A/N: Heh heh looks around nervously sorry, sorry, sorry!!! I have been swamped with work and problems! The past few months I was at school till 8PM because of "Odyssey of the Mind" and on the day of competition I couldn't be there because my grandfather passed away. It has been really rough but I'm back so no need to think that I abandoned this story! I would never do that! Also thanks for all you patient people who stayed with my story! I love you all! LPD!!

Disclaimer: I don't own it goes and sulks in her room

P.S. Everyone is going to December.

previously in chapter 10

They were ½ hour away from Fevrier when they heard a man scream. Millie, Meryl, and Vash turned around, a worried look on their faces while Knives's face held an unknown emotion yet he had something in his eyes; his emotion unknown by the other three travelers.

All four travelers ran in the direction of the scream and in a few minutes they found a man with a muscular body and tall build; quite handsome, tied in a rope.

All the travelers were about 5 feet away from the man when Meryl ran over to the man and screamed "Josh!". Meryl quickly untied the man and caught him in a big bear hug, toppling them both over while laughing.

Vash felt like taking out his gun at that moment. The jealousy was beating him down. Just watching the two on the ground so close together was getting him mad.

Knives was feeling the same as Vash and he was just about to take his gun out of its holster. "Guys, this is Josh!" "Josh, this is Vash the Stampede and his brother Knives and you already know Millie." Millie nodded her head and smiled but both Vash and Knives made absolutely no attempt to smile but they both did nod. Josh smiled at Millie and smiled at Vash and Knives, although the smile he smiled at Vash and Knives was not kind but had a glint of something else, something . . . bad.

Meryl and Josh both got up and dusted themselves off. Meryl was visibly happy and glowing. Meryl'/s face went sad when she thought back to Vash. She needed to find a way to cure him. Meryl explained to Josh that Vash was harmless. After getting reacquainted they were off to Fevrier to rest then go back to Meryl's house in December.

Chapter 11 ::Kodal::

When they got to Fevrier everyone was famished and tired. They went to a nearby hotel and got 2 rooms with 3 beds each (which were kindly given to them because they had no money and the owner felt sorry for them). All 3 guys slept in one room and all 2 girls slept in the other.

Vash and Knives talked telepathically before going to sleep about giving Josh some "custom" nightmares. Usually collaboration between Vash and Knives would be unheard of but in this case it was ok. Both Knives and Vash didn't like Josh and with their mind powers, a nightmare would be a piece of cake.

Josh's nightmare

Josh was in a puddle of water, sitting Indian style. Clouds hung over head, greyer then grey. Fog was surrounding him, encompassing him fully. Josh could see all but 2 feet in front of him. When looking around Josh spotted a pair of blue cat-like eyes and a pair of red cat-like eyes. Both pair of eyes were slowly lurking toward him. Josh got out of the puddle and ran. Josh was soaking wet from waist down and he was shivering.

After a second of running, Josh was in a lush green place with three trees. Under the three trees there was a small and white round table with two martinis on it. Next to the table were two small fancy white chairs with two manly muscular figures sitting in the chairs. Josh was pretty far away from the figures as to not see who they were. Both figures turned their head simultaneously and he saw the eyes.

Real life

Josh woke up abruptly to be met with the moon shining down on him, making his sweat glisten. Josh looked around and saw both Vash and Knives sleeping peacefully so he just went back to sleep and dreamt of nothing more for the rest of the night.

Morning

When everyone was up and ready they were off to December. Meryl wore her fighting suit because she knew there were bandits and bounty hunters lurking every where in the route they were taking (which was the fastest). Her fighting suit was a skin tight leather cat suit from neck to toes. She also wore knee high back stiletto boots just to impress the guys. The cat suit fit her like a glove and covered everything. The cat suit made Vash, Josh, and even Knives drooling over her.

Everyday they were getting closer to December.

When they were about three hours away from December, Josh spoke. "Hey guys, I know a short cut that will get us to December in ½ an hour." Since their food supply was ran out the day before everyone was famished so any suspicion one might have was blown away.

"Ok, sure, lead the way." Meryl said, blandly trudging along.

Josh pointed a little to the left and said "That way."

After a ½ hour of walking they still weren't any closer to December and it was night. "Sorry, I guess I was wrong." Josh said. Lets camp in that cave!" Josh pointed toward a cave 100ft away from them. Everyone just followed Josh lazily to the cave.

That night

Meryl heard a shuffle of feet and before she knew it a man grabbed her and covered her mouth with a damp cloth. This noise woke Millie who was sleeping next to. Before Millie could utter a sound the man who had Meryl grabbed her and also covered her mouth with a cloth. The cloth gave both girls a drowsy feeling and before they knew it they were out. Vash, Knives and Josh didn't hear anything because they were outside of the cave keeping guard.

Later that night, Vash walked slowly into the cave to check up on the girls. When he got inside all he saw was a mess of blankets and footsteps going deeper into the dark depths of the cave. Vash gathered Knives and Josh and the three men went looking for Meryl and Millie.

Vash looked up at the top of the cave and saw the caves ceiling was gritty and dripping with water droplets. The further into the cave they went the lower they seemed to go. Vash quickly turned around and saw no sign of where they came from and found no way to get back, which for a second sent him into a panic. The panic was quickly replaced by anger when a women's scream came from the depths of the cave. Vash broke into a jog then into a run the finally into a sprint. Josh and Knives followed Vash intently and Knives followed lazily yet never breaking stride.

After a few minutes the three men came to an abrupt halt when they saw the scene before them through a metal door which was opened. Meryl and Millie both had a noose around their necks yet weren't hanging because of the chair each of them were standing on. Their hands and feet were bound and they had clean white rags which shown brightly due to the darkness of the cave. All three men walked through the door, alarmed yet smart enough not to do anything rash.

The place the men were in was far from the dirty cave they just passed; this place looked like a scientist's lab. To the left was a coat rack with white scientist attire on it. Behind Meryl and Millie was an old wooden table with flasks and what looked like chemical experiments on it. On the ceiling was a plain light bulb with no shade. A single string with a ball at the end hung from the bulb and was about one foot long. The light, being dim, did not light the whole place, leaving it pitch black in the back. From the darkness walked out a handsome face. The man had brown hair and blue eyes. He was clad in white scientist attire like the kind hanging on the coat hanger.

"Welcome Vash the Stampede, oh and let me not forget to welcome Knives and Josh." The man spoke strongly yet mockingly. Vash glared at the man like he was the devil himself. The man walked a few feet towards Meryl and Millie. Millie was still unconscious because of the substance on the cloth but Meryl was awake, glaring at the man beside her as Vash was doing. "Cute isn't she?" the man said, pinching Meryl's cheek. Vash slightly flinched, Knives growled low and Meryl squinted her eyes angrily.

"If you touch her again I will kill you." Vash said, squinting his eyes and clenching his fists to his sides. The man scoffed and gave him a smile.

"Hit a nerve?" The man asked, still smiling.

"Who are you?" Vash inquired rudely (appropriate for the certain circumstances though).

"Kodal the Treacherous." Kodal said, smiling egotistically.

"Kodal you say? Then what's with the scientist thing?" Vash asked curiously.

"What, an outlaw can't have a hobby? I'm guessing this cute thing is yours?" Kodal asked, pointing to Meryl and squeezing her posterior. Kodal saw that Vash was getting ready to get his gun out so he spoke. "Let me tell you my plan right now, it's not like you'll be able to escape and ruin it." Kodal said, proudly smirking. Just at that time Kodal pressed 1 of 3 buttons on his table and prison like bars came down blocking all entrances. Vash ran for Kodal but got stopped by a blue electrical wall which came down after Kodal pressed the second button on the table. Kodal's smirk grew wider. Vash stepped back angrily. The wall came back up after a few seconds.

"How?" Vash asked.

"Told you I had a hobby." Was all Kodal said.

"Why?" Vash asked calmly; Kodal's eyes went serious.

"I'm doing this because I needed to take both yours and Knives's life!" Kodal said, eyes burning with fury.

Vash's eyes went soft and he gave Kodal a look of pity. "Don't look at me like that!" Kodal screamed, while throwing an empty flask at Vash which he dodged. Vash had a hurt look on his eyes which wouldn't leave.

"Why? What did me and Knives do to you?" Vash asked.

"You and Knives have something I have been trying to get my WHOLE LIFE!" Kodal yelled!

"What's that?" Vash said, letting out a tired sigh.

"Immortality." Kodal said in a low and husky voice.

"It's not as great as it's cut up to be. If it was up to me I wouldn't even have immortality." Vas said sadly. Vash looked at Kodal and for a mere second he saw a mixture of pity, sympathy, and surprise; but only for a second.

"Liar!" Kodal yelled while pressing the last button on the table which brought down a cage which was made of the same electrical blue stuff as the wall.

"Crap!" Vash blurted out. "What are you going to do?!" He asked appropriately.

"Kill you and Knives. If I can't have immortality then no one can." Kodal said. He turned around and started working on something.

"At least let Josh, Meryl, and Millie go! Please!" Vash pleaded hopefully.

"Oh that reminds me...." Right at that moment Josh walked through a little opening in the bars which quickly closed as to not let Vash or Knives out. Josh walked over to Kodal, stood next to him, then turned to Vash and Knives and smiled.

"You were in it the whole time huh?" Vash asked Josh.

"Yes, the whole time." Josh said plainly, no regret found in his voice.

"You bastard! Ho could you do this?! I'm going to break your neck when I get out!" Vash screamed violently. Meryl's eyes widened as she heard Vash scream that.

'It's getting worst." Meryl thought.

Knives just muttered something about "stupid spiders" and kept his death glare on Josh and Kodal.

"Can I tell him Kodal?" Josh asked Kodal. Kodal nodded as if he was purely bored by Josh's antics. "Kodal said he would give me the $60 Billion double dollar bounty on your head if I lured you guys here, great huh?" Vash looked at Josh as if he just murdered someone.

Kodal signaled Josh to follow him. The both of them left the room through the darkness in the back of the room. "I have an idea." Vash spoke up and Millie woke up. "I can shoot you two down and one of you guys can press the button that lifts the electrical bars up. We'll have to do this very fast because Josh and Kodal will here the shots and come into the room. After one of you guys presses the button we run for dear life out of here got it?"

"Got it!" Everyone said in unison.

"Ready, Set, GO!" Vash said while shooting the ropes hanging Millie and Meryl. Millie ran to the button and pressed it, releasing Vash and Knives. They all ran towards the door but not before Josh and Kodal ran in to the room and ran after them. When Knives, Millie, and Meryl were out of the room Vash closed the big metal door, stopping Kodal and Josh from getting out. While Vash held the door closed Knives used his gun and shot out a large piece of rock from the cave wall and put it in front of the door. "RUN!" Vash screamed and everyone followed.

"They ran for a long time until the coast was clear. It was day now and they were an hour away from Fevrier and were walking in eerie silence. The eerie silence lasted for the rest of the hour.

End of chapter 11 ::Kodal::

A/N: This chapter, although had no fluff, was need in the plot development! My chapters will hopefully be coming in every week or two if all goes well so don't fret. Thank you to EVERY single one of my reviewers, you guys give me the motivation to WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!!! I hope you guys stick with me and this story! I love you guys! bursts into tears

MUCH LUV TO YOU ALL!! Love & Peace . . . and Doughnutz!!

Any suggestions or questions e-mail me at Angyluv321 (or review!)