I got another reviewer now! Kumi the Kitsune! Whoo-hoo! I feel the love, baby! Anyhow...

So, how are my two readers? Good, I hope. It's storming here, so I have nothing else to do but sit here and type... Just so ya'll know, I'm about to leave my grandma's house soonsish... like... saturday morning, I think... I'll keep writing, but I won't be able to post anything until I get to a computer, which could be at Kim's house, or at some body else's house, or maybe at mine if I have internet when I get home.... pray/hope for me!

Child's Play

Call me not a puppet... I am not of your control. You have no power over me, for human both are we. My strings are pulled by the same as you, we share equality. Lay not a command upon me, for it shall remain unheard. I will not obey I'll turn away and nullify thy orders. Don't pull my strings, you won't succeed in keeping me under control. I'll break away and your rule fray and you'll know that I am free.(written by: TheCat that's me!)

'Don't you tell him anything, Staccato! Don't you dare tell him a thing!' Knives demanded through his thoughts.
'I'll tell him what I feel fit to tell him,' Staccato replied and turned her head. It was just the three of them- Vash, Knives, and Staccato. They were sitting in a small circle together.
"Let the cat out of the bag, now, people. What's going on?" Vash asked after a long moment of silence.
"Nothing, Vash. You're just imagining things!" Knives insisted.
"I doubt it," Vash shook his head.
'Shut up, Battery Pack, he knows we're up to something,' Staccato rolled her eyes. Knives growled and lunged at her, but was stopped by Vash holding his fist up and letting him run into it. Knives fell back, holding his nose.
"Elizabeth, you want to tell me something?" Vash asked, turning to Staccato.
'Yes...my name is not Elizabeth, for one...' she mind-spoke him.
"What the-?" Vash asked, looking surprised. "Are you a ventriloquist?" he asked.
"Yes! Yes she is!" Knives demanded.
'I'm not going to be able to get a word in edge wise with him around.' Staccato sighed. She pointed at him and snapped. With a gasp, Knives fell on his side, snoring loudly.
"What did you do to him?" Vash asked, jumping up and drawing his gun.
'Settle down! I just put him to sleep.' She held her hand up.
"How did you do that? Why do I hear a voice in my head?" Vash asked, the second question like an idiot.
'I'm able to use my mind to communicate...' Staccato said. '...as well as perform other tasks...'
"No kidding?" Vash asked.
'None what so ever,' Staccato nodded.
"Really?" Vash sat back down and leaned forward, interested.
'Where to start?' Staccato sighed. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind to calm her shaking nerves.
'You... you know my tutor... or you did know him...Legato Bluesummers...'
"What?" Vash gasped slightly. "You mean I..."
'Killed my teacher. Yeah. He taught me how to tap into the rest of my brain... the percentage of it most humans don't know about. He never actually got the chance to teach me every thing he wanted. Master Knives called him to do his bidding before he could do almost anything. Indeed, I was used to him leaving every now and then, but he'd always return. Then, one mission, he didn't,'
"And it's my fault he didn't," Vash sighed. "I'm sorry,"
"Don't apologize to her, Vash," a smooth voice said. The two of them looked over to Knives.
"You're awake already?" Vash asked. 'Knives' chuckled.
"He's been asleep for almost the whole day. He never woke up this morning." He said, though not in his own voice. Knives turned to Staccato. He smiled a smile very unlike him.
'Wha-?' Staccato asked, blinking. She knew that smile... she hadn't seen it in almost a year.
"Staccato... it's been so long..." the body said as it held out its arms and walked forward.
Staccato grunted and lept back. She swung her arm in front of her. Knives' body kept walking, but stopped when blue sparks appeared.
"I see you've mastered the force field... you learn quickly... to think I only taught you that three days before my destruction..." 'Knives' said.
"Destruction...?" Vash asked. His eyes darted around in thought. "L- Legato?"
"Yes... good guess, Vash the Stampede. And I would like you to actually meet my dear student... Staccato... Bluesummers..." The body said.
Staccato's eyes widened. 'But... you're... you're dead!'
"Yes, Staccato... I am dead... but thanks to my mortal powers, I have the ability to possess others with a high energy level," Legato explained.
'I don't believe you, Knives!' Staccato glared and held her hand out, palm at him. He held his own hand up. She was knocked over by energy waves he threw at her, twice as powerful as the ones she threw at him.
"Leave her alone!" Vash demanded, standing between them. Staccato panted, laying on her side and using her arm to prop herself up. She blinked as golden boots appeared in front of her face. She followed them up, past the black pants and white coat and the enlarged shoulders with a skull attached to a gentle face adorned with blue hair and yellow eyes. The gloved arms extended, but didn't touch her. Staccato felt herself floating towards him.
'Master Legato?' she asked as he held her to his chest and laid his chin on her head.
"Yes... It is me..." he affirmed. Staccato curled her arms around him and closed her eyes.
'But how?' she asked, stepping away.
"A mere illusion... much like this one..." he said, kneeling down and pressing a finger to her fore head. Her jeans and t-shirt disappeared and revealed her true clothing... a suit much like Legato's. Staccato could hold it back no more, mattering not how much she tried. She jolted forward into his grasp and hugged him with all her physical might... which was not much since she never bothered to build that up.
'You're not going to tell him are you?' She asked.
'It's not my business to tell him... my business here is to tell you to keep up the good work...' He stood and patted her head. 'But not in the way you think...'
Legato walked over to Vash.
"Vash,"
"Legato..." they greeted each other. "Listen... I'm sorry...I-"
'Don't worry about that... worry about her...' Legato nodded his head in Staccato's direction.
'What do you mean?' Vash asked.
'She doesn't know it... but she is my daughter...and her real name is Elizabeth...'
"What?" Vash asked out loud in surprise.
'Yeah... that's a long story in its self. But to make it short, her mother and uncle were killed by a gang. Nicholas found her and brought her into his orphanage. He asked me, if being the biological father, did I want her. I didn't know right then, so I said no, and he put her up for adoption. When she couldn't get her way as a baby, she would use her powers to seek out what she wanted. That's where Knives saw her potential and demanded that I take her to train her. When she was only eight, though, she proved herself to be very strong willed and determined to do her own thing... defiantly her mother's daughter. To keep her in line and to make sure she didn't try to do anything, Knives ordered a device to be planted in her brain. It will kill her if it is set off,'
'If she's your daughter and you have been possessing Knives all day, then why did you try to kill her?' Vash asked.
'I wasn't trying to kill her. I am dead and can't train her my old ways any more. She still has powers she hasn't uncovered yet. I introduced her to pain to force those powers out... she won't be able to control them for a while and may show signs of difficulty with them. Help her, would you? As you know, I can't do it myself anymore,'
'Sure thing,' Vash agreed and nodded once.
'Be careful with her. She is the deadliest thing on this planet, yet very fragile. She can't hear, see, smell, or taste, but she can focus on some one else and use their senses to do that for hers. Avoid naked eye contact with her. Oh, and that right arm of yours? She has it,' Legato said, then turned to Staccato.
'I must be going now. Our time has been short but sweet. Staccato... fare well,' Legato said, his image fading out.
"Master Legato!" Staccato shouted, running forward slightly. She fell to her knees and held herself up with her arms as Knives' body fell limp to the ground.
Vash kneeled beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. She gasped sharply a few times and jolted into him, hugging him for comfort and doing something nobody living had ever seen her do... not even when she had the implant, or when she had been shot as an infant.
Tears rolled down Staccato's cheeks. She blinked at the warm trails down her face. She moved her head away and looked confused. Vash smiled slightly and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Don't worry... they're harmless... not to mention normal," he assured her, then held her head to his shoulder and stood up. He carried her back to Milly and Meryl and sat her down.
"I'll be right back, guys... gonna go get my worse half," Vash said, walking away to go retrieve Knives.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Enough, enough! I'm up, I'm up!" Knives said, waving his hand and trying to get who ever was thumping his head to stop.
"Took you long enough," Vash said.
"Where is everyone?" Knives asked. He received silence as his brother walked off.
"So, you're not waiting for me?" Knives asked, running up to Vash.
"Just be quiet. I'm not in a good mood with you at the moment," Vash said, turning and facing him. Vash turned back and kept walking.
"What the hell did I do to get on your bad side?" Knives asked, angry himself, now. The two walked on in silence for the rest of the hike. When they got back to camp, Knives went directly for the cross-legged Staccato who kept her eyes down. 'Why in the world are you wearing tha-"
Vash's gun met with Knives first.
"Don't go near her. You two stay apart from each other, you hear me?" Vash ordered. Knives scoffed.
"Who said I was going to do anything to her? Just wanted to sit over there," Knives said, walking around Vash. Suddenly, Knives was looking into Vash' stern green eyes with the help of a tilt of the chin from the Colt Long.
"I said 'no'," Vash demanded. He sat beside Staccato and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You will not hurt her anymore,"
Staccato kept looking down at her hands.
Master Legato...

End, Chapter 7....

I almost cried when I wrote this... did you cry? Did you love? Did you hate? Did you come up with another Idea? I wanna hear about it! Be like DeeDee and push da button!