One chapter left to go after this one! Please, if you haven't already, read the Hearts sequels! (Shattered Dreams and Broken Hearts, Reunion: Mended Dreams and Hearts, Tsukamaru Kai Tenshi… The Scarlet Ibis, and UnBREAKable.) They all have Kat as the main character and all in all it's just a longer version of this story (without the Bebop but with Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, and YYH!) Plus, there's all the other characters (my friends) who appear in it! Well, if you're ever bored, you can read the Hearts sceries!

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One is the Loneliest Number

Chapter 15

Dulling of Knives

Knives turned in his sleep and felt himself falling. His shoulder collided with the Bebop's hard floor and his eyes shot open as he let out a loud curse. He closed his eyes tight attempting to shut out the pain.

Shuffling came from behind him and delicate hands touched his shoulder to help him up, "I see you're awake." 

The pain ceased and Knives opened his eyes to see his brother's woman attempting to help him up. He blinked in surprise before hissing with disgust and shuffling away. He backed up against the couch he had fallen off of and shrunk away from Kat's hand.

"Do I disgust you that much?" Kat asked with a hurt expression.

Knives noticed that the woman still had her wings and he blinked his crystal blue eyes at her. Kat rolled her eyes and attempted to help him up again.

He snarled at her when her hand touched his shoulder, "Don't touch me!"

"I'm sorry!" Kat apologized, "I didn't know it hurt so much!"

"I don't think it's the pain that's bugging him," Vash's voice echoed from the table in the center of the room.

Kat huffed, "Fine. Don't let me help you up. You can just numb your ass off on the floor for all I care. I do need to change your bandages sometime today though." Knives continued to glare at her and Kat just glared back.

She huffed once again in irritation and wandered back to the table Vash sat at, "Your brother is a pain in the ass."

Vash laughed, "Not the language I'd expect to hear from an angel."

"You're forgetting that I'm only half angel," Kat flexed her black wing, "It wouldn't be ebony if I was full angel."

Vash pretended to scoff, "If you didn't curse so much you might not be just a half angel."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kat began to start a mock fight.

Knives grunted as he attempted to pull himself back onto the couch. His shoulder wound reopened and his leg wounds screamed in pain. He collapsed on the floor after a few more tries and muttered insults to his brother and Kat.

Kat could faintly hear Knives attempt to get back up on the couch and she ended the fight by knocking Vash lightly on the head.

The outlaw whimpered and laughed, "Hey! I'm the hurt one here!"

"Well sorry! But my powers haven't reached healing level yet," Kat stuck her tongue out. Vash laughed again despite his stomach wounds which didn't like the movement.

The shadows above Knives changed as Kat's wings blocked out part of the light above him. Her wings created something of a half feathery cocoon as they circled about her shoulders. Kat knelt down and the feathers pooled on the floor as she crouched. Her hand lightly touched his. 'You're bleeding again. Let me help you up.'

Knives didn't protest as she slung his arm over her shoulder. Kat stood with unnatural ease and slowly placed Knives back on the couch. She turned to get back to the card game she and Vash were playing when he stopped her, 'Your name?'

Kat paused and frowned down at him, "Wha?"

His neutral expression began to turn spiteful again and Kat quickly answered, 'Katsura but… my friends… call me Kat.'

She smiled to him and it shocked the shit out of Knives. Vash was watching from the makeshift card table and he grinned stupidly to his brother and shrugged. Knives snorted and lay back on the couch to sleep away the pain.

^_^

"Did you see has face?" Kat laughed hard as soon as they were sure Knives was asleep.

"I've never seen him so shocked in my life!" Vash laughed. The couple snorted as they made their way to the living area.

Ed was the first person to great them, "Vash person and Kit-Kat! Edward has news for you!"

The girl danced around the room before coming to land at their feet. Her computer screen flashed something and Kat leaned down to read it. Her white duster coat creaked as the leather shifted to make way for the crouching position she attempted to be in. Vash took a step closer and his boot snagged on Kat's coat. Kat flashed him a smile as she picked up his hint.

Vash pulled his boot back as Kat shifted her wings to gain balance. Her coat was pulled back in the process and her wings clipped Vash which caused a domino effect with the two angels. They ended up in a crumpled heap white and red coats mixing, feathers floating down around them.

Laughter filled the room and even Spike's voice joined in. Vash sat up and spit out part of Kat's wing. It dripped drool and twitched in disgust. Vash lifted an arm to fish out the feathers still left in his mouth but he ended up picking Kat's upper half up with him. He moved to untangle them but Kat pulled him into a kiss.

'A-Are those my feathers?! You better not have pulled of my flight feathers!' she yelled at him in plant speech. They parted and Kat reached up to pull out three black feathers. Vash used the hand that wasn't trapped by Kat to pull three white feathers from his mouth. Their crowd blinked and laughed at Vash's stunned face.

He grinned and blushed, 'Neat trick.'

Kat blushed back, 'Who said it was a trick?'  

Vash's eyes widened and Kat laughed harder. They untangled themselves and then switched their attention back to the Ed's computer screen.

Kat read allowed, "The bounty for Vash the Stampede has been removed permanently. Anyone one who attempts to shoot or arrest him shall be punished in a court of law…" She paused and hugged Vash, causing him to fall over, "The bounty's been removed! But how…?"

"Your first gift from the Bebop members," Fea explained.

"Gifts? What did we do to deserve gifts?" Kat asked.

"You risked you asses to save ours, not including the entire planet's," Spike said.

The two grinned sheepishly. Ed flipped a switch on the side of her computer and a holographic message popped up.

"We invite you to stay with us!" Fea's voice came from the hologram.

"And become members of the Bebop!" Ed's voice.

"You can stay for as long as you like but we expect you to earn your keep," Jet's voice.

"Which means no freeloading," Spike's voice wheezed as someone must have elbowed him, "All you have to do is beat me in a dual…"

"You're on!" Kat shouted as the message ended.

Her aches began to come back from the fall stunt she and Vash had preformed. Kat had figured out long ago that Vash's stupidity was just an act. Being as good natured as she was, Kat liked to join in on his antics once in a while. She just wished he had waited longer before pulling a stunt. Their wounds hadn't healed yet and the act they had preformed had caused then to be a bit jostled.

"When will the dual be healed?" Kat asked Spike.

"Whenever," he replied lazily.

 "So if we wanted to fight right now we could?" Kat asked.

"All you have to do is hit me," Spike agreed.

Vash drew out his gun in the blink of an eye and fired at Spike's arm. Spike managed to dodge just enough to avoid the bullet passing through his arm. He hissed as the billet grazed his skin.

"Well, I hit you," Vash said cockily.

"Welcome to the Bebop," Fea laughed as Spike cursed loudly.

(A/N: Oh I'm sorry, did you actually think you'd find out who'd win between Vash and Spike? *laughs* Well I know for a fact that Vash would win because:

He's had 131 years of experience with gunmanship

He's got a gun for an arm

If he runs out of bullets he can use his angel arm (not like he would ever use his arm unless against his brother)

Spike is dead so Vash wins be default… -_- duh…

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