CHAPTER SIX: BEHAVE

Totally unaccustomed to desert travel, Knives had to restrain his complaints. He didn't want Vanessa to think poorly of him; Vash and Vanessa hadn't whined once since leaving the cave two days ago.

Knives pulled his cloak about him. At first, he was insulted at the ugly cloth when Vanessa insisted he wear it. Now, however, he realized how horribly the sun and wind would chafe him without it. Wishing to glance behind them, he knew he could no longer distinguish the cave on the horizon, and so he kept treading stoically behind Vanessa. Anxiety nagged him, yet he was decidedly calm. What would Vanessa think if he were to become an immature burden now?

So he stared to her, although unable to see anything but her cloak and backpack.

Vash, at his right, slipped his thumbs beneath the straps over his shoulders. His familiar red coat waved gently behind him, and the string of heavy canteens dangling from his backpack were a welcomed load. To be amongst humans again!

Vanessa reached to her side and touched the book beneath her cloak.

Instinctively as well, Vash felt for his weapon. The gun he had practiced with so religiously these past few days hung beside him. Tingling, his trigger finger was wrapped in a bandage. Peacetime stole his precious calluses away long before. He hoped that what skill he preserved would be enough to maintain tranquility for his brother.

     'But no amount of gunmanship will protect Vanessa from Knives.'

     Shaking the thought from his mind, Vash scolded himself. 'I'm demonizing him, like people do to me. Although he's been terrible in the past, he really is trying. It's not like he beats her. Or me,' he thought, chuckling only momentarily. This was little comfort. Vash's concern was of more than compassion – he was becoming jealous.

Vanessa turned around and walked backwards, holding her hair from her face as she spoke to Knives. "Doing alright?" she asked with a ridiculous smile.

"Uh," Knives stuttered, startled from the break in silence. "Vanessa…Yes. Do you need a rest?" he asked apprehensively.

"No, I'm fine. Thirsty, though," she answered, stepping lightly on always-bare feet to Vash's right side, away from Knives. She walked beside him, reaching for a canteen hanging from a long cord at his back. After the lid was unscrewed and dangling by its string, Vanessa drank slowly, letting her free left hand fall to her side, brushing clumsily against Vash's side as they ambled along.

Vash cast a quick look at Knives, who was staring at the sand before him, and unhooked his thumbs from the shoulder straps. The non-robotic arm now brushed past Vanessa's.

She took his hand in her own, and rubbed his fingers slightly.

A smile crept sneakily across her face, as Vash noticed from the corner of his eye.

Once the lingering sip was taken, she let his hand loose and re-capped the canteen. She dropped it gently behind him, where it joined the others, clanging softly from strings.

Considering the move both bold and cunning, Vash kept a stagnant stare ahead as he reached out to rub the backs of his fingers against her cloak. He felt the warm curve of her waist, holding in a grin. Again he let his arm fall to his side.

Vanessa playfully elbowed him in reply before again moving to lead the group. Hidden by the folds of her cloak, she grinned with eyes shut for a moment. But when she remembered their quest, the smile faded to a more solemn expression.

Feeling it was best to journey to a city Vash hadn't been to in a while, to avoid bounty hunters and recognition, Vanessa led them to March. If they had entered the city by its nearest edge, they would find themselves in a bustling merchant area, so she led them to encircle the city nearly halfway before entering.

Few people walked in the streets here, but one human was too many for Knives. He visibly shuddered as they passed the first, a decrepit old man resting like a sack of potatoes in his chair.

Vanessa moved hastily to Knives, wrapping her arms around his left. Pretending to hang onto him lovingly, she hid her true intentions. With her concealing his weapon, he couldn't draw forth the knives without hurting her. Thus, she placed herself between the humans and their exterminator.

Walking at Knives' other side, Vash fidgeted nervously. He surveyed the street, memorizing each detail for future reference. But these neurotic actions lessened as they passed a group of laughing children. Instinct ushered him to play with them, but duty kept him alongside his brother. Traveling alone had been far more fun than this would be.

"In a couple more blocks is a hotel called 'The March Oasis,'" Vanessa said cheerily. "We'll check in there and go job-hunting, okay, Vash?" She gazed up at Knives. "You can just rest until we get back, alright? I doubt you'd want to go out without us…"

Knives nodded, his lips pursed with disgust at the humans around him. He kept his head held high, staring above the people's heads to avoid their looks. "I hate it when they stare at me like that," he growled quietly.

"They're staring at all three of us," she reminded him in a whisper. "It's because we're foreigners to them. Maybe because we're all blonde. And Vash is dressed in red, that's probably distracting, too."

"Mm-hmm," he replied, face still stiffened.

Vanessa rested her head against his shoulder - not for comfort, of course. She frowned and felt his arm tense.

Knives attempted to snake out of her grasp. "Really, do you have to…"

"Oh, but I feel safer this way," she replied in a sugary tone, cuddling closer to him.

He stopped resisting and relaxed a bit.

As they stepped into the lobby of the March Oasis, Vash pulled a wad of double dollars from his coat. He counted them discretely as Vanessa spoke to the lady at the desk.

"We need two rooms – one for one, and another with two beds, please."

Vash looked up, surprised. Who would be sleeping in which room? Would he and Knives share a room, or…

"That'll be a total of 25$$ each day," the woman replied, pulling out the registry. "What are your names?" she asked, pen raised.

"Oh, Vash, should I put this under your name?" Vanessa asked, glancing to him.

Again, Vash looked puzzled, but Vanessa continued before he could answer.

"Vash Saverem," Vanessa proudly pronounced for the woman. "That's S-A-V-E-R-E-M. For the single. And Knives Saverem for the double," she continued, gesturing to Knives.

Knives was clearly also confused and uncomfortable by the name usage, but his expression before the mention was no different.

After writing their names in the registry, the woman revealed her curiosity at this odd group, and cast a strange look to Vash. "Vash like as in Vash the Stampede? You've got the same name, I mean," she said inquisitively. "But you sure don't look like a Humanoid Typhoon…"

Vash flashed a goofy grin. "Yeah, I get that a lot." He handed her 100$$. "That's for the next four days, right?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

The woman shoved the bills into the cash register, commenting as she did. "And I guess 'Knives' is some kind of nickname, huh?" She looked up, smiling apologetically. "It's none of my business, I'm sorry! I'm so nosy today," she added, handing them two keys.

Vanessa smiled and ushered a tense Knives upstairs.

They shed their backpacks and canteens onto a bed in the double room.

Knives kept his cloak fastened about him protectively, and leaned back onto the other bed.

"Should I change?" Vash asked Vanessa, gesturing at his red coat.

"Nah," she replied. "People have hired you when you were dressed like that before, right? I'm sure it'll be fine." She pulled her hood back and took her hairpins from her belt. After she twirled her hair into the spirals over her ears and pinned them securely she reopened the door and turned to Knives.

"We'll be back in a few hours with dinner," she said gently to Knives. "Will you be alright?"

Knives crossed his arms like a child. "Of course I will."

Vash followed Vanessa down the stairs and out onto the dusty street, each now breathing sighs of relief.

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