Trigun
Dragon's Breath
Written by: Spike Spiccardo (nope, still don't own)
"We're all out of time, this is how we find out it all unwinds(The sacrifice of hiding in a lie…)
We're all out of time, this is how we find out it all unwinds
(The sacrifice is never knowing…)
Why I never walked away, why I played myself this way,
Now I see – your testing me – pushes me away…
Why I never walked away, why I played myself this way,
Now I see – your testing me – pushes me away…"
-Linkin Park, from the song 'Pushing Me Away'
A/N: This story is taking a turn towards the right direction now, and I'm not gonna stop posting chapters until it's complete.
…Chapter 11: Chemical Tears…
Kartsu lay upon the salon's bed, turning over the last half-hour and his conversation with Blistra.
It just doesn't make sense… I should've been killed out there in that desert… and what does this girl really want from me? If she didn't want me, she could've killed me… It just doesn't make sense anymore…
Suddenly, Daro popped his head into the room to check on his prisoner's conscious status.
"Everything OK, chief? Blistra's prepared to talk to you, so you better be ready!"
Kartsu cast a weary nod in Daro's direction. Content, he closed the door once more, letting the creek in the hinge resonate throughout the salon. It was unbearable to be here anymore. He had to get out… Suddenly, the door creaked open again, and the woman from before came into vision.
"So… Kartsu Gevan, was it? What was it that brought you all the way out to the Reharo Desert? Business, perhaps?"
Kartsu's head stopped spinning just long enough for him to answer. "It's personal. If I told you, I'd probably kill the pair of us afterward."
Was that recognition on her face? Perhaps he had imagined it. In any case, it was gone the next second, and she plowed on. "Just how good is your marksmanship?"
"What do you mean? I use that gun only for self-defense." That's right, old boy – keep her talking, make sure you don't have to answer. Unless, of course, she already knows the secrets of the Golden Colt, she'll never be able to get me to talk. No sir, no Gevan in history has spilled his guts.
"Don't play innocent games with me. You're the legendary Golden Colt – the one from the songs. You MUST be him – no one else carries a gun like this anymore." As she said this, her hands flung Kartsu's Colt back to him in a flare of brilliance that blinded the both of them for a moment. Kartsu neatly brought the gun to a halt in his hand, and then sheathed it as though he were cracking eggs into a frying pan. He was smiling the whole time.
"So, you know the stories about me and my endless 'good' deeds?"
Tch, what a smug little face. If he weren't so famous, I'd probably pop his giant nose open right now. "I never suspected for a moment that your deeds were 'good', Mr. Colt. I just said you have quite a few songs about you. Probably written by terrified enemies with nothing to do since you 'educated' them." An exasperated sigh emerged from her. "But that's not the point. I desperately need someone like you on our side. It's important…"
She bit her lip – hard. Kartsu was at first confused, then worried, then outright confused again. "So… you mind telling me why you've taken up residence in a place with only similar relation to your name?" I mean, how does she expect to help me if I don't know her back-story?
Blistra plopped down next to where Kartsu lay, shifting him over ever so slightly so that she had some butt-room. Another exasperated sigh escaped her grasp, and then she began. "The whole thing started about a year ago, shortly after the terror of Vash the Stampede had subsided. I was headed home to December for a short visit with my family. When I got there, however, the entire block where my family lived was annihilated. I'll never forget it… my family's bodies laying there, sullied in their own blood… and the note that was left behind…"
Blistra began to weep silently, and Kartsu, not knowing what to do, let her mourn for a moment. Then he jumped her again. "So… the note… what did it say?"
She pulled an envelope from her back pocket and tossed it to him. Kartsu unraveled the letter and read:
My dearest Blistra Gahero:
You were always denying me, even when we were near. So, here's your punishment. Remember your old friends, the Reharo family? Well, I've 'extended their family' and given them a few toys to play with. Don't you dare flee again, my love. Meet me at the sacred ruins of July, or suffer the same fate as your family.
Oh, and your lovely buffoons, Maro and Daro are invited as well. Hope to see you soon,
The signature was indiscernible, and so it took Kartsu a moment to register the note's contents. Suddenly, he sat up, a look of terror on his face, his eyes concentrated on one word: July. The old ruins of July. That's where that bastard, Demonte, is. That's where… "Blistra, do you know what that signature is? Whom does that signature belong to??"
She looked at him with a look that said "You are absolutely strange" but she responded, "I don't remember it clearly but…" Another sniffle… and then…
"The signature… is Knives Million. He's been trying to make me his lover for a year now."
Knives… oh, shit…"Gah, bloody hell! What is this lonely traveler supposed to do??!? No food, no money, and NO WATER?? WHERE DID ALL MY WATER GO??"
Vash's morale, low as it was in Tonim Town, had now reached an all-time low. He had been wondering around the very same desert as Kartsu for almost twice as long as he had. The twin suns were burning holes into Vash's jacket, as if he were some little ant that the two wanted to rot and burn. Vash's boot took one last step, and then he faded into darkness.
When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself surrounded by a bunch of men… wearing eye patches… and capes. They also had very smug looks on their faces, as if they knew something that he didn't. As Vash sat up, rubbing his head from its impact on the sand, he heard one of the men come forth. He must've been the leader, as his eye patch was of a different color than the others. What a strange way to distinguish leadership… but whatever floats your boat, I guess. "Hiya, fellas! What's the word?"
"Well… I didn't realize that Vash the Stampede could be so… entertaining…" The man's voice was rather hoarse, as if it hadn't had water for days. His smile revealed several golden teeth, and he seemed to be enjoying every minute of the conversation.
"Well, if that's all you guys need from me, then I really ought to be going… heh…!"
But the man stomped his foot down onto the floor – hard, wooden planks, Vash observed. "You won't be going anywhere, mate… not until we've questioned you a bit further…"
The men began to laugh as huge beads of sweat covered Vash's face. Whoever these men are, and whatever the hell they want from me, don't really matter. I know now for a fact that this won't end well at all!!
A young, handsome-looking man stood on the forked hill of the Reharo Desert, observing the town below. His narrow, greedy eyes were focusing first on the Salon, then on the abandoned windmill in the distance. His hands were clasped together, the same greed that emitted from his eyes also emitting from them.
My master plan is already in motion… from here on out, it'll be best to let Nature take its course… With both of those buffoons locked in battle against each other, they'll easily wipe themselves out, and then I'll take care of my precious pet, Demonte. Soon, my dear brother, I shall bring about the end of Gunsmoke as we know it, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop me! Let the Million Knives Revolution begin at last!!
-Spike Spiccardo-