The Stranger

by lightpathetic

"ICHIRU! Yuuki! Come back here!"

The two children ignored their "big" brother, even though Yuuki hesitated a little at his command. She was only eight and quite used to doing as she was told but she had seen it on the shore as well and wanted to go have a look. She knew her old curmudgeon of a big brother would stop her if he caught them. She would follow Ichiru, her other big brother – that must count for something – and see what was up.

"Ichiru! Dammit! When you come back I'll kick your ass in...!"

"Hey!" Ichiru shot back, over his shoulder, "Not in front of Yuuki! Remember when she wouldn't stop saying 'fu...'?"

"I was four!" the eight-year-old bellowed, quite insulted, "Stop treating me like a child!"

"Look! It's right ahead!"

"Ichiru, stop and come back! It looks like a body!"

"Cool!" Yuuki exclaimed, simply because she'd never seen one and had only heard of them in the stories Ichiru told her. Zero didn't like those stories either...

"Dammit! When our parents come back...!" Zero threatened. Or tried to...

"Look! It's a boy!" Ichiru exclaimed, cutting off his "big" brother, – yeah, by all of two and a half minutes - quite tired of hearing about who his parents left in charge. They'd been gone almost two years now. Zero was the only one who still thought they were coming back. However, he liked that Zero was the responsible one. That way he got to do other things than worry about the ranch and money. In fact, today was about just that: heeding Yuuki's childish suggestion that they go for a picnic by the river like old times so Zero could finally ease the perpetual frown line he'd had of late – something about getting their biggest debtor, the Fernleys, to pay for their last shipments of cattle. Zero had obliged after Yuuki began to "cry" – Ichiru had taught her well. But after their meal and during an impromptu game of "Catch the Can", Ichiru had spotted a large, pale object on the shore further downriver. He'd pointed it out and bolted, Yuuki hot on his heels.

"Leave it! Ichiru! God dammit!" Zero swore grumpily, but really quite terrified that they would hurt themselves or see something they shouldn't. He really took his role as their guardian very seriously. "Won't you listen to anything I say for once...?!"

"Come on, Zero! It's on our land! We'll still have to deal with it...!"

"Let me look at it first! Ichiru!"

Too late. Ichiru was already stooping by the body, pushing the brush to peer at its face through the green muck and grass that had stuck to it. They all could see the numerous bullet holes in its back.

"Come on! We'll go back to the house and I'll go fetch the undertaker..." Like they could afford that. He thought to just return and bury him.

"Too early for that, Zero. You won't believe this," Ichiru paused to double-check with a thin blade of grass before continuing, "but this one's still breathing..."

Of course, that's when Yuuki released a high pitched scream and ran towards the comfort of her guardian's embrace.

"NO! NOOO! Don't kill her! Please! I'll do anything! NOOOOOO!"

Running towards her, the attackers. Tries to decapitate them, save her, but so slow, too slow. Couldn't reach her. The world dissolves with her screams. Bloodcurdling screams. He tries… She stops. Stops… The air was filled with his own screams and… the scent of her blood. His mind... He couldn't…

"AAAAAAAHHHH! AAAHAHHHHH!"

"NO..."

"He's awake!" Yuuki exclaimed, having gotten over her fright from earlier.

"Not yet. He's just talking in his sleep. Damn, this one's embedded in his rib..." A rather suggestive grinding-crunching sound filled the air as Zero worked to dislodge it.

"What sort of bullets are those? They're so shiny." Ichiru had lowered the heavy rifle to come over and watch, ignoring Zero's hiss of disapproval. The man was out cold, for goodness sake...

"Looks like silver..."

"You think there's enough to sell it? I've heard that silver is precious!" Yuuki's eyes lit up, and Zero couldn't help it. He smiled at her innocence.

"Maybe, Yuuki. He certainly is shot up quite badly. Might be enough for a year's groceries!"

"Wow! A year...!"

"God, Yuuki. You'll believe anything," Ichiru sneered, hardly thinking those seven holes would yield much silver. "Maybe we'll just make you a necklace."

Yuuki cringed, her mind filled with the thought of the blood stained pellets around her neck, but was distracted when Zero finally yanked out the bullet from the bone with a sickening "crunch". Yuuki made an "Ewwww" face.

The body jerked and the face grimaced in pain. Zero looked at Ichiru and the barrel of the rifle was aimed once more at the boy's head. But he settled again, and the children exhaled a sigh of relief. There was a weird, ominous feeling just then...

"I don't like this. We should just take him into town," Zero mentioned as he'd done for the last three hours.

"That's a day's ride. He could die by then. Besides, we can't afford the doctor," Ichiru replied, again.

"We won't have to pay. We could just leave him on Doc Aidou's porch..."

"No! We should keep him! You're always saying we need help with the land...!"

"Yuuki, what's to stop him eating our food, staying in our bed and just thanking us kindly and leaving when he's well enough?"

"Oh." Yuuki had forgotten the pretty boy – Zero'd said he'd checked - wasn't a doll or fairy they could just claim. His skin was pale but, aside from the bullet holes, was otherwise flawless and he had hair like hers: dark and wavy. If she didn't have to work in the sun so much it would be like they were related. The boys often teased her that her colouring was so different from theirs. She felt like the boy was a gift. The thought of his leaving disturbed her. She slumped into a minor depression, while her brother moved to fish out another bullet. He was almost done. There were only two more...

"Go get the kettle, Yuuki. I'll need to wash him down and bandage him."

"Is he still alive?" Ichiru asked when the boy hadn't stirred for a long time.

"Yes. But weak. I'll clean the wounds like we've seen the doctor do with your arm last month and let him rest. There, that's the last one." He must have been caught cattle-rustling if he was shot up like this, Zero thought, wondering again if it was a good idea to try to save him. Zero knew he'd have to make the ride into town anyway if only to talk to the sheriff. Hopefully the kid would just leave. "There. That's it. He's lucky they were so shallow."

"Maybe you should be a doctor, Zero. You certainly have the stomach for it."

Zero said nothing, knowing his life would be this ranch and nothing else. He saw no point in speculating.

"Someone will have to watch him at all times. There's a reason someone shot him like this. I'll take the first watch while you both go to sleep. I'll come get you, Ichiru, about two o'clock, so don't spend all night telling Yuuki ghost stories."

Yuuki's eyes opened wide at the thought of the stories and she almost poured the scalding water on the boy's leg. Zero took the kettle from her.

"I got it. Go on and get ready for bed. You've been up long enough."

"Can't I stay up with...?"

"No. Now go. Hurry before I get mad."

Yuuki sighed, as if her crosses of being the youngest were too heavy to bear. She reached up to kiss her brother on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Zero. Goodnight, Ichiru," she wished, and left the room reluctantly.

Zero watched the door to the upstairs open and close and then turned back towards his patient. They may be modest ranchers but their parents had ensured they used the good land they'd been blessed with and their skills. The house was spacious and comfortable. Nothing to write the "Architectural Digest" about, but they each had a bedroom upstairs – well they did with their parents away – and the downstairs had a kitchen, living room with fireplace and dining room but all open plan. Of course, they didn't know much different and only thought that the people they passed with two room sheds in comparison lacked ambition.

"Now, you're next," Zero ordered, going to rinse his hands and discard the bloody water, leaving the boy lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Ichiru walked over and poked him with his toe to no result. Probably out cold from the pain...

"Alright." Ichiru yawned and stretched, then placed the gun on the couch, knowing Zero would sit there to guard their guest. He turned towards the stairs.

"Ichiru. Lock the door when you go up."

"But... How will you...?"

"I'll throw a stone at your window. Unless you get into the whiskey, you normally rouse easily."

"...Okay," Ichiru answered, ignoring the jab at the incident almost six months ago. He agreed with Zero's caution. One can never be too careful in this wild country. It was mostly every man for himself, despite the token presence of the law. That's why he was sure that their parents were never coming back. They'd never been gone this long before without so much as a letter. Someone had bested them and the kids were determined that no-one should get the best of them. Of course, this hadn't been said out loud. Zero still needed to believe...

Zero settled onto the couch upon hearing Ichiru lock the door satisfactorily, and got comfortable. It was about nine o'clock now. He had a long way to go. But Zero knew the problem of getting their money from the Fernleys would keep him wide awake.

ZERO rolled over in his bed – their parents' bed – and took a peek at the window. It was just coming to dawn, the sky having taking on a deep indigo cast. He groaned and pushed himself to a seated position, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was time to begin the day. The chickens and rabbits to be fed, the cattle to be led to grazing. They'd had help, but for various reasons they were all alone now. Some they let go because they'd begun to steal from what they'd determined was an abandoned ranch, others because they simply couldn't pay them. Zero just saw it as a personal failure that he couldn't run the ranch like his parents had, never thinking that maybe he should just sell the cattle and make their holdings manageable. He certainly had several offers to buy the lot off his hands, but he always said they weren't his to sell. That he'd have to speak to his parents... Yet, they'd left him in charge and he couldn't even collect on the debts. Maybe... maybe he wasn't good enough. Still, he couldn't give up. The others depend on him. His parents depended on him.

Zero passed Yuuki's room and saw the door open. It wasn't unusual. Yuuki disliked the confines of her room and often left the door open to feel more connected to them. It was either that or sleep with her brothers but their parents hadn't liked the idea and now Zero was enforcing the same rule. She was a girl. She had to be treated like one...

"What the hell...?!"

Zero ran back into his room and returned with an ancient handgun which still worked if you knew how to hold it. He cocked it and entered the room holding it to the head he'd seen lying against the side of the bed near Yuuki's sleeping form. He had five minds to blow it off now!

"Get up. Slowly. I'd hate to blow your brains all over my sister but I will if I have to."

The form lifted his head. Zero gasped as a horrible feeling came over him but it went as soon as it came as the boy placed his hands where they could be seen, turning a little to his right.

"I didn't... I don't mean to alarm you. She was crying in her sleep. I just wanted to..."

"I said get up. Now!" Zero whispered furiously. He removed the gun's barrel from the vicinity of the dark mass of locks to smack the butt cruelly against the boy's head. Or tried to... There was a swift intake of breath but he didn't fall. He got to his feet though but stayed where he was, peering at Zero through the dishevelled tendrils of his dark hair.

"Outside! Slowly..." Zero warned backing up to allow him room. Then he made a mistake. He glanced towards the bed to make sure Yuuki was alright. It happened so fast...

"What...?! Ichiru!" Zero screamed as he was pushed down like a little girl. He looked up to see the boy holding the gun towards him. Zero scrambled to his feet and edged towards the bed. Yuuki was stirring. He needed to protect her.

"Take what you want and leave. We don't care about your issues. Just leave us alone..."

The boy stood there looking at Zero as Zero looked back at him. He looked groggy and... sad. Zero, if he was in the mood to care, would have called the boy stunning. Even though he needed a bath, his hair was thick, dark and wavy, falling with softness to his shoulders. His features were... perfect, with soft, full lips and a graceful nose, delicate small ears. But his eyes were really the feature of his face: large and dark, the whites white, the depths seeming to draw you in. You would wonder if it really was a boy, but then, no girl had that sort of strength...

"Zero... Is it time to get up already...?" Yuuki screamed as she saw the man with the gun and then there were footsteps on the stairs. The boy dropped the gun into the corner of the room and readied himself for the second attacker.

"No! Ichiru, don't come...!"

The boy grabbed the barrel of the rifle and yanked, tossing Ichiru onto his stomach on the floor. Zero leapt on the bed to jump the boy before he could kill them all and grabbed only air. Instead, he was bodily tossed onto the floor while Yuuki screamed again.

"Noo! Stop it! Stop it!" Yuuki got to her feet on the bed looking around for something to throw...

"Don't be afraid, an-Kara," the boy pleaded, stepping again towards the bed, the girl. "Deh madsh..."

Yuuki had gotten hold of her lamp, her face, her body recoiling from the advancing stranger, while Ichiru got to his feet, intent on launching himself at the boy when he noticed the youth suddenly stopped and raised a hand to his face, as if… realising... The others stilled to watch him closely as he seemed to concentrate on winning whatever battle he was fighting internally.

"Wait... I... don't mean any of you harm. I heard my... I mean… she was crying and in my confusion I..."

"I was not! Liar!" Yuuki shouted, suddenly preoccupied with the rather important issue of not letting even the thought of her crying enter her brothers' minds. They'd tease her forever...

"She was," the boy contradicted firmly, his posture straightening, giving an air to all the world that his word was to be the last on the subject. "It was automatic. I was half out of my mind from the pain and I responded to her. Like... she was my own… daughter..." The boy stopped, his eyes filling with the pain Zero had seen earlier. He gathered himself quickly though. "But I've made a mistake. Here are your weapons. I wanted to explain before you both shot me..."

"How'd you do that? How'd you throw us like that?" Ichiru chimed in with his own pressing concern.

"Ichiru! Now's not the time!" Zero yelled, getting to his feet for the second time in two minutes. He went for the rifle and trained it on the boy who turned towards him and eyed him warily. Zero backed away further this time, trying to learn from his mistakes. Like this kid had a daughter. He'd had to have been twelve when he had her for goodness sake. He looked no older than they do at their sixteen years...

"But Zero! We're no starving waifs! And he used one hand. I saw! Effortlessly!"

"Get downstairs. Now!" Zero yelled, as the boy hesitated. "Ichiru, I'd told you to watch him...!"

"I know. But I..."

There was a loud thud. The boys and Yuuki looked on in disbelief at the heap the boy made on the floor. They guessed he hadn't fully recovered as yet...

YUUKI stirred the gruel she was working on for lunch with an air of concentration that showed how much hope she had that this one would turn out edible. She didn't understand why she had to cook. Sure, she was a girl, but why was that enough by itself? She had to stay home while her brothers were out in the sun with the cattle having fun, to clean the house, tend the large vegetable garden and cook lunch and dinner. At least they helped with the laundry. It all wore her out and she was sure she was being picked on because she was the girl. Someday, if this was the norm, she hoped there was some sort of huge movement to change this, because it simply wasn't fair...

"Yuuki..."

Yuuki jumped and the spoon disappeared into the porridge. She removed her small handgun from her apron pocket that Zero had gotten for her when it was inevitable she would be by herself for long periods of time. He'd taught her to use it too and she was quite good. At close range. Yuuki turned towards the voice. He was awake. Finally. It had been days...

"Don't move. I know how to use this and the noise will bring my brothers."

They'd wondered what to do after the incident in the bedroom. Yuuki was against driving him to the edge of their land and throwing him on the road, Ichiru wanted to learn the neat move he'd done and Zero was the one who had broached the above suggestion. In the end, Zero was worn down to tying the boy to the heavy couch until he woke up, two thirds of them sure he meant no harm or he could easily have shot them already. Zero knew it was a bad idea. Knew. He too had witnessed the implausible strength. But he relented a little. He'd have to be inhuman to break free of four lengths of rope, a good knot and their mother's heavy oak couch...

"Yuuki. Water. Please..."

Yuuki frowned a little, remembering the edict that Zero had given her to stay away from the man but thought it was a reasonable request. She kept her gun trained on him but scooped up a ladle of water for him, going slowly towards him and reaching out the long handle as far as it could go. She'd make a mess but she didn't want to endanger herself.

"Here. Open your mouth."

The boy complied and swallowed greedily, drinking as if he often took water while his hands were tied to a piece of furniture. He gestured for more and Yuuki came back to do the same thing. Four trips later, the boy shook his head. Yuuki smelled her meal burning... Dammit! Not again! She raked the pot from the fire and got up on a stool to peer inside. Maybe some water and it could be salvaged...

"Yuuki. Do you have a heavy blanket? One with thick wool?" Came that voice. Now that it lacked the initial dehydrated rasp it was like rich chocolate: deep, smooth and seductive.

Still, Yuuki hated to leave her project again. One of her brothers would be here to pick it up any minute. However, she went back to the boy she sometimes watched sleeping when she should be reading. She loved how his long eyelashes fanned his porcelain cheeks...

"Yes. Are you cold?"

"... Yes. Please get it and put it over me."

"Okay. It should be in the storage closet..."

Yuuki was soon back with her mother's heavy bed spread. It was marvellous in the dead of winter but no-one wanted to even see it in the middle of summer like this. She wondered if this boy would live.

"Do you feel ill? Should I get Zero?"

"No. I just need to sleep. Could you put it over my head as well?"

"Oh no! I have to keep an eye on you...!"

"...You can leave my hands out but I need to have my head and body covered. Please."

"...Okay." Another perfectly reasonable request. Zero couldn't sleep with the lamp on. She spread it over him, covering the chair but leaving his hands visible. The boy sighed gratefully.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this," came the muffled voice.

"Okay. Just don't try to kill us, then," Yuuki said with the no nonsense/cut to the chase of the young, as her mind was directed again to the weightier matter of lunch. The boy chuckled but seemed to go to sleep again as there was not another sound for a long time.

ICHIRU and Zero came in later, very quiet. Not unusual, as after such long days out with the herd like that, even Ichiru didn't have the energy for wise-cracks. They went to the door and knocked, expecting Yuuki to come immediately and open it. She was never to leave the door unlatched, unless she was working outside, of course. Eventually she did...

"Good evening! Sorry for the wait but I had batter on my fingers!"

"Do you mean butter?" Zero corrected automatically, closing the door after Ichiru.

"No," Yuuki replied, rolling her eyes. Like she didn't know the difference. "Batter. We're making a cake!"

"'We'?" Zero asked, befuddled.

Zero looked up to Ichiru's puzzled expression and then at the object of it. Zero's mouth also dropped open as he saw the boy, bowl in arm, whipping up a pale yellow mixture on the living room couch. Well, Zero didn't so much see the picture of domestic bliss as the fact that the boy's hands were untied. Zero immediately went of his holster and trained his weapon on the kid.

"You son of a bitch! How did you get untied?! Yuuki! Are you alright?! Ichiru!" Zero was about to order him to check her out but Ichiru already had her in his arms, having quite recovered from his surprise. Yuuki was squirming and hitting him about the body.

"I'm fine! Let me down! Sum bit!"

"Yuuki! Ow! Stop hitting me! Are you alright!"

"Yes, I am! I untied him, okay? Let me..."

"You WHAT!" Zero spun on her, face reddening in fury, "You untied a total stranger! Yuuki, I'll have your hide for this!"

"He was untied already!" Yuuki bellowed, not very afraid of Zero "having her hide". He always chickened out and gave her reading assignments. "He said one hand had come loose and he wanted me to tie it back. I said I didn't know how and then we were talking and he knows how to make a cake so I untied his other hand. I figured if he was going to do anything he would have already!"

"For the love of all that's holy...!" Zero was near apoplectic. Ichiru spoke up in the calm, reasonable tone guaranteed to drive Zero into fits.

"You messed up the knot. It's not her fault."

"I did NOT...!"

"It came loose. If you'd done it properly he'd still be tied..."

"I tie those knots in my sleep...!"

"Then maybe that's the problem!" Yuuki yelled quite seriously, still kicking to get down. Zero growled and turned to the stranger to ask him to leave when he got his other puzzling sight of the night. The boy's face was buried in his sleeve and he was jerking quite violently. Just as Zero wondered if he was going to be sick on their mother's couch, the youth threw his head back and howled with laughter, almost upsetting the bowl in the crook of his arm. Zero stood there finally at a loss for words as the boy just went on for five minutes, intermittently looking up at Zero and dissolving again. Zero got angrier.

"It seems you are much better," Zero tried, having to shout over the laughter, "Perhaps you should be on your way?" Zero cocked the trigger. He was being laughed at in his own house. He already hated this kid.

"Wait! Zero! The cake! He says he's good at cooking. He could teach me how to do more that boil beef. He says you can fry it too...!"

"We know how to cook. Thank you..."

"Well, after a meal. He hasn't eaten in three days..."

"Yuuki! Who's in charge here...?!"

"Perhaps... perhaps I could intercede?"

The stranger interrupted, though he loathed to, and Zero turned back towards him. What...?

"No. We don't want any 'interceding', thank you. Get up, I'll drive you to the nearest road..." Zero clearly didn't know what it meant.

"I mean, perhaps we could talk? Man to man?"

Zero paused at this. It appealed to him. He liked that this person saw him as a man and in charge here. He was considering taking him up on his offer even against all his better instincts...

"Let's see what he has to say, Zero. He may even pay us for the doctoring you did," Ichiru suggested, quite curious about the boy.

"No payment necessary. Just leave us alone," Zero rejoined, gesturing towards the door.

"I couldn't if I wanted to. I've lost everything of value to me." That look of pain again, but it went as soon as it came. "I propose we can be of some help to each other? I am in need of a place to stay and you kids appear to be in need of more personnel?"

"We're fine," Zero said firmly. Kids?! Who's he calling a kid? Probably one of those uppity rich kids he'd seen in town who behaved as though they owned the place.

"You talk funny," Ichiru pointed out helpfully, and the youth smiled again. Zero waved a hand to silence them both.

"That is unintentional. I merely have a different accent and, dare I say, turn of phrase to your own..."

"Why? Where are you from?" Yuuki asked, firing away. Zero clearly had trouble keeping firm discipline in his ranks.

"...A ways from here. You wouldn't know of it."

"I bet it's England! Do you know the King?!" Yuuki's eyes bulged, and the boy seemed to wonder how to answer.

"That's enough!" Zero bellowed, hoping to direct their attention to the more pressing issue at hand. "We are not letting him stay! We don't know anything about him! Not even his name! We only take on workers by referral...!"

"His name is Kaname and he's nice. I say we keep him!" Yuuki said firmly, as if her opinion carried weight.

"Nice to have the word of an eight-year-old," Zero drawled sarcastically.

"Well, Zero. He had five hours alone with her and the worst thing that happened was he talked her into baking a cake. I'd say help him out. We could use the free labour..." Ichiru, same reasonable tone...

"Why were you shot like that? Were you rustling cattle?" Zero demanded, thinking he should raise the main reason this man should hightail it. Someone wasted good silver on his hide so he figured there was a good reason.

The youth again seem swallowed by his demons. The amusement left his face and he looked away from them. Yuuki began to swipe at Ichiru again as he hadn't yet put her down. She didn't want Zero bullying him like that...!

"We were attacked," The boy stated calmly, quietly. "My family and I. My... wife and daughter were killed in front of me and I was left for dead. The next thing I knew I woke up here."

Yuuki stilled and sniffed pitifully. Ichiru looked like he'd rather be anywhere else and Zero's surprise showed on his face.

"Who attacked you?" He managed, wondering if had been nearby, wondering if their parents had met a similar fate...

"Zero! You sum bit!"

"'Bitch', Yuuki." Ichiru corrected automatically and Zero rounded on him.

"I don't know. I'll have to find out. It happened during the da... I mean, I couldn't see... I won't stay long. Only until I recover and get some information on my attackers."

Zero looked visibly disappointed by Kaname's answer. So much so he lowered the gun. What if these people had killed their parents? Or knew where they were? He owed it to them to find out...

"Can we keep him, Zero? Please?" Yuuki asked, tugging at his jacket. It seemed she'd finally gotten the best of Ichiru.

to be continued

lightpathetic wrote this but these are not my characters. They belong to VK.

So this is AU, but you know that. I am a tad too lazy to research ranches and the "Wild West" so I will be taking some liberties. When I do the research I may rewrite... Anyway, the basic idea will be there: thrills, spills and (b)romance with a leisurely pace.

rev: 09152013; 11302014