Gun X Sword: The Adventure Continues
Chapter 1: Tuxedo in the Moonlight
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Gun X Sword because it belongs to the likes of Geneon and FUNimation. Rated M for violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It have been five years since the fall of the Claw and his followers. On this planet known as the Endless Illusion, there lived an immortal pilot swaddled in a black swallowtail tuxedo. His name was Van. He travelled far and wide as he was known as the hero who put a stop to the Claw's demented machinations. He was currently travelling back to Evergreen as he was longing to see the girl who accompanied him on his travels. Although he never aged due to the link between him and his Armor, Dann, he was pure of heart because he was eager to see Wendy once again. Yes, he was still a virgin who is saving himself for marriage as he remembered Wendy's proposal to him when he defeated the Wild Bunch. When he was walking towards a pub, he stood in front of the doors as he was exhausted from hunger.
"Wendy..., I've come back," he said.
He walked towards the counter as he was about to order a tall glass of milk. After spending so much days travelling, he was thirsty as the barmaid gave him what he wanted. Now, Van the Virgin had a low tolerance for alcohol as he gulped down the tall glass that sustained him. Why was he known as Van the Virgin? It's because he's the type to keep himself pure before marriage. Basically, he lost that privilege to lose his flowery coil when the Claw killed his beloved bride on the day of their wedding. It was then that he sought revenge against the man who killed her five years ago. With his vengeance justified by doing away with the man who terminated his beloved, he was still on the marriage market once again. This time, he wanted to see Wendy again after stopping into her house for a visit yesterday. He even found that the turtle that she had with her had grown into a large one the size of a coffee table. Yes, Van wanted to see Wendy after all this time, for she offered to be his new bride. Of all the travels that they had together, Van and Wendy had something in common together after the fall of the Claw. They were united by a fate that brought them together since their chance meeting as they had a lot in common with each other.
After paying for the milk, Van left the pub as he set out to visit Wendy. It wasn't long until he stopped at a bench to rest. He was tired after drifting all over the place as he was closing his eyes. He remembered when Wendy had grown from a spunky thirteen-year-old to a beautiful young woman as he was about to take her up on her offer on making her his bride. He had never been open to anyone except for his late love, Elena, who died at the hands of the Claw. He became open to Wendy while he took care of her when she got sick as he was alone all his life. Somehow, fate would bring them back together again, but there would be a time that evil would lurk in the shadows again and it'll be up to Van to pilot Dann and save the day. Anyway, Van was immortal and had never aged due to the link between him and Dann as he was interested in seeing Wendy once again. Just as he was about to go off towards Wendy's house, he saw a young boy running for his life as there were three thugs chasing after him. Although Van wasn't the type to mess with as he got up from the bench and followed after both the boy and the thugs that were after him. When he finally caught up to them, he noticed that the thugs were after the boy for no reason other than to steal his medical bag.
"C'mon, kid! You're gonna be dirt in our shoes," said the first thug.
"We all know that we want that medical bag of yours, so fork it over," said the second thug.
"We're gonna beat you to a damn pulp, I can tell ya that!" yelled the third thug.
The boy was scared, but he didn't want to be killed by those three men that were obsessed in snatching his medical bag as he was ready to defend himself. He was afraid of the thugs that were coming after his medical bag until he saw Van step in. Clad in his swallowtail tuxedo, Van drew out his shapeshifting sword as he was ready to do battle with the three thugs who were harrassing the boy that they were chasing. The first thug was taken out with a few kicks and punches as he crashed against the wall. The second thug drew out a knife as he tried to stab Van, but he was also beaten by the man in the tuxedo. The third thug charged out at Van as he was no match for our hero in black. With all three thugs beaten, they all scurried away as they left the young boy alone. It was as if fate had changed for the young man who had the medical bag as he saw the man in the tuxedo come forward and save him.
"You know, you shouldn't be hanging around people like that," said Van.
"They weren't after me, they were aftet my dad's medical bag," said the boy.
"What's in it, exactly?"
"It only has the basic medical instruments in it: thermometer, stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, reflex mallet-"
"Kid, I think that you told me enough already."
"By the way, aren't you that guy who kicked the piss out of the Wild Bunch five years ago?"
"What makes you say that?"
"They say that you appeared in an Armor and kicked their asses."
"Yep, they call me Van of the Dawn."
"My name's Pavel Volkheim. I work as an apprentice physician. Anyway, I gotta go before curfew; see you later."
With that, Van watched the boy scurry off towards home as he was also going somewhere familiar. It was the church where he met Wendy five years ago as he opened the doors and slid on inside. He walked forward as he sat down in one of the seats. He always remained pure because he was saving his integrity for marriage. He had nowhere to go but the place that was welcomed by all regardless of their past sins. It was starting to get dark as Van was starting to feel dizzy. He was getting tired as he fell asleep on the bench in the church. He was tired, but he was also weary of the journeys that he had over the years. Somehow, he was in familiar territory as he was glad to be back in the hometown where Wendy lived.
###
The next morning, Van woke up as he found himself in a room where a nice warm bed was. Wherever he was, he had a feeling that he was being helped at the last minute. Somehow, he was in a familiar inn where he stumbled upon Wendy, who is now eighteen and a grown woman. Getting up out of bed, he left his room as he was about to go downstairs. To his shock, he saw Wendy's pet turtle, Kameo, blocking the stairs as he was big and wagging his tail like a dog. Although Van wasn't a big fan of turtles, he knew that Kameo was a bona fide keeper because he was Wendy's good luck charm throughout the entire journey. The turtle even had an indentation in his shell where it was hit by a bullet during Van's first meeting with Wendy.
"Alright, you win," said Van. "No, I'm not gonna think about making turtle soup out of you because you saved Wendy's life time and again."
Kameo squawked as he still stayed put near the stairs. Somehow, Van took a liking to the large turtle as it was standing still. He didn't mind it at all as he sat down and stared at the table-sized reptile. He was blocked by Kameo as he was wagging his tail like a dog while sitting at the front of the stairs. It wasn't long until he saw Wendy dressed up in her clothes with her orange hair in pigtails. She had become a remarkable woman at the age of eighteen as she was eager to see Van once again. She knew that he had been exhausted from hunger after gallivanting all over the place. Yes, she had grown up, but Van has never aged a single day as they were brought back together by chance.
"Kameo, you know that you shouldn't block the stairs," she said as she later saw the turtle move out of the way. "Hey, it's been a long time, Van."
"I get around sometimes," he answered.
"Just yesterday, you were here when I was talking about you and you were even shocked to see that Kameo had grown up. As for you, you haven't changed one bit, have you? It's been five years since we defeated the Claw and his insane plan to destroy the planet. Time sure does fly when you have fun, though."
"Wendy..., remember that proposal that you told me about five years ago? I still remember it clear as day when you wanted to be my bride. Somehow, we were made to be together regardless of the travels and perils that we made together."
"Van..., I've been saving myself for you this whole time. I even turned everyone down with their proposals for marriage. I'm still a virgin and-"
"Hey, I'm still a virgin as well. And furthermore, if we're gonna hit it off, I suggest that we do it on our wedding night."
"Oh, Van..."
And so, the lanky drifter in the black tuxedo followed Wendy as they were walking towards the kitchen. They never had any free time together in such a long time as they sat down at the table. It had been ages since Wendy last saw Van as he was waiting for some breakfast. As usual, he would smother anything with lots of condiments, but now wasn't the time as he saw Wendy cooking some pancakes. He was getting the hang of her cooking as he wasn't ready to pour all of the breakfast condiments on the food at once. When the pancakes were done, he got a full plate of them as well as Wendy when they started to have their breakfast together. It wasn't long until he saw her bring out the many berry jams that were made as she set them on the table. He was happy to see them all in a row as he spread a spoonful of each on his pancakes and started to eat them.
"DAMN! THAT'S GOOD!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You sure know how to top your pancakes," said Wendy with such astonishment.
Breakfast had sounded good to Van's ears as he continued to eat his pancakes. Somehow, he was eager to come to a place that he called home when he first met Wendy on that fateful day five years ago. Now, he had so much in his life as he had so many friends and allies back then. Even though that the Claw is gone, Van had his vengeance justified after slaying him for killing his beloved Elena on the day of their wedding. Now, after five years of peace, this wanderer in a swallowtail tuxedo was simply ready to pop the question to the young woman who wanted to become his bride. Wendy was in love despite the times that he acted coldly at her as she had warmed his heart at last.
###
Pavel was busy in town as he was simply doing errands for the townspeople. He never forgot the man in the jet-black tuxedo as he was more curious to know all about this traveller who drifted into Evergreen. He had so much to do as he continued to help assist his tutor, Dr. Leverton, as they were off to lunch. It wasn't long until they stopped at the inn that Wendy had been running. When they arrived, they saw Kameo sitting next to the fireplace as he was staring at both of them. They were tired from their daily work as they were about to have something to eat. To their surprise, they saw Van waltz in as he had his coat off while wearing an apron. He was busy helping Wendy clean up after having breakfast earlier. Normally, Van would always slack off and lay around, but he was eager to help Wendy take care of the inn if he is to become her husband.
"Looks like that Wendy has found her hero," said Dr. Leverton.
"That's the guy that I ran into last night," said Pavel. "The people here revere to him as the savior of Evergreen. He's also the guy who took out the Wild Bunch five years ago."
"I see... So, here's the guy that strolled into town one day and vanishes again."
"They call him Van of the Dawn. They say that he rode in a strange Armor that came from the Heavens and took out Lucky Roulette and his Wild Bunch. He's even stepped into Bridge City and wiped out the Mustache Baron and his Metal Gruu. Sometimes, he-"
"Careful, he can hear you clear as day."
Van didn't mind the ruckus as he continued to clean up the countertop. Wendy's inn was a place that felt more comforting to him as he was still waiting for marriage. He was still a virgin after all as he was longing for the chance to marry Wendy, settle down, and even have children..., well maybe there could be a little Van in the future, anyway. As for Pavel and Dr. Leverton, however, they were astonished to see Van show up here in Evergreen as they were eager to know more about the mysterious drifter in the black tuxedo. It was said that Van was more than a hero as he stood up to what was right despite the fact that he always slacks off in his tall, lanky stature.
"So, you're Van of the Dawn," said Dr. Leverton.
"That's what they all call me," he answered.
"I hear that you're the talk of the town, but according to Wendy, you're the one who did away with the maniacal Claw five years ago."
"That's what they all say."
"Last night, there had been some nasty trouble from the get go. Rumor has it that a gang of sorts has popped up and looted any innocent bystander in broad daylight. They rob everything as they take stuff from money to bizarre items. They even tried to steal the medical bag that Pavel had."
"I sort of... stepped in to save the day. I even put the fear of God into three of the punks that tried to hurt that kid."
"There's also the fact that they only come at night to attack, so I guess that you watch out for those messy criminals."
Van heeded the warning well as he finished up his chores. It wasn't long until he saw Wendy walk forward to the countertop as she brought some sandwiches to both Dr. Leverton and his apprentice. Both of them were hungry as they were chowing down on the ham and cheese sandwiches that were made to impress their appetites. When both customers paid for their lunch, they were on their way back to their duties as both doctor and apprentice. Both Van and Wendy were alone for a while, but sooner or later, there would be some customers that would come to the smell of a home-cooked meal. It was a strange day as it became evening with the moon out in the open. It was a full moon that glowed all over the town as it was lighting the sky. It wasn't long until both Van and Wendy saw explosions from the outside. What was going on here? Was it a group that was similar to the Wild Bunch or was it something more evil that was harming the town?
"We've got trouble," said Van.
"It's the same group that's been terrorizing the town," said Wendy.
"If they have an Armor with them, then they'll attack anything that's deemed 'expendable,' including you. By the way, does this inn have a basement?"
"Why yes, but-"
"You should go and hide. By the way, bring your gun just in case."
"Be careful, Van!"
Wendy went downstairs towards the safe basement with her gun in tow and some bullets. As for Van, however, he had to go forth and save Evergreen once again as he left the inn. As soon as he went towards the site of the explosions, he saw a group of men standing in front of them when they were guarding something under large blue tarp. It was an Armor, nonetheless, as it was unveiled to be something similar to the one that Lucky Roulette used five years ago. It was far more bigger than normal as it began to fire more shots all over the town. To his shock, he saw Pavel running with his medical bag as he was concerned for the health and safety of the townspeople. The boy was scared for his fellow folk as he was worried for them. It wasn't long until a shot rang out and blew up a building as the aftershocks sent out some falling debris. Pavel was saved again as he saw Van getting him out of the way.
"What are you doing here in a time like this? You should get to shelter," yelled Van.
"Dr. Leverton is busy at the clinic, but I had to check up on the rest of the townspeople," said Pavel.
"Kid, I suggest that you leave this up to me."
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"I've got a job to do."
With that, Van drew out his sword after he tilted his hat sideways. It was the time to call out Dann once again as the Armor fell from Gadoved's old storage satellite. It flew down in front of the Armor that was shooting up everything in this town as Van got inside to pilot it. It wasn't the first time that Van had to save Evergreen, but he had to do it... for Wendy's sake. He was ready to stop the destructive machine that was causing havoc in this town as he piloted Dann with such intensity.
"Wake up, Dann; I need you," he said.
And so, he was ready to do battle as he had the upper hand against the troublemaker. Watching from the sidelines, Pavel saw the Armor go up against the intruder that was destroying the town. He was astonished to see Dann of Thursday in action as he watch in awe. It was an all-out battle between Dann and the Armor intruder as they were in a fight for the town. It wans't long until Dann had flown in front of the Armor as he used his sword to tear a hole through the intruder that terrorized the town. Regardless on what the pest tried to do to Dann, the Original Seven Armor just trashed it by using all of his powers to vanquish the opponent. It wasn't long until the pilot of the malignant Armor got out as he was running for his life. When he got caught, he was surrounded by most of the townspeople as they had their guns pointed at him. To his shock he saw Van approach towards him after seeing Dann fly off to the storage satellite that once belonged to Gadoved's Armor, Diablo.
"You never learn, do you?" said Van.
"So, you're the guy who drove out the Wild Bunch five years ago," said the pilot. "You're quite the hero that this town was bowing to."
"There's no way you can wriggle out of this predicament that easily. You've been beaten; get over it. This town doesn't belong to you, so pack up and leave."
"Why should I? My men and I are-"
"Already being arrested as we speak... Anyway, this town doesn't belong to you."
"Th-they sent us in to do this!"
Van became enraged. "Who? Who sent you to do this? Answer me!"
The pilot was scared out of his mind. "It was them! They were the ones who gave the order!"
"Who is 'them?'"
"It was... th-th-the House of Feanor!"
The pilot cowered in front of Van as he was surrendering in front of his feet. Something was wrong here as Van had suspected that there was trouble looming in the wind. There was a far more dangerous force at work since the fall of the Claw five years ago. With the townspeople taking up arms and arresting most of the thugs that plagued the town, the streets of Evergreen were safe once again, thanks to a man in a swallowtail tuxedo, whose name was none other than Van of the Dawn. And so, he was on his way back to the inn as he was concerned for Wendy's safety. To his surprise, he saw Pavel running from behind as he was catching up to the drifter in the tuxedo. Now, Van wasn't too fond of kids following him, but he had someone tagging along after him as he finally returned to the inn.
When they finally got there, it was all in shambles as shrapnel and debris was everywhere. It was a wreck as Van felt shaken by the thought of losing Wendy. The only thing that remained was the basement as it was intact. Both he and Pavel ran towards the basement as they opened it up. To their shock, they saw Kameo guarding the stairs again as he was looking at them with those cute puppy-dog eyes of his. Although, Van never was fond of the large tortoise, but he knew that the reptile was Wendy's good luck charm due to the dent in his shell.
"Hey, there," said Van. "Where's your master?"
"Van, are you sure that Wendy's safe?" asked Pavel with concern.
"She has to be! I hope that she's okay."
"Van..., some people say that you're a lone wolf, but being concerned for someone that you care about deeply has scratched the surface."
"Look, kid; I've already lost one bride and I won't lose another one, alright?"
With that, Van went downstairs into the basement as he walked past Kameo. With Pavel following him, they stumbled upon a strange area that resembled a rotgut room. It may have been a rotgut room, but it was a little bit more nicer with all the wares that felt like home. To Van's shock, he saw Wendy as she was safe and sound. She had her gun in her hands as it protected her from danger. The young girl who accompanied Van on his travels has now accepted him as the man that she was going to marry. She, too, was happy to see him as well when she ran into his arms.
"It's safe now," said Van as he was stroking Wendy's pigtails.
"Van...," she said. "Thank goodness that you're okay."
"Those thugs that were swarming the town; they were working for something that's a dead ringer for the Claw."
"Who would send them?"
"The group that pulled the strings are said to be called the House of Feanor. Whoever they are, they sure picked the wrong town to destroy."
"This House of Feanor..., who are they?" asked Pavel.
"Are they the same like that Claw?" asked Wendy.
Van took off his jacket. "They are different than the Claw, that's for damn sure."
"Van..., what's gonna happen now?"
There were no other words to say as Van was tired. He even wanted to take a shower after saving Evergreen from a bunch of thugs. It wasn't long until he strolled into a bathroom complete with a shower. Stripping off his clothes and removing his hat, gloves, and sword, he stepped into the shower as he turned on the hot water. He lathered himself with some soap as he cleaned himself down to the core. Unbeknownst to his surroundings, he never noticed that Wendy was watching him carefully as she noticed him in such a way that she had never seen before. It was the first time that she saw him fully naked as he was well-built, despite his lanky stature. Although, he had a scar on his back that was visible as well as the one on his stomach. Wendy found him to be quite exquisite as she was looking at her future groom with such anticipation.
When she left the bathroom, Van was done with his shower as he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist. And so, he got to the bathroom sink as he found a toothbrush and toothpaste. He began to brush his teeth clean for a while as he rinsed them out afterwards. He was all clean as he got out of the bathroom and into a spare room that was suitable in times like this. He was tired as he was ready to go to bed, but not until Pavel showed up with a robe-like gi in his hands along with a pair of underwear. Yes, the kid was a hard worker, but he was also eager to help out, regardless.
"You might need these," said Pavel as he set the nightclothes on the bed.
"Thanks, kid," said Van. "Now, I like to dress myself if you don't mind."
The boy left the room as he closed the door behind him. Van, however, had took off the towel to reveal his nakedness as he got on his nightclothes for the night. He was tired from all of the excitement as he climbed into bed and closed his eyes. Normally, he slept with his hat on, but he decided to sleep without it for now. The night was over and he was just a drifter who finally came to a place that he called home.
###
Wendy was still blushing after seeing Van taking a shower in the bathroom earlier. She was in for the shock of her life as she found herself wanting him more..., but on their wedding night, that is. She had never expected to see him in the nude before, but she only saw him without his shirt before when he was suffering from a fever back then. Now, she has seen him without his clothes on as she felt her heart pounding at the sight of him. She wanted to see more of him the next time he got naked to take a shower. She wanted him badly, but she had to wait to get the chance on the night of their upcoming wedding.
"Oh, Van...," she said as she blushed.
"You know he's gone to bed," said Pavel as he walked into the room.
"He's... gorgeous!"
"Why do you think that he's gorgeous? He has a scar on his back and one on his stomach."
"I've seen the scar on his stomach before. It was when he was suffering from a very bad fever at the time. He looked beautiful regardless of the mark that I saw. At that time, I was thirteen back then, but Van has never aged a day in his life. Furthermore, I'm still gonna be his bride and I'm gonna marry him, also."
Pavel was shocked to hear that from Wendy. "You were actually thirteen when you proposed to him? Isn't that a little too young? You know that he could get into big trouble by marrying someone young as you."
"But I'm eighteen now. I'm a grown woman, but I love him with all of my heart."
Pavel didn't have any more words to say as he saw Wendy go into her room. Somehow, he never expected to see her fall in love with a man who has never aged a day in his life. The boy was even more curious in his eleven years as he was eager to know more about Van and Wendy in their adventures together. He never expected the owner of this basement to cling to someone who was not only pure, but was still a virgin as well. Wendy, on the other hand, remained a virgin for Van to take her when they were about to marry on their wedding day. She had feelings for him as she even had a sense of gratitude that came out of them. She wanted him so bad... and she was about to have him whenever that time came... but not yet because they would consummate their marriage on their wedding night.
###
The next morning, Van woke up as he was still in his nightclothes. To his surprise, he saw that Pavel was doing laundry to pass the time. The boy was hard-working as he was even ironing the dirty clothes that were washed and clean. Somehow, he noticed that his shirt and pants were ironed and well-pressed as they were ready to be worn for another day. It wasn't long until he snatched them as he went back in the room and changed his clothes. Removing the nightclothes, Van put back on the standard clothes that he had on all of his life as he got on a clean pair of socks and boots on his feet. He even put back on the hat, gloves, and sword that were matched with his outfit as he was ready to start the day. He even saw Wendy dressed in a green summer dress as she was giving Kameo some breakfast. Everyone was eager for what was for breakfast as the smell of waffles wafted the entire basement. Even Van was hungry as he was ready to slather a spoonful of all of the berry jams that were in Wendy's pantry.
"Van," said Pavel as he was standing in front of him with a strange letter in his hand. "You better take a look at this."
"What the hell is that?" he asked.
"It arrived this morning when I was helping out with the chores."
Van snatches the letter as he opened it up. "It says here that, 'To Eovanuus: You will never succeed the House of Telfer, for the gang that we sent in was a warning to stay silent. Don't come any further or we will have to hunt you down... signed the House of Feanor.' Those bastards have sent this letter to the wrong guy."
"Van, what is the House of Telfer?"
"It was once one of the aristocratic families that ever emerged on this planet back when this place was once a penal colony. They say that they created the Original Seven, including Dann. It's been ages since then, but this House of Feanor isn't something that can't be ignored."
"So then..., why did they address you as Eovanuus? Could it be some sort of case of mistaken identity or something?"
Van was stunned as he was about to take a turn for the worst. The House of Feanor was serious in its deadly threats and demands as it became his worse enemy since the Claw five years ago. Somehow, he was caught in something fierce as he was eager to find out what the House of Feanor really is. He was more than just a drifter as he not only had Wendy, but a lot of friends that accompanied him along the way. After breakfast, he was most likely to help fix the town as it was about to be put back together once again. He would later stroll away from Evergreen and into the town of Gloria, where the elderly El Dorado Four resided (well, they were the Eldorado Five, but their fifth member, Chizuru, passed away many years ago). He would also meet up with Josh and Yukiko as they were all grown up and married, but he hasn't had any time to tell them about him and Wendy getting married yet.
"Van...," said Wendy. "Is something the matter?"
"No..., not at all," he answered. "By the way, after we finish rebuilding this inn, we should stop by in Gloria."
"Oh, Van..., I forgot to tell you that Josh and Yukiko are expecting a baby."
Van looked exasperated and red-faced. "WHAT? Are you serious? You could have said something earlier."
"I would, but you were too busy at the time."
"By the way... where do babies come from?"
Wendy looked puzzled as she was staring at Van with such concern. Now, Van had seen children before, but where they come from was something new to him as he wanted to know about how they are being born. He had never known much about the human body's reproductive functions on such a more intimate level, but sooner or later, he would put himself in the process of knowing more about how useful it is to procreate when he and Wendy get married. They loved each other regardless of the good and bad times that they had. They were there for each other at last as they were about to repair the inn that was now called a home for them.
To Be Continued... with Lots of Condiments!