I feel so touched. I got seventeen reviews! It's not a lot to most people I know but... you know I... well it's just that... Read the story okay!?
Are you still reading this? Seriously?
What part of 'read on' do you not understand?
I don't mean read this; read the story!!
Sheash... wait, are you still here?!
Chapter Five (I think)
"We come from New York," Liz said as an introduction, glancing up at the slowly recovering Kidd across from her. The rain had started to bomb the outside world, and the young gunfighter was in no mood nor hurry to rush to the next town and next target—and other than that, it would be rude to such politeness the sisters offered him.
"Of the colonies?" Death the Kidd muttered, turning his gold eyes on the older sibling and sipping lightly at the bitter but warm coffee. He suppressed a shudder beneath the sheet.
"Yeah," Patricia responded, grinning with her mouth full. He glanced away as she continued. "Our dad when to fight in the war and our mom went missing soon after. Sis and I ran away to the west to start over."
"What about your father?" Kidd asked, "You didn't wait for him?"
"We heard from a messenger that he was killed," Liz responded darkly, roughly shoving the egg across the charcoal pan. A frightful grating screech resulted from the force. Kidd paused, watching her carefully. Her eyes stared down, pain ridden and embodied with spiritual strength. Patty became suddenly sober, and both blondes were oblivious to the burning egg.
Kidd gently took the spatula from Liz who became shaken from her daze, and blinked absently, watching as he flopped the meat onto an empty available plate.
"Thanks," Elizabeth muttered bashfully, rubbing her hand up and down her left arm and accepted the plate.
"You hesitate like that often?" Kidd asked, folding the sheet securely over his broad shoulders.
"Often enough," she regained her voice. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but—"
"If you think you shouldn't tell me, then don't," Kidd interrupted. "Don't look of it as repaying the favour of saving your lives; quite frankly you've done more than that. Everyone has their secrets and I'm not interested in sharing your burden."
The shack was silent. His eyes were on the boarded floor, and he strained to hear a subtle sound from Midnight beyond the door. He heard nothing until a clatter from Patty caused him to look up. She took the pan and two empty plates from her sisters and bounced across the room to a sink he had not noticed before. He cursed himself silently for lack of observation.
"You block people off like that often?" Liz growled, swallowing her bite of food. Her cyan eyes were laid on his, cold and slightly offended. He sighed at the irony in which she laid out her question.
"What does that have to do with you?" Though he began to share her irritation, he was careful to calm his tone. The words seemed to rile her up enough though.
"It's only fair," Patty's voice roared . Kidd jumped. He had noticed her begin to reapproach them, but her voice startled him.
"We told you a bit about us, it's only fair that you tell us about yourself."
"How about you tell me what I want to know and I tell you about my history?"
Liz made a gesture to her sister with a frown, and Patricia sat, pouting.
"What do you mean?" the older sibling asked, caution laden in her query.
"You mentioned a gang called 'Snakes' and someone called 'Giriko', am I correct?"
Liz nodded.
"I've never heard of this organization before, and if it appears that their after me, I'd like to know about my enemy."
Elizabeth stared at him for a moment before she sighed and looked over to her sister. Patty shrugged.
"They're a western mafia from the metropolis England, and immediately made themselves outlaws here in the west," Elizabeth began. "We left New York with them, partially because as two kids, we couldn't bare to survive on the prairie without some sort of guidance."
"They took us in and taught us how to shoot and fight," Patty continued, her immaturity having returned. "When we tired to leave them and live on our own though, they didn't let us."
"We had to forcefully break our way out, and it wasn't in the least easy in case that's what you're going to say," Liz watched Kidd warily, and he politely shut his mouth.
"We've been avoiding them ever since," she finished, folding her arms over her knees.
"If you don't mind me asking," Kidd broke the sudden heavy silence, "how long is 'ever since'?"
Patricia was the next to respond. "Three years," she growled, looking him straight in the eyes. He stifled another shudder. "No matter what we do, they always find us."
"And what makes you so sure that they aren't tracking you as we speak?"
"Who's saying they aren't?" Liz asked, eyes round and wide at him in question. "That's partially why we need you."
"Me?" he repeated, baffled. "Why me?"
"We can hardly shoot as accurately as you can," Liz explained. "And if you won't let us travel with you, then we at least need some training of that awesome skill."
Kidd looked down to his feet. He hadn't spent any more time with the same person for over half a day, much less having been in a partnership, and training was definitely out f the question. The first responses that blared in his mind and sensible reasoning was negative, but his conscience was gnawing restlessly at his guilt for some untouchable reason. He groaned, placing his reeling head on his knees.
"Kidd-kun?" Patty asked softly.
"I'll allow you to accompany me and teach you about shooting under the condition that you do not call me 'kun', whatever that means," he looked mildly at the smiling Patricia, who batted her lashes.
"And," Kidd added, "as long as you tell me everything about 'Snakes'."
The sisters looked at each other for a long moment, drinking in the expressions on the other's blank face, and eventually they both stuck their hands out to Kidd, grinning with stars and newly found confidence in their eyes. Kidd flinched back.
"Deal!" they yelled in unison.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the fertile forest, three horses stood motionless in the weakening rain. They were strong horses, and breathing hard, whining in complaint to their masters who rode them expertly, yet paid them no mind.
One such rider was recognized a Giriko.
"You've followed them here?" a male voice asked, his silver cross on his chest glimmering in the pale light.
"You know that I'm a tracker, Justin," Giriko snapped lightly, turning his attention to the forest. "The rain's washed out the remaining trail, though. And that forest's pretty big to be searching blindly."
"Then we had better get going before the tracks completely disappear," the third rider said abruptly. His black short hair was plastered to his face as he wore no hat, and his eyes were situated ahead. "I wouldn't want to disappoint Noah- sama."
Giriko scoffed. "You and your obsession, Gopher."
Gopher glared, but said no more as they trotted towards the evergreen forest.
Well, if you're reading this then you most likely read the story, and if you just skipped over the entire story just to read this, then you're either saying that my story is not worth your time, or you're just searching for some sort of joke here.
Guess what? Jokes on you! Ha, ha!
They're no jokes here! Neener, neener!
(Ahem)
Please review.