Chapter Ten: Silent Revelations and Loud Reunions
***
"So, how many are with ya?"
"Just me and him."
"Alright, that'll be 260 double-dollars please. The extra sixty is for that cross thing."
"TWO HUNDRED SIXTY? Oh ok. Hold on a moment." Andrea handed the driver the amount of money due.
"Ok, ok get on, we've got more people waiting."
Andrea paid for a bus trip to the town of Old Rock. Wolfwood had talked her into finding Vash, and also paying the fare for both of their admittence.
They sat near the back. Andrea had a windowseat and looked out as about seven strong men hauled the priest's Cross Punisher on top of the bus. The driver made them pay extra. "Wolfwood you owe me, ok? You owe me....one hundred and sixty double-dollars, in cash. Unless of course you save my life, then you won't owe me a dime."
Nick lit a cigarette he had just put in his mouth. "So you're saying you're only worth 160?" Andrea let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, and Vash's life is worth $$60,000,000,000."
"You'd be suprised."
***Four hours later.***
{Andrea's POV:}
The bus hit a sudden bump and I jolted awake. I had fallen asleep on Wolfwood's shoulder, who had also fallen asleep; yet he remained silent with closed eyes.
The bus was still moving, and the few people on with us were either yawning or sleeping. I looked out across the moving landscape and to the moons which all were full. They cast a dull light that made all the sand around us shine like silver. I thought about Vash. I was so stupid, so hot-headed. But I was only 18, now I'm almost 19 and somehow I've changed, but I can't figure out when it happened. I held my head in confusion, brooding and dwelling on things that had happened to me in the past.
Me as five. I was still living with my "mother" who if you've forgotten, was a dirty whore. It still burns my head to think about it. Even to think the word opens my memories' floodgates and cause that sorry portion of my life to overtake my mind's eye and ear.
----Flashback----
"Mom, can I go out and stay with Leon?" a small girl in baggy boy's clothes with hair tied back loosely came into her mother's room. Her mother was in bed with another man. She stood up lazily and stalked over to her daughter.
"Mom" pushed the girl out of her room in nothing but a long men's shirt down to just above her knees. She had a cigarette in her hand, and everything on her was dirty except for her skin and her hair, which were the only things she actually took care of, and those things were: 1.wet, and 2.ruffled.
"Again?" she coughed wheezily, her voice deep and throaty from many decades of smoking. "Yeah, alright. Since you don't care bout your mother, go ahead, go on, leave me here and let me DIE for all you care. With all the outlaws in this place I'll probably be shot. So go, I've got your father Mike to satisfy ME." the woman kicked the girl several times in the gut, slamming her against the wall. "Don't ever interupt me again. I've got a busy schedule to keep." she slammed the door and went back to her livelihood which was much frowned apoun in the community.
The young girl cried, out of lonliness and guilt. A five-year-old didn't know what to think. Another kid came into the room, blonde with brown eyes. He was one of her mother's childeren that she had produced through one of her "jobs". It was Deren, one of the girl's half-brothers. He looked down at her with slight mix of pity and annoyance. "Buck up, what did she say to you this time?" he bent down and shook the girl's shoulder slightly. He was easily ten years older than she was, around fifteen.
She sniffed, looked up, and made a ferocious effort to stop crying, but only bringing more shuddering gasps to her throat. It was almost impossible to stop. Deren sighed exasperatedly, and sat next to his half-sister. "Yeah, big brothers suck, don't they? I'm a jerk. So what? Get over that wench beating you. I did a long time ago. It hurts to know that you came from that thing, just know that I think you're much better than she is. Go ahead and stay with Leon, I'm staying with him too. All of us are except Laney, Andy, Scott, and Rich. They're staying here. Hard-headed bastards." Deren put his arm around her. Her weeping stopped, and she rubbed her stomach.
"It hurts, Brother, it hurts real bad." she looked down not knowing what else to say. Her brother picked her up and put her on his shoulder, in piggy-back mode.
"I know. C'mon, let's go see Leon. I'm sure he's got something for us. I heard he wanted to teach you how to fire a gun. Niiiice."
"Ok Deren."
When I was six, the next year, I ran. I couldn't take it anymore. Everyone always said I was mature for my age. I never knew what they meant, but for seven years I made my way across the desert. Seven years exactly...I ran on sixth birthday and Matthew found me on my thirteenth birthday. Who says 13 is an unlucky number?
----End Flashback----
The bus kept jostling us around and I couldn't go back to sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Memories of my past kept thrashing forward in their fierce attempts to haunt me. And it worked. I gave up, and rested my chin in my tired hand, still looking out into the ever-shifting sea of powdered silver and deep-violet shadows.
***The next morning.***
"Wake up, we gotta get off." Wolfwood pulled at my arm. He was already standing up in the bus. We were in the town of Old Rock. He had the cigarette from last night in his mouth still and his glasses plastered once again to his head. I figured he must've taken the thing out during the night while I was asleep. I stood, stretched, and yawned. We got out and I got my bag and slung it over my back, and as usual, Nick had his Cross in tow.
The bus left. My eyes were still heavy with sleep and every time I blinked out of habit to focus, they went blurry again. I sheilded my dialating eyes from the bright sunlight. My pocketwatch from Dad said it was about noon. I looked at Wolfwood. "Well," I said, "it was your idea. Now where are we going to go? I don't think he would stay in one place that long." Wolfwood lit his cigarette again after several failing attempts and sighed. "Oh, he'll be here. Just look over there." he pointed towards the street with a bunch of shops lined up together. I saw a rusted sign that was a donut with the words "Grand ReOpening. All-You-Can-Eat Donut Special!" I laughed. Well duh! Of course Vash would be here. He wouldn't miss this for anything. Well, except mabye world peace, the rehabilitated Knives, or seeing Rem alive again. But none of those things were possible. So this had to be it. I yelled out "what are we waiting for?" and darted off towards the donut shop leaving Wolfwood in the dust. He came after me.
***Inside the donut shop.***
I finally stopped, making Wolfwood nearly crash into me. The dust skidded up around us and I coughed, opening the shop door.
A bell tinkled signalling our somewhat dramatic arrival. A tall bony girl with long straight brown hair with throwing knives on her belt, followed by a taller man in all black with a huge cross wrapped up in canvas and black belts bursting through the door amidst a cloud of smoky dust is kind of a shock in a town known to have outlaws not afraid to kill. Everyone stared. We both held up our hands. "We just want donuts!" I said innocently. Everyone still stared.
It was completely silent. I scanned the room for the broom-hair, in vain. Wolfwood walked up to the counter, and put his cross down with a slightly loud THUD. It seemed louder due to the lack of any other sound in the room. I cringed, and stood behind him. Several people near the door inched closer to it. Nick put some money on the counter which was enough for the All-You-Can-Eat Special, and made his way to the donut buffet. I laughed weakly and did the same. I whispered to Wolfwood. "Everyone's watching us. What the hell is up with them?" he shook his head and after getting whatever he was looking for, which was a single powdered donut, sat down at a vacant table. I got a single buttermilk, and sat across from him. The tension was making me...well, tense.
Fifteen minutes passed. I slammed my glass down and stood up, making a few people gasp. "What the HELL is wrong with you people? My friend and I are just normal travelers and we're hungry! Can't I carry knives around? I'm a bounty-hunter for goodness sakes, give us a break! I just wanna eat my donut in peace, darnit! And STOP STARING." I looked around at the astonished faces of the donut-shop patrons. Suddenly everyone turned back to their meals and talked again, slightly hushed. I sat and tried to eat my food. Wolfwood stared at me. "Hello Miss Sunshine, you have the most WONDERFUL people skills."
"Even if there WAS a commandment for "Thou shalt not smoke." you wouldn't follow it, Priest Man."
"Cold, Andy, coooold."
"Andy?!" I started to stare at Wolfwood a little.
He shrugged. "I like that name better on you. You looked like you saw a ghost when I said it though..."
I shrugged back, but instead of a "whatever" shrug I was trying to cover up the icy feeling inside. "Just...it just reminded me of the past, that's all. But I'm ok." I forced a smile and continued on my donut.
***
After several more minutes of silence on our part, much more staring from our peers, and a slightly fearful look from the manager, we left the donut parlor in failiure.
Wolfwood sighed. "Needle-Noggin," he said, "you told me you'd be here." he set his cross down and sat on the bench and after lighting a cigarrette, took a long drag on it. I sat on the other side of the bench. "Well several days of my life wasted. I was going good, Nick, why'd you take me away from the kids and my home? I protected them from constant gangs, they could all be dead by now!" I sighed. I learned that hot-headed hysterics never got you through anything, except maybe getting married to someone you don't want to and the other family calls it off because they think you're a crazy lunatic.
Wolfwood looked up, then at me. "Go ahead, go back. But I promised that idiot I'd bring you back here." he looked ahead again, with his shades on, and I couldn't tell where his gaze fell.
I looked around. I seemed to keep seeing a gold flash of something, wherever I looked, almost as though someone was trying to spy on us and evade our sight. Whoever it was, sucked at it bigtime. I nudged Wolfwood. He nodded. Apparently he was watching the person too.
Wolfwood twitched, as if about to do something, when I held him back by the shoulder, and shook my head. I placed my hand on one of my knives, and when I saw someone tiptoe-ing across the alley I threw it, then several others, pinning them against the wall by their shirt. Wolfwood blinked, and I let out a plastered-to-my-face cocky sort of smile.
"Come on, Nicky, I think we got him." I strode over to who ever it was pinned to the wall. And by that time, he had almost made it out, attempting to rip his shirt. He looked up at me, the long blonde hair falling out of his face. I stared Vash hard in the face. "Alex you bastard! Why did you leave me?! I know you can run faster than that. I didn't think I'd loose you!" He stared more at me. As my eyes began to grow hot and watery, I tried to read his expression but it was impossible. I knew he could read my face like an open book. "Read away," I said quietly and suddenly clung to his neck, further pinning him to the wall. Wolfwood laughed a "I-told-you-so-she-loves-him." laugh, and took another drag. I didn't notice.
Vash suddenly laid his hands on my shoulders, and pushed me away gently. "Guess what?" he said.
"What?" tears flowed freely.
"Love..."
"Love?"
"Love and PEACE!!"
SMACK!
"AHHH YOU ARE A BASTARD! YOU SAID THAT RIGHT IN MY EAR! AAAAGGGHHHHHH!! IT HURTS NOW!"
"AWWW, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SMACK ME!"
"YES I DID, NEEDLE-NOGGIN!"
"WOOOOLFWOOOOOOD! WHY DID YOU TELL HEERRRRRRR?!"
"Hehehehe...."
************
That was good. VERY good. o.o I have no idea what I'm saying, and if you do, you have my deepest sympathy. Maybe cause it was a good chapter, or because I'm eating pizza right now, or both! ^o^ This is going somewhere, finally. If the reviews go good, which they usually do, I'm going to stick the next chapter up soon. It'll be shorter, later on, and...near the end. As much as I love this story, writting it, and hearing from you guys, I want to finish it and work on other projects. I'm just so tied-up right now its disgusting, with sitework, little or no computer-time, and a brother that WON'T STOP KICKING ME OFF....o_o;;.........and a low-inspiration level, its coming slow. But its coming! Soon! ER! So um...sit back and wait for the next chapter. To keep you satisfied, I'm putting up a Knives one-shot. Have fun! ;)
--Lady Bluesummers
***
"So, how many are with ya?"
"Just me and him."
"Alright, that'll be 260 double-dollars please. The extra sixty is for that cross thing."
"TWO HUNDRED SIXTY? Oh ok. Hold on a moment." Andrea handed the driver the amount of money due.
"Ok, ok get on, we've got more people waiting."
Andrea paid for a bus trip to the town of Old Rock. Wolfwood had talked her into finding Vash, and also paying the fare for both of their admittence.
They sat near the back. Andrea had a windowseat and looked out as about seven strong men hauled the priest's Cross Punisher on top of the bus. The driver made them pay extra. "Wolfwood you owe me, ok? You owe me....one hundred and sixty double-dollars, in cash. Unless of course you save my life, then you won't owe me a dime."
Nick lit a cigarette he had just put in his mouth. "So you're saying you're only worth 160?" Andrea let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, and Vash's life is worth $$60,000,000,000."
"You'd be suprised."
***Four hours later.***
{Andrea's POV:}
The bus hit a sudden bump and I jolted awake. I had fallen asleep on Wolfwood's shoulder, who had also fallen asleep; yet he remained silent with closed eyes.
The bus was still moving, and the few people on with us were either yawning or sleeping. I looked out across the moving landscape and to the moons which all were full. They cast a dull light that made all the sand around us shine like silver. I thought about Vash. I was so stupid, so hot-headed. But I was only 18, now I'm almost 19 and somehow I've changed, but I can't figure out when it happened. I held my head in confusion, brooding and dwelling on things that had happened to me in the past.
Me as five. I was still living with my "mother" who if you've forgotten, was a dirty whore. It still burns my head to think about it. Even to think the word opens my memories' floodgates and cause that sorry portion of my life to overtake my mind's eye and ear.
----Flashback----
"Mom, can I go out and stay with Leon?" a small girl in baggy boy's clothes with hair tied back loosely came into her mother's room. Her mother was in bed with another man. She stood up lazily and stalked over to her daughter.
"Mom" pushed the girl out of her room in nothing but a long men's shirt down to just above her knees. She had a cigarette in her hand, and everything on her was dirty except for her skin and her hair, which were the only things she actually took care of, and those things were: 1.wet, and 2.ruffled.
"Again?" she coughed wheezily, her voice deep and throaty from many decades of smoking. "Yeah, alright. Since you don't care bout your mother, go ahead, go on, leave me here and let me DIE for all you care. With all the outlaws in this place I'll probably be shot. So go, I've got your father Mike to satisfy ME." the woman kicked the girl several times in the gut, slamming her against the wall. "Don't ever interupt me again. I've got a busy schedule to keep." she slammed the door and went back to her livelihood which was much frowned apoun in the community.
The young girl cried, out of lonliness and guilt. A five-year-old didn't know what to think. Another kid came into the room, blonde with brown eyes. He was one of her mother's childeren that she had produced through one of her "jobs". It was Deren, one of the girl's half-brothers. He looked down at her with slight mix of pity and annoyance. "Buck up, what did she say to you this time?" he bent down and shook the girl's shoulder slightly. He was easily ten years older than she was, around fifteen.
She sniffed, looked up, and made a ferocious effort to stop crying, but only bringing more shuddering gasps to her throat. It was almost impossible to stop. Deren sighed exasperatedly, and sat next to his half-sister. "Yeah, big brothers suck, don't they? I'm a jerk. So what? Get over that wench beating you. I did a long time ago. It hurts to know that you came from that thing, just know that I think you're much better than she is. Go ahead and stay with Leon, I'm staying with him too. All of us are except Laney, Andy, Scott, and Rich. They're staying here. Hard-headed bastards." Deren put his arm around her. Her weeping stopped, and she rubbed her stomach.
"It hurts, Brother, it hurts real bad." she looked down not knowing what else to say. Her brother picked her up and put her on his shoulder, in piggy-back mode.
"I know. C'mon, let's go see Leon. I'm sure he's got something for us. I heard he wanted to teach you how to fire a gun. Niiiice."
"Ok Deren."
When I was six, the next year, I ran. I couldn't take it anymore. Everyone always said I was mature for my age. I never knew what they meant, but for seven years I made my way across the desert. Seven years exactly...I ran on sixth birthday and Matthew found me on my thirteenth birthday. Who says 13 is an unlucky number?
----End Flashback----
The bus kept jostling us around and I couldn't go back to sleep, no matter how hard I tried. Memories of my past kept thrashing forward in their fierce attempts to haunt me. And it worked. I gave up, and rested my chin in my tired hand, still looking out into the ever-shifting sea of powdered silver and deep-violet shadows.
***The next morning.***
"Wake up, we gotta get off." Wolfwood pulled at my arm. He was already standing up in the bus. We were in the town of Old Rock. He had the cigarette from last night in his mouth still and his glasses plastered once again to his head. I figured he must've taken the thing out during the night while I was asleep. I stood, stretched, and yawned. We got out and I got my bag and slung it over my back, and as usual, Nick had his Cross in tow.
The bus left. My eyes were still heavy with sleep and every time I blinked out of habit to focus, they went blurry again. I sheilded my dialating eyes from the bright sunlight. My pocketwatch from Dad said it was about noon. I looked at Wolfwood. "Well," I said, "it was your idea. Now where are we going to go? I don't think he would stay in one place that long." Wolfwood lit his cigarette again after several failing attempts and sighed. "Oh, he'll be here. Just look over there." he pointed towards the street with a bunch of shops lined up together. I saw a rusted sign that was a donut with the words "Grand ReOpening. All-You-Can-Eat Donut Special!" I laughed. Well duh! Of course Vash would be here. He wouldn't miss this for anything. Well, except mabye world peace, the rehabilitated Knives, or seeing Rem alive again. But none of those things were possible. So this had to be it. I yelled out "what are we waiting for?" and darted off towards the donut shop leaving Wolfwood in the dust. He came after me.
***Inside the donut shop.***
I finally stopped, making Wolfwood nearly crash into me. The dust skidded up around us and I coughed, opening the shop door.
A bell tinkled signalling our somewhat dramatic arrival. A tall bony girl with long straight brown hair with throwing knives on her belt, followed by a taller man in all black with a huge cross wrapped up in canvas and black belts bursting through the door amidst a cloud of smoky dust is kind of a shock in a town known to have outlaws not afraid to kill. Everyone stared. We both held up our hands. "We just want donuts!" I said innocently. Everyone still stared.
It was completely silent. I scanned the room for the broom-hair, in vain. Wolfwood walked up to the counter, and put his cross down with a slightly loud THUD. It seemed louder due to the lack of any other sound in the room. I cringed, and stood behind him. Several people near the door inched closer to it. Nick put some money on the counter which was enough for the All-You-Can-Eat Special, and made his way to the donut buffet. I laughed weakly and did the same. I whispered to Wolfwood. "Everyone's watching us. What the hell is up with them?" he shook his head and after getting whatever he was looking for, which was a single powdered donut, sat down at a vacant table. I got a single buttermilk, and sat across from him. The tension was making me...well, tense.
Fifteen minutes passed. I slammed my glass down and stood up, making a few people gasp. "What the HELL is wrong with you people? My friend and I are just normal travelers and we're hungry! Can't I carry knives around? I'm a bounty-hunter for goodness sakes, give us a break! I just wanna eat my donut in peace, darnit! And STOP STARING." I looked around at the astonished faces of the donut-shop patrons. Suddenly everyone turned back to their meals and talked again, slightly hushed. I sat and tried to eat my food. Wolfwood stared at me. "Hello Miss Sunshine, you have the most WONDERFUL people skills."
"Even if there WAS a commandment for "Thou shalt not smoke." you wouldn't follow it, Priest Man."
"Cold, Andy, coooold."
"Andy?!" I started to stare at Wolfwood a little.
He shrugged. "I like that name better on you. You looked like you saw a ghost when I said it though..."
I shrugged back, but instead of a "whatever" shrug I was trying to cover up the icy feeling inside. "Just...it just reminded me of the past, that's all. But I'm ok." I forced a smile and continued on my donut.
***
After several more minutes of silence on our part, much more staring from our peers, and a slightly fearful look from the manager, we left the donut parlor in failiure.
Wolfwood sighed. "Needle-Noggin," he said, "you told me you'd be here." he set his cross down and sat on the bench and after lighting a cigarrette, took a long drag on it. I sat on the other side of the bench. "Well several days of my life wasted. I was going good, Nick, why'd you take me away from the kids and my home? I protected them from constant gangs, they could all be dead by now!" I sighed. I learned that hot-headed hysterics never got you through anything, except maybe getting married to someone you don't want to and the other family calls it off because they think you're a crazy lunatic.
Wolfwood looked up, then at me. "Go ahead, go back. But I promised that idiot I'd bring you back here." he looked ahead again, with his shades on, and I couldn't tell where his gaze fell.
I looked around. I seemed to keep seeing a gold flash of something, wherever I looked, almost as though someone was trying to spy on us and evade our sight. Whoever it was, sucked at it bigtime. I nudged Wolfwood. He nodded. Apparently he was watching the person too.
Wolfwood twitched, as if about to do something, when I held him back by the shoulder, and shook my head. I placed my hand on one of my knives, and when I saw someone tiptoe-ing across the alley I threw it, then several others, pinning them against the wall by their shirt. Wolfwood blinked, and I let out a plastered-to-my-face cocky sort of smile.
"Come on, Nicky, I think we got him." I strode over to who ever it was pinned to the wall. And by that time, he had almost made it out, attempting to rip his shirt. He looked up at me, the long blonde hair falling out of his face. I stared Vash hard in the face. "Alex you bastard! Why did you leave me?! I know you can run faster than that. I didn't think I'd loose you!" He stared more at me. As my eyes began to grow hot and watery, I tried to read his expression but it was impossible. I knew he could read my face like an open book. "Read away," I said quietly and suddenly clung to his neck, further pinning him to the wall. Wolfwood laughed a "I-told-you-so-she-loves-him." laugh, and took another drag. I didn't notice.
Vash suddenly laid his hands on my shoulders, and pushed me away gently. "Guess what?" he said.
"What?" tears flowed freely.
"Love..."
"Love?"
"Love and PEACE!!"
SMACK!
"AHHH YOU ARE A BASTARD! YOU SAID THAT RIGHT IN MY EAR! AAAAGGGHHHHHH!! IT HURTS NOW!"
"AWWW, YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SMACK ME!"
"YES I DID, NEEDLE-NOGGIN!"
"WOOOOLFWOOOOOOD! WHY DID YOU TELL HEERRRRRRR?!"
"Hehehehe...."
************
That was good. VERY good. o.o I have no idea what I'm saying, and if you do, you have my deepest sympathy. Maybe cause it was a good chapter, or because I'm eating pizza right now, or both! ^o^ This is going somewhere, finally. If the reviews go good, which they usually do, I'm going to stick the next chapter up soon. It'll be shorter, later on, and...near the end. As much as I love this story, writting it, and hearing from you guys, I want to finish it and work on other projects. I'm just so tied-up right now its disgusting, with sitework, little or no computer-time, and a brother that WON'T STOP KICKING ME OFF....o_o;;.........and a low-inspiration level, its coming slow. But its coming! Soon! ER! So um...sit back and wait for the next chapter. To keep you satisfied, I'm putting up a Knives one-shot. Have fun! ;)
--Lady Bluesummers