Trigun: Vash Poppins the Gunman Nanny! 2

The bustling city of October.... The mayor of the fine town had been striving for high security to his citizens ever since word had spread that a dangerous outlaw had been on the loose. Mayor Bloodworth could not bear to sacrifice his citizens or his daughter to a man who called himself Vash the Stampede. To further his security, he had placed an ad in the newspaper for a bodyguard/nanny to protect his child..

At the edge of town; a blue three story mansion stood majestically.

The Bloodworth family resided beneath the roof of the luxurious mansion with dignity, honor, and its peace-making solutions to problems. Mayor Calum Bloodworth had been sitting alone in his spacious study. Books on every subject filled the shelves installed in the walls of the room followed by burgundy leather furniture that had been set in certain areas. The fine black suited man relaxed within the tall chair, dark auburn strands had been pushed aside to allow him to see the portrait of a lovely brown haired lady with emerald eyes dressed in a pink sundress that hung above the blazing hearth..

"I miss you my funny Valentine." he murmured. Of course he had been referring to his dead wife that had died five years ago while giving birth to his daughter, Iris.

The knocking of the door broke the silence and Calum asked, "Yes?"

"A man responded to your ad." a female servant's voice could be heard on the other side of the door. "Show him in Matilda." he called in a friendly manner and stood politely to receive his future employee.

The door had been opened to reveal a tall spiky blond haired young man dressed in a red trenchcoat, circular yellow sunglasses, and strong leather boots standing at the threshold. "Please come in, Mr?.." Calum paused in the middle of the sentence to allow his guest to finish the it with his name. "Vash the Stampede?" the man responded with a grin.

Calum laughed at this reply heartily for he thought this gentleman could not be the dangerous outlaw he had heard about and said, "That is funny! You can use that to scare people on the job. Good tatic!" Vash looked to him in a puzzled manner and said,

"I am honored to accept this position Mayor Bloodworth."

"Tell me Mr. Vash. Are you good with children?" Calum asked.

"Good with them? I love them to death!" he answered with enthusiasm.

"Excellent! I have a little girl that needs protection and guidance while I am away on trips from time to time." Calum said cheerfully. "Is she a troublemaker?" he asked.

"No, but clever and helpful around the house." he replied then paused for a moment.

"Iris, won't you come out and say hello to your nanny?" Calum asked gently.

Vash turned around to see a little girl with Calum's hair in pigtails that appeared to be five years old peeking past the threshold with the same aqua gaze. The girl hid out of their sight from behind the door and released a small gasp and her father chuckled.

"It's all right, honey. He won't bite you." Calum assured her. The little voice behind the door said, "Okay, daddy..."

Both men grinned to see the little girl stepping into the room dressed in pink overalls, black MaryJane shoes, white T-shirt with her curly pigtails held back in pink ribbons.

Her gaze met Vash's eyes in her innocent fascination and walked closer to him

"Hello, Mr.Vash. I'm Iris Bloodworth." she managed to say despite her bashfulness.

"She has your eyes..."Vash said while kneeling down to observe Iris closely.

"Yes, but she's the spitting image of her mother." Calum added.

"I like your coat, Mr. Vash. It must be a big blanket for you." she commented.

"It is like a blanket. Shouldn't you be in warmer clothes?" Vash asked.

"No, I'm not cold but thanks for asking." she replied. "Iris honey, why don't you show your nanny the room that Matilda set for him?" Calum asked gently.

"Okay daddy!" she agreed in a cheerful tone. "Please take my hand Mr. Vash so you won't get lost." Iris said and extended her tiny hand to him in anticipation.

Vash looked to Calum with a nervous grin and he simply chuckled,

"Didn't I tell you that she is helpful?" "Yes, a little too helpful," he remarked and allowed her tiny hand to grasp his leather gloved one "Alright lead the way, cutie pie."

Vash grew to like this little girl's charms and polite manners. Her auburn curls bounced with each step as she lead the way out of the study and down the long corridor decorated with tapestries. "So how old are you, Iris?" he asked her. "I'm five and a half years old. Daddy told me that I grow like a weed." she answered with a giggle. "Do you like dolls?" he asked. "No, they just sit there. But I'm making them move soon." she replied cheerfully. "What do you mean by making them move?" he asked once more.

"Well, I'm adding parts to them so they can be mech-an-i-cal." she said as her eyes met his for a moment from her small height. Vash seemed surprised by her answer and thought I'm not dealing with an average little girl, here. Its better to keep an extra close watch on her or her curiosity would be the death of her! "Making things out of junk must make you happy. I wish I had that talent." he said in disappointment.

"We're here!" she exclaimed cheerfully as they stopped at the end of the hall.

She opened the door to reveal a spacious yellow bedroom with a white bedspread covered in roses. "Sorry about the blanket. Daddy told me that guys don't like flowers very much." she apologized while looking to the floor in disappointment. "Are you kidding?! This is the best room I've had in a dog's age!" Vash exclaimed happily. In the midst of his mirth, he snatched Iris from the floor gently by her torso and hugged her.

She giggled innocently, returned the hug, and said, "I hope you stay, Mr.Vash."

"I hope so, too, my dear." he said softly with a yawn. "You need some nap time?" she asked. "I guess so." he said and gently placed her on the floor. She took his glasses and had set them upon the oak vanity by the door unexpectedly. This act surprised him for he never had a child take the role of care-giver towards him. "I'll take my nap now, mommy." he said in a child-like voice and threw himself on the bed. "Lift your legs so I can tuck you in." she said with a giggle. Vash obeyed her, allowed the warm blanket to cover his form, and tuck the edge of the blanket beneath his chin. "Thank you, mommy. I feel so warm." he said in the same voice. "Have a good nap, Mr Vash." she said with a grin and gave him a kiss on the forehead. He watched her sneak out of the room by her tiptoes through heavy eyelids. She will make a good mother someday. he thought before going to sleep.

The unusual nanny had a pleasant hour nap but that had been ended with the sound of Iris' high pitched screams. "Oh, crap!" he exclaimed and bolted out of bed at lightning speed. Vash followed her screams to the backyard of the mansion, preparing himself for the worse of any situation.. Once in the backyard, he saw a big man in a purple suit with a golden skull mask, equipped with an arsenal of cannons on his back and wrists. This deranged lunatic held Iris by her overall suspenders with the gun to her face. "LET GO OF ME!!!! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!!!" she shouted on the top of her lungs.

"I will in time my little cuby doll." the man said in a cold voice. "PUT HER DOWN NOW!!!" Vash shouted angrily, with his gun pointed at him. "Shoot me and I'll make her real ugly." he replied in the same cold tone. "What do you want?" Vash asked sternly. "I want you dead. If you don't cooperate, I'll blow her head off." the man replied and shoved the pistol a little closer to her face. "You must be proud of yourself. Using little girls in your ploys makes you a real man." Vash said sharply. "SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLE!!!" the man bellowed and started shooting several rounds in his direction. He rolled out of the way at top speed to dodge the bullets in a mad dash. "STAND STILL YOU-OWWWW!!!!!" he shouted and then bellowed in pain. In the midst of the shooting, Iris removed a mini blowtorch from one of her pockets and burned a hole into his hand. He dropped her to the ground involuntarily which gave her enough time to run off at top speed. Vash tackled the man to the ground with the gun to his face. "I suggest that you leave the premises at once." he said sternly while pulling the hammer back with a loud click. "We will meet again, Vash the Stampede! Damn you!" he growled under his breath and ran out the dusty backyard while clutching his burnt hand..

Iris ran to Vash with tears in her eyes, sobbing from the horrific ordeal. He knelt down to her level and hugged her close (after putting the gun in the holster of course!).

"Shhhh...its okay...he's gone now..." he said gently. "I didn't want to give him an owie..." she said softly. "I know...but sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do. I'm proud of you sweetie for standing up for yourself." he said as he wiped her tears away with the back of his hand. "Am I becoming a grown-up?" she asked and sniffled. "Yes, you are." he replied with a grin. "Thank you." she said and returned the hug.. "How about we go inside and you can show me your mechanical dolls?" he asked. "Okay and show you the way so..." she agreed and Vash finished her sentence,

"So I won't get lost. Lead the way, Ms. Bloodworth."