Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun and this fic has been nagging my brain for sometime now so please be nice! The timeline? Ten months after the final fight.
It was nightfall by time Vash and the delinquent Meryl had finally reached their destination. A Huge city called New Year. The place was full of lights and was very well populated. To get from point 'A' to point 'B' you would most likely need to get a car ride. Meryl sighed and tossed Vash the water bottle seeing his pitiful face to prove how dehydrated he was.
"Though I don't see the point of drinking it all... I'm going to bed and I'm fairly sure you're going to want to party and check out the girls." Meryl said.
"I'm not that type of guy. I like to get to know a girl before I decide to lay the 'Vash Charm on her'." Vash said but no sooner a girl had crossed their line of vision…A petite blonde with a huge upper body, if you know what I mean.
"Hey pretty lady how about you and me go out and have some fun." He said leaving Meryl's side almost immediately. Of course the girl eyed him before walking away. "oh come on don't just walk away. A Beautiful firecracker like yourself should have a body guard, you know someone to protect you from the lechers in the world." He seemed to almost plead with the girl.
"Get to know a girl huh?" Meryl rolled her eyes watching him pursue yet another young lady who passed by. "I'll be back." She said walking into one of several bars. She looked around for a couple of minutes before deciding to ask the bartender. "Excuse me sir…" She called out to the bartender who looked at her once.
"Bathroom's in that direction little lady." He said without glancing at her again. Meryl frowned a bit.
"I need some information…" She said but several brutes entered the bar and the bartender pointed out the bathroom once more before deciding to busy himself with the orders of the big men. Meryl frowned before walking back outside and saw that Vash hadn't given up on his sad attempts to get attention from the half dressed females around him. She watched him a couple of minutes longer before getting a bright idea. "I'll meet you right here in an hour, Vash!" She called getting thumbs up from the guy just before he noticed a doughnut store open and he took off. "That man…" She shook her head before a woman a bit taller than her walked by. "Excuse me miss… You have something on the back of your pants…" She said to the woman wearing thin skimpy top and tight black pants with black boots.
"Where?" The woman began feeling around her pants trying to find that 'something'.
"No more to the left… no to the right… Uhmm if you don't mind let me get it!" She said to the woman leading her off to the side just before they disappeared into the shadows soon followed by a thud.
"Mr. Knives… just eat the food." She said to the man who only stared at the food before him. "You need to build up your strength in case we need to ship Meryl out of here. There's no telling when that man with the gun will come back."
"I don't know why you won't get the clue that I hate you and that disgusting spider in that room. I could care less what happens to either of you." He said.
"If that were true you would've killed the both of us within the past two nights." Millie spoke innocently. "I know you can't hold a gun yet but what about setting the house on fire… or drowning me in the tub, or stabbing the both of us with a knife. That would be kind of funny though. Mr. Knives actually killing someone with a knife." Millie giggled to herself. "But I also wanted to say that even if you don't care about me and Meryl I can handle us both but I worry about you since you still can't use a gun with that arm of yours." Knives were almost ready to say something to her but declined last minute and ate the food so it could fill his empty stomach. HE stood and walked across the room but stopped just when he passed the tall woman.
"I am superior to you. When you grow old and die I will live on in the image I am now. I suggest you don't worry about me and worry about how long it'll be before I decide to wipe this entire planet clean of you disgusting spiders. It's the only way to keep the butterflies alive without suffering." He told her.
"You really believe you are superior?" She asked him receiving no answer. "If you are superior then you should be able to deal with your hatred of 'spiders' without killing." Millie said looking at him knowing she had his attention, accidentally she knocked over her unopened container of pudding. "Killing us humans only will make you as bad as the man trying to kill both Meryl and Me. Heartless and useless… Meryl once said no one has the right to take another life so…"
"Save me the lectures for when you're at your dying breath and let's see if you think I shouldn't kill you after the torture." He said taking a couple of steps before crushing the pudding container. He looked at the substance in disgust…
"That was my last container and you wasted it!" Millie growled holding her stun gun up to the male. He looked at her before getting caught by one of her stun crosses. He was pinned against the wall and unconscious. Only after she saw him not move she began to panic he was still injured.
"Hey can't a girl get a drink around here?" A girl with long black hair that had been pulled into a ponytail asked batting her pink sparkly covered eyes at the bartender before running her tongue over her red lips.
"What'll it be small lady?" The bartender stared at her face a bit… he's seen it before but he simple shrugged.
"The best you've got…" She said seeing commotion in one corner of the room. She turned her back to the bartender who had been watching her every move. His eyes then fell onto a black rose tattooed on her shoulder… 'She's the one…'
"That rose..." The bartender said when the commotion on the one side of the room picked up.
"You know…" She turned her back to him to watch a crowd surround one of the brawny men from before chugging down his drink while a hefty fellow tried to beat him.
"You see the man over there." He pointed to the brawny guy wearing a hat covering most of his face. "That there is my brother. He was the assistant to a man named Jacob D. Wolfwood."
"So tell me how does a gal like me get close to that barrage of brute?"
"Why would you do want to do something like that?"
"I want to know the whereabouts of Wolfwood… Any clue would do right now." She said.
"Figaro is really picky about the women who get close to him…"
"I see…" She said standing up and walked over to the jukebox in the far corner of the bar and only a matter of a few feet away from the drinking game going on. She didn't see the bartender slip out of the room to the phone booth and picked up the phone.
"Who else wants to challenge me??" The big man known as Figaro said taking the money handed over by the hefty man he just beat. When he received no challenges he looked around the room searching for a victim. His eyes then fell on a blonde man who was sitting by himself seemingly deep in thought drinking a whole bottle to himself. "How about you?" He pointed at the man who then turned his attention to the group that was watching him. His green eyes held confusion.
"Me?" The blonde pointed at himself.
"There's no other wimp drinking that fruity woman's drink…"
"I don't think this drink is very feminine at all…"
"Are you in or out?" One of the women near Figaro asked.
"of what?"
"The game you idiot!" The woman yelled at him.
"Games I like games! Games are the best way to bring people together!" He said making Meryl in the corner shake her head. As soon as he sat down a glass had been set in front of him. "Thanks for the drink." He picked up the glass.
"It's for the game you idiot." He said just as two more were placed down. "Best out of three…" Figaro placed down a large sum of money.
"Oh right sure… but I don't think I have any money to place in this game."
"It's alright… I'll pay for you, Darlin'" Meryl came up behind the blonde wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She placed a decent amount of money on the table. "Now win it back for me and I'll do something extra nice for you." She said watching Figaro's eyes on her almost as if searching to place her face. She backed up as the woman of Figaro's smirked at the girl.
"One… Two… drink!" She said as both males picked up their glasses and began to down the drink. They both got through their first glasses rather quickly and set their hands down at the same time. "Round two… One, two, three… Drink!" She said as they both picked up their glasses and downed it quicker and once again it ended in a tie. Figaro looked at the blonde whose face only held an innocent look to his face. The final round ended in a similar fashion. Figaro raised an eyebrow at the guy before laughing.
"I can't tell if you're being an idiot with dumb luck or a guy who's had his share of drinking games." Figaro said.
"A little bit of both I suppose. Had a friend who was big on drinking once… whenever he managed to get his hands on any liquor I'd get dragged into it." He said as two more drinks were set in front of him.
"Got to win the girl's money back if you really want that extra nice thing…"
"It seems like I might I hate to be in debt to anyone."
"The Final round… all players must down all three drinks before their opponent." The woman said. "Go!" She said and both males grabbed their drinks and guzzled them as quickly as possible. The first glass was gone and the second was quickly forgotten… When it came down to the final cup everyone held their breaths. The third and final glass had been set down and the challenger won. The gasps of shock went about the table and Figaro shook his head. "You really are something…"
"The name's Vash." Vash finally introduced himself just as music started and the attention left the table quickly and moved to the bar. On top of the bar had been Meryl… dancing and quite unclean too for a juvenile. Many men whooped and cheered the short female on, unaware of her age, as she got on all four waving her tail in the air. Figaro watched the girl with mild interest until something caught his eye. He blinked once… twice… a third time… was he seeing things? He then saw Vash next to him move… his jaw was practically hitting his knees. He looked back at the girl on the bar. Her hair was now free from the ponytail and was trailing down her back. Vash then stood and yanked the girl off the bar. She flailed about and neither noticed that Figaro was muttering something to one of his group members.
"This is not the way you handle a woman!" She screamed.
"What did you think you were doing?"
"Trying to find out about Dr. Wolfwood."
"By dancing up on bars?!?"
"Not that it should matter to you Mr. 'I like to get to know a girl before deciding to lay on the charm', but yes. I managed to find out that the Figaro guy used to be an assistant to Jacob Wolfwood. I had to get his attention somehow."
"And you did a pretty good job of that." The muscular man said. "He wishes to meet with the young lady." She turned to Vash with a smirk before walking off to follow the guy.
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Review please!