Hey everybody!
I know it's been along time since the last chapter and I apologize for that. I get busy during the holiday season with family and friends home from school. With work and play, I'm so tired that all I want to do at night is sit back and watch some Anime. How ever when I when I went to write this chapter I found I had created a little bit of writers block in my absences. It became frustrating just to finish the chapter and I had to write the whole thing in small bits a pieces. My editor Grinsome even said she thought this chapter felt a bit different than the previous ones, but couldn't figure out why. Maybe you readers will notice it too. Now that I've gotten back in the swing of thing chapter will hopefully fall back into the flow they had been in before.
Thank you!!!!!!!*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Mimic12355 - Why thank you I plan on trying to keep it up. But if I fail, I'll keep trying! So even if this chapter suck there will be a next one.
prettyface - I'm really glad you've like the story so far! I'm always happy to have new readers so far into the story. I see a lot of the same people and it's nice it see a new name among them.
SEA GODDESS OF EARTH - It's great that you're so enthusiastic about Kaleidoscope. I don't know if I've ever gotten a review that was so demanding. So I've granted your wish and posed this chapter. Even if it took me forever, I wish I could have had it tot you sooner.
Kimmy - You know I was really afraid of an angry mob coming to my house and demanding the next chapter. I considered building a moat around my house but I really didn't have that kind time so I buckled down and tried to write this chapter when I did have the time. So no pitch forks and burring touches, Please.
Kagome-angel2000 - Well since you already had to wait so long for this here it is! Sorry for the wait!
Ujiji - It would be nice to have a never changing rock to always be there where you need. But it would also be a reminder that the human life is short and she may stay the same but you will age and die. I guess it's a little more depressing when you think of it like that though.
Raptor the Predator - I do have someone fix my Spelling and Grammar now, but in the past it was I who did my own editing. Lets say that was a big mess and I should leave that to most wonderful editor, Grinsome! I'm glad you noticed there is something missing from the K/M relationship. I purposely leave it that way so you get this cold felling like all the pieces don't fit together just right. Like there's some type of hole that needs to be filled almost like a false of fake felling. If that's not the feeling you're getting, than maybe I should go and meditate in what is really going on between the two before I continue on to the next chapter.
Lady Dark Angel - Since you asked here it is!!
sessygirl9950 - Yeah I think I'm on that Sesshoumaru band wagon with you. I even have a cute chibi vision of him that hangs from my cell phone antenna. I don't know what it is about the guy, the flowing mane, beautiful glowing eyes, poison claws, Wait maybe that one not one of the quality that fits this. But anyways, I'm glad you like this story and I hope you like all the future ones I write. Even though I haven't posted a single one!
Sakurasango- I'm glad to see another new face among these reviews and I hope you keep enjoying my story as it continues.
WW - It makes me so happy to see some one likes reading about Marvels Family. So far they don't seem to be the most popular characters in the story. But with as annoying as Emily can get I can see why.
Zeheria - I'm so uses to posting the names of my reads in each chapter I forget that some people are new to it. It actually takes a real long time to make a response to each of the reviews. I like doing it though because the more responses I write the more reviews I got. I'm the one who should be thanking you.
Arika*- My wonderful Arika! How wonderful is it to hear form you! Yeah I'm sucking up for taking so long to review your story. Oh yeah and I thought about starting to read Mars. Grinsome said it was kind of dark, which means I love it. The darker the better, i.e. X/1999, but theirs not a lot in that genre as dark as X.
WOW 13 reviews, that's so many! I want tot thank you all for your support. it is you who keep me writing. If it weren't for the readers, I may have given up along time ago and never completed this story. Were 20 chapters in and still going strong!
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This story would not be complete with out the most incredible Grinsome who make this story more complete. I can never truly express all my gratitude for all of you hard work and dedication. Hopefully the reader's do with each review they give asking for more.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.......and it's a darn shame!
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Kaleidoscope
Chapter 20: Unhappy Arrival
"How much further do we have to walk?" Emily looked as though they had been walking in the harsh, dry desert for days, when, in reality, it had only been a couple of hours. After her incessant complaining about the hard saddle on her thomas, the pain in her butt transferred itself to become the pain in everyone else's. Marvel suggested Emily walk with a slight twitch in her right eye.
"We've done this a hundred times, you should know it's a long trip for you by now." The older woman's shoulders were slightly hunched forward and she looked quite defeated, her large western-style cowboy hat covering her continued angry twitches. Marvel loved Emily, but when she endlessly complained like this, all she wanted to do was knock the teen unconscious to stop her mindless chatter. But, the poor feline suspected, as soon as the young girl's henpecking annoyances ceased, Vash would just get his chance to start his reign of agonizing pestering. Then again, the easygoing gunman had stayed silent almost the whole distance they had traveled.
The two women continued their conversation despite the heat, talking back and forth to each other. To Vash, they were just background noise. He was in a state of deep thought, bordering on meditation. Something bothered the charismatic man, something just wasn't right. The winds seemed to whisper of an ominous danger waiting for them, scouring the dunes and all foolish enough to defy the slowly rising sun. This felt big, maybe even bigger then Knives.
"Hey, Vash! Vash, did you hear me at all? Are you alright?" With big, bright eyes, he met Marvel's concerned gaze.
" No, I'm fine. Guess I was just thinking too hard!" Odd laughter erupted from the bizarre blond man, like usual, and a goofy smile lit up his face.
"It's hard to imagine you thinking at all, some times." Letting out a sigh, Marvel sat atop her trotting thomas with a smirk plastered on her face. *He must feel it, too. He knows something's coming. Danger's looming over us like a dark cloud and we don't even know what it is to prepare.*
"Hey, Marvel!" Emily stopped, lagging behind the two who were still masking trepidation. The young woman rooted through a medium-sized, green messenger bag hung from her hip. "Come on, wait a minute!"
Marvel pulled lightly on the reins of her thomas, bringing it to a reluctant halt, and turned to reach Emily's neglected one as well. Vash sighed as he also turned, watching the blond child dig through her things with an apparent disorganization.
"What is it, Emily?" The twitch she had worked so hard to rid herself of returned to Marvel's right eye. Traveling steadily with the complaining, whining, and useless babbles of the girl with seemingly boundless energy had done more than grate at her nerves; they were fraying. Contrary to Emily's moans of exhaustion, she could summon more exuberance than ever necessary for a common situation.
"Oh, here it is! I've found it!" The woman who sat on the towering animal looked back over her shoulder at Emily, who had pulled what seemed to be a gold cylinder from the pouch at her side. She ran to meet with Vash and Marvel, who didn't bother to even dismount. "Marvel, I wanted to give this to you before we left, but I forgot." The item changed hands.
"What, exactly, is it?" Her inquisitive cat's curiosity banished the irritation of the delay for a moment. She looked at the odd gold cylinder that had been placed in her hands. It was two cylinders actually, one larger then a second, smaller tube, which slipped inside and had an eyepiece attached. Its length was about eight inches and the larger cylinder looked approximately two inches wide. It gleamed brightly and was of very fine craftsmanship.
"It's a kaleidoscope, silly!" the teen gave a heart-warming giggle as Marvel examined the object in her hands closely. "You look in the eyepiece and turn the other end. The jewels inside move around and make beautiful pictures of color!" Doing what she was told to, the older woman still saw nothing.
"I don't see a damn thing!"
"Silly, turn it up towards the light! It needs light to shine in so you can see the jewels." Doing what she was instructed, once again, with this new step, Marvel was amazed by the brilliant colors as the gems did their dance, but played it off low-key with a small, but pleasant smirk.
"So, what in god's name would make you want to give me something like this?" Marvel took the kaleidoscope away form her face and she looked down at the girl who looked so happy at the acceptance of her gift.
"Well, it was so beautiful that it made me think of you! See, all of the jewels are real and the pretty green one, Dad said they're called emeralds, well, anyways, they just look like the color of your eyes." A blush actually crept up Marvel's cheeks.
Vash watched the whole interaction silently from the sidelines, the heavy feeling of bad things to come weighing down his emotions. The woman who rode next to him, who barely cracked a smile the whole way back, had somehow become his responsibility. What if he couldn't protect her? What if he wasn't enough? What would it mean to him if something did happen to her? The gentle man turned his gaze to the small girl with big blue eyes accompanying them. Her smile never faded as she explained more about her gift.
*If not for me, I have to protect her for that girl's sake. *
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That voice was mindcalling for her prompt return, a return to the side of a man who was nothing but trouble. The man who would most likely be the death of her in the end, but still, Meryl could do nothing but comply with his wishes. Didn't she do nearly the same for Vash, for so long, with just as much hope of fulfillment? Maybe this brother would be different in that manner, as well. And he was calling.
"Could the two of you excuse me? My head is killing me and I think I need to lie down for a while." Meryl pushed back her chair as she arose from her seat at the table with her other hand placed on her forehead to emphasize the pain of her throbbing headache.
"Oh Meryl, are you sure you're alright? Do you need me to walk you back? Nicholas wouldn't mind if I left him alone for a bit." The much smaller woman smiled at the intimate way Millie had referred to the priest.
"No, I'd much rather I go by myself. Enjoy your time here together. So, please excuse me." Meryl rushed off before her best friend or the handsome priest could even stop her. *I'm sorry, both of you. I just have to do this; I have to go to him. I have to go to Knives. I'm the one who has to love him. Knives, can you hear me? I'm coming to you I'm coming. * As fast as her little legs would carry her, the love-stricken woman ran to a man who would possibly destroy her. But if there was one set of hands Meryl would like to die by, it was the long slender fingers of his.
Meryl burst through Knives' door with her chest heaving, as her lungs rapidly filled and deflated themselves. She had come as fast as her body would let her and the sweat-covered insurance lady almost passed out as she fell to her hands and knees in the doorway. Knives moved quickly to her side, hovering above the woman on the floor.
"You incompetent fool, what do you think you're doing running all the way here." Leaning over, the large Knives enveloped Meryl in his arms, raising her off the ground with his arms around her tiny waist. The back of her body pressed tightly into his hard chest. Relaxing to the rhythm of the cold, beating heart behind her, Meryl breathed deeply as two hands held her firm by either side of her waist.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be here as fast as I could." The brave little woman turned to face the evil man behind her. "I wanted to be here...with you."
Two small arms wrapped around the frigid man and he went stiff as Meryl held on to Knives for dear life. Her face buried in his chest, he could feel tears soak through the clothing borrowed from Wolfwood. She was crying, crying over his wretched existence on this dusty, dry planet, crying because she wanted to spend this short human lifetime by his, and only his, side. Knives could feel it, the soft spot Meryl caused in his heart. This normal human being, this useless spider had caused a change in the very fabric of his being. No matter what he tried or how hard he pushed it all away, the seed had been planted inside of him and a new feeling had grown there in his heart.
"So, I guess this is how things are going to be now. You cling to me as you cry." Knives let his arms slip around the woman who wept as she clung to him. "You would let yourself become attached to a man with no soul, something not even human? You really are only a stupid girl."
As Meryl's blurry eyes looked up, to meet Knives gaze in fear he would reject her, fingers grazed her soft cheeks and his face closed in till their lips met. The most passionate kiss Knives could muster came forth and Meryl knew she was not being pushed aside at all, but finally being accepted into the heart of this god before her, who graced this planet with his life. He released her, stroking her skin with his thumb.
"Now, gather your things. I don't want my brother to find us here. The two of them are returning to this place and I want to surprise them only after they have settled in first. We will catch them off guard when they cannot find us here. "
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"Thank god we're here! I don't think I could take much more of Emily's whining!" Vash looked more like he had been walking for weeks than for hours. The teen's babbling upset his surface sanity a long time ago and he wanted nothing more than to rest.
"Hey, what do you mean by that!? I was just trying to make the trip fun!" Emily scowled, but Vash, in his condition, hardly noticed.
"Yeah, well, all you managed to do was drive everybody insane!" From behind, a fist connected with the top of the young woman's head as Marvel continued to pepper the girl with words of annoyance.
The trio walked down the main street of town, ignoring the stares of the locals as Marvel and Emily continued to fight and Vash's shoulders sunk lower in embarrassment while his slumping figure followed them.
"Can you two keep it down?! The whole town's watching us!" he pleaded, dragging behind the dueling pair creating a scene with their constant bickering.
"Well, if Emily here could stop acting like a child, we might not have a problem now, would we?!"
"Look who's talking! Aren't you supposed to be the adult here?!" The women stood face to face, both with angry fires burning in their eyes and looks of elevating rage stormed between them.
"Maybe this would be a good time for me to get something at the bar! Yeah, the bar... I'll just be...going then!" Vash quickly made his way from the catfight that was bound to happen if the two kept carrying on like this. The poor man's escape was foiled when a clawed hand grabbed the back of his black shirt and started to drag him towards the inn.
"Oh no you don't, Mr.! Where in the hell do you think you're going, huh?" Looking up to meet Marvel's still-heated gaze, the helpless man broke into nervous laughter.
"He was probably trying to escape you!" Placing her hands on her slim hips, Emily stuck her tongue out at the much older woman and her captive male companion.
"No, Marvel, that's not....I mean...I wasn't...Just don't kill me!" The tension in the air gave Vash a feeling of mortal danger to his well being.
"Oh, would the two of you just come on! If I don't get a nap soon, I'm going to be really cranky." Marvel nonchalantly let go of Vash's collar, which caused the tall man to hit the ground with a large thud as the two women walked in the inn doors, leaving him behind.
"Hey, guys, wait up, would you?!" Rubbing the newly-formed bump on his spiky-haired head, the gentle gunman sighed. *If that wasn't really cranky, I don't want to know what is!* Vash cringed at the thought.
When he made his way up the stairs to the hallway in which Marvel's room was located, the two women had already entered the room, leaving him behind yet again. Vash opened the door to find his lovely cat woman already asleep on the bed and Emily curled up in a ball on the floor with a blanket and pillow.
*Guess they really are tired. * At the sight of the two sleeping so peacefully, a smile lit up the face of the young-looking man. He shed some of his own useless belongings before crawling into the bed next to the slumbering brunette, who snuggled up close to him.
Vash looked over, noticing her gun and holster sitting on the nightstand, and his, which he had placed next to it. It was like that was where they both belonged, on the little wooden table together.
*I'll check on Knives when I wake up; for now, I'm going to enjoy this, while I still can.*
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*Come on, little brother, wake up. Wake up and face me! Wake up, Vash! WAKE UP!"* A cold sweat covered his thin, muscular frame like a fine watery mist. Vash awoke with a jolt from his peaceful slumber, causing his whole body to shake. His abrupt motion woke Marvel as well.
"Vash, what's wrong?" Rubbing the sleepies out of her tired eyes, the woman next to him looked concerned.
"It's Knives." A cold look washed over his whole face. It was stone cold, causing shivers to roll down Marvel's spine. Vash had never looked so serious, so uneasy. It was unsettling to her.
"What about him, Vash? What's going on?" He arose quickly, leaving only a warm comforting space where his body had been as he rushed towards the door.
"Hey Marvel, what's going on?" Emily mimicked what Marvel had done a moment ago, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"It's Knives," the feline woman spat out.
"Knives? Who or what is Knives?"
"Vash's twin brother. He's an egotistical, psychotic maniac who thinks he's a god."
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"KNIVES....KNIVES!" It was no use, Vash pounded on the hard, wooden door but no one answered, no one responded to his fists.
"Vash! Stop this, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep it up!" Frantic pounding had left the knuckles of those kind, loving hands raw and red from scraping against the hard surface of the door. "If you want in so bad, why don't you just say so?" Pushing Vash out of the way, Marvel kicked in the door to the dark room.
"Oh, but it's empty." Emily's head popped around the doorframe, looking in at the vacant space.
As fast as his legs could carry him, Vash ran down the stairs and out of the inn to the street below, with Marvel right on his heels. The pair stopped in the middle, looking round and round for any sign of his mentally unstable brother and the tiny woman who had been his most recent caretaker. Two brown triangles popped up on the cat woman's head and twitched wildly as she searched for sounds that might give them a clue.
"Vash, I don't like this." Walking backwards, her back pressed firmly into his.
"Yeah, something's wrong here."
"Wait, Vash, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Marvel must have been crazy to think his hearing was anywhere as sensitive as hers.
"Vash, get down!" Vash's body hit the ground with incredible force. Marvel had pushed both of them out of the path of the bullet heading for the couple.
"I'm glad to see you arrived safely, brother. Was your trip enjoyable?" On the rooftop above stood the god among men, the superior being on this filthy planet of worthless scum. A being more powerful than could ever be comprehended by most: the creator of chaos and destruction, Millions Knives.
"The trip was great, thanks for asking." Vash smiled at his brother. Though it seemed a friendly, warm smile, something else hid behind it. Giving Marvel a hand up, he watched her brush the dust from her body and made sure she was all right before turning his attention back to his coldly logical brother. "You didn't have to shoot at us, you know! I thought this was between you and me!" Something dark loomed in the passive gunman's voice.
"But Vash, that wasn't a shot from a revolver!" Marvel piped up from behind him.
"What do you mean?" he answered back, not turning around and risking taking his eyes off Knives.
"It was some thing much smaller, something like...." Marvel was cut off when another shot was fired, grazing her left cheek.
A small figure stepped out from behind Knives. The sun's awful glare made it hard to see the evil man's accomplice in his most recent plot to punish his brother.
"You mean like a Derringer, Marvel?" Instantly, both of them recognized the voice of the figure shadowed by the sun.
"Meryl? It can't be, why?" Marvel's answer was another bullet, grazing the right cheek this time. "I don't understand! What's going on here? What did you do to her, you monster?!"
"I didn't do a thing. This was Meryl's choice. She came to me all on her own. My precious little butterfly." The two onlookers were stunned as Knives enveloped the small, dark-haired woman in his arms and kissed her full on the lips.
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So, love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think of this latest chapter and it's developments. It'll really help me with the next one since I've bee out of commission for so long. Your opinions are welcomed and needed for this story can continue.
After Christmas, I had so much new Anime I was like a kid in a candy store! As I've said many times to many people, I watched Fushigi Yuugi till I thought my Eyes would bleed. I got the whole series and both OVA's and it didn't help that I started watching them late. So, I had to take a few breaks while watching it. My most infamous was one I took from 10am to 3pm on a Sunday. I hadn't slept in god knows how long (Due to FY obsession) and it made for some interesting dreams. Like the graphic one I had with me and the twin brothers Amiboshi and Subishi, that's when you know you've watched too much FY. I also stared Fruits Basket during my hiatus and I love it. The Manga comes out this February and I'd beat some one down to get it the day it comes out! My X/1999 love has grown and I can't wait till I can get my hands on the next DVD and Manga. I also finished the Ceres Amine, which hay me crying like a baby. I love All of Yu Watase's work. If you do too pick up her latest Manga Alice 19th, it's some great stuff!
Sorry to bore you all to death with my crazy AN!
Nova E. Beam
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Review!!!
I know it's been along time since the last chapter and I apologize for that. I get busy during the holiday season with family and friends home from school. With work and play, I'm so tired that all I want to do at night is sit back and watch some Anime. How ever when I when I went to write this chapter I found I had created a little bit of writers block in my absences. It became frustrating just to finish the chapter and I had to write the whole thing in small bits a pieces. My editor Grinsome even said she thought this chapter felt a bit different than the previous ones, but couldn't figure out why. Maybe you readers will notice it too. Now that I've gotten back in the swing of thing chapter will hopefully fall back into the flow they had been in before.
Thank you!!!!!!!*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Mimic12355 - Why thank you I plan on trying to keep it up. But if I fail, I'll keep trying! So even if this chapter suck there will be a next one.
prettyface - I'm really glad you've like the story so far! I'm always happy to have new readers so far into the story. I see a lot of the same people and it's nice it see a new name among them.
SEA GODDESS OF EARTH - It's great that you're so enthusiastic about Kaleidoscope. I don't know if I've ever gotten a review that was so demanding. So I've granted your wish and posed this chapter. Even if it took me forever, I wish I could have had it tot you sooner.
Kimmy - You know I was really afraid of an angry mob coming to my house and demanding the next chapter. I considered building a moat around my house but I really didn't have that kind time so I buckled down and tried to write this chapter when I did have the time. So no pitch forks and burring touches, Please.
Kagome-angel2000 - Well since you already had to wait so long for this here it is! Sorry for the wait!
Ujiji - It would be nice to have a never changing rock to always be there where you need. But it would also be a reminder that the human life is short and she may stay the same but you will age and die. I guess it's a little more depressing when you think of it like that though.
Raptor the Predator - I do have someone fix my Spelling and Grammar now, but in the past it was I who did my own editing. Lets say that was a big mess and I should leave that to most wonderful editor, Grinsome! I'm glad you noticed there is something missing from the K/M relationship. I purposely leave it that way so you get this cold felling like all the pieces don't fit together just right. Like there's some type of hole that needs to be filled almost like a false of fake felling. If that's not the feeling you're getting, than maybe I should go and meditate in what is really going on between the two before I continue on to the next chapter.
Lady Dark Angel - Since you asked here it is!!
sessygirl9950 - Yeah I think I'm on that Sesshoumaru band wagon with you. I even have a cute chibi vision of him that hangs from my cell phone antenna. I don't know what it is about the guy, the flowing mane, beautiful glowing eyes, poison claws, Wait maybe that one not one of the quality that fits this. But anyways, I'm glad you like this story and I hope you like all the future ones I write. Even though I haven't posted a single one!
Sakurasango- I'm glad to see another new face among these reviews and I hope you keep enjoying my story as it continues.
WW - It makes me so happy to see some one likes reading about Marvels Family. So far they don't seem to be the most popular characters in the story. But with as annoying as Emily can get I can see why.
Zeheria - I'm so uses to posting the names of my reads in each chapter I forget that some people are new to it. It actually takes a real long time to make a response to each of the reviews. I like doing it though because the more responses I write the more reviews I got. I'm the one who should be thanking you.
Arika*- My wonderful Arika! How wonderful is it to hear form you! Yeah I'm sucking up for taking so long to review your story. Oh yeah and I thought about starting to read Mars. Grinsome said it was kind of dark, which means I love it. The darker the better, i.e. X/1999, but theirs not a lot in that genre as dark as X.
WOW 13 reviews, that's so many! I want tot thank you all for your support. it is you who keep me writing. If it weren't for the readers, I may have given up along time ago and never completed this story. Were 20 chapters in and still going strong!
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This story would not be complete with out the most incredible Grinsome who make this story more complete. I can never truly express all my gratitude for all of you hard work and dedication. Hopefully the reader's do with each review they give asking for more.
Disclaimer: I don't own Trigun.......and it's a darn shame!
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Kaleidoscope
Chapter 20: Unhappy Arrival
"How much further do we have to walk?" Emily looked as though they had been walking in the harsh, dry desert for days, when, in reality, it had only been a couple of hours. After her incessant complaining about the hard saddle on her thomas, the pain in her butt transferred itself to become the pain in everyone else's. Marvel suggested Emily walk with a slight twitch in her right eye.
"We've done this a hundred times, you should know it's a long trip for you by now." The older woman's shoulders were slightly hunched forward and she looked quite defeated, her large western-style cowboy hat covering her continued angry twitches. Marvel loved Emily, but when she endlessly complained like this, all she wanted to do was knock the teen unconscious to stop her mindless chatter. But, the poor feline suspected, as soon as the young girl's henpecking annoyances ceased, Vash would just get his chance to start his reign of agonizing pestering. Then again, the easygoing gunman had stayed silent almost the whole distance they had traveled.
The two women continued their conversation despite the heat, talking back and forth to each other. To Vash, they were just background noise. He was in a state of deep thought, bordering on meditation. Something bothered the charismatic man, something just wasn't right. The winds seemed to whisper of an ominous danger waiting for them, scouring the dunes and all foolish enough to defy the slowly rising sun. This felt big, maybe even bigger then Knives.
"Hey, Vash! Vash, did you hear me at all? Are you alright?" With big, bright eyes, he met Marvel's concerned gaze.
" No, I'm fine. Guess I was just thinking too hard!" Odd laughter erupted from the bizarre blond man, like usual, and a goofy smile lit up his face.
"It's hard to imagine you thinking at all, some times." Letting out a sigh, Marvel sat atop her trotting thomas with a smirk plastered on her face. *He must feel it, too. He knows something's coming. Danger's looming over us like a dark cloud and we don't even know what it is to prepare.*
"Hey, Marvel!" Emily stopped, lagging behind the two who were still masking trepidation. The young woman rooted through a medium-sized, green messenger bag hung from her hip. "Come on, wait a minute!"
Marvel pulled lightly on the reins of her thomas, bringing it to a reluctant halt, and turned to reach Emily's neglected one as well. Vash sighed as he also turned, watching the blond child dig through her things with an apparent disorganization.
"What is it, Emily?" The twitch she had worked so hard to rid herself of returned to Marvel's right eye. Traveling steadily with the complaining, whining, and useless babbles of the girl with seemingly boundless energy had done more than grate at her nerves; they were fraying. Contrary to Emily's moans of exhaustion, she could summon more exuberance than ever necessary for a common situation.
"Oh, here it is! I've found it!" The woman who sat on the towering animal looked back over her shoulder at Emily, who had pulled what seemed to be a gold cylinder from the pouch at her side. She ran to meet with Vash and Marvel, who didn't bother to even dismount. "Marvel, I wanted to give this to you before we left, but I forgot." The item changed hands.
"What, exactly, is it?" Her inquisitive cat's curiosity banished the irritation of the delay for a moment. She looked at the odd gold cylinder that had been placed in her hands. It was two cylinders actually, one larger then a second, smaller tube, which slipped inside and had an eyepiece attached. Its length was about eight inches and the larger cylinder looked approximately two inches wide. It gleamed brightly and was of very fine craftsmanship.
"It's a kaleidoscope, silly!" the teen gave a heart-warming giggle as Marvel examined the object in her hands closely. "You look in the eyepiece and turn the other end. The jewels inside move around and make beautiful pictures of color!" Doing what she was told to, the older woman still saw nothing.
"I don't see a damn thing!"
"Silly, turn it up towards the light! It needs light to shine in so you can see the jewels." Doing what she was instructed, once again, with this new step, Marvel was amazed by the brilliant colors as the gems did their dance, but played it off low-key with a small, but pleasant smirk.
"So, what in god's name would make you want to give me something like this?" Marvel took the kaleidoscope away form her face and she looked down at the girl who looked so happy at the acceptance of her gift.
"Well, it was so beautiful that it made me think of you! See, all of the jewels are real and the pretty green one, Dad said they're called emeralds, well, anyways, they just look like the color of your eyes." A blush actually crept up Marvel's cheeks.
Vash watched the whole interaction silently from the sidelines, the heavy feeling of bad things to come weighing down his emotions. The woman who rode next to him, who barely cracked a smile the whole way back, had somehow become his responsibility. What if he couldn't protect her? What if he wasn't enough? What would it mean to him if something did happen to her? The gentle man turned his gaze to the small girl with big blue eyes accompanying them. Her smile never faded as she explained more about her gift.
*If not for me, I have to protect her for that girl's sake. *
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That voice was mindcalling for her prompt return, a return to the side of a man who was nothing but trouble. The man who would most likely be the death of her in the end, but still, Meryl could do nothing but comply with his wishes. Didn't she do nearly the same for Vash, for so long, with just as much hope of fulfillment? Maybe this brother would be different in that manner, as well. And he was calling.
"Could the two of you excuse me? My head is killing me and I think I need to lie down for a while." Meryl pushed back her chair as she arose from her seat at the table with her other hand placed on her forehead to emphasize the pain of her throbbing headache.
"Oh Meryl, are you sure you're alright? Do you need me to walk you back? Nicholas wouldn't mind if I left him alone for a bit." The much smaller woman smiled at the intimate way Millie had referred to the priest.
"No, I'd much rather I go by myself. Enjoy your time here together. So, please excuse me." Meryl rushed off before her best friend or the handsome priest could even stop her. *I'm sorry, both of you. I just have to do this; I have to go to him. I have to go to Knives. I'm the one who has to love him. Knives, can you hear me? I'm coming to you I'm coming. * As fast as her little legs would carry her, the love-stricken woman ran to a man who would possibly destroy her. But if there was one set of hands Meryl would like to die by, it was the long slender fingers of his.
Meryl burst through Knives' door with her chest heaving, as her lungs rapidly filled and deflated themselves. She had come as fast as her body would let her and the sweat-covered insurance lady almost passed out as she fell to her hands and knees in the doorway. Knives moved quickly to her side, hovering above the woman on the floor.
"You incompetent fool, what do you think you're doing running all the way here." Leaning over, the large Knives enveloped Meryl in his arms, raising her off the ground with his arms around her tiny waist. The back of her body pressed tightly into his hard chest. Relaxing to the rhythm of the cold, beating heart behind her, Meryl breathed deeply as two hands held her firm by either side of her waist.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to be here as fast as I could." The brave little woman turned to face the evil man behind her. "I wanted to be here...with you."
Two small arms wrapped around the frigid man and he went stiff as Meryl held on to Knives for dear life. Her face buried in his chest, he could feel tears soak through the clothing borrowed from Wolfwood. She was crying, crying over his wretched existence on this dusty, dry planet, crying because she wanted to spend this short human lifetime by his, and only his, side. Knives could feel it, the soft spot Meryl caused in his heart. This normal human being, this useless spider had caused a change in the very fabric of his being. No matter what he tried or how hard he pushed it all away, the seed had been planted inside of him and a new feeling had grown there in his heart.
"So, I guess this is how things are going to be now. You cling to me as you cry." Knives let his arms slip around the woman who wept as she clung to him. "You would let yourself become attached to a man with no soul, something not even human? You really are only a stupid girl."
As Meryl's blurry eyes looked up, to meet Knives gaze in fear he would reject her, fingers grazed her soft cheeks and his face closed in till their lips met. The most passionate kiss Knives could muster came forth and Meryl knew she was not being pushed aside at all, but finally being accepted into the heart of this god before her, who graced this planet with his life. He released her, stroking her skin with his thumb.
"Now, gather your things. I don't want my brother to find us here. The two of them are returning to this place and I want to surprise them only after they have settled in first. We will catch them off guard when they cannot find us here. "
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"Thank god we're here! I don't think I could take much more of Emily's whining!" Vash looked more like he had been walking for weeks than for hours. The teen's babbling upset his surface sanity a long time ago and he wanted nothing more than to rest.
"Hey, what do you mean by that!? I was just trying to make the trip fun!" Emily scowled, but Vash, in his condition, hardly noticed.
"Yeah, well, all you managed to do was drive everybody insane!" From behind, a fist connected with the top of the young woman's head as Marvel continued to pepper the girl with words of annoyance.
The trio walked down the main street of town, ignoring the stares of the locals as Marvel and Emily continued to fight and Vash's shoulders sunk lower in embarrassment while his slumping figure followed them.
"Can you two keep it down?! The whole town's watching us!" he pleaded, dragging behind the dueling pair creating a scene with their constant bickering.
"Well, if Emily here could stop acting like a child, we might not have a problem now, would we?!"
"Look who's talking! Aren't you supposed to be the adult here?!" The women stood face to face, both with angry fires burning in their eyes and looks of elevating rage stormed between them.
"Maybe this would be a good time for me to get something at the bar! Yeah, the bar... I'll just be...going then!" Vash quickly made his way from the catfight that was bound to happen if the two kept carrying on like this. The poor man's escape was foiled when a clawed hand grabbed the back of his black shirt and started to drag him towards the inn.
"Oh no you don't, Mr.! Where in the hell do you think you're going, huh?" Looking up to meet Marvel's still-heated gaze, the helpless man broke into nervous laughter.
"He was probably trying to escape you!" Placing her hands on her slim hips, Emily stuck her tongue out at the much older woman and her captive male companion.
"No, Marvel, that's not....I mean...I wasn't...Just don't kill me!" The tension in the air gave Vash a feeling of mortal danger to his well being.
"Oh, would the two of you just come on! If I don't get a nap soon, I'm going to be really cranky." Marvel nonchalantly let go of Vash's collar, which caused the tall man to hit the ground with a large thud as the two women walked in the inn doors, leaving him behind.
"Hey, guys, wait up, would you?!" Rubbing the newly-formed bump on his spiky-haired head, the gentle gunman sighed. *If that wasn't really cranky, I don't want to know what is!* Vash cringed at the thought.
When he made his way up the stairs to the hallway in which Marvel's room was located, the two women had already entered the room, leaving him behind yet again. Vash opened the door to find his lovely cat woman already asleep on the bed and Emily curled up in a ball on the floor with a blanket and pillow.
*Guess they really are tired. * At the sight of the two sleeping so peacefully, a smile lit up the face of the young-looking man. He shed some of his own useless belongings before crawling into the bed next to the slumbering brunette, who snuggled up close to him.
Vash looked over, noticing her gun and holster sitting on the nightstand, and his, which he had placed next to it. It was like that was where they both belonged, on the little wooden table together.
*I'll check on Knives when I wake up; for now, I'm going to enjoy this, while I still can.*
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*Come on, little brother, wake up. Wake up and face me! Wake up, Vash! WAKE UP!"* A cold sweat covered his thin, muscular frame like a fine watery mist. Vash awoke with a jolt from his peaceful slumber, causing his whole body to shake. His abrupt motion woke Marvel as well.
"Vash, what's wrong?" Rubbing the sleepies out of her tired eyes, the woman next to him looked concerned.
"It's Knives." A cold look washed over his whole face. It was stone cold, causing shivers to roll down Marvel's spine. Vash had never looked so serious, so uneasy. It was unsettling to her.
"What about him, Vash? What's going on?" He arose quickly, leaving only a warm comforting space where his body had been as he rushed towards the door.
"Hey Marvel, what's going on?" Emily mimicked what Marvel had done a moment ago, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"It's Knives," the feline woman spat out.
"Knives? Who or what is Knives?"
"Vash's twin brother. He's an egotistical, psychotic maniac who thinks he's a god."
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"KNIVES....KNIVES!" It was no use, Vash pounded on the hard, wooden door but no one answered, no one responded to his fists.
"Vash! Stop this, you're going to hurt yourself if you keep it up!" Frantic pounding had left the knuckles of those kind, loving hands raw and red from scraping against the hard surface of the door. "If you want in so bad, why don't you just say so?" Pushing Vash out of the way, Marvel kicked in the door to the dark room.
"Oh, but it's empty." Emily's head popped around the doorframe, looking in at the vacant space.
As fast as his legs could carry him, Vash ran down the stairs and out of the inn to the street below, with Marvel right on his heels. The pair stopped in the middle, looking round and round for any sign of his mentally unstable brother and the tiny woman who had been his most recent caretaker. Two brown triangles popped up on the cat woman's head and twitched wildly as she searched for sounds that might give them a clue.
"Vash, I don't like this." Walking backwards, her back pressed firmly into his.
"Yeah, something's wrong here."
"Wait, Vash, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Marvel must have been crazy to think his hearing was anywhere as sensitive as hers.
"Vash, get down!" Vash's body hit the ground with incredible force. Marvel had pushed both of them out of the path of the bullet heading for the couple.
"I'm glad to see you arrived safely, brother. Was your trip enjoyable?" On the rooftop above stood the god among men, the superior being on this filthy planet of worthless scum. A being more powerful than could ever be comprehended by most: the creator of chaos and destruction, Millions Knives.
"The trip was great, thanks for asking." Vash smiled at his brother. Though it seemed a friendly, warm smile, something else hid behind it. Giving Marvel a hand up, he watched her brush the dust from her body and made sure she was all right before turning his attention back to his coldly logical brother. "You didn't have to shoot at us, you know! I thought this was between you and me!" Something dark loomed in the passive gunman's voice.
"But Vash, that wasn't a shot from a revolver!" Marvel piped up from behind him.
"What do you mean?" he answered back, not turning around and risking taking his eyes off Knives.
"It was some thing much smaller, something like...." Marvel was cut off when another shot was fired, grazing her left cheek.
A small figure stepped out from behind Knives. The sun's awful glare made it hard to see the evil man's accomplice in his most recent plot to punish his brother.
"You mean like a Derringer, Marvel?" Instantly, both of them recognized the voice of the figure shadowed by the sun.
"Meryl? It can't be, why?" Marvel's answer was another bullet, grazing the right cheek this time. "I don't understand! What's going on here? What did you do to her, you monster?!"
"I didn't do a thing. This was Meryl's choice. She came to me all on her own. My precious little butterfly." The two onlookers were stunned as Knives enveloped the small, dark-haired woman in his arms and kissed her full on the lips.
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So, love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think of this latest chapter and it's developments. It'll really help me with the next one since I've bee out of commission for so long. Your opinions are welcomed and needed for this story can continue.
After Christmas, I had so much new Anime I was like a kid in a candy store! As I've said many times to many people, I watched Fushigi Yuugi till I thought my Eyes would bleed. I got the whole series and both OVA's and it didn't help that I started watching them late. So, I had to take a few breaks while watching it. My most infamous was one I took from 10am to 3pm on a Sunday. I hadn't slept in god knows how long (Due to FY obsession) and it made for some interesting dreams. Like the graphic one I had with me and the twin brothers Amiboshi and Subishi, that's when you know you've watched too much FY. I also stared Fruits Basket during my hiatus and I love it. The Manga comes out this February and I'd beat some one down to get it the day it comes out! My X/1999 love has grown and I can't wait till I can get my hands on the next DVD and Manga. I also finished the Ceres Amine, which hay me crying like a baby. I love All of Yu Watase's work. If you do too pick up her latest Manga Alice 19th, it's some great stuff!
Sorry to bore you all to death with my crazy AN!
Nova E. Beam
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Review!!!