EPISODE 2: EMPTINESS
Such things...such thoughts of such things you've had...nothing seems right anymore, does it?
"Look, lady, if you're not going to buy anything, then get out!" A bartender exclaimed at a tired Sophira, who blinked her eyes almost every five seconds to keep herself awake.
"Eh? Oh, sorry..."she replied hesitantly, closing her eyes, "No, I won't be buying anything, so good day sir. I hope God is more kind to you than you have been to me." She continued, smiling kindly as she made her way out of the bar, leaving the bartender a bit puzzled.
"I'm on my way again..." Sophira sighed and opened her eyes. She blinked a couple times while trudging through the terrible sand. "Suddenly, I regret leaving him there..."
"It better be for disobeying my orders."
Sophira closed her eyes, ignoring the voice that rang in her head.
"Does he really not remember?"
"Need you bother me?" Sophira's voice echoed in her own mind.
"I do as I wish, young lady..."The voice persisted.
"Don't you have better things to do than ruin my life?"
"GAH!" Sophira screamed as she tried gasped for air. Her eyes widened and tears streamed from them as they strained. She clawed at her neck like a dog to release whatever felt like was choking her, but nothing was there. She coughed madly as people gathered around, quite shocked at the unknown woman's actions.
She fell to the ground in great pain. The hold on her neck began to release gradually. She gasped and began to take in all the air she could hold. Her eyes displaying the rage she felt glared up to the sky as if something was actually there.
"Leave me alone, damnit!" She exclaimed.
"Not yet, Takahashi, not yet..."
"What do you want from me! I killed all you wanted me too!"
"You know who I want dead..."
"WHY HIM!" Sophira screamed at the top of her lungs, the crowd around her stepping back, being quite cautious of her now.
Thank you Mr. Vash! I'm very grateful!
No need to be...I'm happy to take you in...what was your name?
My name is...
It's been 3 days since I last saw you...
"Mr. Vash! Wake up!"
Vash yawned, lying in the bed still, "Eh...? What is it?"
It was Millie, once again who always seemed to wake him up, "Miss Sophira's in the newspaper today!"
Vash blinked twice, "What! Lemme see!"
Millie nodded, and magically pulled out a rolled up newspaper from behind her back.
He snatched it from her hands, and saw Sophira's picture on the front page, with the heading of:
Local 'Crazy' Makes a Scene
Vash blinked again, "Huh?" He read on.
A woman dressed in a peculiar black trench coat was spotted in the middle of town a couple days ago, seeming to 'seizure' while talking to herself. Townsfolk claim her to be the recently spotted woman at the Dankin Saloon. If so, and while she was there, was claimed to be Sophira the Tsunami. Sheriff says he will pay anyone who catches her, her bounty of 30 billion double dollars, if it is in fact her.
"$$30 billion?" Vash mutters, "What had she done to be worth so much?"
Meryl walked into the room, sighing heavily, and "Great. Just great..."
"What is it, Meryl?" Millie blinked, tilting her head while looking at her partner.
"We just got a call from headquarters to search for this 'Sophira the Tsunami'...Just our luck. Now we have to watch over two criminals...hopefully, she won't be the same like Vash over here..."
"I find that insulting..." Vash glared.
"Too bad..." Meryl snapped.
Millie stared on in confusion with her head turned so she can view both Meryl and Vash, "Wasn't Sophira the name of the-"
"Not now Millie, we need to go find that Tsunami girl!"
"But Meryl, I was-"
"Can you save it for later?"
Millie sighed, "Yes, I can..."
"Good, now let's get going, "Meryl continued as she stood up from her chair, and exited the room.
"Meryl! Our bags!" Millie called out to her partner. Meryl stepped back in, hesitantly after a couple of seconds, "Remind me to not look like an idiot ever again..." Meryl grumbled as they all began packing their belongings.
Vash was the first out, seemingly more interested in finding Sophira the Tsunami. Unlike Meryl, who dreaded it. They managed to catch a bus, which was leaving to the next four towns. After settling in, Vash took a seat in the back with Meryl and Millie.
He sighed, "I can't believe this...do you guys really have to follow me?"
"We were ordered to, remember?" Meryl snapped, quite annoyed with Vash.
"I don't remember agreeing to anything about a pissy insurance girl following me..."
"Can it, doughnut-head, we have work to do..."Meryl snapped.
"Oh, feisty! Like a cat ready to pounce!" Vash smirked, exclaiming sarcastically.
"You people are getting so damn annoying..." A voice in front of them grumbling, looking back at them.
Millie blinked, and smiled weakly, "Sorry 'bout it miss, these two here always have the need to bicker."
"Do not!" Both growled at Millie.
Millie didn't say a word. She rubbed the back of her head, the weak smile remaining.
Vash looked to the source of the voice, which was a tall short blond haired woman in a black body suit, and a large brown belt hanging loosely around her waist. Her hair was tied up in a careless pony tail, hair streaming down from all sides that you could see. Thanks to her beautiful hair and complexion, it didn't look entirely too bad.
"'Scuse the shrimp over here, it's her time of the month."
Meryl, Millie, and the woman gasped, "BITCH!" They exclaimed as they pummeled Vash's head, screaming many things such as,
"You don't say that to a lady!"
"You son of a bitch!"
"Careless, good for nothing bastard!"
"Manwhore!"
The last one was only one that really caught his attention, "Hey! I'll have you know I don't encounter women and do them on the spot!"
"How do we know that?" Meryl cried, gritting her teeth together.
Vash sighed after the women stopped beating on him for his rude comment. Thinking back to what they called him, calling him a bitch didn't make any sense either. Actually, it amused him greatly.
"So, "The woman blinked, looking towards Vash, "Your name is...?"
"Vash. Vash the Stampede, "Vash replied, nodding his head.
"And I'm Meryl Stryfe, and this is Millie Thompson, "Meryl introduced herself and her partner.
The woman blinked, and then grinned, "Well then, Vash, Meryl, and Millie. The name's Enya Charmer, but you may call me Enya."
"A pleasure, Enya!" They all said happily at once.
She glanced over at Vash, "I won't even bother with you. I'm just surprised you said your whole name. If of course, that is your name."
Vash blinked, "Well, between you and me...no"He smirked.
Meryl rolled her eyes, "Typical."
"Whhaaaaattt?" He whined, grinning widely.
Enya shook her head, "No matter. But I do wonder..." She eyed him, "Do you remember anyone from your past, by chance?"
Vash blinked, "Eh...No...Only my brother Knives and R-..." He sighed slowly, "I'd rather not talk about my past, if that's alright with you..."
She waved her hand in front of herself, "Hey hey, it's alright..."
"I wonder how she knew..."
"I know a lot more than you think."
Vash blinked, and looked over at Enya, and cocked a brow.
"Hang on a second, howed you do that?"
Enya leaned back in her seat, and smirked.
"Does it matter? All I'm going to say is, you're in for a trip, Mr.Vash the Stampede. Bastard..."
She finished off, eyes narrowed at the blond haired man.
Vash stared with cold eyes at Enya, of course, not smiling. Another crazy after his bounty, or perhaps...
"Who do you work for?"
"None of your business."
He gritted his teeth together, "Well, gee, you're no fun."
"Who said anything had to be fun?"Enya replied and stood up as the bus ended its trip across the desert.
"I'll be seeing you."
Vash watched her cautiously as she got off the bus. Meryl cocked a brow, "And just what the hell was that, Vash?"
"Huh?" He blinked, and then looked over at the fuming Meryl. "You're so nosey, you know that? Angry all the time, too, you need to lighten up..."
"Shut up, and never mind, I guess..." She mumbled, and rolled her eyes, "The next town should be July, right?"
Vash blinked again, "...Ju-...July?" He stuttered, looking faintly ill.
"Yes July, did I stutter?" Meryl growled as she was surprised slightly by the buses sudden movement to get back on the road again.
"I thought that..." He didn't finish his sentence, but Meryl did.
"Destroyed it? They rebuilt it. Afterwards, we're going to December, then Mae, alright?"
Vash nodded slowly, "Fine, fine. It's not like I'm following you, anyway..."
"Where would you rather go?" Meryl grunted, obviously getting angry again.
"Not to July! Bad memories, you know? Have you ever considered the fact I don't actually destroy these cities?"
Meryl blinks. Maybe she had been too rash on him. He had told her what he was going through at the time. His brother and all of his brother's henchmen's attempts to kill him, or just plain out make his life miserable. He had yet to be killed, and to anyone's surprise that made her happy. They, however, had succeeded in even driving him to tears. "I know...sometimes things don't go as intentioned Vash. I really don't think you're that bad of a guy..."
"Then maybe you should show it, and not be such a bitch, and nagging at my back all the time!" He exclaimed and sat back in his chair in a huff. It always made Meryl uneasy when Vash actually got angry. She looked away, nearly speechless.
"I..." She stuttered, not finishing her sentence.
"I'm sorry, "He said, not hesitating one bit, "I shouldn't have called you names."
Meryl shook her head, as if wanting to say something, but then looked down. She was always on his back about absolutely everything. Even without realizing it. When would she ever apologize?
They had soon reached the city of July not a moment too soon. Vash wasn't thrilled about the event at all, but went without complaint the rest of the way. The bus came to a rough halt. While Meryl and Millie retrieved their bags from the shelves above their heads, Vash had already stepped off the bus. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned. In the middle of his yawn, he spotted a familiar face. He rubbed his eyes and blinked. He recognized Sophira's face anywhere.
"Sophira..?" He called out in a questioning tone.
It was indeed Sophira. She seemed quite down about something, however, as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. As if something terrible was on her mind.
"SOPHIRA!" He called out joyfully, waving his hand high in the air.
Sophira blinked, and turned her head to find it was Vash. The outside was a smile, but on the inside, she frowned. There was something she had to do, but couldn't bear to do it.
Vash made his way over to her with a bright smile. He was seemingly very happy to have found her again, and wasn't about to waste any time.
"Hey, what happened back when I first met ya? You just ran off after I fell asleep, eh? Listen, I have a question, why do you have a boun-"
Sophira interrupted, "No time for questions right now! How 'bout a box of donuts and some beer?"
Vash's face lit up once again, "Wow, you're just the person –I- need to hang out with! Come on, my treat!" Without response, he took her by the arm and lead her to the nearest saloon in sight. Having just gotten off the bus and seeing this, Meryl's eyes narrowed with rage.
They both sat themselves down at a secluded table in the saloon, by Sophira's demand. They ordered their drinks and simply waited until they were delivered. Before the drinks arrived, nothing was said. Vash sat with his usual cheerful smile on his face with his hands clasped and rested on the table. He never broke his gaze from her. It was almost like the smile was cover. Sophira glanced at him a few times from across the table. Every time she met his gaze, she looked away; her face flushed just a tiny bit. Their drinks were served and Sophira quickly took to hers, downing at least half in one swig. She set it down on the table with a heavy burden resting on her shoulders. She couldn't bear to keep it from him.
"Vash, there's something I should..." She began, but was interrupted by Vash.
"So...Like I was gonna say. Why is your bounty so high? Or even have one at all?"
Sophira blinked and looked away, almost in relief.
"You make a couple mistakes," She started. She cleared her throat and broke their gaze again. Her eyes rested comfortably on an empty chair at the next table, "...because of your past. You think you can fix it, but it ends up blowing up in your face. Then, you trudge through the rest of life thinking...Why the hell did you do that?' Then I finally realized it. I have no other reason than to find someone, and take care of my duties. To silence it. Forever."
Vash stared, mouth agape and slightly with awe, "Jeez. You know, you seem a lot like me. Are you my sister?"
She giggled, and shook her head, "No! At least I don't think so..."
"Good, "He grinned, and closed his eyes, "'Cause I wouldn't want someone as pretty as you to be my sister. I couldn't date ya, and even if you were, I'd be considered a hillbilly."
She couldn't hold in a slight snicker, or keep a straight face, "Oh shut up, you couldn't date me even if you tried..."
He frowned slightly, opening his eyes, and cocking a brow, "And why not?"
She closed her eyes, turning her head upwards as if looking to the ceiling, "Because. I am elusive, and no one can, or ever will, tame me. Free as a bird, some would say..."
Before finishing her sentence, Vash had latched onto her, causing them both to fall to the ground. Sophira blinked at Vash, "Wha-...?"
He grinned staring adoringly into her eyes, "Elusive my ass."
The bartender peeked over the bar, "You two mind? We do have children in here! Take your drunken asses outside!"
"I aint drunk yet, so we aint leavin'!" Sophira cheered as she pushed Vash off, standing up, "Give us another couple rounds. We'll throw ourselves out afterwards!"
"That's what I'm talking about!" Vash grinned, standing as well.
After the few drinks they had, they did become quite drunk. Sophira wasn't as drunk as Vash, but still pretty damn tipsy. Meeting up with Millie and Meryl at the inn, Meryl, fuming again, of course, they both got themselves a room, outside the screaming and rampaging Meryl's orders, not wanting Vash to be in the same room with a girl.
They settled themselves into their room, Vash laying flat on his face on his bed, "I don't know about you, but I don't think I have a head at the moment..."
"Whatdoya mean?" Sophira mumbled on her back on her own bed, "How would... would you be talking?"
"...My ears?"
Sophira giggled, "Right. Ears." She coughed, closing her eyes, "So. Mind telling me about your past?"
Vash blinked his eyes, "Well...it wasn't too pretty...I've been getting in all sorts of trouble, and you know what I'm talking about. I'm looking for someone. To straighten things out." He pushed himself up a bit. "I know this may be a bold question, but, who exactly are you?"
"Tsunami, "She plainly said, blinking nonchalantly and staring to the ceiling.
"What?"
"Nothing. Sophira Takahashi. You know me."
"Not very well."
"Not as well as I'd hope you to remember."
Vash blinked, and sat up, "What's that?"
"Never mind...it's just that..." She closed her eyes again, "I expected you to remember more."
"About what?"
"About me."
Vash was thoroughly confused, but couldn't support himself any longer to care. His eyes drooped, as he drifted into heavy slumber, once again, as the first time.
She sat up, and stared his way, "I wont leave you again. For our sake. I just...can't believe you don't remember..."
. Don't leave me. I...I love you.
Goodbye Vash...Goodbye...
...Sophira.