(RUNS UP WITH TONS OF MOUNTAIN CLIMBING EQUIPMENT):
Here! Get off that cliff right now! Dang, you guys are tough hanging on so long like that! How did you go to the bathroom, anyway? (awkward pause) On second thought, I think I rather not know. Ew. But I'm so sorry for the wait. Seriously, I wouldn't have made such a big cliff if I knew it was gonna take me so damn long to get up there and rescue you. Maybe we'll stick to the bunny slopes from now on...or not. Heh, dangerous stories are fun but you could get hurt! And thanks for the compliments on the reinterpretation of the Vash/Midvalley fight scene. Sigh. I couldn't think of any other way for Nick to win besides pull Vash's ricochet trick. Special shout out to KThomas1313...1-47 in one night? That's beyond awesome. Hmm, now what was this really about? Ah yes, the fate of darling Nicky D. Am I one of his fangirls or not? I think it's obvious but maybe it isn't. See what you think. Leap from the cliff and read on like the brave souls you are!
For the longest time he didn't understand. He couldn't comprehend why his hands were bleeding this way. His empty aching hands and the bent and scarred piece of yellow metal now resting at his feet. An instrument that he knew would function no longer. His hate filled eyes slowly drifted away from this incomprehensible sight to that of the man lying motionless several meters away. Large amounts of red smeared the dirt around that man in the torn black suit, but somehow Midvalley knew that signaled nothing. "You think this changes anything?"
He opened his pain-glazed eyes halfway and after a long pause, forced his body into an awkward sitting position. Nick's breathing was overly labored as he contemplated standing. He knew it wouldn't be much longer. He ignored Midvalley, glancing back towards the direction of where the angel was waiting. Too far...but she didn't deserve this gruesome sight anyway. The Hornfreak stared as Nick rose to his feet slowly, using the punisher for support as he came up. "That depends what you make of it."
Midvalley tightened his bloody fists, as he began to tremble slightly. "That isn't an answer, Chapel! He's going to kill us both now!"
Wolfwood propped the cross on his shoulder, concentrating on each deliberate step as he began to walk. "My conscience is clear."
His eyes narrowed as he almost laughed at the insanity of it all. "You're fucking crazy...and where the hell do you think that dying body is going to take you?"
Nick kept on, passing him without a second glance. He'd seen it on the way into town. He could probably make it there. Why he wanted to eluded him, but it actually felt natural today. "Where any good Christian should be on Sunday."
He couldn't just leave him like that. No one deserved to be left like that. Silent tears had flowed the entire time as Vash carried the corpse down to the soft sand below. He dug the grave with his own hands. The actions were mechanical as he kept thoughts away, merely focusing on displacing more and more of the burning sands. It had to be deep enough that wind couldn't come and negate this effort later. But as the chore began to take longer and longer, the door to his mind started to force itself open again. He realized he couldn't hold it shut as easily as he used to. Because there were just too many dark things waiting to push their way out now. Sadness was slowly breeding into hatred behind the door...and one day he wouldn't be able to stop it at all. If things continued this way much longer, he was going to break down. This had to end.
His own hand looked blurry as he lifted it in front of him, pushing against the massive doors. They gave way easily, almost welcoming him as the flutter of wings passed vaguely above. He smiled weakly at the bright carpet stretched out in front of him. The abandoned sanctuary was bathed in a beautiful white light that seemed to add a pure glow to all within it. It reminded him of home. The orphanage and all the kids. He hoped they could understand. Know that he wasn't perfect and he hadn't meant for this to happen. Nick flinched, forcing his eyes to remain at least half open as he continued to walk for the altar. His body felt heavier and heavier as his thoughts began to slow, but still the panic refused to set in. Wolfwood finally reached the end of the walkway, lowering gratefully to his knees because he could sustain his weight no longer. He kept a grip on the punisher as he focused upward to a true crucifix hanging above the altar.
The priest's eyes softened, but no words came. Where to start? There was so much to apologize for. Only at the end could you see the whole picture. All the things you could have done differently...all the mistakes you made along the way. But hadn't he done right today? After he'd won, he'd still had plenty of ammo in his cross. He could have killed Midvalley easily, but he hadn't. He hadn't wanted to. So why was he the one being punished this way? It didn't mean he was wrong did it? No. He was right...but maybe he'd still been too late. He'd committed too many sins for them to all be erased by something so simple as a change of heart. It looked like he was going to have to give his own life to even try to make it equal. Heavenly justice. He frowned, sticking his hand into his jacket for one last smoke. Nick kept one arm around the base of the punisher while placing the crumpled cigarette between his lips with the other. He didn't even need good hand eye coordination to complete a task he'd done so many times before. He used his free hand again to light it and inhaled with a slight smirk. How could it taste so good to him? But of course cigarettes were bad for the baby, weren't they? The priest let the cigarette fall from his mouth as the missing emotion finally took hold of him.
The reality of all he would be leaving behind. Fear of where he was going. His eyes narrowed at the new stinging within them. The second time he'd cried in two days. But this time he didn't care. He didn't give a damn who saw, because his heart was really breaking. Even if by some divine mercy he did end up in paradise, it still wouldn't be his Eden. Nothing would be good enough unless she was by his side. But he could never know her love again. They would be separated by the ultimate divide. And Milly was so young, she'd have to move on...hell, he expected her to because she deserved to be happy. But as selfish as it was, he never wanted to picture her finding comfort in another man's arms. In another man's bed...the mere thought brought more pain to his heart than any bullet ever could. His eyes darkened as he suddenly yelled with the remainder of his energy, addressing whomever it was that listened when mortals inevitably begged for more time. "I DID NOT WANT TO DIE THIS WAY!" Frustrated tears ran freely down his tanned face as he felt his last weak holds to this world slipping. He had changed too late. Found and lost himself again in the span of one day. This was the cost of freedom.
Her hands fell away from her face as the chill ran through her. Milly's damp eyes widened slowly, though she was no longer really seeing. All senses focused on that one brief feeling. A cold sting in her heart that left her breathless. Something was missing now. She'd felt it go.
Meryl turned with a start as the tall girl suddenly leapt from the bed. "Milly?"
She was only on one track now. Her partner's voice went unnoticed as she threw on her coat and jerked up her holster from the table with one hand before flinging the door open with the other. It slammed against the wall, making a loud enough noise to bring her back to her senses momentarily.
The shorthaired girl stood in silence as the other hesitated on the threshold.
Milly's eyes remained desperate, staring out to what was forbidden by the conditions of her vow. Just what was she thinking? Tears ran down the sides of her face though no sound escaped her. It would be selfish, reckless, foolish, and even sinful. It would be all these things if she took just one more step. But she knew she'd felt this way before. Only once before. In a beautiful house with blood stained floors. She'd been left behind that day, and never in her life did she expect it again. Her heart cried out once more and she cursed, bolting barefoot from the room.
Meryl didn't question, immediately chasing her through the house and back into the hot sunlight at a full sprint. Milly leapt from the porch, hooking her holster around her waist as she continued. The gunfire had stopped sometime earlier and now all that could be heard was their footfalls against the hard dirt and heavy breathing as they both strained their legs to somehow carry them even faster. It was blind and desperate, but Meryl knew where the tall girl's long legs were leading them. To the last howls of the cross punisher.
He'd been standing alone for some time before they reached him. Still in a startled daze where Chapel had left him. Not knowing where to go or how his fate would come. The strangers came dashing around the corner and instantly froze at the sight of him. It was those women.
The girls' chests heaved for air as they remained warily in place. A man they didn't know stood silently in the middle of the street while blood seeped continuously from his numerous bullet grazes. The buildings around him were in utter rubble. Eerie remnants of some titanic battle had just before their arrival. Meryl nearly jumped from her skin as Milly suddenly yelled against all better judgement.
"WHERE'S CHAPEL?" There wasn't time for caution, and she knew this man would probably recognize that name more than her saying Wolfwood or Nicholas.
He blinked upon hearing the name erupt without warning from such an innocent looking mouth. Did this mean she was the one that priest had been fucking around with? Personally, he would have preferred the short one had he been given that assignment. Midvalley glanced over his shoulder at the trail of red leading past him and around the corner. "I doubt he'll be too hard to find."
Both of them paled noticeably and Milly immediately broke back into that unbelievably fast run of hers as Meryl struggled to keep up.
When all became quiet again, the voice he'd been dreading finally came.
You spared them...why?
They've got nothing to do with this. My orders were only for Chapel.
Your chauvinism is amusing, but we are all equal in our inferiority. They deserve no less and no more. Is that not what I told you when it came to Dominique?
She would have killed me had it been the other way around, that situation isn't the same as this.
Justify your actions how you will, but this failure cannot be tolerated.
How did I fail? He's going to die anyway, those wounds were too sev-
You were expected to finish Chapel and then move on to intercept Vash The Stampede in the next city. You can no longer accomplish that. In that way you have failed.
Midvalley looked weakly down to the remains of Sylvia, understanding all too well that the fate of he and his dear instrument would always be one in the same.
You are no longer of any use to Master.
His hand muscles tightened, jerking his arm towards the spot in his jacket where he kept his extra gun. A small semi-automatic. Once his fingers had wrapped themselves around the pistol, removing it from his coat, his hand suddenly relaxed again. Midvalley smirked sickeningly, staring down at the gleaming gunmetal that was now in his control. Legato was going to let him do it for himself. How fucking kind of him.
The world was coming undone before her eyes, all she could see was that bright red. See it and know. Know that there would be nothing to brace her for its conclusion. One more corner and she was at the edge of town. Two large doors of a nearby building hung wide open. A small white cross adorned its roof leaving no question as to the structure's purpose. "NICHOLAS!" She cried desperately, her legs now aching as she stumbled towards it. The tears were starting again, and as she neared the entrance she began to feel weaker. The end of this ominous trail was just beyond those doors. Her heart knew it and soon so would her eyes.
Meryl rounded the corner as a single gunshot sounded nearby. She cussed and gasped for Milly in the same breath. "THOMPSON!"
The tall girl never heard her or the echo of Midvalley's last action. The feeling of her lover's blood beneath her feet didn't register either as she stood frozen with her eyes fixated on the sight in front the altar. Sky blue eyes widened in the ultimate horror, and she blindly pulled away as Meryl's hand grabbed weakly for her wrist.
She released her, as tears started to fill her own eyes at the vision. Please God, no...not like this.
Milly fell beside him so quickly that the carpet burnt her knees as she immediately placed two fingers against his neck. His skin was still warm, but there was no pulse. She whimpered an "Oh God", and shoved the punisher out her way, laying him quickly down on his back. The blood was everywhere. Nicholas's heart wasn't beating. She had absolutely no idea how she was even functioning right now. "Meryl...Meryl I need you to count. Please count."
The short girl snapped out of it, realizing Milly was right. They couldn't give up yet.
She placed her hands one over the other, resting them firmly on the center of his chest. A few of her tears fell onto his face as she began the compressions. "Please God..."
Meryl counted the compressions, letting the structured task calm her slightly. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15."
Milly quickly leaned down, placing her mouth on his to breathe air back into his lungs. The pattern was fifteen quick pumps, then two breaths, then fifteen pumps, then two breaths again and so on. All you could do was hope.
They were both trembling now. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15."
She leaned down and breathed for him again. She tried to ignore it as the blood that had collected on her lips began to run down her chin.
Meryl wiped at her eyes. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15."
"Dammit Nicholas!" Milly was losing her control as the crying began to shake her body harder.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15." Her numbers were becoming more incoherent every time.Meryl bit into her bottom lip as Milly breathed into the unresponsive Wolfwood yet again. Meryl was going to kill Vash. Downright fucking murder him. Where the hell was he when they were trying to save Nick's damn life?
She pressed on his chest again while Meryl counted. Milly closed her eyes, praying with all her heart as she forced his chest up and down. "This isn't fair! He changed! He only wanted to do what was right! Please don't take him from us! He deserves to live! I know he can help others if you just let him come back!"
Meryl turned her head briefly, suddenly hearing the sound of an engine approaching.
The tall girl reared back from the mouth to mouth at that same moment, staring down at the priest.
Meryl shifted her gaze back. "Milly, wh-"
Maybe she was wrong, but she thought he'd just...
Nick gave a weak cough reflex as some blood edged out the side of his mouth. The most welcome sound either of them had ever heard.
Hope instantly returned to Meryl's eyes. "Is he-"
Milly didn't know whether to smile or keep crying as Wolfwood's chest began to rise and fall shallowly. "He's alive, but we're going to lose him again if we don't get him out of here! Go get Vash, Sempai!"
He slammed the brakes at the sight of the small woman exiting the church. He'd left her safe in bed, so what the hell was she doing out here? Barefoot in her pajamas and cape no less.
Irate would not be the word. Furious wouldn't suit it either. She was about to shoot him. Blow that damn prosthetic arm clean off. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN, ASSHOLE?"
And that's when he realized she was crying. Vash jumped out the dingy convertible, instantly coming up on her side and putting his hands on her shoulders. He looked her over for any injuries as he started to explain. "There was a Gung-Ho Gun in the desert and-"He winced as the resulting slap left his cheek stinging.
"You should have at least woken me up!"
"I didn't know tha-"
She cut him off again, pulling away. "Give me your excuses later! We need to get Nick to a hospital!"
His eyebrows lowered at the name, but the concern was still evident in his actions as he followed her quickly back inside.
And this is how the hate started. This is how Knives built that malice within him. Vash sat in the driver's seat, keeping a worried eye on the two in the rearview mirror while Meryl frantically gathered all their remaining belongings from the two houses. They'd laid Wolfwood on his back across the rear seat. Milly currently had the back of the priest's head resting in her lap as she tended to him the best she could, but he was a bloody mess. A bullet through the chest, a bullet through the front of his left thigh, and a bullet lodged in his right side. There were also some deep grazes in other places, but those three were the most life threatening. Vash was sure he'd felt broken bones when he'd lifted him into the car though. How he could have received that, he wasn't sure. Milly suddenly gasped, making Vash immediately turn in his seat.
She'd already unbuttoned Wolfwood's jacket and shirt to better reach the wounds and was now staring down at his stomach. She ran her fingertips lightly over his abs without really touching them. His already tan abdomen was now nearly black with severe bruising.
The outlaw was as unnerved at the sight as she was. It didn't make sense. He was way too torn up for a simple gunfight. Those kinds of injuries might be expected for someone that'd been run over by a car or been in a serious wreck or something, but never from a few bullets.
LATER
Milly stared down at him in helpless anguish. His pulse was barely existent, and they were still almost a half hour from the next city. Really, he shouldn't have lasted this long. Every minute he kept breathing was a miracle in itself. And he'd lost so much blood. They hadn't even tried to remove the bullets, instead leaving them more as steel corks until a real doctor could attend to him. A doctor with plenty of units of plasma waiting in the wings. Meryl had helped her bandage the most alarming sources of blood loss, and thank God some clotting had formed to help them out. But really there wasn't much they could do. Just keep driving and try to keep him comfortable. She was reluctant to ever remove her eyes from him though, afraid any moment could be his last. Inside she was absolutely terrified, but she remained outwardly silent not allowing herself more than a few quiet tears every now and then. Nicholas would want her to be strong, and that's what she was going to do.
Meryl looked back at her for the sixth time in fifteen minutes. "Any difference?"
"He isn't tensing up as much, I don't know if that's good or bad though..."
Vash glanced sadly at her in the rearview mirror. "Maybe you should talk to him...he probably does hear us, even if it's only in his subconscious."
She felt a bit foolish, knowing he was probably much too far to reach right now. But after another quiet moment, she took Vash's suggestion anyway, beginning to run her fingers lightly through the priest's messy black hair while speaking softly to him. "Please stay with us, darling. I know it's hard, but please don't give up just yet." She smiled a little, bringing her hand under his unshaven chin to stroke it in that way he liked. "You're always so stubborn...I know you can find a way back to us."
Vash cocked an eyebrow as the tall girl suddenly fell silent with a blush. Meryl looked over her shoulder again to investigate this reaction and actually sighed. "Well he can't be that bad off if he still has energy to be lecherous..."
She laughed weakly, hoping her Sempai spoke the truth. He was still lying on his back, but Wolfwood had actually moved in response to her voice and touch, turning his head so that the back of it was now towards Vash and Meryl while the side of his face pressed firmly between Milly's warm legs. He did indeed look more comfortable.