Trigun

Dragon's Breath

Written by: Spike Spiccardo (nope, don't own)

For the love of God, what's going on? Someone else besides BLD must be reading this story...!

"There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface...

Consuming... confusing...

This lack of self-control I fear is never ending...

Controlling... I can't seem...

To find myself again... my walls are closing in..."

-Linkin Park, from the song 'Crawling'

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The trio had finally found an elevator, which would take them back up to the surface, about a yar away from Tonim Town. As they walked again amongst the sand-induced planet, Meryl's brain was still turning over the story Kartsu had told them.

So, what's he going to do now? I wonder sometimes... was it really worth meeting Vash the Stampede? His curse must be contagious...

"You OK?" A low and strangely calm voice spoke to her. Looking up, Meryl saw Kartsu next to her, walking at her pace, a look of sympathy on his face. For the first time, Meryl felt like Kartsu was actually a person - not just a mindless bodyguard he had been before.

"Yes, I'm fine." They both smiled, and Kartsu walked ahead, where Milly was still enthusiastically skipping forward. Soon, they had reached the town, and Meryl immediately made the observation - "No one's here. This place is deserted!"

Indeed it was, though it seemed that something major had happened out here. The posters - mostly all of them, anyways - were pulled down. Most of them, Kartsu observed, were wanted posters of Vash. Each building's windows had been shot out completely, leaving no glass behind. In the center of town, on a horrid pedestal and written in blood, was one word: KNIVES. Meryl shivered when she spotted it.

"I hate this place... it brings back such horrible memories of the past. Why are we here, anyways, Kartsu?"

Meryl suddenly wished she hadn't asked. A horrid, familiar voice spoke behind them. "Why, because I invited you here, all of you... so you could witness the death of Kartsu Gevan, ex-Bad Lad and assassin of BDN!"

A gunshot was heard... in an instant, Kartsu had pulled both Meryl and Millie into a building. Without explanation, he threw them behind the bar (they had dashed into a saloon... sheesh, what luck) and said, "Don't move!!" Running back outside, Kartsu pulled out his Golden Colt and wielded it as though it were a sword. Demonte Kalabis was laughing with such glee.

"So, you finally come out to play, eh, Gevan? Do you really want to do this... after all I've done for you? Heh heh heh... of course you don't. Which is why you will die right here!!"

Another gunshot was heard, but it wasn't from Demonte - a bristle of wind passed through his hair, shaving off only a few pieces and narrowly avoiding his skull. Purified anger rose in Demonte's face.

"You bastard! You heartless, ungrateful little bastard!"

It began. Kartsu was dashing backwards, firing shot after shot and dodging Demonte's shots as well. Demonte continued to chase him. The missed shots passed through every building, out the other end, and even through the word KNIVES. Neither let up until the clips went empty. Diving behind cover, the two of them reloaded, and the fight continued.

Sweat soon appeared on Kartsu's face. He was a skilled gunman, sure, but he couldn't keep this battle up forever. He could already feel the twin suns dropping out behind the planet, betraying him the light he required. It was only then that the shadows located him an alleyway which could serve as a hiding place for a short amount of time, at least until he could recover. He made a swift pivot out from the KNIVES marking and dashed for the alleyway. But Demonte cut him off as though he were merely jogging with his dog. Moments passed, and Kartsu still didn't know what had happened. What he did know was that a gigantic gun barrel was pointed directly at his forehead, the cold metal burning off his skin and sweat.

"You know I don't want to kill you, Kartsu… but it's not a choice I have to make."

Meryl had now bit her lip so hard it was bleeding. But you DO have a choice!

"No, I don't!" Demonte had pulled a flashy, golden gun from his pocket and was now pointing it towards the window of the saloon where Meryl and Milly now stood.

"I don't have a damn choice! If you only knew what he was doing to me…!"

"He? He, who?" Is this the reason he came after us?

But Meryl couldn't think anymore. In fact, she had now found it difficult to breathe. Milly suddenly gasped, and now she had a good idea as to why – blood was now trickling from her chest, from the bullet-hole that Demonte had just placed. The bullet was working rather quickly – Meryl had but a few last words.

"I… can't believe… he's not here… to see…"

Milly, tears flying down her face, felt Meryl's hand suddenly harden and become cold, like the icy breath of winter.

"You… heartless… cold-blooded… BASTARD!"

Every emotion, every sense of thought Milly had had over the past week and a half finally erupted. One motion, and the Cross Punisher was unloaded. Another motion, and she was flying down the sandy road towards where Kartsu stood at gunpoint, awaiting his doom.

But it never came. Because Demonte decided to waste ANOTHER golden bullet on an innocent bystander. Milly, too, fell to the ground, icing up against the hot sands of the planet. Kartsu could feel his rage ready to explode to either his mouth or his gun, and he didn't' care which. That bastard…! They didn't even do anything, and he killed them! Bloodshed… tears… and another faceless memory of mine… this isn't how it was supposed to be!

Suddenly, from afar, a few warning gunshots could be heard. To Kartsu, it just seemed like any ol' executioner's gun, but Demonte seemed to be fearful of it, because he turned tail and ran, leaving no trace of himself. He did, however, drop a note, which Kartsu eagerly picked up.

To Kartsu,

I've killed your friends, and if you don't believe in the deaths of innocents anymore, you'll be joining them. I'll be waiting for you at the ruins of July City. –Demonte

Kartsu clenched the note so tightly in his hand that his fingernails ripped open blood blotches onto his clothes. The once-proud bodyguard of two lovely women was now a man of rage and fear, plummeting into another shadow of a past.

"Damn you, Demonte… after all we'd been through, you decide to come back and screw with me once more! That's twice now that you have tried to take my life… and I swear, upon Meryl and Milly's bloodied bodies, that THERE WON'T BE A THIRD!!"

With a last, longing look at Tonim Town, the city where two valiant heroines had fallen victim to a vicious wolf, Kartsu Gevan dashed off into the dusky, tan sunset of a looming, perilous night.

-Spike-