The final one in the series. I guess it's not much of a surprise about who it is, is it? I always worry about keeping them in character. It drives me MAD!
After thinking about it, I've decided the story rating is going to go up due to Wolfwood's filthy, filthy, un-priestly mouth. He doesn't say anything too terrible but the cusses are pretty liberally used. Bad Wolfwood! No biscuit! Oh yes, one more thing about how Wolfwood talks. I am using the Kansai-dialect Wolfwood so that's why his grammar and pronunciation are so funky in this.
Shh. Sit real still. Now take a deep breath. Do you smell that? That's the sweet scent of FLUFF, my dears. This will be somewhat romantical in nature. I admit I'm biased; I love this couple! If you have any objections then you can just…ummm…go to the Infernal Kuroneko Pens of DOOM. Yeah.
Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews! I admit that I was surprised I even got more than five. Thanks so much! And here's a hug back for you, ATO. Milly fans got to stick together! :HUG:
Enjoy or else. The black kitties are hungry in their pens and I can always switch off the electric fences…
WOLFWOOD
Looks like Vash's attention's bein' occupied by the Short Girl. They seem to be talkin' civilly to each other for once, wonder of wonders. Maybe Milly's right about her bein' sweet on him: that's either really nice or downright freakishly scary. Speakin' of which . . .I'm not gonna just gawk at those two when this is a prime opportunity for some quality time without Shorty breakin' us apart. 'Professional behavior' my ass. I go back towards our fire where she's sittin,' eyes closed like she's dozin', so I walk up nice and easy and thump down next to her. She gives a start and gives me a fake glare. She starts movin' away from me inch by inch. I follow her. Suddenly she stops and starts scootin' towards me; I go the other way 'til we're back in our original place and she's giggling like crazy. She's just leavin' me so many openings tonight. I make a grab for her face, give her cheek a soft pinch before takin' her hand.
Heh. There's that blush. God, she's such a cutie. It's kinda strange, actually, 'cause I never went for cute that much. I guess it's the way my tastes run. I've seen lots of women who were just as if not more attractive in the looks and attitude departments--not that Milly's a woofer, hell no! She's got this real sweet face, long oval shaped and a little plain but fresh an' just . . .natural, with one of the cutest noses I ever saw. She's got three little freckles all in a row right across the bridge, perfect for kissin'. And her body, hooya! Too bad she wears those heavy clothes all the time. Wouldn't even know how good she's built if she didn't like to get drunk time to time. Alcohol is God's finest gift to this dust ball. Of all those things, I'd say her prettiest feature's her eyes. Yeah yeah 'windows of the soul' and all that poetic crap but it's true. Clearest blue I'd ever seen, the exact color of the sky right near the horizon. God. Talk about poetic crap.
They say that attitude is half the battle of bein' attractive. I say hallelujah to that. I'm not normally taken by the goody-goody girl routine 'cause it's so often just a cover: the closer you get the less nice they are. Or else they're nothin' but nice all the time. That's no fun either. My Honey, her niceness's all genuine. She has a sweet, an understated kind that doesn't come on too thick. And boy does she know how to have fun. Big Girl can sure hold her own in the drinkin' the department--too bad she doesn't get to do it more often, not with her little watchdog making it her life's mission to make sure we have as little fun as possible. It's a shame she can't cut loose as much as she could, but when she does she shows a happy playfulness that I like. I've seen her at her maddest, too, and I'll say I've seen much worse so it's no problem. Wouldn't want to be on the business end of those punches of hers, though. Vash tells me they hurt like hell. He had it comin' to him so he ain't gettin' any sympathy from me.
So here we are, sittin' together all quiet-like. She hugs me around the waist with an arm. It feels real good. I begin to imagine what it'd be like if there was a house--maybe added on to my orphanage--of our own behind it, big enough for at least seven kids. Sextuplets and one for good measure, Honey. They'd all be asleep and we'd be sitting out in front to get some quiet times just for ourselves, nothin' to worry about 'cept the usual humdrum domestic stuff that looks like a picnic compared to what I've been through. Vash and Shorty'd be nearby too. Yeah. That'd be real nice.
Jesus, what the hell am I thinking? That vision, that one thing I want most of all, I can't have that. God himself can't do that for a guy like me. And never, never ever has a girl caused me to think things like that. To be a normal guy, to be a real preacher, hang out with my buddy and come home to a peaceful place with her and lotsa kids. Regular folks always complain about how boring their lives are, but I say the hell with 'em. They don't know jack.
Milly gives me peace. Bein' with her makes me forget everything that I've done and maybe, just maybe, I can change for the better. I wonder what went wrong with me, for me to be feelin' emotions people with shitty lives like mine shouldn't ever have. Her face is so soft and she looks at me with no judgment or smugness. Not at all like Vash. They're so alike. Vash--that idiot needle noggin', I hate bein' around him at times. I feel all this shame, I see everything I hate about myself. Goddamit, I know that I'm no good compared to his all-holy 'I've never killed anyone' bullshit. Ain't it enough that he hasn't got any blood on his hands? Why does he have to rub it in, force me to be like him when I don't got a chance in hell of doin' that? I'm only a frickin' human after all.
The bitch of it is, I want to be like him. If not for me and for him, for her, to be the kind of guy that can be worthy of what she's givin' me. I feel so damn guilty almost all the time, yet when she's around I don't feel that way anymore. Her eyes are so warm and don't hold anythin' against me even for what I've done. She's gotta at least suspect, right? She still doesn't give me any conditions. With Vash there's conditions. He's so damn pushy, always preaching to me about some fantasy world that I wish could exist but know it can't. He doesn't see that. Damn frackin' idealist. Milly's one at heart too, I think, but she only applies it to herself. I can live with that.
Why does she do it? She gives me so much and promises to give lots more. I don't have anything to give her back 'cept my pathetic excuse for a soul and whole hell of a lotta baggage she doesn't need. What the hell does she see in a guy like me and how's she able not to expect stuff of me that she should?
I tried to ask her that a little after we met up again at the sand steamer crash. We were both so glad to see each other that we went for a walk after supper even though the winds were pickin' up. We went to the cliff overhanging town an' just sat there, not talkin' or anything, for the longest time. She has the thicker coat so she'd wrapped it around us both, happy as a lark she was. I couldn't stand it. I asked her why the hell she wanted me around when she deserved a nice guy. A guy like Needle-noggin, for example.
She just laid her head on my shoulder, not lookin' at me. Then she asked in a soft voice, "Mr. Priest, um, Nicholas, do you believe in Grace?"
I wasn't expectin' that question so I didn't answer right away. Finally I said that I wasn't sure exactly, not havin' experienced it myself in my lifetime in spite of my profession.
"Well," she said, "I think there's something in that. I take a kind of middle road. I think that just being a good person and helping others is very important. But I know we can be pretty mean to each other too, even good friends. I believe there is something out there's some part of us that forgives and loves no matter what we do. Or else we'd all be hermits!" After gigglin' she looked up at me. "You give out a lot of Grace, Mr. Priest." She musta felt me stifle my laugh because she continued without missin' a blink, "Now, now, don't be like that. I really believe it with all my heart! Your kids owe lots to you and you've helped us out so much when you didn't have to. I--everyone loves you for it. But you've had such a hard life. Nobody has shown you grace, haven't they? But you deserve it, you really do. You won't forgive yourself."
Heh, if she only knew. "Well, Mr. Priest, you may think what you want and you need to find your own inner peace on your own. But I'll tell you this. Inside you're so much better than you think you are. Just like you are, right now. This's you. So no matter what, I'll always forgive you! Mr. Vash too!" Next thing I knew she gave me a smooch on the cheek, then turned back to look at the sky as if nothin' had happened. I was so thrown for the loop I lost my big chance to flirt with her like I'd been wantin' to do. We didn't say anything else. For that evening, though, I felt lighter than ever and almost believed that I could resolve everything. The events of the next day blew that all to hell. It's still a nice memory, one of my favorites. She does that to me.
It's a damn big risk I'm takin', however. I shouldn't have gotten so close. Now she's tangled up more in all this mess than she was when she was with just Needle Noggin'. It's dangerous. Nowadays I can't sleep well because I feel that they're comin' closer. They won't hesitate to hurt either of the girls if it serves them, especially if they know how attached we are to them. I think Midvalley knows. I know that mind-rapin' bastard Legato knows, can't hide much from him. I can protect her from the Hornfreak if he's given the order to attack but I'm not sure about Legato. If Legato even deigns to play fair and come out in the open. Sneaky freak. I can only swallow my pride, pray that Vash can protect them where I can't.
As much as I want it to, I can't help but think that it can't last. I wanna be with her, with them, for the rest of my days; the hitch is that my days ain't that many. I get along with everyone fine now, yet still that time's gonna come when either my assignment gets changed or Vash pisses me off so much I shoot him myself. And then what'll she think of me? No, it can't last. Oh crap. I didn't say that last thing out loud, did I?
Aw shit. Aw shit. She looks like she's gonna cry or somethin'. I'm no good with cryin' people, never was and never will. I hate seein' that look in her eyes. Goddamit. So I do what I do best around her: I give her a little poke under the ribs, chuck her chin, an' make up an excuse for what I'd let slip, that I wasn't thinkin' about the future. Good, there, she's stopped the waterworks but she still can't force up a smile yet. I don't know what to do. All of sudden somethin' in my head says that if I have any chance of at all at changin' things for the better, to get to be what she deserves, then with her help--all their help--maybe I can do it. While I think that, I see a smile suddenly come across her face. That's a lot better. She's so damn cute when she does that. Come on, Honey, gimme a kiss.