A/N: Almost two months...Man, sorry about that. The usual things got in the way, mostly school starting up and band camp. I have every intention of finishing this, hopefully before the end of the year. Thanks for waiting so long. Kuroneko-sama will love you forever for it! I kinda went through a mini Billy Joel phase while writing this chapter on and off. I hope you enjoy!!! -NB-
Disclaimer: Own Trigun, I do not. The song 'Longest Time' by Billy Joel does not belong to me. Added characters are of my own doing, and therefore, belong to me.
-Stray Cat Strut-
By: Neptune Butterfly
Ch 5: Longest Time
"I wonder what happened out there."
All three girls sat down at a table in the unofficially designated children's area watching the front entrance where Vash flew back in a few moments ago.
Amy turned to her cousin. "I bet Miss Meryl's too scared to say it."
"Say what?" Alicia questioned.
"To say that she likes Mr. Vash...Just like YOU are too scared to say you like Troy!"
Mary was playing with the stuffed kitty when her head popped up with wide eyes and a gasp at hearing the boy's name. "You like Troy?!"
"I don't like Troy!"
"Yes you do!"
"You actually LIKE Troy?!"
"No I don't!"
"Yes you do!"
"That is SO gross!"
The little blonde slammed her hands on the table and raised herself out of her seat. "I DON'T LIKE TROY!!!"
"I don't like you either, Four-eyes."
They all turned their heads to where Troy stood beside Mary's chair. He had the same look on his face as before when he watched the cousins walk by to clean up the broken glass not long ago. His light plaid shirt was now buttoned but everything else about him was the same.
Amy's hazel eyes narrowed at him. "What are YOU doing here TROY ERICKSON?"
"I'd like to ask YOU the same thing ANNE MARIE INGALLS," he replied copying the rudeness in Amy's voice. "And WHAT the hell is this?"
"Hey!" The eleven-year-old grabbed the stuffed cat out of Mary's hands to examine it. The little brunette glared at him. "Give that back!"
He turned it around in his hand and stared at the two patches of green that were supposed to be eyes. "It is a rat of some kind?"
Amy's eyes narrowed even more. "It's a CAT stupid!"
"Huh." Troy pulled the tail and it came off.
The girls gasped. Alicia, who remained quiet since Troy showed up, stared at him with a broken look on her face.
The boy noticed but kept acting like he didn't care. "Oops," he said carelessly, "I guess you'll have to fix it. I think I'll go find another box of band-aids for your clumsy fingers Four-eyes."
Alicia looked down at her fingers and quickly hid them.
That ticked Mary off. "You broke it, you DUMMY!!!" She stomped Troy's foot with all her might.
"OUCH!!!" He dropped the toy and its tail, and they landed in front of Amy. "DAMMIT MARY!! I'm outa here!"
"And go wash your mouth out with soap 'cause your breath STINKS!!" Mary replied. She and Amy had a good laugh for a few seconds.
Then they noticed their friend still hadn't said anything. Her face was a little red and tears liquefied her blue eyes. Alicia focused on the tailless kuroneko she and Amy had worked so hard on. She sniffed and pushed her glasses back up with a bandaged finger, unable to say a word.
Her cousin picked it up. "It's okay Alicia. We'll fix it. Don't worry about that stupid Troy. Besides, he likes Miss Meryl. And he doesn't stand a chance against Mr. Vash!" The eight-year-old hoped that it would cheer her up. Mary giggled into her hand.
"We're out of black thread," Alicia said softly and continued to sniff.
"Well..." Amy slid out of her chair, "Let's go find Mr. Wolfwood!" The blonde just stared at her. "He wears black, doesn't he? C'mon!"
"Okay..." Alicia got up to follow.
"See ya later Mary!"
"Bring it back when you're done fixin' it!"
"Okay!" And the cousins took off...
-----
"...And Ryan was supposed to track the gang's movements." Sharon continued. "They're so well organized that they had to send someone inside."
"So who's he reporting too?" Meryl asked.
"I'm afraid we can't tell you that."
The girls jumped at the sound of a male voice. Ryan's spinning head slowed down enough to let him respond. He lifted himself from Sharon's supporting arms and pulled his hood off. A head-full of shaggy dirty blonde hair suddenly appeared. His face was not that of a boy, but he obviously hadn't reached full maturity either. It was too dark to tell if his eyes had any color to them. The insurance girls definitely recognized him from the fight at the plant from earlier that day.
"Why not?" Milly asked.
"I'm not allowed to give out that information. I've endangered the mission enough as it is by telling Sharon. At least I was given permission to tell her."
Meryl questioned him further. "But they're here aren't they? The person you're reporting to?"
Ryan shook his head. "Yes."
"We better go inside. The wind's picking up." Sharon got up and took hold of Ryan's arm as he tried to walk away while still feeling the effects of her tray connecting with his forehead. "That means you too, so I can look at your head."
"All right, but only for a few minutes."
They made their way to the back door. "Sharon?"
She turned to the shorter insurance girl after opening the door. The music could clearly be heard down the hall that led to the kitchen, the stairs to the second story, and the main room. "Yes?"
"Do you know if the Ruckus Boys had anything do with the plants shutting down in Inepril?"
"I guess...Did they?" The teenager looked to Ryan for conformation.
"Oh yeah. I was there when they did it. They usually hit smaller towns like this one. Inepril was the biggest one they've hit. fortunately, they didn't finish the job."
As they continued to file into the hall, Milly asked, "Why would they do something like that?"
"Partly for kicks and partly for the mass exodus that would follow after."
"Oh, like a big party?"
Meryl sighed. "More like a big parting. So, they shut the plants down and rob as many people as they can when they leave?"
"Exactly."
"Gosh, that's awful! Well, Meryl and I wish you good luck Mr. Ryan."
The young man gave her a smile. "Thanks. And thank you both for not blowing my cover."
"Sure thing. Uh...are you okay?" Meryl helped Sharon with Ryan as he slumped down. The hall was making him dizzy and nauseated .
"Come over here and sit down. I'll go get some ice." Sharon sat him down at the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the kitchen door. "I'll be right back."
"Let's go Milly..." The insurance girls walked toward the main room.
-----
"...Man, you really are a wuss Vash."
"Okay, I'd like to see YOU go out there and talk to her!" the gunman retorted with a glare.
Layla just shook her head. The legendary gunman wasn't at all like she envisioned. She could see him acting all innocent and sweet to throw people off, but getting his butt kicked around by a small woman and making a complete fool of himself wouldn't fit the criteria of an outlaw in her mind. It made her rethink all the incidents where Vash was supposedly involved. From what Layla observed so far tonight, she was thinking maybe they were really more like accidents. Unintentional. But the one thing that boggled her was how on earth did he manage to obliterate an entire city?
The priest leaned back in his chair puffing on another cigarette. "Sorry, not my place. I don't deal with moody short girls."
"Um...Mr. Wolfwood?"
He looked to his left where Amy suddenly appeared. "Hm?"
"Can we borrow some black thread?" she asked.
Wolfwood gave a confused look. "Huh? But I don't have any."
Amy stared back at him as if he were stupid. "Yes you do!"
"No I don't!"
"Uh huh!"
"Nu uh!"
"Uh huh!"
"Nu..." Noticing the sly smile on Vash's face, Wolfwood composed himself, "Why do you need black thread?"
"That stupid Troy ripped his tail off!" The eight-year-shoved the stuffed cat and tail into his face.
The priest met its eyes crossing his own. He then, glanced over to Alicia standing behind her friend. Her head was down, glasses at the tip of her nose and hands clasped in front. From what he could see, the incident must have been heartbreaking. "Oh...Well, let me see what I can do."
The little blonde lifted her face a little more hopeful than before while her cousin hung herself around Wolfwood's neck. "Thank you!"
He quickly removed the cigarette from his mouth, so it wouldn't burn Amy. "No problem..." the priest hugged the girl with one arm while smiling at the other. Alicia grew a smile of her own.
'That's so sweet of him,' thought Layla. 'I just hope they don't start another fight while they're here.' The last time was nerve-wracking enough.
"Is something wrong?" She looked over to Vash. There was concern in his voice. "You look worried."
"Oh, it's nothing..."
-----
"...Are we gonna tell them?" Milly asked her partner as they walked back into the bar room.
Meryl knew that she was talking about Vash and Wolfwood. "We can't. We promised. Besides, there's no telling what would happen if those two got involved."
A woman hurriedly brushed past them with a tray full of dishes. "Miss Laura?"
She looked up, surprised. "Oh, hey girls. Say, have you seen Sharon? She disappeared again."
Both girls stiffened, and Milly began mumbling, "Uh, well--"
"--She went to the bathroom," Meryl quickly finished.
Miss Laura put her tray down on the counter and sighed, "Oh, that's great timing."
"Is there a problem?" Milly asked.
"We're behind on the orders. We've never had this many people at one time!" The older woman made a sweep with her right arm across the room. "Andy's helping out behind the counter, but it isn't enough!"
Meryl wished that she could tell her what was really going on with Sharon. However, the law was involved, and they've made a promise to keep quiet. She looked to Milly whose expression reflected her thoughts. Then an idea popped into her head. "If you don't mind, we would like to help."
"O-oh, I couldn't let you do that--"
"--It's okay, we don't mind."
Miss Laura hesitated a moment, not wanting to seem too eager to accept the help no matter how badly she needed it. "Well, if you're sure, the aprons and trays are right over there..."
-----
Donovan slumped over his beer mug and stared into it as if fascinated by its contents oblivious to the commotion around him. Andy said he'd come back after he finished playing with Sean's band, but his wife was having trouble keeping up with the orders. So, being the good husband that he was, went to help out. It's been a while since Angela had been able to sweep by to talk and flirt. He'd join Vash and Wolfwood, but the Ingalls Girls were over there at the moment; enough said. The fact that he wasn't very good with kids in general was bad enough.
The deputy sighed and leaned back ruffling his sandy hair with his left hand. Red and green suddenly passed through his field of vision. Donovan immediately knew who it was. "Hey Angela!"
Her green skirt twirled around at the sound of her name. "Oh hey!" The redhead freed a hand from her tray to brush her ponytail back. "I'm sorry Donovan, I got too much to worry about right now."
"Yeah, I can see that," he said nodding to the pile of mugs and glasses she was carrying. It was even bigger than the one Sharon smashed across the bar room floor. "So, there's not a chance that we could have another dance?"
The deputy knew that it was hopeless, but he had to ask anyway. Their first dance was the most fun he had in a long while. That had been only an hour ago, but it seemed much longer. He kept thinking of her twirling around the dance floor and the happiness he felt.
From the look on her face, it was obvious the feeling was mutual. She stood across the table, emerald eyes locked on him. "It looks that way I'm afraid...I really am sorry," she said in disappointment.
Donovan decided that he preferred Angela's giggly, more upbeat side. Sadness did not suit her at all. He sat up towards her. "Don't be." He put on the biggest smile he could.
It was contagious, and the read-head's face brightened with a small, shy smile of her own. "Well...I guess...I'll...catcha later..."
With that, she set off for the counter. Donovan noticed a slight blush in her cheeks before she turned away. It could be from drinking too much alcohol, but he was sure that he just saw a new side to Angela. He liked it.
-----
"How's that bump?" asked Sharon.
"Well, the hall's not spinning anymore if that's what you mean." Ryan held up a cloth with ice folded in against his forehead. His cloak now laid in a heap on the bottom step beside his boot-clad feet. Dust covered everything he wore fading his blue button shirt and dark jeans. Only the brown vest seemed un-weathered.
Sharon had a question. She'd been playing it over and over in her head how she was gonna ask him. Now the opportunity was here, and it was stuck in her throat.
After Ryan was finished with his assignment, he'd probably leave for good. He gained the reputation around town of being her 'bad boy' boyfriend. It wasn't true of course. They were barely friends. He looked nothing like a bad boy at all and certainly didn't act like one. The assumption came from him hanging around not so respectable places, but it was part of his job. Everyone else decided that he wasn't trustworthy, and the fight at the plant earlier today confirmed that for them. None of them ever got to know Ryan as a person.
Tonight would probably be the last night they would see each other. They've been through a lot in the short amount of time they've known each other. Most of it was spent on tracking down the Ruckus Boys and occasionally relaxing and just having fun. Just as friends and nothing more. After all, Ryan was only here because of his job. There wasn't really a reason for him to stay except...
"Sharon?" That spaced-out looked was beginning to worry Ryan. She wasn't the type to do that.
"Hm?" She became aware of his dusty blue eyes staring at her.
"Oh good. I thought you left the planet for a second there!"
The teenager cocked an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"
Removing the rag full of ice he proceeded to answer her question. "Something's up. Want to talk about it?"
'Here it goes,' Sharon told herself and took a very deep breath. "When this is over, are you gonna leave?"
Ryan didn't know how to answer. He'd been contemplating the past two days about what to do when all this was over and done with. His training will be complete, and he will be able to join others on bigger assignments, and eventually, lead his own team. He work hard almost non-stop for three years on his career, and there was nothing more he wanted than to see it continue to take off in its current direction. It was his life.
Then there was Sharon. She was the one person that could bring everything to a screeching halt. Not the Ruckus Boys, the insurance girls, Vash the Stampede, or even Amy and Alicia could get in his way. Only Sharon.
"I-I'm not sure. It depends. Would you want me to leave?"
Sharon drew up her knees and rested her chin on them. "Why do you think that I would want you to leave?"
Ryan's right hand went to the back of his head. "Heh. I would guess it was because of my 'bad boy' persona. Your own reputation has been at stake since we met."
"Like I care about that! As soon as the gang is captured, we can tell everybody the truth, right?"
"I guess...but that doesn't make me any safer to be around. In this line of work, you're like the Humanoid Typhoon. Trouble's gonna always follow you."
"Would you stay if you could?"
She obviously got the idea that he won't be staying if it meant putting her into more danger. The idea of leaving her was getting harder for Ryan to imagine by the minute. But what could he do? "Of course I would."
Sharon smiled but said nothing. Both of them sat there in silence while the band finished their song. Sean announced they would start karaoke in about fifteen minutes.
"So, are you gonna sing tonight?" Ryan asked as he placed the ice rag back on his head.
"Oh, I don't know. I hate singing in front of people. Besides, I'm working to-" Sharon paused, "Ooh, dammit! I need to get going! Miss Laura's probably having a cow wondering where I am!" She quickly lifted herself off the steps.
"Well, take care of yourself. Don't break anything!"
At that comment, the girl laughed nervously.
Ryan blinked. "Uh oh. You already did?"
"U-uh, well, Alicia and Amy ran into me, and my tray flew halfway across the bar!"
"Woah..."
"Yeah. Make sure you don't let anyone see you when you leave, okay?"
"Don't worry about me. You better hurry..."
-----
"Ouch!" Alicia sucked on her pricked finger. Sewing a tail back on proved to be a little harder than she thought. The stitches were more uneven than before, and the poor kitty doll lost some of its stuffing.
"Be careful!" Wolfwood carefully held the plushie in his hands while Amy did her best to keep the tail in place.
The priest had taken out a loose button from his jacket, so the girls could use the thread. Now his white shirt was more visible, and the pocket where he kept his cigarettes peaked out from underneath the jacket.
To Vash, the scene was heart-warming. This was something Wolfwood must have been used to and probably dealt with all the time back at his orphanage.
"Almost...done." The little blonde put in the last stitch in and tied the string off. "There!"
Wolfwood let go as Amy took hold and lifted it up to see. "Looks like it'll hold. What do you think Miss Layla?" She held it up to the woman next to her.
"Hmmm," Layla pretended to do a formal investigation of the tail. "Stitches appear to be secure."
"How 'bout you Mr. Vash?" Amy shuffled over to him.
"Looks good to me," Vash smiled.
"Great! Now all we have to do is show it to Mr. Kuroneko!"
"Uuh, who's Mr. Kuroneko?" questioned Layla.
"He's a CUTE black kitty with BIG green eyes like him!" Alicia pointed at the stuffed toy that was supposed to represent him.
The woman giggled, "O-o-oh!! So he's a cat! I should've known. Well, I did see a black one come in through the entrance a little while ago with a smaller brown one."
"That's Little Charlotte, his girlfriend!"
"Nyaooo."
Vash and the girls looked at Wolfwood, who was looking at his lap. A warm brown fuzz ball was stretching on his leg and purring.
"Well, look who's here girls!" He lifted Little Charlotte up to the table. She trotted over to Layla who began to pet her.
"But where's Mr. Kuroneko?" asked Amy.
Alicia scanned the room and saw Sean kneeling down to a dark object on the stage floor. A piece of white paper was sticking out of it. The guitarist took it and unfolded the scrap to read its contents. He smiled and gave the object a scratch on the top. She gasped and pointed. "There he is! He's on the stage!"
-----
Sean gathered his band around to show them the note. "You guys up to it?"
"Sean, we're not amateurs! Of course we can do it!" Lee grabbed the paper out of his hand. "So, this is a special dedication huh? And it's to Sharon!"
"Really?" Eddie snatched the paper from Lee. "Does it say from wh--"
Sean took it back. "It's been a while since we've done a song like this, and you two know Brian's still recovering from a sore throat. He needs to take it easy."
"It's alright. It won't be much trouble. My throat's been feeling much better." The drummer was normally quiet and often did more singing than talking. He felt this would be a good time to exercise his voice. This particular song would be perfect.
"You didn't do much tonight. You sure?" Sean asked.
"I'm sure."
"Okay. Get your microphones guys." The guitarist went up to his mic stand. "Hey, we have a special dedication here! Can we have Sharon Ingalls come up to the stage please?"
Sharon whipped around from the table she was delivering drinks to. Everyone around her turned in her direction.
Angela ran up to her and whispered, "What's going on?"
The teenager's face resembled a beet. "I have no idea," she whispered back.
"C'mon up here Sharon!"
The whole bar whooped and clapped. Angela took her tray and pushed her towards the stage. "You better go on up there. You might find out who it's from."
Sharon's legs were barely able to move across the room on their own wheel-power. Her friend kept her body moving until she got to the stairs. With a couple of pats on the back, the redhead left her there. Sean had one guy from a nearby table bring up a chair, and he motioned her over. Somehow, she managed to walk up the steps and reach the chair.
Sean could tell she was uncomfortable being put on the spot like that. After the girl sat in the chair he bent down to ask, "Are you okay?"
"U-uh, I'm fine. Wh-ho sent in the dedication?"
"We don't know. It was the black cat who brought it to us."
"Oh." 'That darn cat,' Sharon thought.
Sean turned to Brian as the noisy room quieted down. "Ready?"
The drummer nodded and brought his mic up to his mouth. In a deep low voice he set up the beat for the song, and the others came in:
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest
They snapped their fingers to the beat. Eddie took the high notes as the other two remained in the middle. Sean went solo while the rest of the band provided background music and went down on one knee on Sharon's left side.
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
The embarrassed teenager could only clench her blue skirt and look down at it. A few whoops and whistles erupted from random places around the room.
What else could I do
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened to the longest time
As Lee and Eddie joined in on the last two words, Sharon couldn't help let a smile slip. Sean put a hand to his chest and continued on.
Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
Layla couldn't contain herself as she watched. 'I just hope he doesn't overdo it.' The guitarist clasped his hands to his mic making him look like a beggar, but there was a big grin on his face.
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time
Now Sharon covered her red face but the smile could still be seen. Whoever requested this must've had a huge crush on her.
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest
Sean then put a hand to his ear after the short chorus.
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
'Wait a minute, the hall?' Sharon's face popped up from the safe cover of her hands, and she looked over at Sean still kneeling at her side. He clasped his hands again.
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time
'What on earth was he thinking taking a risk like this?' She reached for the locket around her neck and held on tightly.
Maybe this won't last very long
But you feel so right
And I could be wrong
There was something he was trying to say to her. Sharon remembered their conversation from earlier. Does he really want to stay?
Maybe I've been hoping too hard
But I've gone this for
And it's more than I hoped for
Hope rose up inside of her. 'He might've made up his mind. But what is he going to do about his job?'
Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
Sharon wouldn't want to be anywhere else if he stayed. The only problem would be what everyone else thought about it.
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time
Romance? Love? Of course those have been at the back of her mind, but the possibility of it seemed so unreal. As if she wasn't red enough, the heat in her face grew more intense.
I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
Sean held a clenched fist against his chest for that last line, then held it out opening it to Sharon.
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for
More than he hoped for. If only she could know for sure that was true. His commitment to his job left little room for anything else. She reminded herself to go talk to him afterwards, hopefully before he leaves.
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
'Surely he doesn't mean that! Okay, what am I thinking? It's just a song. Maybe it's just his way of saying goodbye,' Sharon thought sadly. He loved hearing her sing.
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you for the longest time
Her blush went down, as well as her hand from her locket into her lap. 'I'll have to talk to him. Just to make sure.' The band joined in for the final chorus as Sean got up from his knees.
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
Oh, oh, oh, For the longest time
A/N: I kinda felt sorry for Donovan not getting enough attention. Hopefully, I'll be able to do more with him and Angela later. I know it was cruel to pull Kuroneko's tail off, but I wanted the cute plushie to have a bigger part. My own plushie's tail got broken in three places, so that's where I got the inspiration. I hope the chapter is easier to read now that I've decided to put dividers in. Please review and tell me how I'm doing! -NB-
Next time: Jailhouse Rock