Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Humanity: Torn Between Loving It and Hating It ❯ Fear ( Chapter 16 )

Kale sat back on her haunches and ran the heel of her palm over her brow, removing the gathering sweat. She grabbed the small hand-shovel beside her and started scooping moistened sand from a small pile and started dumping it in a hole where a couple of seeds laid.

After spreading the dirt, Kale picked up a watering can and started pouring cool water over the dirt. She then looked up at the sky before gathering all of her things and walking back around the house.

She had just dropped her things on the counter when someone tapped her shoulder. She turned around with her eyebrows raised in question when the black gun that haunted her was shoved into her hands. Kale glared up at Knives who had his arms crossed.

"Knives, I just came back in. I need a break!"

"Tough. Our session starts now so move!" he growled. Kale groaned and spun on her heel. They marched out into the heat in silence then into the back where the table was set up with a few more glass bottles lined up.

"Start the day with shooting them down and we'll go with something new." He commanded, leaning up against the house. The gray-eyed girl heaved a sigh before lifting the revolver.

It took her several tries to get them all down and because reloading a gun wasn't their lesson today, Knives always did it for her. When she had shot the last bottle, he came over and plucked the gun from her hands then turned his back to her as he walked away.

"Alright," he said as he took out the remaining bullets and replaced them with rubber ones, "your lesson today is dodging." Kale twitched.

"Dodging? As in I have to keep myself from getting hit with the bullets?!" Knives turned around and clicked the revolver shut, making it point up at the sky. He smirked.

"Yes."

"Wait, Knives I don't--" she started as he lowered it toward her, making it slant outward.

"Knives! Just hear me out--"

He pulled the trigger and a rubber bullet when flying toward her, getting her in the shoulder. She eyes bulged in fear and agony and she grabbed her shoulder.

"What's the matter now?"

"You-you got my shoulder . . ." she gasped, fighting back the urge to scream. Knives stared.

"So? Can't take a little pain, human?" Kale lifted her head slightly to glare evilly at him. She bore her teeth as she bit her words out.

"My still healing shoulder . . . " she hissed.

"Oh," he said lamely, his face impassive, showing no sympathy or regret or anything for that matter. Kale took a few deep breaths and bit her lip before straightened to her full height. Knives arched in eyebrow in wonder.

"Well, I actually thought you'd want to go back inside to nurse you pathetic arm," he stated. Kale fought to keep her comments to herself. She wasn't in the mood to start anything with the ever-aggravating man.

"Just . . . get on with the lesson, Knives. Quit wasting my time!" Oops. That one slipped. Knives narrowed his eyes to angry slits, his jaw clenched, and in a flash, he shot his arm back up, firing twice. Kale shrieked and started running away, going around the house with Knives in hot pursuit.

"You disrespecting, evil, foul piece of trash!" he roared. He didn't expect to lose his temper at such a small insult, but he had had enough of her and her mouth. He wasn't going to kill her, but oh how he would make her wish he had.

Kale made a full lap around the house and when the table came near, she slid under it. She was struggling to get up and run at the same time when Knives leaped onto the table and down then pressed the gun against the small of her back. Kale's arms immediately shot up, only to wince slightly.

"Human," he breathed, "you're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Knives," Kale breathed back, turning her head slightly, "you're a pain in mine and everyone else's ass, you know that?" Knives opened his mouth to make an angry retort when Meryl's voice was heard from the house.

"Kale! Your sister is back!" Kale breathed a thank you and tossed Knives a smile over her shoulder.

"You heard the woman, man. Gotta go!" Knives took aim on the retreating girl and smirked as he fired. He turned around when a sudden yelp reached his ears.

"KNIVES! YOU JERK!!" He threw back his head and laughed.

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Kale stepped into the house rubbing her sore bottom, muttering unpleasant things under her breath. Vash came in and looked at her curiously.

"Hey, what happened?" Kale shot him a glare and pointed to her butt.

"Your nasty-tempered brother shot me when my back was turned, that's what happened." Vash forced back a smile. He knew what was going on between Knives and Kale, though he wasn't sure if either of them knew.

Knives was growing attached to the small woman and her fiery ways. He knew because he had read his brother's journal when they were practicing. Vash just hoped his brother would never notice what he had done. If he did then all hell would beak loose!

Vash watched Kale climb the stairs where her sister had gone then Wolfwood came up to him. The spiky blonde turned to the dark-haired priest and smiled.

"So, you believe me then?" he whispered. Vash nodded.

"There may be hope for Knives yet! I just hope Kale stays longer."

"What? I thought she didn't have any place to go?" Wolfwood asked, lighting a cigarette and breathing deeply. Vash's shoulders sank.

"Nah, Kane said she had talked their mother recently and told her all the about what has happened. She said that they were probably going to go and live with her for a while until Kale could provide a home for herself."

Wolfwood blew an angry puff of smoke into the air and closed his eyes in aggravation. "It's Kale's decision whether or not she wants to go, Vash. Kane has no authority over her, you should know that."

"You don't like Kane very much do you, Priest?" Vash said, eyeing him. Wolfwood peeked open an eye and took another long drag before letting it out into the atmosphere.

"No, I don't, Needle-Noggin. If it weren't for the fact that this isn't my house or that she's Kale's sister, I would have told her to leave from the moment I laid eyes on her. She has a mischievous look to her and for that, I don't trust her. You'd be wise to watch her as closely as I do, Vash," he said as he turned and walked back in the direction of the den.

Vash stood there dumbfounded for a moment then glanced up the stairs before following the priest.

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"Kane?" Kale called from behind Knives's door. It opened and before Kale could say a word, Kane grabbed her arm and jerked her in, closing the door behind her.

"You won't believe what I found!" Kane squealed in delight. Kale watched as her twin sister picked up a black-leather bound book with a couple of silver buckles on it. She opened it and started turning a few of the pages then turned and shoved the book into her hands.

"W-who's is this?" Kane winked and tapped a page for her to read. Kale looked at her sister warily before leaning against the wall and started reading the page.

~*~*~I feel trapped. Surrounded by all these blasted humans is foul. What has this world come to? Other than the fact I loathe them all, I can't help but feel . . . different about Kale. The woman must have cast some type of spell over me. After I had kissed her, for some insane reason, I have started to feel a little odd. I can't explain it. Hmph, the woman is going to pay for whatever she did to me.

Today the human had the nerve to blackmail me into training her in the arts of using a gun. So far, things have been going rather slow and the tournament is not that far away. I can only hope that it comes sooner than expected. The human is driving me insane!~*~*~

Kale eyed the page and looked up at her smirking sister. She mouthed the word a couple of times, but nothing came out. Kane nodded.

"Yup." She didn't here her sister's reply for she was filled with horror.

"This-this is Knives's!"

"Yup," Kane repeated, turning away to jump onto their bed. Kale started to freak. If the man found out that she had touched, ever read, his journal, only God knows what he'd do to her!

"Kane?! Do you have any idea of what will happen if he finds out about this?!" she shrieked, her arms trembling, shaking the precious book. Kane regarded her terrified twin with a cool stare. She jumped from the bed and walked over.

"Oh, give me a break. You act like it's the end of the world. You honestly think Knives will skin you alive because you read one page?"

"YES!" Kane rolled her eyes and tapped the journal.

"Did you even read that entry?"

"Yes, and I'm regretting it," Kale mumbled, frantically roaming the room to find the spot where it had come from. Kane crossed her arms and scowled.

"He likes you, Kale, and you keep thinking he'll hurt you." Kale spun around, clutching the journal to her chest and she frowned angrily at her twin.

"I don't care what he writes about me, Kane! A journal is private property and very personal! To Knives, this thing is sacred! I can't believe you actually read it!"

"Hey! Don't go accusing me of reading it 'cause you did the same!" Kane shouted, swinging open the door.

"I thought it was yours!" Kale lied. Kane snorted at such an excuse then turned and walked out of the room. Kale charged to the door and leaned out.

"Hey! Where did you find it?!" she shouted in a fear-stricken tone.

"You figure it out!" was her response. Kale growled and slammed the door in frustration. She leaned her back against it and took in a deep breath.

"Okay, if I were Knives, where would I hide the journal so no human can touch it?" She started walking around the room looking at everything. Her head snapped up when she heard a door downstairs slam and heavy footsteps making their way up.

"Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap!" Kale chanted as she ran around the room. She finally took a guess and opened the drawer to the nightstand next to Knives's bed and placed the book in there. The footsteps had paused outside of the bedroom door and Kale leaped across the room to her bed.

The door opened and the tall, psychotic blonde stepped into the room. Kale groaned as she lifted herself from the floor and smiled nervously up at him.

"Er . . . hello, Knives! Um, listen I was looking for uh . . . something and I uh . . .," she glanced over her shoulder and grabbed the nearest object and held up to Knives to view. "I was looking for Kane's misplaced dagger and oh! Look! I found it! Guess I'll be going now!"

Kale edged her way past the plant and started quickly down the hall and around the corner. Knives arched his eyebrow in silent wonder before closing the door. He walked over to the windowsill and sat down, sighing.

He stared out at the desert land before turning toward the nightstand to fetch his journal. His hand was on the handle, but he didn't open it. He stared at the small opening for a moment, narrowing his eyes. He pulled open the drawer and started at his book.

When he placed his journal back in it's rightful place, he always had it turned over so the back of it was facing him. He did this to fool any moron that picked it up without thinking and replaced it the wrong way. His journal was facing him with it's buckles turned to the ceiling.

How dare she! I warned her and her blasted sister about touching my things! I should have known better than to have put such trust in the piece of trash!

Knives shoved the drawer closed and he stormed toward the door, his hand gripping the knob tightly, but stopped when a though crossed his mind. A satisfying smile slid onto his handsome features.

No. I won't vent my anger on her just yet. Revenge is so much more fun.

Knives grinned and made his way back to his nightstand and removed his journal and pen from it. He sat down on the windowsill and began writing the days events as evil thoughts against Kale swam in his mind.

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Wow, is it possible that this was an actual update?! All right! ^^ Sorry this one had to be so boring for yas guys. And is anyone else noticing that I just might be dragging this thing out?! Ugh, I think I am. -.-