I OWN NOTHING BUT THE STORYLINE AND CHARACTERS YOU DON'T KNOW FROM THE MANGA/ANIME!

Chapter Eight

And Between the Wasteland and Sky

People who sin say this: that they had to, to survive. People who sin say this: It's too late now to stop. The shadow called Sin dogs them from behind, silently without a word. Remorse and Agony are repeated to finally end up at Despair. But the sinners just don't know, that if they'd only turn around there is a light there. A light which keeps shining on them ever so warmly. A light that will never fade.

"Listen up, he's a blond man in a red coat. Find him or else!"

Vash gave a sigh and watched from the vent as the bandits moved beneath them. He gave a second sigh before pulling back against the wall and slapping a hand over his face. "Geez, this place is crawling with those Bad Lads! Man, this just isn't my day! I'm stuck. Now what am I supposed to do?"

"Hey, you," Kaite drew his attention to him. "Tell me something. Why'd you save me?"

Kyri gave a giggle as Vash slammed fist down on the kid's head. "What you really mean to say is 'Thank you for saving me,' right?"

"Yes, as you said." Kaite held up hands in defense.

Vash sat back down. "Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, what are the Baddie Laddies planning to do?"

"Well…"

…

…

…

"I should have known," Kyri shook her head as Vash cried out- "They're going to drop the train into the canyon?!"

Vash began to beat on his leg. "Oh man, why can't I just get a break? Now I'm sure of it! Death and poverty like me so much that they brought along friends! Not to mention the Insurance Girls! And then there's the Bounty Hunter Twins! It never ends!"

"At least Alexia and Alexander aren't trying to take us in, though." Kyri reminded the man.

Vash glanced at her with a frown. "Yet."

Kyri gave a worried smile of her own and agreed. "Yet."

"Shit," Kaite cursed. "What's that good-for-nothing workaholic got to do with anything?"

"All right!" Vash cried out. "It's time to get going!"

"Go where?" Kaite asked, hands over his ears.

"This is no time to fret over this and that," Kyri told the child.

"You need to reserve some room in your brain," Vash finished, pointing a finger. "We're gonna stop the ship," He then hit Kaite on the head again. "And you, my friend, are going to help."

"Okay," Kaite was dazed for a moment before whipping out a large map of the steam engine.

"Hey, isn't this the-"

"Yeah. It's the blueprint of the Flourish," The kid nodded.

"How'd you get this?" Vash asked him.

"It's not the original. I copied it from my dad's workplace when I was a kid."

"But this is really amazing." Vash told him. "It's reproduced all the way down to the tiny scribbles. You must have had a lot of respect for your dad."

Kaite was silent for a moment before tears began to fall. "Dammit…what's there for someone like me to do?"

Kyri watched then as Vash slammed his head down on Kaite's multiple times, forcing him to the ground beneath him as he spoke. She blinked. Normally she would have stopped him from hitting children but his actions with this one were just so...abnormal that she had to watch.

"What-are-you-get-ting-all-sen-ti-men-tal-on-me-for-you-lit-tle-squirt?" Vash then stood back up, all composed. "Feeling better now? We're going to survive. Got that?!"

"Uh, yeah, but how?"

Kyri picked up the blueprints. "I have an idea."

…

…

…

Vash took down those three bandits like it was nothing before sending one of them off to their leader as the trio took off down the hall.

"What a haul!" The blond was like a little kid again with a set of rifles strapped over his chest. "Now we got some guns to play with. Nice idea, Kyri," Vash grinned at her.

"Well, we're not finished yet," She rubbed the back of her head.

"At the end, take a right!" Kaite ordered.

They were taken to a control room where they could listen and speak all the way through the ship with some voice tubes.

"Do you really think this will work?" Kaite asked, taking a seat in the chair.

"No," Kyri smiled. "But it won't hurt to try. Let's see what the Baddie Laddies do," She took Vash's nickname for the enemy.

They didn't have to wait too long.

"Hey, scumbags!" Neon's voice reached them from one of the voice tubes. "If you drag your heels till time-out, I'll kill you!" Vash gave a thumbs-up. "Drag that blond bastard and his girlfriend up here, or else!"

"A one and-" Vash grinned and grabbed one of the tubes. "I'm at the starboard passenger cabins! It's them!"

"Good, hold them right there. I'll send help."

"It's no good! I can't stop them! He's hidden himself! His speed-" Kyri whacked him on the head and he gagged, crying out with pain.

"Stupid moron." She grunted, a large grin on her face as she added to the dramatization. "Don't these bandits know how to fight?"

"Dammit." Neon growled.

Kaite looked at his blueprints again. "Now I'll be able to guess where they are. But how am I going to let the two of you know?"

"Easy," Kyri grinned as she handed the kid a pen.

"Wait, is that-"

"Talk into it and I'll hear you," Vash told him. "I don't want us to be caught in a shoot-out in a narrow passageway so we're gonna be counting on your help. Don't let us down, okay?"

Kaite stared at the pen in awe for a moment before rounding on the duo again. "What are you doing with this lost technology?! Who are you?!"

"I'd explain it to you," Vash moved for the door. "But you wouldn't believe me and there's no time. Anyways, don't worry about little details. See ya!" He disappeared around the door just to have gunshots go off. Kyri and Kaite hurried out together to find two bandits in the hall, bleeding.

"Goddamn!" Vash stared down at the bandits beneath him, pure anger on his face. "Why does it start like this?!"

"What is it?" Kaite asked.

"I screwed up," Vash pulled the rifles off of him and knelt down, trying to help the wounded men. "They're bleeding badly! I have to help them!"

"Help them? You mean…do you mean to tell me…you've been purposely avoiding killing them the entire time?"

"Pretty much," Kyri nodded, but then frowned when she saw Vash's own blood start to seep out of his side. "Vash," She reached down, wanting to help him, but he swatted her hand away; she pulled it back to her chest as if she had been burned, watching as he tried his hardest to save his attackers.

"I can't understand you!" The kid cried. "No matter how good a shot you are, you're going to get yourself killed!" He noticed Vash's wound now, too.

"I guess it is kind of stupid of me," Vash gasped. "You're right…it is very sloppy of me. But you know what? I made a promise. If I put out even one flame of life it would make her sad."

"Her?" Kaite glanced at Kyri.

Kyri pulled a firm face. It was always about her. Always about Rem. It always had been and she knew that would never change. She thought that she could deal with it but... "Kaite, take care of Vash for me."

Vash grabbed her hand as she walked by. "Wait! You can't go on your own!"

"You're wounded, Vash," she told him coldly. "I'll be fine. I'm as good a fighter as you are; you just seem to forget that with wanting to keep me out of the fights."

He winced at the tone of her voice. He knew that she was extremely angry now. "But that's because…"

"I know why, Vash, but it's gotta stop sometime," Kyri closed her eyes. "Besides, nothing will ever change reality. The reality that my hands…my hands are already covered in blood…"

Vash didn't say another word as his grip fell from her hand and she moved further down the hall, leaving him there with the child. He closed his eyes for a moment before giving a sigh.

"You're friend…" Kaite began. "What did she mean?"

Vash was silent before glancing back at the kid. "Get in there and help her, kid! She needs you to guide her!"

Kaite jumped back into the room and Vash glanced down the hall again. ~You said you wanted this one…just don't make it a mistake like last time, Ki.~

Kaite led Kyri through the steamer as easy as pie. She withheld herself and only wounded the bandits, but only for Vash. If he hadn't of asked her too…

"Good, keep going straight. There should be a stairway on your fight. Take it down." Kaite told her. "Don't go anywhere else! That's the only unmanned place?"

As she opened the door, Kyri pulled a face. "Fuck." Standing before her was Neon and multiple of his men.

"What is it?" Vash's voice demanded.

"Welcome to the party hall, little lady," Neon grinned. "Were my directions clear enough for you?"

"The two of you might wanna get out of there," She replied, her eye twitching at the guns all pointed at her. "We've been caught." She glanced at the head man again. "You're a smart bastard, I'll give you that." The doors shut behind her and the bullets went off. She ducked down into a crouching position and grabbed the hilt of her weapon, waiting for the next attack.

Neon gave off a laugh. "You sparkle quite well, especially for a woman. I'm impressed. Are you not afraid to die?"

A fight started in the earpiece that she wore before it was cut off. She pulled a face. "There are many things that I am afraid of," Kyri answered him. "You and your goons just aren't one of them."

Neon grinned. "I'm surprised that your little team made it even this far," He lifted his own gun. "However, the sad fact is, reality almost never turns out that beautiful. I feel for you." As his gun was loaded, he was caught by a strange sound. Music, and it seemed to be coming from all around them. "What the hell?"

"Gotta meet the hottie with the million dollar body. They say it's over budget but you'd pay her just to touch it, come on." Kyri's eyes widened for a moment before a large smile burst out from her lips."Need to hit the big screen and shoot a little love scene. If Hollywood had called her she'd be gone before you holler, come on."

Standing up to full height again, she pulled out her blade. "You know, it should be you that's afraid."
"Pretty little lady with the pretty pink thong. Every sugar daddy hitting on her all night long."

Neon cocked a brow at her. "Oh? And of what?"

"Doesn't care about the money she could be with anybody. Ain't it funny how the honey wanted you all along?"

Alexander's body dropped from the vents above them, his boot landed in Neon's face, shocking everyone as Alexia, Meryl, and Milly joined him in taking care of the Bad Lads, leaving their boss on his own as he rubbed his face where Alexander hit him.

"That was kick-ass!" The man grinned, that radio still on his shoulder as he pointed his gun at Neon with the other hand.

"Now," Alexia reached over and shut the radio off. "Let's get back to being serious, shall we brother?"

"Who the hell are you?" Neon demanded.

"I am Meryl Stryfe from the Bernardelli Insurance Society but I am also known as Derringer Meryl."

"Um…hi…my name is Milly Thompson. Let's see, for now you can call me Stungun Milly."

"Kicking," Alexander grinned at the tall woman. "This here is my sister Alexia and this sexy man here is named Alexander and we are the Rush Bounty Twins."

"Gay," Alexia commented on the name he had given them.

"Shut it, unless you have something better!"

"Kyri," Meryl turned to the other woman. "Where is Vash the Stampede?"

Neon pulled a shocked face. "Vash the Stampede?" He looked at the other woman himself. "If Vash the Stampede is your companion, then that means…" He grinned larger. "So, instead of Vash the Stampede I get to face the Bladed Siren, hmm?"

Kyri pulled a surprised grin. Someone...someone actually knew who she was. This time she wasn't just Vash's little companion. The thought of him knowing her, of saying her name, made her feel warm and it made a grin stretch over her face as a strange feeling formed in her stomach. "The Bladed Siren? It's been a while since I heard that name. I'm barely noticed anymore, everyone's attention is on Vash nowadays." The other four looked confused.

"Oh, there's no way that I could ever forget you," Neon grinned. "You're what turned me into a bandit in the first place."

"I was?" Kyri continued to grin. "And just why was that?"

Before he could answer, the steamer rammed into the side of the cliff, knocking everyone off. Neon raised his gun to Kyri again but she had her Gunblade ready, her finger ready and on the trigger.

"It looks like time is running out," Neon grinned. "The ship is taking a real beating. I doubt it'll last that long."

"And I suppose you have a proposal then?" She asked him. "Or are we all going down together?"

"I have something else in mind. Let's find out who sparkles the most between us in a duel."

"What straight guy talks about sparkles?" Alexander asked his sister; Alexia just shrugged.

"And if I win you'll stop the ship?" Kyri asked.

"If you want." Neon answered. That led them outside to the dock. Alexia watched, her nerves in jumbles as she watched a few more words exchange between them and a coin was pulled out. She had seen Kyri fight before but she was still nervous. A lot more nervous than she would have been if it was Vash that was on the deck. After all, she had only seen Kyri use the blade, never the gun.

That and the grin that Kyri was wearing on her face now...it didn't look anything at all like the woman that Alexia knew. Her eyes were darker now and her grin looked like it belonged on the face of a psychopath.

Kyri couldn't help it as the excitement grew more and more in her stomach. For the last twenty or so years it was always Vash that got to duel like this; she was always left out. Vash would always refuse to kill anyone or cause such damage around him. This was her chance to take her own turn at it; her turn to make blood fall...

At the sound of the coin hitting the deck, Kyri was swift and smooth, dodging past not only Neon's bullets but rocks of the mountain that rained down as the train hit the side again. The man gave a growl as one moment she was glaring at him from the opposite side of the deck and the next she was right in front of him, bringing her Gunblade down for a killing blow. He saw his life flash before his eyes, her eyes bearing down on him like a bird of prey. It made a shiver run down his back; he was looking at the face of death, there was no other explanation. How could he have thought he'd ever be able to win against the Bladed Siren?

"Kyri, don't!"

The cry made everything freeze and Kyri turned her head to the left. Vash now stood there, still wounded and everything, trying to get past the Rush twins to keep her from dealing a killing blow. The look of fear and sadness that rested on his face...She hated seeing that look on his face; especially when she was the one that put it there.

Catching herself, she whipped the blade over and brought the blunt side down with a sickening crack on one of the man's shoulders. Neon's eyes grew wide and watched as her killing look turned into a happy smile.

"Bang."

Neon stumbled backwards, watching her as she pulled away from him, taking a few steps back from him with that smile still on her face. She had changed personalities so fast...how was that even possible? Shaking himself free of his shock, he stabled himself again and gave a grin.

"As impressive as last time, Bladed Siren." Vash raised a brow at the name.

Kyri glanced at him again. "As last time?"

"I was a kid, around ten years ago. It wasn't too long after the July incident that I first saw you. Took down that group of bandits that were threatening a family on their journey west on your own. Those bastards would have killed all of them; even the boy."

Kyri paused for a moment, thinking to herself. She knew what he was talking about, but… "After enduring something like that, what made you turn into a bandit yourself?"

"A bunch of things, but mostly a desire to see you again."

"That makes no friggin' sense," Alexander told his sister as the duo continued to talk.

"You don't have to tell me twice," She shook her head. As the announcement of the loss of steering and brake control, she frowned. "What are we going to do now?"

Vash glanced up at them from where he had collapsed on the deck. "Kaite is taking care of that,"

"You can call it a fetish, I suppose," Neon continued talking to Kyri."

She blinked. "So I'm a fetish now?"

"That's right. After all, finding a woman as beautiful and deadly as you can be quite the turn-on. I should have known that I would have found you with the infamous Humanoid Typhoon. It's a shame. I was really hoping to find you alone, really." He rubbed his chin with his usable arm. "You shouldn't smile so fake like that; you're look of blood lust fits your face much better than this does."

"Hmm."

Alexia watched as Vash stood up from his spot on the deck. She thought for sure that he was going to walk right out to Kyri and grab her but he just stared at Neon as the duo continued to talk back and forth. She had seen him with a hard face before but this time there was something else there; something...possessive. Possessive and angry.

That next morning, Kyri sat on the roof off the steamer as the sun shone down on her. That black cat, the one that seemed to follow her and Vash everywhere, sat in her lap, purring as she ran her hand over it. The steamer had been stopped only inches from the canyon thanks to the help of Kaite's in the control room and then Neon as he used his get-away car to shove it further against the canyon wall and slow it down. She gave a little chuckle, remembering what he said before he and his men took off.

"Think of it as a payback for when I was a boy. Next time we meet, it's no holds barred."

"There you are," turning her head she found Vash and Kaite climbing up out of the hole behind her. The others must still be sleeping.

"Glad to see you're okay," She grinned at the kid.

"You too. You had me worried there for a second," Kaite told her. Vash took a seat beside the woman and Kaite gazed at the rising suns for a moment before beginning to sing a little tune.

"So…on the first evening," Both heads turned from the sky to stare at the boy in shock. "A pebble from somewhere out of nowhere drops upon the dreaming world. So-"

"That song," Vash cut him off.

Kaite blushed. "Yeah, I know it's an old song, but I like it. It's a good song, so shut up!"

"Oh, yeah. It is a good song." Vash turned his back to the kid and wrapped his arms around his legs.

Kyri gave a chuckle and, as the boy continued to sing, she stayed quiet just listening to it. Rem would never truly leave their lives, leave Vash's life, and though she hated the thought of that it was just something that she was going to have accept. If Vash could accept her...faults then she could accept his inability to let go of the woman that wasn't her...

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