Disclaimer: You still think I own Trigun? You people are thicker than I
thought! Get a life. I-
Knives: (busts down the door) WHY AM I DEAD?!?!?!?
Forte: You're not dead.
Knives: Yes I am!
Forte: Then why are you standing there?
Knives: No! You killed me off in your story!
Forte: (shrugs) So?
Knives: All the other fanfic writers have me fighting Vash or (shudders) turning over a new leaf. But at least I'm not dead.
Forte: So?
Knives: I CAN NEVER DIE!!!! I AM KNIVES!!!! AND I WILL DESTROY THE HUMAN RACE!!!!
Forte: Will you stop yelling? I'm trying to work on my fanfic.
Knives: In which I AM DEAD!!!
Forte: (rolls eyes) Knives, just leave me alone.
Knives: NO! You have disgraced my name and must DIE!! ANGEL-
Forte: Look! Fangirls!
Knives: GAAAHHHHHH!!!!! (runs away)
Forte: Good riddance. Now, back to the story...
Chapter Two: Familiar Stranger
==================
Vash slowly opened his eyes. Pain was coursing through his body. What in the world had happened?
He gently lifted an unconscious Milly off of him and laid her next to Meryl. Then he stood up on the window of the sideways bus and looked around. Many passengers were bleeding, and most of them were unconscious. Vash heard moans coming from the front of the bus.
Suddenly someone burst out crying. Vash spotted a weeping lady leaning over a man's lifeless body.
Not again. Vash clenched his fists. He hadn't seen anyone die for the past year he had spent wandering from town to town. And now death was back. Following him like a relentless phantom.
Milly sat up. "What happened Mister Vash?"
"I don't know. I'm going to find out. You get Meryl and the others out of here."
Milly nodded. "Okay."
Vash smashed a hole in the canvas roof of the bus, which was now the wall, and tore a hole large enough to allow two people to pass through. Then he stepped out into the soft glow of the moon.
The bus had been flung a good distance from the road and now lay on its right side. Vash saw a crater on the side of the road.
The bomb must have been on the road, not on the bus. Meaning someone had set a trap for them.
No, no them. Him. Trouble always came looking for Vash the Stampede.
The cold steel on Vash's neck interrupted his thoughts. "Turn around nice and easy. Keep you hands where I can see them."
Vash turned to face a shorter man pointing a gun at his face. The moonlight was too dim to see his features. "Now, if you'll just-"
The man stopped talking when Vash got on his knees in the sand. "Oh thank you for rescuing us!" Tears streamed down Vash's face as a surprised gunman stared blankly at him. "I knew someone would be here to help us!"
The gunman stared at Vash as if a river had sprung from his forehead. "Uhhh..."
"Don't be fooled by this moron."
Vash stiffened. That voice had a hardened edge he had not heard since Knives. A tall, well built man walked around from behind Vash and smacked the gunman in the ribs. "Don't listen to him. No one's truly that naïve. Besides, he's not the one we're here for."
Vash blinked. They weren't after him?
Six other gunmen joined the party from behind various sand dunes. "What do we do with this one, boss?"
The tall man looked at Vash. "The same thing we'll do with the rest of the passengers. Kill him."
Vash inhaled. Looks like he'd have to do some fighting after all.
The gunman holding Vash hostage was disarmed before he could blink. As he sprawled to the ground in a daze, Vash whipped out his pistol and neatly shot the guns away from the other six henchmen. The leader just stood there as Vash reloaded his gun.
"Well, seems you are going to be a bigger pain in the ass than I thought you would." He frowned. "Still, I thought the Wandering Demon wouldn't have cared about sparing the lives of all my henchmen."
Vash blinked. The Wandering Demon? That was the bounty Meryl and Milly were looking for. "Sorry, you've got the wrong man."
The leader sneered. "Well, if you're not him, then who is?"
"I am."
Vash followed the leader's gaze and turned around. The tall stranger from the bus was standing behind him. Vash frowned. He hadn't seen him get out of the bus.
The leader chuckled. "Well, thank you for clearing everything up. I was about to shoot the wrong man."
A small smile played across the tall stranger's face. Vash blinked. That smile...
Vash heard metal scrap against leather and out of the corner of his eye saw the leader draw a gun. Vash opened his mouth to yell, but the tall stranger's arm seemed to materialize in the air with a gun in his hand. A shot rang out. Vash heard a bullet whiz by his head and then a gasp. He turned to see the leader grab his chest in pain before crumbling to the ground.
The henchmen began to retreat. The stranger walked over to the leader and kicked him in the gut. No response. He turned to leave.
"Wait..." Vash held out an arm. "Where are you going?"
The stranger turned. "Why should you care?"
Vash paused. "Are you really...the Wandering Demon?"
The stranger snorted. "Stupid name......but yeah."
Vash lowered his arm. "I see."
"No you don't." The harshness in the man's voice caught Vash by surprise. "You have no idea what it's like running from town to town, always being chased by people who have cruel intentions."
Vash smiled slightly. "No, I don't."
The man turned to leave again. Vash ran up to him. "Wait!"
"What now?"
Vash faltered. He didn't know why, but something about this guy seemed...familiar. He needed to find out what it was. "We could use your help with the victims from the bus."
A tense silence followed. "Alright." The man turned and walked toward the bus. As he turned, Vash noticed the man's profile for the first time. Something seemed familiar about his flat nose...
Ah well. He could figure it out later. Right now, more pressing matters called.
=====
"There, all done!"
Milly smiled as she wrapped the last bandage around the elderly man's arm. The injured had been moved to a sand dune on the side of the road so that their injuries could be dealt with.
The man smiled. "Thank you, young miss!"
Milly returned the smile. "No problem." She stood up to check on the other passengers. A loud argument caught her ear, and she turned to see what was the matter.
"I can't let him go!"
"Ma'am, he's dead. We have to bury him."
Milly walked over to where the driver and a young woman were arguing. The woman was a mess. Blood stained the front of her dress and hands. Her hair was ruffled and eyes were bloodshot from crying.
"No! I won't accept this!"
Milly tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
The driver turned. "This woman's husband died in the bombing. We're trying to bury the dead, but she refuses to let us."
Milly looked down at the husband's body for the first time. He seemed so peaceful. Must have died in his sleep. Milly reached down to pick him up.
"I won't allow you to do this!"
"Ma'am, we have to."
Milly held the man in her arms and suddenly the voices faded away. She remember when this had happened to her...
It all came back. The painful memories. She had tried to suppress them for so long, but it was impossible. She could never forget the man she had loved.
Nicholas...
Milly stood up suddenly. The driver and the wife ceased their argument. The wife looked panicked. "What are you doing."
"Don't worry." Milly stared at the man. "I know what it's like to lose a loved one."
The woman stared at Milly for a moment. Then she turned her face away. "Alright. You can bury him."
The driver gently took the dead man from Milly and carried him over to where the three other casualties had been laid to rest. The woman followed. Milly stood there, staring at the sand in front of her.
Suddenly Vash came crashing into the camp. He spotted Milly. "Hey, where's Meryl?"
Milly pointed over to where Meryl was helping a young kid with a cut leg. Vash walked over in her direction.
Milly turned and saw the stranger from the bus walking into camp. She hadn't seen his face earlier, but now the light from the campfires gave her a clear view. She gasped. It couldn't be him...
Could it?
=======
Every person has two parts. One is easily visible. The other
is difficult to find. Many people live their lives as the visible
one. Those who take the time and effort to find the other
part of themselves are greatly rewarded. Those who shrug it
off wind up blown away by the wind.
Next Chapter: False Appearance
=======
Forte: Finally! Now I can go to bed.
Monev the Gale: (busts door down) YO FORTE!
Forte: (sighs) What?
MTG: BOSS WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU GONNA BRING HIM BACK IN YO FANFIC.
Forte: Do you have to talk in such an annoying manner?
MTG: JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!
Forte: Look, if he's so pissed about me killing him off, tell him to come talk to me - calmly - and we'll sort things out.
MTG: YOU TAKE ME FOR SOME KINDA FOOL?!?
Forte: (rolls eyes) Why me?
MTG: IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA ANSWER ME, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!
Vash: (enters through doorway munching on donuts) I'm back!
MTG: AHHHH!!! VASH THE STAMPEDE!!!!! (runs away)
Vash: Okkaaaayyyy...Mmmm, donuts! (Stuffs three in his mouth)
Forte: Where did you get those donuts?
Vash: Where you told me to.
Forte: (blinks) You mean, the moon?
Vash: Yeah.
Forte: I gotta go to bed.
Knives: (busts down the door) WHY AM I DEAD?!?!?!?
Forte: You're not dead.
Knives: Yes I am!
Forte: Then why are you standing there?
Knives: No! You killed me off in your story!
Forte: (shrugs) So?
Knives: All the other fanfic writers have me fighting Vash or (shudders) turning over a new leaf. But at least I'm not dead.
Forte: So?
Knives: I CAN NEVER DIE!!!! I AM KNIVES!!!! AND I WILL DESTROY THE HUMAN RACE!!!!
Forte: Will you stop yelling? I'm trying to work on my fanfic.
Knives: In which I AM DEAD!!!
Forte: (rolls eyes) Knives, just leave me alone.
Knives: NO! You have disgraced my name and must DIE!! ANGEL-
Forte: Look! Fangirls!
Knives: GAAAHHHHHH!!!!! (runs away)
Forte: Good riddance. Now, back to the story...
Chapter Two: Familiar Stranger
==================
Vash slowly opened his eyes. Pain was coursing through his body. What in the world had happened?
He gently lifted an unconscious Milly off of him and laid her next to Meryl. Then he stood up on the window of the sideways bus and looked around. Many passengers were bleeding, and most of them were unconscious. Vash heard moans coming from the front of the bus.
Suddenly someone burst out crying. Vash spotted a weeping lady leaning over a man's lifeless body.
Not again. Vash clenched his fists. He hadn't seen anyone die for the past year he had spent wandering from town to town. And now death was back. Following him like a relentless phantom.
Milly sat up. "What happened Mister Vash?"
"I don't know. I'm going to find out. You get Meryl and the others out of here."
Milly nodded. "Okay."
Vash smashed a hole in the canvas roof of the bus, which was now the wall, and tore a hole large enough to allow two people to pass through. Then he stepped out into the soft glow of the moon.
The bus had been flung a good distance from the road and now lay on its right side. Vash saw a crater on the side of the road.
The bomb must have been on the road, not on the bus. Meaning someone had set a trap for them.
No, no them. Him. Trouble always came looking for Vash the Stampede.
The cold steel on Vash's neck interrupted his thoughts. "Turn around nice and easy. Keep you hands where I can see them."
Vash turned to face a shorter man pointing a gun at his face. The moonlight was too dim to see his features. "Now, if you'll just-"
The man stopped talking when Vash got on his knees in the sand. "Oh thank you for rescuing us!" Tears streamed down Vash's face as a surprised gunman stared blankly at him. "I knew someone would be here to help us!"
The gunman stared at Vash as if a river had sprung from his forehead. "Uhhh..."
"Don't be fooled by this moron."
Vash stiffened. That voice had a hardened edge he had not heard since Knives. A tall, well built man walked around from behind Vash and smacked the gunman in the ribs. "Don't listen to him. No one's truly that naïve. Besides, he's not the one we're here for."
Vash blinked. They weren't after him?
Six other gunmen joined the party from behind various sand dunes. "What do we do with this one, boss?"
The tall man looked at Vash. "The same thing we'll do with the rest of the passengers. Kill him."
Vash inhaled. Looks like he'd have to do some fighting after all.
The gunman holding Vash hostage was disarmed before he could blink. As he sprawled to the ground in a daze, Vash whipped out his pistol and neatly shot the guns away from the other six henchmen. The leader just stood there as Vash reloaded his gun.
"Well, seems you are going to be a bigger pain in the ass than I thought you would." He frowned. "Still, I thought the Wandering Demon wouldn't have cared about sparing the lives of all my henchmen."
Vash blinked. The Wandering Demon? That was the bounty Meryl and Milly were looking for. "Sorry, you've got the wrong man."
The leader sneered. "Well, if you're not him, then who is?"
"I am."
Vash followed the leader's gaze and turned around. The tall stranger from the bus was standing behind him. Vash frowned. He hadn't seen him get out of the bus.
The leader chuckled. "Well, thank you for clearing everything up. I was about to shoot the wrong man."
A small smile played across the tall stranger's face. Vash blinked. That smile...
Vash heard metal scrap against leather and out of the corner of his eye saw the leader draw a gun. Vash opened his mouth to yell, but the tall stranger's arm seemed to materialize in the air with a gun in his hand. A shot rang out. Vash heard a bullet whiz by his head and then a gasp. He turned to see the leader grab his chest in pain before crumbling to the ground.
The henchmen began to retreat. The stranger walked over to the leader and kicked him in the gut. No response. He turned to leave.
"Wait..." Vash held out an arm. "Where are you going?"
The stranger turned. "Why should you care?"
Vash paused. "Are you really...the Wandering Demon?"
The stranger snorted. "Stupid name......but yeah."
Vash lowered his arm. "I see."
"No you don't." The harshness in the man's voice caught Vash by surprise. "You have no idea what it's like running from town to town, always being chased by people who have cruel intentions."
Vash smiled slightly. "No, I don't."
The man turned to leave again. Vash ran up to him. "Wait!"
"What now?"
Vash faltered. He didn't know why, but something about this guy seemed...familiar. He needed to find out what it was. "We could use your help with the victims from the bus."
A tense silence followed. "Alright." The man turned and walked toward the bus. As he turned, Vash noticed the man's profile for the first time. Something seemed familiar about his flat nose...
Ah well. He could figure it out later. Right now, more pressing matters called.
=====
"There, all done!"
Milly smiled as she wrapped the last bandage around the elderly man's arm. The injured had been moved to a sand dune on the side of the road so that their injuries could be dealt with.
The man smiled. "Thank you, young miss!"
Milly returned the smile. "No problem." She stood up to check on the other passengers. A loud argument caught her ear, and she turned to see what was the matter.
"I can't let him go!"
"Ma'am, he's dead. We have to bury him."
Milly walked over to where the driver and a young woman were arguing. The woman was a mess. Blood stained the front of her dress and hands. Her hair was ruffled and eyes were bloodshot from crying.
"No! I won't accept this!"
Milly tapped the driver on the shoulder. "Is something wrong?"
The driver turned. "This woman's husband died in the bombing. We're trying to bury the dead, but she refuses to let us."
Milly looked down at the husband's body for the first time. He seemed so peaceful. Must have died in his sleep. Milly reached down to pick him up.
"I won't allow you to do this!"
"Ma'am, we have to."
Milly held the man in her arms and suddenly the voices faded away. She remember when this had happened to her...
It all came back. The painful memories. She had tried to suppress them for so long, but it was impossible. She could never forget the man she had loved.
Nicholas...
Milly stood up suddenly. The driver and the wife ceased their argument. The wife looked panicked. "What are you doing."
"Don't worry." Milly stared at the man. "I know what it's like to lose a loved one."
The woman stared at Milly for a moment. Then she turned her face away. "Alright. You can bury him."
The driver gently took the dead man from Milly and carried him over to where the three other casualties had been laid to rest. The woman followed. Milly stood there, staring at the sand in front of her.
Suddenly Vash came crashing into the camp. He spotted Milly. "Hey, where's Meryl?"
Milly pointed over to where Meryl was helping a young kid with a cut leg. Vash walked over in her direction.
Milly turned and saw the stranger from the bus walking into camp. She hadn't seen his face earlier, but now the light from the campfires gave her a clear view. She gasped. It couldn't be him...
Could it?
=======
Every person has two parts. One is easily visible. The other
is difficult to find. Many people live their lives as the visible
one. Those who take the time and effort to find the other
part of themselves are greatly rewarded. Those who shrug it
off wind up blown away by the wind.
Next Chapter: False Appearance
=======
Forte: Finally! Now I can go to bed.
Monev the Gale: (busts door down) YO FORTE!
Forte: (sighs) What?
MTG: BOSS WANTS TO KNOW IF YOU GONNA BRING HIM BACK IN YO FANFIC.
Forte: Do you have to talk in such an annoying manner?
MTG: JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION!
Forte: Look, if he's so pissed about me killing him off, tell him to come talk to me - calmly - and we'll sort things out.
MTG: YOU TAKE ME FOR SOME KINDA FOOL?!?
Forte: (rolls eyes) Why me?
MTG: IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA ANSWER ME, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!
Vash: (enters through doorway munching on donuts) I'm back!
MTG: AHHHH!!! VASH THE STAMPEDE!!!!! (runs away)
Vash: Okkaaaayyyy...Mmmm, donuts! (Stuffs three in his mouth)
Forte: Where did you get those donuts?
Vash: Where you told me to.
Forte: (blinks) You mean, the moon?
Vash: Yeah.
Forte: I gotta go to bed.
