Back and bad. Still as terrible as ever, but at half the cost!
Disclaimer: I don't own Vandread.
#1:Time
Time.
Time, the one thing there is an infinite amount of, but never enough of. Time is always on both sides of something, both a friend and enemy, working agianst you as it helps you along.
Time.
Time was the one that brought him to this place; to where he had thought would be his tomb. But it brought the one he thought would save him. He had thought that time had left a firm imprint in the one he loved, enough so that she would be able to tell that it was him. But apparently, the universe had felt that his time was up. Bringing his only true love to finish him off. Though it was time that had saved him as well, having the bullet pass thorough the center of his chest, missing any vital organ, and giving him more of the coveted time. He had already used up more than his share of time, but managed to keep acquiring more. It gave him enough to place a barrier to protect him from the explosion and collapsing rubble, but immobilized him long enough for her to get away. All along time was screwing him over, keeping him up, just to knock him down.
That was five years ago, and now this was his time. He had been living on borrowed time for the last five years, but now, on the dawn of the sixth, he would claim his time.
Jack stood with his back against a large, shady tree, this spot, on this day, haunting him every waking and sleeping moment for the last five years. The imagery of in his mind grew stronger the closer he had drawn to this planet. He had been here in his mind during happier times, though then he knew not were it was. This planet had once been the center of two empires, both which had collapsed due in part to is interference. This third empire was thriving, transforming the desolate ball of dirt and pain into a peaceful world, nestled beneath a blanket of metal and war. It was time to move, and he crested the small ridge, memory's being ripped into his mind like the grass under his boots.
Waves of bright green grass shimmer in the sunlight, rustling under a slight breeze. Patches of flower dot the beautiful area, adding to the positive vibe. A single wooden table sat in the center of the small indentation in the earth, a wreath of flowers lying on its surface. A young girl sat across from a man in his late twenties, head resting on his arms, as the girl wove more flowers into the wreath. He walked quickly down the hill, this moment searing him with pain every day. He realized something was wrong as he came within earshot of the two. He saw that the small girl was not that that haunted him, but completely different, as was the man. They turned, but couldn't see his face, his hood being over his head, shielding him from the rays of the setting sun. Both the people at the table stared as Jack walked to the very edge of the table. He took note of everything, the flowers on the table, the messy fashion that they were woven together with, even the grain of the table.
The little girls long blue hair swirled around her face as it was caught by the wind.
"Who are you?" She asked, no fear in her voice, just a small politeness. It was the Man in his twenties that answered.
"He is a very bad man." He stated grimly.
"How so?" she queried back.
"He is the man who left Sophia without a father." The little girls eyes widened, and she turned to stare in the opposite direction. "Go into the house, and sent mommy out, Tiffany." He finished. She nodded without turning around, stood, and raced off in the direction she was facing. Jack sat at the bench she had just vacated, and uttered in a dry growl.
"Tiffany? Not very original if you as me." The man laughed.
"Not like I had much of a say in it."
Tiffany burst into the house tripping on the rug, and sliding into the kitchen on her stomach. Three women sat at stools around a counter in the middle of the room, sipping coffee, and chatting about the latest going's on. A woman with matching blue hair looked down at the girl sprawled on the linoleum.
"She just had to take after her father." She sighed, shaking her head as the little girl leapt to her feat, brushing dirt off her front.
"Mommy! Daddy told me to come and get you! He said that a bad man is here!" she cried.
"What? What bad man?" The woman across the counter said apprehensively.
"I don't know, but he said that it was the bad man who killed Sophie's daddy!" All the women's eyes widened at this, and the leaped up and rushed out the door, the little girl trailing behind.
"So, how long had it been now?"
"Five years, and I have one person I need to thank for that." Jack spat out, the bitterness in his voice almost causing the flowers surrounding him to wilt. He turned his head as a trio of figures appeared over the lip of the indentation. He could tell who they were even from this distance. The short blue hair and slender figure of Meia, The long shiny blonde hair of Jura, And the figure that had left him for dead, 5 years ago.
"What are you going to do?" The man across the table asked as Jack lowered his hood.
"What I should have done five years ago." His voice was startlingly clam.
The end, only because I'm out of ideas for this story tonight, so I'll just make a new chapter tomorrow.