. Rem, It's really you." Rem took his embrace and held him back, "I've missed you too, Vash. You were so young, now look at you! My, how you've grown!"
Millie sat quietly as she watched Vash's reunion. "Is this the woman Vash has been talking about?" Vash took in the moment for quite a long time. He had thought this moment would never happen and had accepted the truth when he was a young boy. Now it has become a reality.
Then Millie saw something that seemed a little odd. "Huh? What is that?" She looked behind Rem and saw that there wasn't any shadow. "That's strange . . ." Suddenly, she gasped. "!!! Vash!!"
Vash looked up to Millie. Rem let go of him and pulled out a handgun from behind. Before she could even get the chance to place her finger on the trigger, a bullet took the gun to the ground. "No!"
Knives stood behind her, his aim was still on her. "Don't move."
Vash stared at Rem in shock, "Rem! What are you doing?" Rem narrowed her eyes at Knives, "You!" Then she melted to the ground. The gang watched as she transformed into her original form as the mysterious man. The man pulled out a gun on each hand and aimed each at Knives and Vash.
"I said DON'T MOVE!!" Knives commanded.
Vash's eyes widened, "Knives, you came back." Knives nodded and gave a smirk, "Yeah, shut up and we'll get over this quickly." Vash nodded, then pulled out his gun.
They were on a two-on-one showdown.
The man kept his eyes on both of them. He communicated using telepathy. "Vash the Stampede will die." "No he won't" Knives said back. The moment was still. None of them dared to fire a bullet. "I know your next move."
Then the man pulled the trigger. The loud noise echoed through the city. Vash clutched his stomached and fell to the ground. Knives kept sharp eye at the man, "I won't waste anymore time!" He ran to him and dodged every moving bullet. The man's laughter roared in his head.
Vash twitched as he tried to pull himself up. Marianne and Millie ran by his side, "Vash." "No, get away from here."
The next minute, Knives got his gun up to the man's head. "Ha. Who got the last laugh now?" But the laughter was still there. "What the hell?" "I will kill all of you." The laughter won't stop. Knives narrowed his eyes.
Bullets were heard. Many at a time. It seemed like hours until everything had stopped. Then it finally was silent again.
In the scene, Knives was lying on the ground. The man was dead over Vash's foot, who still had his hand over his stomached. His gun still had smoke from the final bullet and from the tip of the gun.
"It's over."
Marianne ran to Knives and dropped down, "No, Knives. Not you too. You can't go. You just CAN'T!!" She sobbed on him while Millie came over and sat down. She placed a comforting hand over her. "Marianne. So many had died in front of us. You just have to learn to accept it." Marianne shook her head, "I can't accept this one. I need him to go on. He's the only one I have."
* From this moment, life has begun *
Vash stared down at the man. Unexpectedly, a tear fell down and dried up upon him. "Meryl." He lowered his gun. "It's over now, Meryl. We're all safe. We can now be back to being happy. We can go home now."
* From this moment, you are the one *
Knives slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Marianne, and that was the only thing he needs to see. He pulled his strength together to get his hands to touch her. She held his hand and brought it to her face, "Knives. I knew you were still with me." Millie smiled, "Mr. Knives, don't ever scare us like that!! If you do it one more time, I would really hit you!!"
* Right beside you is where I belong *
Tears were now overflowing Vash's eyes. "I hate to see you cry, Vash the Stampede." He quickly opened them. Could it be? It would. And there she was, Meryl, standing before him. She still had her grayish eyes and caring smile that he could live with. He seemed to be crying more but he smiled.
* From this moment on *
"The worst thing in the world to me is seeing Vash the Stampede cry. So don't cry."