PART 9
KEEP THE FAITH
"My God!" Merryl said as she came up next to Wolfwood, who was still clutching Alex's dead hand. "He looks just like you! He..." her gaze went back and forth from Wolfwood to the dead man laying beneath him. "He's your twin!"
Millie stared in utter disbelief. She had been examining the handsome face of their companion frequently as of late, and she could not deny the resemblance, in spite of how much she wanted too. The hair was different, shorter, but aside from that, the demon that had tortured them looked exactly like the wandering priest. The same chin, the same mouth, the same nose, even their eyes were the same color, except that now Alex's eyes had attained the glassiness of death, rolled up in the sockets. Wolfwood reached down the face and pushed the eyelids closed over those eyes.
"Wolfwood..." Vash said as is friend stood to his feet, "What is going on here? Why does he look like you? Is he actually..."
"My brother" Wolfwood said, answering before the question could even be finished.
"Dear God..." Merryl gasped. It was not the horror that they had just endured that now frightened her the most, but the realization that it was Wolfwood's own brother who had put them through this hell, who had poisoned Millie, threatened their lives, tried to kill them and their friends. "But...why?"
"Would the two of you please just go back..." Wolfwood said, not even bringing his face up to meet their questioning eyes. "There are some things I have to do here..."
The three all fought for a moment to find something to say, but then give into his request. Merryl and Millie each wrapped an arm around Vash's shoulders, helping him to walk as he was still suffering the effects of the drugs Alex had injected him with. It would be dawn by the time they were back at their inn. Millie would spend the day gazing out the window, her heart and mind both questioning everything.
Wolfwood wiped some sweat from his brow. He gazed down at the body of his brother, laying at the bottom of the grave he had dug for it. He had cleaned Alex up as best he could, given the circumstances. He had wiped most of the blood away, and had manipulated the face into a more pleasant expression, weeping the whole time he had to touch his brother's cold face.
He sighed, and started to push the sand back into the hole, covering the body up. Once the hole was filled, he began piling stones onto it, creating a rough cairn so that the body would remain where it was, peaceful and undisturbed.
That task done, he turned his attention to he hateful claw that had remained where he had thrown it the whole time. He frowned at the very sight of it. He walked over, picked it up, tossed it high into the air, and then blasted it to pieces. The larger chunks left over he smashed against the rocks and then tossed away, spreading its remains all over. He crossed himself and uttered a silent prayer that that would be the end of those things.
It was well past nightfall when he rejoined his companions.
"When our mother was killed...it drove a wedge between us..." Wolfwood explained. Vash, Merryl, and Millie all sat at the table, watching him. He downed another shot of whisky, and refilled his glass. His cheeks were stained light pink, getting darker with each shot he drank. But they did not stop him. This time, they knew, he needed it. "He blamed me for it...I guess he was just angry, and lashing out at anything he could find..." he sighed deeply and banged his drink back, reaching for more.
"Are you sure you want to tell us all this? We know how upsetting it must be..." Merryl offered, trying her best to sound as sisterly as she could.
"No, you don't" he replied coldly before he went on. "I didn't see him for almost eight years. I was still training then. He tracked me down, and tried to kill me. But it didn't work out the way he'd wanted. In the end, he spent five years in a jail cell, I went out in the desert alone...and a little girl was dead."
"Ouch." Vash said, flinching as if he physically felt the pain of those words.
"Yeah. I honestly didn't expect to ever see him again...at least, no in this life. I'd hoped that maybe, all alone with his thoughts, he'd find some way to forgive me. But I guess all he did was get angrier. You know the rest."
"It must have hurt you so much..." Millie said, rising from her seat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him gently. He did not move to return the gesture. "Having your own brother hate you so much..."
"Millie...it was the worst feeling I ever knew. You couldn't possibly imagine it."
"Oh, I might have a better idea than you think." Vash said quietly. If any of them noticed this, they did not show it. They simply kept their attention on Wolfwood.
"Is there anything we can do?" Millie asked him, truly concerned.
"No. I just feel like being alone right now..." they all waited for him to say something else. But after a few moments, they rose and started to leave. Vash stopped and placed a hand on Wolfwood's shoulder.
"Hey...you're going to be okay, you know that?" Wolfwood managed to force a brief smile. Vash returned it. "Hey, for love..."
"And peace." Wolfwood finished. Vash left him in solitude. After a moment, Wolfwood grabbed the whisky bottle and drank directly from it. "Right now..." he thought aloud, "I just want to get drunk and go to sleep." And, he hoped, his dreams would be untroubled for the first time in a long time by visions of his past.
After polishing off the liquor, he began to peel his clothes off, preparing for bed, even though it was only late afternoon. He felt he could sleep for a month. As he unbuttoned his shirt, there was a knock at the door. He answered it hesitantly, thinking it was probably Vash. But, much to his surprise, he found himself gazing into the blue eyes of Millie. For a moment, they were both left speechless. Millie's eyes settled on Wolfwood's bared chest...
"Something I can do for you?" Wolfwood finally said, breaking the silence. Millie was shaken out of her momentary distraction, and met his eyes once more.
"Oh...I just didn't think you should be alone..." she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. It seemed to soothe him; his whole body relaxed at her touch. He placed his hand over hers, savored the feel of his skin on her skin. When he met her eyes again, he felt some familiar stirrings in him, and suddenly no longer wished to be alone. She caught it in his eyes, and did not shy away. Instead, she offered him a mischievous smile, and he ushered her in. They amused themselves well through the rest of the day, and into the night.
At dawn, they both slept hard.
"Everybody needs somebody to love
Everybody needs somebody to hate
Everybody's bitching
'cause they can't get enough
And it's hard to hold on
When there's no one to lean on
Faith: you know you're gonna live thru the rain
Lord you got to keep the faith
Faith: don't let your love turn to hate
Right now we got to
Keep the faith"
BON JOVI
Well, that is all for this fic, good readers. Thank you for your flattering reviews, and thanks especially to those who have been following my work here on fanfiction.net. I appreciate your faithfulness more than you can possibly know. And so, till next time, THIS LAND IS MADE OF...LOVE AND PEACE!
"My God!" Merryl said as she came up next to Wolfwood, who was still clutching Alex's dead hand. "He looks just like you! He..." her gaze went back and forth from Wolfwood to the dead man laying beneath him. "He's your twin!"
Millie stared in utter disbelief. She had been examining the handsome face of their companion frequently as of late, and she could not deny the resemblance, in spite of how much she wanted too. The hair was different, shorter, but aside from that, the demon that had tortured them looked exactly like the wandering priest. The same chin, the same mouth, the same nose, even their eyes were the same color, except that now Alex's eyes had attained the glassiness of death, rolled up in the sockets. Wolfwood reached down the face and pushed the eyelids closed over those eyes.
"Wolfwood..." Vash said as is friend stood to his feet, "What is going on here? Why does he look like you? Is he actually..."
"My brother" Wolfwood said, answering before the question could even be finished.
"Dear God..." Merryl gasped. It was not the horror that they had just endured that now frightened her the most, but the realization that it was Wolfwood's own brother who had put them through this hell, who had poisoned Millie, threatened their lives, tried to kill them and their friends. "But...why?"
"Would the two of you please just go back..." Wolfwood said, not even bringing his face up to meet their questioning eyes. "There are some things I have to do here..."
The three all fought for a moment to find something to say, but then give into his request. Merryl and Millie each wrapped an arm around Vash's shoulders, helping him to walk as he was still suffering the effects of the drugs Alex had injected him with. It would be dawn by the time they were back at their inn. Millie would spend the day gazing out the window, her heart and mind both questioning everything.
Wolfwood wiped some sweat from his brow. He gazed down at the body of his brother, laying at the bottom of the grave he had dug for it. He had cleaned Alex up as best he could, given the circumstances. He had wiped most of the blood away, and had manipulated the face into a more pleasant expression, weeping the whole time he had to touch his brother's cold face.
He sighed, and started to push the sand back into the hole, covering the body up. Once the hole was filled, he began piling stones onto it, creating a rough cairn so that the body would remain where it was, peaceful and undisturbed.
That task done, he turned his attention to he hateful claw that had remained where he had thrown it the whole time. He frowned at the very sight of it. He walked over, picked it up, tossed it high into the air, and then blasted it to pieces. The larger chunks left over he smashed against the rocks and then tossed away, spreading its remains all over. He crossed himself and uttered a silent prayer that that would be the end of those things.
It was well past nightfall when he rejoined his companions.
"When our mother was killed...it drove a wedge between us..." Wolfwood explained. Vash, Merryl, and Millie all sat at the table, watching him. He downed another shot of whisky, and refilled his glass. His cheeks were stained light pink, getting darker with each shot he drank. But they did not stop him. This time, they knew, he needed it. "He blamed me for it...I guess he was just angry, and lashing out at anything he could find..." he sighed deeply and banged his drink back, reaching for more.
"Are you sure you want to tell us all this? We know how upsetting it must be..." Merryl offered, trying her best to sound as sisterly as she could.
"No, you don't" he replied coldly before he went on. "I didn't see him for almost eight years. I was still training then. He tracked me down, and tried to kill me. But it didn't work out the way he'd wanted. In the end, he spent five years in a jail cell, I went out in the desert alone...and a little girl was dead."
"Ouch." Vash said, flinching as if he physically felt the pain of those words.
"Yeah. I honestly didn't expect to ever see him again...at least, no in this life. I'd hoped that maybe, all alone with his thoughts, he'd find some way to forgive me. But I guess all he did was get angrier. You know the rest."
"It must have hurt you so much..." Millie said, rising from her seat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him gently. He did not move to return the gesture. "Having your own brother hate you so much..."
"Millie...it was the worst feeling I ever knew. You couldn't possibly imagine it."
"Oh, I might have a better idea than you think." Vash said quietly. If any of them noticed this, they did not show it. They simply kept their attention on Wolfwood.
"Is there anything we can do?" Millie asked him, truly concerned.
"No. I just feel like being alone right now..." they all waited for him to say something else. But after a few moments, they rose and started to leave. Vash stopped and placed a hand on Wolfwood's shoulder.
"Hey...you're going to be okay, you know that?" Wolfwood managed to force a brief smile. Vash returned it. "Hey, for love..."
"And peace." Wolfwood finished. Vash left him in solitude. After a moment, Wolfwood grabbed the whisky bottle and drank directly from it. "Right now..." he thought aloud, "I just want to get drunk and go to sleep." And, he hoped, his dreams would be untroubled for the first time in a long time by visions of his past.
After polishing off the liquor, he began to peel his clothes off, preparing for bed, even though it was only late afternoon. He felt he could sleep for a month. As he unbuttoned his shirt, there was a knock at the door. He answered it hesitantly, thinking it was probably Vash. But, much to his surprise, he found himself gazing into the blue eyes of Millie. For a moment, they were both left speechless. Millie's eyes settled on Wolfwood's bared chest...
"Something I can do for you?" Wolfwood finally said, breaking the silence. Millie was shaken out of her momentary distraction, and met his eyes once more.
"Oh...I just didn't think you should be alone..." she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek. It seemed to soothe him; his whole body relaxed at her touch. He placed his hand over hers, savored the feel of his skin on her skin. When he met her eyes again, he felt some familiar stirrings in him, and suddenly no longer wished to be alone. She caught it in his eyes, and did not shy away. Instead, she offered him a mischievous smile, and he ushered her in. They amused themselves well through the rest of the day, and into the night.
At dawn, they both slept hard.
"Everybody needs somebody to love
Everybody needs somebody to hate
Everybody's bitching
'cause they can't get enough
And it's hard to hold on
When there's no one to lean on
Faith: you know you're gonna live thru the rain
Lord you got to keep the faith
Faith: don't let your love turn to hate
Right now we got to
Keep the faith"
BON JOVI
Well, that is all for this fic, good readers. Thank you for your flattering reviews, and thanks especially to those who have been following my work here on fanfiction.net. I appreciate your faithfulness more than you can possibly know. And so, till next time, THIS LAND IS MADE OF...LOVE AND PEACE!