New Relations

Chapter 1

By: Jay $abbath

Where: desert Date: Unknown Year: Unknown Travel Day: 968 Temp: 92 and rising Destination: Ashing Stock Time: 3:47pm

It was hot. The sun beat down upon the back of the two weary travelers (Vash and Woolfwood) as steady as a drum. They were barley moving and lacked necessary nutrients they needed. Vash leaned on the priest and the priest on Vash. They're mouths ached and burned horribly from the hallucinations and/or mirages of lakes and small ponds turning out to be only the hot desert sand. Their sweat streamed unsteadily down there foreheads and they could only watch as it flowed by there tired eyes to the hot ground.

They kept a steady, yet somewhat drowsy pace. They were tired and had given up that ragged motorbike of Woolfwood's 300 iles ago. Partial reason to why they are walking through the hot desert. "Hey..." Vash managed to squeak. His throat felt as dry as the hot sand they treaded upon, "Woolfwood?"

"What is it?!" Woolfwood answered in his usual cranky way.

"Do you see that?" Vash pointed ahead to a small dot fading at the horizon. It looked as if whatever or whoever it was, was being buried by the sand. It didn't seem to move and to anyone but the expert gunman they would've assumed it inanimate or a dead something and kept their pace in their direction.

"Yes, I see it. Big deal. I doubt if we can ride what ever it is. Lets keep a' goin'."

"We have to go to there." Vash pointed towards it once again. "What if it's a person. Please."

Even through the dark tent of Vash's sunglasses Woolfwood could make out Vash's award winning look. That sad look that gets him his way from doughnuts to sparing a life.

"Fine. But if it's not worth it then You're gonna' carry me to the nearest town."

"Deal!"

They began to make their way towards whatever and arrived wearily. By this time it had been completely covered by the harsh desert sands and still didn't move. Not one inch. Vash began to uncover it and Woolfwood sighed and began to help his comrade.

"Please be alive..." Vash murmured under his breath.

Woolfwood heard this and hoped the same. They kept digging until ,the now recognized, person was uncovered. He was dressed in all black and it was obvious he was a gunman. He was tanned at skin and ,if standing, looked at least six-foot. Vash hoisted the man over his shoulder and they continued their descent into the harsh desert in hope of an up coming town.

25 iles later... Town: Forterdale Place: Harold INN Temp: 73 and falling Time: 8:29pm

They (Vash and Woolfwood) have bought a small room and has laid the stranger out on their bed until he regains consciousness.

Woolfwood was on the phone in the other room trying to conjure up "room service" {wink, wink}. Vash sat watching the T.V and the man lay silently.

Then they heard a loud crash downstairs. They heard thumping, what was most likely the sound of someone running up the stairs. Vash gave Woolfwood a glance of questioning in reaction to hearing these sounds.

"Look I must go!" Woolfwood quickly hung up the phone. "Damn it! Not One normal, fucking day with this blonde bounty head!"

"You know they say if you can't say something nice then..." Vash was interrupted by strange men armed with firearms bursting in the door. Vash reached for his gun and it was quickly shot away. He stood to run and got shot in his right shoulder. Just then a bullet zipped across his face and into the head of the man who'd shot Vash. Vash Jumped for cover behind a wall and held his wound. The blood came from it moderately and is stung like hell!

"We've got you this time D. D. come out or else!" They could hear a voice say outside their door.

"Who in the hell is D. D.?!"

"Don't play mind games with me take this. He threw in a grenade and it landed close to the window (right beside the bed).

"Shit!" Vash yelped.

"Let's Go!" Woolfwood threw Vash out the window of the far end of the room. Then leaped out himself.

Then someone else jumped out behind them. Woolfwood took aim and quickly fired. His bullets only fell of his target. Then he realized it was the man from the desert. Woolfwood landed and quickly tossed the injured Vash behind a dumpster and began to shoot. The grenade had already blown and their entire floor was missing. The man beside of Woolfwood helped and returned fire using Vash's own gun.

"Just who the hell are you?" Woolfwood asked the man in black. I thought you were unconscious anyways.

"No, Just sleep..."

They continued to return fire. Men were falling dead left and right and blood now covered most of the INN and some of the street. Gunshots could be heard everywhere and...

By now Vash was passed out and Woolfwood and the man in black was doing most of the work.

Some gunshots later...

Now walking again in the dark.

Woolfwood was carrying Vash on his shoulder and the man in black walked beside of them.

"So... Just who in the hell are you?"

"My name is Ji'Monte'."

"Ah... Desert Dragon. What were you doing in the desert?"

"Searching..."

"For what? If I may?"

"My brother... I haven't seen him in a long time. It's about time."

"Who is he? What does he look like? Was he in that town we just..."

"Chill," The man in black took out a blunt from his left coat pocket and lit it. "All those questions will be answered by just looking over your shoulder."

"You mean Vash is your brother?!"

"Yes. And so is knives. I've seen him already. But I didn't want to join him and his "crew". I've turned over a new leaf and this angered him. He sent me away and requested to never see me again."

"Does Vash know?"

"I doubt it. But I have something that will jog his memory as it did Knive's." **************************************************************************** **********

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