Hiya once again, true believers! I'm sorry this took so long to update,
but I have not watched my Trigun DVD's for months, and also I have been
very involved in other fanfics that have been absorbing a lot of my
creative juices. To one loyal reader who has given me great reviews, I am
not telling who the villain is. But, I do dare all of you who read this to
guess what his relationship is to Wolfwood! Till next time, read on!
CHAPTER 3 COMING TO DRAG ME DOWN...
The twin suns were dipping over the horizon, leaving the small town clothed in darkness. The sky was had already attained a faint blue, and the lights from the buildings illuminated the streets. For the people of this small town, it was business as usual. This is why none of them noticed the lone figure that slowly walked in from the desert.
He was clothed in a black cloak that covered most of his body. He kept his arms down straight at his sides, his hands not visible. His face was concealed by a hood that only allowed for his fine chin and some scrufty whiskers to be seen. From beneath the darkness of the hood, a pair of dead eyes gazed out at the world.
Merryl groaned and rubbed her temples. She had a monstrous headache. She opened her eyes and looked at her typewriter. It almost seemed to mock her.
"Merryl, are you all right?" Millie asked as she slapped another stack of forms down next to her partner. Merryl looked at the size of this new stack, and at the one she had yet to finish, and collapsed, her head laying down on the table.
"What did I do to deserve so much work?" she moaned into the wood surface.
"Come on Merryl, you need a break" Millie said, tugging on her friends arm. Merryl looked up into Millie's eyes. She knew her friend meant well, but lately it seemed nothing could brighten her mood. She was about to protest when Millie yanked her up out of her chair. Millie's strength never ceased to surprise Merryl. Vash also knew this lesson as well, having been on the receiving end of some backbreaking Millie hugs.
Millie led Merryl downstairs, into the main area of the inn they were currently staying at. The evening crowd had drifted in. Many people were at the bar, trying to drown their sorrows. More were sitting at the tables, eating or playing some sort of card games. Much to Merryl's personal distaste, she saw Vash and Wolfwood amongst them. Vash was seated at the bar, looking already quite intoxicated. Wolfwood was next to him, and they each had an arm around the other's shoulders, and were attempting to sing some sort of drinking song.
"Such behavior. And he calls himself a priest." Merryl turned her chin up as she spoke, trying to imply how above such things she was.
"Yeah..." Millie's voice had a slightly dreamy tough. Merryl caught the soft smile her companion had for the wandering priest. Merryl herself couldn't help but smile a little. She knew how her friend cared for their traveling companion. It was touching, in a strange sort of way. Although, in some other ways, it seemed totally mismatched.
"Come on, Millie. Lets get some fresh air." Merryl tugged her friend's arm, pulling her out the door into the streets. Night had fallen, and the air was much cooler now. They wandered the streets, striking up small talk with some of the people they came across. They purchased some oranges from a vendor in the street and munched them in the soft glow of a street lamp.
"I'm looking for someone" came a throaty voice from behind them. It caused them both to jump, almost choking on their oranges. They spun around and were met with one of the most bizarre men they had ever seen. His face was hidden under a hood, and only his chin and mouth were visible.
"Um...we're happy to help, in whatever way we can" Merryl stated in a choked voice. Something about this man did not feel right to her.
"Yeah, happy to oblige..." Millie added, "who are you looking for?"
"A man...a priest...about ye tall" he held up one hand about level to his head. When his arm raise, Millie and Merryl both found themselves mesmerized by the sight of a gleaming metal claw where his hand should have been.
"Sorry, no one like that around here" Millie said, and with that she and Merryl both quickly turned to leave. But they were restrained by the cold metal hands that clapped onto both their shoulders. He spun them back around to face him.
"Your eyes lie...your tongues follow suite" he tightened his grip on them, making them both flinch. "I know he is here, I can feel him. And I know you know who he is, I can smell him on you. You will take me to him."
"Why do you want to see him?" Merryl asked as she tried to free herself from his grasp.
"Destiny."
"Hey you, get your damn hands off..." Vash's slurred speech stopped when the ice cold eyes locked on him. The stranger who was holding onto the girls gave a contemptuous snort.
"And who the hell are you?"
"He's Vash the Stampede!" Merryl declared. She was hoping that maybe Vash's reputation would work to their advantage for once. Instead, the stranger simply looked Vash over, and then turned his head to Merryl. His eyes narrowed in a way that showed he clearly did not believe her. Merryl groaned to herself as she looked at Vash. Standing there, half drunk, trying to stay upright, his eyes a little glassy, his speech slurred, he certainly did not look like the image that came to mind when one thought of a legendary outlaw.
"You think I'm stupid?" the stranger hissed, and tightened his grip even harder on the girl's shoulders. They both gave small gasps of pain and began struggling to try to free themselves, but his hands were like vices. He shoved Merryl into Vash, who promptly fell over and lay chortling in the dirt. "I let you go...to bring the priest to me." He coiled his metal fingers around Millie's neck and glared at Merryl and Vash. "I will be keeping this one until you bring him."
As if these words had somehow sobered him up, Vash leapt to his feet and reached under his coat. His fingers brushed against the metal of his gun.
"Wolfwood? What do you want Wolfwood for?" Vash said in his best authoritative voice. He assumed a combat ready stance, and tried his best to look tough. But the stranger was obviously less than impressed.
"Did I hear my name? Who wants to see me?" came Wolfwood's voice. All eyes swung over toward the shadows, where Wolfwood emerged into the light. He looked a little drunk himself, his cheeks slightly flushed, a rather giddy expression written across his face. That all vanished however, when he got a look at the situation. And when he saw the person who now held Millie hostage, the color drained completely from his face. His legs suddenly became weak, and he stumbled back a few steps.
Millie heard her captor skip a breath. His finger's tightened slightly on her throat, and right next to her ear, she heard the bad breathed voice whisper.
"Nicholas."
"A-Alex!" Wolfwood gasped as he struggled to absorb all that was happening.
Somewhere in the night sky above them, a star fell from its place in the heavens and streaked through the sky, a trail of fire blazing behind it.
CHAPTER 3 COMING TO DRAG ME DOWN...
The twin suns were dipping over the horizon, leaving the small town clothed in darkness. The sky was had already attained a faint blue, and the lights from the buildings illuminated the streets. For the people of this small town, it was business as usual. This is why none of them noticed the lone figure that slowly walked in from the desert.
He was clothed in a black cloak that covered most of his body. He kept his arms down straight at his sides, his hands not visible. His face was concealed by a hood that only allowed for his fine chin and some scrufty whiskers to be seen. From beneath the darkness of the hood, a pair of dead eyes gazed out at the world.
Merryl groaned and rubbed her temples. She had a monstrous headache. She opened her eyes and looked at her typewriter. It almost seemed to mock her.
"Merryl, are you all right?" Millie asked as she slapped another stack of forms down next to her partner. Merryl looked at the size of this new stack, and at the one she had yet to finish, and collapsed, her head laying down on the table.
"What did I do to deserve so much work?" she moaned into the wood surface.
"Come on Merryl, you need a break" Millie said, tugging on her friends arm. Merryl looked up into Millie's eyes. She knew her friend meant well, but lately it seemed nothing could brighten her mood. She was about to protest when Millie yanked her up out of her chair. Millie's strength never ceased to surprise Merryl. Vash also knew this lesson as well, having been on the receiving end of some backbreaking Millie hugs.
Millie led Merryl downstairs, into the main area of the inn they were currently staying at. The evening crowd had drifted in. Many people were at the bar, trying to drown their sorrows. More were sitting at the tables, eating or playing some sort of card games. Much to Merryl's personal distaste, she saw Vash and Wolfwood amongst them. Vash was seated at the bar, looking already quite intoxicated. Wolfwood was next to him, and they each had an arm around the other's shoulders, and were attempting to sing some sort of drinking song.
"Such behavior. And he calls himself a priest." Merryl turned her chin up as she spoke, trying to imply how above such things she was.
"Yeah..." Millie's voice had a slightly dreamy tough. Merryl caught the soft smile her companion had for the wandering priest. Merryl herself couldn't help but smile a little. She knew how her friend cared for their traveling companion. It was touching, in a strange sort of way. Although, in some other ways, it seemed totally mismatched.
"Come on, Millie. Lets get some fresh air." Merryl tugged her friend's arm, pulling her out the door into the streets. Night had fallen, and the air was much cooler now. They wandered the streets, striking up small talk with some of the people they came across. They purchased some oranges from a vendor in the street and munched them in the soft glow of a street lamp.
"I'm looking for someone" came a throaty voice from behind them. It caused them both to jump, almost choking on their oranges. They spun around and were met with one of the most bizarre men they had ever seen. His face was hidden under a hood, and only his chin and mouth were visible.
"Um...we're happy to help, in whatever way we can" Merryl stated in a choked voice. Something about this man did not feel right to her.
"Yeah, happy to oblige..." Millie added, "who are you looking for?"
"A man...a priest...about ye tall" he held up one hand about level to his head. When his arm raise, Millie and Merryl both found themselves mesmerized by the sight of a gleaming metal claw where his hand should have been.
"Sorry, no one like that around here" Millie said, and with that she and Merryl both quickly turned to leave. But they were restrained by the cold metal hands that clapped onto both their shoulders. He spun them back around to face him.
"Your eyes lie...your tongues follow suite" he tightened his grip on them, making them both flinch. "I know he is here, I can feel him. And I know you know who he is, I can smell him on you. You will take me to him."
"Why do you want to see him?" Merryl asked as she tried to free herself from his grasp.
"Destiny."
"Hey you, get your damn hands off..." Vash's slurred speech stopped when the ice cold eyes locked on him. The stranger who was holding onto the girls gave a contemptuous snort.
"And who the hell are you?"
"He's Vash the Stampede!" Merryl declared. She was hoping that maybe Vash's reputation would work to their advantage for once. Instead, the stranger simply looked Vash over, and then turned his head to Merryl. His eyes narrowed in a way that showed he clearly did not believe her. Merryl groaned to herself as she looked at Vash. Standing there, half drunk, trying to stay upright, his eyes a little glassy, his speech slurred, he certainly did not look like the image that came to mind when one thought of a legendary outlaw.
"You think I'm stupid?" the stranger hissed, and tightened his grip even harder on the girl's shoulders. They both gave small gasps of pain and began struggling to try to free themselves, but his hands were like vices. He shoved Merryl into Vash, who promptly fell over and lay chortling in the dirt. "I let you go...to bring the priest to me." He coiled his metal fingers around Millie's neck and glared at Merryl and Vash. "I will be keeping this one until you bring him."
As if these words had somehow sobered him up, Vash leapt to his feet and reached under his coat. His fingers brushed against the metal of his gun.
"Wolfwood? What do you want Wolfwood for?" Vash said in his best authoritative voice. He assumed a combat ready stance, and tried his best to look tough. But the stranger was obviously less than impressed.
"Did I hear my name? Who wants to see me?" came Wolfwood's voice. All eyes swung over toward the shadows, where Wolfwood emerged into the light. He looked a little drunk himself, his cheeks slightly flushed, a rather giddy expression written across his face. That all vanished however, when he got a look at the situation. And when he saw the person who now held Millie hostage, the color drained completely from his face. His legs suddenly became weak, and he stumbled back a few steps.
Millie heard her captor skip a breath. His finger's tightened slightly on her throat, and right next to her ear, she heard the bad breathed voice whisper.
"Nicholas."
"A-Alex!" Wolfwood gasped as he struggled to absorb all that was happening.
Somewhere in the night sky above them, a star fell from its place in the heavens and streaked through the sky, a trail of fire blazing behind it.