This is the chapter you've been waiting for in this story! Enjoy!

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One is the Loneliest Number

Chapter 13

Dual

Vash panted and hissed in pain. His shoulder was bleeding badly and his brother was about to use the angel arm. The dust around him stirred and the wind picked up. Vash looked up to see Kat hovering over him, wings spread and a determined look on her face. She could feel the wind ripple through her feathers and she was beginning to be pushed back by the wind Knives was creating.

Knive's attention switched to Kat, seeing her for the first time, and his eyes widened in shock and pure rage.

'Use it!' Kat's voice screamed in his mind as she used plant speech to speak to him. 'Use your angel arm!'

'I can't!' Vash cried to her, 'I don't have my gun!'

'Who said you needed a gun? It's not called an angel arm for nothing!'  

"Your woman can speak our language?!" Knives spat at his brother beyond furious, "It's impossible! She's human!"

'But I'm not human. Or at least not completely. I understand your pain and suffering. I was experimented on my entire life just like Tessla.'  

Knives expression changed from anger to shock then back again. "You-" Knives was blearily able to speak from the rage that coursed through his blood. "You had sex with a filthy spider?! How much lower can you get brother?!" Knives bellowed to Vash. 'There's no way this human could be this strong just by mating with one of us. Is she telling the truth… about being experimented on? Or does she lie?' Knives shook the thoughts from his head and snatched up Vash's gun. His other became scaly and began to form wings along the cannon. He now aimed both fully charged angel arms at Vash and Kat.

^_^

'Let me help.' Kat whispered.

She placed her hands on Vash's shoulders and a wave of energy pulsed from her disrupting the sound waves and making it seem as if someone hit mute. 

Vash felt his non-gun (A/N: By this time I mean the one that isn't a gun) arm become scaly. It throbbed with electricity and grew at a rapid rate. His gun arm creaked and rusted with an alarming rate.

'Kat! My gun arm!' Vash cried to her.

The angel behind him didn't reply and Vash stared at his gun arm in horror as the gun part fell off. A new limb began to grow in its place and as it grew it transformed. He felt his scars heal somewhat but knew that the angel above him liked his scars and would never wish them away.

'Seize the opportunity!' Kat's voice screamed.

Vash aimed at his brother. Knives watched in horror as Vash's arms changed but went completely pale when he saw what Vash's human angel was attempting to do. His brother's two guns slowly melted into one massive cannon. "I WILL NOT LOOSE TO A SPIDER!" Knives roared as he fired.

'It is up to you, Vash, who will win and who will loose…'  

Vash fired and the area around them was coated in a grey blinding light.

^_^

Spike and the rest of the Bebop were blown back by the blast. Glass rained down on them as everything brittle shattered instantly. All sound was muted and completely cut off. The ground rippled from the shockwave and dust was sent flying. The grass and trees disintegrated as did most everything else in the area. The members of the Bebop were faintly aware of the ship shifting and falling forward into the creator the blasts had created. The dust cleared and the ship stopped moving. Spike sat up and fished his cig out of his hair. Fea rolled off the couch and groaned. Ed sat up and twitched. Jet just lay there panting. Spike extinguished his cigarette and took a flying leap out the ship window. He landed on his shoulder and tumbled a few feet before getting up and running off to see what had happened.

Wolfwood stood there staring at the wreckage before spitting out his bent cig and running off to see if Vash and the woman were ok.

Spike glanced at Wolfwood and the two nodded to each other knowing that they were both there to help.

^_^

Vash sat up and coughs racked his body. He looked around to see his brother sprawled out on the ground stunned but not dead. Vash turned around slowly despite his aching body. Kat lay in a crumpled heap of feathers and skin. Her clothes had degenerated and she had sucked her energy reserve dry.

Vash checked to see if she was still breathing and was relieved to see she was. He stripped off his torn coat and draped it over her unconscious bleeding form. The wound in her stomach had ripped open and she was bleeding again.

Spike reached them first, "Damn…"

Wolfwood came next, "What have you gotten yourself into this time needle noggin?"

Vash coughed, "Wolfwood…Can you take her back to the Bebop?" The priest nodded and wrapped Kat's limp and bleeding form tighter in the coat. "Spike, do you think you could manage to use Wolfwood's cross?" Vash asked.

"His what?" Spike asked. Vash pointed to the abandoned cross laying a few yards off. Spike went to fetch it and Vash watched as Knives sat up and coughed.

The bounty hunter returned dragging the cross behind him, "Why the hell is this so heavy?"

"It's full of mercy… and ammo," Vash laughed. Spike helped Vash stand and retrieved his gun. Knives stood and swayed. "How about we call it a day?" Vash asked his brother. Knives glared and fired at Vash. The outlaw scuttled out of the way just in time and returned fire.

Blood sprayed as Knive's shoulder was pierced. He hissed and fired again. A bullet lodged its way into Vash's abdomen.

'I can't use this! It's too heavy!' Spike thought miserably. 'And this… thing what ever it is… is too fast even for me to shoot!' He thought referring to Knives. Spike dropped the cross and hissed in pain as a bullet lodged its way into his chest. His world darkened and he blacked out.

Vash growled and spit out a wad of blood and mucus. Knives' image shimmered and he appeared in front of Vash. Both brothers could feel gun's noses against their foreheads. The safeties clicked off and the guns fired. The brothers blinked and saw they were out of bullets. Knives was the first to reload. Vash stared in shock and horror at his brother when he saw he was completely out of bullets. Knives sneered a demonic grin and aimed at Vash. His gun fired at the same time Wolfwood's did. Both brothers blacked out.

(A/N: I could have described things better but it's really hard to find ways to tell you what's going on! I'll update soon as long as you PLEASE REVIEW!!!)