Disclaimer: I really have to do this? Okay, you already know this I'm sure but I don't own Trigun. I wish I owned a lot of things, and this is one of them, but sadly, no . . . Enjoy.

Chapter 1. Wanderer

The sweltering heat was making the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. It was like this all the time, and he was surprised that he still wasn't used to the heat. He sighed and looked down at the canteen in his hands. Water . . .

Or, at least, he wished there was water in it. There hadn't been a drop of water in that canteen for two days, and for two days he had been wondering around in the desert alone. It was too much to hope that someone would come along and give him a ride to the next town. He was Vash the Stampede, after all. He was sure that when he set off it wouldn't take two whole days to get to December. But then again, he thought he was going around in circles because he kept seeing the same sand dune twice.

Sighing again Vash stood from his little spot in the sand and prepared to keep going. He hadn't gone far when he saw the top of a Plant beaming in the blazing sun coming into view. All he had to do was get to the top of that sand dune and there it would be! December! Or, well, he hoped it would be December.

Though weak with lack of sleep and water he began to run, but as more of the city came in to view he started to slow down. The city, if you could even call it that anymore, looked as though the Plant had blown up, only much worse. Half was buried in sand, most of the next portion was nothing but piles of stone and rubble and debris, and the rest seemed to be makeshift hospitals, shelter for what appeared to be half the population, and a place to get water.

The Plant had blown, however, but Vash couldn't remember ever seeing a city looking like this because a Plant broke down. Actually, it wasn't even cracked on the surface. It was as if it just . . . stopped.

He began to make his way toward the city, his boots trailing footsteps in the sand. Call it curiosity if you want, but he was aching, itching, to find out what had caused the Plant to break down before coming to the normal like ending they usually served.

It seemed that for a very long time as Vash ventured forth into the city that not even playful children had dared or been allowed to go off into the rubble. He couldn't blame them, in any case, it was dangerous, after all. But . . . The Plant . . . Why would it just quit like that?

As he came to the center of the city he saw a few people looking through the wreckage, probably searching for useful items and things like that. After the full realization of this destruction hit him he had to wonder if this even was December! The last time he had been here with . . . well, with them, it had been much different. It had seemed healthy, beautiful, and in full working condition. But the Plant had given out.

Well, Vash still didn't believe that this was December so he stepped up to an old man who was fishing around in the half left of what appeared to have been a bar and asked if this was in fact the city of December. The man looked at him crazy for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, this is the place," he told him. "Or, well, it used ter be. It ain't really nothin' no more, is it?"

"Well, can you tell me what happened to it?"

"It's really hard ter tell ya. No one really knows the truth abou' what happened or who done it. The attack was at durin' the day, right out in the sun an' everything! But, well, on'y one person managed ter catch sight of everythin'. Messed 'er up a little, too. Well, I suppose you couldn't say that, but she's a little . . . distant mos' the time. She's not really all there anymore, she's always thinkin' 'bout stuff no body can figger out."

The man turned away and continued to dig around.

"Can you tell me who she is?" Vash had stuck his hands loosely in his coat pockets, watching the man. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Vash, examining him. He then turned back and continued his work. Vash was about to step up again and repeat himself, but just as his nerve twitched the man replied, rather slowly.

"Well . . . I've heard 'er name is Meryl Stryfe, but I don't really know. I'd only heard of her a couple o' times b'fore, in the papers and stuff, and then when I had business with th' Bernardelli Insurance Company back when it was still around. But if ya wanna talk wit 'er she lives in one o' the last standin' buildings around, above the Sheriff's office. You might not get in, though, b'cause she got some woman to keep her comp'ny. Her name's Kate and she's a firecracker, so watch out."

Vash turned and thanked the man, then headed for the place he remembered as the Sheriff's office two years before when he had come here. Well, he was right in remembering where the office was located, but unfortunately for him the Sheriff was sleeping at his desk. Before he entered he looked up at one of the windows. Some woman was peering down at him as though she was disgusted by the sight of him. Vash knew he wasn't much to look at what with the dust and dirt covering him, but she still didn't have to stare at him like that.

In one swift movement she turned sharply from the window and as he ventured silently into the Sheriff's office he heard loud footsteps on the stairs behind the sheriff and then a hurried, "I'll be right back," and a girl who appeared to be very short for her age (which, Vash guessed was only late teens) came walking down the stairs.

The sheriff didn't move.

Author's Notes: I know it's kind of short, but this is kind of like a prologue. The other chapters will be longer. Kate isn't a big character here, she's got a very small and insignificant role, so don't think I'm bringing in this new character. And this is not during series or post-series. This is just sort of out there. But yes, it does have a lot to do with the series.