Trigun: Iris Celeste Bloodworth 1
On the desert planet of Gunsmoke, many of the inhabitants were concerned over their personal safety. Their concern lied with the fate of the heartless, dangerous outlaws that have roamed freely upon the surface. Outlaws that have invoked fear, misery, and poverty upon their own satisfaction. Apparently crime still persisted in this world of gunfights with no avail. There are those who have been following the goal of love and peace. Surprisingly, it had been a legendary outlaw called Vash the Stampede.
His friends and acquaintances had been doubtful of this spiky blond haired, red coated man's cause, implying that his goal had been as foolish as chasing a rainbow.
Vash the Stampede continued to pursue the end of the rainbow to find the treasure in order to buy his happiness. He had been reminiscing upon this notion while gazing at the stars one evening from the second story hotel bedroom window in May City.
Vash's thoughts had been interrupted with the sound of gunfire and the clash of steel in the distance of the quiet city. What's going on? he thought while poking his head out of the window to get a closer look. He spotted a figure in a dark hooded cloak that had ran at such a fast pace that he could have sworn the person disappeared among the dark shadows of the buildings. Only the pale full moon illuminated that area of the street.
Moments later, a group of men ran in the same direction as the cloaked figure with pistols and rifles to serve as weapons in the desperate attempt to capture their prey.
Trudging footsteps thumped against the hardwood floor beneath the window followed by soft groans.
Vash took a peek to see where the groans had came from to observe the same cloaked figure in a sitting position clutching the left shoulder in pain. His aqua eyes darted in a sideways glance to see if the bounty hunters were out of sight range. After being satisfied with the coast being clear, he said in a loud whisper: "Psst! Hey, you alright down there?" The cloaked stranger did not reply but simply fell to the floor with a loud thump. Vash widened his eyes in fright, being horrified with the notion of this stranger dieing which went against his moral code of love and peace.
He left his hotel in great haste, clad in his pajamas (white long sleeved shirt, dark pants, white socks). In a deer-like grace, he flew over the staircase in one leap, landed with a loud thud upon his descent and made it to the door in 10 seconds. The hustle would have impressed any on-looker but in this case recognition had been insignificant to Vash.
The swift hero flung the door open, ran outside to see the injured stranger in desperation.
The cloaked stranger had laid sprawled upon the dusty boards that served as a sidewalk.
Vash kneeled down to the injured person's level to perform a physical analysis closely.
He performed the first task of confirming consciousness by shaking the slender boot slightly and asked, "Are you alright?:" To his disappointment, there had been no response. The cloak had been moved aside carefully to further the inspection.
"A woman?!" he exclaimed in surprise. Again, his eyes widened in shock to observe a petite woman dressed in a green ruffled blouse, black cargo pants, knee-high combat boots laying on her right side with a hand still positioned on the bullet in her left shoulder. Blood oozed down between her slender fingers as a sad expression had been worn on the oval face framed with stray dark auburn curls. Vash had been taken aback by this site, being disgusted with the fact that this innocent looking woman had been shot at.
Why are they chasing such a beautiful lady for? She can't be a criminal...he thought in disbelief. He looked closer to observe a sword and two Desert Eagle .50 pistols attached to her leather belt that had rested behind her. The thought Her only protection...it has to be! ran through his mind while cradling her slender form carefully into the building.
The woman's chest rose and fell at a slow pace during the ambulation.
Vash seemed quite relieved of this vital sign, knowing that there is still hope for her.
The auburn braid swayed as he clutched her close to open the door with his left hand and carried her inside by walking backwards. His left elbow nudged the switch to illuminate the room in a bright glow from the blue bedstand lamp. "Hnh..What's going on?"
The question had been asked in a dry voice from the woman as she grimaced painfully with his grasp. "Shh...It's going to be okay. I'm here to take care of you, sweetie." he said gently. "Looks like a don't have a choice. But thanks for scooping me out of the street." she said sincerely with a one sided grin despite her physical suffering.
Vash returned the grin while settling her down on a chair near the mahogany dining table, a First Aid kit with a wash basin and a bottle of Wild Turkey liquor resting on the surface.
"You are very welcome! I couldn't let a pretty flower wither away." he said and winked playfully.. The woman blushed a bright rosy pink and looked to the floor. "You say that to all the girls who lay injured in the street don't you?" she managed to ask. "Not all the time..." he said and blushed a bright pink himself.
"I have a pair of pliers in my right leg pocket so it can help you remove the bullet efficiently." the woman said calmly in her chair. "You seem to take this situation well," Vash remarked, while unbuttoning her pocket, "Does this happen all the time?"
"No, not all the time. I'm used to the dangers on my travels. Usually, I don't have wounds like this." she replied and braced herself for the bullet removal procedure.
"But aren't you afraid that you are going to die?" he asked as he positioned the pliers carefully upon the bullet in her gushing wound.. "I'm not afraid of death because it is simply a new beginning in existence. My life will be carried out to its fullest before the end of this lifetime." she answered boldly. The woman clenched her teeth as he plucked the bullet from her shoulder. "What's your name, sweetie?" he asked. "Iris Celeste Bloodworth." she replied. "Well, Iris Bloodworth. You are one brave lady!" he exclaimed and dropped the bullet into the wash basin.
A grin surfaced upon her oval face and watched him bandage her left shoulder carefully. "Since you know my name, isn't it fair that I know yours?" Iris asked with a tilt of her head. "Oh, you are right about that part. It's just Vash the Stampede." he replied.
"The Humanoid Typhoon?! This is an honor!" she exclaimed then grimaced again as the bandages were tightened firmly. "Oh now you are feeling honored!" he replied sarcastically. Iris giggled heartily and said, "Sorry, my independent nature tends to hate people." "I don't blame you for that. It is good that you have that to survive in this world." he said and paused for a moment to look upon Iris intently.
She's so familiar with those eyes being identical to mine...Where have I heard the name Iris Bloodworth before? Damn this fuzzy memory of mine! he thought with a frustrated expression on his face. She seemed concerned to witness his actions and asked,
"Something wrong?" "No, nothing. You just seem familiar." he replied while scratching his head in a comical manner.."Oh...Just give it time and it'll come back to you. The harder you push for a memory the longer it will take to surface." she advised. "That's true, Iris. How come you are so smart?" he asked affectionately, while sitting at a chair across from hers at the table. "I'm observant that's all. The world is my teacher and I pay attention." she replied while looking to the floor. "Then if the world is a teacher then I didn't get good marks on my report card so far." Vash remarked. "And being sent to the corner for being a class clown." Iris added with her own sarcasm "You teacher's pet!" he said teasingly. Both of them bursted into loud laughter.
Vash and Iris shared the Wild Turkey liquor in plastic cups at the table.
He never met a woman who had a sense of humor like his own or could tolerate pain.
Her kindness took him by surprise by offering the last of the chocolate bars that resided in her cargo pants pockets. Iris giggled again to witness him devour the candy.
"What's so funny?" he asked. "You look like a kid that just finished a chocolate Easter bunny! It's extremely cute!" she exclaimed. He blushed in embarrassment and dangled his arms in a Frankenstein pose and said in a low voice, "Grrrr...I'm the chocolate monster!" "Oh no! He's so sweet that I'll have to wear dentures! No candy shop is safe from this monster! Whatever shall we do?!" she shrieked in mock horror with her hands to her face.. Vash found the damsel-in-distress amusing by laughing hysterically and managed to say, "That was too funny, Iris!" "If you think that's funny wait until you hear this song: Randolph the bull-legged cowboy...had a very shiny gun! And if you ever saw it...you would turn around and run! All of the other cowboys used to laugh and call him names. They wouldn't let poor Randolph join in any poker games. Then one foggy Christmas Eve the sherrif came to say: 'Randloph with your gun so bright....Why don't you come and shoot my wife tonight?' Then the other cowboys loved him and they shouted with glee! Randolph the the bull-legged cowboy...You'll be hanging from a tree!"she concluded her song with a grin. His laughter increased after hearing the song and held his sore ribs from the intensity. "My God! That was hilarious!" he exclaimed after he managed to stop laughing.
Iris began to yawn and stretched her arms in her chair. "I wonder what time it is." she murmured. "Its time for you to sleep." he said affectionately and threw the cups into the wastebasket by the window. "Alright, I'll go downstairs to get a room." she said sleepily.
"After that injury, you are not going anywhere." Vash said firmly. He rose from his chair, lifted her into his arms and settled her upon the soft mattress to the left side of the room.
"But where will you sleep?" she asked with concern. "Don't worry about it, sweetie.
Just get some rest." Iris settled herself upon the mattress and closed her eyes with a peaceful expression on her face.
Vash removed her belt of weapons and her cloak to allow her to be completely comfortable. He settled the items on the dining table but curiosity had overwhelmed his morals and removed the sword from its sheath. The double edged blade had been admired as a finger trailed along the edge, then returned to its sheath and being settled on the dining table. Again, he looked to Iris in the midst of her slumber and placed the warm sheep skin blanket over her shivering form. "Good night, Iris... Lady Typhoon..."he whispered and brushed aside a few stray curls from her face. Instead of sleeping on the floor he slept leaning backwards in the chair at the dining table. Just as she promised, the memory did return to him....
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