Which was why he was a tiny bit startled to hear her speak about half an hour into their travels. "I understand."
"What?" he asked.
"Why you fight."
"You do?"
"You're an idealist. You figure that there is something naturally good about people and you want to help them be able to let that out."
"Pretty much, yeah."
"Even if they don't want it. Or if they're really nasty."
"It doesn't do any good if you start weighing the value of the lives you are saving. A life is a life, and all of it should be protected."
"I wish that I could be as clear minded about it as you seem to be."
"Me too, but it would go against what I believe to make it that way, so I can only tell you what I think and believe, and hope that you'll start to take it in."
"Yeah... Well, I got another favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Teach me to fight."
"Huh?" the Desert Ranger grunted, stopping in his tracks.
She stepped in front of him. "Teach me to fight."
"What? Why?"
"I've seen too much to just let what happen to me happen again. You have no idea what it's been like to be in a town, and be hunted for something you didn't do."
"You'd be surprised."
"What's that?"
"Nothing."
"Yeah... But the worse thing is seeing it happen to other people, but never being able to do anything about it, you know. I've seen groups of bullies beat up on other 'mutants' and could only watch because the only thing that I could fight them with is my power. That would only take one or two of them down before they started in on me too. So I get to stay hidden, seeing this innocent person get beat on because I couldn't do anything."
"You want to save them?"
"Maybe. I don't know. But I'm tired of having to run and hide every time something happens. I want to be able to at least protect myself if people like those loonies that we just got away from come after me again."
Vash took a deep breath and:
(Posted Wed, 04 Jun 2003 15:25)
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