Planet Gunsmoke : Chapter One
By: Liz de Jong
Hey again! I guess if you're reading this, it's a good sign! ^.^ Just to letcha all know I obviously don't own Trigun and all that stuff, and to say hellloooooo!! *waves*
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'God, the sky is so blue...'
Stopping from his work, Vash raised a hand to his brow, shading his eyes from the bright warmthof the sun above. It made work out here on the hot sand almost unbearable, raising the temperature to unthinkable heights. Though he was sweating, he smiled just as warmly back up to the skies.
The shade of blue was so deep, so intense, it hurt his eyes to look at it for too long. That didn't stop him, however, from smiling as he looked back down to his job. He even went so far as to whistle a little tune to himself.
"Vash! Hey, Vash!"
He looked up, hearing someone call after him, he wiped his brow with his sleeve, standing to his very full height once more.
A group of excited children ran up to him, and began jumping up and down, running, skipping, and otherwise halting the man's work. He smiled at them, kneeling to their height, greeting each of them by name. He was amazed they were still so energetic in such heat, and decided to keep an eye on them, in case it should get to them, all the same.
"It's here! It's here it's here!"
"What's here, little guy? The ice cream man?"
"Better!!"
Vash smiled, ruffling the little boy's hair, then asked innocently,
"What could possibly be better than ice cream?"
"My daddy!!! My daddy's home! And the caravan is here!"
Vash straightened up, gathering all his things with him, ready to head back into town as he would surely need to, now. The caravan folk would need some help unloading and taking care of their Thomases.
He could understand what had the children so excited; the arrival of the caravan usually meant very happy citizens, which led to street booths full of cheap sweets and trinkets of the sorts the youngsters liked, in celebration. And little Troy would, of course, be the most excited of all. His father, leader and owner of the caravan, was away from home more often than not, and it was always a joyous occasion for the little boy when he came home and was able to visit for a week or two.
"Well come on, then, let's get back to town!! I'll race you all!! Winner gets an icecream!"
Vash sprinted off towards the little town, taking off before the children could start; a mass of cheers and screams followed him, as they tore after the man in pursuit of their promised treat. Once they neared the town's outskirts, he started to lag behind, huffing and puffing.
Sensing their moment, the children poured on a little more of their youthful energy, some even managing to sprint past the man. Just to make sure he didn't win, he tripped on his own feet and took a dive in the sand. The others reached the only little candy and sweets shop in town, cheering around the owner, who watched with a smile from the porch of his business. The children turned, jumping up and down excitedly upon the boards, arguing amongst themselves as to who had one the race.
Two little girls stayed behind, helping Vash to his feet, making sure he was alright. He smiled down at them, walking back with them to the store.
"But you two missed your spot in the race!"
"It's ok, Mr. Vash... I just didn't want you to hurt yourself. You're always falling down!"
He laughed, finally meeting up with the group of other children. Immeadiately they accosted him as a being of one;
"I was first! No, I was first!! I beat you all, I can out-run the wind!"
"Tell you what... I think.... "
Taking his time, Vash scanned the little crowd of children, as if scrutinizing them all with the deliberation of a long-time judge. Finally, he pointed to a little boy in the back, one of the few not boasting.
"... I think you won. Way to go, Salem!"
The little boy's face lit up as he did a little victory dance. Some of the children gracious enough to do so congradulated him, others frowning a bit at their loss.
As Vash lead the boy into the store, he turned, spotting some of the group dispersing in dissappointment.
"Hey, wait! I don't think we should have to eat icecream by ourselves. I think I've got enough for everyone!"
Again, the world temporarily dissolved into the cheerful screams and shouts of children in the process of being spoiled, as they all entered the shop, claiming their first free treat of what promised to be a day full of them.
Vash, after having seen to it that each child recieved something, seated himself with his own icecream on the steps of the stop. The old shopkeeper, having completed his business inside as well, seated himself next to the man.
"It's a wonder you make any money at that job of yours at all, the way you spend it."
"Well, They need a little cheer in their lives. And I can do without once in awhile."
The old man smiled, then laughed, a truly heartfelt laugh.
"I was just teasing you. They love it, and they love you. You're a good man."
Vash looked off into that blue sky again, idly licking his icecream cone. His thoughts, as they inevitably seemed to do, drifted to that same painful area they always tended to do when things seemed too good to be true.
'Rem would have liked it here.'
Taking another lick, he sighed deeply. It had been quite some time, now, since he'd last seen her, yet the memory of her, of the happy times in her care, still haunted him. The birthday party, the lessons, and the love.
He bit into the cone with a crunch. Those happy memories, however, didn't haunt him as much as the one final, painful vision he had of her.
The door, closing them off, closing the connection. Her tears. She had cried, oh god, she'd cried and she knew what would happen... And that bright flash of destruction as her life ended. His brother. His own brother, smiling softly at a job well done.
Vash clenched his fist, the napkin he held in his hand compressing into a little ball. A small, hot tear worked it's way down his cheek, then dropped to the dusty ground below where it was greedily lapped up by the ravages of heated sand.
'Can't think like that. Can't think thoughts like that. I promised her I wouldn't hurt anyone. Not even him.'
He stood, his back to the shopkeeper, who had lit his pipe and stared off into the sky as well, taking it as a companionable silence best not to interfere with. The shopkeeper quirked a brow at the other man's actions. Vash, however, turned to him, his face in a big smile.
"Thank you! We'll all be back one of these days. You'll have good business today... it's a caravan day!"
With that, he waved at the shopkeeper, who amiably waved back, dismissing Vash's abrupt arrival. After all, the lad was right... today was going to be good for business and any break was a welcome one.
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Hands stuffed in his pockets, Vash made his way to the usual loading station for the caravan, something tugging at him. He sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse it any longer. He let the thought in.
'You lied... you DID hurt someone. You did hurt him.'
Another unbidden memory flashed past. His brother, plotting the destruction of the human race, counting on Vash to help, wanting to make him help... And his gun, the gun his own brother had given him, rising... his brother on the ground, staring up at him with intense disbelief, his eyes full of pain. His voice still played as through Knives were here...
'You... you shot me?! you shot ME??'
"You hear me? Hey!"
Vash blinked, realizing he had stopped in his tracks, his fists balled up at his sides, teeth clenched. He looked up, spotting one of the townsmen ahead of him, waving a hand as though to awaken the other man.
"There you are, finally coming back to this planet, eh? We've been looking for you, lots of unloading and delivering to do!"
Vash broke into a smile, mentally shrugging off his thoughts and his anger once more.
"Yeah, sorry! I was off on my own for a minute there."
He stepped into stride with the other man, as they made their way to the others, already loading family vehicles, hand-drawn or Thomas-drawn carts, the arms of the townspeople. It seemed as if everyone were smiling, talking joyously, greeting one another.
Vash joined in, helping them load carts, joining in the gossip. It felt good to be around those his brother seemed to despise so much; he couldn't understand his sibling's feelings towards them. Humans could be kind as well as cruel. A day like today was a prime example of it.
He lost himself in the tasks of the day, not even realizing the sun had set until it was too late to watch it go down, as was his habit on caravan days.
'Oh, well. Another day... and I'm still here. We move on.'
He had almost made it another whole day without thinking about them. Almost.
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Ok, so it's a bit boring so far, but bear with me, we're only starting, right?
Vash mmm, ice cream! How come you didn't REALLY give me an ice cream?
Liz well.. you see, the thing about that i... RUN AWAY!
Vash...
By: Liz de Jong
Hey again! I guess if you're reading this, it's a good sign! ^.^ Just to letcha all know I obviously don't own Trigun and all that stuff, and to say hellloooooo!! *waves*
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'God, the sky is so blue...'
Stopping from his work, Vash raised a hand to his brow, shading his eyes from the bright warmthof the sun above. It made work out here on the hot sand almost unbearable, raising the temperature to unthinkable heights. Though he was sweating, he smiled just as warmly back up to the skies.
The shade of blue was so deep, so intense, it hurt his eyes to look at it for too long. That didn't stop him, however, from smiling as he looked back down to his job. He even went so far as to whistle a little tune to himself.
"Vash! Hey, Vash!"
He looked up, hearing someone call after him, he wiped his brow with his sleeve, standing to his very full height once more.
A group of excited children ran up to him, and began jumping up and down, running, skipping, and otherwise halting the man's work. He smiled at them, kneeling to their height, greeting each of them by name. He was amazed they were still so energetic in such heat, and decided to keep an eye on them, in case it should get to them, all the same.
"It's here! It's here it's here!"
"What's here, little guy? The ice cream man?"
"Better!!"
Vash smiled, ruffling the little boy's hair, then asked innocently,
"What could possibly be better than ice cream?"
"My daddy!!! My daddy's home! And the caravan is here!"
Vash straightened up, gathering all his things with him, ready to head back into town as he would surely need to, now. The caravan folk would need some help unloading and taking care of their Thomases.
He could understand what had the children so excited; the arrival of the caravan usually meant very happy citizens, which led to street booths full of cheap sweets and trinkets of the sorts the youngsters liked, in celebration. And little Troy would, of course, be the most excited of all. His father, leader and owner of the caravan, was away from home more often than not, and it was always a joyous occasion for the little boy when he came home and was able to visit for a week or two.
"Well come on, then, let's get back to town!! I'll race you all!! Winner gets an icecream!"
Vash sprinted off towards the little town, taking off before the children could start; a mass of cheers and screams followed him, as they tore after the man in pursuit of their promised treat. Once they neared the town's outskirts, he started to lag behind, huffing and puffing.
Sensing their moment, the children poured on a little more of their youthful energy, some even managing to sprint past the man. Just to make sure he didn't win, he tripped on his own feet and took a dive in the sand. The others reached the only little candy and sweets shop in town, cheering around the owner, who watched with a smile from the porch of his business. The children turned, jumping up and down excitedly upon the boards, arguing amongst themselves as to who had one the race.
Two little girls stayed behind, helping Vash to his feet, making sure he was alright. He smiled down at them, walking back with them to the store.
"But you two missed your spot in the race!"
"It's ok, Mr. Vash... I just didn't want you to hurt yourself. You're always falling down!"
He laughed, finally meeting up with the group of other children. Immeadiately they accosted him as a being of one;
"I was first! No, I was first!! I beat you all, I can out-run the wind!"
"Tell you what... I think.... "
Taking his time, Vash scanned the little crowd of children, as if scrutinizing them all with the deliberation of a long-time judge. Finally, he pointed to a little boy in the back, one of the few not boasting.
"... I think you won. Way to go, Salem!"
The little boy's face lit up as he did a little victory dance. Some of the children gracious enough to do so congradulated him, others frowning a bit at their loss.
As Vash lead the boy into the store, he turned, spotting some of the group dispersing in dissappointment.
"Hey, wait! I don't think we should have to eat icecream by ourselves. I think I've got enough for everyone!"
Again, the world temporarily dissolved into the cheerful screams and shouts of children in the process of being spoiled, as they all entered the shop, claiming their first free treat of what promised to be a day full of them.
Vash, after having seen to it that each child recieved something, seated himself with his own icecream on the steps of the stop. The old shopkeeper, having completed his business inside as well, seated himself next to the man.
"It's a wonder you make any money at that job of yours at all, the way you spend it."
"Well, They need a little cheer in their lives. And I can do without once in awhile."
The old man smiled, then laughed, a truly heartfelt laugh.
"I was just teasing you. They love it, and they love you. You're a good man."
Vash looked off into that blue sky again, idly licking his icecream cone. His thoughts, as they inevitably seemed to do, drifted to that same painful area they always tended to do when things seemed too good to be true.
'Rem would have liked it here.'
Taking another lick, he sighed deeply. It had been quite some time, now, since he'd last seen her, yet the memory of her, of the happy times in her care, still haunted him. The birthday party, the lessons, and the love.
He bit into the cone with a crunch. Those happy memories, however, didn't haunt him as much as the one final, painful vision he had of her.
The door, closing them off, closing the connection. Her tears. She had cried, oh god, she'd cried and she knew what would happen... And that bright flash of destruction as her life ended. His brother. His own brother, smiling softly at a job well done.
Vash clenched his fist, the napkin he held in his hand compressing into a little ball. A small, hot tear worked it's way down his cheek, then dropped to the dusty ground below where it was greedily lapped up by the ravages of heated sand.
'Can't think like that. Can't think thoughts like that. I promised her I wouldn't hurt anyone. Not even him.'
He stood, his back to the shopkeeper, who had lit his pipe and stared off into the sky as well, taking it as a companionable silence best not to interfere with. The shopkeeper quirked a brow at the other man's actions. Vash, however, turned to him, his face in a big smile.
"Thank you! We'll all be back one of these days. You'll have good business today... it's a caravan day!"
With that, he waved at the shopkeeper, who amiably waved back, dismissing Vash's abrupt arrival. After all, the lad was right... today was going to be good for business and any break was a welcome one.
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Hands stuffed in his pockets, Vash made his way to the usual loading station for the caravan, something tugging at him. He sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse it any longer. He let the thought in.
'You lied... you DID hurt someone. You did hurt him.'
Another unbidden memory flashed past. His brother, plotting the destruction of the human race, counting on Vash to help, wanting to make him help... And his gun, the gun his own brother had given him, rising... his brother on the ground, staring up at him with intense disbelief, his eyes full of pain. His voice still played as through Knives were here...
'You... you shot me?! you shot ME??'
"You hear me? Hey!"
Vash blinked, realizing he had stopped in his tracks, his fists balled up at his sides, teeth clenched. He looked up, spotting one of the townsmen ahead of him, waving a hand as though to awaken the other man.
"There you are, finally coming back to this planet, eh? We've been looking for you, lots of unloading and delivering to do!"
Vash broke into a smile, mentally shrugging off his thoughts and his anger once more.
"Yeah, sorry! I was off on my own for a minute there."
He stepped into stride with the other man, as they made their way to the others, already loading family vehicles, hand-drawn or Thomas-drawn carts, the arms of the townspeople. It seemed as if everyone were smiling, talking joyously, greeting one another.
Vash joined in, helping them load carts, joining in the gossip. It felt good to be around those his brother seemed to despise so much; he couldn't understand his sibling's feelings towards them. Humans could be kind as well as cruel. A day like today was a prime example of it.
He lost himself in the tasks of the day, not even realizing the sun had set until it was too late to watch it go down, as was his habit on caravan days.
'Oh, well. Another day... and I'm still here. We move on.'
He had almost made it another whole day without thinking about them. Almost.
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Ok, so it's a bit boring so far, but bear with me, we're only starting, right?
Vash mmm, ice cream! How come you didn't REALLY give me an ice cream?
Liz well.. you see, the thing about that i... RUN AWAY!
Vash...