Author's Notes: First, I should acknowledge Kira Douji for inspiring me. There is a certain scene in her fic Two of Spades that got an idea stuck in my head, and I wanted to write a fic that expanded on that idea. She seemed enthusiastic that I was inspired by one of her fics, so I'm doing it with her blessing, and am not trying to cheat a storyline out of her. Mind you, this fic doesn't take place in the same storyline of ToS, but is a completely new fic that stands apart from ToS. It's just inspired by a scene from ToS. Got it? Good.
Trigun, Legato, and everything else do not belong to me (the idea for this fic isn't even entirely mine, as I said), but to Nightow Yasuhiro and anyone else holding copyrights. I'm making no money off of this fic, so please don't sue.
He Belongs With Us By Annie-chanFloating. Weightlessness. Darkness. Nothingness.
Where am I? Legato Bluesummers thought to himself. The only things that seemed to exist with him were his thoughts. He felt like he was floating freely in…in what? He couldn't tell if it felt more like liquid or air. When he opened his eyes all he could see was black. He could see himself, totally unclothed, when he looked down, but that was all. It was neither hot nor cold. His fingers touched nothing when he stretched out his arms in an effort to find some hint as to where he was. It was completely silent, not even the sound of his breath reaching his ears. He wasn't even sure he was breathing at all. He could see nothing, feel nothing, hear nothing…he was completely senseless, save for the fact that he was conscious. Or, was he? Where am I? he thought again, feeling unfamiliar nervousness beginning to rise within him.
Sensation returned as quickly as a slap in the face. He suddenly felt an overwhelming cold, accompanied by a feeling of malice of such proportions that he had never felt before, not even from his master directed toward humans. This was no physical cold. No, his body was gone, he realized, and all that was left of him in this darkness was his naked soul. It was evil, pure and utter evil. He shivered, his entire soul quaking at the prospect of being so close to such a horror.
"Come with me, lost one," a high-pitched, hissing voice beckoned. He got the feeling that the…the thing was reaching out to him, and his human soul instinctive backed away, fear flitting though his already confused mind. "Do not be shy," the voice said, as if smiling. The cold got closer…
"Oh, no you don't!" a second voice suddenly shrieked from nowhere, and Legato felt a presence that had to be the polar opposite of this first presence come rocketing toward them. The first presence recoiled, and the hissing and spitting like that of an angered cat could be heard. The new presence skidded to a stop, seemingly shielding Legato from the first presence. Everything about this new presence was different. Where the first presence was ice, the second presence was fire. Where the first presence was darkness, the second presence was light. "You cannot take him," the second presence said forcefully. "I am supposed to take him, not you."
Legato could hear and feel them more than see them, but he got the distinct sensation of a creature of light and a creature of darkness sizing each other up.
"Away, accursed angel!" the first presence yowled, lashing out at the newcomer. "He belongs with us. My master has commanded I bring him back."
"He belongs with us, foul demon!" the second presence countered, sounding just as determined. "Almighty God has ordered it! Be gone!"
Angel? Demon? Legato thought vaguely. Oh, that's right. I'm dead. Shot through the head.
"Get out of my way!" the demon growled, and the angel was suddenly thrown backward. Legato felt the coldness of the demon come closer, but before he could back away, the sensation of icy cold claws wrapping around him and digging into him shot through his consciousness, and he made his first sound since waking up. He screamed. His soul was writhing in agony from the direct contact with such evil.
"Stop it!" the angel cried, sounding afraid and angry at the same time. "Stop it! Stop it!" The demon let go and retreated a few paces as the angel rushed up at them, literally shoving the demon away with sheer force of will. "You're hurting him!"
"That is the point, you little idiot!" the demon retorted nastily, though Legato got the impression it was smiling.
"You will pay for that," the angel said threateningly, and turned toward Legato. "Do not worry. I will not let them take you. I will never—!" Right at that instant the angel had laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, meaning to comfort, but drew away as Legato convulsed and screamed just like he did when seized by the demon.
"Ha! You see?!" the demon jeered. "Your holy touch hurts him as well! He is not fit for Heaven! He comes with me!"
"Bastard!" the angel spat furiously, sounding as if its teeth were bared. It was rare indeed that an angel used such profanity so vehemently. "You made that happen, did you not?!"
"See for yourself," the demon said, the words sounding like a challenge. "Touch him again."
The angel seemed to hesitate a moment, then extended its hand out to Legato again. As soon as the fingertips brushed him, he drew back, a whimper of pain and terror coming from his lips.
The angel seemed aghast. It stayed silent, so the demon began talking again. "You see?! He will never be at peace in Heaven! Abandon him to me, you simpering seraph!"
The angel was suddenly very angry. Impartial or not, angels still had their pride, and allowed no one but God and angels higher than themselves to wound it. It rounded on the demon, fury radiating off its already brilliant form. "Simpering? Simpering?! Say that again, and I will—"
"My, what a temper," the demon chided. "I thought you angels were kind and loving creatures. You are not supposed to act this way."
"We act however we please when dealing with filth like you!" the angel replied, sounding calmer. "But, I am not going to let you get the better of me. Your tactic of angering me beyond reason has failed! Besides, he can be helped. He can be healed. He will be able to enter Heaven with me unhindered. You demons will not do that. You will keep him in torment for eternity, and I cannot let you do that."
"You angels and your pretty words," the demon sneered. "He would be happier in Hell with us, anyway. That's where his master, that Millions Knives, is headed. If Legato was in Heaven and his master was in Hell, Heaven would be nothing but torment for him. You so want him to be happy, so give him to me and let him be happy."
"Shut up," the angel growled, sounding irked. "You know nothing, it appears. It will not be Millions Knives' time to die for many, many years yet, and he may very well change direction."
The demon snorted. "You have too much faith in mortals."
The angel ignored that last comment and turned toward Legato. "Come, lost soul. I will take you home. Do not worry, I will not touch you for now."
Before Legato could have any kind of reaction, the demon suddenly launched forward and gripped him again. "No! He belongs with us!" Legato could only choke. The pain was so much, his voice had failed him.
"No! He belongs with us!" the angel cried, grabbing onto him as well, pulling in the other direction. "Unhand him, you disease-ridden insect!"
Legato was stiff. The heat and cold coursing through him could not be described in words. He felt as if he was being torn apart, and he finally was able to open his mouth and plead with them:
"Let me gooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The angel immediately released him, seemingly realizing what it was doing. Not a second later, it began beating at the demon viciously, until it released Legato as well. Legato curled into a tight ball, shuddering with the lingering feeling of the tug-o-war, not looking at either. He wanted away. He just wanted to get away from these…these…these creatures. He didn't care that one promised Heaven, didn't care that the other promised Hell. All he wanted was oblivion, sanctuary from these two unbearable forces. "Let me go…please, let me go…leave me alone…please…" He was sobbing audibly, sounding like a frightened child.
The angel stayed where it was at first, but it was confused. Its comforting instincts told it to try to help Legato, but it could find no way that would not end up hurting the already frightened spirit instead. The demon, on the other hand, only advanced again after a few seconds. The angel, not liking this one bit, immediately placed itself between Legato and the demon.
"Stay where you are," the angel warned, as if through clenched teeth. "I will tear you to pieces if you go near him again."
"I do believe you wish to frighten me," the demon replied in a taunting voice. "Am I right?"
"Frightened or not," the angel said, "I suggest you heed my warning."
"Just why are you so adamant at taking him back with you?" the demon suddenly asked, changing the subject. "He has killed thousands of his own kind, as well as tortured dozens more, if not hundreds more, in varying other ways. He followed Millions Knives like a god, totally unheeding of your God. Is that not enough to damn such a sinner?"
"My place is not to question," the angel replied. "God does not have to explain His motives to me, and I have no right to disobey just because I am confused or opposed to His reasons. But, if you must know, I will tell you. This man had been twisted and broken to the point of having no real grasp on reality. He was utterly mad, and would not have known right from wrong in any situation. But, he had such intense love in his heart, no matter how misdirected it was, that God took pity on him. I am to take him back with me, where he can be healed of his madness, and his spirit can finally be his own again."
"Just like I thought," the demon suddenly cut in. "Such an expected excuse." Again, the demon moved forward.
"I said, stay back!" the angel shouted, physically holding the demon back. "He does not belong with you! He never did!"
"Get out of my way!" the demon practically screamed, but was shoved backward by an unyielding angel. The demon hissed and lunged at the angel instead, sinking its claws and teeth into the holy being.
The angel cried out, but it was more in surprise than in actual pain. The demon had sorely underestimated its adversary, thinking them equals in their respective hierarchies. The angel wrapped its arms and wings around its assailant, holding tight. Legato felt an extremely powerful burst of what could only be holy power, and he heard the demon's dying shriek echo seemingly endlessly in the darkness around him. He shuddered involuntarily, but somehow felt relieved at the sudden absence of such icy coldness.
"I warned you," the angel muttered, then turned toward him, and he got the feeling it was smiling pleasantly at him. "I was just waiting for that to happen," it said cheerfully. "It was lying, as could be expected. It had done something to you to make you cringe at my touch like at its. I suspected as much, because nothing but a purely evil creature would feel pain from an angel's touch, and no human can be pure evil. The thing was, whatever it did to you would stay in place as long as it was alive. I was waiting for it to attack me so I could catch it by surprise and kill it quickly. Now, it's a simple thing to get that curse off you." It held a single hand out toward him—at least, he got the impression it was holding a hand out to him—and he was suddenly enveloped in a slightly golden, but mostly white, light. For the briefest moment, before it faded again, he felt a warmth like he had never felt before. "There, that has done it," the angel said. "Come, now. I cannot heal you of your madness until we get back. It is too dangerous out here in Limbo."
Legato said nothing. He merely let himself be pulled along, until he and the angel were engulfed in a brilliant flash of pure white light, and they reappeared in a place Legato had never expected to find himself. It was outside, but so much more beautiful than outside on Gunsmoke. Flowers and thick grass covered the ground, trees grew tall and lush, and animals and birds were everywhere. He suddenly felt very small and afraid.
"Do not be afraid," the angel said, laughing a bit. "There is nothing to be afraid of. This is Paradise. And, this is the perfect spot to take care of your problem before you are…officially checked in, I guess you could say."
Legato still said nothing, but he looked up at the angel, which was now something he could see instead of just feel. It looked like a young woman, dressed in flowing silver and white robes, large white-feathered wings spreading from its back. It was beautiful beyond compare. It was tall and slender, long blond curls falling freely about its shoulders. Its eyes didn't seem to be any one color, but changed from green to blue to violet, in a matter of seconds. Its skin was nearly white and completely unmarred, and its entire being emanated a radiance that almost made it hard to look upon. It was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
It knelt beside him, and he drew back. "Do not be afraid," the angel said again, and reached out for him.
"D-don't," he murmured, trembling visibly. He had never been in the presence of such a creature, and he felt terribly unworthy to be even touched by it. Part of him hated to admit it, but this being held even more awe for him that his master did. That was almost impossible.
"I will not hurt you," the angel said gently, and laid one hand on his left shoulder, the other on his right cheek. He stiffened, but slowly relaxed as a very warm, almost hot, sensation overtook him as holy healing magic began flowing into him. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears stinging them as the power reached to close wounds deeper than skin, muscle, or bone. His entire soul shuddered almost violently as its tattered, raw scraps were rejuvenated and made whole again. He cried out once as the deepest, most private parts of his spirit were bared to this angel, instinctively trying to draw back, spiritually curling in on himself in a protective fashion. With gentle coaxing, he eventually let his guard down completely, leaving his entire soul vulnerable, and by the time it was finally finished, his face was wet with tears.
"I am sorry," the angel said softly, holding him like a mother would a frightened child. "It was necessary I touch all parts of your soul, to miss none that I had to heal. I am sorry. There are some parts of the human soul that should never be touched by anyone but the human himself. Many times, he does not even know those parts are there himself."
"I feel so…so…invaded," Legato whimpered. "My deepest thoughts and emotions…I never thought I could be so sensitive to something."
"It is all right," the angel soothed, stroking his hair. "You will forget about it, given time. For now, sleep. You have been through a lot." It laid two fingers against his right temple, and he dropped off into a dreamless, restful sleep. The angel picked him up gently, holding him in a way that ensured maximum possible comfort, and took him off to a place he could rest in peace. He had not been able to completely relax for years before he had died. He deserved it.
That night, two Plants, one in a wound-induced coma, the other brooding in silence in some hidden stronghold, both received the same dream. For only a few seconds, they saw a young man with darkish-blue hair standing with his face up to the sun, a genuine smile on his face, as if he had been relieved of a great burden that he had carried for years. Both recognized the man, but neither could understand what it meant.
OwariAuthor's Notes: Yes, that seemed to be a little abrupt at the ending, but oh well. I didn't want to make the story very long anyway. So, how did it turn out? I want to thank Kira Douji for inspiring me with Two of Spades (though I doubt she knew she would when she wrote it). Please leave a review or tell me how you like it at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!