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

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Trust

I was dreaming. Everything was so horribly dry there, on that planet even people's hearts. As I watch the people who lived there from far away I kept wondering why they went on living. I went wrong. What should I do?

"You promised. You promised you'd come back but you never did!"

Kyri took a breath, trying to ignore the thoughts in her head. Legato and Eryn stood before them in another town, the people slaughtered by Eryn as they waited for her and Vash to join them. The duo stood silent until Eryn couldn't take it anymore.

"It's my fault," Vash took a step forward. "Not hers."

"I know that, you daft bastard!" Eryn's voice was strained, unable to hide her anger. "What I don't know is why? Why did she choose you over us! How could she just save us and then toss us aside like that? And for you!? You could have…you could have at least taken us with you."

Vash wanted to claim that was his fault as well but Kyri shook her head, telling him to stay silent. He hadn't realized just how attached these people were to her. Then again, why wouldn't they be? They had been together for so long. Kyri had saved both Legato and Eryn as children. He could only imagine how hard this was; on all of them.

"Before I left, I asked you to take care of them," Kyri closed her eyes. The man had locked eyes with her; it was painful to hold the gaze. "And you've done just that. You've been… Such a good son, Legato."

The man's eyes widened. Had she just… really called him? For so many years, Legato had seen Kyri as his mother. It was her that saved him as a child. Her that taught him; gave him purpose. He wanted to call her mother so many times but had feared her reaction; because he was human.

"But while you've been a good son, I'm afraid that I'm a terrible mother. Give me a chance to fix that; both of you."

"Just like you fixed it for Midvalley and Sylvia, right?" Eryn growled. "Or Rai Dei and Mai? Or how about-"

"Here's your chance," Legato cut the woman off with that grin of his. "Take it while you can."

Kyri took a deep breath before raising her right hand. Eryn couldn't even blink before bullets rained down on them from the buildings around them. She recognized the sound of the rounds from the cross that Wolfwood used and more, announcing that the Rush twins were also firing their guns. The woman took off, running from Wolfwood's bullets with a growl. She had wanted to fight Kyri alone, but it seemed that she wasn't going to get her wish. For her teacher to bring others to this long-awaited fight…it was insulting.

Everything about this was infuriating, actually. All that had happened in the last twenty or more years. After Kyri had left…Legato had taken up lead of the Gung-Ho Guns and more interaction with Kyra and Knives happened but it just…it wasn't the same. Kyri and Kyra were sisters, yes, but their personalities were just so…different. Kyra always smiled and tried to comfort you. Kyri was cold and told you everything straight to your face. It was because of Kyri that she had come as far as she had, and yet this was how she was going to repay her.

Eryn didn't want to fight her, but she would force herself to if that's what Legato wanted. That's what she was going to do. There was no turning back now.

Searching the area, she soon found herself not just dodging bullets but nails from Elendira's weapon, as well as ice from Sylvia's whip. She wanted to cry for Sylvia, for Midvalley, but she could do that after all of this was over.

When she met the two of them again in the afterlife.

Then something caught Eryn's attention. While she was dealing with these three…pests, that left Legato to deal with Vash and Kyri alone. There should be sounds of another fight happening, words being thrown around, but there was nothing other than the bullets that were following her. Legato…he wasn't already subdued, was he? Had they really-

And then it hit her. This wasn't a fight, this was a distraction. They were separating her from Legato.

With a roar, Eryn turned back in the ruined town and returned to the area this all started; her thoughts were confirmed when all the bullets stopped following her, leaving her standing there to wait as all the dust settled again.

Anger coursed through her veins to see Vash standing over Legato, the blue-haired man on his knees, and Vash's gun at his head.

"Get away from him, you bastard!" Eryn went to move forward but instead found herself immobile. Her eyes widened as she was forced to her knees herself and cursed at her own stupidity.

"It seems that you've forgotten, White Queen, that I was the one that taught you everything that you know; you've obviously lacked in your training. I was expecting a fight, not…a game of tag like children."

Kyri's form passed her, a frown on her face as Eryn was left to do nothing but stare in her frozen form.

"It is disappointing, I'll admit," Legato chuckled from his position. "But it seems that neither of us just have it in us to fight you, I'm afraid."

"I don't know who I'm more disappointed in; her or you, Legato." She glanced at the blue-haired man. "To make something like these medallions to cut off your powers…such a foolish idea, Bluesummers. To willingly give oyur enemy a trump card…if it was to test your own capabilities then I could understand that, but this is nowhere near that. This is just sheer stupidity."

"Did you capture us to just give us a lecture?"

"I'm afraid not," She pulled out the case of Medallions and tossed it on the ground at Legato's knees. "I've spent the last three years collecting all these pieces to do just this."

"Just this?" Legato raised a brow.

"With all the pieces, you can't do anything. You're left here to watch what happens next," She turned to Eryn. "I've waited three years for this."

The man was silent, confused for a moment, but then she stepped towards Eryn and his eyes widened, realizing what she was planning to do.

"No!" Legato went to move but froze as Vash pressed his gun to his head again. If he were to move now then Eryn would be in danger. He knew that this is what they were here for but now that it was before them, playing before his eyes, the very thought of Eryn being hurt… "No!" Her steps stopped. "Kyri, please!"

"You? Begging? I can barely believe it. Not so strong after all, are you?" Kyri closed her eyes before turning to look at him again. "It has to come to my attention that you're not as smart as I thought you were, Bluesummers."

"How so?"

"I taught you to go into battle knowing there could be a chance of death, yes, but I never taught you to willingly let yourself get killed. Your mission, no doubt, was given by Knives. He wants Vash to kill you; it would shatter him. But not only Vash would be distraught. Eryn would be just the same; even worse. In her rage, she would do something foolish."

"Never!" Eryn hissed. "I respect his-"

"Silence, before I carve that tongue from your head." Kyri's eyes glared into the other woman like fire before Eryn adverted her gaze. "Your death would traumatize her, just like Midvalley's would have done to Sylvia. She would eventually turn her rage to Knives and she would die. Allow me the chance to save her that. Instead, she'll die first and you'll be the one to watch."

Vash went to move forward but he froze, remembering Kyri's words.

"Trust me. I won't kill them unless there's no other choice and, as you have taught me, there's always another choice."

He closed his eyes, praying he was making the right decision.

"No!" Legato cried out. "Please, wait!"

Kyri turned back to the man behind her. His eyes were wide with panic. "Please, don't."

"Why should I not? You've attacked us. Retaliation is perfectly in order; it's justified and before you comment, me killing you instead would be pointless."

Silence fell between them and so Kyri stepped back towards Eryn. The younger man sgtared into the face of her teacher and felt her blood run cold; and her excitement build in her stomach. There was that cold, lifeless look that she had missed for the last twenty years. The look that the Bladed Siren always wore when dealing with her students had returned. She found herself silently begging for that crazed look to return to her face when she pulled out her Gunblade and dealt the final blow. The excitement of death at Kyri's hands drowned out any fear she had and she forced herself to keep eye contact with the other woman, in fear of what would happen should she look away.

"After all, this was the plan, wasn't it? Just like Midvalley and Sylvia, you were planning to die to my hand anyway so why hesitate now? Let me complete what you want to happen and then Vash and I can be on our way to Knives and Kyra. Who knows, when I return, I might even bury the two of you; if something hasn't eaten you yet. It's such a shame, too. I'll never be able to find another student with the potential that either of you have. I might not even try and just leave the dogs where they lie."

Legato stared at Eryn hard before hanging his head with a defeated sigh. This…he couldn't do it. He couldn't follow through with the plan after all. After all the training that he had put himself through to get ready for this…if only Kyri hadn't been on Vash's side…

"I'll do anything you want."

"Legato, don't!" Eryn growled as Kyri turned to face the man once more.

"Anything." She wanted it confirmed.

"Anything; just don't kill her."

Kyri moved towards Legato and knelt before him. "Then trust me."

Everyone raised a brow and Legato snapped his head up to look at her.

"What?"

"Trust me; that's all I ask." She closed her eyes. "I followed Knives and Kyra blindly for years but my time with Vash, with humans, and even with the Gung-Ho Guns, has taught me many things. I don't plan on killing them; I just want to stop them. If I fail and they do die, then I will release you from these medallions and you may do as you like with me."

Legato stared at her. "You think I'd believe you?"

Kyri's face had spread wide into a smile, making the man's shocked look return. To see her smile like that…

"Have I ever lied to you before, Legato?"

The man was silent before giving a smirk. "Then I'll do as you ask and trust you."

Kyri glanced up at Vash and gave a nod. The blond man dropped his gun and gave a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sure glad you didn't try to run there, pal. It would have been an embarrassing way to find out that my gun wasn't loaded!"

Legato glanced at Vash over his shoulder, a frown on his face. "Unloaded?"

"UNLOADED?!" Alexander's voice roared from one of the buildings before the said man ran out and tackled Vash to the ground. "What the hell were you thinking!? What if he attacked? We could have died!"

"I swear, needle-noggin." Wolfwood sighed, shaking his head as he and Alexia watched the duo rolling on the ground.

As the duo continued to wrestle, Kyri turned back to the other woman in the area. Eryn had returned to her feet but had refused to take any other steps and just stared at her with a glare.

"This doesn't mean I forgive you." She growled at her. "Your pity just makes me angrier!"

"Then find a way to work that anger off," Kyri smiled at her. "I'm sure you and your boyfriend can take care of that while Vash and I take care of Knives and Kyra. You're both adults now, after all. I just ask you use protection."

Eryn's face went red as Legato chuckled.

Alexia frowned at her. "I still don't like it. You and Vash going after them alone? They sound extremely strong. We should go with you."

"Thanks for the concern, Alexia," Vash sat up from the sand, Alexander sprawled out behind him. "But this is a problem of ours that had been growing for over a hundred years. It's something that we'd rather take care of on our own."

"They've grown terribly strong, I'm afraid," Legato told Kyri. "I'd rather you not go but I know that nothing can stop you now that you've come this far."

Kyri stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes. "If I don't come back, again, then make sure the three of them stay safe, at least. Chapel and the others are already in a safe hiding place so I ask that you do the same for the twins."

"You sound like you're sure you'll die."

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't. What I do know is that I have to stop them; I will stop them."

"Then hurry up and go do it. Why are you hanging out around here?" Alexander called up from his seat in the sand. "We'll be right here when you come back."

Vash gave a grin as he stood up. "Shall we?"

"You…" Eryn's voice made Vash and Kyri turn again. She was glaring at Vash now. "You better keep her alive, you ass! Yourself, too. I've got some choice words to say to you for taking her from me in the first place, you got it? So you can't go dying on me before I can dish them out!"

Vash stared at her for a moment before nodding his head in assurance. "I wouldn't dream out it."

"I was wrong," Eryn commented minutes later after Kyri and Vash disappeared in the distance as they headed for their family members. "She didn't grow weak; her strength never really left her. If anything...if anything, he's made her stronger; better."

"That's what lovers do, after all," Alexia commented as Wolfwood lit a cigarette. "Always have and always will. Just ask your friends."

"Our friends?" Eryn turned to look at her but her eyes caught the dup that had, miraculously, shown up to join them. "Midvalley? Sylvia?! You're alive!?"

Sylvia gave a grin. "You didn't think she could kill us, did you? She-" Sylvia was cut off as Eryn threw herself into her arms, tears of relief trailing down her face.

Midvalley stared at Legato. "So, she got you too, huh?"

The man closed his eyes. "Yes."

Midvalley turned to glance at where the duo had disappeared. "And now…all we can do is wait."

"Indeed."

~Kyri...no...Boss...please. Please save us all.~

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