Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Tolerant Patience ❯ More Than One? ( Chapter 11 )

Author's Notes:

I have learned that "Incoherence is a tool to be used sparingly."

An echnida is one "of several nocturnal, burrowing, egg-laying mammals of the genera Tachyglossus and Zaglossus of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea, having a spiny coat, slender snout, and an extensible sticky tongue used for catching insects."

Here's some info on Kozue: Chronologically, he was only about 2-3 years old, while physically about 5-7 years old with the mannerisms of a 9-year old. Plant physiology can really screw with human genes when mixed.

Note: Rin was and still is on "aggressive" skimming; therefore, Kozue is thinking to himself and talking to Rin. Talk about infringement on privacy. Rin is scatterbrained when it comes to touchy subjects like that; a downfall for her, she just assumes that everyone is yelling at her.
Disclaimer: Me no own Trigun... :(

Symbol Key

Dialogue= "Insert words/phrases/sentences"
Noticeable Intruding thoughts = > Insert thoughts >
Thoughts knowingly directed at people = -- Insert thought(s) --

Random definition!

Did you know that the word Legato is a musical term used to describe a passage of smooth and connected notes? No wonder his voice actor has a "creamy voice"?

Editor's note: Err.. what to say? This chapter was fun to write. And though Wolfwood calls the person Legato, it's not necessarily Legato. Just a cross between the two, but it doesn't last long.. Hee hee hee. :>

Charge!!

*screaming, half naked men run over hills dressed in traditional Celtic war garb*

... ... ... ... Oh dear.. -_-()

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>NICK!!>

He left; my muscles buckled involuntarily.

Air rushed into my lungs.Much longer and I would have suffocated. Note to self. Never grab someone as volatile as Legato.

>Nick... Nick! You, okay?>

I grimaced.
--Ow. Stop yelling. You're giving me a headache. Help me up, will ya?--

She picked me up by the shoulders and gently set me on my feet.

"I don't understand it , Rin… I thought you said he was 'wounded and harmless'."

She opened her mouth, then stopped.

"What? Rin, I thought you said you had it under control!"

She looked embarrassed, and… guilty??
What the hell did she do?!?

"I.. he shut himself off." Geez, don't get closemouthed now!

"And?"

"Well, Legato had a mental collapse, and I tried to find and pull him out of it, but I stumbled upon his inner child instead."

"He cracked." I stated bluntly.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

I scratched my stubbled chin.
"So was that guy his 'inner child'?"

"No. He would have known his name." She started pacing.

I gave out an exasperated groan. "Look, Rin, stop stressing. I'll just go down and meet him… He does know who we are, right?"

She stopped and looked at me.

Shrugging helplessly, she shook her head. "He... seems to have his defense shields up and his powers back..."
She paused.
"..And?" I helped.

"... and based on how he pinned you down effortlessly with his telekinesis…"
Just great.
"...he is 'extremely dangerous in his present condition'. Yeah, yeah I know. I was nearly choked to death, okay?"

She flinched. "Nick, a piece of advice: Be careful, I have no idea how this persona will act." He has more than one..?
"I'm going after him now. No telling what he may do in his present condition."

"With me, of course." She nodded without an argument. After all, we had no time to waste.

Downstairs, I found him in my room trying on clothes.

A pile was discarded near the door.

I blinked. He's fickle with his sense of style? Since when?

"For your information, it is not fickleness. It's called aesthetic appeal."

He had on my best pair of black pants. Not form-fitting because--
"The chafing that would take place between any tight clothing and my bandages makes your leather wholly unappealing."

"Don't creep into my head, Legato."

He smirked, sort of. It was too much of a smile to be a smirk, but too much of a smirk to be a smile.

"You're noisy. I don't even have to peek to know what you're thinking, Wolfwood."

I fumed a bit.

Rin pushed past me.
"Are you hungry?"

He had been in the middle of putting on a forest green sweater.

He pulled the collar over his head.
"Ah, Patience, I presume."

Rin had a bewildered look on her face at Legato's sudden change of tone.

"Yes, I am quite famished." He flashed that disturbing grin of his.

Chills coiled around my spine. Damn, crawling sensation...

I shook off that feeling with some difficulty.

Usually I don't do that, maybe I was trying to prove something to myself or I wasn't paying attention, but I should've just listened to it.

It would've made my life one scene less painful.

In the kitchen, I glanced over the table for the 50th time that morning.

What the hell happened to Legato?

He daintily sliced a piece of boiled potato and placed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

Dainty? Yes to graceful, but dainty?? And how can you be thoughtful with eating? What is there to think about, other than savoring....
My chain of thought was interrupted by small groan-like noises.

His eyes were closed, and a grin of pure pleasure was evident on his face.
He's freaking me out.
I didn't even add any butter or salt to it! What is there to savor?

I developed an abnormal tick above my eye. I was starting to think he was getting on my nerves on purpose.

Well, Nicholas. He is a mindreader.

I watched as he cut into the roast.

And another thing, he's dressed... in my clothes.

Who cares if they weren't really mine to begin with? A traveling preacher doesn't have much room to carry too many extra pairs of clothing!

Not that I'm a preacher anymore...

"Nick, if you don't say something, I believe my head's gonna implode with so many thoughts radiating off of you!"

I deliberately ignored her.

The chair screeched across the floor, as she left, huffing. What's her problem?

I shrugged to myself, leaning back casually into the chair. It's not like I'm directing my thoughts at her.

"She appears to be particularly sensitive right now."
I didn't bother yelling at him. It's not like he would've listened to me.

I looked across the table again, tiredly. "What?"

He seemed to be entirely focused on his manners and food, but that eerie smile of his told me otherwise.
"To any thoughts." He said simply. "I told you, you were too loud."

His plate was almost clean. All that was left was a bone picked of all its meat.

He must've been starving.
"I still am."
I wished he would stop that.

I looked at Legato carefully, gauging his reaction.

"What do you say about dessert?"

He leaned his head forward, frowning.

Grunting he stood up shakily.

A fork clattered to the floor.

A boot scuff.

A strangled noise.

Unsteady breaths drawn.

"Le--?" He precariously grabbed his chair and sat down hard. What's with him?

"Cuu-" He inhaled sharply. "Could I have some… Ice cream?"

Childlike. That's what his voice was.

Like the night before.

He brushed his bangs back behind his ears; his eye shined with earnest.

It was disconcerting. I've never had a good look at his left eye until now... but it seemed to look past me; that expression of unadultered happiness hidden in a dimly aware eye.

My heart stopped. It was blind...

And yet, the simple thought of eating ice cream brought a hopeful smile to his face...

As he was now, he looked nothing like Legato or that other guy... silly of me to think when this child persona resided within a man in his late 20s.

Or was he older? Looks could be very deceiving.

Those eyes looking up at me were… a kid's; it held that inner-fire of energy every child seemed to possess.

How long would it last?

I didn't know.

I just hope I don't trigger something else.

"We don't have any ice cream, but we have plenty of cake."

Sitting back down, his eyes dulled, and he bit his lips nervously as if biting back some question or complaint.

His posture expected.. something. It made him look smaller than he actually was.

Was this Legato before Knives got a hold of him?

I leaned forward, and he cringed.

No, definitely the result of a couple of years with Knives... Like a fricking abused puppy...

It wasn't the first time I wondered how he was like before the shit hit the fan for him.

Before Knives took him and created a monster.

"Who are you?" I said softly not wanting to scare him away, whoever he was.

"Are you one of Lady Rin's friends?" He asked demurely, probably expecting to be slapped for having the gall to ask a question.

I nodded.

He sat back, still edgy but less defensive. "Kozue. Call me, Kozue. She named me that."

I blinked.

Treetop?

I blinked again.

TREE... top..?

I threw back my head and laughed wholeheartedly.

That is Rin.

But naming Legato's ... inner child?... treetop?

Another bout of laughter pealed out.

Where did she get that idea?

Unique character perks?

It finally ran down to a wheezing guffaw.

I was struggling to take a deep breath.

Man, I haven't laughed like that since I was... with Vash and the others.

Chuckling, I rubbed my eyes to clear them of water.

I'll ask her later.

And looked up.

He had folded his arms around himself in a protective hug.

Shit, did I--

And he was shaking with his eyes downcast towards the floor.

Dammit, I scared him.

"Kozue?" I held out a hand to…

I didn't know what I was thinking at the time. I was never very at comforting people, and must have forgotten who I was dealing with, again.

As if one reminder wasn't enough.

He tensed up. "Don't...Don't. Touch. Me." His breathing hitched.

I froze.

Oh, shit.

My hand was on his shoulder.

Ohshit,ohshit,ohshit…

He looked up at me… with poorly veiled hatred, pain, and... fear ...of me!

The hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Nicholas?

Lots of pain.

I felt my feet wanting the sturdy ground as I was lifted into the air.

And had a weird feeling of detachment as Rin's statement replayed in my head: ...he pinned you down effortlessly with his telekinesis... Be careful.

And I was slammed into and through the wall.