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Nova

Chapter 23: Searching

Vash

"Shouldn't the girls have returned by now?" Wolfwood said looking out at the mountains.

"Yeah." I said.

"Maybe the 'spooks' got them." Knives, who had long returned, chuckled.

I glared at him, "Not funny."

He chuckled again.

I shook my head and stood up, "They've been gone too long. Spooks or not something's happened to them."

"If we're lucky they fell into the ravine. Or better yet those creatures got them." Knives muttered.

I chose to ignore him and went to stand next to Wolfwood, "What do you think?"

He shook his head shifting his weight form one foot the other, "It's too quiet. Hell, it's silent as a grave, but those creatures make a lot of noise. It can't be them."

"I think we better go look for them." I said.

Wolfwood nodded, "You still have the guns I gave you?"

"Yeah," I said, and Knives let out a short grunt.

"Good, I think we have a better chance of finding them if we split up." He said.

I nodded. "Right,"

"Let's start at the cave entrance," Wolfwood muttered, heading towards the general direction of the caves.

I started for a second direction then noticed that Knives wasn't moving. I looked back, "Aren't you going to help."

Knives gave me a half-lidded stare for a moment before sighing deeply, "Fine."

Knives

I'd found drag marks.

They started about forty yarzs from the cave entrance and led away straight into the mountains.

I began following them myself, deciding against contacting Vash. For all I knew I could be following a dead end.

For almost an ile I was surrounded by towering cliffs and hills then all that stopped and found myself entering a very strange terrain. I can think of nothing else to call it but a forest of boulders.

There must have been thousands of them. A wide variety of size and shape, some being only a feel high, others over twenty feels high.

I followed the drag marks for another twenty or so yarz when they suddenly cut short. Someone had cleared it.

I looked back and contemplated retracing my steps, when I saw her.

Kestrel.

I would have missed her if it weren't for her blue hair, which was out of place in this dusty landscape. She was leaned up against a boulder her hands lying limply on the ground. A cold feeling coursed through my quickly beating heart.

I quickly threaded my way through the boulders and leaned down next to her side and checked her pulse. She was very much alive, just unconscious. I nearly let out a sigh of relief, but stopped myself, even though no one else was here.

I sat there for a minute holding her wrist in my hand, watching the slight rise and fall of her chest. I glanced down at my belt where the priest's gun sat tucked into my belt.

The gun sat there. The power that one bullet had right now called to me.

I heard her let out a small sigh, and I looked away from the gun to her face, "Dammit woman. What the hell are you doing to me?"

I let go of her wrist and lightly touched her shoulder, "Kes-- human. Human wake up."

"Hmm?" her eyes flickered, and she looked up at me, "Knives? Wha... what happened?"

"I don't know. Where are the other two?"

She looked around, "They're not here?" Suddenly she let a hiss and cringed as she touched the back of her head. She looked at her hand, finding blood on her finger tips.

She squinted up at me for a second before pushing herself up; I stood and backed up, stopping myself from helping her up.

Kestrel looked around again, "What the--? This isn't where we were."

"What?" I asked.

"We were in front of the cave entrance. When I got knocked out. But where are Meryl and Milly?"

Kestrel leaned back against the boulder and closed her eyes.

I felt very awkward just standing there, and was about to ask her what she was doing when I felt her telepathic mind spread out and reach deep into our surroundings, then her eyes popped open, "They're over there." She muttered, pointing towards the west, "I felt their minds, they're unconscious."

She began walking forward, rubbing the back of her head gingerly. I followed after her without question.

I head her mutter something, "What did you say?" I demanded.

"I said: I wonder how we ended up here?"

I didn't answer, really having nothing to contribute. And again I looked down at my borrowed gun. The thought of getting rid of her still nagging at my mind.

What have I done to make you want to kill me? Her words from earlier echoed through my head.

What has she done? Other than save my life.

So what justification to kill her is there? She has hurt neither me nor Vash. Her people, though still human, weren't hurting the plants. In fact they lived together with the plants in this 'Lanoth Valley'.

Kestrel suddenly rushed forward. And I diverted my attention from my thoughts to her as Kestrel leaned down next to the other two human women, who lie on the ground, side by side.

I stopped behind her as she tried to rouse the women.

"Sadeh!" An unknown voice called out and suddenly we were surrounded by people in sandy cloaks using the boulders around us a cover. They held up rifles and prepared to shoot.

I reached for my gun when I heard Kestrel softly say from beside me, "Wait."

She stepped forward and pointed her middle and index fingers of both hands at the ground then quickly brought them above her head.

An immense purple cylindrical wall of pure energy rose up around myself and the human women.

Volleys of bullets began firing out at us and as the bullets hit the wall of energy they became nothing more than molten droplets.

I looked down at Kestrel, beads of sweat rolled down her face and she breathed in and out very slowly as she concentrated.

"Oh my!" I heard Milly exclaim. I looked behind me to see the other two women push themselves to their feet.

Suddenly the volleys of bullets stopped.

"Leh lehmahna nasa kahdeh, Jubei!" A voice called out.

"Kamahda!" Another voice said from the other side of the clearing.

I heard a gasp, and looked down at Kestrel again. She was losing her energy fast. She wouldn't be able to hold the force shield up for long. She fell to one knee and the shield flickered.

I know, I know. Again it was very evil to end it there. IM SORRY!

and I don't know why But I feel like smiling. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Oh yeah! And I think that my updates are going to be about every three days, if I dont burn myself out first. :D OO! I luv this new QuickEdit thing!

Reviewer Responses

Lord Hustino: 1) Idaho. 2) Yes, lack of options. 3) Yes it's a red truck, with yellow speed stripes and a Calvin pees on a Chevy sticker 4) You don't want to know. Just a single nuron of that thought can destroy the minds of even the most jaded of men. Tho I've heard its for the procreation of review alerts. Yes. A lot of questions. All with answers! Oh yes, I will warn Magnet-Thorn of Diablo's um... hentai streak. But I'm afraid he isn't the only one. hehehe.

Saroya: Hmmm. No I've never had chocolate covered expresso beans. I'm actully anti-artificial stimulant. that means... I only drink non-cafinated stuff. Though I have seen the effects of coffee. My brother stuffed a whole spoon full of coffee grains into his mouth and was... shall we say.... HYPER! AND... YES KNIVES RULES AaaaaaaaaaaLLLL!!

Chibi Chibi: eha, I really hope you haven't really been waiting there all this time... You did bring food right? Hello? Pokes Chibi Chibi? OH CRAP! Chibi's been turned into a skeleton! NOOOOOO! Chibi Chibi RETUN TO US! YOU WERE TOO PRETTY TO DIE! Hmm.... luckily skeletons can review... right?

SapphireWhiteTiggress: Well hello there! It's nice to see a new reviewer! And Mine is the frist on you read? Wow. I guess all I can say is that its an honor. :) Oh, and it's really not all that strange to just recently find Trigun, or get into it. Hell I think I found out about Trigun about this same time last year. :) Anyway WELCOME! Oh yes, the 'truck'. hahaha, that has become a weird point in the story that had oddly stuck.

Rainy-days13: Updates! Soon! YAY! SUGAR! LOL.

Rosebud: Injustice indeed. Yay, cute mental images. Glad I could deliver. :)

Yma: Cool. I hope the rest of the story will be enjoyable. :)

LegacyRBluesummers: Not really. :) But do, if just for the review count. X) lol.

Shadow's Assassin: Thank you, and thank you for reviewing. :)

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