Part 2
Eyes like Knives
Jewel set out to December early in the morning. 'It's been one year… one whole year, since I finally left Knives… strange, it feels longer,' she thought to herself. Ever since that day, all she'd done was wander. She felt like a hopeless cause, and that's often what she called herself. A wandering soul and a hopeless cause, yes, that's exactly what she was.
"I hope he stops coming after me. I'm tired of using this," she picked up her silver revolver. She gazed at it in her hand for quite a while. She often had to use her gun to keep Knives away from her, as he always came intending to finish what he started. 'I wish he would just leave me alone…' she thought to herself.
'Knives, a suitable name for a man such as he. Ruthless and cruel, with eyes that sever into you like daggers, eyes that were cold, lifeless, and icy, that was Knives. Eyes like knives… One glare from him and next thing you know, you're lying on the floor, dead from his gun. It was those eyes, that I, Jewel, had once longed for.'
Jewel entered a new town and headed straight for a bar. When she was there, she sat at a table and pulled out her journal.
Dear Journal,
I recall the day. Yes, I recall the day when I first met Knives. Back then I was a cold, ruthless killer. I didn't kill in an effort to try to kill the Human Race, but I still killed. That was how I met him… Knives. Actually, I had met him before that, but that was when you-know-who and I were dating… I must have a terrible taste in companions, for only one of them has ever been… well, sensible… but barely.
Knives, of course, was a ruthless killer. He showed no emotion, no respect, and no mercy… He was exactly like I used to be. I have never met a man like him, but now that I think about it… that would be a good thing. When I met him after my break-up with you-know-who, I yearned for him. I wanted to feel his kiss and stare into those eyes…
I must be psychotic…
How could I have ever loved him? How could I have ever loved a cold-hearted, mass murderer? Better yet, how could I have ever loved one of you-know-who's friends? Was it because he was just like me?
Yes, that was it… because he was just like me… a plant. That's right, I loved him because he was just like me, an inhuman creation… a plant…
Jewel's journal entry was cut short by two men taking seats at her table. She raised an eyebrow in annoyance and skepticism. "Can I help you?" she questioned.
The brown-headed man smiled at his black-haired buddy, then spoke. "Yeah baby, we were wondering if you could give us each here a good time…" He grinned again.
Jewel stared in disgust at his yellow, rotting teeth before answering, "You can have a good time… with some other girl. I don't associate with filth." 'At least, not anymore,' her mind interjected.
She exited the bar, the two men following her in amusement. They even went far enough to follow her into the desert.
"C'mon missy, I know you'd enjoy our company as much as we'd enjoy yours."
"No, leave me alone," she said with a stare of annoyance.
She began to walk through the desert again. Finally, through rage, she turned around.
"What part of 'No, leave me alone' do you not understand? Or maybe your just an ignorant bastard!" she yelled.
"Who do you think you are, little missy? No one calls me an ignorant bastard!" the black-haired man screamed. The brown-headed man pulled out a knife. Jewel rolled her eyes before sharpening them. "Didn't your mothers teach you manners? Play fair, be nice, and the most important rule of all… Don't pick a fight with a girl."
She leaped into the air and kicked the guy with the knife, sending him back at least a dozen feet. The other man pulled out a revolver. "Heh, well two can play this game," the Jewel said with a grin. She transformed her left arm into a gun. The black-haired guy dropped his mouth, along with his revolver. "You… You ain't human!" He ran off as quick as his legs would carry him to the ruins of Augusta. She smiled in triumph as someone behind her let out an applause. She turned around.
He was very tall, with long blonde hair that was spiked back. He had a beauty mark under his left eye, though it was hardly visible, due to his orange sunglasses… But the most noticeable thing about him was his large red coat. The one thing that told her who he was…
Vash blinked. "Uh… My name's Vash, what's yours?" He took of his sunglasses, revealing beautiful aqua eyes.
Jewel gave him her whitest and best smile, "My name is Jewel, but you didn't have to tell me your name, Mr. Vash the Stampede."
"So, my reputation precedes me…" Vash beamed.
She risked at being too knowledgeable and continued, "Of course it does, you're the Humanoid Typhoon, the 60 Billion Double-Dollar man. Your origin is unknown and you seem to have no age… your also a plant."
"How did you know all that?" Vash questioned, his impressiveness turning into skepticism.
Jewel let out a small sigh and looked away. "I know all this… because I am one." Vash blinked.
"Well, I guess I should've known that after seeing your arm turn into a gun."
Jewel nodded, "That's true."
"Then… how come we've never met?"
"Because I'm 10 years younger than you. I'm 120 years young."
"And I'm 130."
The two began to laugh. 'He's so polite, and cute too. I just hope he turns out to be a better companion then my last two,' she thought to herself.
"Where are you headed?" Jewel asked in a simplistic manner.
"December."
"Do you mind if I travel with you?" she asked further.
"Of course not. It'll be much happier around with you traveling with me."
She beamed, "Why thank you."
The young pair set off towards December as the sun began to set.
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"One room, two beds. That will be $$50," the man behind the desk of the hotel answered. Vash handed the man the money and they started to their room. "So Jewel, I don't want to be nosy or anything, but if your 10 years younger than me, than how…" He was cut short by Jewel.
"I am the first plant to be born to this planet, I was born in Augusta. I was kept as an underground, illegal experiment."
"But the technology…"
"I was born out of pure coincidences and mistakes. When I was created, the scientists had been working on building human clones with the use of more than just human material. They never intended for me to be a plant."
"Oh," Vash said in understanding. He stared at her and their faces grew closer and closer… until Jewel pulled away. "What's wrong?" Vash asked. Jewel smiled, "It's nothing, nothing at all." 'I just want to feel no more pain… no more pain…' she thought to herself. The two were silent the rest of the night as they each fell asleep.
Jewel awoke in the middle of the night and took to her window. She stared towards the center of the town, "Something's going on. I better wake Vash up," she said to herself. She turned around to look at him. She smiled, 'He's so innocent-looking, I just want to walk right up to him and kiss him on the ch…' she thought to herself. She then turned away with a frown, 'Jewel, no more pain, remember? No more pain…'
She walked to Vash and shook him gently. "Vash, wake up."
"Huh?" he asked, opening his eyes.
"There's trouble, let's go check it out."
He looked at her sleepily before answering, "Right."
Jewel and Vash arrived at the problem area just in time. "Look, here's Vash the Stampede, now please, please let us live!" a man called out.
Vash and Jewel looked towards the strange visitor that the man was talking to. He had blonde hair… and that was all Jewel needed to see before realizing who he was…
"Kn…Knives…" Jewel whispered. 'No, not Knives, anyone, but Knives… Even Legato would be better company. At least he bothered to be polite around me…' she thought to herself, fear flooding her face.
"You know my brother?" Vash questioned. 'Unfortunately… yes,' she silently interjected.
"Know me? She knows me a lot better than you think, Vash," Knives answered in reply. Vash looked to Jewel, who was shaking her head, her expression of utmost horror.
"No… no… Not you. Not you, Knives. NO!" she yelled into the night. "Jewel, what's wrong?"
"Yes, Jewel. Tell my brother everything," Knives added. Jewel was now on her knees, clutching her head in her hands in pain.
"Knives, don't touch me! Stay away! Leave me be! Haven't you already ruined my life?!" Jewel screamed. "What the…?" Vash asked aloud.
Knives took a step towards Jewel and she retreated. 'What's wrong with me? I've never been this afraid of him since he…,' she said in her mind, her thoughts interrupted by Knives.
"Come here, Jewel. I won't hurt you," Knives said with his malevolent grin, "I've already done that." Vash looked to Knives in suspicion, "What do you mean?"
Knives sighed in annoyance, "I mean that I've already hurt her."
"What did you do to her?" Vash asked in a rage. Jewel looked up at him and mouthed the words, 'Please Vash, no…' Vash looked at her, confused, then nodded.
"Go ahead Jewel, chicken out. That's all you've ever done anyway. Don't you remember? When I asked you if…" Knives was silenced by Jewel's gun. She was crying as she held the gun to his head. Her tears were streaming down her face, but she made no effort to stop them. "Shut up or I'll shoot." Knives snickered.
"You can't pull that trigger and you know it. You could never hurt me Jewel… Because I'm your beloved Knives." The hand which was holding Jewel's gun was trembling now. Vash looked to Jewel in confusion, "Jewel, were you and Knives…" Jewel remained silent as she looked away from Vash. Knives faced Jewel with an eerie smile on his face. "Now Jewel, put the gun down and let's talk things through, shall we?"
'I can't take this anymore…,' she whispered, more to herself then anyone. Then she exploded.
"Since when have you ever talked things through sensibly?" Jewel asked. She was crying much harder now, but the gun was still tight in her hand as though it were a part of her body. "All you've ever done, Knives, is hurt people. You shoot first and ask questions later. You've never once talked sensibly and…" She was interrupted be Knives' slap to her face.
"Shut up, you little bitch! Since when have you become my conscience?! What I do is none of your business!" He pushed her to the ground before stepping on her stomach. She winced.
"You have no right to talk about shooting first and asking questions later! You know perfectly well what I mean too, so don't act stupid!" Knives said, kicking her. Jewel sat on her knees. She used the back of her hand to wipe the blood coming from her mouth. Vash looked to her to offer his assistance, but Jewel shook her head.
'He's right… I have no right to talk about killing…,' she thought as she looked to Knives in both rage and sadness.
"At least I've repented. All you ever do is kill… you never try to make things better," she said solemnly. She struggled to breathe, but as Knives had kicked her in the stomach, she fell to the floor, conscious, but exhausted.
"Out of energy already? Too bad, I was going to have a little fun with you," Knives said, pulling out his gun. "Since you're tired, you won't be able to fight back. How boring…" He held the gun to her neck. "Any last words?" She snickered, "Yeah, cut with the clichés."
She lifted herself from the ground, kicking Knives in the process. Jewel stood on her two legs for a moment, but then fell to the ground. Vash ran to her. "Let's get out of here," he said as he lifted her into his arms.
"I agree," she replied as she glanced back at Knives. 'No more pain…no more pain…' she thought to herself as she fell asleep in Vash's arms.
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'He smells so good,' she mused, rousing from her sleep. She opened her eyes and awoke to the sight of red…
"Vash… why didn't you sleep on your bed?" she questioned as she realized it was Vash's coat. "Because when I tried to put you down, you wouldn't let go of me." Jewel blushed… "S-Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it," he replied with a grin. He got up from the bed and headed to the door. "I'm gonna' go pick up some breakfast. Do you want anything?" Jewel looked to the ceiling in thought, "Uh, some donuts would be nice."
Vash's grin grew wider. "Sounds good to me." He left the room leaving Jewel staring after him. "He's nothing like him, he's absolutely nothing like Knives," she thought aloud. She smiled. "I wish I would've met him sooner." She fell asleep again, peaceful thoughts entering her head…
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Jewel got up again about 10 minutes later. "That was the best sleep I've ever had, even if it only lasted 10 minutes," she said to herself as she got up from the bed. The she pondered, 'I wonder if I still no how to sing that song…' She headed to the window and began to sing…
So… Hitotsu-me no yoru ni
Izuko kara koishi ga sekai ni ochiru
So… Futatsu-me no yoru ni
koishi no ko ga te wo tori warutsu wo kaku
A pair of arms loomed around Jewel, pulling her back as a voice joined hers.
Sound Life
Jewel was startled by Vash's show of affection and she turned around and out of his embrace. They stared at each other for a moment before Jewel finally looked away.
'Jewel, you know he's not like the others… why can't you just trust him?' she questioned herself.
"Jewel." She looked at him, "Yes."
"Why do you look away every time I do something like that?" he questioned, sounding hurt.
Jewel tried to look away again, but Vash put his hand to her face. "Jewel, look at me when you answer… please," Vash said seriously, adding 'please' as an after-thought. Jewel let out a sigh. 'I'll tell him blindly. I'll just skim over the facts…'
"Vash, I've… the thing is, well, I've been hurt before… and I don't want to get hurt again. Don't get me wrong, Vash, you're a great person. I do trust you… and I do care about you, but my heart won't accept any more pain… because if it does, it's liable to break again, leaving even more scars. I couldn't handle that, Vash," she said, wanting so hard to look away.
Vash was silent, stunned is more like it. He never knew that this strong person, Jewel, could have such scars.
He moved his hand away. "Jewel… I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you. Especially since…" Jewel cut him short, "Don't worry about it," she replied with a grin. Then she added, "Now, how about some breakfast?" as an after-thought.
He smiled as he held up he bag of donuts. She reached for it and he pulled it higher.
"No fair!" she called. She jumped up and grabbed the bag. She ran to the other side of the room. "There mine now," she laughed. She turned around right as Vash tackled her.
She was pinned between Vash and the floor. Jewel and Vash blinked at each other a few times before someone entered the room.
'Well this is a rather embarrassing situation… what do you do at a time like this?, she pondered.
"Hey Vash, Millie and I…" The young woman stopped talking as she eyed Vash and Jewel on the floor. The two turned to look at her. "Oh, you're, uh, busy. Well then, I'll be back later." She closed the door as she left. Jewel looked up at Vash. "Uh, Vash. Do you mind getting off?" she asked. "And what if I say no?"
"Ha ha, very funny," she stated as she got up from under him, hitting him on the head in the process. He puppy pouted, "Hey, that hurt." He rubbed the enormous bump on his head.
"Let's eat breakfast, shall we?" she asked, changing the subject. "Donuts!" he yelled.
"Hey Vash, who was that chic who came by just a moment ago?"
"Oh her? That was Meryl. She and her partner, Millie, are supposed to keep an eye on me. They work for Bernardelli Insurance."
"Oh, well that would certainly explain why they'd follow you." "Yup!"
The two talked a little while longer over breakfast, before heading into the town to look for any remaining signs of Knives. To their dismay, Knives had vanished, leaving no sign of himself, but his name in red upon a wall.
"This is not good. Knives probably left early this morning. Which means…"
"That the only way of catching him is to first, find his trail, and second, to follow him. But since he left so early, the possibility of catching him is very, very slim," Jewel finished. Vash nodded, "Well, in that case. There's no point in leaving yet. Why don't we head back to the hotel and wait for Meryl. She's sure to stop by again," Vash said.
"Sounds good to me," Jewel replied. The two set off to the hotel.
"Jewel, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Vash said as the two made it to their room. "What?"
"What was your relation to Knives?" he asked. Jewel halted for a moment at the door, silent. The two entered, but Jewel still remained mute. "Vash, I'd rather not…"
"What did he do to hurt you, Jewel?" Jewel sat on her bed, her head in her hands. "Vash, please don't make me tell you," she pleaded. Vash could see tears in her eyes and he stopped. He walked to her and hugged her, "I'm sorry, Jewel. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"I know, it's okay… I'll be fine…" He jumped as she hugged him back. 'I know I shouldn't get so close to him, but as long as I'm in his arms, I feel no more pain…'