Hello there! Let me tell you guys how happy I am with all of your reviews!
It really helps. I actually planned for this fanfiction to be a one shot
deal, but thanks to your reviews I am strongly thinking of the sequel and a
sequel after that! It might even be a Vash/Usa pairing at the end. Thanks
to Usa-chan, my wonderful editor, Aideen-san, my amazing advisor, Momo-chan
and all of you who reviewed or just read the story. Please take your time
and check out this wonderful site "Odango and Doughnuts", that has the
cutest picture of Vash and Usagi together eating doughnuts (artwork by the
one and only Sydney Rhudy). You will love it just like I did. And it's
perfectly illustrates this story. Many thanks to robertrubious who gave me
permission to mention his site in my author's notes. Web address of the
site is: http://www.geocities.com/odangodonut/
I borrowed this chapter's title from the Trigun's episode # 26. And again, just want to let you know that I don't own anything. I have a hard time buying a Christmas presents for everybody, so there is no way in hell I will be able to cover a court expenses! ^-^'
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"Alright, Miss!" Vash cracked his fingers and sat in the Lotus pose. "What has been troubling your pretty little head lately?"
Usagi opened her mouth and closed it then opened it again. "Well." She felt uneasy for a moment. This guy was a complete stranger and a weird one. But something in his face made her trust him. "I .I don't know, how you can possibly understand."
"Easily" Vash lifted her head by the chin and looked into her eyes, his face only inches away from hers. "I've been fighting for Love and Peace for over a 100 years, my dear. Nothing in your tale will surprise me. I've seen it all." Little did Usagi know that Vash was going into his serious mode that he used around all beautiful women.
The girl's eyes shimmered with the unshed tears and with the loud wail Usagi fell into Vash's lap sobbing her heart out: "You don't undestaaaaaand!"
The look on the Humanoid Typhoon's face was priceless. 'Damn, Damn, Damn! It never worked this way before! Ok, calm down Vash the Stampede. She is only fourteen. Maybe I should just write it down on her forehead!' He placed his hand on top of the blonde's head brushing her golden locks with his fingers and sighed.
"I was so alone and so scared!" Usagi loudly blew her nose into the red coat. "I didn't know what to do! My friends were a mile away from me and I couldn't listen to the Outers and just kill Hotaru! That wouldn't be fair! She didn't deserve to die! I knew I had to save her. Hotaru was under control of the Mistress 9, there was nothing she could do to stop that monster, and I had to save her! I couldn't let Chibi-Usa's friend get hurt." Tears were streaming down Usagi's face. Vash hurried and searched in the pockets of her jacket looking for the handkerchief and let a great sigh of relief when he found one. Usagi wiped her face and continued, "But I still keep wondering if it was the right choice to put everyone in danger. Why do I have to hold the most important decisions, why in my hands there lies the life and the death of the people? I am just an ordinary kid! I just wanted a simple life!"
Vash pulled Usagi into a tight hug: "Life is never simple, you are absolutely right, nobody deserves to die, doesn't matter how bad the person is, you have no right to decide his fate for him. There is always a solution. Sometimes it's just the matter of time to make the right choice and you did very well."
Usagi sniffed and looked into the gunman's face: "You really think so? I just wasn't sure, but at that point that was the only one I could think of. Still, because of me all my friends got really hurt!" Usagi chewed on her lower lip and thoughtfully stared into space thinking of the battle.
Vash cleared his throat and winked at the small blond. "Are you sure there was nothing else you could do? Did you try to get naked and bark as a dog?" (1)
"Wha.." Usagi was shocked at the dramatic change of the conversation.
Vash put his arm behind his head and laughed: "Oh, I am sorry, this conversation was getting way too serious for my taste!"
Usagi fell backwards with a thud. "I don't believe it! Here I am crying my eyes out and ask for your opinion and all you do is joke around? Are you sure you are a good influence for a teenage girl like me?"
"Hey, I said I was joking! My opinion is that you need to have more confidence in yourself, Usagi. You were not chosen to be a leader without a good reason. Believe in yourself, because if you question your actions and abilities, others will question you as well, and you don't want that. You have your own path. Follow it. Others will follow the leader that they trust and believe in. Your heart will tell you what choice to make."
Usagi stopped crying and happily nodded her head up and down. "This is unbelievable, we are so much alike! I feel like I've known you forever!" Usagi's eyes were shining. "Are you sure you are not my long lost brother or something?" Vash laughed at her words. "No! I'm serious, Vash! I am sure I would love to have you as my brother instead of that little brat that I have at home! He is nothing but mean to me! Teasing me and pulling all kinds of silly pranks! I would just love to switch you two!"
Vash's face fell. "And I am sure I would love to switch both you and your bratty brother with MY brother" He sighed and lay back looking absolutely miserable.
"That bad, huh?" Usagi felt uneasy: again she had opened her big mouth and said something inappropriate. She bit her lower lip and scooted closer to the gunmen.
Vash opened his eyes and held his breath when he felt Usagi lie her head on top of his chest. She clasped his gloved hand in her smaller one: "It will all work out somehow; you will find the way."
Usagi absently caressed his fingers lost in her thoughts.
Vash cleared his throat. "Well, where was I? You are such a strong and kind girl and you never give up. You were on your own when you started on your journey. I was lucky; I had someone to show me my path that I have walked on ever since." Vash closed his eyes as he remembered Rem's sweet and kind smile. ".You had no one to guide you; it's amazing how much you've been through. You are only 14 in this lifetime and you have learned so much. I am 133 and I still make mistakes!" Vash sadly laughed. He stopped abruptly when he realized that his little blonde listener was no longer with him. Two sleepless nights finally caught up with poor Usagi. She was sound asleep, rolled into the tight ball on top on the gunman.
Vash sighed. "No wonder! I would've passed out myself! What can I say to her anyway? My strong points are gun fighting and not a therapy!"
He found that Usagi was still clasping her transformation brooch in her hand; a gentle light of the Crystal was shining through the jeweled compact. "It's amazing, her Crystal still reacting to my power. I guess it was a good idea for me to come here after all, to meet someone of my kind, someone who would understand. I can't tell her how to live her life, but my power proved to be good and even healing to her.
Vash gently caressed Usagi's locket: "Hey there, little fellow." (2) The locket opened by itself and the ginzuishou lifted from it softly blinking. Vash with a mischievous look on his face motioned to the Crystal to move closer. As if it were a living being, Usagi's source of power landed on the palm of the Humanoid Typhoon's hand. Once again Vash closed his eyes and felt the power of the Crystal. Before his eyes there were all of Usagi's memories. Vash bit his lower lip as he saw Usagi crying at the loss of her friends and then facing Queen Beryl. He saw her taking a hit from the Makaiju, (3) he saw Fiore's hand clasping this very Crystal, he saw her Silver Millennium memories, and he saw her die. The very last memory was of the Mistress 9. Horrors of the Black Hole where Usagi followed Sailor Saturn almost made him faint. He abruptly stopped the Crystal from sharing its memories with him and sat upright holding his chest and clasping for air. "This is horrible; it's like the worst nightmare I have ever seen!" He looked at Usagi's peaceful face. "No wonder she can't sleep at night!" He picked up the Crystal and softly whispered into it: "Please, take a good care of her". Then he gently placed the Crystal back in the locket and shook Usagi by her shoulders to wake her up.
Usagi yawned and stretched her body: "Wasssap.?" She couldn't figure out what was going on.
Vash put a smile on his face and helped her to sit up. "Feeling better?"
"Oh yeah! That nap hit the spot!" Usagi giggled. "I am sorry, what were you saying? I don't mean to be mean, but you started to sound so much like Miss Haruna at school and I ALWAYS fall asleep in her class!"
"Thanks a lot!" Vash pouted.
"Oh, no! Don't be mad! I was only joking!" Usagi rubbed her cheek against Vash's face. Then pulled away madly blushing: 'What on Earth possessed me to do that!'
Vash felt how suddenly tense Usagi became. "She is like a little kitten: all playful and happy at one moment and then scared and confused at another."
Usagi still blushing got up on her feet as she thought of something hoping to erase the memory of her previous action: "Can you teach me some of your fighting tricks, Vash?" Pleeease!" She pleaded. "I want to show my friends how good I can fight without the use of the magic! Wouldn't it be so cool! I can prove to them that I can be a strong leader!"
"You are a strong leader" smiled Vash. "If someone else was in charge of saving this world, things would never have turned out the way they are now". Vash grew thoughtful for a minute. "Sure I can teach you! I could show you a thing or two, but can you take a good hit?"
"Hey, we will see who is going to get a hit here!' Laughed Usagi and got in the fighting stance.
"What's with all that screaming and giggling?" Setsuna lifted her head from her folded arms. "Oh, god, did I pass out? Sleeping on the job again, Setsuna." She felt horrible but when she saw what Vash and Usagi were doing only a few feet away, she started feeling even worse. 'What a hell is going on there!' Hysterically laughing Usagi held Vash's head in the arm lock. The poor Gunman's screams were probably heard in all dimensions. Then Setsuna noticed that Vash's arm was carefully positioned behind Usagi's back. The Time Guardian smiled to herself. "He is making sure that she won't fall down and hurt herself, aw, what a guy!"
The loud noise of Usagi's communicator interrupted the action. "Darn, and just when I was winning!" Usagi angrily pushed the button on the communicator still holding the Humanoid Typhoon by his head.
Rei's face appeared on the screen. "Where on Earth have you been? I swear, we've been calling you all day!" Usagi tried to position the screen away from her body, so her friend wouldn't see anything she wasn't prepared for, to muffle Vash's screams she pressed his face hard into her chest.
"Hmmm, Rei, I am really fine, I just went to the park, to. to.. To exercise, yeah! To do my morning exercise! Why are you calling? Is there any action? Youma? Droids? Any mad villains? I'll take them all!"
Shock was clearly written on Rei's face. "Are you okay? Hey guys, our Usagi has gone completely mad! Usagi heard the loud voices of her friends in the background. Makoto, Ami and Minako were trying to grab the communicator from Rei's hands to take a good look at Usagi who definitely wasn't herself.
"Usako," The blonde heard on the background, "Stay where you are and we'll come and get you!"
Usagi screamed and let go of Vash, who fell on the ground with the loud thud trying to catch his breath. "No, No, No, I'll come to you guys, I am perfectly fine and I am here safe and sound with. Setsuna! Any more questions? No? Ok! Bye!" She pushed the "Off" button a fell on the ground next to Vash. "Pooph! That was close!"
"You almost choked me," complained Vash. "And you put my face right in your .your.. - His face turned bright pink.
"My what?!" The angry blonde slapped his knee. "I didn't want to let you go and you were making too much noise!"
Vash laughed and ruffled Usa's hair: "So innocent. Come on; let's go find your moody friend. I personally think it's her who has been hiding in those bushes since the time you've got here!"
Usagi covered her mouth in shock. They both laughed and went to meet Setsuna, who casually walked out of the bushes trying to look composed. After a short conversation all of them decided to transport to the ruins of Dr. Tomoe's lab where Usagi would meet the Senshi. Setsuna had a hitch that something important was about to happen there. Well, they would have left the park right away, if Usagi hadn't spotted a harmless ice-cream man on his little truck. Setsuna unsuccessfully tried to stop both of her companions who were on the quest to find out who can make it to the ice- cream truck first. Then they were running back even faster when they realized that both of them didn't have any money. At last, after Usagi's and Vash's throats were terribly hurting and their lips turned blue from quite a few portions of ice-cream, the little company with the help of the Pluto's Power combined with Usagi's Crystal made it safe and sound to the meeting spot. By that time Setsuna's headache was almost unbearable.
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Notes:
- " to get naked and bark as a dog", yep, Vash did exactly that in the episode # 18 "Goodbye for now"
- I've noticed in the episode # 21 "Out of Time" Vash was trying to fix the plant and was talking to it like it was a living being.
"Makaiju" - English dub "Doom Tree" As you see, I did my homework, kiddies! (
I borrowed this chapter's title from the Trigun's episode # 26. And again, just want to let you know that I don't own anything. I have a hard time buying a Christmas presents for everybody, so there is no way in hell I will be able to cover a court expenses! ^-^'
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"Alright, Miss!" Vash cracked his fingers and sat in the Lotus pose. "What has been troubling your pretty little head lately?"
Usagi opened her mouth and closed it then opened it again. "Well." She felt uneasy for a moment. This guy was a complete stranger and a weird one. But something in his face made her trust him. "I .I don't know, how you can possibly understand."
"Easily" Vash lifted her head by the chin and looked into her eyes, his face only inches away from hers. "I've been fighting for Love and Peace for over a 100 years, my dear. Nothing in your tale will surprise me. I've seen it all." Little did Usagi know that Vash was going into his serious mode that he used around all beautiful women.
The girl's eyes shimmered with the unshed tears and with the loud wail Usagi fell into Vash's lap sobbing her heart out: "You don't undestaaaaaand!"
The look on the Humanoid Typhoon's face was priceless. 'Damn, Damn, Damn! It never worked this way before! Ok, calm down Vash the Stampede. She is only fourteen. Maybe I should just write it down on her forehead!' He placed his hand on top of the blonde's head brushing her golden locks with his fingers and sighed.
"I was so alone and so scared!" Usagi loudly blew her nose into the red coat. "I didn't know what to do! My friends were a mile away from me and I couldn't listen to the Outers and just kill Hotaru! That wouldn't be fair! She didn't deserve to die! I knew I had to save her. Hotaru was under control of the Mistress 9, there was nothing she could do to stop that monster, and I had to save her! I couldn't let Chibi-Usa's friend get hurt." Tears were streaming down Usagi's face. Vash hurried and searched in the pockets of her jacket looking for the handkerchief and let a great sigh of relief when he found one. Usagi wiped her face and continued, "But I still keep wondering if it was the right choice to put everyone in danger. Why do I have to hold the most important decisions, why in my hands there lies the life and the death of the people? I am just an ordinary kid! I just wanted a simple life!"
Vash pulled Usagi into a tight hug: "Life is never simple, you are absolutely right, nobody deserves to die, doesn't matter how bad the person is, you have no right to decide his fate for him. There is always a solution. Sometimes it's just the matter of time to make the right choice and you did very well."
Usagi sniffed and looked into the gunman's face: "You really think so? I just wasn't sure, but at that point that was the only one I could think of. Still, because of me all my friends got really hurt!" Usagi chewed on her lower lip and thoughtfully stared into space thinking of the battle.
Vash cleared his throat and winked at the small blond. "Are you sure there was nothing else you could do? Did you try to get naked and bark as a dog?" (1)
"Wha.." Usagi was shocked at the dramatic change of the conversation.
Vash put his arm behind his head and laughed: "Oh, I am sorry, this conversation was getting way too serious for my taste!"
Usagi fell backwards with a thud. "I don't believe it! Here I am crying my eyes out and ask for your opinion and all you do is joke around? Are you sure you are a good influence for a teenage girl like me?"
"Hey, I said I was joking! My opinion is that you need to have more confidence in yourself, Usagi. You were not chosen to be a leader without a good reason. Believe in yourself, because if you question your actions and abilities, others will question you as well, and you don't want that. You have your own path. Follow it. Others will follow the leader that they trust and believe in. Your heart will tell you what choice to make."
Usagi stopped crying and happily nodded her head up and down. "This is unbelievable, we are so much alike! I feel like I've known you forever!" Usagi's eyes were shining. "Are you sure you are not my long lost brother or something?" Vash laughed at her words. "No! I'm serious, Vash! I am sure I would love to have you as my brother instead of that little brat that I have at home! He is nothing but mean to me! Teasing me and pulling all kinds of silly pranks! I would just love to switch you two!"
Vash's face fell. "And I am sure I would love to switch both you and your bratty brother with MY brother" He sighed and lay back looking absolutely miserable.
"That bad, huh?" Usagi felt uneasy: again she had opened her big mouth and said something inappropriate. She bit her lower lip and scooted closer to the gunmen.
Vash opened his eyes and held his breath when he felt Usagi lie her head on top of his chest. She clasped his gloved hand in her smaller one: "It will all work out somehow; you will find the way."
Usagi absently caressed his fingers lost in her thoughts.
Vash cleared his throat. "Well, where was I? You are such a strong and kind girl and you never give up. You were on your own when you started on your journey. I was lucky; I had someone to show me my path that I have walked on ever since." Vash closed his eyes as he remembered Rem's sweet and kind smile. ".You had no one to guide you; it's amazing how much you've been through. You are only 14 in this lifetime and you have learned so much. I am 133 and I still make mistakes!" Vash sadly laughed. He stopped abruptly when he realized that his little blonde listener was no longer with him. Two sleepless nights finally caught up with poor Usagi. She was sound asleep, rolled into the tight ball on top on the gunman.
Vash sighed. "No wonder! I would've passed out myself! What can I say to her anyway? My strong points are gun fighting and not a therapy!"
He found that Usagi was still clasping her transformation brooch in her hand; a gentle light of the Crystal was shining through the jeweled compact. "It's amazing, her Crystal still reacting to my power. I guess it was a good idea for me to come here after all, to meet someone of my kind, someone who would understand. I can't tell her how to live her life, but my power proved to be good and even healing to her.
Vash gently caressed Usagi's locket: "Hey there, little fellow." (2) The locket opened by itself and the ginzuishou lifted from it softly blinking. Vash with a mischievous look on his face motioned to the Crystal to move closer. As if it were a living being, Usagi's source of power landed on the palm of the Humanoid Typhoon's hand. Once again Vash closed his eyes and felt the power of the Crystal. Before his eyes there were all of Usagi's memories. Vash bit his lower lip as he saw Usagi crying at the loss of her friends and then facing Queen Beryl. He saw her taking a hit from the Makaiju, (3) he saw Fiore's hand clasping this very Crystal, he saw her Silver Millennium memories, and he saw her die. The very last memory was of the Mistress 9. Horrors of the Black Hole where Usagi followed Sailor Saturn almost made him faint. He abruptly stopped the Crystal from sharing its memories with him and sat upright holding his chest and clasping for air. "This is horrible; it's like the worst nightmare I have ever seen!" He looked at Usagi's peaceful face. "No wonder she can't sleep at night!" He picked up the Crystal and softly whispered into it: "Please, take a good care of her". Then he gently placed the Crystal back in the locket and shook Usagi by her shoulders to wake her up.
Usagi yawned and stretched her body: "Wasssap.?" She couldn't figure out what was going on.
Vash put a smile on his face and helped her to sit up. "Feeling better?"
"Oh yeah! That nap hit the spot!" Usagi giggled. "I am sorry, what were you saying? I don't mean to be mean, but you started to sound so much like Miss Haruna at school and I ALWAYS fall asleep in her class!"
"Thanks a lot!" Vash pouted.
"Oh, no! Don't be mad! I was only joking!" Usagi rubbed her cheek against Vash's face. Then pulled away madly blushing: 'What on Earth possessed me to do that!'
Vash felt how suddenly tense Usagi became. "She is like a little kitten: all playful and happy at one moment and then scared and confused at another."
Usagi still blushing got up on her feet as she thought of something hoping to erase the memory of her previous action: "Can you teach me some of your fighting tricks, Vash?" Pleeease!" She pleaded. "I want to show my friends how good I can fight without the use of the magic! Wouldn't it be so cool! I can prove to them that I can be a strong leader!"
"You are a strong leader" smiled Vash. "If someone else was in charge of saving this world, things would never have turned out the way they are now". Vash grew thoughtful for a minute. "Sure I can teach you! I could show you a thing or two, but can you take a good hit?"
"Hey, we will see who is going to get a hit here!' Laughed Usagi and got in the fighting stance.
"What's with all that screaming and giggling?" Setsuna lifted her head from her folded arms. "Oh, god, did I pass out? Sleeping on the job again, Setsuna." She felt horrible but when she saw what Vash and Usagi were doing only a few feet away, she started feeling even worse. 'What a hell is going on there!' Hysterically laughing Usagi held Vash's head in the arm lock. The poor Gunman's screams were probably heard in all dimensions. Then Setsuna noticed that Vash's arm was carefully positioned behind Usagi's back. The Time Guardian smiled to herself. "He is making sure that she won't fall down and hurt herself, aw, what a guy!"
The loud noise of Usagi's communicator interrupted the action. "Darn, and just when I was winning!" Usagi angrily pushed the button on the communicator still holding the Humanoid Typhoon by his head.
Rei's face appeared on the screen. "Where on Earth have you been? I swear, we've been calling you all day!" Usagi tried to position the screen away from her body, so her friend wouldn't see anything she wasn't prepared for, to muffle Vash's screams she pressed his face hard into her chest.
"Hmmm, Rei, I am really fine, I just went to the park, to. to.. To exercise, yeah! To do my morning exercise! Why are you calling? Is there any action? Youma? Droids? Any mad villains? I'll take them all!"
Shock was clearly written on Rei's face. "Are you okay? Hey guys, our Usagi has gone completely mad! Usagi heard the loud voices of her friends in the background. Makoto, Ami and Minako were trying to grab the communicator from Rei's hands to take a good look at Usagi who definitely wasn't herself.
"Usako," The blonde heard on the background, "Stay where you are and we'll come and get you!"
Usagi screamed and let go of Vash, who fell on the ground with the loud thud trying to catch his breath. "No, No, No, I'll come to you guys, I am perfectly fine and I am here safe and sound with. Setsuna! Any more questions? No? Ok! Bye!" She pushed the "Off" button a fell on the ground next to Vash. "Pooph! That was close!"
"You almost choked me," complained Vash. "And you put my face right in your .your.. - His face turned bright pink.
"My what?!" The angry blonde slapped his knee. "I didn't want to let you go and you were making too much noise!"
Vash laughed and ruffled Usa's hair: "So innocent. Come on; let's go find your moody friend. I personally think it's her who has been hiding in those bushes since the time you've got here!"
Usagi covered her mouth in shock. They both laughed and went to meet Setsuna, who casually walked out of the bushes trying to look composed. After a short conversation all of them decided to transport to the ruins of Dr. Tomoe's lab where Usagi would meet the Senshi. Setsuna had a hitch that something important was about to happen there. Well, they would have left the park right away, if Usagi hadn't spotted a harmless ice-cream man on his little truck. Setsuna unsuccessfully tried to stop both of her companions who were on the quest to find out who can make it to the ice- cream truck first. Then they were running back even faster when they realized that both of them didn't have any money. At last, after Usagi's and Vash's throats were terribly hurting and their lips turned blue from quite a few portions of ice-cream, the little company with the help of the Pluto's Power combined with Usagi's Crystal made it safe and sound to the meeting spot. By that time Setsuna's headache was almost unbearable.
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Notes:
- " to get naked and bark as a dog", yep, Vash did exactly that in the episode # 18 "Goodbye for now"
- I've noticed in the episode # 21 "Out of Time" Vash was trying to fix the plant and was talking to it like it was a living being.
"Makaiju" - English dub "Doom Tree" As you see, I did my homework, kiddies! (
